{ What I don't want to forget about 19 months }

Note: This is in no way a finished post. What follows below was written on January 20th, with the intention to finish it up and publish it ASAP...and that never happened. But since Lainie is now 20.5 months old, changing faster than I can blink, and I don't appear to be acquiring any more free time for blogging, I'm sending this out into the world as is. I really don't want to forget.

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The way she curves around my belly when I rock her to sleep. The way her head fits perfectly in the crook of my shoulder. Her silky-soft golden brown hair; that wispy mullet in the back. How she can now pull open drawers that {moments ago, it seems} were too high and too heavy for her to budge. How in the past week she's starting saying "UP!" in a commanding, deeper-than-normal, slightly annoyed voice, complete with arms up, but no eye contact. The way she hopefully suggests "Ba?" {bath} during every diaper change. Her obsession with "ee-ee" {Caspar Babypants music videos}, and the somewhat disturbing fact that she knows how to plug the HDMI cable from the TV into my laptop to make "ee-ee" happen. Her delight at turning on and off light switches, also known as "ight." The way she loves to help pick up clothes and put them in the laundry hamper or washer--and how just a few days ago, she realized she can open her dresser drawers, and now delights to "put away" her own clothes {never mind that they are never folded or in the right drawers by the time they've traveled from me to Lainie's drawer of choice}. How she has started calling herself "Nee-nee" and refers to herself with giddy delight. Her fascination with earrings, and frequent conversations that go something like this:

Lainie {touching her earlobe}: "Ear!"
Me: "Yes, that's Lainie's ear."
Lainie {furrowed brow and shaking her head, still touching her ear}: "Dada...no!"
Me: "No, Dada doesn't have earrings."
Lainie: "Bapa...no!"
Me: "No, Bapa doesn't have earrings."
Lainie: "Nee-nee...no!"
Me: "No, Lainie doesn't have earrings!"
Lainie {triumphantly pointing to my ears}: "Mama!"
Me: "Yes, Mama has earrings."
Usually followed by a discussion of why I'm not wearing earrings today {if I'm not} or a detailed examination of said earrings if I am.

{ Halloween 2013 }

Pretend with me, for a moment, that it is not already the middle of November. Literally the middle.

 

*gulp*

 

Pretend it's November first and it's still cool to talk about what you did for Halloween, k?

 

K. Our friends Luke and Joanna threw a Halloween party. Joanna is pregnant with their first baby {he and Jellybean share a due date by some calculations, by others Jellybean is due five days later}, and in spite of the fact that I'm not "into" Halloween, I was excited to go because you just never know how many opportunities you may have to dress up a pregnant belly in a costume. However, I couldn't figure out anything to "be" that I really liked...

 

...until Mike's parents came home from a trip to LA and gave him a luchador mask.

 

I will be Nacho Libre.

 

Yesss!!

 

Now, I am not a Jack Black fan--matter of fact, I can't stand him except in Nacho Libre, which is doubly ironic because I love that movie. It is one of the funniest I've ever seen, and in it Jack Black is perfectly brilliant. Absolutely spot-on.

 

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce to you Nacho Libre, a leetle Mexican orphan, and the very well-dressed {obviously wealthy and highly successful} luchador who accompanied them:

 

Lainie's little dress was also a gift from Mike's parents, from this same LA trip. Little did they know they were outfitting 2/3 of our family for a Halloween party!

 

Lainie was super excited to see her friend Julia. For some reason she found the popcorn in Julia's cup much tastier then the popcorn in her cup, so poor Julia {aka Marathon Baby} found most of her snacks were consumed by Mexican Orphan.

 

Somebody asked if we put makeup on Lainie's face to make her look dirty...nope, she just falls down and bruises her face a lot.

{Don't you love Olive the dog's face here?! "Please can I have some of your food? Please please please?"}

 

Four of the five pregnant women who came that night: me, Joanna as Paula Deen, Kristina as Facebook, and Krissy as a marathon runner.

 

Shhhh...don't tell, but it was my first time ever dressing up for Halloween, and it was actually fun!

{ Elaina: 16 Months }

Dear Lainie,

 

You are sixteen months old, and I don't know where the time has gone! You are a chubby-cheeked toddler who is constantly trotting around the house, pointing and making insistent noises at things you want, babbling nonsense baby words nonstop {many variations on "dada" constituting a large portion of your vocabulary}, and still super snuggly when you are tired or not feeling well. You have grown and changed so much the past few months, and with the whirlwind of moving and the tiredness of growing your baby brother, I feel like I've already forgotten so much. I definitely haven't remembered to take as many photos!

 

So here are some snapshots of you now, sixteen-month-old Lainie Rae. Tomorrow I will wake up pinching myself for not remembering this or that, I'm sure!

 

:: old-ish photo...taken just before we moved ::

 

You love to pretend to talk on my phone, which you also call Dada. I turn on the screen {a photo of Daddy holding you the day after you were born} and you jabber away. Actually, anything suffices as a phone in a pinch, from your own hand to a spoon, doll, or sippy cup. If you're playing with my phone and the screen goes to sleep, or if you somehow unlock it and get into a program, you immediately march over to me moaning, "Oh no no no no no!" through pursed lips.

 

"Oh no no no no no no"--repeated ad infinitum, with your mouth half-closed and your brow furrowed, is your new phrase of choice. It may be used to announce that you are bringing me a book from the bookshelf you're not supposed to touch, or that you dropped something, or that you got into the text messages in my phone. Whatever disaster precipitates the announcement, you definitely understand that "no no" means bad things.

 

Your most-used word is still Dada, which applies to anything and everything you desire. Including me. If I ask you to say Mama, you grin and yell, "Dada!" Mama is reserved for the most dire of emergencies, when you really need to get my attention.

 

You know how to say dog {doh}, duck {duh}, ball {ba-ba}, bubble {buh-buh}, Bible {by-buh} and maybe cat...I can't remember, I haven't had a nap today...

 

Your hair is getting thicker and longer, especially in the back, and you are in love with the little clip on hairbows I got you last week. You ask for them {by pointing} if you see them, and when we get dressed in the morning, if I ask you if you want a hairbow, you get a huge grin and point at them. They don't always stay in for long, but they are well-loved.

:: wearing your friend Julia's headband when we stayed at their house, between moves ::

 

You are a lot more interested in the dishwasher now than you were before we moved. You enjoy helping me unload the silverware, but you're especially fond of gathering a few toys on the open dishwasher door and sitting with them while I clean up the kitchen. It's such a nice spot to swing your legs and read a book!

 

The last few days you've started singing. A lot. For a month or two, you've cradled your milk cup in the crook of your arm at every single meal and rocked back and forth, splitting into the biggest grin when I start singing "rock a bye baby" or "twinkle twinkle little star." It seems you think you are rocking your milk to sleep. I'm serious. You do this at every single meal--and now you know enough of the tune that your baby syllables are recognizable snippets of twinkle twinkle or rock a bye baby.

 

 

 

Ever since you were born, we've sung Jesus Loves Me to you as your lullaby. You sing bits of it now too, including the word "Bible," which is quite possibly the sweetest thing ever!

 

You are also quite interested in your dollies, frequently carrying one or two of them around and very sweetly swaying back and forth and singing to them.

 

You weaned yourself at 15 1/2 months. For a month or more, you'd only been nursing once a day, first thing in the morning--which I was happy to let you do, since it meant long sleepy snuggles in bed with me. But one morning two or three weeks ago, you made it clear you wanted your binky while we snuggled...and that was that. It was much easier and less stressful than I anticipated; ever since you've never asked to be nursed or even expressed interest. It's still such a bittersweet milestone! Every day it becomes clearer that you are a toddler, not a baby, and while toddler Lainie is sweet and precious and hilarious and so much fun, I miss baby Lainie. I suppose this is how parents feel about every one of their kids' stages in life.

 

In the past few days, you have also taken the initiative {read: Elastigirl arms can reach ridiculously far onto the table} to start feeding yourself with a spoon. Your skill and aim is MUCH better than I expected--you actually hit your mouth with almost every bite!! A fair bit of yogurt/applesauce/etc. still ends up on your face, the spoon is usually upside down, and half the fun seems to be "mixing" whatever food is in the bowl, but you are doing really really well. And so far, you seem to be right-handed.

 

 

 You still take two naps most days, though missing your afternoon nap is no longer the catastrophe it once was. Morning naps are leisurely affairs, often 2-3 hours.

 

Your favorite place in the house is the garage...in place of that, you will gladly trot up and down the sidewalk as long as I'll let you. You are also quite enamored with the neighbors' cats, Daisy and Theodore.

 

:: one day as I unloaded groceries from the car, you carried a bag of coffee up and down the sidewalk, stopping to sit on the stoop and talk to and pat the coffee with each trip ::

 

 

There is so much more I could say, but this post is already pretty long.

 

Love you Lainie Bug,

Mama

{ Pumpkin Patch }

Last weekend, we went to a pumpkin patch.

Turns out that not only was it Lainie's first time, but Mike's and mine as well. Work has been demanding a lot of Mike's time recently, so it felt deliciously indulgent to be going somewhere together, as a family, during daylight hours, just for fun. Lainie was obviously bewildered by her parents' seemingly crazy and out-of-character decision to wander aimlessly around a muddy field full of funny-shaped giant orange balls. She was more interested in chewing on the tab of her new {hand-me-down} jacket than perusing the pumpkins.

In spite of the cloud cover, it was a delicious afternoon, with gorgeous trees, enormous pumpkins, and plenty of very excited little people.

 

 

 

:: obligatory family selfie to commemorate first baby's first time at a pumpkin patch ::

 

Once we left the pumpkins and walked by the cornfield, however, Lainie was on! She was determined to find her way through the corn maze all by her little self.

 

 

...Until, of course, she fell down in the mud approximately five steps in.

On the way home--after coffee and pastries to warm up--I was craving homemade macaroni and cheese, so we swung by the store to get what we needed. Mike and Lainie watched an episode of Baby Einstein and munched on goldfish crackers while I made the mac and cheese. {I'm not sure who made out best with that deal: Lainie got uninterrupted Daddy time and a movie; Daddy got to snuggle with his girlie, and I got to make a meal without fourteen dozen interruptions!} 

 

One more to close...just because they are so.darn.cute.

 

{ of weddings }

Mike's sister Amaryah married her Lawrence on July 20, two days after our fourth wedding anniversary.

In true pregnancy-brain fashion {or is this just a sign that we're slowly exiting the "honeymoon/take-a-photo-of-every-milestone" phase?}, I didn't take a single picture on our anniversary outing. My mom was in town, so she watched Lainie while Mike and I went to my first midwife appointment. We got to hear Jellybean's heartbeat for the first time, which was sweet, and then we had dinner at a restaurant on the marina. We came home and ate ice cream while watching Downton Abbey with mom. I joke that we've transitioned from traveling to islands to celebrate our marriage {Honeymoon: Oahu. First anniversary: Lopez Island. Second anniversary: Kauai.}...to going to medical appointments for our children {Third anniversary: Lainie's last surgical follow-up appointment at Children's Hospital. Fourth anniversary: Jellybean's first midwife appointment.}.

There are, however, some decent photos of us from Amaryah's wedding two days later. That'll do, right?

Amaryah + Lawrence had a beautiful wedding, one of the loveliest I've seen. The ceremony and reception were outdoors, and the weather was gorgeous. So was the bride!

 

 

:: the reception area ::

 

 

 

:: the ceremony area ::

 

:: the whole family ::

 

:: exquisite centerpieces! ::

 

 

:: lace mounted on embroidery hoops, hung above the dance floor ::

 

 

:: Mike and I did this...a lot...all evening. Baby girl wants to walk everywhere. ::

{Side note: I can't decide how I feel about the fact that I comfortably wore a maternity dress at 12 weeks pregnant.}

 

 

:: three generations ::

 

 

:: all the food was miniature and SO delicious--but between feeding Lainie and myself, I only got a photo of the tiny burger. ::

 

 

:: lots of fun lawn games, which Lainie thoroughly enjoyed ::

 

:: ignore my freaky blurry hand...I love this photo of Lainie. ::

 

 

:: first dance ::

 

 

:: I kid you not--beneath that crazy red wig lies my husband. ::

 

 

:: Mike and Amaryah dancing with Estella, their cousin's daughter ::

 

It was such a lovely wedding celebration. Retrospectively I am totally a first-time mom, taking far more photos of my cute little baby than of the bride and groom and wedding festivities! All the more reason to look forward to the professional photos, right? And I'm sad not to have any pictures of the ceremony, but since we were sitting in the front row, I was completely occupied keeping Lainie quiet and happy. {Consumed by Lainie--just during the short ceremony: Two pouches of baby food, cheerios, part of a lollipop, and various sips from one water bottle and one sippy cup.} She was a little angel...a very hungry little angel, apparently...until the very end, when the pastor was doing the "by the power vested in me..." formalities just before pronouncing them husband and wife. At that precise moment, Lainie set down her lollipop and yelled, "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!" You have to admit, her timing was impeccable!

 

We are so thankful that my mom came over for the weekend specifically to help with Lainie during the wedding and reception. Partway through the reception, she took Lainie home and put her to bed. Mike and I were able to dance and par-tay and enjoy the rest of the reception without trying to entertain a very tired little girl, which was a huge blessing. Thanks, mom!!

 

What a difference four years make. When I think back on our wedding, I want to blurt out, "You were such a kid!!" We both were--not that we're terribly mature and grown-up now, but it's just crazy how much has changed since then. How much we have changed. In good ways. Marriage does grow you up. Having a child does grow you up. And while I was all misty-eyed over the wonder of Lawrence and Amaryah starting their journey as husband and wife, I am speechlessly amazed at what God has done/is doing in my own marriage. How He continues to grow us together. Continues to grow and deepen, mature and solidify and strengthen a love that I thought was pretty amazing when we said "I do" in 2009.

 

I used to be afraid of losing the butterflies-in-the-stomach, crazy-in-love inloveness of newlyweds. Everybody is, don't you think? Afraid that if it goes away, you'll be left with nothing...certain that the only other option is a lifetime of boring staleness, looking back with longing on that mythical "honeymoon phase." That is such a lie. SUCH a lie. Being newlyweds is great, and I loved that season, and every newlywed should soak it up! But the love that grows from that...after that...is a beautiful, sacred, breathtaking thing too. Love isn't static. It isn't something you achieve and then struggle to protect and maintain as-is. With Jesus at the center of a marriage, love constantly grows and changes and becomes deeper and more beautiful. It's not all sunshine and roses {or rainbows and unicorns, as Mike would say}. It's not all easy. But it is so rich. And I am so thankful for the four years I've had the great privilege of being Mrs. Mike.



{ One Year Old }

It's an odd transition for a mama, this jump from measuring time--a little person's entire life--in weeks and months to years. For the life of me, I cannot comprehend how it's been a year since Lainie's birth. One year ago today the three of us were still at Children's, struggling with all our might through "she's too sleepy to eat as much as the surgeons want her to," sleeping in 1.5-hour increments, and living in her hospital room. Now she's a chattering, cruising, carb-loving munchkin with eight teeth and a penchant for long naps. A year ago, I could never have imagined today. This life. And I am so, so incredibly thankful that it's ours!

 

I took this photo the day before Lainie's birthday. As you can see, she was hamming it up--probably trying to convince me to let her hold the chalkboard.

 

On Saturday we had a little party. Just immediate family and our friends Katie and Morgan, who were visiting us that weekend all the way from Australia {more on that in my next post}. Eight grownups was the perfect size--both for our tiny home, and for our tiny girl, who is still quite shy in groups and clings to mommy and daddy when other people are around.

 

These ladybug--ahem, Lainie-bug--cupcakes were a pink lemonade cake mix and frosting that I tried to turn red. After using an entire bottle of red food coloring, I settled for hot pink. The spots are mini chocolate chips, and the "head" is melted chocolate. We also had watermelon, a Thai-style bean salad, pink lemonade, and a variety of hot appetizers from Trader Joe's: pastry puffs with feta and caramelized onions, mac and cheese bites, and "pastry pups"-- mini hot dogs in puff pastry buns, sprinkled with cheese.

 

Lainie pretty much inhaled the feta and onion cups and the mac and cheese bites. She also felt that her hair was the perfect place to wipe her hands when they got a little too greasy or crumb-covered.

 

Mike picked up Morgan and Katie from the airport that morning, and they all helped with decorations. Katie and Morgan hung the crepe paper streamers; they looked so festive and cheery! You can't really tell from the photo, but they were red with white polka dots, just like the drink straws and candy cups. Candy cups? Oh yes, we also had malted milk balls and gummy bears!

 

I printed one photo from each month of Lainie's life, newborn through 11 months, and people guessed how old she was in each photo. In a stroke of hostessing genius, I forgot to get a prize, but our guests were troopers and played anyway. I think Mike's mom won, with seven correct guesses out of twelve!

 

The little munchkin got so many gifts. She loved ripping the wrapping paper and tissue, and trying to open the cards.

 

This monkey was a favorite.

 

Very. Serious. Business.

 

A beautiful dress from Grandma Mandy, to wear to Auntie Amaryah's wedding in a few weeks.

 

A koala from Katie and Morgan, all the way from Australia! This little face of hers cracks me up every time--she does it when she knows she's posing. I think she thinks she's smiling. Dearie me!

 

Trying to open the card from Chelle and David.

The cutest bathing suit from Auntie Mar!

 



 

Happy Birthday Girl!

 

A xylophone from mama and daddy. She loved it. I wish you could've seen her face when Mike started playing it and she realized it made music--she made the most astonished "Did you hear that?! Can you believe it?!" face at me and Lawrence. We were dying laughing!

 

She's not so much a fan of cupcakes, especially the sticky frosting. She took very careful, ladylike bites of the bottom if we held it up for her, but she was tried to stay as un-sticky as possible.

 

We love you, Lainie Rae! Happy Happy Birthday!