31 Months: Maddie

My Sweet Girl,

Kelly and I were joking around the other day about how we didn't go into parenting requesting "extra sauce" with our children. You have a spunk and a liveliness about you that I wouldn't trade for the world, because those characteristics make you the incredible girl you are; yet in the especially saucy moments I wonder just how I will make it to bedtime. With each passing month I fall more and more in love with who God has created you to be. I also laugh more and more about what He wants to teach me about myself as I learn to parent you.

You are inquisitive and curious and incredibly intelligent. You soak up information like crazy, asking questions pretty much non-stop until you get all the details necessary to make your own opinions on subjects. At times we are dumbfounded with your questions and observations and wonder to ourselves how best to respond. In other moments it is all we can do to keep ourselves from busting at the seams as you piece facts together. "You got a BAJYNA, *babysitter*? A BAJYNA? You are a girl?!" Poor Daddy will never be able to forget that long, long car ride with our teenage sitter.

You are immeasurably sweet and caring and affectionate. If someone falls on the playground, you rush to their side with kind words, a hug or kiss, and an offer of a band-aid. You encourage your brother as he learns new skills with exuberance and effusive praise: "Oh, Samuel. I am SO proud of you! You rolled! You rolled, buddy!" You love to help me with your brother and are the best at running little errands and doing little projects around the house. Even as you grow tall and lean and long-legged in my arms, you still love to be snuggled, carried, hugged and kissed.

You delight in making jokes and find the thrill of laughter irresistible. All you have to do is don a pair of goggles and instantly your face finds comedic charm and your body starts in with physical humor. Your squeals of excitement at your own cleverness reveal a confidence that is deep, deep within. That is what we love about you, Maddie--even if we didn't laugh at your jokes (and we do), you would find yourself absolutely hilarious.

It's hard to believe you start school in just a few short weeks. But you've definitely outgrown the nursery. At church on Sundays some have taken to lovingly calling you "boss" because you have so many ideas for games and entertainment, and yet so little cooperation from the babies. You are imaginative and energetic and creative. All day long you are making up little conversations between your toys, setting up scenarios for the stuffed animals, throwing tea parties for Samuel's chew toys and play dancing around the house.

Once you are in a classroom, I imagine your intelligence, curiosity, creativity and imagination will flourish. You will love having kids your own age to play with and alongside of you. Undoubtedly you will meet your match in some feisty and fun classmate and you will be fast friends, because you are friends with everybody.

Tonight I watched you run around at the Neighborhood BBQ, smiling and laughing and entertaining everyone with your sociable nature "Hi! What's your name? What are you eating? I'm Maddie. I like cookies. Why you eating that?" Each week our neighbors comment on what a sweet and beautiful girl you are, and your Daddy and I just smile and nod. We know, Miss Maddie, we know. We understand more than anyone what an amazing, precocious, precious and lovable girl you are.

Before I know it, you will be three, and the days known as the "twos" will be far behind us. While in many respects I will be relieved to move beyond the melodrama and loudly-point-out-the-obvious-and-awkward stages, I will miss these last months of Summer at home, just the three of us, making our own adventures, laughing at our own inside jokes, twirling feather boas and donning beaded necklaces, dancing around the house, singing at the top of our lungs.

You are a remarkable child, Madeleine Noelle. Thank you for teaching me each day how to be a better person by increasing my patience, my love, my creativity, challenging my mind and expanding my heart. I love you.

Love,

Mama

5 Months: Samuel

Hey Bubba,

With each passing month, I love you more and more, but I also grieve the baby we are leaving behind. It's an incredible journey, this first year, and I just wish it didn't go by so fast! You are such an amazing little guy. You are at a stage where you just give and give and give. Each day you have so much love to share and I can't get enough. You are the happiest, sweetest, most easygoing little fella and you sure make our lives enjoyable just being you.

As I searched through the pictures for this update, it was hard to find many in which you aren't all smiles. Every time I grab the camera you just start grinning away, all gums and cheeks, cooing and singing. You delight in your Mama (or sister, or Daddy, or anyone, really) just being down on your level, talking to you, listening to all you have to say.

Another change this month is your hands. Those two chubby little hands are all over the place, reaching, grabbing, finding things to explore and place in your mouth. When you nurse your hands are constantly moving, touching my face, caressing my hand, holding my fingers. You will even grab your toes and do little stretches all while getting your tummy filled up. It delights me to no end to see you enjoying your world through such careful and tender exploration.

You look up to your big sister, Maddie, and adore her. She simply walks into a room and you laugh, smile or sing in her direction. If she happens to get down in your face to offer a kiss, a sweet remark, or a tight embrace, you go crazy with joy. When she asks to hold you, you will sit for minutes at a time, slumped to one side, squeezed within an inch of breathing, all with that characteristic Samuel smile.

When your Daddy arrives home at the end of a long day, you never fail to deliver, coming through with the most adorable grin and coo in his direction. You could call for me at all hours of the night and it wouldn't matter, because once I peer into those big brown eyes I am sucked in. I delight in caring for you, carrying you around, and cleaning up after you. You are a constant source of joy for this family.

You have gone through so many changes this month. You can roll both ways and shimmy your way around on the carpet and in your crib. You love to arch your back, stand up on our laps and are even attempting to sit on your own. Nearly all your baby hair has been lost, making way for the delightful peach fuzz that is your baby buzz (and so, so soft for the nuzzling!) You love to be outside, on a blanket, rolling around with just a few toys and in earshot of Mama and Maddie.

Thank you for enriching our lives and filling us with giddy joy, for laughing at our lame jokes and putting up with the crazy voices all in order to get you giggling.

Love,

Mama

siblings

As Sam gets older and changes from a quiet newborn to engaging baby, he and Maddie have more and more fun together. As far as big sisters go, Maddie is sweet and loving and gentle and kind to her brother. She loves to get in his face and "nuzzle noses," or make him smile by using a funny voice or making silly faces. Samuel is always searching the room for his beloved sister, lighting up with a huge smile whenever she comes into view. Today after waking from his nap, Samuel was all smiles for his big sister Maddie as she told him, "Hey best buddy, did you have a good nap? Did you, sweet little boy?" My heart swelled with love.

jammie time on the couch

all smiles, all around!

resting in the laundry basket

Summer Fun

A few shots from our week:

Playing the "harp" Eskedar brought us from Ethiopia

"Let's go on a [n]ature walk!"

Ready for the adventure

Maddie enjoys walking the dog these days

Riding the Carousel at Tilden

our buddy Kate was there, too!

Little buddy chilled most of the day

Two very excited (and tired) girls waiting for the steam train

Going through a tunnel

Whee!

Sisters on the steam train

"Just one more ride?"

open-mouthed grins

Samuel, 4 1/2 months

Maddie, almost 4 months

Now that Sam's here, I find myself remembering little moments from Maddie's infancy as we progress through various milestones. Just this weekend he was rolling and laughing and all smiles as he played outside on his quilt. I grabbed the camera to snap a picture and instantly flashed back to taking this photo of Maddie from May 2007. Two-plus years later, and Sam was even playing with the same toys: the little gym elephant and teething rings!

As I nursed Samuel to sleep last night, I was amazed at his length in my arms and thought of a blog post I wrote about Maddie. I jumped back to find her photo this morning and there was the post, dated June 2007, about the time Maddie turned 5 months. Time flies when you're having fun!

a trip down memory lane

When I was home in Oregon, I rifled through an old box of mine that my parents had labeled, "Becky's dolls." I was looking for my Cabbage Patch dolls to see if Maddie was interested. Little did I know that my parents had saved many items from childhood. It was as if my mom had selected all of my very favorite and most treasured items and placed them together. So I present to you, dear readers, a review of my childhood:

This is Ucky. My grandma Evie made her for me shortly after I was born, modeling her after my own newborn appearance. If I had a picture of myself as a baby I would upload it to demonstrate the accuracy. I was born nine and a half pounds, swollen, pink, with an enormous head of black hair. When I was old enough to talk, so the story goes, they asked me about the doll and I called it "Ucky." Hence my first nickname.

I don't remember much about this doll besides she was in a bunch of pictures of me as a baby. She has rattles in her feet and is soft and smooth and cuddly.

We are now entering the phase known as, "I want to be Laura Ingalls." This doll followed me around everywhere and even was by my bedside when I had the flu, receiving the full impact of my illness. I recounted the story to Maddie, who has since asked many, many times: "You barfed on your doll?"

I don't really remember much about this doll, but she probably came along during the Laura phase as well.

Now, who could forget Barbie and Ken? Here she is in her red pleather pants, he lounging around in striped pajama bottoms. I only had one Ken so he had to be the good guy and bad guy in every adventure. I think pajama-bottom-Ken is pretty harmless.

And here they are in my pink Barbie convertible! Vrrooom! The wheels used to emit the sound of acceleration but, alas, no longer. At least they still look cool.

And who could forget the Barbie horse? Doesn't every girl go through a horse phase? Mine just happened to overlap with the Barbie phase. This beautiful brunette is outfitted in her turquoise spandex exercise unitard. Yum.

Up close, you'll see that she's been crying. Her eyeliner is smudged from late-night weeping. Maybe because Ken is with the blonde?

I'll just refer to these two as the unfortunate recipients of my early salon attempts, aka Haircut Barbie and Facial Barbie. Lets all be glad I didn't become an aesthetician.

Here's Karleen, my first Cabbage Patch Kid. She's donning a little number hand sewn by my Grandma Evie.

Last but certainly not least, my Strawberry Shortcake belt. 'Nuf said. Awesome.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Maddie: 30 Months

My Dear Two-Year Old,

Why did you have to go and become two? Literally and figuratively. You are smart and engaging and funny and talkative. You are also stubborn and willful and frustrating and independent and stubborn (oh, I mentioned that one twice). The third year of your life, this one we're currently experiencing, has been one of the most challenging I've dealt with yet.

But challenging is good, in many ways. Your non-stop questions make me think about things more carefully and your intolerance for short answers make me elaborate more clearly. You can keep us awake for hours on a long car trip with your non-stop chatter. Independence is a good thing when it comes to getting dressed, brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, helping with the baby, feeding the dog and doing housework. I'm growing as a mom as I learn new ways to engage you. I'm growing as a person as you challenge me to be ever patient, understanding, thorough, and to live as a good role model. Your eyes see everything, your ears hear every word. Lord help me.

On vacation we stayed a few days in Seaside, where there is a carousel. You rode the carousel ever day. The face you made when that carousel started spinning was one of pure joy. Your eyes opened wider than I've ever seen. Your face stretched into the biggest open-mouthed smile. You laughed and screamed with delight. It was incredible. You face each new adventure with such glowing anticipation, such courage.

We also went with the whole family to the Oregon Zoo, where you got to ride your first school bus. You led us all in a jubilant rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus." The driver was smitten from your first greeting "...move on back..." You couldn't help from peeking around the seats at all your family seated around, smiling and taking it all in. We couldn't help but gaze in awe at what a big girl you're becoming as you announced "I'll be going to school in September."

"I can do it myself!" These words punctuate our days with their jarring, assured tone. And you can. The playground is completely yours, and you dominate the structures with your long, lean frame and go higher, faster and further than I believe you can. At dinner tonight your dad remarked how you have completely changed in how you relate to us, like you've gained a year in just a few weeks. You desire to be a part of every conversation, butting in with "Excuse me..." to raise a point or simply to say, "I love you." I am doing less and less as you do more and more. I'm less needed, less wanted, less involved.

But then you'll go and surprise me, waking up in the morning and calling my name like the little baby who once sang from her crib. You'll climb into my lap to cuddle and kiss my neck with your warm, sticky lips. We are at a crossroads; my baby becomes a girl. My heart warms each time you are sweet to your brother, every time you wipe some drool from his lips or substitute a toy to make him happy. You sing songs and dance and do the hula and use long words in complicated thoughts.

With each passing day, I understand you more and appreciate you for everything you are: both the fun and the challenging. Thank you for allowing me to have a front seat to the change that is occurring. I can't wait to see what comes next.

I love you, sweet girl.

Mama

Samuel: 4 Months

Hey little buddy,

You're already four months old, and making our lives so much fun! You have entered, as Kelly refers to it, the "Dream Baby" stage. You are fun, sweet, cute, engaging and a joy to be around! You still take naps in your car seat and are fairly immobile which makes it easy to take you places. On top of it all, you are quite the flirt, making friends everywhere we go.

You are changing so fast, learning new tricks and sounds and faces each day. In one month you started really laughing, rolled from front to back, got your first haircut (and lots of new hair), met your great-grandparents and some amazing cousins, and took your first tractor ride.Whew, what a list!

They say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but we just returned from a trip to visit family where you hardly laid on the floor, simply because you are such a delightful, snuggly boy and no one wants to put you down! Grammy and Papa couldn't believe what an easygoing, cuddly, sweet little bear you are, even with your Mama's nonstop bragging. What they got to experience firsthand over the past few weeks is what I am fortunate to wake up to each day. You are such a wonderful baby and we just can't get enough of you, plain and simple.

You've learned to grab for things and bring them straight to your mouth. Most of the time this isn't a problem but when your sister left a dryer sheet on your swing tray you got quite the surprise! That's a flavor you don't taste every day! You love to play on the floor, sit up on laps, stand up, play peek-a-boo, and be tickled under the chin. You an your big sister are smitten with each other and if you aren't smiling or cooing at her, she's fawning over you, "Oh my very best buddy!"

I am shameless when it comes to getting a smile or a giggle, talking in insanely high voices and tickling you until you've laughed and laughed. My eyes still well up a little each time you give a big, warm smile and coo. Even today you had the loan document notary grinning from ear to ear and completely losing her train of thought. You are one sweet boy.

A few weeks ago, your Dada commented on my left bicep, which is noticeably bigger than my right. He wondered for a few moments before moving his gaze to your full frame. "Oh, " he said, "I get it." You weigh in at 18 pounds, gaining weight at a rate which will put you at triple your birth weight long before you turn one year. You are a fabulous eater and I greatly enjoy our nursing time. You've started to be easily distracted, and will pull off to smile or coo in my direction. We could spend hours on the couch, just "talking," me covering you with kisses.

You've made our lives so much richer and more meaningful. You are delightful and inquisitive and engaging and the. smiliest. boy. ever. Ever. Thanks for letting me share in who you are, each and every day!