snow day thoughtful

(above is eislee's "cheese" face. love.)

when i came into the kitchen groggy eyed looking for coffee and asked what on earth was going on in there, maiko answers, "i knew bootsy* couldn't go outside and play in the snow so i brought some inside for her to play with." i love this boy. he played in that bowl of snow with her, making little snowmen and everything, all morning. so sweet.

*bootsy is what maiko nicknamed eislee. in case i haven't mentioned that one.

3 weeks

on growing up...

i am amazed at how quickly everything can change.

this little girl, for example, has suddenly "flipped a switch" and decided that she is not a baby anymore... she has decided it's time to grow up.

she watches her big brother and big sister (with so much adoration) and wants to do everything that they do. things like: feeding herself, going outside whenever they go outside, playing upstairs whenever they play upstairs, making art (eating art), etc., etc. i'm working hard to let her grow up and start doing more of the things mentioned above, except the going outside part. i am also amazed as i watch her how quickly she adapts now. she is getting really good at feeding herself (she just needs a bath after every meal), she is very cautious and careful on the stairs, she gets on her own shoes and waits by the door when the kids go outside (it breaks my heart a little each time i make her stay in... sigh).

yes, she is growing up and i think her timing is just right.

typical jenny

ignoring the huge pile of dishes right behind me and photographing the newborn instead... yes... typical jenny indeed. the dishes will wait for me though, and if they don't... well... i really wouldn't mind one bit. but this little girl... she's changing by the day... and she requires lots and lots of snuggles... oh and kisses too... yes... lots of snuggles... i better get back to that.

happy hearts

i don't know about you but i had a ridiculous time trying to find some simple heart stamps for making some valentines cards. after searching over four different stores in the area i finally gave up. after coming home i remembered seeing this potato stamp idea on a care bears video... yep... care bears. so i decided to give it a try and was soooo pleased with the results that i decided i needed to share the idea in case any of you ever get into a "need a stamp bind" you will now have a solution. i know, i know, your welcome :)

happy love day!

big sister love

oh... the bonds are already forming... i love it. of course it's hard not loving a sweet little newborn baby that comes into your life, especially when your four and a half. whenever this big girl comes home from school she says "mom, i wanna see the baby. i really miss her!" and my heart just melts. then there's lots of wanting to hold ollie and that one little incident where she picked her up when she was just a few days old a carried her out to me (yes, my heart stopped too). the amazing thing was she was carrying her perfectly, supporting her head and everything. of course i still gave her quite the talk... just in case. now it's "but i want to hold her standing up" so i let her hold her standing up... right next to me with my hands underneath for just a little extra support. i think this one will be quite the little helper and is finally getting old enough to actually be helpful. sigh. it really does go fast, dosen't it...

miss ollie jane

i always thought that when i got to a point like this... having so many children... that i would learn some special secret or have some deeper understanding of the inner workings of children... at least my own. the one thing i have discovered with having so many children, experiencing so many pregnancies and births is how little i actually know and how no matter how much experience you have you can't really predict how things will go.

ollie jane's birth, for example, was not at all what i expected. after having two pregnancies with girls and very similar labors, i was expecting everything to be the same. very little was the same this time. with layla and eislee i went into labor later in the morning, after the sun came up... ollie sent me to the hospital in the middle of the night, about three am, after my water broke at home (that was a first). "normally" after my water gets broken my labor goes very fast... not this time. i suppose it progressed steadily (it seemed slow compared to the previous two). delivery went quickly and here is where the similarities came in... she weighed 7lb 14oz (layla was 7lb 15oz) and she measured 21in long (layla was also 21in) and i swear she looked like eislee when she came out. ollie also nurses like layla did, wanting to suck all the time. luckily i learned a lesson with layla. i let layla nurse whenever she wanted and i suffered with torn up nipples, ouch! this time though, i recognized the signs and after ollie finished eating if she wanted to continue sucking i let her do so with a binky. yes, i suppose i am learning something with all this experience!

i am so curious to observe as they all grow up how the similarities and differences progress. the one thing i have discovered is they always surprise me.

eislee... meet ollie

i think with the arrival of this new little sister one of my most pressing thoughts was "what is eislee going to think about all of this?" i was expecting quite a bit of jealousy... but, once again eislee completely surprised me. i haven't seen any jealousy (so far), what i have seen is extreme curiosity. she wants to play with ollie, somewhat thinking of her as her own personal baby doll. she will rub her head and say "niiice" and then suddenly poke her in the eye exclaiming "wha tat?" and of course when you pull her hand back telling her she has to be gentle with the new baby she squeals out "ma baby!!!" it's going to be interesting to see how this progresses. but for the most part i am absolutely amazed at how well it's all going (lots of thanks to some special grandmas for that.)