Happy Birthday, Mom

This Thursday I am thankful for:

Having been taught to do things for myself and not expect someone else to do for me.

Being told I'll always love you, but I don't always like you. At the time I thought it was mean, now I know it was heartfelt and true.

Creative lying (Eat the crust, it gives you curly hair or The animals on the side of the road are just napping) - not only did it make my childhood more colorful, but makes parenting slightly easier.

Knowing the difference between wants and needs and understanding that needing always trumps wanting.

Daily phone calls just to check in and chat.

Knowing how to iron, cook, paint, drill and garden.

Understanding the importance of the quick once over when it comes to cleaning my house.

The joy of coming home to a clean house after a restful vacation.

Patience and humor, even if at times I am short on both.

Stamina - without knowing how to just keep going nothing would ever get accomplished in my life.

Understanding that it's okay to ask for and accept help.

Laughter and silliness, insight and understanding, truth-telling and hand-holding.

My wonderful, vivacious, gentle, silly mother - who taught everything I know. This list barely scratches the surface of what she has taught me and I know there is so much more to learn.

Windy City Wedding

Since last time checking in here we have been on the go, go, go. Last weekend was the long awaited and fabulous wedding of Karen and Matt. To say it was nothing short of beautiful would be a massive understatement. Anyone who knows me, knows that wedding (and babies) are my Achilles heel. I cry at strangers' weddings, needless to say, watching one of my best friends get married came very close to being a sob fest...except I remembered that I had $65 worth of make up plastered to my face and therefore pulled it together.

Thursday we had the rehearsal at Loyola and a fabulous dinner at Wildfire (so hard to be at Wildfire and not have flight of mini-martinis, thank heavens for Clausthaler). Addie was spoiled with gifts of her very own tiara and rhinestone bracelets, while Karen was slightly embarrassed by her bridesmaids sporting a wearable version of the note that rekindled her and Matt's relationship. By the time we rolled into bed at midnight we had logged an 18 hour day.

The celebrating continued on Friday with daytime manicures and pedicures after a girls trip to the Aroma Workshop to create signature perfumes. Addie and Andy napped and off we headed to downtown - first for a delectable dinner at Quartino's and then chilly, but lovely, boat cruise of the skyline. The little lady thought downtown was amazing, was awestruck by the Magnificent Mile, was astonished by the beauty of the skyline and thought that the bicycle cab we took back to the car was "weary , weary cool".

And then it was Saturday. We got our hair done, faces painted and zipped into our finery.

Karen redefined what a relaxed bride is with laughter and smiles. The ceremony was breathtaking at the chapel on Loyola's Lakeshore campus, followed by photos inside Wrigley field, at the Magnificent Mile, on the museum campus, and of course, where it all began, at Mulligan's.

The reception was perfection down to the last detail - from the beautiful atrium cocktail hour, to the specialty drinks, to the dance floor flanked by antique cars. There was a Chicago style hot dog cart (sweet heavens!), moist delicious cake, and more desserts than I ever imagined (chocolate mousse shooters, martini glasses full of fresh berries, ice cream sandwiches - OH MY!). The dancing was non stop - as was the laughter. A night focused on celebrating two wonderful people and filled with with our dearest friends -can't get better than that!

sleepover

Andy and I reached and survived yet another milestone earlier this week - the first official friend sleepover.
Sure we've had kids spend the night before - Rylan has crashed here on occasion, Evan has come to visit, Baby Sam and Emmett have come down from Chicago. But this time, it was Addie's partner in all things princess-y, Elise (and her adorable baby bro, Liam).
Elise's parents ran away to Southern Florida for some much need and well-earned rest and relaxation. And being that Genna has helped me out a thousand different times since moving to Cincinnati, and I need a little practice on mothering more than one kid at a time before the next one arrives, I told her I'd take the kiddos for Monday and Tuesday.

For the most part it was smooth sailing. Just about every toy in the house was played with, banana bread was baked, popcorn popped and a princess movie was enjoyed. The girls played in Addie's room, the basement and outside on the swing set. We watched massive thunderstorms roll through and read a few good books. Liam hung out babbling, stacking blocks, racing cars and snuggling a long ago forgotten stuffed piggy, which is now officially his.

There was some girl drama, as there always is when you put two princess together in the same castle, but over all it was fine. Fine, with the exception of bedtime. The girls had been read to, tucked in and kissed goodnight by 8:45 p.m. About a half hour after bedtime, when I walked to the bottom of the stairs to warn them to settle down I heard the urgent, hushed whisper of of "Shhhh! Here she comes!". At 10:30 p.m. there were still peals of laughter, the thud of small feet, and the sound of voices conspiring who knows what. Then silence - sweet silence.
Before I plopped into bed, six minutes after the silence started, I checked in on the cherubs. Elise was sleeping like an angel with her hands folded below her chin. Addie was passed out half on, half off her bed like a college student after a bender. I went to bed solid in my knowledge that the next morning I would have two little ladies who were tired and would sleep in.

I was wrong.

Both girls were bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7:10 a.m. full of questions and ideas and demands. I am pretty sure I just grunted at them until after my first cup of coffee. After Liam woke up and after breakfast was inhaled we headed outside to get a few new pictures of the little angels. I was impressed what sleep deprived, slightly cranky kids could pull off for the camera. . .

For the record, I stayed in bed this morning until well after 9 a.m.

This morning I realized that I am all out of coffee filters. I almost cried. I mostly avoid regular coffee while prego, but my cup of decaf, particularly in a quiet house with a few moments to myself, is pure happiness. I decided to avoid doing laundry for a few more silent minutes and logged onto Facebook to see what the world was up to. I was greeted by this:

So I don't know if you know this but it has been ten days since you
posted a new blog and I am in Spain and have no way to know all the things
going on in my favorite niece's life. Can you please fix this?
Thanks. Love ya!

Dearest Nicole Elizabeth,
I am so sorry for being so lackadaisical about the blog. I know that your life in Spain, lounging on beaches, drinking sangria and being generally fabulous, has been really taken a toll on you. I do apologize - I have no excuse for not updating the blog.

I have not been busy getting a new stove installed. Or mulching all of our landscaping. Or enriching Addison's daily life. I have had no laundry to do and haven't bothered to clean the house at all. Addie and I haven't had errands to run or play dates to attend. I will try not let my pure exhaustion due to 17 weeks of pregnancy hinder my blogging. So to keep you, my dear sister-in-law, in the know, here is an update:

This week was our second YMCA swim lesson. Last week Addie jumped in the pool without reservation and volunteered to go first for everything in her class. When class was over she was beaming and oh-proud. This week she went underwater over and over and came up grinning. She learned about different swim strokes and swam, with a noodle, from one end of the pool to another. I was bursting with pride.

There has been a pretty horrendous emergence of preteen attitude as of late. Sadly Addie has logged many hours "pulling it together" and thinking about her choices. Last week, while Grandma, Aunt Kim, Uncle Rick and Ry were over Miss Thang was in rare form, threw a temper tantrum and then spit on me. Kim congratulated me on allowing her to continue living.

Addie has had many play dates over the past week. Last week revolved around the sprinkler and giggling with her buddy Nicholas. This week Rylan and Elise came over which resulted (surprisingly) in three very well behaved and happy preschoolers. There have been a couple quality visits to Fernbank playground, where she has mastered the climbing walls and parts of the park she wouldn't even attempt last summer. Last night I was given a reprieve around dinner time, as Nicholas requested the company of "his lady" for another play date.

Addie has been having Miss Kelsey come over on Thursdays for a few hours so that I can go to my knitting classes and run some errands. Miss Kelsey comes over because you selfishly ran away to Spain. Last week they baked a batch of delicious chocolate chip and M&M cookies - yummmm - and this week they played outside with (of course) Nicholas.

We are getting ready to visit cousins Jackson and Emerson for a day this weekend. We're also trying to get organized for Karen's wedding in Chicago. Addie's big purple bow came in this week and miraculously my dress fits.

I was asked by her highness to let you know that she misses you and she took good care of your Mom before Grandma headed on vacation. She thinks that it is imperative that I tell you that Mich is doing just fine.

Finally, I was informed today that she is planning to marry Nicholas. Oy.

Forgiveness

Mom, what does forgive mean?
Umm, it means to no longer be mad at someone for upsetting you. Why?
Because I forgive you.
You forgive me? What did I do to upset you?
You didn't let me go to the park, but I forgive you.


And off you flounced to play outside, so I started thinking about all of the time I have forgiven you.

For waking me up at 2:45 a.m. to tell me you're uncomfortable.
For vomiting sausage and grapes down my back.
For coloring in the back door.
For spilling a cup of milk in the car and not telling me.
For drinking my water and leaving it cloudy with floaters.
For throwing toys from one end of the house to the other.
For telling me daddy is much better cook.
For calling me a mean, old thing.
For saying eeeeewwwwww and pointing at my backside when I took off my shorts to try on a skirt in Target.
For kicking me in the shins just to see my reaction.
For informing me you wished our neighbor was your mom.
For the multitude of poop that went out your diaper and up your back.
For the stretch marks, the spider veins, the lower back pain, the 24 hours of labor.
For mistaking me for the maid and asking me if I came with the house.
For the multiplying stains my carpets.
For stepping my toes 10 tens a day and my weekly headbutt to the face.

I am sure that I am missing some major points in that list, but you just told me, rather firmly, it's time to make lunch, and I best do that so that you don't get mad at me again.