Brynne and Hadley have an announcement...

...they are big sisters!

Ruby Edith 

03 January 2013

9 pounds

20 inches long

I've wanted to put something up here for days now. It's a challenge when I don't often have two free hands, so I'm going with short and sweet. 

There's the hope that I'll be able to write more soon---we'll see.

All is well. Our three little girls are adjusting better than I could have ever imagined, largely due to the overwhelming love and support we've received from our community here. We are blessed to do life with some amazingly generous people, who love us well---what a gift.

Our hearts (and our hands) are full of good things.

Our girls are two years old!!

Our girls are TWO!! Can you even believe it?

Okay. Maybe you can. But it's pretty incredible to me. Amazing. Really amazing! Two! We had so much fun celebrating "two" together as a family. And, there was some other cool stuff that I'm so very thankful for too:

I came home from the hair show on Monday with such fun hair! (1089) My handsome, giving, flexible husband was willing and able to take a day off, so that I could strut my stuff on stage (1090). Ha!

The girls say an exuberant Amen! after we pray at mealtimes (1091). Then, they both need a kiss from both Mama and Papa before the begin eating---such a fun routine!! (1092)

We went to see the ducks and geese at our local nature reserve multiple times this week, taking advantage of the warm weather (1093). On the girls' birthday we all walked the entire lap, around the water, which is just over a mile!! (1094) So impressed with our girls!

We also walked out over the water without the stroller. (1095) Our girls did a great job of obeying--holding our hands, and walking carefully. (1096) This picture will show you just why I always sweat a little when we take our girls out over the water:

Here's a pretty sweet picture of Brad and Hadley.

Death grip on Miss Brynne. I can never relax out there.

For their birthday dinner, our girls enjoyed noodles for our local Asian food restaurant. (1097) Brynne did a great job eating with chopsticks! (1098)

Speaking of wonderful weather, the girls and I went to the playground with my friend and her two little girls. (1099) It was great chatting with her, getting to know her better. (1100)

I took the girls back to that same park later in the week. All the equiptment is just their size, (1101) so this mama can handle them climbing and sliding without worrying that they are gong to break something. (1102)

Hadley being just like her mama. (1103)

Brynne, cozy between her grandparents, with her baby, listening to a story. (1104)

Grandparents reading familiar stories to our girls, so we could have a night off. (1105)

Heart-shaped French toast for the girls' birthday breakfast (made by my rockstar husband!). (1106)

Just Like Me

Right before the girls were born, the ultrasound tech gave us a great picture of Brynne's foot.

I was elated! There were her toes, clear as day. And--they were just like her mama's. Second toe was bigger than the first toe.

Mama's toes

Brynne's toes

It just thrilled me that we would share that similarity--toes. Hadley came into the world, and we discovered her toes are like her mama's too.

Apart from those beautiful feet, my girls' appearance seems to be more like Brad. Hadley has his amazing blue eyes. Brynne is a mini-Brad in appearance.

So, I guess if they can't look like me, they can act a bit like me.

I was watching Hadley play with two baby dolls the other day this is what I saw:

Do you see it?

She's pretending to be a twin mama.

I wish you could see how she pulls up the shopping cart to the rocking chair, and loads the dolls in one at a time.

So cute!

Apparently these girls are watching, or paying attention, or something.

Duck Tales

A couple weeks ago we took the girls to the zoo.

They loved it! They would point at the animals, and babble excitedly. (Hadley is looking beyond the camera at a monstrous black rhinoceros--man, those things are big!).

I love that the girls can read about animals in books, and then see them in real life too!  

I have no idea if they made the connection that they were seeing the live version of what they've seen in books, or not, but it was fun to see all the animals. I pointed the animals out, and referenced lines from our books all along the way, anyway.
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So, fast forward to today. We're transitioning to one nap. They are so very tired in the mornings, so I've been trying to get them out after breakfast, before the heat of the day, to take a walk or run an errand, so that they can rest in their carseat or the stroller.

One place we visit a couple times a week is a nature reserve, comprised of wetlands, prairie and forest. Much of the path is shaded and cool and it is teeming with wildlife.

Part of the path goes out over the marsh. I'm so thankful that the path is wide enough to accommodate the double stroller. On the path we: hear frogs singing, see dragonflies dancing, ducks floating, turtles sunning themselves, fish tails flicking, snakes slithering *shudder*, and one day we even saw a beaver carrying a log to his dam!

Today, as we went along, I was pointing out the dragonflies and the sounds of the frogs singing, as usual. Just ahead of us I saw something moving in the reeds. Suddenly, five startled ducks were madly flapping their wings, one of which flew up on the path right in front of us! It waddled along in front of the stroller for a few moments before hopping back in the water.

The girls got so excited, exclaiming, "Duck, duck! And making their duck noises. All the way home Brynne was repeating the word "duck" and then making her duck noise, which actually sounds like a siren, "Aawha aawha aawha."

When we got home, we had lunch and then settled down to read a few stories before naptime. I asked the girls to pick out books to read. Brynne very excitedly brought me Little Quack Counts, full of dragonflies, fish, frogs, turtles and ducks.

She made the connection. Be still my heart!

Sympathy Itch

Have you ever had a parenting moment when you just don't know what to do?

Let me tell you mine.

Two weeks ago the girls got two vaccines at the doctor's office, and subsequently both got mild rashes on their bellies.

(Before I go any further, for the love of sweet baby Jesus--let us not debate vaccinations here. Brad and I have chosen to delay some, to skip some, and to give some on time. These choices are nothing to be taken lightly. All us mamas are just doing the best we can for our babies. Let's respect our fellow mamas' choices. Thank you.).

Hadley's rash went away. Brynne's never did. A week later we were back at the doctor. They thought Brynne's rash might be a strep rash, and did a strep test. It was negative. They chalked her rash up to a viral rash left over from the terrible croup/cough/cold thing they'd had the previous week. Read: We really have no idea what this rash is.

Another week went by. Thursday night Brynne is yanking on her ears. The rash had spread up her neck and behind her ears. After her bath we lathered her in hydrocortisone cream and gave her some Benedryl.

Friday morning the girls wake, they nurse, and I go to change diapers.

My jaw just dropped as I'm changing Brynne.

Brynne is covered, COVERED in red angry hives. They.Were.Everywhere. Neck, back, belly, chest, behind her ears, in her scalp, behind her knees, on the tops of her feet and on her forehead.

Both my husband and my brother-in-law make fun of my sisters and I for our propensity to exaggerate or "catastrophize" things. Friends (especially Brad and Mital), this is no "catastrophization"--she was covered!

When I became a mom, I was sure that vomit was going to be the hardest thing for me to deal with. In the past, the smell alone has caused me to run away retching. Well, I did the vomit thing and, surprisingly, it was tolerable. So, I figured it couldn't get any worse.

I was wrong. This rash thing was way, way worse than vomit. It was impossibly difficult for me to look at Brynne. I never thought that "doing hard things" would involve looking at my daughter. I was suddenly itchy from head to toe. Sympathy itch.

I'm sympathy itching as I write this.

So, my mind is racing. What if this was caused by something she ate--do I let her eat breakfast? The doctor wasn't open for another hour. Do I take her to the emergency room?

I was supposed to babysit later that day. I called that mama to explain what was going on, in case it affected my availability to watch her child. You know those moments of:

I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm handling it, everything's going to be okay--then all of a sudden---bwahhhhhhhh---I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not handling it, everything is not okay, not even a little bit? 

Yeah. Poor Ellyn. She got an ear-full of sobbing about Brynne's rash, and me telling her how itchy I was.

I opted to wait till the doctor was open, so that I could leave a message for the nurse to get back with me. I might have "catastrophized" that message a bit.

I was so desperate for someone to do something to make my poor baby feel better, I took an appointment during the girls' morning nap, and took them all by myself. One of these alone is recipe for disaster. Two at once--let's just say the rest of the day wasn't very pretty.

I didn't care. I needed answers.

My answer = severe allergic reaction to something.

I could have told them that over the phone. Whatever. They gave us drugs.

Brynne is on a five day course of steroids.

Her spots are fading. My itchiness is slowly going away. It's still hard to look at her fading spots. There are just so many!

They have no idea what caused this, which is unsettling to me. I'm afraid if I give her a bite of something, or if she smells a flower in the garden she'll keel over in anaphylactic shock. I know, Mital and hubs, "catastrophization" at its finest.

So, we march on. Doing hard things.
Itching.
Praying that "something" doesn't cause another allergic reaction.

Coiffure Thankfulness

413. Eucharisteo to hang on my kitchen cabinets.

414. Clementine juice running down little arms.

415. Getting the girls down to bed by myself.

416. Having all the ingredients to make lactation cookies.

417. Rain instead of snow.

418. Hadley officially walking.

419. Brynne only getting a black eye when she fell on a sharp toy.

420. Setting up a playdate with Alice.

421. Hearing thanksgiving from people on facebook.

422. New quotes to add to my collection.

423. Duck Tape.

424. Getting dressed in real clothes every day this week.

425. Putting makeup on every day this week.

426. Workouts that make my body feel "the good ache".

427. Snow clinging to tree branches.

428. Safe drive to the ER.

429. Determining that Hadley's finger was not broken in the ER parking lot.

430. Driving away from the ER without having to go inside.

431. Girls wearing their shoes around the house with no tears.

432. Caymus.

433. Conversation over dinner.

434. My husband's 34 years.

435. The girls having a good day with their papa while I was away.

436. Meeting another child just home from Ethiopia.

437. The opportunity to still work in adoption.

438. Being able to give over a foot of hair to Locks of Love.

439. My new do.

440. Using less shampoo to wash my hair.

441. Having a lighter head.

442. Date night!

443. Brynne snuggles at 5:45 A.M.

444. Brynne going back down to sleep for another hour.

445. Brynne handling teething with grace and patience.

446. Brynne getting braver with taking  more steps unassisted.

447. Blood oranges!

448. Sunday afternoon at the park.

449. Hadley, bravely, and after much distraction and deliberation, choosing to go down the slide all by herself.

450. Brynne's swinging joy.

451. Hadley pointing out the ducks taking off into flight.

452. Brynne snuggling with her papa.

453. Brynne's curiosity.

454. A husband who cuts out ugly bushes in the front of our house.

455. Empty spaces to plant--a canvas begging to be painted!

456. Walking around outside with the girls before bed.

457. Candlelit dinner with Brad.

458. Tender ribs just off the grill.

459. Thunderstorms.

460. The smell of warm spring rain.



Five Things

Just a quick five things for your Wednesday morning.

1. I just want to tell you (again) how much I love our Lil Rinser. 



Once Hadley could sit up well she would fight us if we would try to tip her back to rinse out her hair. So--we would try to put a washcloth or our hands over her eyes, but she would still fight us. Almost every bath ended in tears for her. Now--that's all changed.

No water gets in her eyes. She doesn't fight us when it comes time to rinse her hair. Baths don't end in tears.

Wonderful product. Worth. Every. Penny.

2. Just in case you were beginning to think that I am the best mama in the whole world. Brynne has a shiner.

Yup, face planted on a toy. Mere inches from my arms, and I didn't catch her. Boo.

3. Hadley's hair is starting to resemble Justin Bieber's hair.

And, yes, I am slightly embarrassed that I just Googled Justin Bieber pictures. Can you go to jail for that?

4. So, we just got some Baltic amber necklaces for the girls. Brad calls them the girls' "amber waves of grain". I'm not really sure why, but it makes me laugh. Anyway, I told the people over on my facebook page that I would keep them posted the effectiveness of the necklaces on the girls' teething pain. I would have to say that the verdict is still out. I will tell you this though--we've used less Motrin and fewer teething tablets since the girls started wearing them on Saturday. All of this has been in the midst of Hadley popping another tooth on Monday, and Brynne's being gums super swollen, because she's cutting her one year molars.

So---take that for what it's worth. I want to give it a bit more time before I officially proclaim them to be the magic cure. Even if they don't work--they are pretty cute, right?!

5. And finally, a friend emailed this to me today. I wanted to share the love.



Sledding

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Brynne

Hadley

My loves

Merry Christmas!

The Artist

My daughter, Brynne, is an artist.

Her canvas--our second crib, currently being used as a changing table.

Her medium--teeth.

I have to laugh--she comes by it honestly.

When I was ready to transition from my crib to a bed, my papa made my bed, crafted it out of beautiful cherry wood. I still have it, ironically, it sits in the same room as the masterpiece Brynne has created.

 As a toddler, I made my papa's labor of love into my own work of art.

I'm pretty sure I was punished for that. I would have punished me for that.

My mama had us take naps every day. She would tell us where the hands on the clock needed to be before we were allowed to leave our rooms. After my imagination wore out, and sleep wouldn't come, I got into all kinds of mischief--not on purpose, mind you. I would absently pick at a seam in the wallpaper by my bed, or pull fur out of a stuffed animal, or--I would etch teeth marks in the headboard of my bed. All while watching for the hands of my Disney clock to point to the right numbers, so that I could be released from my nap.

The wallpaper was patched, the stuffed animal has long since been thrown away, but I still have the bed. Beyond the amusing story, I see the teeth marks as an engraved memory. That bed stands in the girls' changing room quietly holding on to that memory for me. As I look down at permanent indents that Brynne's chompers have done to the crib, I glance up and smile at the work my teeth did on my own childhood bed so many years ago.

The cribs we purchased convert into beds, so Brynne will have her artwork to take with her someday. Maybe she, too, will have children who enjoy gnawing on wood, and she will have her own engraved memory to remind her to laugh.

So they all rolled over...

Today my daughter, Brynne, rolled over! It was very exciting--maybe only to me and my husband, but I'm sharing with all of you anyway! I had her up on the changing table, and she kept rolling to her side, so after I got her all ready for church, I put her the floor to see what she could do. Sure enough--within a few minutes she had worked herself to her side, and then--plop, she rolled herself on to her tummy. She gave a repeat performance a few moments later, so that her daddy could see her new trick. I was ecstatic--I don't think I could have been prouder of anyone in that moment than I was of her. I went on to share the news with just about everyone I talked to at church, texted my family and a few friends, and made her accomplishment my facebook status. Overboard? Perhaps, but I was pretty stoked, and graciously, people have celebrated this accomplishment with us with gusto!

Rolling over, I realize, is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of one's life--I certainly don't recall the day when I rolled over for the first time-- but for our girls, it marks the first of many milestones, that I will lovingly journal about, with all the details that they aren't going to remember either. Then, one day, many years from now, they can know that they were a pretty big deal, and that we celebrated their first roll over, first step and first spoonful of smashed peas, among other things.

I have had the privilege of walking alongside a friend's last year with her son before he goes off to college.  I've listened to her both celebrate and mourn his last sporting event, last sport's banquet, last prom and last week of school. She has lovingly and painstakingly catalogued all his milestones and accomplishments, which were proudly displayed for all to see at his graduation party this afternoon. In the fall, she will experience the ultimate "roll over" moment as she takes her son to college, four hours away.

As I think about my friend, I think of where we are, at the other end of the parenting journey, with many more milestones and achievements yet to be reached by our girls--rolling over is just the beginning of many events to celebrate. My friend's journey reminds me that each one is precious, and should be met with great excitement--what a blessing and privilege to experience!