14 months!

Well, I had decided to quit posting monthly once Elyse passed the one-year mark, but I'm finding I should put a few of these things down, or I WILL forget :) These two months have flown by as we've enjoyed watching Elyse grow & Emily grow (yes, I am gettin' fat). Elyse is adjusting very well to wearing glasses, all things considered. She finds them most tempting when she's tired (she'll still try to rub her eyes, poor thing) or bored. So, she has not yet mastered wearing them in the car :) Most days are great, so I'm grateful for the adaptability that comes with youth! Other days, we wonder how we will keep this up, but those days are getting fewer and fewer! I do feel like they are helping her vision, as when they are off, she obviously strains to see clearly.

I feel like Elyse has changed so much, especially in the last couple of weeks. She has definitely developed more curiosity, which is fun.

* Her new learning method is to hold every toy she can find up to me for a description. This process can get lengthy. Seriously!

* She is trucking around by rolling & army crawling, and she especially enjoys trying to find daddy in the house :)

* Elyse likes her vegetables again (yay!) and broccoli is back on the "love" list. Have I mentioned that I love being able to feed Elyse what we eat? Wow, that is so much easier. I'm surprised that she's a fan of spinach, but I will not complain. She still despises peaches & carrots, so that can make life interesting.

* She is quite obsessed with stuffed animals these days! She loves to bury her nose in each one and give it lots of hugs.

* Elyse's still a bookworm, and she'll scoot over to me with a book and get all excited when I read it to her.

* She points to Emily often, even though Emily is sometimes in Daddy's arm or on my neck....? Most times, she does point to my stomach, thankfully.

* I pretty much have to tie her to the changing table these days, as her new mission is to escape. She usually gets "sunny side up" and tries to fling herself over the edge in about 2 seconds. Fun.

* Some of my favorite moments are playing on the floor with Elyse and having her come back again and again for hugs from Mommy. *sigh* I could probably blame that on teething, but I won't.

* She now says "Mommy" & "Daddy," but says "Daddy" way more often :) "Daddy" is typically the first and last word I hear her say every day! I think that really flatters a certain someone, and I don't mind it a bit. She responds that the elephant says "bbrrr" and that the car goes "broom broom." She says "pop" and "deedle deedle deedle" as well, but not too many other new noises.

One of the highlights of my week was introducing Elyse to her new cousin, Brynna. She responded just as I figured she would :) The index finger was roaming, and I hope she learns a few lessons about babies in the next few months! It was sweet, and she did look SO big next to Brynna. Brynna weighed here what Elyse weighed at birth- My little girl is growing up!

ELEVEN

Eleven years ago, I went on my first date with Jordan (NO, this was not a first date picture. I conveniently misplaced that one). That single date led to eleven years of dates, eleven years of fun, eleven years of sheer joy, eleven years of laughing our heads off, eleven years of charm, eleven years of cute notes, eleven years of great talks, eleven years of memories, eleven years of friendship, eleven years of phone calls, and eleven years of love. Happy Valentine's Day to my one and only :) May we have many, many more.

A New Perspective

We have embarked on a new journey around here: glasses for Elyse! Needless to say, it's not the journey we would have chosen with a 13 month old little girl, but we're there. Back in December, we started to notice that Elyse's right eye would cross occasionally when she would stare at something. I dismissed it for a few days, thinking it was just a goofy thing kids do, but after a few days, it was often enough to concern both of us.

Step 1: Figure this all out. We were told it might be difficult to get an appointment with a good pediatric ophthalmologist, and sure enough, the first doctor we called was booked until May! We found another great doctor that would see Elyse with only a five week wait, so off we went. He wasn't exactly Mr. Personable, but he seemed to know what he was talking about (thankfully). He informed us that Elyse is quite farsighted (+4 in both eyes). (Side note: he told us this, and I then asked him when he would do the exam- I didn't know he had already done it in about 10 seconds. I'm sure he was astounded at my faith in his profession. HA!!) Anyway, we were prepared, since farsightedness was one of my initial guesses. I did way too much horrifying "research" on the great and mighty internet... At this point, he believes that glasses will do the trick to keep her right eye straight and help her vision. We'll return to the doctor next month to see if the glasses are indeed doing the job. If they don't seem to be helping, it looks like we'll head down the path of patching and potential surgery. Elyse was crossing her eye in an effort to focus, and if she continued to strain in that way, her brain would eventually cut off the sight in that eye and completely ignore the confused signals.

Step 2: Go shopping. Well, our next great adventure was the hunt for glasses. AND, not just any glasses: glasses for a 13 month old baby. I was pretty optimistic at first, but we discovered that our vision coverage was limited to only a few stores in our area, most of which did not carry any baby glasses. Our vision coverage meant the difference of more than a few dollars, so we had to be choosy :) We finally ended up at Walmart, and were shown SIX pairs of baby glasses! In our limited experience, this was the jackpot. We had 2 pairs of "girl" glasses at our disposal!! (That basically meant they weren't brown or blue... we were happy, even though the two "girl" pairs were identical :) Not only was there a pair that actually fit her, but we were able to pay $20 for a warranty that will cover unlimited breakage/repair for a year. I found a blog by parents of kids with glasses and saw that it is pretty normal to need new frames within days of starting this fun :) Needless to say, we left relieved!

Step 3: Get Elyse to deal with it. The real fun started yesterday when Elyse woke up. I had been dreading this moment from the time we drove away from Walmart Tuesday... I had attempted to have her wear her glasses that afternoon and was completely unsuccessful for more than a few moments. We managed by the grace of God to get her to wear her glasses for most of her awake time yesterday and today! This was so much more than I could have asked for. Elyse has always been a bookworm, and for the last few months, she will choose books anytime over her toys. I must say, the highlight of this entire process was reading Elyse her first book. It about brought me to tears to think that all this time, she's had a hard time seeing what is right in front of her nose! She giggled most of the way through her book, and we spent MUCH of the day reading! Daddy took her on a tour of our fridge, which holds pictures of our family members... she pointed and smiled at each one in a whole new way. As inconvenient as this process might be for the time being, it is so amazing to know that these little specs are helping her see!!!

Step 4: Get Mommy to deal with it. I've been so aware of God's grace during this entire process. When we first realized that this would be a "permanent" part of our family, I had lots of fears and felt a great deal of disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I never expected to be able to protect Elyse from all discomfort and pain for her entire life, but I guess I figured I would have that opportunity to sit beside her on her bed someday and explain why the jerk she adored dumped her for another chickie-poo. OR, I expected to be able to tell her why she gets to wear glasses to school... But, this is one of those situations that requires no explanation, so I should be even more thankful. My little munchkin doesn't wait for an explanation as to why she can't rub her eyes or why everyone is doing a double-take when they look at her. She doesn't ask "why" yet, so she doesn't demand an explanation when I repeatedly replace the glasses she's just chucked on the living room floor. I look at her little face and realize that she couldn't care less why she has to wear these crazy lenses, she just wants them off! :) God has given me so much peace during this experience, and I know it will be the first of many life experiences that "seem" to be obstacles. A sweet friend of mine shared some encouragement with me a few weeks ago that has continued to stick in my mind. She told me how John 9 had encouraged her during this phase of her life.

"As he passed by, he [Jesus] saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing."

I know Elyse is not blind or anything, but this passage has meant so much to me these weeks. My friend shared this passage with me so I could be reminded that God's purpose in all of this is to display His works in Elyse's (and my) life. Bottom line.

I think I've blabbed long enough in this post, so I'll wrap it up. I determined to be thankful during this process, and though Jordan could vouch for the fact that I have NOT succeeded much of the time, I have so many things to praise God for:

* We were able to detect the problem early, something very important for Elyse's sight!

* We survived the appointment itself! If you'd spoken with me before we went in, you would realize how nervous I was about Elyse having her eyes dilated and cooperating for a thorough eye exam (which apparently was less thorough than I expected.. Ha!). I know there were more raisins on that office floor than I could count, and I'm sure I left some behind :)

* God has revealed so much about the human eye to doctors who can glorify him without even knowing it.

* We were able to find glasses covered by our benefits.

* God gave us some unexpected monetary blessings within the last couple of months that remind me of his constant care & provision for us.

* Elyse should be fully adjusted by the time sweet Emily Mae arrives in a few months- what a blessing that we'll at least hopefully have glasses mastered when our lives change again!

* Elyse has been handling this so well. I am so proud of her & her mostly sweet attitude when I'm sure it's a difficult adjustment for her. I will determine to remember this for the next few days :)

* I have the most amazing husband in the world. I don't need to expound, but I will. He has made me laugh when I've had meltdowns, he's assured me over and over again that he LOVES the way she looks in glasses, he has reassured me that this is SO minor in the scheme of things, and he has been right down on the floor with her as she gets used to them. I am astounded and in love :)

* I have a healthy, happy little girl who does look stinkin' cute in her tiny glasses!

(Elyse's first Praise Baby with perhaps some clarity???)

I love this girl!!!

Noah and the..umm..Barn.

The other day, my sweet neighbor brought by a treasure that was buried in her garage. I was a bit scared at first, but she presented Elyse with a Fisher Price barn and a tub full of animals.

Elyse is thrilled with her new toys (can't you tell by her face?), but it didn't take me long to figure out that most of the animals were from a Noah's Ark set :) That explains the giraffes and zebras, I guess!

After giving them a LONG bath in the tub, we dried off her new friends and have been having fun with them ever since. Noah looks great on a tractor, I say.

Learning to listen

We've experience all sorts of fun new challenges in the communication department these last few days. I started attempting to teach some basic signing when Elyse was about 8 months old, and it wasn't exactly successful at first :) Really, I've never been very committed to it, but I did decide that since we're with her 100% of the time, we might as well give it a shot when we remember! And, I am glad we stuck to it. If for nothing else, it has convinced me how much she can learn in other areas. My sis-in-law Anneke says often that these little kiddos know a LOT more than we give them credit for, and this is one of those areas. We started with "please" and moved to "all done" and "more." The first was and is a great challenge. For some reason, she will not sign "please," but she'll sign "more" and "all done" almost consistently. I had all but given up on "please" when she proved Aunt Anneke right :) The other day, she was rolling around under the piano bench (yes, she rolls around here since crawling and walking are still not on the radar) and managed to get herself wedged pretty good between the bench and the piano. She started whimpering and looking at me with those sad eyes, so I asked her to say "please, Mommy" before I would free her from the bonds of the piano bench. She was holding a small block in each hand, and the first time I asked, she looked at me with the "blank" look. I asked her again, and almost impatiently, she dropped her blocks and signed "please." I just lost it laughing. Well, needless to say, we aren't giving up on that sign.

Now, the fun issue (and I KNEW this was coming) is listening to her "speak."

Elyse now signs "more" for books she likes: Cute.

She signs "more" for food she likes: Good!

She signs "all done" when she's ready to get out of the bathtub: Helpful.

She signs "all done" when I have just removed her diaper: Nope.

She signs "all done" after one bite of veggies: Nope.

She signs "all done" when she's sick of playing alone: Okay *sigh* (how do you resist that?)

She signs "all done" when she's tired of Daddy tickling her: Kind of funny.

She signs "all done" when she gets put in her crib: No, ma'am.

She signs "all done" when I'm trying to cut her nails: Dangerous.

We've definitely laughed a lot during this phase, because it begins the verbal communication. Yes, hers is still mostly nonverbal, but ours has definitely become verbal & very instructional. I have no idea how much of "No, honey, Mommy wants you to eat 790 more bites" she understands, but it's got to start somewhere, right?

Ahh, the joys of communication. Hasn't it baffled anyone else how much these little people have to learn from scratch!? Wow. Stay tuned: right around the corner is "not getting her way," and I'm sure that will be just as fun. I am definitely learning to listen, and I sure hope she is, too!

Bear Hugs

These last few days have been filled with big ol' hugs from our baby. She's always been affectionate, but perhaps this recent nasty cough is making her a bit clingy. I must say, there's nothing like feeling your baby hug you intentionally :)

She had quite a traumatic day today which included a fat lip, an annoying thermometer under her arm (yes, so painful) on a couple of occasions, a bonk on the head, a nap interrupted several times by coughing, a very unfair dinner (including peas and potatoes), and a mom's audacious attempt to remove a booger. Yes, it was a rough day. Each of these events incited intense screaming followed by BIG bear hugs and wimpering.

Big hugs were the best part of my day, and I am anxiously awaiting a big hug from my main squeeze when he gets home from work.

Yes, bear hugs make just about everything better, and I have to enjoy them from my husband while I can. He politely informed me the other day that he's feeling farther and farther away from me these days thanks to our new baby girl buttin' in... I still remember how strange it felt to hug him after Elyse was born. :)

Anyway, I do imagine that I will have to eat some insanely good Turkey Hill PomBlueberry Chocolate Truffle frozen yogurt while I wait for my hug... Next to hugs, ice cream is a close second to making everything better.

Red noses & cold hands

The credit for any smiles in the below pictures must go to our great photographer, Sarah from Sarah Melissa Photography. My sweet friend patiently photographed us in 40-some degree weather as the wind was gusting and my baby was fussing... I told Jordan afterwards that I'd be amazed if she captured 1 decent picture of our runny-nosed bunch :) She was great, though, and so sweet to persevere with us! Here are some of the results:

And one of my personal favorites, a picture taken at the whim of Daddy :)

Then & Now

Today marks the one year anniversary of bringing our baby home from the hospital. I still remember that feeling of "newness" and thank God for the sleep we now receive :)

That was then, and this is now...

Christmas Time Was Here!

Here are some pictures of our 7th Christmas together as a family. Speaking of family, I remember specifically mentioning to Jordan when we were first married that someday it would be fun to do things as a "family" and hearing his prompt reminder that we became a family the day we got married :) I love that.

We crashed at Anneke's and Izaak's house along with Seth and Bethany on Christmas Eve, and it was so fun to wake up Christmas morning and watch Shiloh and Eli anticipate opening the presents. I'm sure Elyse will be there next year, but for this year, she was pretty interested in breakfast alone. After reading the Christmas story together, we broke into presents and spent the rest of the day celebrating God's great Gift!!! I think the highlight of my day was probably the afternoon the "grown-ups" had while the kiddos were napping. We prepared a huge meal and enjoyed some great conversation without any distractions. Now that I'm in the mommy world, I realize what 2 1/2 hours of peace and quiet means! :) It made me so thankful for our siblings and for the great relationship we have with them! We love you guys! Yes, it was fun when the kids woke up, but definitely a different kind of fun :) Hope your Christmas was merry!

This was the best sight to me Christmas morning!

I love this guy!

Yes, she's fascinated with her own reflection...

Our Christmas buds. :) Love you guys!

1!

Elyse's first birthday party was so fun. We started the Christmas Eve festivities off with some appetizers and cake (of course) before we headed over to Anneke's and Izaak's house for our big slumber party. Elyse did not seem to mind at all that her party was the prelude to Christmas fun, and I can only hope that her sweet attitude will continue for many years. Elyse loved her first cupcake and managed to keep herself fairly clean, much to the joy of Daddy and me and our OCD tendencies (I'm just partially kidding). She had no interest in trying to open her presents, but she did enjoy her gifts! I am so thankful that her aunts, uncles and cousins were so thoughtful in making her birthday so special. We are blessed with such a sweet girl, and I know I will never forget the fun we had as we celebrated the first year of her life!