Two Years Ago Today

I can hardly believe my baby girl is 2 today...I know most parents probably say that each year a birthday rolls around, but seriously - do they have to grow up so fast? I'm trying to think of it as a happy occasion, but I'm having a hard time. Given the recent addition of Addley to our family, Saige seems more grown up than ever and while I've never been apart from Saige except for the birth of Addley, I feel a bit like I've missed something. I love everything about her and I hope she always knows that. She brings our family great joy with her quirky personality and sweet nature. Of course, added to that, is a sprinkle of gremlin (as YaYa would say). She demands her brothers attention, and if ignored, will push his buttons until she gets what she wants. She loves yogurt and hates tuna. Oatmeal is O-P-meal. Dayton and the dogs are her best friends. She loves books, wiping things, dressing up in others clothes and belly rubs. Just when I'm about ready to lose all patience she'll say something sweet like "I love you mommy." Her pouty lip, clumsy run and great big hugs melt my heart and I try to take it all in so as not to forget the little things about her that make her unique. Happy Birthday my sweet Saige. I love you endlessly.

Happy Birthday Addley Preston

Welcomed by big brother Dayton, big sister Saige, mommy & daddy, Shey & Tula (the dogs), Addley Preston arrived via c-section on Monday June 29th at 7:58am. She weighed 8lbs 10oz and stretched in at 20 3/4 inches. After 4 days recovering in hospital we made our way home to an excited and chaotic house. We are slowly settling into a routine and adjusting to our new roles. Our sweet blessing is happy, healthy and doing well. Many have been asking me what I will re-name my blog and after much thinking I've decided that it will remain unchanged right now. Baby Addley isn't much of a shadow just yet, so I've got some time to think about it.
Getting weighed.
Getting cleaned off.
Having vitals checked.
Swaddled & asleep.
Sisters and best of friends already.
Asleep in the swing.
Dayton & Saige made Addley Birthday cupcakes.
Going home.
Dayton meets Addley.
Saige meets sister Addley.
3 days old.
2 days old.
1 day old.

YaYas Are The Greatest Gift

Ya-Ya...the name given to my mother in law when she became a "grandparent"....loved by both Dayton & Saige and treasured by me. She is such a help and a huge blessing to our family. Many people I know roll their eyes when in laws are mentioned - not me. She arrived on Wednesday to help out during these final days of swollen fatness and will be staying through the birth of the baby. Always willing and ready to cook, clean, run errands or occupy the kids. This time (as with all other times) she came packed with goodies for the children. She is handing out surprises each day...on the condition that the kids listen and are good. (Yeah right!...that's what she says, but we all know that even if bad they would still get a surprise the next day) So far we've acquired a large bouncy ball, some new princess jewelry, sidewalk chalk, a magnifying glass and a magic princess wand. Dayton says that if she runs out of surprises then "we can go to my mall and buy some more." Spoiled? Nah.... Yesterday she and Dayton went to the grocery and they came home with a box of Trix. He asked if he could eat it for lunch...I said no. He asked his YaYa, she said maybe if he took a nap he could have some after nap. He asked me if "that be alright." I said yes. He napped for 2 hours! I was able to nap for over an hour....after that I was agreeable to just about anything. She might not have a chance to read this while she's here (right now she is outside hunting for bugs and it isn't even 9am) but eventually she will and I certainly hope she knows how much I appreciate her help. One of the many blessings in my life.

The Hidden Meaning Behind A Broken Toe

So, I broke my baby toe yesterday. I jammed it really hard on a doorframe. How do I know it is broken? Well, I don't, I can only assume it is since it is twice it's normal size, mostly purple/black and the popping crunch sound it made when it happened dropped me to my knees. Ok, I'm exaggerating a little bit...given the big belly, I couldn't drop to my knees...so instead, I just sat down and moaned for awhile. Saige said, "what just happened mommy?". How sweet of her to notice. So I spent the better part of yesterday going about my neurotic nesting, limping and complaining. I'm wondering if it is a sign that I should slow down a little and maybe put my feet up and relax? Easier said than done. Someone needs to do some studies on nesting. It's quite fascinating to step outside oneself and watch one clean/organize ridiculous things like coupon drawers as if they have no control over their actions. I mean really, why does a coupon drawer need wiping out? I really should be sleeping or have my feet up and eat moon pies. 5 days left...ouchie...bad contraction...what else can I clean today? Hmmm...endless possibilities.

Awaiting Baby

At what point do you look at your kids and get grossed out by them? They go from these sweet, baby smelling newborns that make kitty cat noises to these larger, sassy beings that are just sometimes gross. Of course you always love your kids and they say you never see the "bad" stuff, but to be completely honest, today I was confronted by how gross kids can be...regardless of whether they are your own or belong to someone else. In most cases, it involves someone else's child. This morning Dayton started laughing at Saige and saying "gross Saige, what is in your hair?" I could immediately tell that it was something he had put there. I asked him what he did and he said, "my just picked my nose and wiped it in Saige's hair". I wanted to vomit. How disgusting. I usually reserve time outs for things like hitting and pushing but "boogie wiping" got a time out today. Later, he was playing with a tin frog (it is actually a garden ornament that you put a tea light candle in) and shoving a snake (a rubber one) in it's mouth. How do boys come up with these things? In all fairness though, I cannot say today's acts of grossness were limited to my sweet angel boy...Saige did something pretty gross too. She was using the potty (in case you all didn't know, she's potty trained now and in big girl princess undies) and decided that she wanted to stick her hands in her pee stream. I asked what in the world she was doing and she said, "washing my hands mama." That's when I realized how much I was looking forward to that sweet smelling newborn stage again.

9 Months Is All Of A Sudden 9 Days

Yes, only 9 days to go until my scheduled surgery date and our little baby girl will be celebrating her birthday. Not to be confused with my current little baby girl that will also be celebrating her birthday...her 2nd birthday on July 9th! So much has gone on the past few weeks and so much is yet to come. Dayton has finished preschool for the summer and won't be returning until the end of August. He has adjusted to "summer vacation" quite well, but I have not. I've done a great job of keeping him busy with little outings and projects, but now that I'm at the very end I am having a hard time finding the energy to get him out of his pj's each day. I've spent quite a few days in my pj's myself! Shhh don't tell anyone!

We've hunted crabs at the beach, gotten craft projects from the store, done some baking/cooking, a few playdates, some swimming, painting rocks, flying kites, a trip to the aquarium and somehow managed to fit in a small vacation as a family. Now I am in high nesting gear. I'm cleaning out closets that haven't been opened since we've moved in here, throwing out things I haven't used, giving away clothes, packing up old bedding and sealing it, organizing under sinks and in cabinets. Why you ask? I don't know the answer to that. Surely, I could find something more useful to do...like put the infant car seat back together, dust the baby's room, or maybe put my feet up and take a nap? I'm not sure what the purpose of nesting is, but it sort of reminds me of college days when you wait until the last night to start a 10 page paper. Your best work is often accomplished under such deadlines.

Saige is approaching "two-hood" and all that comes with it. I can't say I'm expecting a terrible two phase once she blows her candles out, but I am expecting some serious sibling rivalry and adjustment difficulties with the baby. She is most certainly a mommy's girl (I was always under the impression that little girls were somehow automatically daddy's girls) and frequently fights with Dayton over who sits beside me at any given moment. (or should I say EVERY given moment?) She talks and sings constantly and I am always impressed with her expressive language skills and clarity. She is almost potty trained and has undertaken that task all by herself. No rewards necessary. My only complaint is that I feel like I spend most of my day in the bathroom with her because she hasn't figured out that her little bladder does have SOME capacity. She is so darn cute waddling around in her big girl princess undies. She continues to show left hand dominance despite my efforts to always place things in her right hand. Lately she has made up "nicknames" for everyone and it is so funny because I have no idea where they came from. She calls her daddy "daddy paddio", Dayton "buddy", "Dayton Eero A-koski" or "Dayton bear" and I am "mommy bear" or "mommy lemonade". She continues to fight sleep and cause us all grief, but remains joyful despite getting only 8-9 hours of sleep each day. The other day I was ignoring her and she finally raised her voice and said "mama, I'm talking for you" in an exasperated tone! She's very into drama and crossing her arms while saying "no way"!

I probably have some new pictures to upload, but that is low on my nesting priority list right now...so you will all have to be patient. Will keep you all posted on any possible developments before June 29th! So, 9 days or less to go...

Trip To The Sandbar

We finally found some time and an opportunity to go boating to the sandbar. Everyone has been telling us about it since we've moved here. Fortunately, our nanny (Miss Katie) and her husband go fairly often and have access to the boats on the military base for cheap. When the Paiva family visited we decided to take the kids and check it out. It was a beautiful day and really amazing to be in the middle of the ocean on a sandbar and then to watch the tide come in and cover it all up. You would expect it to be exactly what it is called "a sandbar" but it really wasn't sandy like I thought it would be. There were all kinds of reef type things and coral and rocks and things that looked like ant piles everywhere. By the time the tide had come in and it was too deep for the kids, there were a ton of boats anchored. Quite a few of the boats had large tables set up with buffet style lunches and others grill. There were dogs running all over, kids playing and people socializing. We've been told that sometimes on holiday weekends bands even set up and play music. Who knew? Hopefully we'll have another chance to visit.
Saige enjoying a float on her back.
The beauty of the sandbar as the tide started to come in.
Miss Katie (the nanny) taking Dayton on a hunt for things.
This is a piece of coral that Katie found. Apparently you let it dry and bleach it and then it turns white like how you buy it in the store.
Daddy and Saige at the sandbar.
Dayton at the sandbar.
View back towards the mainland.
View when we first arrived at the sandbar that morning.
View of the other boats anchored at the sandbar.
The Paiva family exploring the sandbar.
Anchoring at the sandbar.
Dayton enjoying the boat ride to the sandbar. His first "small" boat ride. It went MUCH better than our ferry ride.

Trip To The Zoo With Abby & Saige

We've been to the zoo several times, but each time it is always new to the kids..especially Saige. Sometimes she's interested in the animals, sometimes she just wants to walk, and sometimes she is most interested in things found at ground level. Regardless, I always take some pictures of the animals so she can have something to look at. On this particular day, Dayton was in school and although both girls were a little sick they weren't sick enough to keep them home.
Seeing the cheetahs is rare. Capturing such a beautiful picture is something to treasure.
Saige was tired of the stroller. Daddy was tired of Saige stopping to look at every speck on the ground.
Abby throwing herself on the ground in dramatic girl fashion. Can't recall what the fuss was about but it was a common sight that day! Poor Abby - it is so tough being two.
Saige walking through all the dried up muddy puddles she could find despite being told not to.
A cute picture of Daddy & Saige. I don't have too many of those.
As Saige would say "the Waffs"
Manny the nanny (well really it is Shannon's husband, but many times throughout the trip he occupied all the kids with fun and games) with both girls.
Trying to capture a cute picture of Saige but she's looking way too serious.
The "wizards" sitting in a row. There is actually a third one but there were too many kids in the way to capture it and someone was in the display feeding them.
Abby riding a fake turtle bench. She was more interested in the bench than in the actual giant turtles. Perhaps she thought it was real?
I love this shot because for a brief moment it almost looks like a mirror image.
The monkey section wasn't too active that day. It was hot. Not enough people to perform.
Saige looking way cool in her sunglasses but really she is sound asleep.
Abby and her daddy checking something out. I can't recall what, but it was a cute shot of the two of them. Daddy's and their girls always make for some cute shots.

Outside Play

Even if we didn't have something fun planned for the kids, they always had fun just playing outside in the driveway. It was so neat to see them all play together and it was especially sweet to me since soon Dayton and Saige will have a sibling and I know one day in the not too distant future I will have pictures of the 3 of them in the wagon together. Or better yet, a picture of Dayton pulling his two sisters around.
Saige relaxing and enjoying her ride in the wagon.
Dayton, Abby & Saige enjoying a wagon ride. Thank goodness Abby was always a ham for the camera.
Another adorable picture of them, but it took forever for the 3 of them to look at the same time!
How cute is Abby? She was so photogenic!
The girls removing all the chalk from the container. Neither was actually interested in using it for what it was intended.
Saige pretending to read the instructions.