Remember when your kids were babies and you couldn't wait for the 'next phase'? You know, rolling over, crawling, walking, talking, etc... well, can we take one back? Those of you that have children that are 'late bloomers' count your blessings...
Avery already knew what an airplane was, in fact, she was always admat about making sure I shared in her joy each time we were outside and one buzzed overhead. She amazed me with her hearing skills, never missing a one.
So, the other day I decided to be super mom yet again and volunteered to show her what 'airplane' was when you are inside. With sheer delight, she smiled and laughed as she was flung around on my legs for the very first time. Afterwards she happily plopped on my stomach and I lifted her to sit up. She then decided it would be fun to jump up and down on Mommy :) So cute, right?
Well, Mommy has now learned to NEVER show Avery something that you are not ok with doing every moment of every day for the rest of your life!!! That's right, from then on Avery has been constantly asking for 'airplane', and has yet to grasp the concept that Mommy's body is not always available to be her personal juggle gym.
I just tell myself it won't last forever, as I am quite convinced she is growing daily...as I still remember the moments when she was just a little pink blob...sigh. Where has the time gone?
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Five Months ago...
Five months ago today I delivered Haysley into this world. At 2 pounds 14 ounces, she was 10 weeks early and so tiny I could put her in my pocket...not that I really would, but still. As I was craddling her to sleep tonight I was reflecting back on our journey and how we had made it this far. It's crazy...
For starters, try having your life completely change in a matter of hours when you start contracting on Easter Sunday, in church no less. Then being rushed to the hospital only to be transported to another, all in a desparate attempt to keep you and your baby healthy.
Then, try being moved to a 'permenate' room because you've just been told you'll be on bed rest for the next few WEEKS. Nevermind your daughter now napping at home with your husband's boss watching her because you litteraly know no one in this town because you've only lived here for less than a year.
Next, try giving birth your child (with no drugs...which actually wasn't too bad, but still) two days later and learning what the letters NICU actually mean.
Then, try having a newborn baby FINALLY come home when you've already been sleep deprived for 8 weeks because you've be doing double shifts raising a 15 month old little girl and then driving to the hospital to see your second. AND you've been pumping every night.
And, finally then, try having her screaming almost 24/7 for one month until she gets diagnosed with acid reflux, common in preemies.
Wheew!
Reflecting back on it now, it was a lot. But all this to be said, I'm starting to see the silver lining to it all. Haysley is home and she is ours to love. All 9 pounds of her. This week she slept through the night, started cooing, and actually letting other people hold her, giving Mommy a much needed break. It's been a good seven days...I hope it's a trend.
So happy five months, Haysley Lynn. Your Mommy and Daddy do love you very much. We are so blessed to have you in our little family. It's getting hard to see what life would have been like without you. You are and will always be 'Our Little Early Bird'.
For starters, try having your life completely change in a matter of hours when you start contracting on Easter Sunday, in church no less. Then being rushed to the hospital only to be transported to another, all in a desparate attempt to keep you and your baby healthy.
Then, try being moved to a 'permenate' room because you've just been told you'll be on bed rest for the next few WEEKS. Nevermind your daughter now napping at home with your husband's boss watching her because you litteraly know no one in this town because you've only lived here for less than a year.
Next, try giving birth your child (with no drugs...which actually wasn't too bad, but still) two days later and learning what the letters NICU actually mean.
Then, try having a newborn baby FINALLY come home when you've already been sleep deprived for 8 weeks because you've be doing double shifts raising a 15 month old little girl and then driving to the hospital to see your second. AND you've been pumping every night.
And, finally then, try having her screaming almost 24/7 for one month until she gets diagnosed with acid reflux, common in preemies.
Wheew!
Reflecting back on it now, it was a lot. But all this to be said, I'm starting to see the silver lining to it all. Haysley is home and she is ours to love. All 9 pounds of her. This week she slept through the night, started cooing, and actually letting other people hold her, giving Mommy a much needed break. It's been a good seven days...I hope it's a trend.
So happy five months, Haysley Lynn. Your Mommy and Daddy do love you very much. We are so blessed to have you in our little family. It's getting hard to see what life would have been like without you. You are and will always be 'Our Little Early Bird'.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Vocab
So Avery's stared talking...correction, saying words, and it's awesome. I'm pretty sure she has a name for everything, I just don't know what it is yet. The running list includes: ball, duu (door), lala (flower), dog, mama, dada, baby, ba (barney), bebe (blanket), lithe (light), wah (wall), ees (cheese), rass (grass) and the best one, dough-dough (yogurt).
It's amazing how her mind works, in fact, I don't think it every stops. She learns and does new things daily. And I know I'm a typical mother when I say, 'I love her' at this age, but I LOVE HER AT THIS AGE. If I could freeze her growing at 19 months, I totally would.
She is so interested in every little thing; it's a new discovery for her. Take, for instance, an airplane! We hardly notice them anymore, but Avery watches every single one. And wants to make sure you see it too. To her, they are amazing :)
My heart hurts knowing she's growing up so quickly. But it makes me thankful about a year from now I'll have another one experiencing the samething things all over again.
It's amazing how her mind works, in fact, I don't think it every stops. She learns and does new things daily. And I know I'm a typical mother when I say, 'I love her' at this age, but I LOVE HER AT THIS AGE. If I could freeze her growing at 19 months, I totally would.
She is so interested in every little thing; it's a new discovery for her. Take, for instance, an airplane! We hardly notice them anymore, but Avery watches every single one. And wants to make sure you see it too. To her, they are amazing :)
My heart hurts knowing she's growing up so quickly. But it makes me thankful about a year from now I'll have another one experiencing the samething things all over again.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Chaos is my middle name
Ok, so two kids is a lot. Seiously. This is rediculous. What the crap. Why doesn't anyone warn you...or atleast tell you you're sudicial. Because really, how the heck do you juggle all this.
Let's back up a bit. On June 20th, Haysley finally came home after being in the hospital for 8 weeks, almost to the day. Taking into the account to two previous months of exhaustion, let's add a newborn to the mix, just to spice things up. Now, no more evening trips to Greenville, but instead, we have a screaming 'newborn' all day and night.
Now, one day I will look back on all this and pat myself on the back for surviving it all, but for now, I'm just surviving. Hence the last time I actually had time and felt motivated enough to sit in front of a keyboard to jot down a few of my thoughts...
Poor Avery. I love that kid more than life itself and I feel she's being neglected. People tell me at least she's so small still that she really won't remember this time...nor will she remember being an only child. Nope, from here on out she's a sister, and it's weird.
Ok, I guess that's it for now. See you in a month or two when I actually have time again.
Let's back up a bit. On June 20th, Haysley finally came home after being in the hospital for 8 weeks, almost to the day. Taking into the account to two previous months of exhaustion, let's add a newborn to the mix, just to spice things up. Now, no more evening trips to Greenville, but instead, we have a screaming 'newborn' all day and night.
Now, one day I will look back on all this and pat myself on the back for surviving it all, but for now, I'm just surviving. Hence the last time I actually had time and felt motivated enough to sit in front of a keyboard to jot down a few of my thoughts...
Poor Avery. I love that kid more than life itself and I feel she's being neglected. People tell me at least she's so small still that she really won't remember this time...nor will she remember being an only child. Nope, from here on out she's a sister, and it's weird.
Ok, I guess that's it for now. See you in a month or two when I actually have time again.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Annnnd BREAK! Down that is...
So, I was doing really well. Haysley had her minor set back of not being able to maintain her temp, and was put back in the isolette. They told me if would just be the weekend before she's be home, no big deal. Well, the weekend has come and gone my friends, and still no baby! Saturday was the hardest day. I came to visit and learned her temp hadn't moved in 18 hours and they didn't plan on it moving that night either.
In order for the bed to be dropped she needs to have a temp of 36.6 or higher for them to be happy. And, obviously, she's not doing that. I think the most frustrating thing...well, one of many...is that Haysley looks like a normal baby now. Weighing in at over 5lbs, she's become known as 'the little chunker' in the NICU, and she just looks like a perfect little newborn. She's passed every test they've hit her with and been fine. She's eating like a champ (all bottles)...but she's still there. And it's like everytime I visit, it becomes even harder to leave...
So, that's the update. I have two perfect little girls, 15 months apart. They just live 32 miles away from each other.
Come home soon, Haysley. Mommy misses you...
In order for the bed to be dropped she needs to have a temp of 36.6 or higher for them to be happy. And, obviously, she's not doing that. I think the most frustrating thing...well, one of many...is that Haysley looks like a normal baby now. Weighing in at over 5lbs, she's become known as 'the little chunker' in the NICU, and she just looks like a perfect little newborn. She's passed every test they've hit her with and been fine. She's eating like a champ (all bottles)...but she's still there. And it's like everytime I visit, it becomes even harder to leave...
So, that's the update. I have two perfect little girls, 15 months apart. They just live 32 miles away from each other.
Come home soon, Haysley. Mommy misses you...
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Just Kidding
So, today, Tuesday, June 7th 2011 is to be the mark of Haysley's 6 week birthday...6 weeks in the NICU up in Greenville. Approximately 62 trips have been taken at an estimated $12 each time, and still no baby.
Those nurses began teasing us on Saturday with the hope of coming home early this week. Everything was going great. She was maintaining her body temp at 36.5C, she was eating 8 bottles a day (approx. 38mls), and she was just completely adorable.
Now, I'm not gonna lie, when you're scared to ask the question of when she could come home, and you finally do, and they tell you 4 days, a lot of emotions run through your head. First there is joy and happiness. You can't believe this day has finally come. Then there is reservation, as you try your very best not to have too much joy, as that may make it harder later in case it doesn't work out. And then, the third thing is panic. Holy Crap! We're not ready yet! I mean, you want your child home, but then once it's getting close things like the nursery, Mike's work, Avery, and sleep all start popping up.
You also do you best not to get too excited, and definitely try not to tell too many people, but it's really hard. I mean, we're going on 6 weeks of waiting, so for them to tell you yesterday that she would be discharged today in the late afternoon, you kinda get excited.
But Haysley had other plans. Around 2:00pm yesterday I got the call that Haysley was not doing well at maintaining her temperature out in the open crib. The poor nurse had tired everything, but despite her best efforts, Haysley's temp was still dropping. The doctor had just giving the orders to place her back in the isolette for the minimum of 2 days. Crap...
So, as of now we have been told it's a developmental thing and that Haysley may not be old enough yet to hang with the big girls. Awesome...so when does she 'develope'?! That's the ever pending question and we are now back to our waiting game.
Those nurses began teasing us on Saturday with the hope of coming home early this week. Everything was going great. She was maintaining her body temp at 36.5C, she was eating 8 bottles a day (approx. 38mls), and she was just completely adorable.
Now, I'm not gonna lie, when you're scared to ask the question of when she could come home, and you finally do, and they tell you 4 days, a lot of emotions run through your head. First there is joy and happiness. You can't believe this day has finally come. Then there is reservation, as you try your very best not to have too much joy, as that may make it harder later in case it doesn't work out. And then, the third thing is panic. Holy Crap! We're not ready yet! I mean, you want your child home, but then once it's getting close things like the nursery, Mike's work, Avery, and sleep all start popping up.
You also do you best not to get too excited, and definitely try not to tell too many people, but it's really hard. I mean, we're going on 6 weeks of waiting, so for them to tell you yesterday that she would be discharged today in the late afternoon, you kinda get excited.
But Haysley had other plans. Around 2:00pm yesterday I got the call that Haysley was not doing well at maintaining her temperature out in the open crib. The poor nurse had tired everything, but despite her best efforts, Haysley's temp was still dropping. The doctor had just giving the orders to place her back in the isolette for the minimum of 2 days. Crap...
So, as of now we have been told it's a developmental thing and that Haysley may not be old enough yet to hang with the big girls. Awesome...so when does she 'develope'?! That's the ever pending question and we are now back to our waiting game.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Got Milk?
Ok, so I understand the importance of breastfeeding. Really I do. I did it with my first child for 11 1/2 months (and apparently that's pretty impressive in the laleche world). But, seriously...is this milk production really necessary? Sheesh!
Today was my second trip to a friends home with my milk to store for little Haysley and I'll admit, I was really tired of it. We're averaging 10-12 minutes per Gerber Good Start bottles, and right now I'm convinced I've filled atleast 1,000. Ok, not 1,000, but it sure as heck is alot. Even the nurses are impressed when I pump at the hospital, and I figure it takes more than a milestone to impress them anymore.
But I learned something very valuable today that changed my entire perspective of pumping. The friend I dropped off the milk to explained that when she was pumping for her twins (hence the extra freezer space), within 3 months she had pumped enough to feed them for 11 months, and, get this, she got to stop pumping at 3 months. One, that's awesome. Two, I never thought about the fact that since Haysley is so small that she might actually like the bottle alot better than me...SO, if I've got all this storage, she will still get the benefit of breastmilk, just without the breast. And, I think I'm ok with that.
Interesting...now, all that being said, I've got to go pump.
Today was my second trip to a friends home with my milk to store for little Haysley and I'll admit, I was really tired of it. We're averaging 10-12 minutes per Gerber Good Start bottles, and right now I'm convinced I've filled atleast 1,000. Ok, not 1,000, but it sure as heck is alot. Even the nurses are impressed when I pump at the hospital, and I figure it takes more than a milestone to impress them anymore.
But I learned something very valuable today that changed my entire perspective of pumping. The friend I dropped off the milk to explained that when she was pumping for her twins (hence the extra freezer space), within 3 months she had pumped enough to feed them for 11 months, and, get this, she got to stop pumping at 3 months. One, that's awesome. Two, I never thought about the fact that since Haysley is so small that she might actually like the bottle alot better than me...SO, if I've got all this storage, she will still get the benefit of breastmilk, just without the breast. And, I think I'm ok with that.
Interesting...now, all that being said, I've got to go pump.
Monday, May 23, 2011
July 7th, 2011
Ok, so in summary, we now have another child in the world. It's been the craziest month of my life and tonight is the first night I haven't looked at the keyboard and thought I might fall asleep on it. Mind you, I probably still could, but that's not the point.
The point is Haysley Lynn Yohe is here. Born on April 24th, 2011 at 12:45pm weighing in at 2lbs 14oz...and in case you're wondering, no, that is not a type-o. I will try to summarize as best I can. Here we go...
On Easter Sunday I began contracting, and by noon-ish my denial had finally stopped and we ended up in the Labor and Delivery at AnMed in Anderson, South Carolina. After they discovered that I was at 3-4cm dilated at 29 weeks and 2 days, they shipped me up to the Greenville Hospital. After two days of being a human pin cushion (in attempts to stop labor), Haysley was born...10 weeks early.
I won't go into all the crazy details that consumed those 48 hours of our life, let me just summarize it by saying it was hell. BUT, God knew best, and now the nurses are doing a bang up job at taking care of our newest little one until she can return home with us.
We are hitting the four week mark tomorrow, and though it seems like it flew by, when I look back, it definitely didn't. Though I would never do this again, I am encouraged by how much stronger I feel like our family truly is. I can honestly say I could not have gotten through this without the support and stability of Mike. He has been my shoulder, my strength, and my alarm clock (reminding me and organizing me).
And then we have our great parents, moms mostly, who have dropped everything and come up to care for Avery. Without them we would not have been able to go see Haysley, as no children are allowed in the NICU.
So, that just about summarizes our month. Crazy as it was, it's our life now. I hope and pray constantly that our family will be united soon, but for now I wait...as patiently as possible.
The point is Haysley Lynn Yohe is here. Born on April 24th, 2011 at 12:45pm weighing in at 2lbs 14oz...and in case you're wondering, no, that is not a type-o. I will try to summarize as best I can. Here we go...
On Easter Sunday I began contracting, and by noon-ish my denial had finally stopped and we ended up in the Labor and Delivery at AnMed in Anderson, South Carolina. After they discovered that I was at 3-4cm dilated at 29 weeks and 2 days, they shipped me up to the Greenville Hospital. After two days of being a human pin cushion (in attempts to stop labor), Haysley was born...10 weeks early.
I won't go into all the crazy details that consumed those 48 hours of our life, let me just summarize it by saying it was hell. BUT, God knew best, and now the nurses are doing a bang up job at taking care of our newest little one until she can return home with us.
We are hitting the four week mark tomorrow, and though it seems like it flew by, when I look back, it definitely didn't. Though I would never do this again, I am encouraged by how much stronger I feel like our family truly is. I can honestly say I could not have gotten through this without the support and stability of Mike. He has been my shoulder, my strength, and my alarm clock (reminding me and organizing me).
And then we have our great parents, moms mostly, who have dropped everything and come up to care for Avery. Without them we would not have been able to go see Haysley, as no children are allowed in the NICU.
So, that just about summarizes our month. Crazy as it was, it's our life now. I hope and pray constantly that our family will be united soon, but for now I wait...as patiently as possible.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Pooper Scooper
Well, Sunday was an interesting day...
We had our normal routine at church and headed to Panera for our 'brunch'. Avery did great in her highchair (considering by this point she is sleep deprived, such is every Sunday) She sat contently and even ate some ham we had gotten for her (big steps for the picky eater).
Then, it happened...the red face, the grunting, and bulging of the eyes. We weren't quite finished with our food selections yet, so I decided to wait to go clean her up...dumb idea.
Once I was finished with my cafe latte, I swooped her up and headed for the ladies room. It was upon the arrival at the changing table that I realized what had happened, and let me just say, it was everywhere. All down the leg, in her lacely shoes, and, oh yeah, all over my arm.
Now, this was a new occurance for the two of us. It was a strange out-of-body experience. In my mind I'm screaming, "Oh my gosh! Get this stuff off me! Where's the shower! I'm gonna puke! Ugh!!!!". But, saying these word aloud to my 15 month old would not help things, especially since she was already so fond of being changed in the a public bathroom as is.
Mommy mode kicks in and I become very thankful for my stock of wipes and the little diaper bags. While the process begins, I am quickly remembering that Daddy is in the restuarant 'cleaning' up our table so we can depart. My mind has already begun thinking of the couple that will stop him and ask to use the highchair... I begin working faster.
Avery, shoeless, and I arrive just before Daddy was going to put the chair away and we are able to avert the disaster. Fifteen wipes later everyone/thing is clean and disinfected :)
Parenting is awesome.
We had our normal routine at church and headed to Panera for our 'brunch'. Avery did great in her highchair (considering by this point she is sleep deprived, such is every Sunday) She sat contently and even ate some ham we had gotten for her (big steps for the picky eater).
Then, it happened...the red face, the grunting, and bulging of the eyes. We weren't quite finished with our food selections yet, so I decided to wait to go clean her up...dumb idea.
Once I was finished with my cafe latte, I swooped her up and headed for the ladies room. It was upon the arrival at the changing table that I realized what had happened, and let me just say, it was everywhere. All down the leg, in her lacely shoes, and, oh yeah, all over my arm.
Now, this was a new occurance for the two of us. It was a strange out-of-body experience. In my mind I'm screaming, "Oh my gosh! Get this stuff off me! Where's the shower! I'm gonna puke! Ugh!!!!". But, saying these word aloud to my 15 month old would not help things, especially since she was already so fond of being changed in the a public bathroom as is.
Mommy mode kicks in and I become very thankful for my stock of wipes and the little diaper bags. While the process begins, I am quickly remembering that Daddy is in the restuarant 'cleaning' up our table so we can depart. My mind has already begun thinking of the couple that will stop him and ask to use the highchair... I begin working faster.
Avery, shoeless, and I arrive just before Daddy was going to put the chair away and we are able to avert the disaster. Fifteen wipes later everyone/thing is clean and disinfected :)
Parenting is awesome.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Mommy Olympics
Ok, so I know there is no such thing, and I've actually made references to this 'event' on facebook before, because I think they really should create it. Mommy Olympics. It would be legendary. Here are some of the events:
1. Vacuuming the entire house left handed and barefoot. Why? Well, because you've got a 1 year old on your hip that sudden became scared of the loud noise and barefoot so you can keep the cord from getting sucked up. You would win silver if you accomplished all this in under 30 minutes, and gold if you were pregnant during it all. I know I'm biased, but it's my Olympics.
2. Getting the groceries inside and put away before the ice cream melts. This would obviously be a weekly event. You would receive a bonus if you creatively used your resources, aka the red wagon, to make it all in one trip. Again, with a 20 pound child strapped to your hip and pregnant. Oh! But this time with a hyperactive dog running around as well.
3. Scenario: your husband is out-of-town for a few days so you must figure out how to do his chores at the same time you're doing yours. Solution: bag trash while child is asleep and assemble stroller. Next, when child is awake, strap into stroller and use stroller hook for trash. Attach dog. Grab mail key. Proceed to doorway. Bonus: getting through doorway :) Achieving gold is if only one lap around development is required because you remembered everything.
I'm sure as the months/years go by, I will be adding to this list, but for now we have three events. I'll have to work on the opening ceremonies later and including some sort of false pretenses.
1. Vacuuming the entire house left handed and barefoot. Why? Well, because you've got a 1 year old on your hip that sudden became scared of the loud noise and barefoot so you can keep the cord from getting sucked up. You would win silver if you accomplished all this in under 30 minutes, and gold if you were pregnant during it all. I know I'm biased, but it's my Olympics.
2. Getting the groceries inside and put away before the ice cream melts. This would obviously be a weekly event. You would receive a bonus if you creatively used your resources, aka the red wagon, to make it all in one trip. Again, with a 20 pound child strapped to your hip and pregnant. Oh! But this time with a hyperactive dog running around as well.
3. Scenario: your husband is out-of-town for a few days so you must figure out how to do his chores at the same time you're doing yours. Solution: bag trash while child is asleep and assemble stroller. Next, when child is awake, strap into stroller and use stroller hook for trash. Attach dog. Grab mail key. Proceed to doorway. Bonus: getting through doorway :) Achieving gold is if only one lap around development is required because you remembered everything.
I'm sure as the months/years go by, I will be adding to this list, but for now we have three events. I'll have to work on the opening ceremonies later and including some sort of false pretenses.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Where Shopping Is A Pleasure
Let me just start off by staying raising toddlers can be tough...wait, is Avery considered a toddler now? I assumed that once to get to the point of them no longer being called a 'baby' then the next definition must be toddler. I don't think there's an in-between word, though maybe there should be because I'm not quite ready for that trasition just yet.
On that note, I took my toddler to Publix today to pick up our 'Friday List' of a few things. We typically do our shopping on Mondays, so Fridays are the quick trip. This proved to not be the case as we quickly approached the 10 minute mark in the deli department today. Now, I gotta give props to Michelle, as she was doing her best to take care of the customers and keep herself organized, but is it really nessecary to clean the meat slicing thingy after every use?!
We just needed ham and some cheese for the little one and Mommy was quickly running out of options to entartain the strapped-in 14 month old. We were already done with the back-up graham crackers and she had now begun flinging herself all over because she's just discovered there is a strap that's restrianing her from jumping out of the cart and grabbing every balloon in sight.
At this point, dear Michelle, our trip to the deli was over. Thank you for your time. I politely informed the other worker that I was fine without my cheese and we were on our way.
By the time we were ten feet away, Avery was back to normal. All things considered, she did pretty well and was now happily re-visiting the graham cracker bag. We continued to pick up our things and found ourselves a nice gentleman to ring us up, and we were about to be on our way when the manager of the deli department appeared, and kindly placed my 6 slices of povolone in the cart. With a huge grin on my face, I thanked her, and she simply said she completely understood.
And so Publix, you have prooven yet again why I continue to shop at your store. You have and will always be my number one choice for groceries and I so appreciate you, more than you know :)
On that note, I took my toddler to Publix today to pick up our 'Friday List' of a few things. We typically do our shopping on Mondays, so Fridays are the quick trip. This proved to not be the case as we quickly approached the 10 minute mark in the deli department today. Now, I gotta give props to Michelle, as she was doing her best to take care of the customers and keep herself organized, but is it really nessecary to clean the meat slicing thingy after every use?!
We just needed ham and some cheese for the little one and Mommy was quickly running out of options to entartain the strapped-in 14 month old. We were already done with the back-up graham crackers and she had now begun flinging herself all over because she's just discovered there is a strap that's restrianing her from jumping out of the cart and grabbing every balloon in sight.
At this point, dear Michelle, our trip to the deli was over. Thank you for your time. I politely informed the other worker that I was fine without my cheese and we were on our way.
By the time we were ten feet away, Avery was back to normal. All things considered, she did pretty well and was now happily re-visiting the graham cracker bag. We continued to pick up our things and found ourselves a nice gentleman to ring us up, and we were about to be on our way when the manager of the deli department appeared, and kindly placed my 6 slices of povolone in the cart. With a huge grin on my face, I thanked her, and she simply said she completely understood.
And so Publix, you have prooven yet again why I continue to shop at your store. You have and will always be my number one choice for groceries and I so appreciate you, more than you know :)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Wonder Way
Well, it was time. We knew this day would come, but weren't expecting it so suddenly!
We arrived at church on time yesterday (amazingly enough), and promptly went to drop Avery off at the nursery. Now, mind you, we attend a church with thousands of people, so seeing people you know becomes few and far between.
That's why we loved our little Wonder Way 4...sniff! Those volunteers were the first people I ever felt comfortable leaving our little one with. By the second week, they remembered her name; by the fourth week she actually leaned towards one of the them instead of clinging to me. It was awesome.
So, we arrive as normal, and proceed to check-in. I was prepared for the common question: 'Wonder Way 3 or 4?' So I thought I'd skip ahead of her just a bit and simply say, 'Wonder Way 4, please'. She looked at me surprised and sweetly stated Avery had been moved up to Wonder Way 5 this week. Apparently they do this when the kiddos hit that 14 month mark. Denial begins...
Two hours later we're picking Avery up and she's done pretty well (probably better than I was doing). They said she did great considering it was her first time there. Whew! Once she was collected, we couldn't help but walking by and saying 'adios' to out wonderful Wonder Way 4 Team. No tears were shed, but they came close, I could tell.
And so it continues. Avery keeps growing up and it's painfully amazing in so many ways. Maybe I'll see the next 'upgrade' coming sooner...sigh...
We arrived at church on time yesterday (amazingly enough), and promptly went to drop Avery off at the nursery. Now, mind you, we attend a church with thousands of people, so seeing people you know becomes few and far between.
That's why we loved our little Wonder Way 4...sniff! Those volunteers were the first people I ever felt comfortable leaving our little one with. By the second week, they remembered her name; by the fourth week she actually leaned towards one of the them instead of clinging to me. It was awesome.
So, we arrive as normal, and proceed to check-in. I was prepared for the common question: 'Wonder Way 3 or 4?' So I thought I'd skip ahead of her just a bit and simply say, 'Wonder Way 4, please'. She looked at me surprised and sweetly stated Avery had been moved up to Wonder Way 5 this week. Apparently they do this when the kiddos hit that 14 month mark. Denial begins...
Two hours later we're picking Avery up and she's done pretty well (probably better than I was doing). They said she did great considering it was her first time there. Whew! Once she was collected, we couldn't help but walking by and saying 'adios' to out wonderful Wonder Way 4 Team. No tears were shed, but they came close, I could tell.
And so it continues. Avery keeps growing up and it's painfully amazing in so many ways. Maybe I'll see the next 'upgrade' coming sooner...sigh...
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Knowing
Today Avery started putting her arms out and moving her fingers back and forth as if to say, "pick me up, I'm cute", and it works every time. She caught onto that one quick :)
It figures; this kid is so smart. She picks up on everything, usually before I can register that is what she's doing, she is repeating some noise I'm making or some movement I'm doing.
Which leads me to my thoughts...how much does she actually see? I mean, really see. It's mind blowing to know that this little 27" person is so observant! I guess it makes sense, I mean, in reality she's at a pretty good phase being just over 14 months and now that she has this whole walking thing down, it's like she tries to learn something new everyday. Saying that children are like sponges really does seem like and accurate statement now.
This also makes me a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility God has given me and Mike to raise this one (and her sister here shortly). Daily I am realizing the true importance of not just taking care of her, but being a Mom. I mean, a babysitters can care for her, but I know her. I mean really know her. I know what books she likes to read when; I know her favorite bathtub toys; I know when she's ticklish, and when she's not. I'm sure I could create a longer list, but you get my point. A Mom knows her kid, period. And that's so amazing to me.
It figures; this kid is so smart. She picks up on everything, usually before I can register that is what she's doing, she is repeating some noise I'm making or some movement I'm doing.
Which leads me to my thoughts...how much does she actually see? I mean, really see. It's mind blowing to know that this little 27" person is so observant! I guess it makes sense, I mean, in reality she's at a pretty good phase being just over 14 months and now that she has this whole walking thing down, it's like she tries to learn something new everyday. Saying that children are like sponges really does seem like and accurate statement now.
This also makes me a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility God has given me and Mike to raise this one (and her sister here shortly). Daily I am realizing the true importance of not just taking care of her, but being a Mom. I mean, a babysitters can care for her, but I know her. I mean really know her. I know what books she likes to read when; I know her favorite bathtub toys; I know when she's ticklish, and when she's not. I'm sure I could create a longer list, but you get my point. A Mom knows her kid, period. And that's so amazing to me.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Pigtails and Ponytails
For starters, I am unsure of the different between these two. Maybe one is suppossed to be shorter than the other, when you compare it to the actually animal that kinda makes sense. So, I guess I juat answered my own wonderment.
On that note, today was Avery's first day of pigtails (though I am now unaware when her first day will be of ponytails). Nothing short of a milestone for Mom here, but still. If she wasn't so stinkin' adorable to begin with, throw in two sprouts growing out the back of her head and you've got a cover girl baby. Hands down; No competition.
And it's not even the little rubber bands that make this kid cute, it's completely her God-given beauty. Daddy's already preparing with a loaded gun for the day other people start to notice. But, seriously, have you seen my kid? The bluest eyes ever with the most amazing, long eyelashes, the adorbale nose, and pouty lips. She's perfect. Then throw in a cute outfit and hair that's actually long enough to do something with, and you've got a winner.
...sigh...I love her...
There, enough bragging for one day.
On that note, today was Avery's first day of pigtails (though I am now unaware when her first day will be of ponytails). Nothing short of a milestone for Mom here, but still. If she wasn't so stinkin' adorable to begin with, throw in two sprouts growing out the back of her head and you've got a cover girl baby. Hands down; No competition.
And it's not even the little rubber bands that make this kid cute, it's completely her God-given beauty. Daddy's already preparing with a loaded gun for the day other people start to notice. But, seriously, have you seen my kid? The bluest eyes ever with the most amazing, long eyelashes, the adorbale nose, and pouty lips. She's perfect. Then throw in a cute outfit and hair that's actually long enough to do something with, and you've got a winner.
...sigh...I love her...
There, enough bragging for one day.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Moms the Word
Sometimes there are so many thoughts in my head that I can never pin one down and really be grateful or happy for it. So, this is how the blog came about. Too much time has already slipped by with my littlest love turning one in January, and now with a second due in June, I decided it was time.
Avery is so amazing. There, The End. I could just end my blog this way and be a happy person, but that was not my intent. Too many of these memories are going so quickly, that I don't want to miss anything!
For instance, last night Avery was in her 'discovery' mode, you know where she wants to look and touch and feel everything and wants to be involved in whatever you're doing with those shiny, sharp things on the counter. It really was a revelation moment for me, but I was either at a breaking point or a 'love point' (as I like to call it). Trying to ingore her and just get done what I needed to for dinner was usually how I opperated. 'Give me five minutes and then I'll give you 20' was kinda my motto. But last night was different. I could see in her eyes that she wanted me and just wanted to do what I was doing, and I had never thought or seen that before...God's whisper? Maybe.
So, Avery and I ended up making dinner together last night, together. I popped the green beans, and she sat happily on the counter and put them in the pot that Mommy had place between her legs. Then we did the same for the potatos. She even enjoyed helping me put on the lids and placing them on the stove.
Craziness...who would have thought those twenty minutes of 'discovery' would create such a peaceful evening.
You think you kids can't teach you anything, and then they do... God is so (for lack of a better word) cool.
Looking forward to more 'Mommy Moments'
Avery is so amazing. There, The End. I could just end my blog this way and be a happy person, but that was not my intent. Too many of these memories are going so quickly, that I don't want to miss anything!
For instance, last night Avery was in her 'discovery' mode, you know where she wants to look and touch and feel everything and wants to be involved in whatever you're doing with those shiny, sharp things on the counter. It really was a revelation moment for me, but I was either at a breaking point or a 'love point' (as I like to call it). Trying to ingore her and just get done what I needed to for dinner was usually how I opperated. 'Give me five minutes and then I'll give you 20' was kinda my motto. But last night was different. I could see in her eyes that she wanted me and just wanted to do what I was doing, and I had never thought or seen that before...God's whisper? Maybe.
So, Avery and I ended up making dinner together last night, together. I popped the green beans, and she sat happily on the counter and put them in the pot that Mommy had place between her legs. Then we did the same for the potatos. She even enjoyed helping me put on the lids and placing them on the stove.
Craziness...who would have thought those twenty minutes of 'discovery' would create such a peaceful evening.
You think you kids can't teach you anything, and then they do... God is so (for lack of a better word) cool.
Looking forward to more 'Mommy Moments'
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