Final Days

Today Anna is 16 weeks old. Tomorrow I go back to work. I know that this is the right decision for both me personally and for my family, but that doesn't make it any easier for this uber-emotional-strung-out-on-hormones mamma. Not only do I have to say good-bye to the priceless one-on-one time that I've been sharing with Anna, but I now have to learn how to juggle life as a full time working mother of TWO.

Groceries by delivery? Drive-through dry cleaning? Prescriptions by mail? Here we come.

We all have taken full advantage of my final days, packing in tons of fun activities and visits with family and friends.

Enjoy the pictures. I'll be sneaking more than a few peaks at them come Friday...

Homecoming for our newest cousin, Caroline, and cookie decorating with her big sister, Camilla

A last minute/wonderful surprise visit from our New Hampshire friends, "baby Katie" and her new brother, Andrew (and my favorite Aussie travel buddy, their mommy Ellen)

Final Swim Class with Jackson

(yes, they are really, really swimming!)

A Magical Princess Ballet Birthday for Lily's beloved friend Tahlia

Got Milk?

When I was little, my grandparents had a wonderful house (Elmhurst) on the banks of the Greenbrier River, just down the road from the famous Greenbrier Hotel & Resort.  It was a grand old house, complete with slave quarters (only in the south...), and we'd all gather there in the summer and for Thanksgiving each year.  My grandparents had a bedroom, my mother and each of her four siblings had her/his own bedroom, and there was the "dormitory," as it was called, that had 7 twin beds for each of the seven cousins.  

I LOVED Elmhurst and spent many summers there picking blueberries, canoeing on the Greenbrier River, and sneaking frozen peppermint patties from my grandfather's stash in the freezer.

I also loved the cows in the fields nearby.  I mean, I really loved those cows.  When I was tiny, I used to shot out "moo-tows" each time I saw one.  Perhaps my early obsession with bovines was a precursor to actually becoming one.

In anticipation for my return to work, I've been carefully stashing away my milk...ounce by precious ounce...for the past few months.

With one day left before my first day, my tally in the freezer down in the basement is an astonishing 379 ounces (and let's not forget that I had to throw away 36 ounces earlier this summer). At roughly 4 ounces a bottle, I've got enough to keep my fat baby fat for the next month of daycare even if I don't produce another drop.

For those of you who have ever gone through the pleasures of pumping your own milk, you know what a feat this really is!

Me First?!?

Fads, fashions and trends come and go and I usually only notice them when they hit mainstream culture. For the second time. I know, "hip" is just not my middle name. Detail oriented, yes.  Thorough, yes. Trendy?  Sadly not.

But for once in my life I seem to be ahead of the curve.  Or at least not behind it.

A few weeks ago I launched a new feature on the blog called Twitter.  When I'm out and about and the mood strikes me (usually when Lily and I are stuck in traffic), I can pull out my cell phone and text "tweets" to the blog.  Short little snip-its that are not really blog entry worthy but are oh so wonderful that I don't want to forget them.  And since I've got a permanent "mommy brain" (which I pray starts to clear when I return to work at the end of next week), if I don't write things down immediately they're as good as gone.  Voila...Twitter!

I love it and hope that you do too.  Amazingly enough, I now have people I don't know following this blog, thanks, I guess, to my tweets.**

Anyway, one of my FAVORITE mommy bloggers, Amalah, is a local mama who actually gets paid to blog.  As in, it's her job.  She's a professional mommy blogger.  And based on the ads that run in her column titled "Project Sellout," I'm guessing that she's getting paid real money to write about her life.  She's cool.  She's funny.  And, yes, I'd definitely call her hip.  AND I BEAT HER TO TWITTER!  Hooray for me.  For once!

To celebrate this victory, I'm now going to go drink a mojito.  Because I hear it's a hip drink.  For the second time! ;-)

**I say "amazingly enough" although I shouldn't. Even though the blog was originally intended to cut down on mass emails to friends/family with updates about Lily and Anna, it's not like the internet is my own private chat room. While, at first, I wasn't sure how I felt about strangers reading about my life, I...uh...do the exact same thing to them. I can tell you all about random kids all over this country!  

It still amazes me, though, that people I don't know find our lives and my posts interesting enough to take time out of their days to read me.  Thanks to all -- friends old and new -- for putting up with my random ramblings, thoughts and sentimental breakdowns that have become this living and growing "baby book" for my girls!

Welcome Caroline!

My apologies for the radio silence this past week, but I've (1) been feeling sorry for myself about my maternity leave ending (2) have been running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done before my leave ends and (3) have been trying to live more of life's experiences with the kids rather than photograph them/blog about them.

That and a mean case of the 24 hour stomach flu that knocked me out on Sunday.  Nothing like a day spent communing with my toilet to help with post-partum weight loss!

In the midst of my misery on Sunday, though, I got a call from my mother with the WORLD'S MOST WONDERFUL NEWS.  We were supposed to have dinner at her house that night with our cousins -- Susana, Chad and Camilla -- but she had gotten a call earlier in the day to tell her that they were in Texas with their new baby girl!

Not only could I not be more thrilled that their long quest to expand their family is now complete, but I'm on cloud nine that Anna will have a cousin who is only 3 months younger. Caroline Gregory was born on July 19th weighing 5 pounds 3 ounces.  Adoption papers were, amazingly, signed on July 21st, Camilla's fifth birthday.  This really was meant to be!

While I can't wait to get my hands on Baby Caroline, I'll have to wait until their return to town some time next week.  I promise more photos of all the girls soon, including the newest member of the family!

In the meantime, congrats to Susana, Chad and one of the proudest new big sisters around!

Life, The Next Chapter

One week ago today, Lily entered a new phase that I am certain is age appropriate and developmentally right on schedule.  All that being said, it's a difficult one marked by meltdowns, of the supreme variety, each and every day.  At least once.  Often twice or more. Sadly, she's also in the midst of night terrors, something else that I know can be normal...but it's still sad and totally frightening.

I was lamenting this on the phone yesterday with my dear friend/former roommate/bridesmaid/future in-law (hopefully, if I can get my way!) Meridith. I told her about the daily tantrums, the fits of screaming, the bouts of sobbing that poor Lily falls prey to more often than we'd prefer. While I was fully expecting Merri to dish back at me the phrase I so often use -- "this too shall pass" -- she did anything but pay lip service to the age old phrase we all learn in remedial parenting. And this is #847 on the list of reasons why I love my friend Meridith.

What Merri told me yesterday, parenthetically, is this -- Lily is a thoughtful, independent, articulate, confident, fun-loving, mature beyond her years free spirit with a passion for life. Her personality knows no bounds, her love is endless, and her lisp just makes her even more irresistible (I promised Merri that we'd never put her in speech therapy...I SO love that her "r"s are "w"s and she's got a drawl unlike any other I've heard).  

(BTW, I know that we all think this about our own children, but to have another person say it, out loud, made my heart start beating with pride and love and it hasn't stopped since.)

But with all that poise and risk-taking comes someone who needs to test boundaries, someone who needs to feel in control, someone who needs to approach life on her own terms. Merri then assured me that my patience won't expire before Lily's does.  That we'll all get through this.  And that I will learn to parent this little person who is taking Noah and me for a ride beyond the confines of any of the typical parenting books available at our local Barnes & Noble.

I really do love Merri for her empathy and for being as enamored with Lily as am I. I have a feeling, though, that Lily must have cast a spell on Merri with her after dinner rendition of "My Name is Joe" Saturday night. Although not quite the same, here is Lily with an encore performance for your viewing pleasure (pardon the hiccups!).

And, since I cannot resist showing off my absolute favorite picture ever, here is a shot of Lily with Merri's kind-hearted, absolutely brilliant, inquisitive, silly, thoughtful and loving little boy, Jackson.  

Lily @ 3.5 months, Jack @ 1.5 months

Lily and Jack today.  Bless his heart, he'll even play dress-up with her!

The Verdict

Now that I've had three months to consider it, I've come to the conclusion that Anna looks nothing like Lily.  And by nothing I mean nothing.  Sure they share the same chin.  And their lips may be similar.  Both have blue eyes, although the shapes of their eyes differ.  I think that the similarities end there.

It still shocks me that they are so different.  For some totally bizarro reason, I thought that because I was having another girl she'd be a carbon copy of Lily. Sisters, yes.  Replica, not at all.  As far as temperaments go, they're night and day.

Lily at 3 months

Lily was fair -- blondish hair with lots of red in it. Anna couldn't get much darker.  

Lily was a sucker; she loved anything and everything that you put in her mouth. Anna's a gager (is that a word? should be for all the gagging that I've seen in the last 3 months) although she's finally taking a bottle without protesting...and she will even choke down 5 ounces of formula each night before bed.  

Lily LOVED (cannot emphasize that word enough) her pacifier.  Anna will take one...sort of...but she doesn't care for it that much.  She, on the other hand, is a finger gal.  One finger, two fingers, or even a thumb.  She's happy slurping away with her digits in her mouth.  

Lily was a screamer.  I think that even our neighbors could attest to that fact. Anna sticks out her lower lip and whimpers.  Actually, it's quite cute.  Lily had extreme moods -- from supremely happy to beyond pissed off.  Anna's my mellow yellow.

Anna at 3 months, 2 days

So for those of you who emailed me early on after this post, you were right.  The jury is finally back and the verdict is in.  As far as looks go, each sports her own.  Now I can't wait to see what kind of a person Anna will grow to be.  Hopefully she'll get Lily's sense of humor and bottomless heart!

One Fish, Two Fish

If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I definitely wouldn't believe it.  After only three lessons, Lily is SWIMMING.  Under the water.  With no flotation devices in sight.  I'm still smiling!

Her incredible teacher, Nancy, has an approach to toddler swim lessons that she calls "drowning prevention."  In light of all the recent media coverage of not only regular drowning but dry drowning (as if we didn't have to worry enough, now we have to worry about drowning AFTER they get out of the pool?!?), I'm all for a little drowning prevention!  

Nancy is also incredibly kind; a supreme teacher.  A few minutes before this clip was taken, Lily was in an all-out-her-life-is-totally-ruined-how-could-I-have-dared-bring-her-to-the-pool-nuclear-meltdown.  Bravo to Nancy for allowing her to work through the tantrum and get in to the pool on her own terms.  I SO don't have that much patience.

Given how far Lily and her buddy Jackson have come in a mere three lessons, I can't wait to see what they're doing in the pool in another few weeks!

Tres, Trois, Trip

Dear Anna,

It seems nearly impossible to me, but today marks three months since you joined our family.  Try as I might, I have a hard time remembering what life was like before your arrival.  While I do bemoan the last 4 pregnancy pounds that linger on my belly and hips (in addition to the 10 extra pounds that found their way there before I got pregnant), every one of those pounds (and all the cardio I'm going to have to do to get rid of them) was worth it when I consider what we got in return.

The past month has been a big one for you -- your first road trip to Vermont, your first trip to the beach, your  first visits to my office (where you charmed the pants off of my colleagues), your foray in to sleeping through the night (which you seem to have perfected...knock on wood), your first real smiles and, last night, your first belly laugh (almost by accident I discovered that you are SUPREMELY ticklish!).  

During this past month I discovered that you are anything but a fussy baby as long as you get enough to eat.  And considering you've been riding the most amazing growth spurt since the day you were born, you simply needed to eat more than I realized. Duh -- Parenting 101 -- FEED THE BABY.  Got it.  Sorry!

As we all get to know you better, we love you even more.  I love the fact that your smile can turn Lily's mood on a dime; your ear to ear grin is infectious.  I love that she relishes her role as big sister and thinks that she can do a better job taking care of you than even we can.  I love how you look up at her; I know you two will be the best of buds.  I love you for drinking a bottle of formula each night before bed, even though it's not your favorite; I can't tell you how nervous I was that you'd reject not only the bottle but formula too (fret not, I don't plan on discontinuing our nursing sessions any time soon). I love the way that your lower lip sticks out just before you start to cry.  I love your ridiculously smelly and embarrassingly loud "toot-toots," which belong more to a beer-guzzling man than to a sweet little baby.  I love the fact that your face gets red and you make the most adorable grunts when you poop. I love that you're always grabbing a hold of me; your little fingers are forever twisted up in my shirts, grabbing on to my hair or my fingers, or reaching for me.

Thank you, my sweet Anna, for being such an incredible baby.  Thank you for being you and for bringing even more love to our family than we knew possible.

Love,

Mommy

PS -- I know that I've said it a thousand times already, but THANK YOU for sleeping through the night.  Not only did I need the extra sleep, but I needed the extra time to update my blog!

Surf's Up!

Thanks to our generous hosts -- my uncle John and cousin Gail (and their families!!) -- Noah, Lily, Anna and I rounded out our holiday weekend with a fantastic trip to Rehoboth Beach, DE.  Not even the daily afternoon rain storms extinguished the fun.

Highlights include (in no particular order):

1. Ocean, ocean and more ocean...complete with DOLPHINS!
2. Sand, sand and more sand (I'm still finding sand falling out of the diaper bag, along with a particularly scary looking spider I must have picked up along the beach somewhere)
   
3. Great fun, and good late-night visits with extended family
   
4. The YUMMY cherry pie we made from the tart cherries we picked on the 4th
   
5. Watching Lily play with her twin cousins
6. Watching Anna smile up at anyone and everyone who held her...and she definitely was passed around (I think she especially bonded with Pete!)
7. GUITAR HERO -- completely obsessed at this point!!
8. Wii Fit -- oh how we're hooked!
9. No traffic on the trip to the beach
10. Insanely good peaches and tomatoes that we bought from a roadside stand on the way home

Lily with cousin Katie

Lily and Katie -- running from the waves!

Lily burying Julian -- no many how many times they did this, it never got old (got to love young imaginations!)

Sleeping Like a Baby

I've been afraid to say anything out loud before now lest I jinx myself. But it's official. I have a baby who sleeps through the night. For real. Not even a fake "real night's sleep" (according to some people, anything over 5 hours in a baby this young is considered "through the night"). For the last two weeks Anna has been sleeping for 10-12 hours a night. I feel like singing. And dancing. But I'll refrain from both for fear that I'll wake her.

Lily slept for 8-9 hours a night starting at 7 weeks. By two months she was doing the 10-12 hour thing. And even though Anna's been doing well, she couldn't quite make it past 5/5:30 without a quick snack. I don't know about you, but I am just not programmed to be up at that hour. Jamie, HOW HAVE YOU GOTTEN UP FOR WORK AT THAT TIME FOR THE LAST DECADE??? It's a horrible, despicable, rotten time of day that no one should have to experience!

Suddenly though, for no apparent reason, Anna started sleeping. What a tremendous sleeper she's become! And as awesome as it is that she sleeps all night long, she couldn't be more adorable when she wakes up. She's happy. And I never tire of watching that first morning stretch when she's released from within the confines of her blessed Miracle Blanket (like the name implies, it does bring about miracles!).

Of course, the awful irony is that now that she's sleeping so well, I've never been more exhausted. I guess now that I've had a taste of sleep, I realize how starved for it I really was. But I'll take my new found exhaustion and not complain. Because I know that I have several friends with babies who either aren't sleeping now or older children who didn't sleep for forever...and those friends are now sticking pins in to voodoo dolls with my name on it!

Oh Say Can You See

In what has become a grand Fourth of July tradition, and in honor of Anna's upcoming start in the blueberry room at Huckleberry Cheesecake, we started our "Festive Fourth" by making the trek out to Butler's Orchard in Germantown, MD.

We managed to pick about 25 pounds of blueberries and tart cherries in a little over an hour. Lowell's girlfriend Komal managed to survive her first encounter with our gang (congrats my dear!). Anna managed to sleep through the entire outing, snug as a bug (or the bugs that were crawling up my legs) in her sling.

Hope you're having a wonderful holiday "celebrating America" as Lily's been saying all day. Happy Fourth!








PS -- I promise more frequent blog postings next week. SO much to tell you about...too busy of a week to get to the computer before now. Although, sadly, you should get used to more infrequent postings...preview of coming attractions once I go back to work.