Crash!

Apparently, Ian became an expert crawler sooner than I expected. The bruises below are from his first tumble down a full flight of stairs and onto the tile. I was changing Brooklynn's diaper and feel horrible that he fell when he came looking for me. Luckily, it didn't require more than a call to the doctor and a close eye on him for the next 24 hours. We're glad that his first tooth (which had appeared a few days previously) wasn't damaged.
I'm so sorry, Ian!

Our Latest and Greatest

Brooklynn and Ian had their first official haircuts a few weeks ago. Brooklynn loved it because she got to watch a Dora video. It was a little touch and go for Ian at first. I include this picture because Aunt Betsy thinks crying baby pictures are cute.
Afterwards . . . happiness is being able to ride in the car at the grocery store.

Brooklynn got a bike!

Ian went for his first ride in the bike trailer!

Brooklynn finally went poo-poo on the potty! To celebrate she got her much anticipated stickers and then stacked them on top of each other.

John's parents came out for a long weekend and all the Texas siblings met in San Antonio. We had a great time at Sea World--even in the cold! Below: Boni with Skyler, John and Ian, and Phil and Ally. (Thanks, Jana--I forgot to take pictures so I stole these from you!)

Me and Matty.

At a rest stop on the way home. As adventurous as Brooklynn is--she was not excited about this climb.

A new dresser for Ian means a new house for Brooklynn! She reminded me of many construction clients I'd dealt with in the past--when we were finished and the door wouldn't close just right, she said she wanted a new house!

Ian is now nine months old! This is an exciting milestone for me--it means I've now had him longer than anyone else. We lubba you, Inee!

Ian has just started crawling and pulling himself up on things. To stay limber he has also taken up yoga.

Today we decided at the last minute to have a picnic at the Williams Tower--one of my favorite places in Houston--with the Bonds and Careys .

Adoption

Mom and Brooklynn

I've just been reading the articles on adoption in the February Ensign and of course, it has made me think once again of how adoption, apart from the Atonement, has been the greatest gift in my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the way our family has come together and of the sacrifices that have helped us to be so happy. Part of me likes to think that I love my kids more than anyone else could possibly love theirs because I waited and prayed and pleaded and cried for them for so long. I know from talking to and reading blogs by people who have received their children the "normal way" that this isn't really true--they all REALLY love their kids and that's a good thing. I've realized it isn't a contest. My love and appreciation for the gifts that they are stand alone and are special to me. It is the first thing that I thank God for every time I pray.

Oftentimes, when Brooklynn sees words printed somewhere--from the "Dakota" on the side of our truck to the "Eddie Bauer" on her high chair, she'll trace her finger along the letters and "read" what it says. It makes me extremely happy that she reads them aloud all the same way: "It says Mommy loves Brooklynn!"

I know people are often interested in our relationship with Brooklynn's and Ian's birth parents. I thought I would share a few excerpts from some of the notes their birth mom has sent us over the last couple years. (I've edited just a tad so they are easier to read. They are in order from oldest to newest and each paragraph is from a separate communication.)

Dad and Ian

"You guys are wonderful and remind me that i made a very good decision to give her to you and to give you to her. i know she'll thank me for giving her a good mom and dad. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY. I AM PROUD TO SAY I GAVE YOU YOUR FIRST AND ALL THE REST TO COME."

"I love you guys for being the wonderful people you are and for being so good to Brooklynn. I love Brooklynn so so much and think of her everyday."

". . . also wanted to tell you that as hard as parts of this is you guys gave me another experience that I can't even explain. Just completely amazing. With Gods help and yours. To see the way your faces changed, even when not smiling made me feel so--Wow! That's the only way I can explain. There are no words for it. Other than having my own, it's just the most amazing thing. I thank God for letting me have them so that I could do this for someone. And after asking why would God give me more than I can handle? Now i know why. And you 2 being so wonderful also made it to be this wonderful for me. I don't think anyone else could make this one of the best feelings I've ever had, and now I have to thank God and you guys for giving me that. Everything happens for a reason, and you were my reason. I no longer question why. So glad we were brought together to give each other these life changing experiences. It's a wonderful way to end the miracle God has blessed me with, the gift of children. I love u guys. It's still hard, but you have also made it at the same time so incredible."

"LOVE U ALL, But that baby most of all. God bless."

Our Week

Monday

Max and Maya came to play. Brooklynn was a great help--she brought the babies toys, played peek-a-boo and helped me make them laugh. In the picture below, Maya had just fallen over into Ian's lap. Neither of them seemed to mind being up close and personal (I think there was even a small head sucking incident).

Afterwards, we rushed off to the pediatrician. Ian was still wheezing and I figured I'd just go in for a quick check up. I was so convinced the doctor would say there wasn't much they could do that I didn't take anything with me--no diapers, no bottles, no snacks. What was I thinking? Three hours and a visit to the hospital for x-rays later we were on our way home. Fortunately, there were no meltdowns, the receptionist in radiology was terrific (bringing us snacks and pictures to color), and Brooklynn was a great big sister. No pneumonia or RSV. They're calling it his first episode of Reactive Airway Distress (a possible precurser to asthma). For now, he is on a nebulizer every 4 hours (yep, even at night). Brooklynn calls it his elephant. It has taken its toll on our happy little boy and he has been more grumpy than normal. He is smiling in the picture below though, even if you can't see it.
Tuesday

The day of the great kid swap. I love Tuesdays--both the days when I have the kids and the days when I have three hours to myself. Addie joined the usual group this day.

Addie, William, Brooklynn, and Anna.

Afterwards, Marci, Shannon, and I (along with the kids) hit Denny's for the free grand slam. Mmmm . . . there is nothing like free food! While the other kids sat nicely next to their moms, Brooklynn brushed up on one of her latest skills in the aisle--spinning until she is dizzy. She's so talented!

Wednesday
After my very first Relief Society pres. meeting, we ran off for Brooklynn's first trip to the dentist! The picture below was taken before the crying started. It was a very nice office and Brooklynn LOVED the train above the receptionists' desk (she said "Whoa! That's amazin!")

Ian turned 8 months old on Wednesday! I can hardly believe it has been that long! We are so in love with our little Ian! His smile has saved my day on more than one occasion. He celebrated in part with Max and Maya while we were at the dentist. Thursday
We met Jennifer and Brayden for a shopping extravaganza at Carters and then lunch at the food court. Brooklynn's highlight was hiding in the clothes racks and the carousal ride. She still wears size 18 months (and even those can be a little big) but she is a darn cute little wipper snapper!

Shannon was nice enough to watch the kids for me while I ran off to my doctor appointment and then it was home for naps before meeting up with Jennifer and her kids again at Panera to "celebrate" the fact that we always seem to be alone at night (and that we both love to eat out). As luck would have it, it turned out to be the one night that John and Brad left work at a somewhat reasonable hour so they met us there.

Friday

After Little Gym, we went to Marci's for a fab little birthday party. Thanks again for letting us come and share your cupcakes!

Brooklynn and Addie (Brooklynn was totally fascinated by this windmill)

That night the kids were off to the Careys again so John and I could join the Bonds at the Alamo to see He's Just not that into You. The food and company were great--the movie wasn't my favorite. Oh, well--two out of three ain't bad and it was a night out so I'm not complaining!

Saturday

It has been a horrible week for allergies around here and as you can imagine, it is probably ten times worse in our house. John gave up trying to sleep around 4 am and headed into work where they have better filtration (and no dogs and cats). Plus he needed to work anyway. He did brave the great outdoors to go with us to Clay's where we met up with the Gouges and the Mireleses. Brooklynn loved being able to visit the horses and chickens and play in the sandbox while we ate outside enjoying our beautiful 75 degree weather. My only concern was that I hadn't brought sunscreen--yep it was just that sunny and nice (eat your heart out Utahns!)

The lip pursing thing is Brooklynn's smile on demand smile.

And for those of you wondering about our latest sleeping arrangements, Brooklynn has taken to sleeping in her papasan chair which is fine by me and I think gives her a sense of control. She usually stuffs it full of blankets, books, and stuffed animals (which is less than she managed to fit in her bed, thank heavens!).

Brooklynn amidst about 7 books, 1 dvd, 6 blankets, two hairclips, a hairbow, 6 stuffed animals, a sippy cup and . . . a ball? No wonder she is hanging off the bed!

After 3 consecutive nights of leaks (and therefore, three sheet changes) we have decided that Huggies really are best on boys (at night anyway). Poor Ian had to make due with pink flowered sheets and a pink blanket until his mom got around to washing his other ones. I hope he's not scarred for life.

Finally, Harley has taken up residence in the bouncer.

Phew! I'm exhausted! I think I'll head to bed before we have to start this all over again tomorrow.

Argh!

(I post the following lest anyone think my previous

post gave me some false sense of confidence.)

Today I feel like I live with a pirate. Every time I've tried to get Brooklynn to eat something, she has respond sternly, "That be yucky!" I should have clued in that today just wasn't going to be a food day after she said that even Chick-fil-a "be yucky!" Yet I persisted. Tonight, I even went against my firm resolve to never serve cereal for dinner and gave her a bowl full after she requested it. Two seconds later, she had dumped it all over her tray and then proceeded to feed it piece by piece to the dogs. Well, I certainly didn't want to clean it up, so like the good mom I am, I chose that as the time to turn around and load the dishwasher.
In other news, Ian tried green beans for the first time tonight. I grabbed the camera to capture his "this is the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted" face but in typical Ian fashion, this is what I got instead:

Isn't he scrumptious?!

A Little Help from Dr. Seuss

Yesterday I was eating my leftovers from Bistro 829 (so nummy!) and trying to get Brooklynn to eat along with me.

"Come on," I said "it's fish!"

"Want tuna fish!" she says

"This is kind of like tuna fish. Its snapper!"

"I want snack." (apparently snapper sounds a lot like snack)

With each exchange I tried to get my fork in her mouth but she kept clamping it shut and shaking her head. Finally, I said:

"Brooklynn, remember in Green Eggs and Ham that guy didn't want to try any but then he did and he really liked it?"

She looks at me for a second and then opens her mouth wide! Before long, she says "Mmmm! More, please!"

Thanks, Dr. Seuss!

Christmas

Brooklynn and Ian in their cute Christmas outfits! (Brooklynn wouldn't cooperate for a family shot).

We had a little picnic around the tree on Christmas Eve and read stories and sang songs. I was surprised that Brooklynn paid attention and stayed with us throughout. Afterwards, Brooklynn and I headed outside with the telescope to look for Santa and then set out cookies for him and an apple for the reindeer.

When Brooklynn awoke Christmas morning, she seemed to have forgotten all the excitement from the previous night. We read the Christmas story in Luke and then Brooklynn insisted on eating breakfast. We were finally able to convince her to go in the living room to see the presents. She took to her new kitchen right away. As usual, John was much more patient than I was and was willing to let her play with each present she opened before moving onto the next. I tend to get a little bored. Ian was his usual happy self and had a ready smile for every picture (when he wasn't chewing on his presents, that is).

The Baeza's and Cherry's joined us for dinner and a little cousin gift exchange that night (which of course, I don't have pictures of). Its always fun to watch the kids run around and the babies (Skyler, Ally, and Ian) are all getting so big!

New Years Eve was completely uneventful which I was quite happy about since I barely had enough energy to get off the couch that day. John and I watched a movie and actually drank our Martinelli's in bed at midnight (so luxurious!).

Nighttime Escapades

As an addendum to the post below, I thought I'd give you a play by play of our night last night.

I went to check on Ian around 1:00 am. John put him to bed and I forgot that he orients him the opposite way I do in his crib and scoots him further down so when I went to put my hand on his tummy in the dark to make sure he was breathing, I actually put my hand on his face and woke him up. I figured he would just babble in bed for awhile and finally fall asleep so I went back to bed. Awhile later he started "singing" loudly so I went and changed his diaper and hoped that would do the trick. When I got back in bed Gunner (dog) and Asia (cat) were on my side of the bed so I climbed in the middle (not the best place for me because I like my feet to have an escape route in case they get too hot). Before long, I heard Brooklynn's door slam shut and knew she was on her way down (1:48 am). She climbed in bed and told me she wanted her Special Milk. My new tactic is to not give her any (I figure maybe that will curtail her early morning visits). I told her she could have water instead and got her a sippy but she started to throw a fit. Before long, Ian started singing again so I left Brooklynn to John and went to feed Ian a few ounces. After I put him back in bed, I climbed in the guest bed (next to his room) to wait for him to fall asleep so I could make sure his blanket was still on him (I'm paranoid he'll be too cold at night). Gunner was waiting for me on that bed so I snuggled up to him but apparently eating an entire container of sour cream which he had stolen after dinner didn't agree with his digestion and I was enveloped in a none-too-pleasant smell. About 10 minutes later I heard John bringing Brooklynn back to her room and Gunner left me to follow John back downstairs (maybe he thought the smell was coming from me but I'm here to tell you that it wasn't). After another 15 minutes, Brooklynn's door slammed shut again and she headed back to our room. I decided to stay in the guest room and had the entire bed to myself for about four hours! It was pure bliss!

I'm happy that Brooklynn is playing at the Bonds this morning and now that Ian is taking a nap I can't decide what to do with my free time--whether to sleep, clean, or watch John and Kate + 8.

Sleeping Arrangements

Just because it's sleep it doesn't have to be dull . . .

One reason we finally decided to change Brooklynn's bed from a crib to a day bed (and no, we don't let her sleep naked, she took off her diaper and threw it in the diaper pail, climbed out of her crib and then started clapping because she was so proud of herself!)

She started climbing out all the time and getting in all kinds of mischief. Here she is COMPLETELY covered in Vicks Vapor Rub (she had also smeared it over every conceivable surface in her room. The whole house reeked for days.)

Her last night in her crib.

She didn't take to the daybed arrangement immediately either. (Yes, that is lotion she smeared all over the floor and I know, we're all asking ourselves why I leave these things within reach.)

Remy seemed to like the new arrangement more than Brooklynn. This is what we found one day when we went up for a nap

As I was getting the camera to take this picture, Brooklynn wandered off. This is what I found when I went to get her:

A few days into the daybed arrangement, we had another complication. Brooklynn had her first nightmare. She said there was a lion in her room "raring" at her. She was very upset and wouldn't even go in her room for a few days without me holding her. She either slept with us or I slept on her floor until we convinced her that Daddy took the lion to the zoo and that Remy and Gunner don't let lions in the house. So much for reading Maurice Sendak

Apparently, stickers are another sleep time fascination.

I'm starting to wonder if we should just pack up the bed all together and call it a day. I found her like this one night when I went to check on her.

Brooklynn has recently learned to open doors so nearly every night around 2:00 am she climbs into bed with us. I don't particularly mind except when she starts demanding Special Milk (Carnation Instant Breakfast) or that I tickle her non-stop.

Even before Brooklynn was trying to sleep with us every night I had my own problems. John and I both enjoy snuggling with the animals and have a hard time kicking them off the bed. At one time, Gunner used to sleep at the foot of the bed. But now he likes to sleep in between us and I end up hugging his backside (good thing I'm skinny and that he hasn't been farting lately).

This particular night, I had just taken the above picture and went to put the camera away. When I returned, this is what I found:

Nights like this I end up sleeping diagonally or go out on the couch. But even when I retire to the couch, someone usually finds me. Apparently, I'm pretty snugly myself (John took this picture of me and Remy in the wee hours of the morning).


Not to be outdone, here is our sweet little Ian (who thankfully has been sleeping through the night since he was about two months old and wakes up singing and happy every morning). This picture is from a few months ago. He fell asleep while holding his toys on his playmat.

We finally moved Ian from the portacrib in our closet to a crib in his own room (upstairs and across the house). He had a hard time falling asleep for the first couple days--I don't think he was used to all the space. But now he sleeps just fine. I still have a hard time with him being so far away and check on him several times during the night.

His first night in his new digs.

So if you ever can't sleep in the middle of the night (or are in need of some stickers), give us a call. You're sure to find someone awake.