A Bug, a Bean and a....

BOY!!!

After six granddaughters in my friend Lisa's family - each born once a year since 2003 - the newest baby is a boy! Its been a running joke in the family and all the siblings have "fought" to claim the title of "first boy" in the family! (I think it has something to do with Grandpa being a farmer - he needs some help out in the fields!) I'm so excited for Lisa and her hubby! And, we've decided it might be possible that Bug is a little psychic - she's been telling everyone for weeks that they baby in her mommy's tummy is a boy! She also thinks his name should be Pablo... I hope her heart isn't set on that one!



I can't wait to meet Baby Boy!

Bug: Day One, Part Three!

We got home and rested most of the rest of the afternoon. And by "rested", I mean she watched Princess and the Frog again while I attempted to rest my eyes.

We went out to run an errand and play at the McDonald's playland for a little bit and then I told her that I had a birthday surprise waiting for her back at home. We made a deal to go home, take a short bath, have her bday surprise, and then bedtime. She tried to guess what her surprise was all the way home and through her bath. (In which I let her use all my kitchen utensils and measuring cups to make up for the lack of real bath toys.)

While she finished up playing in the bath, I got her surprise ready:

I got her out of the tub and into PJs and then made her wait while I lit the candles.

Her face when she walked out was perfection:


And we ended the day pretty much the way we started it - eating in bed! This girl is a total homebody and would probably be perfectly content if we did this for the next 48 hours. But I have other plans in store for us - and of course, I will be blogging them!

Bug: Day One, Part Two!

So, after breakfast and hanging out in bed for a while, then it was finally late enough to start getting ready for our day. We got up, put on swimsuits and coverups, and hit the road!

A short stop for a donut and we were at my friend Jill's house to pick up her and her daughter Megan for the water park!

I was a little nervous about how Bug would do - she is NOT the adventurous type. (Classic "slow to warm up" temperment since BIRTH) But she was awesome - so brave, so excited, and SO MUCH FUN.


Just the fact that she was in the water without me is a HUGE deal!

Much less all the slides she went down...

And all the other fun!

Megan, who is almost three is a complete wild child - but such a sweetie too!

This look says.."I'm fading fast".

But she insisted on "one more" dip into the lazy river... which isn't so "lazy" when you are the one pushin the innertube "as fast as you can" around the bends!

About an hour later it was really time to go and Bug was requesting to "go straight home" which is code for, "Please get me somewhere quiet, FAST".

And this was her about 5 minutes after we got in the car:



Note the arm still stuck in the Goldfish bag...

Mission: "Have enormous amounts of fun" was accomplished.

(Stay tuned! The day isn't over yet!)

Bug: Day One, Part One

O. M. Goodness.

I am sure that I have exceeded my usual word quota today about 10x over.

She's not even super chatty nor is it because she needs a lot of redirection - the exact opposite is true! I guess its just a natural byproduct of having another person around... but I swear my vocal cords, tongue and lips are tired! And so is the rest of me!

Bug got here late last night, I went and picked her up where her Mom and sister are staying at about 8pm. By the time we got back here, got in PJs, and settled into bed it was well past 10pm. But she was in love with my dogs and the feeling was pretty much mutual:

So after watching some of "Princess and the Frog" and a bedtime story... she was asleep pretty quickly.

Until about 5:30 this morning - which is obviously when her cough medicine wore off.

It took me a few minutes to figure that out because I actually hadn't heard her cough last night before her mom gave her the cough syrup. But when she started coughing this morning I started debating waking her enough to give her more. When I checked the bottle to see if she could have more yet, I discovered it was due to wear off practically the same minute she'd started coughing. Never realized how accurate those timeframes were!

So, at about 6:15 she rolled over and flung herself over my body and opened her eyes. I took that as my cue and gave her more cough medicine. I hoped that if I was really quiet she'd go back to sleep for the last 45 minutes before my alarm was set to go off.

No such luck.

In about 10 more minutes there were simultaneous requests for water, breakfast, and to finish watching her movie. So, I complied to all three:

And here she is watching her movie in bed while I make her breakfast - which she ate in bed.

Must be nice to be the Princess! :)

(To be continued!)

Happy Birthday Bug!

To my favorite FIVE year old:

This was you almost exactly one year ago - you had just turned four. I remember thinking forward to this momentous birthday - 5 seemed so old! Five year olds are not babies anymore! They aren't even preschoolers - you'll be off to Kindergarten soon! I remember secretly hoping that this year would be slow.... and I thought I told you to stop growing up!

I can still remember the call I got, (after waiting by my phone for 36 hours!), announcing that you had been born! The call came at 10:30 pm and I couldn't sleep because I was so thrilled! And I was so excited to meet you four weeks later when you came to be baptized. You were so tiny, but with delicious chubby cheeks, and the sweetest demeanor. Your Mommy and I talked a lot about what kind of kid you would be when you got older - but you are much more than we could have imagined!



You are impossibly sweet - kind to everyone, concerned about others, and a fantastic big sister! You are beautiful - a happy, girly-girl, lover of all things princess! You already have a great faith in God - and concern for others knowing about him too! (I'll never forget you once asking me, "Rachie? Does the caterpillar have Jesus in his heart?") You are so smart - a watcher of the world around you, curious, a questioner and already reading! I can't believe you are already FIVE!

But I am so anxious to watch you grow up even more. You are such a terrific little person - I am certain that there are many good things in store for your future! And, I am already planning for some fun activities and events in the years to come!

I love you - my little J!

Love,

Your Rachie

So Excited!

If you haven't seen my goddaughters on my other blog, let me introduce you to them now.

Meet Julia aka "Bug" - she's almost 5 years old, such a big girl! But I have loved her since the moment I got the phone call from her daddy, announcing that "the most beautiful baby girl in the world" had been born. She holds the honor of being my very first "niece" - although we are not related by blood. Not technically her godmother, but her parents christened me with the title "Auntie" the first time I met her and I've been relishing it ever since. Her mom, Lisa, often starts phone conversations with, "I'm calling you since you're the only person who loves my daughter as much as I do...". Bug is also the one who started calling me "Auntie Rachie" - and its stuck. Occasionally, if other children are around, its "My Rachie" - and I wouldn't have it any other way! I adore her.

And then there is Ava aka "Bean" - my actual "goddaughter" and the cutest thing since chubby cheeks were invented. I've known Ava longer than anyone else outside her parents - I was the ONLY person who knew about her mom's pregnancy for the first 4 months! So, I consider it a head start in bonding with her. Ava is a smiley and silly 15 months old now! And, as destiny would have it, she is soon to be the "middle child" as her mom is pregnant again! Lisa and I consider it perfect symetry since we have bonded over being the "middles" and I will always understand Ava's plight in the birth order scheme. She is my little sunshine.



Even though my sweet girls live 6 hours away, I make efforts to visit them every couple of months. And they are usually visiting family in Chicago on the opposite months so I see them often.

But in a couple weeks, we mark a historic event! Bug is finally old enough to come visit and stay with me BY HERSELF! I am beyond excited and have big plans for our 4 days together. They include an indoor waterpark, the zoo and a trip to the theater if I can find a good kids show playing. There will be much excitement and plenty of pictures to show off our good time - I promise!


And now for the double excitement - Lisa just called to ask if I'd want to keep BOTH girls for two days in July while she goes to a friend's wedding. Um... really? You had to ask that question? The correct presentation would have been to call and say, "I'm dropping off your girls for two days in July - get ready!" There is no way I'd say no to these darlings!


I'm giddy with excitement. I can't wait to make plans for special time with my girls!!