Happy Birthday, Adessa! P.S. We went to Oregon

I thought I wouldn't have time to post today, the actual birthday, because of graduation. Poor Adessa, this will always be an issue around her birthday, but as I am reminded, that's how we planned it, for the end of the school year. But I have a minute!


The birthday girl this morning, with special Minnie Mouse pancakes made by Daddy.


And did I mention we visited Calvin's brother and family in Oregon last weekend? We're trying to take full advantage of his time off. It was fun meeting the cousins for the first time.

Adessa and cousin Sophia (18 months) on the quad.


Adessa and cousin Hope (almost four) posing.


The cousins all lined up. With the older cousins, too, Isabella and Nathan.


Calvin and Carroll. (and Sophia)


Eliana sitting pretty at our hotel.


The little troopers driving home.



Back at home.
We'll never wash our car again!


There's the smile!

Big News!

Eliana got baptised! Yesterday, at the oddest time in baptism history: Wednesday, June 10th at 5:00 pm. An undoubtably odd time, squashed above vespers, followed by finger foods, and very very lovely. She cried a ton, partly because she was hungry (a big whoops on my part, she had been sleeping and I didn't want to wake her, but then... she woke up, duh.) She did great, though, in the water, and there will be many pictures to come. We don't have any because we didn't take any... another duh. There were many photographers, though, and we'll post a bunch when we get them.

The next big news is that: Adessa turns two tomorrow. We'll have a little birthday party for her on Sunday to celebrate, and do something special tomorrow. Wow. Two years of Adessa. Really, its mind boggling. Flaggerbasting, as my Swiss friends says. She's been so cute lately, like telling me that her Minnie Mouse doll "barfed" as she burped her, (in honor of Eliana, no doubt). (And then, not so cute, she cried for about 40 minutes straight before her naptime today. We tried to feed her lunch before putting her down and it was an excercise in creativity, distraction, and patience. She did eat, we're proud to report, and then, thankfully, she did nap.)(I wonder if this part of the blogging baby book/record I should keep out, if she'll be embarrased to read it someday, etc. Interesting, this self-reporting business. Sorry future Adessa!)

Some video highlights of our two year old: (I'll get some video of Eliana on here, too, now that I know I can do it!)

Playing at the park with the best Daddy ever!


Bumble Bee Girl!

One Month of Two Kids

Awwwwwww!

Eliana will be one month old tomorrow, June 5th. She's growing so fast, and yet still so small and helpless. She's looking around more, albeit as if dazed, tries to lift her head off my shoulder and then bonks, she makes the cutest little coos and grunts, she only cries when she's hungry or tired, and she is getting chubby! Cute! That means we've had four weeks of two kiddos, and wow... its hard. Not harder than I expected, but different than I expected, and hard.

Adessa is still doing fine with Eliana: she gets excited to see her, wants to pet her and kiss her, wants Eliana to watch her do things, etc. However, Adessa is almost two years old, and many, many things set her off crying. What sets her off cannot be predicted, so we are a bit on edge sometimes because we just never know if we put her water in the right sippy cup or cut her sandwich into the right amount of pieces. The unpredictability part rankles, it's like being blindsided. Woahhhh. Where did THAT come from? We are not sure what part of her distress is baby-related and what part is just because she's entering the realm of "TWO".

At the same time, there are moments of absolute pleasantness and charm. She's talking a blue streak, and singing and dancing and creating and its a wonder to behold. We play "Guess who this belongs to?" when folding the laundry (a fantastic game, really, Adessa and I recommend it.) I told her that what I was folding was a pillow case, and she said: "Just in case?" She earnestly, loudly, and slightly nasal-ly sings many songs, especially "Rain, Rain, Go Away", "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star", the trisagion, and "Baby Beluga". She has a ballerina skirt and is not afraid to use it. She has her own modified movements, her own way of twirling (a back and forth lumbering spin), her own way of leaping (kicking one leg out) and her own way of stretching (she reaches up high, but has her hands pointed down, fingers toward the ground? Who knows.) She's adorable. And I miss her. Besides being Eliana's go-to woman, back in baby-land, I tried to lay low for the first few weeks. Calvin would take Adessa on adventures out and about, which was great bonding time for them but... I miss her. I have this funny feeling when I pick her up, partly due to the two year old thing and unforseeable rejection, and partly due to the hours I've been spending with Eliana and not paying attention to her. It feels how I did in junior high, how will she react to me right now? Maybe because when I pick her up I just want to squeeze squeeze squeeze her, and she's not very into being squeezed right now. Or kissed. "No kisses, mommy." Sad! I wonder, also, if it's just the mommy-guilt feeling, kicking into gear for me already.

These four weeks have brought up a lot for me. I've been thinking about kids, and how many kids, and my grandma's favorite saying: "There's enough love to go around." In theory, yes. Its easy to say so. I definitely love my girls, of course, no doubt. But is there enough time to go around? I certainly do not have enough arms to go around for these two! Not yet, anyway, I haven't hit my stride or figured it out and I don't feel like there's enough of me to go around. I never wanted an only child, and Adessa can handle it and it will be worth it for both of them as they have another person to love them and be right there growing up with them. And I'm sure it will all get better. Its the adjustment. The adjustmnent with one kid was giving up our social lives, and never being able to just "pop" anywhere. The adjustment with two kids is feeling like both kids are getting less of me, which doesn't sit easy. And it really calls into question my long-time desire to have three kids. We'll see about that, after a lot of consideration and evaluation of this whole two-kid-thing. A friend said when their family went from two kids to three, that they went from "one-on-one defense to zone defense." Apt description.

Here's Adessa, the Ballerina. (I finally figured out how to show videos on the blog!)

Three weeks of Eliana!

Here's more pics of the tiny one. She's revealed herself to be thus far: a spitter-upper, grunty, 2 1/2 hour sleeper, much more alert, super soft and sweet little thing.

We're Okay! and a giveaway!

It is with relief and a bit of surprise that I feel, well, yes... we're doing okay! Two kids hasn't gotten the best of us (yet?). We're sleeping, albeit not a lot, we're not too grouchy, we're eating well (thank you church people and friends, it is so appreciated), we have time together as a family because we're off of work... Yay! Okay! We're going to make it! Yes, we do a lot of diaper changing, and Eliana does a lot of breastfeeding, and Adessa does some significant fussing (mostly in the morning, there's something about breakfast that sets her off... any insights?)but it's manageable and pleasant and we are having a good time.

Eliana is two weeks old tomorrow. We had a doctor's appointment today and she has gained a pound in her short life, she's now 8 lbs 9 oz, yay! She tries to hold her head up (but bonks) and follows us with her eyes when she's awake, and squawks to be fed, and is very soft and sweet and neck-less and kissable. I keep remembering the phenomenon of falling in love with Adessa as she grew and thinking: "There's so much more love to fall into with Eliana." We barely know this baby! How exciting, she's going to unfold right before our very eyes. We get to be in the box seats to witness her life. Exciting.

Adessa is still doing really well (except for about an hour in the morning. We think it's having too many choices for breakfast, and will experiment with not offering choices, just plopping something breakfasty in front of her. As it is now, there is inevitably something small and seemingly insignificant that will set her off and she will "cry-sad" for 10-20 minutes, unsoothable.) Besides the breakfast disgruntledness, she is so excited to see, kiss, hold, rock, sing to, and show off baby Eliana.

And now for the giveaway part! My friend Arin in Atlanta has started a new sewing blog, where she gives tips and shows cool projects. If you go to her site and leave a comment, you are entered to WIN! Something FREE!! I think that's the coolest thing ever, and am wracking my brains to try to think of something I could give away on my blog. Cookies? Hmmm. I'll work on it. Here's the link to Arin's site:
http://www.easysewingtips.com/2009/05/easy-sewing-tips-first-give-away/

May 12th. It's a Big Day this year!

Today, May 12th, Adessa turns 23 months old, and Eliana turns one week old. This is a big day for our family, indeed. Good thing I put arrows on the sign, huh?

About the first week with two kids, all I can say is, "Wowie." When prompted by myself to reflect, that's the word that comes to mind. Wowie Wowie Zowie! It's actually been great. We're sleeping okay. I'm resting and recovering well. Eliana's eating okay. (Does anyone need breastmilk?) We're definitely figuring it all out, and know this time around that the discomfort of figuring it all out will pass. Calvin is wonder-dad, which helps. He is very attentive to the girls and to me. I also have learned to ask for what I want, because, while he is many marvelous things, a mind-reader he is not. I've nary washed a dish all week, he's keeping the house ship-shape, and he's been the cooker or warmer up of all food. We are both so excited that he has many more weeks off, yay for the wisest use of vacation time!

A moment about the food: The delicious, thoughtful food has been pouring in, thank you to the Stewarts (parents of BFF Gwen, http://rutherfordfiles.blogspot.com/), the Castillos (parents of Baby Alex, http://babycastillosblog.blogspot.com/), Calvin's parents, my parents, our neighbors! and lots more to come. We love the food, people! Thank you! From a mostly non-cooking, prepared food is fine, cereal-for-every-meal woman, the gift of real, delicious food is a remarkable one. Nourishing, and vital, and exponentially appreciated! (I'm trying to say this: because of the gigantic ordeal it would be for me to make the kind of food people are making for us under ANY circumstances, having it made for us when I don't even want to stand up for very long is SUCH A BIG DEAL to me. Thank you!!)

Eliana is a fabulous second baby. She is mellow. She can be put down and doesn't fuss much. She is eating well. She sleeps for 2 1/2 to 4 hour blocks. She would have made a fabulous first baby, too, mind you, but it's nice to have a pretty low-maintenance kid since we're already having Adessa around to care for. Adessa is still adjusting, but doing a pretty darn good job of it, I'd say! Praise God! She has emotions about the baby, but is sweet to her and excited about her and enjoys patting her back or rubbing her hair. Yesterday I put Eliana down in the co-sleeper (or "the go-sleeper" as Adessa calls it) and Adessa stood by the side trying to see over the edge and sang to her. Soooooo very sweet and heartwarming. There have been a few times where they've both been in my lap, and it's such an amazing feeling, I've got my hands full of such precious treasure!

Adessa is changing so much every day. She is very verbal. It's like she's commentating our life, our very own diminuitive newscaster. A stream of observances and chatter flows out of her: "Eliana awake, looking at you. Where Daddy go? Disappear? Work in the office. Car crash. Back soon. Adessa cry, sad, fall down." She's memorized many of her books, and will use the vocab in conversation or in her observations and reports: "Adessa shrug." is a recent favorite. So very much fun.

Our hearts are full! We are so thankful!

Eliana Grace is here!!

Without further ado:



She has arrived! Six days early! At 12:57 on May 5th, 2009! She was 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 19.5 inches long. I was in active labor for about... two hours! See the previous post for massive amounts of detail, but here's the quick and dirty: Eliana has lots of dark hair and resembles Adessa. She is super soft and so tiny, we forgot how small they start out! She's sleeping lots and doing all the normal baby things, and it's been so fun to share a baby with Adessa.

Adessa got to meet Eliana a few hours after she was born, and was apparently somewhat cognizant of what had happened. "Cute!" she said! All of our preparation with her paid off: she knew there was a baby sister coming, and that the baby was going to need a carseat and a stroller. She still spouts these important facts whenever anyone remarks on her new status as a big sister. We're watching carefully, but so far, Adessa seems to be adjusting just fine to the whole situation. She's very protective of Eliana and prefers that others don't hold her. She doesn't like Eliana to cry, and will offer her binky or shout, "Milk, mommy!" to hurry me to respond. Sweet. We have been praying hard for ease in adjustment, so hope it continues in the same vein.


With Grandma Beck, who helped support us during the birth.


The sisters meet for the first time, with Grandma Lewis. (Eliana is the Lewis's SIXteenth grandchild!)


Our first family shot with the four of us. We'll work on it!



P.S. Just had to stick this in... the last picture of me pregnant with Eliana, sporting matching "mom and me" dresses that my mom made for herself and baby me, when she was pregnant with Nathan (my little brother).