Who are These Kids?

It was not even 24 hours ago I was begging my husband to leave his conference early and come home. My girls are a mess. The aren't pleased by anything for more than two minutes, have taken to fighting sleep and are in general, contrary. When nothing I do is right and everything they do is wrong I want to throw my arms up and say, "How did I get here?"

Well I know how I got here and no matter how bad my kids are, I am lucky to be here. Unfortunately, my head is far from heart. I am burned out, frustrated beyond belief and once again feel as though I am drowning. Is two this terrible? Or, a much scarier thought, are my girls always going to be difficult and contrary? I wish I knew! For some reason, when things get really bad, I always try to figure out what it means for the future. Instead, I should concentrate on the fact that both girls have been sick (pulmonary issues, vomiting, diarrhea and ear infections) and that they are off their schedules. Grammy and Papa have recently arrived which allows me to leave them home much more. Not a good idea. My girls are accustomed to a very tight schedule that involves therapy, the YMCA and running to and from preschool.

This to shall pass or so they say. Let's hope that it passes soon. This is not a good way to enter into the holiday season.

Signs of happier times



POP!

34 & 38 Can it Be?

Alex and I just finished up celebrating our back to back birthdays. You know you are knee-deep in parenthood when you get a cake just to amuse the kids. This year we went with an ice cream cake thinking daddy might actually eat a bite or two. He did!

The best gift of all. . . The hug from my oldest accompanied by a whispered, "I hope you have the best birthday ever. I knew you were going to be my mommy even before you had me and I was so happy that I got this mommy!" She proceeded to draw a heart on my chest and write XOXO inside it.

Not so flattering but neither is getting older! (taken by our oldest after she independently thought to pose and photograph her parents)

Singing Happy Birthday


Don't know why the camera decided to focus on Miss Grace in the zone

Sick Again

We are supposed to be in Hershey, PA right now enjoying a holiday getaway. Unfortunately, Adeline woke up last night with a pronounced cough and an unknown source of pain. We were up and down with her all night. She eventually, vomitted numerous times.

As she was laying on Alex's chest crying in our bed, all I could think of was our canceled vacation. How disappointed Savannah would be! I wondered, "Will she perk up in the morning? She didn't have a fever." But then her prematurity snuck in and brought everything into focus. No we weren't going to go because she has compromised lungs that can go from bad to worse in a heartbeat. Just because she is happy one minute doesn't mean she won't have a 105 fever and satting 87 the next. It is cold and rainy and no matter how much I bundle this child, I can't bundle her lungs. Heat comes from the inside and child must be active if going to stay warm. Hanging in a stroller listless isn't going do it. If she were a "normal" kid I think we would have considered going a little more strongly. Regardless, sick kids need to be in their home. This was one of those times when I wasn't just thinking about the sick kid but all the team members involved. It was hard to unpack the freshly packed car and suitcases.

Everything ended up working out. Adeline stayed asleep in our bed until much after 9:00 a.m. which proved she need the rest. The weather was really bad and all Savannah wanted to do, after getting over the initial disappointment, was decorate the tree. Decorate we did!

Adeline seems to be fine, of course. It took her until after her nap to perk up but this evening she was back to her old self. Let's hope she doesn't wake up again tonight.

Kickin' off the Holiday Season

It is officially Christmas around here. Our lights are hung, decorations up and Christmas PJ's on. In case you haven't quiet gotten into the spirit. . .

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Images from our Thanksgiving

Here are few pictures of our quiet day at home. Savannah made her first pumpkin pie and the girls really enjoyed eating it - even the Belle. The girls also had fun making a turkey on the front door. Savannah is always begging for a craft and cutting feathers was about all I could come up with. Finally, here is a slide show of Thanksgiving through Savannah's lens.

Happy Thanksgiving

We are spending a quiet day at home. Although we would like to be surrounded by family, we are happy to enjoy the calm and quiet that this day brings our family. We have never done the big Thanksgiving but instead use the day to take a deep breath before the madness of the holidays begins. Because we don't have a "to do list" a mile long, we are able to reflect on this year's blessings. We hope that you are able to do the same no matter where you are.

Videos of Miss Grace

This video catches Lila's first observation of the snow. Although her speech is hard to understand I was able to glean "Snow, Uh-Oh, Daddy." She is looking at the BBQ which she mostly likely associates with daddy. Clearly, she thinks that Daddy isn't going to be pleased with a snow covered BBQ.

Just so you know, Savannah wasn't putting on a concerned and comforting act for the camera. You can hear her throughout the video telling Lila that it is okay. She is so sweet with her sisters.

Here is a video of Lila doing her routine climbing into the high chair. She didn't have shoes on which makes it harder for her. If you listen carefully, she says, "Yaya eat." Yaya is what she calls Adeline and I think she telling me that she is going to eat in Adeline's high chair since that is the one she crawled into. At the end of the video you can hear her say, "Yaya" as she points to her high chair indicating that Adeline should sit in hers.