Feeling Better

My sweet Hannah is feeling better today. Thanks for all the thoughts and well wishes. It was a rough three days! Thankfully, the rest of us are all puke-free! So we're seeing smiles on all of the little faces around here. Including this precious boy:

Lucas is smiling more and more these days. He makes all kinds of wonderful giggly noises too. I cannot say enough how mellow and go-with-the-flow this little guy is. Today he went with me to drop the girls off at school, then hung out with me while we shopped at the grocery store, then he napped in his car seat while I went to help a friend set up for a garage sale this weekend, then he happily came along to pick up his big sisters from school this afternoon. I think he must get his calm, cool and collected attitude from his Daddy.

On an unrelated note, the weather here has been absolutely beautiful. Little to no wind and temperatures in the 70's. We wanted to make it to the state fair this week to walk around and enjoy the food and entertainment in this gorgeous weather. But we didn't think tons of fried food on a stick would be good for Hannah's sensitive stomach. =) Oh well, we can still enjoy being outside even if it's just in our own backyard. My Banana and Bee are outside playing right now. I can hear them squealing and giggling. Music to my ears.

Sick Girl

I've been taking care of a sick girl for the last few days. Hannah has been feeling pretty puny. She woke me up at 4:30 Monday morning by calmly telling me, "I'm going to throw up." I had just enough time to grab our "puke bucket" before she completely emptied the contents of her stomach. For the last 48 hours that poor girl hasn't been able to keep much down unfortunately. I finally took her to the doctor this morning to get a flu test, but it was negative. So we're home resting again. There's been lots of tv/movie watching, book reading, snuggling, popsicles and back scratching going on. In addition, there's been lots of Lysol spraying, toilet cleaning, and hand washing going on too. I've been sort of a maniac about hand washing so that no one else in our family ends up sick too. So far the rest of us are in the clear!

I remember the way my mom would take care of me when I was sick as a little girl. She was always so attentive. She would set me up on the couch with my pillow and favorite afghan to cover up with. She would read me stories, play a game with me and let me watch cartoons. She would let me rest my head in her lap while she gently scratched my back (my favorite thing even today). And she would always make my favorite smoothie drink. It consisted of blending up vanilla ice cream and cranberry juice, then scooping it into a tall glass and adding ginger ale to make it frothy and bubbly and pink. It always tasted so good.

So now when my own kids are sick, I try to give them the same special care that my mom gave me.

What kinds of things did your parents do for you when you were sick? Or what special things do you do for your own children when they are under the weather?

Parenthood

I am the first to admit that being a mother is hard work. I do not have it all figured out. At times I feel overwhelmed, inadequate, and frustrated. Motherhood is messy and has sometimes (okay a lot of times) brought me to tears. There are days I feel like a drill sargent barking out orders all day long. Other times I feel like I just give up and wilt on the couch in a daze.

Thank goodness, however, there are so many more moments of pure joy and contentment than craziness. Like when I overhear the girls playing and one says, "We are friends forever, right?" and the other confidently replies, "Right!" Or when I watch Leah's smile after she successfully completes a somersault in gymnastics. Or when Hannah's eyes gleam as she holds up a picture she has worked so hard to color. Or when Lucas opens up in a toothless grin. The way the sunlight shines off Hannah's hair as she skips down the driveway. The way Leah runs with full on abandon. And of course, in every sweet hug or snuggle I receive throughout the day.

So in the midst of a crazy afternoon where there seems to have been more tears and time-outs than hugs and smiles, I have to remember that this is just a moment. It doesn't define who we are. Because if I pay attention, our life is filled with so many sweet, sweet moments.

One Handed

Me and Lucas (mid-yawn)

After having my baby 7 weeks ago, I have been reminded of all the many daily activites I can do with one hand. This being that I have a cute little boy attached to my other arm. Here is a short list of things I noticed in the last few days:

With one hand, I can:

brush my teeth

make my bed (this takes awhile!)

pour a glass of orange juice (a critical skill, I might add)

load dishes into the dishwasher

pet Tundra or Ellie

color a picture in a coloring book

read a story

check my email

take clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer (one item at a time)

wipe down the countertops

These things might be slow going, but they can be done. And now that Lucas is getting heavier, my left arm is getting quite a workout.

Tundra's New Spot

It's true that Tundra is our first "baby". We adopted her just three months after we got married back in 1999. We often refer to her as our oldest feline child. Over the years she's handled the addition of another cat sibling as well as three human siblings with an appropriate mix of curiosity and aloofness. She knows that when all the human children are asleep at night, she can come out from under the living room chair, curl up in my lap, and receive lots of pets and scratches. So I think she knows that we love her and consider her a big part of our family. But this is going a little too far.....

Lately she has taken over Lucas' papasan chair. I find her there every morning. And I just don't have the heart to shoo her out of it because she's just too darn cute in there. Pets certainly have a way of worming their way into our hearts!

Smile!

When he smiles:

my heart flutters

I grin widely

I continue to make silly faces and noises

I kiss his cheeks

And I wish I could freeze that little moment in time.

Because soon, he will grow up and be a big four and a half year old. And I will be straining my brain to remember the way he used to look up at me.

Six Weeks

September 4, 2009

This little boy of mine is six weeks old today. Although he's only been with us a short while, I cannot imagine life without him in it now. Here are just a few things I can say about this guy:

* He started smiling this week. And to my heart's great delight, he has been smiling at the sound of my voice. It melts me completely. I will work for twenty minutes straight making funny faces and noises to get one little grin out of him. And it is so worth it!

* When he smiles, he crinkles his eyes, makes a little cooing noise, and displays a cute little dimple on his left cheek.

* His appetite has increased. I am having to supplement with a few formula bottles to keep up. At first I freaked out about it, but I am realizing that he is just fine. Because of this appetite increase, he is definitely gaining weight. I'd guess he's close to ten pounds now. His cheeks are getting chubby, he has a slight double chin, and his thighs are looking quite meaty. I love chunky babies!

* He is a great sleeper. After his nighttime feedings, we just put him in his bassinet and he drifts off to sleep peacefully. I am so grateful for this.

* He is having many more stretches of alertness during the day. He likes to be sitting up to watch the world go by around him. Sometimes he furrows his brows like he is in deep thought. I think he likes all of the activity going on around him.

* This boy is a squeaker. With every stretch or move, he makes these cute little squeaky sounds. The girls say we need to get an oil can for him like the Tin Man.

* No matter how tired or frustrated I may be about something, the moment I look at him or hold him, I feel better.

* He was worth every uncomfortable pregnant moment and every painful muscle after my c-section. He was worth it a thousand times over.