Uh Oh

"Adeline Grace! No No!"

That is what I have heard every time Adeline has made a wrong move today. Possibly Lila Grace thinks Grace is more of a condemnation than middle name. Guess we better work on that one.

A Summer Accomplishment

Full Cirlcle

As mentioned a few times before, we are finding many full circle moments in our lives. Now that the twins are the same age that Savannah was when they were born, I am showered with flashbacks of emotions that ruled our lives three years ago.

Today, Lila Grace had her Get Acquainted Tea at school. All of the parents come and watch both three year old classes sing a few songs followed by snacks and fellowship. It is a bit overwhelming for the kids to walk into a room filled with parents who have their cameras firing. Lila didn't know we would be there (most kids didn't know what was really going on). She followed her line in the room and then spied her daddy. While most kids were still and shy, we could hear, "Oh, hi Daddy, hi!" Oh look, it's Daddy." She repeated this and even tried to come over to him. We didn't get it on video because Daddy was too busy being a proud parent. I quickly grabbed the camera and went to a spot where I could grab some pictures and Miss Grace spied me as well. Unfortunately the discovery prevented her from doing any of the song or motions. I am not sure she would have anyway.

The full circle moment was when we were leaving the tea. We bumped into Mrs. K the preschool's director. She said watching Lila point out her parents while being so full of life and health brought her to tears. As she welled up she reminded me of the thank you note I had sent her three years ago with the girls' footprints on the front cover. A tearful Mrs. K reminded me that this tea was more than a proud moment in my life. It is miraculous. Lila Grace stood could be heard signing very nicely as the classes walked down the hallway, was (for this occasion) the kid that everyone thought was cute and sweet, and didn't differ from her neurotypical peers one bit. I know I always say it but never in a million a years. . .

Savannah's Get Acquainted Tea
Here is a clip of Lila discovering me. The second is her being cute and then hearing her teacher talk about the lollipop center pieces. The way to Lila's heart has always been lollipops (Let's not forget that Savannah wasn't allowed to have lollipops until she was three and a half. Hmmmm)

Miss Cynthia Returns

In case anyone was wondering if we miss our EI therapists, the answer is YES. We were treated with a visit from Miss Cynthia and her son today. For the half an hour before she arrived the girls were going nuts. Opening and shutting the door, Adeline was growling, "I play Cynthia" and Lila was in time out for some form of inappropriate behavior. I had to pull out the video camera once Adeline started to hang out of the door. She is hard to understand but her enthusiasm isn't. I was lucky to get her reaction to seeing Cynthia drive by on video. I had no idea she was going to drive by at that moment.

During the visit the girls were thrilled to sit on and love Cynthia. They even got disgruntled when the other one was on her lap.

Oh how we miss her!!

One Last Birthday Sundae

While on the way to drop the grandparents at the airport, we took the girls to lunch at Ruby's. We surprised Savannah with another round of signing and ice cream. After the waitstaff sang to her, she told me that she thought they were coming for someone else since today isn't her real birthday. She was as sweet as ever and enjoyed her ice cream. I must admit that the birthday celebrations have worn our big girl out and crankiness was starting to set in before I forced her to take a much needed nap this afternoon.

Here are a few pictures of Savannah with her ice cream and some farewell pics with the grandparents. I am also including some pictures of Lila Grace who has finally learned to smile with her eyes open and on command. I still have to remind her to open her eyes but once she does it, she looks pretty darn cute!
I guess Kindergarten has extracted Savannah from her shell. . .

Happy Birthday Savannah Mae

Savannah woke up this morning and begged to open just one gift. Of course, I obliged. Next she was off to school where she got to bake cupcakes one on one with her teacher. While baking, the other students were outside playing (supervised by someone else). Savannah felt honored to have the time with T. Michelle. Savannah came home with a plate full of cupcakes, a personalized apron (courtesy of her classmates), and the most fantastic smile. After arriving home, Savannah was able to have a quiet gift opening with mommy and daddy, just the way she likes it. Next, her sisters gave her some presents and then we were off to Red Robin. Savannah enjoyed the singing, clapping, and the birthday sundae.

After a birthday snuggle, Savannah is tucked in bed. While snuggling, we talked about how much I love her. She then wondered if everyone loves her the same. I said, "Mommy and Daddy love you the most." Well, that didn't go over well so I had to pretend I was joking. She likes to think that all of her family, friends, and teachers love her with every fiber of their being. I know I certainly do. I asked her, "Who needs you the most?" She looked at me and hugged me saying, "You do Mommy." That I do. She is my rock, my encouragement, and my first born. Savannah made me a Mommy and I have never been the same since!


By far the best six years of my life...

In All Her Glory