William & Henry Turn ONE!

On June 16th our perfect little boys turned one.  Many people comment to me about how hard twins must be and if I can survive the first year, I can survive anything.  I certainly see the truth in that and honestly feel like the last year was mostly a blur.  A blur that left me happier, and more exhausted, than I ever could have imagined.  I had a lot of anxiety during my pregnancy with the twins, worrying about everything from the difficulties of a multiples pregnancy to the challenge of managing three children born within less than two years.  How will I grocery shop? Will I ever get sleep?  How do I take care of all three at the same time?  The questions are never ending and always evolving.  BUT.  While it has been crazy, it has been more lovely than I ever could have hoped.  The pride I feel when I look at my family is the most rewarding thing in my life and I express gratitude every day that these are my children and I have the gift of being their mother.

Back to their actual birthday.  We jam packed their birthday with all their favorites, starting with their first donut for breakfast, and then a few presents. 

 

After the twins woke up from the morning nap my mom came over and we took the children to Washington Park to play and have lunch.  Reese and William had a blast and Henry eventually warmed up to the water.  It is so fun seeing the beginnings of the relationships with one another emerge and watching them become true friends. 

 

 

One thing I have learned in my nearly three years as a mom is to quit while you're ahead, which is exactly what we did. We made it home in time for afternoon naps and Tom surprised the kids by leaving work early.  We treated the children to Alagamesis Ice Cream and a stroll through the toy store.  Alagamesis is a special place for us; we used to take Gouda there and also took Reese for her first ice cream when she turned one.  It was only fitting Henry and William got to try it as well!

Turns out, they weren't too impressed with chocolate ice cream 😀

Happy Birthday to the dynamic duo!  You keep me on my toes in the most wonderful way and you are so, so loved.  I hope you had the best day. 

TWO

Dear Reese,

So much has changed in the last year and I've watched in awe as you have grown from my little baby to a full fledged little girl.  It is equal parts thrilling and heart breaking.  I suppose I will be saying this for the rest of my life, but I have no idea where the last year has gone.  It feels like I just put you bed on the eve of your first birthday, and here we are celebrating your second birthday!  Just three months after you turned one we found out you would become a big sister to not one but TWO babies.  The next eight months were spent doting on you and spending as much one on one time with you as possible.  You were such a trooper through my pregnancy and took it easy on me as much as I could expect.  

We spent this year playing at the children's museum, hitting up story time at the library, going to our favorite parks, and just enjoying each other.  It has been a fantastic year! 

The weekend before your birthday your dad and I took you to the zoo for a special birthday trip.  You thoroughly enjoyed yourself and particularly loved the giraffes, elephants, and of course, monkeys.

On the day of your birthday you woke up extra early and were greeted with streamers hanging from your bedroom door.  I wish I had a picture of this but sometimes you just have to live in the moment.  Your brothers had just had a feeding and were snoozing so we were able to focus 100% on you. We came downstairs and opened presents and you dug into your birthday donuts.  

You were somewhat lukewarm when it came to presents but you loved the balloons!  We spent the day together and your nana came over to play with us and help get ready for your party.  We had a fun pizza party and opened present and you simply had a blast! 

Watching you grow is one of the greatest privileges of my and your dad's lives and we love you so very, very much.  Happy birthday to my loving, fiery, and amazing little girl.  "You are my sun, my moon, and all of my stars."

Love, 

Mama

Happy 4th Birthday Lily!

Two weeks ago our sweet Lily turned 4!  It's hard to believe she wasn't even 2 when we rescued her, yet it feels like she's been a part of our family forever.  When Gouda turned 2 we started a family tradition of steaks to celebrate dog birthdays and anniversaries, which we have continued to this day.  It may seem silly to some but our dog will always be a part of our family and we want them to feel celebrated as such.  Tom picked up steaks from the butcher Saturday afternoon, I was in charge of the sides, and we ate early enough for R to join us.  Lily inhaled her steak in record time and enjoyed licking everyone's plates.   I really live for these little family dinners. 

After we lost Gouda Lily mourned for quite awhile, right along with the rest of us.  Until then she had never been the only dog in her home so it took some adjusting for her.  Since then she's really come into her own as "the dog" in the home and I think she's doing a great job.  She puffs her chest when anyone comes to the door and eagerly intercepts anyone stopping to say hi to R on our walks. 

Lily is a wonderful dog mama to R and they really have become best friends.  R becomes giddy with excitement whenever she hears the tags on Lily's collar shake in the next room.  She proudly points to Lily and exclaims "doggy!" as soon as she sees her.  R routinely sneaks snacks to Lily which is a daily struggle.  I love watching their friendship develop and get a total kick out of their interactions.

Happy 4th Birthday to our sweet, patient, and WILD Lily!  We love you so much and here's to many, many more birthday steaks.

One Year

Dear R,

Reese,

Last week, on July 29th, you turned one year old.  Did I know this day was coming?  Surely.  I was cautioned by moms who have walked before me that this birthday would come tumbling toward us, fast and furiously, and boy they were right.  I've tried to articulate the experience that your first year of life has been like for me but words tend to fail me.  Bliss.  Magic. Chaos. Exhaustion. Joy. Love. Love. Love.   The year has been all of those things, and then some.  From the moment I knew you were on our way to us I have cherished, prayed for, and celebrated you.  I don't need a date on a calendar to remind me to celebrate how wonderful you are and how you have made us a family.  I hope you always know that I put you first and that your happiness and well-being are at the core of every decision I make.   We have all learned together this year and figured it out as we went along.  Some months were clouded in a fog of sheer exhaustion (particularly months 1-5...OY VEY CHILD.)  Others...endless joy that I didn't even know was possible.  No matter how hard or easy things are, it never changes the way we feel about you.  You're like Christmas morning every day.

 

We've had quiet a year, you and me.  We've spent endless hours snuggling, reading, soothing you while nestled tightly in your baby wrap, and exploring our city together.  We celebrated all of your "firsts" and I'm still surprised at how bittersweet they are.  You are such a fun loving and curious little girl that you can make any ordinary outing fantastical (groceries! library! walks!).  Your personality continues to come bursting through and your fiesty and independent streak is something your dad and I applaud and try to foster every day.  It can make things challenging at times (as in....you want what you want and you want it NOW!) but I know it is a trait that is inherent to you and will serve you well as you grow into a strong and assertive woman.

 

I look back on this time last year and remember myself feverishly researching every parenting topic and coming up with a plan for how I was going to do things.  Sleep training?  Check.  Breastfeeding? Duh. Co-Sleeping?  You know it.  Do you know how funny this is to me now?  Things did not go according to plan.  Not one little bit.  Some things went way better than I could have hoped for. Others...not so much.  But the good stuff is in all those little details.  Like how you would get up every 2-3 hours for months and months when everyone told me you "should" be sleeping through the night.  I knew in those quiet moments, as I was rocking you that this too would pass whether I liked it or not.  And despite my bleary exhaustion, I clung to those moments because I knew that they would be over in the blink of an eye.  That eventually you would sleep through the night (thank you) and before I knew it you would be launching yourself out of my arms, ready to play and take on the world.   Even on the weekends when your dad would take over the middle of the night wake ups, I would be sad that I missed out on that special time with you.  

On your birthday eve I soaked you in, just like I did in our first days together.  I shed a few tears after we laid you down in your crib that night, knowing that in the morning our world will have shifted just the tiniest bit.  Maybe it's because of the long and crooked road it took to reach you, but you have healed holes in my heart that I didn't know were there.  You've become my most important contribution to this world and I couldn't be more grateful.

Happy Birthday my sweet little monkey monkey!

Love,
Mama