My Little Pony Pizza Party

Hello all!! Christa has a birthday coming up this week, so we celebrated yesterday with a My Little Pony-themed pizza party at Mellow Mushroom. It was a blast!! I was a little nervous when Christa first declared that she wanted a My Little Pony theme. I hadn't seen much My Little Pony "stuff" in years. But luckily for me, some channel called "The Hub" has recently brought my childhood equine friends back in vogue, so finding decorations, gifts, and activities was a breeze! Christa was so glad to see some of her school and neighborhood friends. Thank you so much to everyone who took time to celebrate with us. Christa is having a great time discovering how her new toys work.

The birthday girl all ready for her party!! She's at such a fun age; she understands what a "birthday party" is and has been excitedly talking about it for months.

Getting the festivities started with soda and crafts. We made pony stables out of foam kits, pony necklaces, and had a couple of options for our male friends. We also played "pin-the-sticker-on-the-pony."

Proud parents of this sweet girl!

Ponies and pizza - what could be better??

... maybe cake...

.... and presents!!

Christa was excited to get a Disney princess cash register!! We've been playing "grocery store" lately, so this was one of many fantastic gifts!! She is also enjoying her "My Little Pony" presents. I'm pretty sure she now has every My Little Pony play set available, and I was very surprised that she didn't get any duplicate gifts. We are also now into fairies, after receiving a couple of fun fairy-themed gifts.

After working really hard to get Abby Kate to look at the camera, she promptly stuck her finger in her nose!! What a funny personality she has!

Well, at least no one's finger is in their nose!! How my standards for "good family pictures" have dropped :)

Hmmm... my kids are still sleeping, and I've updated the blog. I almost don't know what to do with myself - I'm not used to having this kind of free time. Maybe I'll organize my new coupon binder...

Elizabeth is Three Months

Wow!! I'm realizing how behind I am on blogging. Sorry, me. I'm apologizing to myself because I don't keep this blog up for you guys (although you know you love it :). It's my digital scrapbook, since I don't do real scrapbooking - can't stand the mess!! At any rate, my excuse this time is that we've been going full steam ahead since the beginning of May with no sign of a slow-down any time soon. Attention all family members: May, June, and the beginning of July are maxed out for birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions. No one is allowed to have a baby, get married, or declare a day to "celebrate" anyone during these months, alright?? Just kidding! But if I'm smart, I'll try to plan my next kid's birth sometime between January and March (of a year in the future - not *next* January and March). My other excuse is that Little Miss Elizabeth eats constantly. It doesn't matter if it's breast-milk or formula - I do well to get a 2 hour break in between feedings. I'm really hoping our pediatrician will let us start solids at 4 months - or maybe this week - for this reason!
Anyway, Elizabeth continues to be a delightful baby, despite her increasingly high-maintenance eating habits. She smiles at her big sisters a lot and loves to be talked to. She rolls from tummy to back, and from her back to her side - hasn't quite made a back to tummy roll, but she's getting close. She likes to sleep on her side (her doing, not mine), and sleeps well in her bassinet for the first half of the night. She coos and talks a lot, and I am having a blast dressing her in tons of cute hand-me-down summer clothes that some sweet friends gave us! She is a lot like Christa in that she will sit for a while in her bouncy seat or swing. Here are some pictures from June 17:

Abby Kate wishing Elizabeth a happy 3-month-birthday.... OK, really she's taking her pacifier, which she never wanted until recent days.

Elizabeth is 3 months!!

Christa continues to love her big sister role and insists on having her picture made with Elizabeth any time I get the camera out.

Daddy with 2 of his girls on Father's Day. They got him a box with their pictures in it for him to keep all of the cards they get/make for him. The box is engraved, "We'll always be your little girls." What thoughtful girls he has :)

Getting a Father's Day kiss from Abby Kate - since she refuses to pose for pictures at the moment. Should make the professional photo session I have scheduled next week fun!

I'm off to download pictures of Christa's birthday party yesterday! Have a great day!

Reflections of a Breast-Feeding Mom

Hello all!! Time for a slightly more serious post, I suppose - one I've written and deleted several times. But this topic seems to be a recurring theme in my life, so I am posting it this time. It can be a controversial subject, and one that many mothers can be very sensitive about. With that in mind, let me just say, that I am not making any statement here on which feeding method I feel is best for anyone other than myself. I am also not intending to start a debate on who is the better mothering group :) I am simply trying to walk through some of my own emotions as a mother who wants the very best - whatever that may mean - for all of my children. So, here is my say :)
I am a nursing mom - for the 3rd time. I am also a bottle-feeder - for the 3rd time. I have nothing but respect for all of my mom-friends who choose to breast-feed exclusively, bottle-feed exclusively, or do both, as I have chosen.
Honestly, I have never had a strong desire to breast-feed. Before Christa was born, I figured I would give it a shot because, as a nurse, I believed in the health benefits of it. My husband, as a result of his medical training, encouraged me in this decision, and warned me that it might be tough at first, but assured me that the benefits would be well-worth the effort. Fortunately, despite those nerve-racking first couple of weeks of trying to make sure I was "doing it right," things went really well. I nursed as much as I was able, supplemented with formula when it was convenient, and Christa and I enjoyed a 9-month nursing/bottle-feeding relationship.
When Abby Kate came along, I had the same mental plan..... which fell apart to bits within her first week of life. A latch issue turned into a supply issue, which then turned into emotional turmoil as I struggled to make the best decision for how to feed my baby. The thought of nursing my fussy, starving baby around the clock was exhausting, but the guilt of thinking about quitting was overwhelming. After a few weeks of an intense nurse/bottle-feed/pump/repeat routine, we were able to stumble through our nursing journey for about 10 months. I vowed that I would never put such pressure on myself again, and that if I had any trouble at all with the 3rd, we would buy a can of formula and be done with it.
Elizabeth has been a dream baby, and our nursing relationship has been less-perfect that Christa's and easier than Abby Kate's. We got off to a great start with the help of my wonderful and much-respected lactation consultant. I agreed to some extra pumping during the first few weeks in order to establish a strong milk supply, and Elizabeth and I coasted right along for the first 2 months. Now at the end of her 3rd month of life, I find myself facing supply issues once again, despite a hearty diet of carbs and sugar and some healthy doses of both herbal and medicinal aides. Shortly after Elizabeth's 2 month check-up, we began what I thought was a growth spurt. After a week of fussy behavior and a constant desire to nurse, I scheduled a weight check and learned that she has gained very little weight in nearly a month. (Nursing babies typically gain weight more slowly than formula fed ones, but her weight gain is almost non-existent despite very frequent nursing all day, every day.) The supplemental formula has been kicked up a few notches, given this information. However, it is not easy to nurse every time she seems hungry, then bottle-feed her, then wonder if she's still hungry 45 minutes later because I have no idea how much she got, if anything, from me. I am basically doubling the workload of the most time-consuming job there is with a young baby, and missing out on some fun activities with my older children because of it.
Which leads me to a question that I have been asking myself since Abby Kate was born - how much am I willing to sacrifice for the health benefits of breast milk?? (I am not open to ordering milk on the internet, but place no judgment on those who do). What exactly are these health benefits that I believe in so much that I am willing to invest such time and energy and endure such frustration for months and months?
I had a talk with my good friend, Google, and Google basically told me that breast-feeding my baby reduces her "risk" for 18,000 different terrible diseases. I found very little that breast-feeding outright prevents, but all of the health-care professionals seem to agree that reducing these "risks" outweighs any cost or complications that might make breast-feeding difficult for some people. I learned of some other benefits, such as advanced IQ, some decreased risks of diseases for myself, and quicker weight loss for myself. I know for sure that last one isn't happening for me, and do I really care if my kids' IQs are 2 points higher than they might otherwise have been? Won't having time to read and work puzzles with them because I'm not sitting down to nurse every time we get a chance to play also enhance their IQ??
I am mulling this information over in my head, as I have done many times before. Rationally, I am not a huge statistics person. I am a big believer in taking common-sense steps to prevent terrible accidents and diseases. For example, I strap my children in 5-point harness carseats whenever we are riding in a vehicle, and I would not take my 3-month-old into a room full of people with the flu. However, I can not promise that Christa will be riding in a booster seat until she is 11 years old because "studies show" that "might possibly" reduce her "risk" of a "spinal cord injury" in the event that we "might" be in a car accident that "might" be severe enough to cause said spinal cord injury in spite of the use of simple seat belt. Additionally, we routinely shop at Wal-Mart, and I do not disinfect everything we touch while there. In other words, while I do want my children to be as healthy and safe as possible, I do not believe that I have the power and control to "maybe" prevent every "possible" bad thing that could ever happen to them. Nor do I have the energy or the emotional strength to try. Maybe I am lazy. Or maybe I am just a mom who wants to enjoy all 3 of her kids at these special ages without constantly worrying (or being told by "helpful parenting articles") that I'm not doing enough to protect them from diabetes, or cancer, or a car accident that is out of my control.
All that being said, it's a lot harder to quit than I think it should be. I don't want to shy away from something just because it's difficult, and I don't want to wish I had "tried harder" a year from now. Doing everything I *reasonably* can to lower my children's risks of horrible or minor diseases is a good thing.
I know what my breast-feeding friends would tell me to do. I know what my bottle-feeding friends would tell me to do. I know what my parents would tell me to do. I have heard what my lactation consultant has told me to do. Five years from now, this will not feel like such a huge decision, and I doubt I will regret my choice either way. If, heaven forbid, Elizabeth does get a terrible disease down the road, I do not seriously think that I will be quick to blame it on the lack of breast milk she got as an infant. But it is something to think about for the moment, so think I will continue to do.... until we either get to 9 or so months and I'm still nursing somehow or I find out she's still not gaining enough weight at her next weight check, and I start stocking up on some trusty Enfamil.

**I welcome any positive and respectful opinions on this topic :) **

Meeting Aunt Alicia

OK, so these pictures look a little grainy for some reason. Don't have time to figure that out right now - sorry :) Elizabeth was baptized this weekend. I was raised in the Lutheran church, and so we baptize our babies at my parents' church - the church I grew up in. All 3 of my girls have worn the same dress that I was baptized in, so that is special. We were thrilled that my little sister, Alicia, was able to be there in person for this occasion. You see, I have the coolest little sister ever. And I am ashamed to admit that I wasn't very nice to her when we were growing up. I really took great pleasure in aggravating her and getting her into trouble every chance I got. She pestered me non-stop for years, but now I realize (even though it was explained to me at the time) that she looked up to me and wanted to be like me. (That should have really called her judgment into question - I was kind of a nerd growing up - a rather immature nerd, but it was what it was :) At any rate, sometime around middle school, she became cooler than I was. She has a really hilarious story about being the class dork, and then getting a haircut and instantly being invited to join the "in-crowd."
After I went off to college, I really started to realize how great she was and how lucky I was to have her for a sister. I started to enjoy her company very much and respect her opinions and advice. I also started to feel really guilty for the way I'd treated her all those years! By the time I got engaged, I really wanted to solidify our friendship, so I did what any good sister would do. I invited her on a trip to New York City - just the two of us. And it was a blast - one of my favorite trips ever!! She lives in Miami now, and when I find out she's coming home for a visit, I look forward to it for months!! She is one of my favorite people in the world :)
For a few years, I liked to think that the trip to New York sort of made up for the years of torment I caused her. But then a few years after that, in my adjusting-to-caring-for-two-small-kids-nonstop-fog, I forgot to tell her she was the godmother for Abby Kate's baptism. So I'm pretty sure I owe her another trip :)
After this *small* oversight (she wasn't able to be at the baptism as a result) I clarified that she would be the godmother for any and all future children I am blessed with. When Elizabeth was born, I told her she was the godmother an additional 5 times, and planned the special day around her schedule. It took a small army to find a weekend that both she and Cline could be off of work, but we made it happen this past Sunday!! Alicia flew in on Friday and got to spend 2 days with our family. It was fabulous, and it was also Elizabeth's first time meeting her Aunt Alicia!!

Elizabeth all ready for church (in the baptismal dress I wore as a baby). I am still kicking myself for forgetting to put her bonnet on. All 3 of my girls have white bonnets that convert to handkerchiefs for the "something old" on their wedding day. Christa and Abby Kate wore theirs home for the hospital. I didn't have Elizabeth's when we came home from the hospital, so I told myself she would wear it for her baptism. Then I forgot. So I have to come up with another special occasion for her to wear it. But at least I remembered to tell Alicia she was the godmother :)

Christa is such a great big sister. She LOVES holding Elizabeth and taking care of her little sisters. Most of the time, she is kind, helpful, and loving to them!! I do everything I can to encourage that to continue.

Aunt Alicia holding Elizabeth after the baptism.

Elizabeth being baptized by my Uncle Jack - the pastor at my parents' church.

Our family with Alicia, Mimi, and Pa. Alicia is a bit of a fashion icon and looks like a model. She works for Nieman Marcus and occasionally scores some fun name-brand bags and kids' clothes for us :)


My wonderful family.

Elizabeth tries to roll over on her side/stomach when she's tired. She hasn't rolled over from her back to her stomach yet, but she got about as close as she could in the bouncer :)

Alicia with all 3 of my girls. Abby Kate was pretty bashful most of the weekend. Alicia and I went shopping for a Father's Day present for our dad a few hours before her flight left. While we were at the store, she picked up some birthday presents for the girls since she likely won't be around for their birthdays. Abby Kate warmed up to her very quickly after receiving her Snow White dress-up set :)

Gotta run - screaming babies need my attention. Have a great day!

Dance Lessons

Hello all!! Christa had her Spring dance recital tonight, and it, of course, was nothing less than amazing! I decided that I didn't want to miss a second of her performance, so I got a sitter for the little girls, so that I could focus all of my attention on my big-little-girl's dances. I was not disappointed - she (and the rest of her classmates) rocked the stage!
Christa is learning how to dance, and I am learning something, too. You see, I tend to get a bit stressed out over these types of things - dance recitals, school performances, professional photo appointments, birthdays, family holidays, etc. I just want things to be perfect at these once-in-a-lifetime events each and every time. I'm getting more relaxed and more comfortable with practice, but it does not take much for that relaxation and comfort to turn into stress and frustration. Because I want things to be perfect. For my little girls. And not only do I want these events to go perfectly, but I want them perfectly documented on video and still photos... and on a well-laid-out-blog! So that I can re-live the experience later, as many times as I want. Because I have so much free time to do that :)
I've found over the last four years that this desire and goal of doing everything single little thing right each and every time steals a lot of my joy. My efforts to live every event to it's fullest seem to prevent me from living any event to it's fullest, because I'm distracted by the pressure to not miss out on anything. This Christmas, after a series of exhausting and stressful ones, I told myself that whatever we got to do would be enough. And whatever pictures I took, or video I got - it was to be good enough. I made a concerted effort to be content with what happened, and I successfully resisted the urge to dwell on the great photo-ops that I missed..... and the Christmas lights we didn't go see... and the mall picture with Santa Claus that was never taken. I have to say, this past Christmas was the best one yet. I lived in the moment, documented enough to remember the important parts, and I look back on those pictures and those memories with joy.
Now that Christa is getting to an age where she can "perform," the temptation to watch each of her events through a camera lens is great... especially for this Type A mom who has waited her whole life to have beautiful pictures and video of her children being children. Every single time we have a performance, it's like there's a little voice whispering, "She's only going to do this once, so you'd better get magazine-worthy pictures, while taking Oscar-winning video, while enjoying the live performance as much as you possibly can. Before you know it, she'll be in college, and if you miss out on these photo-ops, you will regret it *forever*!!"
This Spring, I made a compromise with myself. I took my video camera and my trusty Canon Rebel to the dress rehearsal, and got the pictures and video. They are not perfect pictures and video, but they are *good enough.* And I made a commitment to myself that I would enjoy Christa's Spring Recital as it was meant to be enjoyed - LIVE - not through a camera lens. Because she's only going to do this once. And one day, after I blink a few more times, she'll be in college, and I want to remember how much I enjoyed watching her on stage - not adjusting the zoom lens on my camera. It was fantastic - a once-in-a-lifetime event! Never again will she get on that stage, with that group of kids, in that costume, and do those moves to that music. I was there; I saw it live! I may have missed a few great photo ops, but I made a memory that a picture just can't capture.

I am glad that I have this picture, taken right after the dress rehearsal:

I am *super* glad that my father-in-law decided he didn't mind watching the performance through his camera lens, so that I also have these pictures of the live performance:




She really was adorable! They danced to "Going to the Chapel."

Unfortunately, my father-in-law had to leave before her second number, and he left his awesome camera with the really expensive lens with me. I took one teeny tiny picture at the very beginning of the dance, and turned the camera off.....
...but halfway through, I couldn't resist getting this shot:

... and just really quickly, this shot:

... because I only have so much will-power when someone hands me a really nice camera with a really expensive lens while my daughter is dressed like a butterfly, strutting her stuff :)

Stayin' Alive

Hello all!! We have been sooooo busy wrapping up all of our activities, that I'm finally sitting down to document our latest happenings. Tuesday was the last day of pre-k-3 for Christa. The school put on the cutest program called, "Welcome to the Movies." They had movie tickets, popcorn, coke, and candy. It was nothing short of ADORABLE!! Sadly, Cline had to miss it, because he had to work. He'd tried to switch his shift, but that didn't work out. He had planned to leave work and come to see the program anyway, but it was too busy, so he had to settle for the video later on in the day. Christa's class danced to "Stayin' Alive," and her teacher even made the girls matching silver skirts.

Christa's teachers told me that Christa helped choreograph a lot of the program. Christa said that Molly, the girl to her left, came up with a lot of it.

It was super cute!

Christa with several of her classmates: Mrs. Allison, J.D., Molly, Christa, Adeline, and Mrs. Mandy

Christa's teacher, Mrs. Allison, was so sweet and wonderful this year!

Tuesday was a little bittersweet for me. I was so proud of Christa and her class, and we are looking forward to some fun things this summer. But I was thrilled with these teachers and this particular class, and Christa and I both had a blast this year. I'm never a huge fan of change, especially when I like the way things are. Christa will be at the same school again next year, with some of her same classmates, so I am looking forward to that.

Elizabeth is 2 Months...

... and has an awesome big sister!  

Cline is on a more regular schedule for the summer, and we are loving it!! It's been very helpful in establishing more of a routine around the house. The downside is that I have to put the kids to bed by myself a good bit more. I have a pretty good system down, but it does sometimes involve Elizabeth crying for a few minutes while I rock Abby Kate. The other night, I placed Elizabeth in her swing and turned on a movie for Christa while I put Abby Kate to bed. Right after I began rocking Abby Kate, I heard Elizabeth start to cry. I ignored the crying, planning to pick her up as soon as I finished putting Abby Kate to bed. She's a great baby, but if I dropped everything the second she cried all the time, I'd never get anything else done. About halfway through the song I sing Abby Kate at night, the crying stopped. That was a little unusual, but I had no reason to think anything was wrong, so I finished my song, said bedtime prayers, and kissed Abby Kate goodnight. When I came downstairs, I found this:

Elizabeth was warm and cozy and perfectly comfortable, courtesy of:

...the most awesome big sister ever, Christa!! I was so proud of Christa, and made a big deal about it. She had given Elizabeth her pacifier and wrapped a blanket around her, all on her own. It was a very sweet moment.

Elizabeth turned 2 months old on Tuesday. She smiles a lot now, and is very alert when she is awake.

I can't believe how fast she is growing!!