Magdalena at THREE!

Dear Sweet Magdalena,

I cannot believe you are already three years old. Time has gone by so fast with you in my life.

You have become an amazing young lady and honestly, words cannot describe the joy and love you bring into my life. You have been with me and Daddy through so many big changes and nothing rattles you. You are so smart, so loving, so funny and such a wonderful person.

I am so proud to be your mom. You are unique and amazing. You are a beautiful child. I love your pouty lips, your button nose, your long eyelashes and your ringlets. You are so strong and muscular and very athletic. You can throw a ball, kick a ball, jump up high, do somersaults, and lots of other fun things.

You are incredibly caring and empathetic. You love everyone and want to take care of everyone. If another child is crying, you go to them and try to comfort them. You always come to Mommy or Daddy if someone needs help. You love giving hugs and kisses, and snuggling with your family.

You are hilarious and are starting to tell complicated jokes. You love to play and be crazy. You love to play pretend, but you also just love being part of daily life. You love to clean, and are quick to point it out to Mama if something is dirty.

You are in love with your baby brother and always want the best for him. You are a very loving big sister and are getting more and more excited about Liam growing up. You also love your Grandparents very, very much and cherish your time with them.

You are my heart. I love you so much. You are a beautiful person and I am so blessed that you are mine, at least for a while. You are perfect. I love you.

Busy Week!

I started school last Monday, and my first week was awesome!

Maggie turned three years old on the 27th and we had her birthday party today!!

The week before school started, we got the worst flu ever and it was horrible.

I will elaborate on everything in some upcoming posts. I have been so busy, but I have been taking lots of pictures of everything!

Here's a sneak peak of Maggie's birthday:

Magdalena and her friend, Olivia, enjoying her BIG birthday present!

A Silly Snake Shirt for a Two Year Old!

I made this "2" shirt for my friend Holly's son, Oden. I made it completely out of felt and everything was hand sewn. I used no patterns, and it was so easy!! It was time consuming, but i loved the way it turned out. My advice for new crafters? Just use your imagination and don't be afraid. No one is going to tell you you're not doing it right! I love, love, love making cute stuff like this for little ones!

We are about to leave for his birthday party and I hope he loves this silly snake shirt as much as I do!

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

And that is why I don't have a new blog post.

Hopefully, blogs will reappear soon.

Sick and Tired.

Magdalena is really sick. And basically, it really sucks. Last night, she ended up coughing so hard she threw up every where. She woke up covered, and I mean COVERED, in dried snot. You can thank me for not posting pictures.
She had her blood draw yesterday, and she did really well. Yes, she cried and "silent-screamed" during it, but she didn't turn into a Wildcat, as we like to call full body tantrums. I held her in my lap and pinned one of her arms to her body. Mark held the arm that was getting poked and it was over in about a minute. I was so, so thankful they found a good vein and it went well.
She happily collected her stickers when she was done, and asked me to put her on the examining table and "check" her before we left. She even turned down our offer for a cupcake from our favorite bakery. I was a little bummed about that, as I wanted a cupcake, too. Instead, we went out to lunch with my mom, and Maggie got to have a hot dog and french fries, which is basically heaven on a plate to her.
She ended up falling asleep at 2:00 pm, and didn't wake up until 6:00 pm. Then, she was up until 11:00. At midnight, she threw up in her bed and was up for about a half an hour while we cleaned her and her bed up, gave her a breathing treatment and calmed her down. She ended needing another breathing treatment, but did sleep through the night and finally woke up at 11:00 AM. And that was when she was covered in snot.
Liam has caught this cold and is now a grouchy, miserable mess. Mark and I are also sick and extremely tired. Like, bone-crushingly tired. Liam has kept his normal sleeping schedule and was up at 6:30 AM. I seriously think I could sleep for a full day if given the opportunity.

Blessed

If you are looking at this picture, you see a happy, smiling, playful little girl. You see a curly haired, athletic, adventurous almost 3 year old who loves everything about life.
And that's exactly who Maggie is.
What you don't see is a little girl who has spent the last six months sick. You don't hear the coughing that wakes her up every night, sometimes causing her to have trouble breathing or making her throw up. You don't see the twelve doctor's appointments she has been to this year, the hundreds of breathing treatments she has had in her life and the dozens of times she has had to take oral medication. You would never guess she has struggled with ear infections, eye infections, throat irritations, sleep deprivation and constant snuffling and congestion. You would never know that she coughs and can't catch her breath after running or playing.
But that's exactly who Maggie is, too.
Tomorrow, we are taking the next step in figuring out what is wrong. She is getting blood work done, which will determine whether or not we will be going to a Nose, Throat and Ear Specialist. My heart is breaking for her. I really do not want my precious girl to be in pain or
be frightened. I hate that she has to get her blood drawn.
It freaks me out.
I am blessed to have a daughter who can walk, run , play, eat, talk and be free. I am blessed that we are not dealing with a life-threatening or debilitating illness. I am blessed to have a daughter who has an extremely, extremely good chance at a completely healthy and normal life. I am blessed to have doctors to go to, medicines to try, and family and friends to laugh and cry with. I am blessed that she has never been in the hospital.
I am blessed that I know my Jesus is walking beside me and Magdalena. And my Jesus will never leave us, and in fact, died in order to free her from these chains.
So, friends and readers, I ask you to just join my family in praying that tomorrow's blood test will be easy, calm and pain free. I pray that it will be quick and the technician will be skilled and experienced in dealing with young children. I also pray that a plan will be developed and Maggie's health (her coughing at night in particular) will improve quickly and dramatically. I pray that her third year will be totally different from her second year.
If you are looking at this picture, you see a blessed, joyful little girl who will be healed. You see a happy, loving girl who will sleep through the night. You see a curly-haired, crazy monkey who will forget that she ever coughed all night. You see a big sister who doesn't think of going to the doctor as a weekly thing and can run and play with ease. You see an amazing, healthy, smiling girl who has a big, wonderful, blessed future, full of spectacular things. And that is exactly who Maggie is.

One Cute Baby Boy

Because sometimes I just don't care...

Breakfast

This Sunday, we spent our morning eating breakfast at of our favorite restaurants and coffee shop, where one of my BFFs (and former roommate and bridesmaid) just happens to be a waitress. Annie was so excited to see us, and even spent time coloring with Maggie. Maggie loves Annie, and she was so excited to get the extra attention from her, in a restaurant.

Maggie is known for being picky about breakfast foods, but when I saw "Monster Pancake" on the kid's menu, I knew she would love it. And she did. She even ate (and enjoyed) her very first piece of bacon. It was a very proud moment for a bacon-loving, aspiring foodie like myself.

Liam loved his breakfast of pancake bits, egg yolks, smashed black beans and avocado. He is such a good eater and is eating more and more table food these days. We had a wonderful time until Liam started fussing. When I picked him up, I said "I think he got avocado all over him?" when my hand went right into a pile of something mushy and then realized that it was poop that I was feeling, and it was EVERYWHERE. Such is life with a baby. At least we were pretty much ready to go, anyway!

A Baby Shower Present...

N is for Noah! I went to baby shower yesterday for my friend, Brooke. I decided to try and make a onesie like my friends Morgan and Jenna. I always admire how cute all their crafts are, so I decided to try it out! I was pretty pleased with the results, although parts of it are a little off center. But, overall, I was happy with it.
I bought a five pack of the onesies in Liam's current size, so I am making some for him, too. I hand sewed everything so it took a long time. I just love the way hand sewn stitches look, but I might pull out the sewing machine for some of them. It's way faster!
I am really getting into crafting. It is fun to do, and the results are fun, too. It feels so good to give your child (or someone else's child!) something especially for them.

By Request...

A few weeks ago, I teased you all with this picture of delicious cinnamon rolls: A few of you requested the recipe, so here it is! I used the recipe off the back of the packet of yeast and it was great. Sweet, but not too sweet!

http://www.redstaryeast.com/best_recipes/244/11/Cinnamon-Rolls

Four Monkeys

Maggie loves these monkeys outside one of our favorite restaurants. We went there last night with Mark's mom and took the time for an impromptu photo shoot. Maggie really got into it and loves taking pictures these days.

She made quite an impression at this restaurant, sweetly saying thank you to everyone she came in contact with. She also ordered for herself, without any prompting (she ordered before I could do it for her!) and asked for "Spaghetti-with honey". She had been coloring a picture of a bear with a pot of honey at the table, and wouldn't stop talking about it. The waitress actually brought her honey with her dinner, and I let Maggie put a small amount (1 squeeze packet) on her food and she ate the whole thing. My funny monkey!

Breastfeeding at 7 1/2 Months

I really don't why I posted this picture, I am actually quite modest when it comes to breastfeeding. I almost always use a cover, unless I am only around certain family members. Oddly enough, my twin brother in among one of those family members. He doesn't care, so I don't care. And he will actually hold a conversation with me when I 'm nursing, too. Most guys I know, blanket or not, will run away when I'm breastfeeding. Funny boys.

But, nurse, like this, in public? Never. I always use a light blanket or a receiving blanket when I nurse in public, only because it makes me more comfortable. It doesn't make me uncomfortable when other mom nurse without covers, but I honestly am shocked when I see a boob just hanging out. And I mean, full on hanging out. Not half covered up like in my picture. I would not enjoy wondering if someone was leering at me from a distance, so I cover up.

But, I think breastfeeding is beautiful. It is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I love knowing all the benefits for my babes, but I also love all the emotional aspects of it. I love being able to instantly soothe any hurt, to provide comfort and closeness AND food at the same time.

Maggie self weaned at 6 1/2 months, so I have entered new territory as far as nursing goes. I forgot how wiggly and distracted babies are at this age. Sometimes, it is almost impossible to get Liam to settle down and have a big meal. So, he snacks a lot, and about 3 times a day, he will nurse for 15 minutes. When I say "snack", I mean he will nurse for about 5 minutes and then want to move on.

I hope to continue breastfeeding for Liam's first year. One year was also my goal for Maggie, but she had a lot of trouble gaining weight and had to be supplemented with formula. I believe this is why she weaned so early. So, I am trying my hardest to keep going so I can meet this goal. This means I will have to start pumping again, so he has breast milk to drink during the two days I will be at school.

Every night, when Liam wakes up at midnight to eat, we sit together in our favorite chair. All the lights are off, the volume is turned off on the TV, but it is on to provide a little light, and the house is quiet. He is crying and upset at first, but he immediately quiets to eat. Then, he will look up at me and stroke my face. Or sometimes he grabs my nose to hold onto. Or he tries to put his fingers in my mouth. But, in ten or fifteen minutes, he will have fallen fast asleep. And then, I spend a few minutes looking at his perfect sleeping body, nuzzled up against mine. And it feels like home.

Summer Means..

Ice Cream!

Or, in this case, Sherbet! Watermelon Sherbet, in fact. We have an amazing ice cream shop in town that sells homemade ice cream. They only make watermelon sherbet seasonally, and it's only for about a month. I've had it a couple times in the past few weeks and it is amazing. It even has real watermelon seeds (which is a little annoying when you bite into one). But, it so yummy!
All their ice cream is super creamy, fresh and delicious. They even placed #2 for a Good Morning America contest for the best ice cream in the country! Going there as a family is just one of the things I love about my raising my kids in my hometown.