Letting It Go

A week ago tomorrow we took the pacifier away from Mary Claire. And I say "we", but the truth is my husband decided while I was working late last Thursday night that it was time to say "good-bye" to the pacifier. And since I am "full-on" with honesty here, I will admit that I am a little upset at the way it was done. (Believe me, I have told him so!) I had envisioned a wonderful day when together we would all wish a fond farewell to the pacifier. I have been contemplating exactly how I wanted it done or the choices I would give her for saying "good-bye". You know, some big production of sorts. I mean, this is a BIG deal, right? This pacifier has been with her since before she can even remember. I bet it seems like a PART of her! And last Thursday after he informed me that THEY had thrown the paci away, he LEFT TO GO PLAY BASKETBALL with the guys...leaving ME to be the one to put her to bed for the 1st time WITHOUT the paci! (O.K., sorry! A little venting there.)

I went through her usual bedtime routine slowly, and when she asked for it, I gently replied, "Remember, you gave it to Daddy to throw away." (Notice the immediate transfer of responsibility there?! hehe I didn't feel prepared for this at all! This was not the way I had played this out in my mind!) I felt like a new mom all over again as I sat and listened to her over the monitor for what seemed like forever. (Remember that feeling?) I wanted to go and get that paci and give it to her...I have wanted to give it to her several times since then...but, I am plagued by the thought that it might be worse to have to do this again. And I don't want that!

After a few days of torturing myself with questions surrounding "our" removal of the paci, I started thinking...
Maybe, just maybe, the underlying issue here is my own difficulty with "letting go". After all, that paci, as small as it may be, represents one of the last "baby" things for us. I have been thinking alot about my good friends D.W. and Rachel who will soon face the task of becoming brand new parents, and I know what they are about to embark upon. We are in 2 different places right now, but I am not sure which is harder...becoming a new parent or letting go of the baby phase. Either way, you have to figure out how you are going to deal with it. And I am still trying to deal with this "pacifier issue". I don't like that she has trouble going to sleep now at night when before she would just drift off to sleep easily. Naptime has been an issue, too, with her crying most of the time and us having to go in and tell her to lay down and go to sleep whereas before I HARDLY EVER had to say a word to her.

Right now, the only thoughts I have to try to remedy the situation are to go ahead with my plan for the "good-bye" production :-) even though she hasn't SEEN the pacifier in almost a week! A fellow teacher gave me a wonderful idea a couple of months ago. She said that if Mary Claire liked balloons, (and SHE DOES) we could tie the pacifier to a helium-filled balloon and have her let it go outside! Of course, I can't do that today as I watch the inches of snow piling up outside my window...  But, perhaps tomorrow we could give it a shot. Perhaps together, Mary Claire and Mommy, we can "let it go"--her with her pacifier and me with my "baby phase" detachment. (Wish I could tie mine to a balloon. Wouldn't that be easy?) :-)

These are the only 2 pictures I could quickly find of Mary Claire and her pacifier. She looks so little in these pictures!

This is my "big girl"...taken a couple of days ago when she was playing dress up in her Snow

 White costume! Hard to believe she'll be 3 at the end of May! Preschool, here we come!

"Momma, Turn Your Boosters On!"

This was the advice given to me by my son, Jonah, when I told him I had signed up for my first 5K. The conversation took place this past Saturday afternoon as we enjoyed the warmer temps by running around the neighborhood.
Mommy: "Hey, Jonah. Did I tell you I signed myself up to run a real race?"
Jonah: "You did?"
Mommy: "Yeah, do you think you could help me train for it? You are a really fast runner, and you could help me practice."
Jonah: "Hey, all you gotta do is turn on your boosters like this...." (and he made some sort of "booster" sound) and quickly sped away in front of me! :-)
Thank you, Jonah!
I'll especially think about this conversation and remember his "advice" for the next two months. Well, actually less than 2 months...as I get myself ready for the race I have entered myself in. I have been wanting to do a 5K for a long time and just haven't made it a priority. No more excuses! It's for a great cause, too. Go to the link below if you want to read more about it. (The race is in honor of a little boy named Jackson Culley, and his aunt teaches at my school.) http://www.mitowhat5k.blogspot.com/
Wish me luck! Probably gonna have fewer posts if I am to try to work in any running and pilates time in to my hectic schedule to get this body back in shape. :-) Oh, the things my body used to be able to do before giving birth to 3 babies in 5 years...I think I can, I think I can, I THINK I CAN!
I hope this race will only be the first in many races I aim to enter. (Or I might completely fall on my face.)Guess we'll see if Momma's got any power left in these "boosters".

Upward Basketball 2011

Our boys are playing Upward basketball this year in lieu of playing with the local sports and recreation league. We really like it, too. I like that they have a devotional time at every practice and that they have a Bible verse to learn before each practice session. They pray before each game and someone speaks/shares a short devotion at the halftime of each game. It seems to be a great outreach program, and I hope it continues to be successful in making a difference in people's lives for Christ while at the same time having fun playing basketball.

This is Jonah's first time to play organized basketball, and he's is still learning how the game is played. One thing I can say about him is he is fast on his feet...he might not have the dribbling of the ball mastered yet, but he can sure run with the ball! (During his very first game last weekend, a few people came up to me after his game and said I really should get him signed up for football next year. hehe He got the rebound once, tucked the ball under his arm... just like a natural runningback would do in football...and ran to the outside line and down the court.) It was hilarious! Of course, they blew whistle and called walking on him due to the fact that he showed no intention of trying to dribble that ball. :-) Football, here we come!

And Just Like That...

it was over!

Mary Claire's surgery to remove her adenoids and have tubes put in her ears went great and much quicker than I anticipated!

We arrived at the surgery center a little before 7:00 yesterday morning and

got her little surgery gown and socks on.

 We followed that with a "tickle session" from Daddy,

a little time spent in Mommy's arms,

some time spent playing while Mommy and Daddy talked some things over with the doctor and anesthesia team,

 and then it was time!

A trip through the "Bunny Tunnel" to pick out a special doll with a doctor kit,

and we watched her walk away without looking back or shedding a tear as the nurse led her through the automatic doors and into the surgery area. (I walked back around the corner out of sight, but I stood there for a few seconds listening to see if I heard her cry for me. She didn't cry, but I almost did.)

Then we returned to our room to wait.

And just like that...

she was right back where she should be- 

in my arms!

She's done great so far. She's napping now and had a restful night last night. The doctor said she had a lot of fluid on both ears, her adenoids had mucus behind them and they were large, so I hope this surgery brings her lots of relief from ear infections and possible hearing or speech problems in the future.

She was a great patient yesterday and awoke pretty pleasantly from the anesthesia. I am so thankful for so many things right now...

Thank you, God.

(And thank you to my family and friends for your prayers and concerns.)



Request

This funny little girl...

needs your prayers as she undergoes surgery (adenoid removal and ear tubes) in 2 days!

Thank you!

Frosty the Snowman

was a jolly, happy soul!
With a cowboy hat
and a carrot nose
and 2 eyes made out of Oreos! :-)



We are enjoying our first snow day of the 2011 season and the snow was just perfect for making a snowman today! (Thanks to Mimi for coming over and helping us!)

A hug for Frosty!

Snow Day
January 10, 2011

Last night, we were so excited to see the start of the snowflakes before we went to bed...

Then we awoke this morning to "a white blanket covering everything" (words/description made by John Owen). So, after cinnamon rolls for breakfast, we headed out for some fun in the snow...

Snowball fight!

Mary Claire in the snowsuit from Germany. Mimi bought it for John Owen when we traveled to Germany to visit our friends there. Now all 3 children have worn the suit! It's a little big on Mary Claire now, so I hope next year she can wear it again. It is really warm!

I love this picture of Jonah!

Oops! "I've fallen, and I can't get up in this suit you put me in!" This was one of a few spills she took today as she tried to keep up with her brothers.

(Don't know why this one is blurry, but it shows some more snowball throwin' action. Notice Baby Sister is almost caught in the crossfire! Sorry, Mary Claire!)

We've had hot chocolate, warmed our toes by the fire, played the wii, watched a little of Toy Story 3, and taken a nap. Now, for sno cream to complete our snow day! The best part about today...we just found out we'll have another snow day tomorrow! :-)

Out With the Old

In with the new! New bed, that is! I have to post about this because it is just too darn important to not post.
If you have children, then you'll probably understand just where I'm coming from with this...

For some time now, we have been asking Jonah if he thought he was ready for a "big boy" bed.
Oh, wait! Let me back up a little bit first.You see, when our oldest son, Owen, was almost 2, and we were just weeks away from baby boy #2 arriving, Jan found this great Thomas the Tank Engine toddler bed.

And I couldn't have asked for a smoother transition from crib to bed for Owen. The first night we put him in it, he did not cry, he did not wake in the night, he did not even ask about going back to his crib. Whew! That was a relief for a mommy who's next baby needed that crib soon. Jonah arrived next, and he stayed in the crib until he was 2 1/2. Then, lo and behold, we had to make another shift because baby #3 was due in a matter of months, and I just wasn't so sure Jonah would take to the change as swiftly as Owen had. Owen got a big boy bed upstairs, and "Thomas bed" worked it's charm again in making Jonah feel excited about moving out of the crib and making room for one more baby in our house. He loved that bed!
Now, Jonah is five (and a half) and after much discussion and a little debating, we decided it was time to move to a big boy bed like Owen. Jan's mother had an antique bed room suit at her house in the spare room, and the furniture is probably almost 100 years old. Jan's grandfather, who was born in 1900, slept in the bed as a young man and then Jan's mother and brother used it as children, I think. It has character, and it is just what Jonah needed! He loves it and has asked us repeatedly, "How old is the bed again, Daddy?"

Because Mary Claire will actually be the first child of ours to have the opportunity to use the crib as a toddler bed, I decided to put the Thomas bed on Craigslist the other day just to see if I could sell it. Do you know I sold it in about an hour after listing it? I couldn't believe it! (Of course, the money wasn't in my hand until 2 days later, but you get the point...) Thursday night was when they came to pick it up, and we said our goodbyes before the people arrived. I videoed our good-bye because I wanted us to remember Thomas bed and then something I never expected to happen happened as we sat there explaining that the people who were buying the bed were on their way over...Owen started crying!!

Jonah had this "I'm about to cry" look on his face, too, and my heart almost broke.  As Jan started taking the bed apart, Owen clung to the smokestack and little tears ran down his face. He didn't throw a fit, he just cried softly to himself. We hugged and I held him for a minute on the floor of Jonah's room. When the people pulled into the driveway was when Jonah started crying. He walked into the kitchen where I was, and I immediately picked his "heavy-weight" little self up and hugged him tightly as Jan greeted the people at the door. I was trying so hard not to cry for fear that the buyers would see me. I think it was more upsetting that my boys were feeling sad than anything else. Jonah was fine after a little hug from Mommy and a reminder that he was getting the extra special big boy bed! I waited until they were gone with Thomas bed, and then it was Jan's turn to hug me as I cried. :-) I know it sounds silly, but it's something that means alot to us...which is why I think "Thomas bed" deserved his own post on our family blog.

This is Mary Claire reading with friends, Faith and Sam. Taken this past September, this is the last picture I could find of one of the children in Thomas bed.

"We'll always remember you, Thomas Bed. Thanks for the memories. I hope the little boy who gets you loves you as much as my little boys did!"