Happy 12 months!

August 19th, 2012

Blakey,

Happy birthday to my sweet little one year old!  ONE ENTIRE YEAR.  I cannot believe that 12 months ago you joined our family....and I remember it as if it was yesterday.  Your Dad slept downstairs on the couch because the air conditioning wasn't working and I wasn't exactly the easiest person to sleep with at that point of the pregnancy.  I started to get these really painful, stabbing pains in my abdomen about 6am.  Your dad asked me if I was going into labor and if I was having contractions.  Of course, I told him, No way.  It's still three weeks early.  She isn't due for almost a month!  These pains ARE coming in about every 5 minutes, though.... Needless to say, we were on our way to Northside Hospital within the hour and you arrived before noon. 

As you've proven to us with your teething schedule, you do things on your own schedule.  When you want to do it, you'll make it happen.  Until then, though, I shouldn't waste my breath or my brain space on trying to coax you otherwise. 

I tried to think of a stronger word than LOVE for how you felt about your birthday cupcake but I think that is probably the best term for how you responded to the sweet goodness placed in front of you for the first time.  You were timid at first, but dove into the icing and cupcake after a little coaxing.  And, did I mention how adorable you looked in your little ladybug dress? 

As far as your activities go, you are always going somewhere.  Sitting still or even being held in the same position for more than 30 seconds just isn't acceptable.  You crawl everywhere and absolutely adore being walked around the house again and again and again.  Your steps have been more brave lately...we can get to you walk with only one hand in ours if we trick you and put your doggie ("dah-dah") in your other hand.

Apparently Mr. Ducky did something to upset you because you have completely written him off.  Your doggie has become the toy of choice.  Any time that you are upset, tired, or frustrated with your brother, Doggie saves the day.  You pull him up to your face and that left thumb is instantaneously in your mouth. 

Your smile, giggle, and your head shake (you always shake your head as if to say "no no no no") show your charming personality as it beams through.  Your eyes light up when you see your big brother and I hope that never goes away.  (Don't worry, I'm trying to teach him what the words 'gentle' and 'be easy with your sister' means.) 

I'm writing this to you a few days past your birthday and so I am happy to announce that I can feel your bottom two teeth cutting through.  As of the 12 month mark, you were all gums.  Soon that smile will have to two white surprises on the bottom. 

Happy birthday, Blake.  I hope you always know how much you are loved by everyone that meets you.  Your parents, grandparents, AK, Rick, great grandma's, and even your brother are wrapped around your little finger.  You've got us in the perfect spot to get everything you want in life. 

I look forward to the years to come but pray that they don't escape us too quickly!  I love having my sweet little girl around to cuddle with and to toss her Doggie out of her crib after nap or bedtime.

I love you!

XOXO,

Mom

Happy 11 Months

July 19, 2012

Dear Blakey,

Wow!  What a month.  As you can tell from the photos, you are a woman on the move.  You have things to do, Connor's toys to grab, much to say, and a duck to cuddle with.  One of your favorite pastimes is having someone hold your hands so that you can walk because crawling isn't quite as much fun when you see your big brother race through the house.

I absolutely adore the way that you and Connor interact.  You (sometimes) share toys back and forth and love splashing together in the bathtub.  When he enters the room, it's as if no one else exists.  You smile from ear to ear and your face just lights up.  Your eyes sparkle when you smile that big.

When we camped out with the Surgalas for a week while we waited to move into our - YOUR - new house, you and Emme had a great time together.  She was taking her first steps and you looked at her with such awe.  When the two of you were together on the floor playing, it was so sweet.  Your Dad and I were close behind you because when you laid eyes on something that you wanted to check out, that was it.  It was over.  And you were going to get it.  

Thank you for your smiles.  Your giggles.  Your hugs.  And your determination to get what you set your sights on.  Please keep loving on your ducky and keep growing into the charismatic little girl that I see shining through every day. 

We may want to discuss working on getting some teeth, though... I'm not worried, I'm just sayin'...

I love you.  Thank you for being who you are.  Beautiful, sweet, loving, funny, loyal, and determined.

Love,

Mama

XOXO

Slow Death

I've neglected a lot of things since we decided to undertake a huge change:  uprooting our family and moving across town.  It sounded much more simple than it actually was.  Part of that, I imagine, had to do with the fact that we've never moved with children before.  And we'll never do it again, either. 

So it's been way too long.  Two months has to be a record.  And it's not one that I'm proud of.

We were members of the CrossFit Smyrna gym when we lived in Smyrna.  It was great.  Awesome people, tough-as-hell workouts, and it was 2 miles from our house.  So, I could roll out of bed and literally get the you-know-what kicked out of me at the gym 10 minutes later.  Now, I long for that feeling.  The I-Can't-Catch-My-Breath-Talk-To-Me-Later kind-of feeling.  I'm in withdrawl and it's not pretty.

I am begging someone to please open up a CrossFit near us.... possibly within just a few miles.  There is one CrossFit but it's close to 10 miles away and that just won't work with traffic, kids, work, and life.  We need something closer. 

Maybe I could get up and do my own CrossFit style workout?  It's possible...I just need Dennis to install a pull up bar downstairs.  I can follow these workouts and see what happens....  UGH!  So frustrated.  Any other suggestions?

I'm really begging you entrepreneurs out there...puh-leez open a CrossFit near us!  I know your two first customers already! 

Something has to work...right?

Dennis and I strongly believe that it is best to not negotiate with terrorists.  So we are doing our best to implement that philosophy with Connor. 

We have tried time-outs and are looking for a better way to encourage him to act like a nice boy.  Any and all suggestions are welcome. 

I keep telling myself that eventually, something will work.  I mean it has to, right?  I'll keep you posted on how this board looks after three weeks.  Hopefully there will be tons of stickers in each category indicating that he has been well behaved.  And chooses to remember that it's best to poop in the TOILET rather than his underwear.

**And I'm working on letting go of some of my perfectionist tendencies.  That being said, I'm letting you know that I could've taken another picture without the flash to better show the stickers Connor gets to choose from when he earns one.  But, I didn't.  And I'm OK with it not looking perfect.  Well, I'm working on being OK with it... **

The Hidden Truth

We've encountered a few changes in the past several months. Listing, selling, packing, and moving from the only home my children knew. Finding, buying, and closing on a new home that Connor and Blake have yet to experience. Moving in with two very VERY generous friends, their dog, and three children while we wait to take posession of our new home while Echo vacations at her BAM & Papa's house across town. Oh yeah, and starting Connor in his new school.

It seemed to make sense: start Connor in his new school this week and move into our house next week. One change at a time. This is a new idea to our family as we typically do everything at once. We subscribe to the "more is better" philosophy when it comes to making major life changes. The more things that you can do at one time, the better, right?

All weekend we talked to Connor about his new school. His new friends. His new teachers. And the new toys to play with.

Connor and I, hand-in-hand, walked into his new school on Monday. I held my breath as we crossed the threshold and counted to three...one....two....three. We were in. No tears yet. Connor was still in good spirits and talking non-stop about his new friends and the new toys on the playground.

We proceeded to enter his classroom, talk with his teachers for a few minutes, and meet a few of the kids in his class. One kid, Micah, was particularly welcoming. He grabbed a dinosaur and brought one to Connor. They instantly started laughing and attacking each others dinosaur. I held Nunu close to Connor because I knew that he needed all of the comforting and familiar items on a challenging day like this.

I even took the liberty of introducing Micah to Nunu.

"Hey Micah, this is Connor's fried, Nunu."

Micah thought for a second and replied, "Oh, ok." He then pointed to Connor and said, "Hey, he's NEW too!"

They were instant friends and continued their intense game of Dinosaur Wars.

After giving Connor the most loving and comforting hug and kiss that I could, I told him that I had to go to work and that I'd see him after he played and ate lunch and took a nap. His tears were instant and he said, "Mommy don't leave me! I will miss you. I want to go home!" I knew it. I just knew that this was too much for him to handle. Too much and all at one time. What were we thinking?!? Just because Dennis and I were handling it perfectly, we couldn't expect a 3 year old to be able to handle all of this, too. I felt like a failed parent and a bad mom.

After I finally separated myself from Connor, the tears started to fall down my own cheeks. Then they started to come even faster. Before I knew it, I was losing it. And this was all before 9AM on a Monday morning.

The Director of the school saw me and asked if I would like to go to her office for a few minutes. I told her no, that I was OK.

A teacher from a different class walked by and said, "Oh...is this the first day you are bringing a new baby to school? I know it's so hard but I promise it'll get better...."

I responded that no, I was leaving my 3 year old for the first time at that school.

"Oh, is it his first day in school? Has he never been in day care or school before?"

"No..it's not his first day in a school. He's been in school for several years. A different school. And he's very social, he just loves all of his friends. And he's funny. He's hilarious, actually, and always wants to be first in line. You see, we just sold the only home he knows and bought a new home. AND we're staying with friends. It's just so much change. And it's all at once. He's having a hard time with all of this. I know he'll do well, I just know he will. It's just so much....so much going on right now. He said he wants to go home."

The Director for the school overheard this and asked me to please follow her. She waited until Connor was looking the other way, and told me it was OK to peek through the glass into his classroom to see him.

She smiled and looked at me. "He's OK. He's not even crying anymore. Look, he's playing with Micah and laughing..."

Oh, what a heavy weight was lifted from my heart in that moment. He WAS doing well. And he even looked like he might be having fun.

As I walked to my car with make-up smeared across my face, I came to an important realization: Connor is doing just fine. He is handling all of these changes amazingly well. So well, in fact, that he could probably teach his mom a few things...

Happy 10 Months!

June 19, 2012

Dear Blake (or “Blakey”, as Connor calls you),

Wow, has it been an eventful month. Not only did you go on your first beach trip last week to Pensacola, but you are crawling on all four’s and trying your best to get up and run. You pull yourself up on anything that is within your chubby little arm’s reach. The sweetest sound is your laughter when you pull up or are holding my hands as you learn to walk. You are so proud of yourself and I can’t help but smile.

Cheerios is a new favorite food of yours. You get so excited to put those in your mouth… it did take quite a few tries to master picking up the small little “o” and getting it all the way into your mouth, though. Let’s just say that Echo is your new biggest fan.

You keep us busy. Your daily antics include crawling, pointing, laughing, smiling, saying “ba-ba” and waving goodbye when we leave the room, bobbing your head back and forth when we say “Blake, it’s your turn” or “boop-boop-boop”, and your interest in everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – your big brother is doing. You are mastering the pouty bottom lip and man is it a sad look when you couple that with your big alligator tears! One thing that you aren’t busy doing is GETTING SOME TEETH! Your BAM jokingly asked when we need to talk to a pediatric dentist about dentures for you.

 

You couldn’t be more loved. It is evident by how your grandparents and AK doted on you and Connor all last week at the beach. You would think that you two were the only two people in the world when they are around….They spoiled both of you and you were incredibly happy until I left the room. Then, well, all hell broke loose. As long as I was within an arm’s reach, you were happy. Once I disappeared from sight…well, let’s just say that I didn’t let that happen more than once.

The quiet mumblings that will soon turn into words are one of my favorite things about you. It’s like you are telling us something nice, a song, maybe. Who knows? Maybe Dumbo told you a funny story as you cuddled with him or the Glow Worm last night. Either way, please don’t stop. It’s a wonderful sound.

This is your last month in the house on Vinery Lane. I know it isn’t sentimental to you but it is to me because it’s the only home you’ve known. It’s the house where your dad and I brought home two very special people. So special, in fact, they seem to run our lives lately.

 

I love you.

Thank you for being you!

Love,

Mama

XOXOXOXO

Vacation Redefined

Dennis and I looked forward to our beach "vacation" last week since it was made official 6 or 7 months ago.  What we didn't anticipate was that we would decide to list, sell, and close on our current house the week after the trip to Pensacola Beach. 

Managing our expectations is a new item in our tool box of life.  Dennis and I mistakenly thought that a trip to the beach with our parents and my sister would be "beach time" as usual...but it wasn't.  The long days sitting on the beach, reading books, drifting in and out of sleep, and sipping adult beverages are long gone.  Something wonderful has replaced them, yes, but those days still have a special place in my heart. 

We replaced those fun days with early wake up calls at 5:30AM (the kids decided not to cooperate with CST and preferred to stay on their EST schedule...5:30AM in Pensacola equates to 6:30AM in Atlanta).  And, the townhome we rented was a nice size but when Blake and Connor wake up, EVERYONE wakes up. 

I did chug a few Smirnoff Ice 24 ouncers but that was the closest that I came to leisurely drinking adult beverages. 

I do remember that it was Dennis' rotation to go to the beach for a little while and my comment to him was this: "the kids are down for a nap.  Hurry up and relax at the beach.  See you when you get back."  HURRY UP AND RELAX. 

Connor loved playing in the white sand on the beach ... until his ears started to bother him.  Yes, he got an ear infection while we were there.  Then it was like the "terrible three's" took a dose of steroids and everything was a battle with him. 

Blake loved letting NO ONE hold her except for her Mama for the majoirty of the trip. 

The bright side is that the kids loved being surrounded by their family.  Nana, Papa, BAM, Papa Martin, and AK showered the kiddos with attention and love the entire trip.  And I loved being able to spend Fathers Day with my most-favorite dad.

Oh, wait, there was one relaxing part for me:  we were going back and forth with the underwriter for the mortgage on our new house and so I had to go to Office Depot on numerous occasions to print, sign, scan, and fax documents back and forth to him.  I think Office Depot may have saved my vacation by giving me a few minutes of relaxation.  That and the fact that the urgent care clinic was right next door to it so we wouldn't have known where to take Connor otherwise. 

Pensacola was beautiful....and luckily we had beautiful weather while we were there.  It was great out on the beach and in the waves...or so I hear. 

TOTAL CHAOS is our new 'normal'.  I'm not complaining, I'm just saying....

Stay Tuned....Will Return Soon

Packing, shopping, buying, selling, loving, birthday partying, laughing, crying, moving, vacationing, working, planning, growing.

Living.

In Case You Missed It

In case you missed it, I'm now famous.  Er, well, not famous, but I'm not NOT famous anymore, right? 

Over promise and under deliver

This is what the box promised. 

And this is what it delivered. 

Connor never passes up an opportunity to have fun, so he played in the mini-sprinkler as if it was the best thing he'd ever seen.  Then, we REALLY amazed him and hooked up the serious sprinkler. 

The afternoon started out with Connor in his shorts, water shoes and underwear.  The afternoon ended with Connor in his water shoes.  We did nothing to encourage this behavior, I promise.  Looks like we might be the parents with "that kid" at the pool...