Sad, but also Thankful

I've decided to write this post and make public some sad news because it's part of our life, and sometimes sharing helps.  Eric and I were thrilled to learn quite a few weeks ago that we were expecting our second child.  By our calculations, baby number two would arrive the first week in July, meaning that Emily and baby number two would be exactly two and half years apart.  It seemed perfect, and we knew we were ready to do this baby thing all over again and grow our family.  We got Emily a t-shirt that said 'I'm going to be a big sister' and planned to have her announce our big news to our family this weekend at Thanksgiving.

But instead, things didn't go according to our plans.  For whatever reason, God decided this wasn't the right time or the right baby for us.  We found out yesterday that I'm experiencing a miscarriage; an ultrasound revealed that this baby wasn't nearly as big as it should be for how far along I'm supposed to be.  We were sad, obviously, and we still are.  I already miss this little person, and the place I was imaging he or she would hold in our family.  But I'm also filled, appropriately enough, with a sense of thankfulness.  We're already a family.  I have a husband who is strong and supportive, who loves me and listens to me, and who I'm glad I get to spend every day of my life with.  And together, we're already parents.  We have the most wonderful, loving, and vibrant little girl who gives lots of hugs and kisses, and frequently walks around the house saying "mommy...are you?  Are you mommy?".  And though we want another child, if that's not in the Lord's plans for us, that's okay because my heart is already overflowing with love for my family and the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.  So during this week of Thanksgiving, yes, I'm sad, but also thankful.

Score One for Mommy!

No, I didn't post this somewhat gross picture of my daughter to make you queasy. Instead, I want proof (and a hearty congratulations) that she is consuming broccoli and cauliflower. Emily and I have daily battles over what she eats. In short, I offer up a variety of fruits and vegetables, and she rejects them. That (with the exception of bananas and sugar-free applesauce, both of which she truly loves) pretty much sums it up. I've tried to be tricky, and occasionally can sneak in vegetables in soup without her realizing it, but they can't really amount to much. Yesterday, Emily and I went to the Farmer's Market and bought some locally grown broccoli and cauliflower. We went home, I cooked it, pureed it, and added it to some (organic!) macaroni and cheese and voila - success! Score one for mommy!

Our Little Genius

Emily keeps amazing me with the things she knows how to do and say.  Take today, for example:

1.  Tonight before bed, we were watching Wheel of Fortune, and when it was time for the bonus round, Pat asked the contestant for three consonants and a vowel, and Emily responds "S", "B", "C".  I could hardly believe my ears.  I asked her if she knew those were letters, and she said "yeah!".

2.  She said her first five word sentence tonight when I tried to brush her teeth:  "No, mama, I do it".

3.  I always end our day by singing Emily a lullaby or two while she rests her head on my shoulder.  It's been this way for as long as I can remember, and we rotate through a few songs, but almost always sing "Goodnight, Emily" (for obvious reasons).  It's a song I used to listen to when I was little, and it goes like this:

"Goodnight, Emily.  Sleeptight, Emily. Jesus be your dreams.
The God above is the God of love, so little girls sleep in peace."

Tonight I hesitated before saying the last word (I had to hiccup) and Emily says to me, "peace, mama".

What a sweet (and brilliant) little girl!

22 Months Old!

Emily,

You are 22 months old now, inching your way towards the big 2nd birthday.  Reading through these posts, you're going to think I forgot to write a 21 month post, but the truth is, I did write it.  And, it was going to be great, with videos and everything.  But then your dad and I got busy.  Really busy.  We still have not edited those videos.  Argh!

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet as well.  Here are some of the cute things you do these days:

• You pat the space next to you if you want someone to sit there.


• You laugh out loud for no reason, and then call yourself silly over and over again.


• You ask me if I'm ready to go as soon as it becomes evident we're leaving the house.


• You correctly identify two Sesame Street characters: Abby and Elmo.  And, your face positively lights up when you see them.


• You give real, honest to goodness hugs now, locking your arms tightly around my neck.  Sometimes, you even ask for them!


• You sing "round and round" after I sing "the wheels on the bus go..."


• You do the motions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider song (that was one of the videos too)!


• You say "please" when I ask you "how do you ask nicely?"

Here are some of the not-so-cute things you do:

• Whine.  A lot.  And then some more.


• Stick your hands down your diaper once you realize it needs to be changed.


• Want what you want when you want it, thank you very much.


• Whine.  A lot.  And then some more.

I guess the cute outweigh the not-so-cute, so that's good.  And speaking of cute, here are some pictures!