What I’m saying is that I’m going to attempt to make a come back. Key word here: attempt. I’ve done it a few times before and have vanished each time so I can’t make promises. Really though, like I said, I’m doing it for myself so who cares what you think anyway! HA!

Ok, so maybe that isn’t the most awesome thought right now.  It’s actually kind of disturbing.  But today, I got to see what that would have looked like.  Back in October I wrote a post about my daughter’s blocked tear duct.  I was having a hard time with the fact that she might have to have it surgically probed to open it up.  This meant putting her under anesthesia.  The thought made me sick.  But now, I’m coming to terms with the idea.

Today I took Nora for her second eye doctor appointment.  The first time, she had a comprehensive eye exam and aside from the blocked duct and very slight myopia {nearsightedness} in one eye she checked out just fine.  So back to the highlighter oozing eyes…  They put these special yellow drops in her eyes.  The drops tint her tears and then the doctor can see how the tears are draining.  The way they do that is they shine a black light in her eye and see where the tinted tears are going.  And since Nora’s left tear duct is blocked, the tears were pooling on her lower lids and glazing over her entire eye.  So when the doctor shined the black light it looked like highlighter was pouring out of her eyes.  It was cool and creepy at the same time.

All of this has confirmed the fact that Nora will have to have her duct probed.  They refer to it as a surgery which makes me cringe, but it takes all of about 5 minutes.  Hopefully once it’s over with I’ll stop hearing, “Oh, poor thing!  Why is she crying?”

Happy FOURTH Birthday, Brinley Grace!

It’s crazy how much she wants to be just like her big sister.  Last night, Nora really proved just how much she wants to be like her big sister.  You see, a little less than two years ago, Brinley had her first visit to the ER.  She fell and hit her head on a wrought iron fire place basket and wound up with six stitches right in her hairline on her forehead.  Nora wasn’t yet born back then, but she was with us through it.  She was a mere 8 weeks along in gestation.  I know she was taking note of it all.

How do I know this?  Well yesterday we had a BBQ.  It was raining so it turned into an indoor event.  After we had enjoyed our food we headed down to the family room to play some Guitar Hero.  The kids were making a phenomenal mess with the toys and the adults were taking turns playing Wii and supervising the kiddos.  It was just about 7pm and we were getting ready to call it a night when we heard a loud thud.  We all turned toward the direction of the sound and saw Nora face down on the brick fireplace hearth.  I ran over to her and turned her over and she had a gash on her forehead that was bleeding a lot.  I picked her up, brought her upstairs and put pressure on the wound.  It just so happened that we had both a doctor and a nurse in the house.  Once the bleeding stopped, both doctor and nurse had taken a quick look and Scott stopped vomiting (he has a weak stomach at the sight of blood), we got in the car and headed to the hospital.  We left Brinley home in good hands with our friends.

Now I am not a fan of Emergency Rooms at all (not that I can imagine anyone is).  The wait is always very long and it’s no fun to see all of these sick/hurt people waiting for care.  But I have to say, it was as good of an experience as a visit to the ER could possibly be.  We were in and out of there in less than an hour and a half.  Nora, unlike her sister, did not require stitches.  The doctor was able to use Derma-Bond glue to close the wound.  Though both girls hurt themselves on or around a fireplace and had their wound on the same side of their forehead, Brinley’s was up much higher near her hairline while Nora’s is more right in the front of her forehead.  It fits her personality.  She’s a bruiser.

She will not be out done by her big sister!

Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Well, it’s starting to get warmer around these parts which means people are wearing less clothing and I can no longer hide my body under bulky, warm clothing.  The short sleeves, capris, sandals and eventually (eek!) bathing suits will be making their way out of hiding and back on to my body so I’m hoping to have a better looking body to put them on.  I went the entire summer last year without putting on a bathing suit.  (Cut me some slack, I had just given birth in May.)  But I’m hoping to be able to wear one with (some) confidence this year.

This is NOT going to be an easy task as we’re moving in nine days and still have just about our entire house to pack.  But I’m going to stop making excuses.  Even if I don’t get the work outs in as often as I’d like, I can make a good start by eating better.  Bye bye pizza, ice cream and cookies!  A minute on my lips is not worth the months and months you’ll spend on my hips (and every other body area)!

I’d love to hear about any good, healthy snacks that you love that are quick and easy and can be eaten on the go.  My biggest problem is being away from the house and becoming starving and grabbing a not so healthy snack.  I’d like to stock my pantry with things that I can throw in the diaper bag and grab while out that will satisfy me.

2.  You can dress your almost ten month old daughter in hot pink from head to toe complete with a pretty pink bow in her hair and old ladies will still refer to her as a he.  I have never, and will never, understand this.

3.  You can ask your child a bazillion times to do something and they will still refuse to do it.  However, the second a stranger (or anyone other than mom) asks your child the same thing, she will do it.  We stopped to have a snack in one of those sitting areas at the mall.  Brinley dropped one of her granola bites on the floor and I asked her nicely to pick it up.  Then I asked her again, and again, and again.  Then I told her to pick it up (again, and again, and again),  But it wasn’t until the lady sitting beside us said, “Honey I think you dropped one of your cookies on the floor.  Can you pick it up and throw it away?” that she immediately stopped what she was doing and went over and picked it up.  Grrrr..  Makes me feel so powerless!

4.  An ice cream filled cupcake can make anything better!

Aaaaaanyway, things are going great. Life with two is fun. Brinley just loves her little sister and its so great that she’s really not very jealous of her. My heart melts when I see Brinley go over to Nora and just give her a hug or give her one of her stuffed animal friends. Today I was in the shower and Nora was in her bouncy seat in the bathroom with me while Brinley played in her room. Nora started to cry and I was obviously soaking wet. Before I knew it, Brinley was in the bathroom offering Nora her binky and turning the music on from her bouncy seat. She also brought Nora her Jesse Bear. It was too cute!

Brinley is growing up so fast! I can’t believe how big she has gotten. Its even more evident when looking at her compared to Nora. I just went back to look at some pictures of Brinley when she was Nora’s age. It nearly brought a tear to my eye to see how small she once was and how big she now is. Time sure does fly. I’m trying hard not to think about what life will be like when Nora is Brinley’s age because I wish I could freeze them both at the ages they are now. Though I know life will continue to bring new surprises as they grow, its sad that they can’t stay small forever.

Brinley and Nora at almost the same age.

Brinley is two years, nine and a half months old. She is completely potty trained, sleeps in a big girl bed, doesn’t use binkies anymore and is a self declared “Big Girl”. She loves music of all kinds and will tell you that her favorite song is “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga. (Time for mommy to start listening to more kid friendly music in the car.) Her favorite thing to do lately has been to color. She’s really good at it too. She can hold a crayon perfectly and colors in the lines with ease. She still loves books and hearing stories. We visit the library often to keep the books fresh. You all know that she’s smart as a whip, but next time you see her ask her to count for you in Spanish or ask her the colors in Spanish. As much as I can’t stand Dora the Explorer, I do have to give her some credit for teaching Brinley more Spanish than I know! She still amazes us daily with all that she can do. Her next venture – Preschool this fall!

Nora Jade joined our family on May 1st this year. She is a very welcomed addition. We couldn’t be happier with her. She is a wonderful baby and has fit into the mix seamlessly! Nora is 10 weeks old today. She weighs 11 lbs 1.5 oz and is 23 inches long. She eats and sleeps very well. She slept in her crib for the first time last night. She’s cute as a button and we hear that she looks like both Scott and I, though most say more like me. We’ve yet to really determine the color of her hair. It really depends on the lighting. Its red, blonde and brown all at the same time – definitely not as red as Brinley’s was though.

Brinley has stepped into her role as Big Sister very well. She isn’t very jealous at all. She is always telling us how much she loves her sister and is great at sharing her favorite stuffed animal, Jesse Bear, with her. I am loving watching them interact and look forward to watching the sisters grow together.