Brinley
Tiny Dancer
Jun 10th
Last weekend, Brinley danced in her very first dance recital. Since September she has been going to dance class once a week and learning some ballet and tap moves. She absolutely loves going and adores her teacher. Of course wearing a leotard, tutu, tights and ballet slippers/tap shoes makes it just about one of the best things she does all week. I’ve enjoyed it because it makes her so happy (and I can drop her off for an hour and know that she’s having a great time while Nora and I go enjoy a coffee and some munchkins).
Talk of this recital has been in the air since about December when the girls were fitted for their costumes. Detailed emails were sent to parents on what color tights and shoes the girls were to wear as well as how their hair should be done. The little girls had been practicing their routines like crazy. So how come I was the one who was nervous about the recital?
I worried about getting her the right tights and about how I’d get her super silky and not very long hair to stay in a bun. I worried about where we’d sit in the audience to get a good view of her. I worried about who would watch Nora while Scott, myself, my mom, my mother in law and my sister (basically all of our babysitters) were in the audience watching Brinley perform. I worried about Brinley getting stage fright and freezing on stage or running off stage or crying. All the while Brinley seemed just fine and excited about it all.
I’m not going to get in to all of the details, but let’s just say that I was worried for nothing! Everything went off without a hitch. My fantastic friends Nellie and Chris offered to babysit Nora (who had an absolute blast with them!), we got awesome seats at the auditorium, Brinley had all of the right equipment and her hair was stunning (thanks to the discovery of a “bun donut” and some YouTube tutorials).
Here is a shot of Brinley and her best friend Nina dressed for their tap performance to “Petticoat Junction”. This performance was adorable and the girls did great. The best part is when they all threw their arms up and yelled out Petticoat Junction. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time and Brinley looked like such a natural up there.
Here’s Brinley performing her ballet number to “Dynasty”. She was really in her element up there. Ballet has always been her favorite and watching her prance around on stage literally brought tears to my eyes. I was so proud of her and she looked so adorable. I even saw some tears welling up in Scott’s eyes (but don’t tell him I told you!).
The entire production of the recital was amazing. It was so much more than I expected and I’m so thrilled that Brinley was a part of it. I look forward to many more years of dance in our future. Brinley will definitely be taking ballet and tap again in the fall and she’s also going to give Irish Step dancing a try!
Scars
Mar 14th
I seem to get a lot of hits to my blog by people searching for dermabond, scars and facial lacerations. It’s not much of a surprise to me considering the posts here and here. So, I decided to do a little follow-up, if you will, on how things have turned out for my girls, scar-wise. If you remember (or if you go back and read those two posts) Brinley and Nora both had accidents involving facial lacerations. Brinley was just over two years old and Nora was about 16 months old. Brinley had six stitches and Nora was treated with dermabond.
Over two and a half years later, Brinley’s scar is barely noticed at all. It’s about an inch long and luckily it’s right in her hair line. We’ll still be sure to put sunblock on it whenever we’re out in the sun for long periods of time, but for the most part it’s completely off of our radar. We never see it and it has no lasting effects. Here is a picture of her scar as it looks today (with me pulling her hair back off of it):
Nora’s scar hasn’t had as much time to heal as Brinley’s but so far I am happy with the results. If you remember from my original post on it, I was a little bummed that her pediatrician said he’d probably have stitched it instead of using dermabond, but it was too late. He obviously wasn’t there when we were in the ER and he didn’t see the original wound but that was his opinion. It made me a little upset that we may have missed an opportunity to have the best outcome for her. But now that time has passed and the dermabond has long since fallen off, I couldn’t be happier about the appearance of her scar. It’s virtually unnoticeable! Unlike Brinley’s, Nora’s is more in the front and center (well a little off to the left) of her forehead. So a visually noticeable scar there wouldn’t be so great. I guess she could always opt for bangs, but I’m not a huge bangs fan. I can honestly say that her scar is never mentioned or noticed by anyone. Again, we’ll use sunscreen and all that, but it’s a non issue to us. Here is a picture of Nora’s scar as it looks today:
Nora’s scar wasn’t a nice straight line like Brinley’s is. But honestly, I had to circle it in the picture because otherwise you’d never have been able to find it. It’s more of a little bump in her skin than anything. Hopefully it stays the way it is or gets even better.
So there you have it. I know the wounds were different and they were on different kids, but that’s my experience with both stitches and dermabond. I wouldn’t say that one was better than the other because honestly I’ll never know that. I will say, though, that I am very happy that we went with the dermabond for Nora. I think that she’d have a much more noticeable scar with stitches.
THE END
Losing Control
Mar 11th
I have been a mother now for four years, five months and eleven days. For the majority of that time I have felt in control of most things baby/toddler/child related. I determine when my children eat, when they bathe, when they get to watch TV. I determine where we are going on a given day and who we will see. The power is in my hands. Though, that doesn’t mean I don’t get request for other things or protests against what I say. But the truth of the matter is, I am the parent and I make the rules. Right?
One thing that I have really enjoyed having control over for the past four years, five months and eleven days is what my children wear and how they are presented when we’re out of the house. By that I mean, I love dressing my girls in cute outfits and coordinating their hair accessories to match. I take pride in their neatness and overall put-together-ness. It’s sort of like a hobby of mine. That might sound materialistic or even ridiculous to some, but to me, it’s just the way I like it. It doesn’t mean that I shop at high end stores or dress my girls in fancy clothes. In fact, 95% of their wardrobe comes from Target or Kohls. I am a bargain shopper. What it does mean is that I just like them to look neat, clean and presentable whenever we’re out. I like them to be dressed properly for the day/occasion and the weather. Up until recently, I have had complete control over this.
ENTER 4 year, 5 month, 11 day old daughter. EXIT mom’s control of outfit selection.
I love being a mom to girls. It really suits me. {Though honestly I don’t know anything else.} But it definitely has it’s challenges. As much as I love dressing my girls, I simply don’t have the time or energy to argue about clothes with a four and a half year old. The mornings are much too rushed as it is and without at least two cups of coffee in me, I just can’t stand to put up the fight. Even if I did, a meltdown of epic proportions would ensue and I’d ultimately give in to get her to shut up! {Please do not criticize my parenting strategy, or lack there of.}
So, yesterday morning, as we were getting ready for the day, my daughter asks, “Mom, can I wear whatever I want?” I’d say this question gets asked as average of 5 out of 7 days of the week. Typically I say yes, but I do ask to see the outfit before it’s put on. If the outfit is weather appropriate and suitable for whatever the day has in store, I don’t fight it {even if it’s the complete opposite of what I would have picked out for the day.} I do have to say though, Brinley does know how to coordinate an outfit so my efforts thus far have been worth it. The clothes she chooses almost always match and look cute. {I, of course, do still have control over what is purchased! Thank God!}
Anyway, back to yesterday morning… Brinley lays out her outfit of choice and I go in to her room to approve of it. She has picked out pink leggings, a jean skirt, pink socks, and a pink, long sleeved shirt. Sounds great, right? Well, the pink shirt had a black cat on it with Halloween themed stars and said “Scaredy Cat”. I mentioned to her that it was a Halloween shirt and that Halloween had already passed but I must have forgotten to put the shirt away. I suggested another pink shirt to go with the outfit but she insisted on this one. So, I let it go. And I let my daughter go out, to a play date even, in a Halloween shirt in March.
Holiday Gift Giving, Part 3
Dec 3rd
This post is coming to you a bit after the fact. You see, I’ve already purchased all of my girls’ Christmas presents (and damn does it feel good!). But, I will still share with you what will be under the tree this year for my four year old. I admit, I went a bit overboard. It was just too easy! In case you missed the previous posts, my girls will be getting some joint gifts this year and Nora will also be getting her own loot. Oh and did I mention that I’m DONE shopping for them?!
Anyway, without further ado, here is what Brinley will be getting this year…
First, and really the only thing she has asked for, the Leapster Exploerer
I had been scouring the Black Friday ad leaks for weeks hoping for a good deal on this. The retail price is $69.99. I’m always hunting for bargains but since this is the first year of the Leaspter Explorer I figured there was a slim chance I’d get a fantastic price. I also wanted the pink one but its a Toys R Us or LeapFrog.com exclusive. I ended up buying the green one on Black Friday because Target had a $10 off coupon in their flyer and I had the $10 off coupon from specially marked boxes of Cheerios. So, I got it for $49.99 which I think was pretty good. I’m also really glad that I didn’t wait because it’s now out of stock almost everywhere! There are so many accessories and games that go along with this but I tried to be good and only bought her 3 games – Disney’s Tangled, Disney Princesses, and Ni Hao Ki-lan. Hopefully those will keep her busy for a while.
I also got her a few games. Elefun, which she has played at a friends house and loved (and I think it’s fun too), Don’t Spill the Beans, which I remember from my childhood, and Hi Ho Cherry-O.
Next I got her a Spriograph. Remember these? It’s that drawing thing where you have the little gears and you put a pen in it and spin it around and make cool designs. Brinley LOVES to draw and I know she’ll get a kick out of this if she can get the hang of it. If not, I’m sure I’ll have fun with it!
I honestly can’t even remember what else I bought. It’s hidden away for now until I wrap it. I did get each of the girls one of those Sing-a-Ma-Jig things. At first I thought they were a little scary but after playing with one in the store for a few minutes it started to grow on me. And Kohl’s had them on super sale on Black Friday. So I picked up two.
Well, there you have it folks. I’m sure I left something out but you get the general idea. My girls are a bit spoiled but we don’t really buy for anyone else so it’s not so bad. And since we just got a new furnace, humidifier, air purifier and central air coil installed last month, Scott and I certainly won’t be exchanging gifts this year. (But my birthday is on December 23rd and I better be getting something for that! What? I AM turning 30!)
What’s your name and how old are you?
Aug 2nd
On Friday I took the girls to the library for a bit. Brinley loves books and really enjoys going to the library to pick out new ones to borrow. Nora, on the other hand, just wants to take all of the books off the shelves and make a mess. Thankfully they have some toys there too to keep her occupied.
Anyway, as I was browsing the shelves for some books that might interest Brinley, I noticed her walking over to a little girl that was looking for some books of her own. Brinley went right up to her and said: “Hi! My name is Brinley and I’m three and a half. What’s your name and how old are you?” This has become her new phrase of choice when we go anywhere and she sees/meets someone new. She asks the check out girl/guy at whatever store we’re in, she asked the sales ladies at the furniture stores this weekend, she asks anyone she meets at a park, and even when we’re just passing by someone she doesn’t know she’ll try to ask them. It’s cute but of course not everyone, especially older women, wants to share how old they are. Brinley doesn’t understand this and the other day a woman said, “Well, how old do you think I am?” Brinley just looked at her very confused and said, “I don’t know, that’s why I asked you.” Luckily the lady thought she was cute and we both just laughed. The lady managed to get away without giving away her age. My guess is that she was in her late 50s.
Anyway, back to my original story about the library. So Brinley asks the little girl and the girl says, “My name is Zoe and I’m four and a half.” Then they have the most adorable conversation ever!
Brinley: That’s a nice name.
Zoe: Thanks.
B: What’s your mom and dad’s names?
Z: Heather and Aaron.
B: Which one is the boy?
Z: Aaron
B: What street do you live on? I live on Rocky Road*. Do you live in Anytown*, too? What state do you live in?
Z: I live on Lovely Lane* in Anytown*. I live in Missachewits.
B: What planet do you live on?
Z: Earth.
B: ::in an extremely excited voice:: ME TOO!!
This entire time I’m standing behind one of the book shelves listening to the whole conversation. Then Brinley runs over to me and says, “Mom, this is Zoe and she lives on Earth too!! Can she come over to play sometime?”
*Street and town names have been changed to protect our privacy. 
