Gobble, gobble!

From our turkey to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Reminiscing...

Exactly two years ago today at this very time, Neil, who was only hours away from becoming a father, took this picture.

It was six days prior to my due date. My doctor was preparing for a week-long hunting trip, and I was fearful I might go into labor before he returned. I was also miserable, naturally, and so when he offered to induce me early I jumped on it!

So many emotions were racing through my mind during the time of this picture. I was anxious to get the induction process started, terrified of all the potential unknowns, giddy at the thought of finally meeting the little wiggle worm I'd been carrying for nine months, overjoyed at knowing I was about to be a mom, ready to have my body back, and yet somehow sad at the same time that my pregnancy was rapidly coming to an end.

Along with marriage, motherhood has been the greatest and most challenging blessing in my life. And I just couldn't help but express some of the feelings I'm having today, as exactly two years ago, this new and unfamiliar stage marked its beginning.

Big Sister Prep Course

No, I'm not pregnant, though I'm quickly learning how anxious Chloe is to have a sibling.

Here's Chloe and Emme, my friend Dayna's little 7-week-old. Emme came over Tuesday afternoon, and Chloe was absolutely enthralled with her the ENTIRE ONE HOUR she was here.

She followed me everywhere I took Emme, constantly asking to hold her and/or "help". She cuddled, kissed, hugged, "soothed", patted, wiped her little mouth when Emme spit up, placed the binky in and out of her mouth hundreds of times (Emme really loved that), and wrapped her lovingly in her blanket.
If I even dared take Emme out of Chloe's sight or reach, I'd be fighting quite the battle. I was amazed at how intrigued she was by Emme, not just initially, but for the entire hour she was here! It was a very precious time for the two of us, and good preparation for the events to come.

Birthday festivities

This goes out to all of Chloe's little pals! If you're in the area, please join us Saturday. Your munchkins are sure to be worn out by the time we're through with them! :)

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

If You Tell Chloe It's Bedtime...

Recently, when Chloe's bedtime has approached, I've been reminded of the children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Here is a typical 8pm scenario in the Andersen household.





If you tell Chloe it's bedtime,
She's going to ask for one last drink of juice.
When you give her one last drink of juice,
She'll probably spot the leftover Halloween candy on the counter (which Mom clearly forgot to hide).
Once Mom has given in and let her have a piece of candy,
She'll ask for her mouth to be wiped clean.
Then, when she sees the washcloth that's just wiped her mouth, she'll suddenly decide she needs a bath!
On her way to the bathroom, she'll notice the pair of socks laying on the floor that she took off earlier that day.
So she'll probably ask Mom to help her put them on.
Then once she puts her socks on, she'll want to go find her shoes.
She'll find all of her shoes lined up in the closet, and want to try each pair on!
She might even get carried away and want to try on Mom's shoes too.
And she may even end up trying Dad's shoes on as well!
When she's done, she'll probably feel so exhausted that she'll ask to go to bed (can I hear a sigh of relief from Mom?).
Mom will have to make sure she has both of her blankets (the one Grandma Jill made and the one Shannon made), as well as her hippo, doggie, bear, and baby (if any of these are forgotten, Mom is sure to hear about it).
She'll crawl into her crib, make herself comfortable, and confirm everything she normally sleeps with is indeed there.
She'll then probably ask you to read her some books.
So you'll read to her from her favorite ABC's book and when you get to the end, she'll want you to sing the ABC song to her.
When you start singing the ABC song to her, she'll get so excited she'll want you to sing it again. And again. And again.
She'll even try and sing it with you, and incorporate the numbers she knows into the song.
When the song has been sung 16 or so times, she'll want to move on to another book - this time, Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam.
When she sees a picture of the moon on the third page, she'll suddenly realize she hasn't said goodnight to the moon yet!
Which means she'll need to get back out of her crib, and into Mom's arms so they can go outside.
She and Mom will go outside, find the moon, blow kisses and say "Night night".
When they come back into the house, they'll pass the kitchen, which will remind her she could really use a snack!
So... after examining the pantry, she'll ask for some pretzels.
And chances are if she asks for some pretzels, she's going to want some juice to wash it down!

Not that I let her get away with this, but truly, if I did, this is what every night would be like!

Visit from Uncle D

Uncle David recently came to visit us. Chloe immediately fell in love with him and hardly left his side. It's now been over a week since he left, and she's still asking for him!


Uncle Jeff, looks like you have some competition!

Sick...

Neil caught a nasty bug last Thursday, and didn't waste any time sharing it with his girls. It hit me Friday afternoon, and Chloe Saturday night. I finally got my voice back yesterday, and though Chloe's cough is still bothering her, she no longer sounds like a barking seal! It's been quite an exhausting week to say the least. And I've learned a couple things:

1) Moms aren't allowed to get sick, ever. If they do, life goes on. Neil said to me Sunday, "Well you seem to be doing better", basing this on the fact that in the midst of caring for Chloe, I'd made very little mention of my own discomforts. In reality I felt like garbage, but I couldn't just drop everything, pop a NyQuil and head to bed. Like probably most children, when Chloe is sick, she wants Mom, and only Mom! No exceptions!

2) The greatest challenge of motherhood is watching your child(ren) endure pain. We've been really lucky with Chloe so far. She's never had an ear infection, only endured a couple mild bouts of this or that, and all things considered, handled teething and shots very well. So perhaps that explains why this caught me so off guard, ultimately resulting in a feeling of inadequacy as a mother. Chloe didn't say much Sunday or Monday, though on occasion I'd hear her faintly whisper "Please, Mommy. Please, Mommy." Talk about feeling helpless. Why not stab me in the heart a few more times!

Luckily the road to recovery has begun! Neil went back to work Tuesday, and yesterday I woke up actually wanting to pay bills and scrub my toilets! That is definitely a sign that this has gone on too long! Chloe is slowly coming around. I am hopeful that by this weekend this yucky bug is out of our systems completely. Being sick puppies is no fun!

Halloween

Chloe was an elephant this year for Halloween, though she would argue "elendent". Either way, she was quite the cutie in her gray and pink. It's a good thing her costume was so warm and toasty because we had 30 degree trick or treating weather.

Happy Birthday Chase!

Happy 2nd Birthday to Chase, my very best friend and cousin's sweet little boy! I still remember so vividly 2 years ago this morning when Wendy called me from the hospital to announce Chase was here. I was at work, unable to concentrate on anything due to the anticipation of that phone call! I was 16 days away from delivering Chloe, and I still remember, despite the physical discomforts I was experiencing, how much joy and comfort that phone call brought me. He was a miracle baby, after all! And that same joy has only increased over these 2 years, as I've watched Chase grow and develop into the boy he is today!

Happy Birthday little man!