Simple Moments of Motherhood

Drew is gone tonight. Which means I got to do Brenna’s bed time routine by myself. She has been doing GREAT at sleeping for the past week! Probably the best she has done in several months, however, I think daddy not being home tonight threw her off a bit. Typically once we put her in bed we do not get her back out. If she cries we will go in there and rub her back and tell her we love her, but we don’t get her out of her bed.

Well, tonight I broke the rule and I couldn’t be happier that I did. After 30 minutes of fussing I decided I was going to try to rock her. So I went into her room, picked her up, kissed her tear-stained face, and went and sat down in the glider. As I sat down in the dark room I could see her eyes staring into mine. Then it happened. That simple, but ever so fulfilling moment. Brenna reached her hand up to my cheek pulled my head down and kissed me. And then she did it again. After about five times of doing this, I decided I was just going to stay down by her sweet little face and keep pecking those precious cheeks. So I did, over and over and over again. Guess what? She fell asleep. She fell asleep to her mama’s kisses and this mama didn’t want to stop.

Sometimes (ok, many times), I wonder if I’m making the right decision when it comes to mothering. Tonight I never wondered. Getting her out of bed was the BEST decision ever! Sitting in that glider, staring into that peaceful, sleeping face, I was overwhelmed with God’s goodness to me, in first, blessing me with a beautiful daughter to love and hold and mother, and second, in blessing me with moments like tonight that I will cherish forever. I’ll be honest, Brenna’s tears stopped, but mine started. Happy tears. Thankful tears.

Our sweet girl...

 

Brenna’s Table

The latest addition to Brenna’s room: a hand-painted table and chairs from her Great-Mimi and Great-Pa. This girl is ready to throw some elegant and classy tea parties.

Her Great-Pa should be proud that she broke in the new table with a snack of POPCORN.

How could you turn down an invitation to a tea party with a girl like this?

Bye-Bye Adenoids

We experienced a first as parents today…and not a fun first. A child going through surgery. A minor surgery…but nonetheless surgery. For months and months Brenna has had trouble with her adenoids (at least we are hoping that was the problem). She has been snoring terribly to the point where it wakes her up and has had labored breathing. I honestly don’t think she knows what it is like to be able to breathe through her nose.  It’s just been getting worse, so after much contemplation we decided it would be best for her to get those troublemakers removed!

It honestly made me sick to think of our little girl being put all the way under and being so helpless and not being able to be with her, but we are praising the Lord for a very smooth surgery and are thankful it was such a minor thing in comparison to what some parents have to watch their child go through.

We didn’t get many pictures from the day’s event, but Drew was able to snatch a few.

Brenna in Pre-Op in her little hospital gown and footies. Such a cutie...even in a hospital gown. And of course she has to be playing with the remote control to the TV.

 

She had to spend the first 30 minutes in recovery without us but after that she spent the rest of recovery cuddled up in my arms. Very groggy.

She’s been pretty much her normal self since we got home, which is amazing to me (but I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from her). A little more fussy than usual, but she wanted to run around and play pretty much the rest of the day. So I would say she’s doing great! Hopefully she will be able to sleep all through the night. She’s one tough cookie.

34 1/2 weeks (yes, that 1/2 is important)

I’m about 4 weeks away from when I delivered Brenna! Cannot. Believe. It. I had a dr.’s appointment this past Wednesday and everything is still good. My blood pressure is a little up (which is odd because it’s usually low if anything), but my doctor said it’s not to the point where they would intervene. I’m just suppose to keep an eye out for swelling and/or headaches. That’s really all the news I have this time around. I look at Felicia’s ultrasound picture hanging on our fridge every day and my excitement to meet her, as well as my love for her, grows and grows!

Here’s my belly at 34 weeks and 1 day (and here it is at 34 weeks with Brenna)…

Big!

Big Sister Day

Since we’re entering the home stretch of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, we did something special today with Brenna to serve as a milestone of sorts, capping off her (rather short) reign as the only child in our home. We told her that this was “one last hurrah” before her baby sister arrives and she has to learn how to share Mom and Dad’s attention with someone else. We called it “Big Sister Day”, and we had a blast!

We started by going to Culver’s for lunch, where Brenna chowed down on french fries and ice cream. (Yes, we know we’re terrible parents!) Then after a big lunch, we went over to a place called Jump It, a gigantic room full of inflatable slides and obstacle courses. It would be an understatement to say that Brenna enjoyed it. The entire time we were there, Brenna went at a frantic pace from one inflatable thing to the next, laughing hysterically all the way. (Her Dad had quite a bit of fun, too, since he had to “supervise” her inside the inflatables.)

Here are some pictures and videos from the day:

Mom, Brenna, and a delicious french fry.

This is one excited little girl!

This is one of the play areas for kids under 2. We warmed up here, before going to do bigger (and more fun) things.

"Look at me climb!"

No, Brenna didn't face-plant. She's just laughing so hard that she can't get up. Not even kidding...

Traversing the obstacles with skill and agility (and the help of Dad).

We even got the lady who is 8 months pregnant to come climb around with us for a little while!

In this first video, you’ll see Brenna and her Mom showing off their awesome climbing skills and teamwork. Listen closely for the cackles of ecstasy:

Before you watch this second video, you need to know the back story. Up until this point in time, I had been going down all the slides with Brenna on my lap. But this time (while Elizabeth just happened to have the video camera rolling), I got Brenna to the top of the slide and then I fell down the climbing wall on the opposite side. So Brenna was perched on top of the slide all by herself while I frantically tried to climb back up and grab her. What did she do? Well, you can probably guess with this fearless little daredevil:

We had a great time as a family, and now we’re officially ready for Felicia to arrive whenever she decides to!

Date Night

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, love is in the air, and so it’s only fitting for Brenna to spend an evening with her potential suitor. We got to babysit Liam today, and as usual, there were some great photo ops (and video ops, too). It’s amazing how fast kids grow up, and we become more keenly aware of it on occasions like this when we can look back and make comparisons. For example, do you remember this picture from when they were less than two months old? And who could forget the laughs we got with these two last spring? And of course we can’t leave out the famous piano duet, right?

Anyway, tonight we recorded the next chapter in the ever-entertaining story of Brenna and Liam. Enjoy:

If they both turn out the be acclaimed musicians someday, these piano pictures will be worth lots of money, I suspect.

Brenna was most eager for Liam to explore her books. She got every single book off the shelf and practically buried the poor boy with them.

All that reading wears a man out.

A classic pose...

And since no evening with these two would be complete without some videos, here are a couple of fun clips. In this first one, you’ll see Liam trying to practice his piano skills while Brenna tries to show her affection. Liam doesn’t know what to think…

And in this second video, I jump out and spook them. (Even though this was the third or fourth time I did it, the reaction was still the same…)

Never a dull moment with these two!

Miscellanies (Vol. 2)

Some more pictures from the past few days which are completely unrelated:

We had a most unique early anniversary get-away this past weekend to Brown County. Found out quickly that we're not exactly the "Brown County type"--and even if we were, February isn't the best time to visit. Oh well, we made some great memories!

At the luxurious Brown County Inn. When you're dating, you take self-portraits like this every time you're together. When you're married, they happen about once a year. We've now fulfilled our annual quota.

Brenna thinks the Boilers are #1. (Obviously she hasn't watched the games very closely.)

Had a great time hanging out with some of the KSBC high school students for a Super Bowl party this past weekend. Here's the clan.

Brenna's moments of tranquility are few and far between. But every now and then she slows down long enough to surround herself with some books and have some quiet reading time. I think her Mom loves these moments especially.

33 Weeks

As promised, I am posting my belly shot at 33 weeks (and actually on time!). I’m really getting to that point where it’s getting hard to breathe at times because there’s no room left in there. I’m really hoping she decides to come a little early, not too early, but a little would be a nice gift for this mama. I’m thinking 5 more weeks of this is PLENTY. Once again, though, it’s not up to me so I will patiently try to wait.

33 Weeks and counting...

32 Week Check-up

I had my 32 week Dr. appointment this last Wednesday. It went well. While I’m still somehow measuring a little small (28 cm-I think I have my long torso to thank), Felicia is apparently not measuring small at all. She is actually measuring a week and a half earlier than my due date! Woo hoo! I know. I know. That doesn’t mean I will go early, but I can hope…right? Actually, I think she is measuring a week and a half early because of her HUGE head, which they keep reminding she has. Oh my. I really do not need to be reminded of that fact anymore. I’m pretty sure I will realize that full well soon enough.

Anyways, Felicia is right around 4 lbs. and her heart rate was 124 (which is on the low-end, but she was sleeping during the ultrasound which tends to make it lower). My blood pressure is still good and my weight is still climbing (right around 21 lbs). I have had quite a few contractions (some quite strong and consistent), but my doctor checked me and I’m not dilated yet. This is quite similar to what happened with Brenna (and she was only a week early), so I’m not getting too excited. I am getting so anxious to meet and hold our little girl, but I do hope she stays in there a little while longer. For her sake and ours.

I failed to take a 32 week belly picture (surprise, surprise). I will try my best to get one in a couple of days at 33 weeks and put it up. In the mean time, here’s a peek at Miss Felicia Laurelle…

Looks like she's sleeping quite peacefully. Cannot wait to kiss that sweet face!

31 Weeks

I’ll be 31 weeks tomorrow and failed again at posting my 30 week belly shot. It’s been a busy couple of weeks with getting Brenna’s new room ready, moving Brenna in to her new room and getting the nursery ready for Felicia’s arrival! I still have plenty more on my “to-do” list, but it feels good to have that accomplished. Brenna seems to be adjusting to her new room fairly well. She’s had several bad nights of sleep recently, but since that started before we switched her, I don’t think her new room is to blame.

As far as the pregnancy goes, I think I’m in a love-hate relationship with pregnancy right now. I do LOVE the miracle of pregnancy and the feeling of life inside of me, but I’m not so much loving not being able to do everything I want to do without the aches and pains associated with a growing belly. I’m not complaining, though, I realize soon enough we will meet our precious second daughter and everything will be SO worth it!

I think the last week or so, things have really started to click in Brenna’s mind. People always ask if she realizes there is going to be another baby in our house, and up to this point I’m not sure she has. However, we have really been working on trying to get her to understand she’s going to have a sister as much as is possible for a 15-month-old. A few days ago we gave her one of Felicia’s ultrasound pictures to carry around and look at and now she will point to it and say, “Bee-sha” or “Wee-sha”. Also, when we ask her where Felicia is she will point to my belly (or once in a while to Drew’s belly…haha!). She LOVES “kissing” Felicia and can even say “sister” if we ask her to. It’s absolutely precious to me and I cannot wait to see the two of them actually interact with each other.

I have another doctor’s appointment on Monday and they are going to do another ultrasound. I’m measuring a little small (not due to lack of weight gain…trust me.) and my doctor just wants to make sure my fluid level is ok and Felicia is measuring on track. He’s not too concerned and thinks it’s just my long torso and the fact that I have more room to spread out. We are, of course, excited to get another peek at Felicia!

Here’s a belly shot we took a few days ago and if I ever remember I will take pictures of the new rooms and post them sometime.

30 weeks and 4 days. I don't know how I could be measuring small...I feel huge!