Cake is Great!

Today is Lili's birthday, and here is a little story in picture-form about her new favorite thing: CAKE!

Hmmm... this looks interesting.

Let me inspect it a bit more closely.

Not Bad!  Not Bad At All!!

Seriously.  Why have they been keeping this stuff from me?

Dad, this is amazing!  You should try it!

Love it!  Can we do this again tomorrow?

Happy FIRST Birthday to my sweet little Baboo!!

My how it flew by!!

Tomorrow is My Birthday!!

But I opened one of my presents today!!

The mailman brought it.  Want to see??

It's a Lynx from Mimi.  (Mom has been calling it Lancelont Lynx.)

And I LOVE it!!

Kiss Kiss Kiss!  Oh, how I love it!!

I cannot wait to see what fun tomorrow brings!
(Actually I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.)
Lots of love from
Lili





Please Baby, Mama NEEDS to Blog!

It has been a little bit difficult to write lately because quite frankly Lili does not approve.  Anytime I sit down at the computer, she is there, standing next to my chair on dainty tiptoes, yanking my hands repeatedly away from the keyboard.  You might be thinking, "Why doesn't she write while Lili naps?" to which I would respond,

"Have you met Lili??"  She still catnaps sporadically during the day, preferably on my shoulder, NEVER in her own bed.  It's alright though because she is very cute and sweet and did I mention she's my last?  Nap time was never established since I  have two other kids who always seem to need to be toted around here and there.  Lili catches zzz's in the car, in the stroller, or in the baby backpack.  Whatever.  It is what it is.  Right now I have a few minutes of peace as she is seated on the floor next to me wildly shaking a crackly-sounding Barnes and Noble bag.  You should try it sometime.  It looks like fun.

I am finding it hard to believe that this little imp will be ONE next week!  I will sadly say goodbye to my last baby while I excitedly anticipate all of the fun things this next year will bring.  I am already LOVING the very deliberate, squeezy, heartfelt hugs around the neck that I get from that little girl.  Her 'hugs with kisses combo' is unfortunately reserved only for other children right now (she is especially generous with our little friend Riley), but I know my time is coming.  "Ma ma ma ma ma..." will soon morph into very intentional words and sentences.  And "peek-a-boo" and "This little piggy..." are merely the tips of the toddler iceberg.

Lili is not the only one bringing glee to my life these days of course.  Today for some reason, Emma has been especially hilarious.  At her dental appointment, she was asking me about some "WWJD" bracelets that had been in the prize box there.  I explained the acronym, and she scrunched up her face and replied, "Well, I can tell you what Jesus WOULDN'T do!  He would wear a sorry-looking, plastic bracelet like that."

And the zingers just kept coming.  Later this evening, when she and Sophie were getting ready for gymnastics, she asked if she could wear a different leotard because "this one can give a girl the opposite of a wedgie."

"WHAT," I asked, "is the opposite of a wedgie?"

"I guess it's a vaj-edgie."  was her logical response.  I almost peed myself laughing.  And although she will probably never forgive me for posting that little tidbit on the Interwebs, I just couldn't keep it to myself.  I think Emma may have just coined a fantastic new term.  Try it out on your friends when appropriate.

Maybe these things aren't actually that funny, but George has been gone all week, and I have been starved of alone time and grown up conversation.  It doesn't take much for me this week.

We will meet again the next time I am able to sit at my computer without an infant protesting too much.  Au Revoir!

A Week of Firsts

As suggested by my title up there, this was a week of firsts: the first full week of school, my first attempt at a Jazzercise class, my first neighborhood Bunco game, and wasn't there something else??  Oh yes, Lili took her very first baby steps!

School seems to be going well.  Emma and Sophie have both been excited to go to their school's library, and both are into new book series now: The Fire Within (Emma) and The Littles (Sophia).  Sophie also reports that she "LOVES ART"!  So school is good.

Jazzercise is hardly noteworthy since I have been a big fan of aerobics classes for many years now.  I enjoyed the class.  I did not, however, enjoy hearing Lili screaming her head off in the nursery room everytime there was a break in the music.  What am I going to do with that girl?  She loves her mama entirely too much.

Bunco, a completely mindless dice game, was good fun and gave me a chance to meet and mingle with lots of my neighbor ladies.  I was the only native Southerner in the crowd, and I think they appreciated my different perspective.

Oh yeah... what else was there?  Lili's first steps!  Of course.  These very small and timid baby steps earlier this week were most certainly coaxed out of her by her Daddy.  In fact without his cheer leading, she hasn't really attempted much stepping since that first evening.  Lili reminds me so much of her big sister Emma as a baby.  Emma certainly had the strength and ability to walk at a much earlier age, but held out until around 15 months. Even when she could walk, she would stand with her arms reaching upward while crooning her favorite demand, "YOU CARRY!!"

On Monday when she did take those first steps, Lil was obviously totally impressed with herself.  She continually lost her balance and fell back onto her bottom because she was excitedly applauding herself.  I really tried to get a photo, but this was the best I could do...

It's just poor photography.  She wasn't actually walking THAT fast!

On Friday, we were all surprised to see hot air balloons all over the Midland sky.  We later discovered that it was the 20th anniversary of the Midland Hot Air Balloon Festival, and it was very cool.  There were countless balloons, and it was just beautiful.

We have enjoyed a very laid back weekend, and even though she hasn't expressed all that much interest in walking since her initial excited attempt, Lili continues to remind us that she's still the boss...

"Buy me something sparkly, Dad?"

A Tale of Two Girls

Today was an exciting day for Sophia.  She got to sleep in a few minutes later than usual and miss the school bus since she had a "well check" appointment at the pediatrician's office.  Emma had her well check several weeks ago, and that was an entirely different ordeal...

When Emma met our doctor for the first time at that appointment, she had a laundry list of concerns and worries: bad tummy, big tonsils, poor hearing, and a few others I'm sure she would rather I didn't broadcast on the Internet.  She also had to have two shots or "jabs" as I still like to call them.  (There are quite a few British words I am not keen on giving up.)

So after discussing all of her woes and worries with our new and exceptionally lovely doctor, Emma braced herself for the dreaded jabs.  I sent Sophie out of the room since I knew she was due for jabs at her next appointment and since I was certain that there would be no shortage of drama and tears in that room.  Emma did not disappoint.  She screamed and wailed at the pain of the first jab then cried out, "Wait!!" before the second one.  The seasoned nurse went ahead with the second one anyway so that it would all be over and, in doing so, ignited a fresh round of gut wrenching howls, "But I wasn't ready!!  I said WAIT!!"  The screaming continued for a few more minutes while I said helpful things like, "Get yourself together, girl!!  Your sister is going to think someone is killing you in here!"  Sure enough when we opened the door, we found a rather white-faced Sophia standing there who said, "I did NOT like the sound of THAT!"

Emma eventually got over it, but her sad face and puffy eyes earned her a long and generous hug from Dr. G's grandmotherly receptionist as well as a hot fudge sundae at the Dairy Queen.  (I found myself wondering where my ice cream was every day when I had to have those horribly painful heparin injections in my poor thighs after my c-section.  Perhaps I just didn't scream enough.)

Now fast forward to today.  We turned up at he doctor's office for Sophia's appointment where things unfolded very differently.  Soph is as healthy as a horse with no aches, pains, worries or complaints.  She wears her seat belt, can tie her shoes, and ride her bike without training wheels.  Check, check and check.  She eats a healthy varied diet, drinks plenty of milk, exercises and poops like a champ.  Check!  She goes to sleep well and sleeps all night.  Check plus.  Sophie and her sister are, not surprisingly, very different animals.

But we still had those nasty jabs to endure.  So...how did Sophie fare?  She took a few deep breaths... and took those shots like a man.  That's what she did.  There wasn't a whimper, a tear or even really a grimace to speak of.  I thought the nurse (the same one who had thoroughly traumatized Emma) was going to scoop her up and kiss her.  What a champ!

After all of the band-aids were in place, Sophie looked at me and asked, "Why on EARTH was Emma screaming and crying about THAT??"

So I had to explain, "To Emma, those shots were really awful.  For her they were scary, and she thought they hurt a lot.  So Emma cried.  You are not Emma, and you didn't think they were a big deal.  That's okay.  You two are just very different."  This answer satisfied Sophie, but left me reflecting on the bigger picture.  Emma is a sensitive soul.  She feels her pain and the pain of others so deeply.  Her love and her thinking are profound.  One day her sensitivity may indeed turn out to be a great gift, but as a little girl these gifts often bring heartbreak and a few tears.  Sophia, on the other hand, tends to take life by the horns.  She likes to jump in and try anything.  If she gets hurt, she dusts herself off and goes right back in.  She will dance at your birthday party (even if no one else is).  She knows what 'funny' is, and can prove it.  I am often in awe of her confidence, and her contagious laughter is no match for any straight face.

What I love is the fact that these two very different girls can be such best friends (and occasionally worst enemies).  What a blessing that they are such polar opposites in terms of their gifts; they have so much to learn from each other.

"She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child." ~Barbara Alpert

Zzzzz.... PLEASE!?

I am beginning to wonder if I will ever sleep through the night again.  Seriously.  I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night without being woken up by my third baby who requires some sort of attention that awakens and disturbs me.  I am certain it has been over a year since I have slept through the night.  I was always told that "third babies are so easy and laid back."  Really?  Lili apparently did not receive that memo as she is a right pain in the backside when it comes to sleeping...day and night!

Since my older girls have been at school this week, I have been trying to encourage Lili to take a nap in her crib in the afternoon... to which she replied, "Mama, Say WHAT??"  Those weren't her exact words.  Mostly she just screamed every time we came anywhere near the crib.  She has grown so accustomed to catching cat naps here and there as I have shuttled her big sisters around, that she thinks I am completely nuts when I suggest that a crib is a suitable place for napping.  I have pretty much ruined her, I think.  Today after literally hours of trying to coerce that very tired little girl to go to sleep in her crib, she finally passed out from the exhaustion of protesting.  I peeked into her room and found a baby who was completely folded in half, sleeping and convulsing with leftover, pitiful sniffles at regular intervals.  This nap lasted about fifteen glorious minutes.  It was basically a power nap which enabled her to regain enough energy to stand up in bed and holler some more.  I went to her rescue and she almost immediately fell asleep on my shoulder again.  (This had been happening all afternoon.  I'd place a relaxed, sleeping Lili into the crib, and she'd immediately wake up, stand up and start wailing.)  I decided to keep her there, on my shoulder and let her sleep.  Lili -1; Mom- nothing.

Last night the child was up at 3 a.m.  By four o'clock when she wouldn't settle down or drink any milk and had made a very amusing game out of pulling my hair and slapping my face, I marched her right back to her crib and plonked her back in it.  It was time for some tough love.  She cried off and on (more on than off) until 7 a.m. when I had to get up and help the big kids get ready for school.  As you can imagine, there weren't homemade pancakes and show tunes from me this morning.  I'm not even sure I gave the girls a bleary-eyed piece of toast.  Hey George, did you feed our children this morning before they got on the bus?  (Yes, I am relieved to report that he did indeed serve them toaster waffles.  It could have been worse.)

So there you go: a week full of similar nonsense explains why I haven't been feeling inspired to write much this week.  I am not really asking for advice.  I am merely complaining.  I'm sure I could have prevented all of this by strictly following the "Ferber Method" or some other such nonsense and being a "Nap Nazi," but instead, I have just held and enjoyed my beautiful, ruined baby.  I may never sleep through the night again, but I'm not ready to give her away...yet.

Better get to bed.  Lili will be calling for me in a few hours!

The Longest Day Ever!!

Today started out in the usual way.  Lili found her way into our bed between 4 and 5 a.m. and took up her usual position, lying horizontally between my husband and me.  I got up at about 7 o'clock when I heard a loud crash coming from upstairs.  Lili had already nearly pushed me out of bed and onto the floor anyway.  (The above photo shows what I left behind when I arose.)  When I got upstairs, both girls were dressed and in the process of brushing teeth, and no one seemed to know what the aforementioned ruckus had been, but both girls were bright eyed, bushy tailed and bubbling with excitement. 

Alas this was not an ordinary day.  It was the first day of school, and I had decided that I would bite the bullet and put my two eldest babies on the big yellow school bus this morning.  We breakfasted and chatted then headed out to the end of the driveway to wait for said school bus.  As we waited I heard Emma say, "Sophie, you better hug mom before you get on the bus or mom might cry."  It's true.  I was becoming a bit verklempt.  This is what my two little darlings looked like as they waited this morning, and as I quizzed them: "Are you sure you remember where your classroom is?  Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

And then, before I could even manage to burst into tears, they confidently climbed onto that enormous bus, and they were gone.  Just gone.  I stood there for a few minutes and marveled at that fact.  Then I went inside and shouted up to George, "Sophie and Emma just got on the bus, and now they are gone!!"

"Goodbye my babies!!"

So... since I was heading out to the grocery store anyway, I thought I might as well pop in to their school to make sure all went well on the bus.  I wasn't the only one.  The school was full of doting Mommies and Daddies who were seeing little Johnny off and taking pictures of him sitting at his school desk trying to "look natural."  I quickly stuck my head in both classrooms to see that each girl had arrived at school in one piece and that they had found thier classes without any major drama.  Check and check!

And so began one of the longest days ever.  Lili and I did some shopping, came home, did laundry, washed dishes, took a walk, baked a homemade apple pie, and WAITED for those girls to come home!  The house seemed so strange and quiet without them here.  And still we WAITED!  Finally, they arrived...

...And everything is right in the world again.  Both girls had a great day, and tomorrow will be even easier... for their mama.

Happy "Back to School"!

"Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."

--Dan Quayle

Look Who's Feeling Better...

At long last... after a week of very disturbed sleep, buckets of snot and a full round of antibiotics, our sweet buddy is back!  Our sweet buddy was so excited to be feeling better that she was up celebrating it after midnight last night.  Luckily for her tired mother, she DID sleep in this morning and woke up after 9 am in the arms of her fabulous big sister...

Part of the excitement may have also been due to the fact that Dad is back, AND we spent all day yesterday at Michigan's Adventure theme park.  This is all terribly exciting even if one is too little to ride any of the rides...

Sophie and Emma enjoyed all of the rides and fun even if little Lili couldn't join in.  Emma, once again, pushed the limits of her bravery by riding the enormous Shivering Timbers roller coaster.  She also tolerated a few of the smaller rides with the other kids...

Ok... barely tolerated.

After this last adventure we are all officially ready to head back to school on Tuesday!

Third and First Grades, Here We Come!!

Did You See That Guy's Eyebrows??

Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time with my Lili will inevitably comment on what "expressive eyebrows" she has.  We often find ourselves laughing (or occasionally feeling admonished) by her very serious faces.  Above she is pictured taking a brief pause from her kazoo playing to non-verbally ask, "What you talkin' bout, Mama?" 

Another photo for the scrapbook is posted below.  I finally took Emma and Sophie to the Taco Bell for the first time ever in their dear little lives, and boy were they impressed.  Emma is a big fan of the low fat "Fresco" menu, of course, and Sophie just wants to sample everything. 

Say "Nacho Cheese!"

Happy 90210, Friends!

The Apple of My Eye

Sure, it's a little early for apple picking and a little late for blueberry picking, but that didn't stop us from making a trip out to Freeland on one of our last free days before school starts to visit both kinds of farms.  Strong psychic vibrations are telling me there may be some homemade pies in our future.  Sophie and Emma were very discerning in their selection of the apples.  They literally picked a peck, and now that we are back at home, we get to decide what to do with them all... apple oatmeal, apple pancakes, apple pie, apple spice cake, apple crumble, fried apples, grilled cheese and apple sandwiches, apples with peanut butter?  I really don't think we can go wrong.

Of course the journey is as much fun as the destination, and I'm thinking that blueberry and apple pies are the ultimate destination.  We really enjoyed our time at the apple farm.  The kids got to play at the rustic playground and see all sorts of little farm animals.  Our young friends Brennen and Riley were especially excited about meeting a rooster and hearing his impressive cock-a-doodle-doo.  We also were all there to witness a young ginger tom cat catch (and play with) his first mouse on the farm.  Wow.

This little punkin, unfortunately, is still feeling pretty rotten, but I think a morning out in the sunshine did her some good...

Bring on the fall, we say!  Happy September to all!