Christmas 2011: A photo essay (of sorts)

A hard-won picture of my sweet little elves :)

Elysia's first Christmas

Elaina playing in one of our many Amazon order boxes

Ellie and Papa on Christmas Eve

Rita with her coffee sign, which we found on the Spoon River Drive

A gift from Rita--a new quilted wall hanging. It's beautiful!

Elaina examining a new gift in her sea of paper scraps

Playing with Arcadia's new rocketship

Rita and her granddaughters (Elaina was on the run!)

Christmas morning sharing :)

Ellie and her new Sophie the Giraffe

Brycelynn and Rylan entertained themselves while the adults opened gifts

My favorite gift to give this year: Dad's YUUUUUP hat

Elaina danced to the dog on the sofa all Christmas afternoon

The dancing continued at a visit to Gramma and Grampa Beck's on Wednesday

Elaina enjoying one of her Christmas gifts--a coloring pad

Elysia enjoying Daddy!

Elysia - 4 Months

Elysia Jane

 

(Our sweet Elysia is 4 1/2 months old now, so this post is a little late, but Thanksgiving was sandwiched by two flu outbreaks, and blogging just didn't seem as important when we were all trying our hardest not to get sick (again)).

Sweet Elysia, you have been with us for four months now, and every day that passes is another day God has blessed us  to spend with you.

You are growing so fast (14.7 lbs and 24.5 inches at your 4 1/2 month/4 month wellness check)--and are wearing a combination of 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes, though the number of the former that still fit is shrinking rapidly. I put the small outfits away with a sigh, not knowing if I'll ever get to use them again, and cherishing memories of when you wore them. You are very strong and liked to be carried on the shoulder, but you are not content to leave your head there--you must push off and take in this world around you. You have rolled for me a few times but don't show a lot of interest in making it a habit. I'm not worried--your sister taught me that you will come to things when you are ready, not when people say you *should*--and when that time comes you'll be just fine.

Speaking of your sister, she still adores you and has most recently taken to shouting "Ellie Belly!" when we come out with you first thing in the morning. (For the record, and for your sake, I hope it doesn't stick, though it is ridiculously cute.) You have taken quite a liking to Elaina yourself in the past couple of weeks. You love watching her run and, when she's close enough, you never hesitate to flash her a gummy smile. You do the same to your daddy almost every night at supper. You sit so still in your Bumbo but I see you eyeing him, just waiting for the chance to catch his eye so you can charm him again.

You still aren't a great sleeper, partially because you've decided there's no better spot than right next to Mommy. Part of me writhes at the thought of how we're going to break you of it, but the other part loves waking up to the smell of your sweet head every morning. That part, coincidentally, is also too tired to fight with you about sleeping in your bassinet at 1:00 in the morning, too.

You have discovered your hands and can bring toys to your mouth (though they aren't nearly as fun as fingers). You even try to reach for the bath water I dribble on your tummy. And we suspect you may be teething--the drooling is out of this world--just yesterday I thought I was going to be minus a thumb when you were through. You are also beginning to accumulate nicknames: Ellie, Elwe, Ellie Belly (those two courtesy of Elaina), E2, and, my personal favorite, Ellers.



You are a sweet, sweet girl, and you like to be on the go (part of the reason I haven't sat through but one or two sermons since you were born...), and your smiles and coos warm our hearts as they break them. We pray for your heart, for your health, and that you will always know how very much you are loved.

The Thanksgiving that Almost Wasn't

 Preparation for Thanksgiving officially began last Sunday night, when, after the girls were asleep, I spent a half hour or so cutting and tearing bread into the pieces that would become the dressing at our family's meal. Monday brought new thankfulness and celebration, first, for a day home with my husband and daughters, and second, for a diagnosis of remission for my grandmother-in-law, who has been fighting a recurrence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Then Tuesday came--my Monday--and the hours dragged on but soon work was over and only one day remained between us and our holiday.

Then, around 11:30 Tuesday night, our plans stopped. I woke to the sound of soft cries coming from Elaina's room, and as I reached for Josh, I realized he was already on the way to her. The conversation was quiet, but the tears were real, and then I heard him say, "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay. You just got sick. It's okay." And so began another parenting first--our first bout of a child's stomach flu.

She was sick throughout the night, and scared, not understanding what was happening or how to make it better. Josh stayed with her through it all, and I retreated back to our bedroom to care for Ellie amidst worries and prayers. Elaina finally fell asleep around 3:00 in the morning, and when the sun was breaking over the horizon, we were calling family and work to let them know what was happening. Poor sweetie was carried to bed once Ellie was awake, where she continued to sleep.

The Lord is gracious--the Lord is gracious in illness and in health--and when Elaina awoke, she seemed to be feeling much better. She wanted cuddles and stories and was allowed many more cartoons than normal. We gave her crackers and bananas and Seven-Up ("special juice") and as the day went on we saw her full personality return bit by bit. And so it was decided that the Thanksgiving that Almost Wasn't would be the Thanksgiving that Was. And it Was.

It was time with family.

It was delicious food.

It was two relatively quiet car rides--an added blessing.

It was Elysia's first celebration of Thanksgiving--it was the second year we have been thankful for her, as I was a few weeks pregnant last Thanksgiving.

And Friday, it was another meal with loved ones and an annual viewing of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

It was...good.

 

So Big

Every day I am amazed with all my girls do without even trying.

Elysia went from a helpless newborn to a smiling, happy baby. She holds her head up and often tries to sit up, so she loves the Bumbo. She can roll from her tummy to her back and is making strides towards rolling from her back to her tummy. She smiles, coos, and laughs, and lately she has been experimenting with vocal volume. This is a particularly fun experiment when her hands are shoved as far as they can be into her mouth. She can grab at toys and can bring them to her mouth. She is getting big so, so fast, and I love her so much.

                            

Elaina seems so grown up, too. Yesterday she wanted me to read to her, so she brought me a book, plopped it in my lap, and said, "Here you go, Mommy" with such a look of expectation I couldn't say no. (Not that I turn down requests for reading often!) She will often sit and read to herself, and her ability to recollect the story amazes me--in her Skippyjon Jones book, she knows to snore when she gets to the page that reads "...and then they had a siesta". She loves to run and skip, especially when she is excited. And she already has a vivid imagination. Yesterday when she woke up from her nap, I gave her a piece of carrot to snack on. I looked over a few minutes later and she was trying to feed it to her bunny. She has such a wonderful heart, and I can't wait to see the plans God has for her as she grows. Like Ellie, she is getting big so, so fast, and I love her so much.

I was talking with Jim about this last week, and in his usual wisdom, he remarked that when we see sonogram pictures for the first time and when we look into the face of a newborn, it is easy to believe we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139:14). He went on to say it is evident still as our children grow. I know it to be true, as I see it every day in the smiles of our baby and in the  hugs and words of my toddler, and I can't help but give thanks to the One who blesses me with them every single day.

Halloween 2011: A Celebration of Orange and Black

This year I had grand designs on making the girls' Halloween costumes cute, affordable, and, if possible, thematic. I was so prepared, I had Ellie's costume ready two years ago:

Or I got it as a baby shower gift for Elaina, who was all of two days old on her first Halloween and, as a result, still in the hospital. (I guess technically that means Elaina's costume her first Halloween was an OSF receiving blanket...)

Anyway, since we had planned so judiciously planned Ellie to be the perfect size for this onesie on her first Halloween, and since Rita had so kindly knitted the perfect pumpkin that that simultaneously looked adorable and covered her growing back-of-head-baldness, she was set.

And what would go more perfectly with a Halloween pumpkin than a Halloween cat? A classic costume, and plus, Elaina loves cats (one of the cutest things she does right now is call for them in her little pipsqueak voice: "Wiinston....ChapUUUUuu...where ARE you?"). What could be more perfect?

What I hadn't accounted for was a) I'd have next to no time to actually, you know, shop for a costume what with a newborn and a toddler who is on a beautiful though somewhat restricting schedule and returning to work full time and planning Elaina's birthday party, or b) that cat costumes are apparently not in vogue for the 18-to-24 month set. This would have been good information to have before I had counted on finding something I liked in her size.

After days of fruitless searches and with almost less than a week to go, I found a monarch butterfly costume that caught my eye. It was neither cat nor black, but it was cute and had wings (a favorite dress up item) and was orange and black and could therefore be explained as a thematic color palette, if nothing else. Oh, and it was on clearance. Last minute cuteness for less than $11? Yes, please!

I ordered the costume and it arrived on Elaina's birthday, early enough for Monday, but unfortunately too late to show my parents at her birthday party. We made up for it by Skyping with them on Sunday:

On Monday, we came home and had supper in a flurry in order to get the girls dressed and ready to go to Gramma and Papa's for trick or treating. Unfortunately, doing so meant waking Ellie up from her late afternoon nap. She was none to pleased and voiced her displeasure by crying (re: screaming) the entire drive to town. Elaina decided to join in by asking in her most desperate voice for her paci. And we had to stop to get gas. Fantastic.

Tears aside, Elaina had a blast once we were there. Arcadia was there with Aaron and Danielle (they went with an "Alice in Wonderland" theme), so they got in some good cousin time before Arcadia had to leave, parents in tow, for destinations unknown. Between playing and sampling her Halloween bag (filled with chocolates and twizzlers), Elaina greeted Trick-or-Treaters. Ellie ate, was happy for about 30 minutes, and let loose again, so our Halloween adventures ended rather abruptly.

All in all, our Halloween adventure was a success. I had a theme, I finally to use the onesie I'd been given for Elaina, both sets of grandparents got to see our girls in their costumes, both girls were adorable, there was no sugar overload, nor any permanent damage from a missed nap. Some days, that's the best anyone could ever hope for :)

Two years

Two years ago Josh and I woke up from a night of restless sleep and headed to the hospital to meet our daughter.

 

Two years ago, I was hooked up to monitors and was told, to all of our surprises, that I was in labor--and that my daughter was still breech.

Two years ago I was wheeled into the operating room, breathing deeply, staring at the newborn warmer I knew would soon hold the baby wriggling around inside of me.

 Two years ago I lay full of nervous excitement and felt numbness spread up from my toes and waited for Josh to come into the operating room to hold my hand and tell me everything was going to be okay.

 

The doctor came in, surgery started, and my tenacious little girl kicked free from the doctor's hands before she could be pulled from my womb.

At 8:19am, Elaina Marie came into this world, screaming furiously, and I instantly knew what it was like to have a heart outside my body.

I have not even begun to understand the weight of blessing she is to me. I am so, so thankful to be her Mama!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Elaina! We love you to the moon...and back :)

Brought to you by the season Autumn