"....A FEW SPECIAL YEARS"

We had a really nice visit today with Addie, Cameron, Callie, and Avery. Cameron had a meeting in Phoenix and they came over and hung out for a while. We talked, laughed, and reminisced some and Gage and Callie played. Bella was very clingy and wouldn't go play with the kids easily as she used to. She is really going through some stuff right now that I hope is just a phase. But she is also so sweet, friendly, funny, and very entertaining as she learns more and more words. She is saying a lot of words and even more that we can't understand yet. She will look you in the eye and say something so pointedly that we can't decipher and she must feel so confused about why we aren't responding correctly. She had her first day in Nursery on Sunday and it was....interesting. She was very nervous at first and I had to sit in one of the tiny chairs right next to her. Then, when I thought she was into what she was doing, I got up to check on Paisley and Bella freaked out. It's not enough that I was in the same room as her - I had to be sitting right next to her! But she did really enjoy herself; puzzles, snacks, music, singing, dancing, toys - what's not to like? It's a kid's paradise in there. And she was very sweet to the teachers and the kids, so that was refreshing. It'll get better......?? It's a good thing that Paisley is such a good baby. I don't know how I would handle it all if she wasn't. She never cries. She is so happy and content as long as she is fed. And as you can see from the pictures, she is very well-fed. She gives us the biggest smiles all the time that just melt your heart. Occasionally, she gets slightly fussy if she's tired, but if you just give her a pacifier she'll go to sleep. And for three nights in a row now she has gone to sleep at 7pm and slept all the way through to 6:30am!!! I have been reading this book called The Baby Whisperer and it is awesome! The toughest part about it is finding the time to read it!

I actually wish I could spend more time just sitting and holding Paisley. With Gage, that's all I did. I remember having feelings of guilt if I put him down and I shared those feelings with my mom. She wisely advised me that I would need to get over that. It would be nice if someone could take care of all my responsibilities and I could just play and cuddle with them all day and use their nap time to read or blog or do fun activities that I want to do. As Addie and I discussed today, you can't be selfish and be a mother. It makes you a better person. I often wonder what I did with all my free time before I had kids. I cherish my role as a mother and everyday I wish I could freeze time so that they don't grow up. They are just so precious at these ages. One of my favorite movies is Hook, a modern remake of Peter Pan, and there is a great moment where Moira (the mom who is married to a grown-up, work-obsessed, stuffy, uptight, Peter Panning who doesn't remember he is Peter Pan) is pleading with her husband and father to her two young children: "Your children love you, they want to play with you. How long do you think that lasts? Soon Jack might not even want you to come to his games. We have a few special years with our children, when they're the ones that want us around. After that you're going to be running after them for a bit of attention. It's so fast Peter. Just a few years, and it's over. And you are not being careful. And you are missing it." That just says it all to me and it is one of my favorite all-time quotes. If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it.

Gage continues to entertain us. I bought him these bedtime training pants online that promised to feel and look just like underwear, but hold in moisture. Well, we tried them on him and they did NOT look or feel like underwear. Just look at the picture!! They are ridiculous! We were all cracking up about those. We just decided to go cold turkey and have him wear underwear at night and he's doing pretty well! We just have to make sure he doesn't drink anything for at least an hour before he goes to bed. He is such a good brother and loves his sisters so. He is so concerned for them and worries if they cry or get hurt. That's not to say that he doesn't provoke the hurting or crying at times like every big brother should. And he is a wonderful help to me, running little errands around the house for me and doing his chores.

Paisley Stats:

At her two-month checkup she weighed....are you ready.....14lbs 2oz!!! And she is 23 1/4". She is (obviously) in the 95th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. On June 18th, just shy of two months, she rolled from her tummy to her back twice in a row. She has continued to do that frequently, though not every time. I'm amazed she can roll that chubby body!