Three cheers for turning three!

Three years ago this morning we welcomed our first daughter, a robust infant of 9 lb 11 oz, into the world - specifically, into a warm tub of water in which I was laboring. It was 12:20 AM and our lives would never be the same again. What a gift our sweet Roo has been to us since that moment.

She is quite a personality. Her stubbornness seems, at times, bottomless and she is nothing if not a girl who knows what she wants and intends to try her darnedest to get it. She makes me crazy at least a half dozen times a day, but her persevering spirit will surely serve her well in her life in many ways. A bold girl, Roo took quickly to swimming this summer and delighted to dive to the bottom of the pool before her older brother was even comfortable with the idea. She is capable and independent and free-spirited; her giggle lights up the room. Many times over the past few weeks it has been noted that Roo is also an excellent and earnest hugger (even to those not well known to her); she knows how to connect and to cuddle. She is among the most tactile children I have ever met; if she does not turn out to be a kinesthetic learner, I will be surprised. And how could I fail to add that she never met a meal that she relished and was interested in quickly downing (except perhaps a Saturday morning plate of her father's homemade blueberry pancakes). How she continues to be at 99th percentile for height and weight is anyone's guess; the girl eats air.

Roo never fails to amaze us... She's just one heck of a kid. We couldn't love her any more than we do.

It was a blessing to be with her cousins and grandparents for her birthday party yesterday (a joint one with Goose) and she was so excited about the whole shebang - the picnic, balloons, party hats, cake, singing, candles, presents. Three is such a fun age for a birthday! She is very into princesses just now and adored the set she received, as well as the My Little Pony and necklace and bracelet that her cousins picked out just for her. Thank you Ruth and Naomi!

Sweet Samuel

On Tuesday I had the privilege of meeting our dear nephew Samuel at the NICU at Mass General Hospital where he currently resides. When I arrived he was asleep and nestled snug in his little incubator in a private room, but shortly afterwards I got the rare privilege of watching him be taken out and 'dressed down' to a completely bare face. Treat with a tiny newborn! His "favorite nurse Kelly" removed the breathing apparatus from his face (called a C-PAP) and the feeding tube from his nose so that he could get his face washed and hair shampooed. His doting parents Robbie and Gina performed the tasks with aplomb - no small feat on such a wee person. Though of course to them he seems enormous at his weight of 3 lb 12 oz, compared to the 1 lb 15 oz at which he was born back on July 2.

Such a little angel! I could not believe the head of hair on this kid, considering the baldness all three of ours displayed till at least 6 months. The road for Samuel continues to be a roller coaster of a ride, as the day after my visit he came down with an infection and had to be re-intubated and put onto antibiotics. Happily he did not exhibit the return of his recent intestinal disease, which was a fear.

What a journey for this family of three... Incredibly stressful and taxing, and certainly nothing that our own family has ever come close to experiencing. I am thankful for our God who uses such struggles to grow our character and bring us closer to Himself. Such perseverance and grace that my brother and his wife are displaying! So proud of them both.

Some mornings in Maine...

Fun times last week hanging out in Maine for six days. Redeye flight went well; Monkey threw up upon landing but this is becoming old hat and caused barely a stir on this occasion; otherwise smooth sailing. In Maine we had good weather, great company, and a lovely time to relax and enjoy fun activities at the lake house - swimming, boating, fishing, digging for worms, hanging out at the tennis court, canoeing, singing and dancing round the player piano just like when I was a kid. The swim lessons in July really paid off, and Monkey and Roo both delighted in being in the water and did a great job. Money well spent.

Aunt Katie and cousins Caroline and Sophie were with us all week; Uncle Mac for the first few days. It was the first time that Sophie and our Goose had made the acquaintance with the rest of the family; the numbers were up from three cousins last year to five this year; great cousin-bonding time. Uncle Robbie and Aunt Gina made it up for one day - a blessing to all of us; their first day apart from baby Samuel in the NICU which of course was not easy. The sixth cousin was sorely missed. Nana and Grampy were with us the final two days.

A few photos...

Goose turns 1!

One year ago this week, we were welcoming our sweet small Goose into the world. Amazing how those 12 months fly by, and suddenly instead of a wee infant we've got a fast-moving, large-tooth smiling, ebullient little girl who lights up the room. She is a joy. We had the privilege of celebrating her one-year birthday on Monday with her Aunt Katie, cousins Caroline and Sophie, and maternal grandparents. The cake was an instant hit with our great-eater baby (not a surprise to me. She and her older sister are opposites in this regard.)

Ninety per cent of the time miss Goose is a low-key and content baby - hanging out in the stroller with a tray full of Cheerios, for example, while her big siblings take their swimming lessons in the pool. The other ten percent of the time, she has very strong opinions and makes them loudly known. Gotta give her credit, she knows how to have a serious tantrum. Our dear and most reliable babysitter Linda (who was watching her older siblings during the Goose's birth and knows her as well as anyone) recently told me that she thinks our youngest is the strongest-will one of the bunch. She comes by it honestly!

The Goose stands frequently and beginning to cruise a bit. She makes sweet grunting noises as her talking effort, and her one true word is "uh-oh." She's a one-trick-pony with "So big!" when folks ask how big she is - but is it ever adorable when she does it, arms held out wide.

We love you Goose! Thank God for your one year of life!

Homeschooling, house changes

Rearranging the house a bit this week in anticipation of some in-home education I'm planning to do with the big two. The dining room is an infrequently used room, and HF detests the round table we have in our kitchen eating space. So we moved our beautiful big pine table into the kitchen and started re-tooling our dining room to be a school room of sorts. HF built some bookshelves that will house some Montessori items we'll be getting in September, which should be fun to try out with Monkey and Roo. I visited a Montessori preschool this spring and have been doing some reading on that style of education over the past few months; we'll see how things go. Lots to be added to the foundation we've now established in this room, but it's a start.

I never thought I'd be a homeschooling mom - was certainly never something I aspired to be - but that's the road we're currently on and I'm beginning to feel excited about it (some aspects of it anyway). It's been fun and rewarding to teach the Monkey to read, and there are many facets of the lifestyle that I think could be really enjoyable for all of us. Time will tell. The fact that both kids are still younger than kindergarten age certainly takes the pressure - that I understand many new homeschooling moms feel - off and allows me just to tinker and enjoy. I even went to the homeschooling conference last month in Pasadena!