Totally Hosed

I am in so much trouble! What am I going to do? I'm going to need some help, that's all I can say. Especially in about 10 years.

What's all the fuss about, you ask? This is what. Yesterday morning Bitty had ballet class, and it overlapped her swimming lesson by about 5 minutes. I was trying to get her to wear the bottom half of her swimming suit under her ballet leotard so the change could happen really fast. She refused, and when I asked her why she said, "Because all the kids in my class will think I look funny." (Oh man! Already?) I tried to assure her that she wouldn't look funny at all, that her leotard would cover the suit bottom. Then, get this. She says, "But mom! It will make my bottom look big!"

Oh crap. She's three.

A Baby Blessed

As was noted on facebook, I was still working on Bundle's blessing dress at 11:00 the night before her big day. Luckily the dress had been mostly finished since before she was born. I just had to add a lining, ribbon and a button. The reason I was doing it at 11:00 at night was because I had spend the rest of the weekend getting ready for the lunch after church at Peter and Sheri's place. Thus the procrastination. I suppose I couldn't possibly have done it any sooner than this weekend, right?

So yes, on Sunday, July 5th, we had the opportunity to give Bundle a special baby blessing in church. I really missed having my parents there. I was so happy my brother Peter was there to represent both my Dad and other brother Adam in the blessing, both of whom are far away right now. Peter is a rock. Troy's family were almost all there, and I thank them for taking the time to make it to us from near and far to be there. It was a lovely meeting, and the time spent afterwords eating and talking and being with beloved friends and family was wonderful. Unfortunately, my sweet mother in law was ill and couldn't be there. You were missed, Carol.


I'm so grateful that Bundle is here, safe, sound and sweet. I feel like I've learned a lot about faith in the past couple of years. When I got pregnant with Matthew and then when he passed away, I felt like Heavenly Father put the floor under my feet before I could even take a step. Does that make sense? The spirit was around me and Troy and helping us before we even had the chance to ask. I knew of His love for me and my family without a doubt, so much so that I actually treasure the experience of losing Matthew. And then when I felt that it was time to try for one more baby I learned (again - it's a lesson to be learned over and over) that sometimes I'm asked to take a step ahead before I know if there's a floor there or not. Bundle's pregnancy was much harder than I expected it to be, as far as trusting that she would make it here to our family if she was supposed to. And there was nothing I could do to control that, just trust in my Heavenly Father and put my fears in His hands. And now here I am with this warm pink Bundle and I am just thrilled. Matthew was certainly on my mind more than usual on Sunday, and in a good way. I celebrate what he gave me as much as I celebrate what Bundle now brings. I'm very grateful.

The First Annual, The...Fourth Annual?

I hope everyone had a lovely Independence Day this year - we did. Frankly, at this point in my life I was just hoping for a low key day that made my kids happy but didn't require much out of me. I'm pathetic.

This year we had a first. It was the First Annual Neighborhood Pancake Breakfast, hosted by our church. I think a lot of other churches/neighborhoods host something like this on the 4th of July every year, but with Troy being in our ward's bishopric he was quite involved in the planning and carrying out of the breakfast. Sorry honey, it was a total success and I'm sure you'll be doing it again next year! It was a lot of work for a lot of people but I really thought it was fun and went really well. Face painting, a 5K, pancakes and sausage and fruit - how could it go wrong?

We also enjoyed the ongoing (third? fourth?) annual tradition of spending the afternoon and evening at the home of The Becky. It's so mellow there - the kids just play and Becky and I can sit and....just sit. That's all we want. Her hubby grills up some burgers and then we have a lovely 7 p.m. fireworks display. It's not dark yet, but we're not telling the kids that the fireworks look better at night. It's not worth staying up for. Okay, maybe someday it will be, but not yet! Other years we have come home and had front-yard fireworks with our next door neighbors, but their son is growing up and spent the holiday with a friend, so we missed out on that impromptu tradition this year. Also in other years we've climbed up in the attic and watched the fireworks at the stadium from our attic window, but they didn't have them there this year. Fine by me. It was a nice day without a ton of hoopla. Just enough for the kids to enjoy it, for sure. We'll have more hoopla-filled Independence Days in the future. And for a funny and sort of true history lesson on the 4th of July, check out The Misty's Blog. I enjoyed that quite a lot.

The Hairdo

Oh Bitty. I love this picture. She was plugging her ears because Troy was on the back porch using a very loud chop saw. But that's not why I took the photo. I took it because it was about five in the afternoon and she still had a hairdo. You may not consider this to be miraculous, but around here it is, for a couple of reasons. One is that she let me put something in her hair in the first place. Most mornings it's all I can do to get a brush through her hair, not to mention any sort of accessory such as a pony tail or clip. And she's got this kind of thin straggly hair that always manages to look quite unkempt. It's lovely, don't get me wrong, it's just that I'd love to keep it out of her face. That would have been a whole lot easier since her bangs finally grew out except that I, for the second time, caught her red-handed with scissors in hand and hair on the floor. This time it was her freshly grown-out bangs. But that's another story.

The second reason that a hairdo is miraculous is that on the days I do convince her to have a clip or something, it generally lasts about an hour. Tops. That is because she has this funny way of coping when she gets really distressed about something. If she gets sad or upset, the first thing she does is tear out whatever is in her hair. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into the living room to see her standing there, tears in her eyes, absolutely enraged and pulling out whatever rubber band I had put in there along with a few hairs and stating, "I am never going to ________ again!" What's really funny is that if it's a no-hairdo day, she'll shed her clothes. What is it about removing clothing and/or accessories that helps her express her extreme sorrow and anger? It's pretty funny. And also frustrating.

But yesterday she went the entire day with her cute little ponies! I love them. I love how she looks with her hair pulled back. I'm so glad I caught this photo because it all got ripped out about 10 minutes later.

Afloat

I am so happy to report that my nose is above the waterline. It has taken a dip under a time or two, but since I foresaw eyeballs only above the line, I'm feeling pretty good. Bundle is 4 weeks old today, and it feels like I've never been without her. What a good baby. She has been our easiest baby by miles. I don't know if it's because I have mellowed out a great deal since we brought home Stomper, who was 4 lbs. 12 oz., 6 weeks early and born in the winter, (I was a little tense!), or if I've learned so much about baby care that I'm just better at it, or if Bundle is just naturally calm and a good sleeper. I think it's a combination of all of the above. (Okay, I have to admit that both Troy and I are a little alarmed by how little of Bitty's infancy we remember.) I'm just grateful that I get to enjoy Bundle as much as I do. And I SWEAR she is smiling regularly now. Anyway, things are good. Of course I do have those days where I'm all excited because everyone is dressed, I managed to shower and eat breakfast, and the dishes have not piled up beyond the top of the sink when I suddenly realize around mid-afternoon that I never brushed my teeth. But hey, that's still accomplishing an awful lot, even if I may be emitting offensive odors.


In an unrelated story I do have to report a statement made by Bitty. We were at her ballet class when I saw her doing a little mining. We've been doing battle over her booger consumption, but perhaps being in her lovely ballet clothes changed her image of herself because she pulled out a big gooey one, looked at it, handed it to me and stated, "Mom, this one is too yucky to eat." Whereupon the woman behind me promptly started choking.

The Spontaneous Family Reunion

We are always so happy when any/all/some of my brother Adam's family comes to town. This time it was just his (very pregnant) wife Whitley and their two kids, S & L. I was certainly not expecting the invitation that Whit extended to us - she stopped by late one afternoon to meet Bundle (she's so darling with babies, she makes you feel like your baby is absolutely the most delicious baby on the planet) and for the kids to play a bit. Then she took Stomper with her to spend the night with them up at her parents' home/cabin in Woodland. Man, was that a treat. Stomper needed a break from me, I needed a break from dealing with three kids, and Bitty needed some special attention from her mom, so it worked out perfectly. Stomper was gone for an entire 24 hours and had a ball. Whit reported that they just played and played and played. Just what the doctor ordered! Thank you! I am so grateful that S. and Stomper have each other - with my side in the family having only two boy cousins, we're so lucky that they are near in age and love each other. I'm so sad they live far away. (Though it sure is fun to visit them!)

Then on Monday night my sister Margaret generously offered to bring me dinner. That was also the last day I'd have to see Whit and the kids so I invited them to stop by any time. Their only chance to do so was that evening, so they were in on the dinner plans. Sheri (Peter's wife) was also really hoping to see Adam's family, so I told her I'd call when I heard from Whitley. Suddenly we had a little family reunion going on! We of course missed my parents, both of my brothers, and only two of the grandkids were missing - two of Margaret's girls. We missed them! But we were lucky to have that many kids together. We took lots of pictures and realized that we were taking one of those shots that would be really fun to look back on some day when all these kids are big.


It was at Christmas time that we took a picture of the three pregnant ladies. We're down to two now! (And they're still way hotter than me!) These sisters-in-law are due pretty much on the same day, so we'll see what happens there. Fun, huh!



Almost all the grandkids! K & H, next time you'd better be there. MG (the biggest girl there) was The It girl - all the little ones were grappling for her attention. Literally. Luckily no one dished out a bloody nose or anything but it was close.


The Sisters, both original and additional, and all dearly beloved by me. I have to say, I'm one lucky lady. It's been especially fun to have Sheri near by again because we've been able to spend a lot of time together.

Well, I'm grateful for family. This weekend we'll get to see pretty much all of Troy's family for Bundle's blessing, and I'm looking forward to that too. Family is a good thing. This is making me excited for Christmas when we'll have two more little babes here plus hopefully all the people that were missing this day. And thanks to my sister for bringing enough food for this troop. Actually, I don't think the kids ate much. They were too busy playing ring around the rosie and whacking each other with the bow and arrows.






The happy hosts. Don't I have a cute husband?

Baby Update

What with all my commentary on the big kids, I haven't posted any pictures of Bundle for a while! She has been such a good baby so far. Still sleeping well at night, going between four and six hours at a stretch, nursing well, pooping enough, content to hang out in a bouncy seat a couple of times a day, and napping in her bed. It actually seems rather miraculous and I hope she keeps it up. I can't get enough of her. I just have to smell her sweet little neck and kiss her soft cheeks every time I touch her. Happy.

Here's her first real bath a few days ago:




Her siblings are nuts about her. Isn't that nice? Going from two to three kids has been much easier than going from one to two, but that may be partly because Bitty is approaching her 4th birthday this summer, whereas Stomper was coming up on his 3rd when Bitty was born. Doesn't matter. All I know is that I'm not freaking out nearly as badly as I had planned on. (Am I the only person who plans on freaking out?)



Now, I know every parent thinks this, but I swear our kid is already smiling. This cute picture of her looks like she's just a content happy baby. I just missed catching her giving a huge grin to her daddy. It's happened a couple of times now where Troy has been holding her, she's looking into his eyes, and when he says something she just breaks out into a big open mouthed grin. I know, books tell you it is just gas, but I don't believe them!

In The Game

Going into this post, there is something you need to know about me. I am a horrible person. There. Now that I've admitted that, is it okay for me to vent just a little? If not, you'd better quit reading right now.

Looking at these two cute pictures you can tell that I have one adorable daughter. Bitty has been nothing but darling since we brought Bundle home. I really expected her to have a much harder time than she has - I thought she'd be moody and emotional and tantrum-erific, but instead she's been warm and adoring and mostly cheerful. She is sleeping all night in her own bed, praise be. It's great. You may be wondering what the problem is.

Bitty no longer plays with any toys at all. I can get her to spend time on her bike on the back porch, which is great, but those times are breaks from her real passion. She spends all her time, from the moment she gets out of bed to the moment she gets back in it, playing pretend. That doesn't sound too bad except for the fact that in her game I play a major supporting roll. And there is a limited story line which she plays out over and over and over again all day long. I don't know what's going on for her that she needs to re-enact this scenario so much, but this is how it goes. (Also, she dictates out the entire game, including every word that she wants coming from my mouth.)

Bitty: In the game you're a nice lady and I'm a beautiful white kitty and when I meow you say, 'I head a meowing sound.' 'Meow!'
Me: I hear a meowing sound!
Bitty: Then you see a kitty shape coming towards you and you say, 'I hope that's a kitty!'
Me: I hope that's a kitty!
Bitty: Then I knock on your door and you open the door and you say, 'What a beautiful kitty!'
Me: What a beautiful kitty!
Bitty: And you find out that I live all alone and you live all alone too and you ask if I can come live with you...

You get the idea. The game is all about lonely people finding each other and then deciding to live together. Okay, it's not exactly the same every time. Sometimes she's "a sweet little girl" instead of a kitty. Either way, she names herself Matilda. Her script is about five to ten minutes long and the moment we reach the end of it she tells me that we're starting the game over. Nooooo! Actually, I can get her to keep the game going if I ask her to do things for me like get me a diaper or throw something away. But then she has a whole other script for that process and even though I have her script thouroughly memorized she still must dictate it to me. For the whole day. Seriously. She'll get out of bed and enter the living room with the cutest sweet smile on her face. I say good morning to her and she replies, "...and in the game you're a nice lady and you see a little kitty coming towards you..." You know you're in trouble when the first sentence that comes out of her mouth in the morning starts with "And." Like she is just continuing the sentence that she was in the middle of the night before when I tucked her in, turned off the light, walked out of her room and shut the door.

Oh forgive me. Honestly. I keep playing the game for one thing because she's so very sweet and cute about it and for another so I can interact with her as much as she wants even though I'm holding and bouncing and nursing and rocking a baby throughout the day. She needs that so I do it with a smile on my face. But on the blog, which she won't be able to read for several years, I will say...I'm about to lose my stinking mind!!!!!! Ahhhhh. Okay. I'm ready to go be in the game now.

Snaggletooth

Aren't those cute pictures? I think so, but I could be suffering from that parental abnormality of not being able to tell when your kid is kind of funny looking. Not that I think Stomper is actually funny looking, it's just that his mouth is a little...in transition right now. I am so enamored with Stomper's funny little mouth! This child is losing teeth faster than he can spit sunflower seeds. I don't think I lost my first tooth until first grade! And now the permanant teeth are coming in fast, and his tiny little mouth just doesn't quite have room for them, so it's a little snaggly in there. Plus, even though he lost his two front teeth with in a short time of each other, one grew in weeks ago and one just took its time. Frankly, when I look at his little cock-eyed grin I imagine one of those cartoons where the bad guy gets slammed in the face with an anvil or something and he sits there with a dazed look on his face while half of his teeth crumble out of his mouth before hitting the deck himself. I forsee braces.