I only cheated a little

So, I watched The Office on Thursday night. Whatever. That was pretty much my only transgression all week. And, the week off did the trick of resetting my nightly routine so it doesn’t include laying around for 3 hours doing nothing. Nope. Now, it includes sitting at the kitchen table for three hours making my husband feed me. How awesome am I to pull that one off?

Here’s what I could have been blogging about the last week.

Monday had fantastic weather, so Big S and Little S went to the park

Where Big S let her fend for her self and eat bark chips. At least that’s what I’m assuming from the picture he took. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for sure.

(she’s the tiny thing in between the trees)

Monday was also Patriots' Day, so she was dressed accordingly

She’s such a cutie!

Friday afternoon we went over to see her friend Miss A for a little visit. Miss A is two months older and they are so cute together!

Miss A shared her wagon with Little S

Little S wasn’t too sure about this wagon thing

But they could both agree that it’s REALLY FUN to stand at the door

Little S also got some time with our friend Aunt Sunny babysitting on Saturday morning. And, her weekend was rounded out with a 3rd birthday party for a longtime friend’s son Grayson and a backyard BBQ at Mom’s co-workers house. Where-despite being tired from no afternoon nap, she charmed everyone. Even the anti-baby people. A few extra glasses of wine probably helped too. For the anti-baby people. Not the baby.

So, we’re back to the wired world. Which is good, because House looks really good tomorrow night!

This post will have to hold you for a week

Tomorrow starts National Turnoff Week. Contrary to what it sounds like, it’s not a week to grow out your armpit hair, gain 25 pounds and walk around in curlers and a muu-muu, although that would be a big turnoff, trust me. It used to be TV turnoff week, but all the screen time kids (and adults) log is getting to be worse than TV alone. I know I’ve gotten really bad about logging lots of hours, basically doing nothing at night. So, I’m going cold turkey for a week. Wish me luck!

Here are a ton of pictures to hold you over until next week.

Last week, she exuberantly swung her head around to chew on the merry-go-round bar and Big S heard a noise and when she stopped chewing, saw white on the bar. Sure enough, she had chipped a front tooth. Not badly and it didn’t hurt her, but now she’s damaged goods. I’m not sure if that negates the money-back guarantee she came with..

All the stress of breaking a tooth evidently made her need a chaser for her Jim Beam.

She’s getting better and better at climbing. She can now climb up stairs, and back out of the dishwasher when she climbs in. She climbed into her little chair the other day. When I handed her a book, you could see a glimpse of the big girl she’ll soon be

It’s been absolutely gorgeous. 80 degrees today! We’ve packed a lot into the weekend including a hike yesterday, a food cart festival/tasting last night and lots of gardening. I realized gardening means a garden hat 

She drew the line at sunglasses though

This afternoon, we were slated to go on a bike ride with my friend Deb and her daughter E. Deb was going to tow both girls since we don’t have a trailer yet and because she’s a very strong cyclist, whereas I haven’t been on a bike in almost two years. She called me this morning because Little E got lice somehow, and was smart enough to know that if they missed even one and her head was in a trailer with Little S, Big S and I would be getting our first run at delousing and nitpicking. That’s a first I’m willing to wait a LONG time for!

Instead, we met up and went to a park by her house. Little E loves the swings too! She’ll be two in June, and has the greatest red hair!

Red headed almost two year olds don’t like to share their Mom with babies

 

But otherwise they had a great time. Little S is already an expert gardener. As she crawled through the field, every little flower(weed) she saw, she plucked and threw down. She had no desire to eat them, but knew that they MUST. DIE! It’s hard to believe this sweet little face would be capable of such rampant and intentional destruction  

We’re also getting closer to the end of life as we know it. She not only loves to push things around with her when she’s crawling, today, she kept getting up on her toes and hands. Maybe she was motivated by being barefoot, but she’s learning that knees don’t always have to be on the ground.

Here, she demonstrates some baby yoga “tripod” pose. Or possibly she’s spending too much time at the dog park. Hey, if that’s how she gets potty-trained, so be it!

When Big S watched her with two hands and two feet on the ground, he got a VERY concerned look on his face and said something to the effect of “this isn’t good”. While lots of parents can’t wait for their kid to walk, I was kind of holding out hope she’d wait a few years to start that. We’ll see how imminent it really is.

All that excitement and such a long weekend, leaves a girl tired. Here’s a rare moment captured on film to hold you over until next week.

Now go read a book!

First Easter

Easter started with Breakfast at the church, where Little S gobbled up some kind of potato/cheese/other deliciously rich and probably fattening dish that someone had brought. I’m pretty sure she only ate it because she loves all things cheese.

Before the service started, we hung out in the nursery with Carter, her friend from church who’s Mom watches Little S on Thursdays now. Little S is really interested in everything he does, because he’s TWO! And knows a lot about the way the world works.

After church, it was nap time, and THEN we could see what the Easter Bunny brought. Which was mostly chocolate that only adults could eat… Thank You Easter Bunny! Little S also opened her Easter card from her cousin, that he signed all by himself

And then she chewed on it.

Our traditional Easter party at our friends Jim and Lisa’s followed. The weather was decidedly Portland spring, so very wet and cool, so instead of enjoying this lovely garden

Everyone was indoors around the wood stove enjoying traditional Easter Pizza

 

Tanya, aforementioned wood stove, Don, Caroline

Little S, Big S and Laurie

Little S discovered the window ledge and was happy as a clam up there, gnawing on pizza crust

 

A great Easter with lots of friends, a warm fire and delicious homemade pizzas.

One last Easter moment.

Little S is starting to figure out that her actions can make things happen. At church she found a toy that has wheels and moves when she pushes it. And of course, makes noise. A lot of noise. She rolled it back and forth for a while. Of course I was so gobsmacked by this development that it took a while to get the camera out. And by then she was pretty over it. But, here’s a glimpse of what I saw, and what we’ll only be seeing more of

How do you say Good-bye?

Obviously, I’ve been overwhelmingly moved by the death last week of sweet little Madeline Spohr. Her funeral was today, and it is still unfathomable to me how it must feel to have to say Good-bye to the love of  your life and your only child. They both did a phenomenal job of capturing the love of a parent for their child and celebrating her life.

Only click here if you have a box of tissues ready.

Mike's eulogy       Heather's Eulogy and video tribute.

And again, I will continue to appreciate the little life that’s laying next to me, more and more every day. Even when she doesn’t want to go to bed.

May God keep her safe and with us for a long, long, long time.

11 months

Give or take a week. She’s getting so big!

The bigger she gets, the harder to get her to hold still. We don’t know how long we’ll be able to keep this up. Mostly, we need someone to stand behind the camera to get her to look in that direction. Otherwise she looks at the dog, the cat, the fireplace, her toys. anywhere but at the camera.

One of those glances gave us a great baby-daddy moment:

Every day, we tell ourselves how lucky we are. And she never disappoints.

The glamorous life

Ah yes, that’s how we live around here. Defining glamour. When you see this look-food on your clothes and in your hair-on the runways in Paris next year, you'll know where it began!

Just a great end to a day that also involved swimming in the dog water bowl. At least she then helped mop by crawling around in her sponge-like velour outfit. And really, I think it was all her way of getting me to clean UNDER the carpet that got soaked.

That happened not more than 5 minutes after it got quiet, I came in to find her and when she saw me, she spit out the two quarters in her mouth. I told her that’s not the kind of change we wanted in her (ba dump bump)

To keep her from any additional harm, we went on a nice dog walk with our friends Jim and Jamie and their dogs.

No, that’s not a bear on the right, just Jamie’s BIG but gentle (and slobbery) dog. The rain held off and it was a pretty good Easter Eve!

The Little S Show

It’s on 24/7. Here are some episodes you may have missed.

Cheerios-not just for breakfast any more

 

Snow much fun with Dad

The Pint-sized pastry chef

When’s Dinner? Guest starring Furry S

 

The show isn’t in syndication and there are never any reruns. It’s the most unscripted reality show ever. And the ratings are through the roof in this house.

One life

My heart is still breaking with every tweet and blog I read memorializing Maddie. Why do I keep finding myself in tears and wanting so badly to hold Little S tighter than I’ve ever held her before? I’m not alone.  Her Bad Mother said it far better than I could.

Mothers (and fathers), most of whom had never met the Spohr’s, did what they could when we all felt so helpless for their loss. Almost $20,000 has been raised in Maddie’s name for the March of Dimes in less than 24 hours. Maybe, just maybe, this one angel who touched so many lives-maybe one of the pennies or dollars that are being donated in her honor will be the dollar that funds the research that can help prevent this from happening in the future. The research that will allow other mothers to see their daughters grow up and play softball, go to the prom, get married. That would be an amazing tribute to her short life.

Not that any of that makes the heartbreak of this loss any easier for her family or for any mother, but, in searching for answers where there are none to be found, this was a small amount of hope I could grab on to.

Someone put together this beautiful tribute to Maddie. It struck me so much. Her tiny little teeth, just like Little S. The same toys, the same gestures and expressions that I’ve seen in Little S. And the same unending love that Heather and Mike had for their daughter as Steve and I have for ours. And that’s why my heart continues to shatter into a million pieces thinking about them.

Sometimes, it’s not like the television shows

There are several women, mostly other mothers, who’s blogs I follow. One story I stumbled on last summer of a Mom named Heather and her harrowing story of her VERY premature baby girl Madeline. I’ve never met her, but her little Maddie wasn’t too much older than Little S, and Mama Spohr (Heather) was an entertaining writer.

Heather’s blog and twitter postings let us know that Maddie had a cough, fever and was admitted to the Pediatric ICU yesterday, but nothing too serious. Then, we get a tweet linking us to this post. Suddenly, this bright, smiling child was taken from the world. And it breaks my heart. Ever since Little S joined us, I often find myself in tears thinking “what if that were Little S?” The thought of any harm befalling anyone’s baby is a very real pain. Which is why Hazel's story was so scary.

So hug your babies extra tight, and consider donating to the March of Dimes http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?w=131032674&u=marchformaddie&bt=7

so that another Mother someday will get to see her daughter graduate instead of having to feel the pain of losing a child.

And to another Heather, whom I have never met, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your family and sweet, Angel Maddie are in my prayers.

Spring sprung

Pretty much overnight we went from cold, rainy 50 degree highs to the kind of day Portlanders live for. Sunny, spring days.

It was so nice, I spent the day on a sandy beach, waves lapping at our feet with the sun beating down on our heads. The only thing missing were the fruity drinks!

Furry S after a refreshing swim. Mt. St. Helens in the background.

 

 

 

 

The dogs were the only ones swimming though. It is still only spring, so the humans were enjoying the 63 degree day a little more bundled up, as modeled by friends Sunny and Christi

 

Today’s adventure took us out to Sauvie Island.. It’s a BIG island that’s actually a whole community in the middle of the Columbia River. There are lots of great farms, you-pick places and pumpkin patches. Most of it is a wildlife refuge, and it’s a popular place for boating and fishing.

We did see some wildlife

(likely an osprey)

Beaver?  Nutria? No, just furry S coming in from fetching a stick. We discovered that besides sticks, she likes to chase the waves that lap the shore. ZOOOOOM-she runs full-tilt chasing the waves for maybe a hundred yards, then ZOOOOM back the other way. She hasn’t moved all night.

Also tired out by our excursion was a certain baby who decided she did NOT need to wear her hat. It just obstructed her view

And on a day like today, there were many wonderful, happy sunshiney things to be viewed! Who can blame her for wanting some sun instead of rain on her head!

This is such a great place to live and on these sunny days the whole town just seems to smile. After a wet winter, we appreciate the beautiful weather so much more.  It’s a great treat, but fleeting so we will enjoy the next few days while we can. Fruity drinks, here I come.