Happy Birthday Sweet C!

Dear C,

Today you're ushering in your first hours as a newly minted one-year-old.  One year ago today, you were placed gently in my arms and I marveled at how small you were, (you really weren't that little compared to everyone else, but compared to your 28 pound sister, you were a peanut).  The stress I had been feeling over whether I'd love you anywhere near as much as I loved Bean melted away as you blinked your big eyes and stared at me every time I said so much as a single word.

We all figured that since I talked so much while you were in utero, you knew little else in the way of sound.  Judging by what a chatterbox you've become, it's abundantly clear that we share those genes.

Your first year was joyous in many ways and challenging in many others.  You were bound and determined to prove off the bat that you were very much unlike your older sister.  For the first few weeks, your bed of choice was a little nest made in a small down pillow while tucked neatly in the crook of my arm.  You always turned your face towards mine and I'd often wake to the sweet smell of your baby head as it rooted around, half-awake.

You slept a lot, then you didn't sleep at all.  You love being carried no matter the method though you will always prefer to ride around on my left hip, burrowing your head in my shoulder when you're uncertain.

 Thankfully, you're back to sleeping, and well.  Long ago, you shunned the pacifier for your first two fingers, and when you're particularly cranky or tired, you'll pop them in your mouth, search for your fuzzy blanket and crawl over to me for a snuggle.

You're starting to communicate in a bunch of different ways and get ridiculously persistent when you want me to acknowledge what you're trying to say.  The other day, you were pointing and waving over towards the sun room saying the same thing over and over again.  I was trying to have another conversation and in the lulls, I repeated your sound without really looking at what you were looking at and probably would have continued had you not tried to dive out of my arms.  When I looked at where you were trying to go, I saw your giant purple playground ball and I put you down.  You immediately crawled over to the ball, patted it, smiled, and said, "BAAAALL!"  So that's what you were trying to say.  Who knew?

In addition, you're regularly saying "Mama," "Dada," "Hi," "Bye," "Hello" (which means phone), "Dog," "Uh-oh," "I-want-down" or "Down," and "All-Done".  I'm sure it won't be long before you're chattering as much as Bean does.  Your poor little brother doesn't stand a chance.

 Your legs are apparently trying to keep with your vocabulary and you're starting to take your first steps.  We're most successful in getting you to toddle to us when Bean is in one of our laps.  She's by far the greatest motivation as she cheers louder than both of us.  And even if she didn't, I'm sure you'd be more about her approval than ours.  May she always give you a good example to follow

You are jolly, happy, and genuinely friendly.  You're not interested in letting anyone else get their hands on you if I'm around, but you'll happily grin and wave and charm the heck out of everyone who stops for even a moment to engage you.  And occasionally, you're the one to initiate and draw people in effortlessly with a grin or a drawn out, "Hiiii"

May this birthday be your happiest so far and may they only get happier from this year forward.

You are so very, very loved,

Mama

Hard to Believe

This face is going to be one in a couple of days.

ONE!  Can you believe it?!  Sheesh.  I will be celebrating one year of being a mother of two munchkins.

One year of having survived sleepless nights due to each kid alternating when they needed me.  (Because coordinating their sleepless nights was obviously out of the question).

I survived a bit over three straight years of diaper changing.

I've made it through juggling the schedules of two kids, neither of whom enjoy being predictable when I need them to be.

I've celebrated milestones that I celebrated once before and found them to be just as delightful the second time around.

I've had a year to watch Bean grow and change into a pretty awesome big sister.

For over three years, a big piece of my heart has belonged to one or two little people who own it but don't know it.

I've had a year of double snuggles and hugs.

A year got me started on the long road of trying to do anything productive while trying to meet the needs of the kids walking around.

A year of being the mother of two daughters.

And to celebrate?  We're doing it all over again.  We four becomes we five.

Excuse me while I go rest up for the next two and a half months.  Something tells me I'm going to need it.

Things I Wonder

1.  Why food totally tastes better when you're not in your high chair. 

2.  Why dirt is more preferrable to food on any given day.

3.  Where baby socks go when they disappear in the wash machine.  (From a laundry bag, no less!)

4.  Why the inevitable priceless picture moment happens directly after you put the camera down.

5.  Why sweet sister play sessions always turn into wrestling matches.

Just some thoughts.  :)

And Nobody Cried!

Taking portraits is an interesting little thing.  It's one thing to take pictures of your friends or kids or family when they're in the midst of doing something they find interesting.  Generally, that's fairly easy.  Then you get into trying to put 2 or more people in a picture together... and somewhat have to pose them.  Then it starts to get harder.

Imagine trying to get 15 people ranging from 10 months to well, older, looking at the camera, looking happy, or at least not screaming. 

Mmmm hmmm. 

That's why I swore I'd never do it for my own bunch again, (barring possible sessions when everyone would be older than 10). 

But we found some people crazy brave enough to take us on and attempt to get some good shots. 

And good shots they got. We were tickled. 

Check out some highlights from our awesome photography session with Andrea Jae Photography.  And check out this hilarious pic of Miss Beanie. 

Drea and Renata are awesome!  We knew them before they got started in this whole photography gig and when they delved in, we had to take part.  If you have any needs for a photo session, check them out.  They won't disappoint. 

Here's my favorites from some of the sessions they've done:

An awesome engagement shoot.  (Check out the shot from the metro!  Amazing!)

And one of my favorite weddings that they've shot and shared.  They capture the fun of the moments.  I LOVE that.  :)

Thanks Drea and Renata!  We're already scanning for a re-book for after the little man arrives.  You guys are GREAT!

Sickies

Sick kids will break your heart.  (They will also break your back after hauling them around for hours).  We've been in survival mode lately because Miss Bean has been quite sick with her usual lower respiratory infection. 

In tandem with being sick, (and perhaps because of, mostly), Bean's been a bit of an emotional mess.  I feel a little sorry for Shaun.  He's dealing with a cranky, moody, teething baby...  a sick, cranky, frustrated toddler... and a thoroughly insane, tired, hormonal and pregnant wife. 

He should FEAR the coming of puberty in this household.  At least he'll have Baby Boy to chill with. 

Anyway, Bean came out about 15 minutes after she had initially gone to bed.  She apparently got a paper cut on her finger and needed a band aid.  (Because band aids cure everything, as every mother of a toddler knows). 

When she came over to get it from me, she looked up and suddenly started crying.  A confused expression came over her face and she looked at me for a second before saying, "Mommy!  I didn't know I was going to cry!"

She got a big hug to go with that band aid.  

Sharing Stories

Bean's been a sick little munchkin the past few days.  Shortly before she ended up with the germs, we had gone to the library and picked up an audio copy of Charlotte's Web. 

Bean loves when I read to her.  She wraps herself up in the story.  If I can pull my eyes away from the page to watch her face, I'm always utterly charmed with how engrossed she gets with the story line. 

While in the car, I can't read while driving and don't always have the endless creativity necessary to weave complicated story lines through the course of some of our longer trips.  I figure she's old enough to start listening to some of the classics I've known and loved for years. 

As we started listening to the story, the two of us were captivated in our own ways.  She, with the newness of a new story.  I, with the utter familiarity of words that captured my heart years before. 

Today, we listened through one of my favorite sections that I'll quote below.  The two characters are discussing the strangeness of seeing words appear in the spider's web.

"Do you understand how there could be any writing in a spider's web?"

"Oh, no," said Dr Dorian. "I don't understand it. But for that matter I don't understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle."

Sharing stories has brought a sense of wonder to each of us.  She's delving into the wondrous world of master story-tellers and I'm experiencing the magic of watching her.  

Week in Preview

So this week I have lofty goals.  Call it spring, call it nesting, call it completely overambitious, but whatever.  I'm rolling with it.

I'll have posts on car seat safety and great picks if you're expecting, (or just need to upgrade).

I'll have a few hilarious stories of what a three year old's mind can come up with if give the right words.

I'll have some before and after pictures of our scary basement.  (Scary only because it's such an unholy mess).  I figure that'll keep me accountable to clean it up.

I'll also post a picture or two of what a pile of 300+ middle school kids can get into when let loose with a few cans of shaving cream a piece and an open stretch of land on a beautiful day. 

And last but not least, I'll post a picture or two of the project that's currently being constructed in our backyard. 

Ok, that's ambitious enough for here...  I also intend to clean the house again, plant some flowers, and take some naps.  (Because that HAS to be scheduled).

Happy Sunday!