Big Sister

Oh, my girl.  My sweet and funny girl.  She is SO excited about being a big sister.

We took her to my 8-week appointment to see the new baby on the ultrasound screen.  We hadn't told her yet about the baby, so I was a little excited about her finding out.  I wanted to see, and know for certain, that a safe little baby was happily floating around in there before we told her anything.

The moment the doctor places the ultrasound wand on your tummy and flips on the screen is so terrifying.  I think my heart stopped beating until I saw that tiny little heart fluttering away.  It's like seeing an episode of a Looney Toon falling in love with his heart beating outside his chest.

There was our newest little peanut.  We were over the moon.  We pointed it out to Sweet Pea, and she just stared.  And stared.

She had no idea what we were talking about.

It snowed that morning, that random morning in March.  We ran a couple of errands and enjoyed family time because school was closed (read: no work for Hubby) and then we went home and napped together.  That afternoon, we told her again about the baby.  She looked and looked at my belly and patted and stroked and kissed it.

She hasn't stopped.

She loves to talk about the baby.  She is convinced that she and I both are having babies; she a girl baby and I a boy baby.  She loves to kiss my stomach, tickle the baby, and "listen" to the baby.  She puts her little ear on my tummy and usually tells me the baby is laughing, which I love because Bean used to do the same thing.

Sweet Pea went away for a couple of nights in April with my parents, and when she got home she was super excited.  I thought she was super excited to see me, but no; she blurted out, "I came back to you, Baby!" and hugged and kissed my belly.

Swoon.

Another day I drank some water a little too quickly on an empty stomach and my stomach gurgled loudly.  Sweet Pea looked at my belly, then looked up at me in surprise and exclaimed, "Mama!  The baby...passed gas."

My belly gets stickers and kisses.  She talks all the time about babies, milk, pacifiers and changing diapers.  She is going to be an amazing big sister.

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Gifts

Clearly, for this child, a future with Mac is inevitable.

And for this very concerned child, who was watching Aladdin and wondering if there were about to be "scary parts" (for which we always close our eyes), probably she's the next Ebert.  

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Speaking of precious moments...

14 weeks.  

Even in the midst of a difficult season, God is so, so good.  Our little girl is overjoyed to be a big sister; she talks to the baby in my belly every day and loves to hug and kiss my belly.  I'm already feeling our little one dancing daily.  This one is going to be busy!  And his (I'm convinced baby is a he!) big sister is going to love him to pieces.  

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." Ecclesiastes 11:5

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Hello, May

Goodbye, April 2013.  You will go down in history as one of the most frustrating months of our lives.  You will not be missed, though you gave us a few precious moments we will hold dear.  

May, you are looking lovely.

"In those days, though, the spring always came finally but it was frightening that it had nearly failed.” 
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

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Bottle it up

Oh why oh why didn't we bottle it up while we were there?  Maybe we could have brought it home.

They were so freezing.  It was only in the 60s; I don't even want to know what the water temperature was.  I asked her to come in and get warm and she looked at me like this...

So I let her keep playing.  If you could hear this picture, she is shrieking in delight.

I hope I never, ever, ever forget the sound of my baby's shrieky-laugh.  All little kids do that laugh.

Why do we stop?

Hudson Beach, FL.  March 5, 2013.

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Blessed Imperfection

Warning:  What you are about to see is a bunch of incredibly imperfect Easter photos.

I'm totally okay with that.  For everything there is a season, and while I'm perfectly capable (ahem, if I do say so myself) of taking a lovely, perfect portrait, there are times when perfection goes out the window and you just need to snap.

Imperfect was so our Easter morning.  Everyone was sick.  Sweet Pea's Easter dress (the vintage one I so excitedly found at an antique store) was un-ironed and ill-fitted.  Bean had a fever.  Sweet Pea knew the Easter Bunny went to Nana's house, but since my little household felt so yucky we didn't make it to church until the 11 service instead of 9.  A very patient 5-year-old waited as long as she could, but they had to give in and hunt for eggs without us.  My mom (also sick) managed to throw together a lovely (and, okay, perfect, because apparently that's just how she always rolls!) Easter lunch that no one ate very much of because everyone was sick.  Sweet Pea ate her weight in candy and Bean had to be excused from the table and sent for a nap because all of the excitement in her fever-flushed cheeks was just too much.  I slept on the couch for two hours.

So in other words, it was perfect.

Bean was so cute and funny walking Sweet Pea through finding her treats.  She's a seasoned pro, after all.  Sweet Pea only learns from the best.


Honestly, these girls.  They could not have been sweeter covered in syrup.  Sweet Pea has a new habit of flying her tiny little hands to her face to cover her mouth with a little gasp when she's excited.  The habit was out in full force.  

Easter Bunny Nana made the traditional Easter Bunny cake.  Sweet Pea kissed it.  

 

 

Every special toy got a hug.  Easter Bunny Nana got the girls Butterfly houses and butterfly nets.  Sweet Pea used her net to hold her eggs.

True story.  Late Saturday night we were in Target because Easter Bunny Mama is super lame and has been sick hadn't finished Easter Basket shopping.  We wandered around looking for a special toy to add and stumbled upon the backpack aisle.  This was after we'd visited the Disney princess aisle, the art aisle and the Barbie aisle.  Sweet Pea done lost her mind over the backpacks.  We knew she loved backpacks (she AL.WAYS. points out other kids' backpacks anywhere we go) but we didn't know she was that crazy about them.  The owl one I've like for a long time was almost half-price, so there it was. She asked the Easter bunny to bring her a "pack-pack."

 And lost her mind when she saw it.  (Love that pointing hand!)

 

 

 

 

 She spun and spun for us.  And didn't take it off all day.  And has stored her treasures in it every day since.

"NO, Bean!  We said no more treats!"

"Humph!"

 

And there it is.  The gasp face.  And I kind of teared up a little.

There it is.  The perfect imperfect day.  Just like our lives have been lately.  The state of life in our home is currently busy and slow, tough and easy, peaceful and chaotic, happy and sad, all at once.  I don't think I'd have it any other way.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have LIFE and have it abundantly." John 10:10   

 

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