Thursday, November 10, 2011

Brown Bunny

I have met so many other babylost mothers either through this blog, facebook or just support groups in general. Most of the mothers I have met place some kind of symbolism on their child in the form of animals. Whether it be butterflies, dragonflies, doves or even bluejays. Now that I put it in writing I can see the consensus is mostly things that obviously fly. I am the type of person that places symbolism on a lot of different things. I am very sentimental and believe in the 'signs' that I probably really just make up in my head if they seem appropriate to relate to something. Regardless, the story of my neighborhood brown bunny I think, is a pretty good one. Maybe you can find the symbolism as well.

When I was released from the hospital after I had the triplets, I remember so much looked different. I had been in the hospital on complete bed rest for over 2 weeks and so much looked different as I watched the road pass from the passenger seat window. The hospital is only a 10 minute drive from our house but there is lots of buildings on the way. I was surprised how some buildings were no longer standing, and there were even a few new ones. I don't know, just overall the entire world looked so different. Maybe I had too much on my mind. I had just lost Grace 3 days before and my other two girls were fighting for their lives. It was so weird to leave the hospital without them and so I am sure my mind was elsewhere. The point of me telling that is maybe I had seen this bunny before and just didn't realize it or even think about it.

So driving through the back of our neighboorhood I see this little brown bunny hopping around in someone's yard. At that very moment that I saw it I immediately placed Grace's symbolism on it. I thought to myself, 'I've never seen that bunny in all the years I've lived here and then all of a sudden I see a bunny?' It is pretty random to see a bunny hopping around freely. So very briefly I thought that was my girl Grace letting me know she was okay.

It was nice to see that bunny but to be quite honest I didn't think about it again. After all, I'm sure it was just a one-time thing to see it and so that was that. But a few days later after coming home from visiting the girls in the hospital I saw the bunny again. Except this time that brown bunny was sitting right in the middle of my yard. It had made it's way from the very back of the neighborhood to my yard. Not just anyone's front yard but MY front yard.

As soon as we would pull into the driveway he would hop away but that doesn't matter. He was THERE and he stayed just long enough for me to see him. This happened about 3-4 days in a row. So time passed, days turned into weeks and I began seeing the bunny less frequently. At one point I had actually gone many months without seeing him. Then very sporadically I would see him just hanging around. Sometimes in our yard, sometimes down the street. But he wasn't far.

Eventually I quit seeing that bunny and I just assumed he was gone. I am not sure on the life span of a bunny but after a few years of just seeing him on occasion it kinda got lost in my memory. It had been a long time since I had seen him. I finally saw him again coming home one evening in the month of June of this year and I stopped my car to take a picture but it was too dark. I guess I should mention I usually only saw him in the evenings. The only time I had seen him during the day was the first few months he started coming around. So, after the record-breaking heat we had this summer I got to thinking about that bunny and if he was still around and if he had found some shelter in the heat.

So a few months passed and once again, I quit seeing him that much. Late in the month of August, a dear friend of mine gave birth to her beautiful daughter, Hailey who was stillborn. That very day she lost her baby who popped up in my yard but that brown bunny. I literally got chills all over my body. Was it Grace letting me know she knew about Hailey and she was okay? I prayed that night that I would be able to be of some comfort to my friend Ashley and her husband and so maybe the bunny was put there to let me know all was going to be okay.

A few weeks later I had Ashley and her daughter over so she and Betsy could play. Ashley and I were sitting in the living room talking about Hailey, Grace and Olivia. I had the front door open because Tony had just come home. All of a sudden, brown bunny hopped into my front yard and stopped right outside the door as though he was looking right into the house. I almost started crying. So I told Ashley about the symbolism of the bunny and how strange it had been soooo long since I had seen him and he (1) shows up the day her little girl passed away and then (2) actually shows up DURING THE DAY--which has never happened--and shows up the very day she is at my house. I swear if that bunny doesn't hold some kind of symbolism then it's timing is just too perfect. I love brown bunny.

Monday, October 24, 2011

My Pumpkin

First of all, has it really been a month since I last blogged? Wow. I have to say, being a full-time stay at home mom and a full-time college student is really kicking my be-hind. Seems like I'm always behind or forgetting something lately. So I guess I will kinda sum up our month of October.

Betsy started back to Mother's Day Out. Her teacher from last year had actually moved up so in her new class she has the same teacher, which made both Betsy and I very happy because we just love her! I think she does great in 'school', as we call it, and she loves going. It's fun to hear her talk about her friends at school and to recall what she did for the day. She usually remembers everything. We are still working on potty training. I certainly don't know what the issue is. Betsy has been sooo easy in everything we have done, such as taking off bottle, getting rid of paci, etc. I just KNEW she would potty train just as easily. Boy did she fool me! She recognizes her potty chart. She understands the rewards and prizes she will get when she uses the potty. She just flat out won't do it! She even pointed to all her prizes that Tony has put on a sheet next to her potty chart and said, "no thanks, I will just wear a diaper." I mean, come on! Really?!? haha. She is SOOO smart. I just don't know why this isn't clicking for her. Maybe a bit of it is just her being stubborn. I don't know. Stay tuned....hopefully she will have a potty chart before she starts kindergarten in a couple years!! Right????

So back to her Mother's Day Out. Since she is in the big girl class now, she gets to go on field trips! Her first trip was going to Chester's Party Barn, which is like a little pumpkin patch/petting zoo place. I knew that I just HAD to go with them. This is my baby! And her first field trip! Well, plus in the back of my mind I was afraid of her running off or something. So a few weeks before her big field trip to the pumpkin patch, Tony and I wanted to take her on just a little family trip to a different pumpkin patch so we could have the experience as a family. We went to the Orr Family Farm and it was so much fun! As she gets older things definitely become more fun. She is just such a blast to be around! Here is a picture of us on the train and a picture of Betsy with her perfect pumpkin that she picked out all by herself.


So here we are on her class field trip. I took a million pictures this day. It was so fun to watch her in a different element, with her friends and teachers and how they all interact. Betsy is just such a good listener, which of course surprised us because...well...she just isn't like that all the time with us!
Here is Betsy with some of her classmates. I like this because they do this thing where they "strap their seatbelts and make bubbles". This gets the kids to fold their arms in front of them and puff out their cheeks. Keeping their hands to themselves and being quiet is the point.
I think it's pretty cute.

Here are the girls lining up to ride the ponies.

Getting ready for lunch. The girl next to her is her "very best friend ever". Her name is Caden.

So this is about the point where my camera died, naturally. She was so adorable this day playing with her friends. I think as a mother, one of your worst fears is that no one will ever play with your kid, haha. I was very happy to see her having friends. I love my little pumpkin!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Three Year Wellness Check

On Thursday I took Betsy in for her 3-year-old well-child check up. I absolutely love her pediatrician. She really takes extra special care of my girl and I like that she goes above and beyond for us. Betsy is growing perfectly and is actually close to catching up in her weight for a "normal" three-year-old. She is almost in the 50th percentile for weight but for her BMI she is in the 20th percent. She weighs 31 pounds and she is 39 inches long. She's in the 90th percentile in height. Tall and skinny....lucky girl! Her pediatrician said she is almost as tall as most 4 year olds.

She is developmentally right on track. When she graduated out of Sooner Start she was totally caught up on her speech and tested at the level of a 4 year to 4 year 11 month in terms of comprehension and reasoning. That's GREAT! We all new she was smart! She has great problem-solving skills and trys over and over until she has accomplished something.

We have been working on coloring inside the lines and although she can't quite do it she does concentrate on coloring one specific thing even if she can't stay in the lines. She can draw a face complete with a round face, two eyes, a nose and a mouth. All in the right spots. She loves, loves to color. She can hold scissors properly but isn't able to actually open and close them with one hand and cut but I don't think she is ready for that yet.

She has known her alphabet and numbers up to 20 for a while but she also can count in Spanish to 8. She skips the number 9 in Spanish and sometimes says 10. We are working on what sounds the letters of the alphabet makes and her favorite thing is T-T-T-T-T says Turtle. She recognizes letters of the alphabet and when she sees things that start with "Be" she yells, "That's my name!" She absolutely loves books especially Pinkalicious. Of course!

We have always worked on manners and she knows what "rude" is and to "be nice always". She always says thank you, please and your welcome. She's great about saying "excuse me" when someone is in her way and when she meets another child she introduces herself. "Hi, I'm Betsy." I love to hear her say that.

We aren't to a point where she is interested in potty training yet. She did great about a month ago when I was workng with her really good but a few times she did pee-pee in the potty and for some reason it really freaked her out. Ever since then she has kinda been hesitant about the potty and I haven't pushed. I encourage but when she gets upset then I stop. She's peaked interest just within the past couple days so we will reintroduce her to the process soon.

I know this blog is nothing but a big ole BRAG but she certainly deserves it. She is so much fun to be around and talks NONSTOP. She is always on the move and very curious about everything. She loves to sing songs and 'tell stories'. She will make up the cutest things. I am absolutely head over heels in love with this girl. It's totally bittersweet to see her become such a big girl. She isn't my baby anymore, she's a little kid. I certainly cherish every moment and have really enjoyed watching her grow up and become such a good little lady.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Power of a Song

I heard a song today on the radio, one of many that I absolutely love and it just tugged at my heartstrings so I decided to add it to my list. I have a list compiled in my head and heart that remind me of Grace and Olivia. The list grows nearly every week, as there are always new songs coming out that I can somehow relate to them. I wanted to share my list with you but really, there are so many songs. I do want to share my most favorite one with you. I heard, really heard the words to this song about a year after the girls died. We sang it in my dad's church and I literally had to walk out because I started crying. The words never spoke to me before then. I picked this song also for my cousin Lance's funeral because truly the words just are SO meaningful and powerful. I miss my girls and I miss Lance so very much. Tonight, I just had to share this song and the most beautiful version I have ever heard.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Betsy is 3

It seems so crazy to say I have a 3-year-old now. She is such a big girl!! It's like even when she was 2 she still seemed like a baby to me. But now that she is 3, she just seems so much more grown up. Awe. It's so bittersweet. It makes me wish I could preserve every single second I have with her and never, ever forget any little thing she says or does. I can't believe how fast the past three years have gone by for me and if the next three go by just as fast then she will be...gulp!....six! She is so very precious to me and every single day is a blessing, that is for sure.

We had Betsy's 3rd birthday this year in Lovey's backyard. "Lovey" is my mom. We have a favorite park we have had her birthdays in the past but it was so hot this year we wanted to do water toys plus last year we had a slight bee issue at the park and even my cousin got stung! So we chose my mom's backyard and grilled out hot dogs and let the kids swim. It was still hot for us adults but everyone brought their lawn chairs and there was plenty of shade. It wasn't as bad as I had anticipated and I think everyone had a good time. I was so glad for those who came. I always worry that she won't have any friends at her party! She had so much fun and she sure loves all her friends. She talks about them for days and days after we have seen them so I know she truly likes being with them.




We had our traditional balloon release to remember Grace and Olivia since it's their birthdays too. I always love doing this. Betsy is getting old enough to wonder why we are letting balloons go so I need to explain things to her. It's just too hard to mention their names around her. Because they are so much a part of her.

Balloons for my girls...


After everyone pigged out on hot dogs and birthday cake and we said goodbye to all our friends, it was time to end our birthday celebration and we plopped Betsy and her cousin Allie in the bathtub to clean up. In Betsy's words, Allie is her "very best friend EVER!" They are exactly a month apart and I know they will grow up great friends.


Betsy and Allie the next morning. Betsy's actual birthdate. Happy Birthday Big Girl!


We treated Betsy to lunch at Jimmy's Egg and the "Egg Man" was even there, which she loved.


After lunch we took Betsy to Toys R' Us to pick out whatever she wanted for her birthday. She picked out an Olivia chair and a microwave for her kitchen. Very cute. Then we took her to the mall to play and for a special cookie treat. After that we decided to pay a visit to the NICU to visit those special nurses who took care of Betsy for her first 4 months of life. She was the first one to come out and see Betsy when we got there. Betsy went right over to her and hugged her and hugged her...and wouldn't let go. She literally just squeezed Nurse Kathy for the longest time.


Now, Betsy doesn't do that with ANYONE! Tony and I just stood there teary-eyed just wondering if Betsy felt some kind of bond with her and remembered how much she cared for her. Kathy was one of those nurses who we knew genuienely LOVED Betsy. And you know that when Betsy was tiny and Kathy would care for her she could feel that love. So I just wonder if she felt something...that connection. It was so sweet to watch and it really made me happy. We formed a very special bond with the nurses there and it's great to go back and visit. They all like to marvel over Betsy and how big she has become. Can you imagine it from their perspective? They, more than anyone, knew how fragile my baby's life truly was and it really must be amazing to watch 'their' babies grow up.

So overall the birthday went by great. Things are getting a little easier in terms of not having my triplets. Especially the 3rd birthday, since there are 3 of them...the birthday possibilities would have been endless. I just have to hope and pray that I am truly doing the right thing in honoring them and keeping their memory alive. I actually had someone say (at the balloon release), "oh i forgot..." My heart just shattered. That's exactly what I DONT want...is someone to forget about my girls or why we do the things we do for them. They are very much still a part of Tony and I and will continue to live through Betsy. Please don't ever forget....

Monday, August 22, 2011

So Long Summer

Well even though we are going on 50+ days of triple digit heat, my summer has officially ended. Today I started my fall semester back at UCO. I am glad to be back in the swing of things but we have totally gotten off our routine and I have not been able to get Betsy back into a schedule. She has been sleeping in (sometimes almost 10am!) and we have been skipping naps. She will still go to bed around 8:30, no later than 9. I have been trying to get her back on schedule but haven't been successful. I am fortunate enough that while I am in school Tony will be home with her and while he is working, I am home so really I'm not as concerned about getting her back on a nap schedule as I used to be. She has adjusted fine without one and is seldom grumpy so I guess she will be fine not taking naps anymore. Next week she will start back to her Mother's Day Out program which I am really excited about. She absolutely loves going to 'school' and has so much fun there. She loves playing with other children and making new friends. She is such a social little girl.

So here is a recap of some of the things we have been doing over the past few weeks. The temperatures have been well into the 100s and all the way up to 114 degrees. It has been entirely too hot to do much of anything outdoors but on the rare occasion that it wasn't TOO hot we tried to play out as much as possible after breakfast. Like I said, those days were few and far between. We spent alot of time at the mall at the play area to let Betsy run off some energy. I have felt really bad that we didn't do much more this summer and I'm starting to feel really guilty about not putting her in more activities. As much as she loves other children, she really needs to do more. But, money doesn't fall from the sky and some things I have wanted to put her in just aren't within our budget at the moment. Just one more week until Mother's Day Out and then I will feel better about everything. I know she's just (almost) 3-years-old but she really does need more friends.

Here we went to a neighborhood splash pad. She loved it and even proclaimed, "this is the best day ever!"




She did finish up her dance classes. She really enjoyed going to those and had lots of fun. I would LOVE to keep her in them but our issue right now is the only classes offered are in the late afternoons/evenings and that is when I am in school this semeser so that really won't work out. Here she is at her last dance class. We got to go in for Visitor's Day and watch her in action. I know I have already blogged about her dance class but she is. so. cute. I can't resist more pics.





A big milestone we hit was that we got to say good-bye to Sooner Start. Betsy was only seeing Lindy, her speech pathologist, since her speech was so delayed but she has actually been caught up for a few months now. Lindy was just still coming to see Betsy because she loved her so much, of course! Hey, those were her words not mine! :) Anyway, we were so, so very thankful for the services of Sooner Start and helping Betsy get caught up to where she should be. I hear stories of children who were born not even as early as Betsy and how they aren't doing as well as her. Just another reason to be so blessed with our little Betsy and just how amazing she is. We truly are going to miss our speech path. She was so much fun. OH! and as ironic as it is...me and Lindy actually went to fifth grade together. How funny is that!! On her last day she and Betsy had a special birthday picnic. We were sorry to say goodbye to her but it's always a great thing to graduate out of Sooner Start.


So, I really don't have much to blog on. I just wanted to catch up from the beginning of August. I will be super busy. I'm taking night classes Monday-Thursday, one morning class on Tuesdays and then on online class. I am already feeling overwhelmed and I'm super nervous about this semester. I just want to do good. I don't want to lose my dream and I'm just hoping I didn't bite off more than I can chew. I will still have all day to be home with Betsy which is wonderful and I am glad for that. I love my little girl!





Monday, August 1, 2011

August

Ah yes, it is upon us once again. Its my favorite and my least favorite month all rolled into one. It's August. Betsy will be turning 3 this month, which is amazing all in itself. This month is the same month that "everything happened". On August 13th it will mark the anniversary of when we got the news about Grace and I was admitted to labor and delivery on complete hospital bedrest. Three years ago. We found out the sexes of our triplets and then immediately prepared to lose at least one, maybe all of them. We didn't know. It's August. The anniversary of Grace's delivery where we said hello and goodbye all in the same breath. I endured a traumatic delivery with Betsy and Olivia and watched my one pound babies be whisked out of the room with a mere 30% chance of survival. It's the crazy month of August where I feel the need to relive every detail of the last moments of my triplet pregnancy.

So much has changed in three years. I don't question "Will I ever get better" because I am better. I don't ask "When will I heal" because I have just accepted that my heart will always remain broken. I don't cry as often and as sad as it is to say, they don't cross my mind every single day. I don't picture what Grace and Olivia would look like anymore. It was easy when Betsy was a baby and since they were babies when they died it was easier to imagine what they would look like and be like. I know Grace would probably have dark hair still and I know Olivia would be my princess. No, I don't know this, this is just what I always wanted so it's what I have decided in my mind that my babies would be like. I just simply remember them as tiny babies and it's too hard to picture them as almost 3 year old girls. As much as I want to, my mind doesn't let them grow up.

I need to start talking about them with Betsy. She is so smart and she really understands things so I want her to know about her sisters but I can't find the right words to tell her. She isn't going to understand death so I don't know how to explain where they are. I'm working on it and I'm trying to put it in a story for her. It's so hard because everytime I mention their names I start crying. It's hard to say their names in front of Betsy and I guess it's just because they are so much a part of her.

One thing hasn't changed in three years. I still miss them as though it was the day they died. I wish with every fiber of my being that they were here and I miss how my life would be different. I still long for the mini-van, the multiples clubs, the stares and disbeliefs of strangers, the constant whirlwind I would be in at home and how I especially long for my three little girls going to dance class together. I want the bumper sticker that says, "You can't scare me...I have triplets!". All of these thoughts aren't as prominent as they were two years ago, but they occasionally cross my mind. I still look at their pictures just as much as I always have and even though it's been a while, I still get Olivia's belongings out of her box and thumb through the things that were hers. I don't open the heavy white sack from Integris Hospital that says "OLIVIA" on the outside. I know the contents inside are her blanket and outfit she died in (we got to dress her after she came off all her machines). I don't open the sack because I don't want the smell to go away. It's just the distinct smell of that NICU room but it's Olivia's smell and it's all I have left.

The most important thing I have left from that memorable month of August is my angel, Betsy. She is the light of my life and I thank the Lord for her every single day. I can't believe I have been so blessed with her and that she is so healthy. She's such a big girl now and it's unbelievable to remember she was only 1 lb 9 oz. She was born and the heavens sang, I have no doubt about that. The only thing I hope for at this point is that her sisters know her and they know that she would have loved them so much. I hope they feel our love from up above.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

90 Years Young

This weekend we went to my grandparent's to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday. We call my grandparents Ma and Pa. They are two of the most important people in my life. I cannot believe my Ma is 90 years old, it seems like she should still be 70. I am so fortunate and so very blessed to still have my grandparents at their age. They both are in fairly good health and still have their spunk and sense of humor. We had a community birthday party for my Ma. She's 90 so we had to do it up big. We had a great turn-out and it was wonderful to see so many people who adore her as much as we do! I sure love my Ma. She is the most amazing person you will ever meet. Olivia is named after her, they share the same middle name. I can't imagine my life without my Ma in it and I don't take one second I get to spend with her for granted.


Isn't she so pretty?

Ma and Betsy


The whole family


The most wonderful couple in the world, my Ma and Pa

Thursday, July 21, 2011

They Have Value

This summer I am taking a Psychology of Grief class for my funeral service major. This has been such an interesting class and I am really learning alot about grief and coping. The last chapter I read was about coping as an adult. One section was about the death of a child. After I read the chapter I just felt heavy hearted again. In adults, the most significant impact is the death of a child; however, society does not understand this and often claim fetal death experiences have minimal impact on the parents and do not generate a significant grief reaction. Why? We are offered false consolation. "Now you have a little angel in Heaven" or "You can always have another baby". It's such an easy dismissal of my losses and I guess it's just ignorance and discomfort from the outsiders. It is often foolishly claimed that there could not be much grief when there had not been real bonding with the infant.

I just want the world to know that I DID bond with Grace and Olivia. During pregnancy I completely and actively reshaped my life to accomodate the anticipation of my triplets. I felt all three girls move. I saw them on ultrasounds dance and wiggle all over. I named them. I developed dreams for them. They were ALIVE. I bonded with them. I talked to them and sang to them. Grief has nothing to do with the length of my baby's life, but the nature of the attachment I had to them.

I am so thankful for the programs which have emerged to help us parents with our baby's after their loss. I cannot express how grateful I am to the photographers at Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep who came and took the most amazing pictures of my girls. I would have never thought to do all they did in my time of grief and I think they are amazing. They helped us validate their life and their loss.

Grace and Olivia have value. They existed and they were MINE. I had only the time she was alive in my womb with Grace and I had only 37 days with Olivia. That doesn't mean their death's were any less painful than if I had lost them at 10 years old. They are my babies.

The world may never notice
If a Snowdrop doesn't bloom,
Or even pause to wonder
If the petals fall too soon.
But every life that ever forms,
Or ever comes to be,
Touches the world in some small way
For all eternity.
The little one we long for
Was swiftly here and gone.
But the love that was then planted
Is a light that still shines on.
And though our arms are empty,
Our hearts know what to do.
Every beating of our hearts
Says of our love for you

Sunday, July 10, 2011

A True Princess

Today Tony and I took Betsy to the mall to play in the play area so she could run off some steam. It was too hot to even go swim today so we had to do something! On a whim we decided to get Betsy's ears pierced. We have thought about it for a while now but have always been hesitant mainly because we didn't want her to have to hurt for a long time. We talked about it with her and asked her if she wanted earrings like her cousin Allie. She said she did but of course she didn't know what that all entailed. So we took her to look at earrings and there was a teenage boy who was getting ready to pierce his ears. I took Betsy and we watched him get his ears done and she said, "I'm ready to get earrings too."

So we did. The lady who did it was really sweet and had lots of knowledge and advice about what to do and how to take care of them. There was luckily another worker there so they were able to do them at the same time. I was so nervous. More nervous than Betsy for sure. Tony sat in the chair and held her while I snapped pictures on my phone. They counted down...3....2....1....go. I heard the snap of the guns and braced myself for her to start crying. I literally was sweating I was so nervous!

Betsy literally didn't even flinch. She didn't cry, whimper, NOTHING! I was like, "really? That easy?" She had a mirror in front of her so as soon as she was done she got a sucker and we gawked in the mirror how pretty she was. She looks just like a true princess to me. She is absolutely beautiful. I guess she has been stuck so much in her life and been through so much that a measly little stick in the ear was nothing. What an angel.

For some reason my e-mail won't open the pictures I sent from my phone. Bummer. So I can't show off the ear piercing process. But these were taken right after we got home. With her new haircut and now her ears she doesn't look like my baby anymore. She looks like such a big girl.





On a side note, we found a karaoke channel on our On Demand so before bedtime we jammed out to Old MacDonald and Row Row Row Your Boat. Ah yes, that's the life!


Friday, July 8, 2011

New Schedule, July 4th and a Haircut, Oh My!

I can't believe it is already July! I can probably fit everything here in about 2-3 different blogs but instead I guess I'll just write one big long one, of course full of pictures. I just don't feel like seperating everything. This summer has been going by so fast! We have been keeping ourselves pretty busy. Since we have had Betsy in dance class and in swimming lessons we have kinda been putting her on a different schedule. I guess it started back in June when I started school. Tony had switched his schedule at work to work evenings and he was home all day wih Betsy. Well, typically I will get Betsy up by 8:30am and that way by 1:00pm she is ready for a nap and she will sleep until 3-3:30pm, but since we have been busy and she had already been off her schedule when Tony's family was visiting, one day we just let her sleep in and she ended up sleeping until 10:45am! We were looooooving getting to sleep in also!

So now we are trying out something new with her. We have been letting her sleep in as long as she wants in the mornings, usually she is up by 9:45-10. Then she skips her nap and goes to bed at 8pm. However, we are finding it is difficult to get her on a good eating schedule since she won't eat breakfast until 10 in the morning and then lunch around 2:30ish. And she sometimes gets cranky around 7ish as well. So, we may have to go back to getting her up in the morning so she doesn't skip a nap. It's all trial and error at this point.

We also celebrated Fourth of July last weekend. We went to my grandparents farm as we typically do. We didn't get to do fireworks like we usually do since we had to come back for my brother and Tony to go to work. We did enjoy a great visit and Betsy even got her very first haircut. It wasn't much to cut off since she still has pretty short hair, but it was very uneven in the back, like growing pretty long on the sides and not in the very back....funny. Also it was getting pretty long on top. We were able to get by for a while by pulling it up into a "fountain" on her head but it was getting so long that didn't even look right. haha.

Here is a picture a few days before her haircut. We were playing in a fort we made at home.


We let my aunt "Oakie" do her first haircut since she gave me MY first haircut when I was 2 years old. Of course my hair was way past my shoulders at that point. Haha! Poor Betsy.
Here are some pics of the process. Sarah sat and did the entertaining while I snapped away a million pics. Betsy will pretty much sit still for anything electronic so she did really good playing with some of her cousin's toys.










I think she looks like such a big girl now. It's really, really a cute cut and I'm so glad to have it out of her face. It's adorable when I pull the side back and clip a bow in it. I just love having a little girl!

So after our weekend out on the farm, we came home to go to the Bethany 4th of July parade. So let me mention that it has been well over 100 degrees all month long and Monday morning, July 4th morning, by the time the parade started it was already pushing 100 degrees. We stayed for about an hour and we were all feeling pretty miserable. I don't care how much water we drank, it just wasn't safe to have my little girl out in the heat for that long so we left. Here are a few pics from the parade. She's so cute in her festive outfit!





That evening after a nice long nap we loaded up and went to Edmond for the fireworks show. Betsy enjoyed it and even sat still for all of 5 minutes and watched it. haha. All in all, I didn't think it was worth it. We had to get there an hour before it started to get a good spot, it was HOT, and then after the show we had to wait almost another hour to get out of the parking lot. It was well after midnight before Betsy got to bed and to me that just isn't worth it. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!!

Edmond fireworks (children's area) Look how cute her hair is!


Enjoying the show


Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Summer!

No, I haven't abandoned my blog! So far our summer has been pretty hectic and the few nights I sat down to blog something was wrong with my photo uploader. And I can't have a blog without some pictures!

I guess we technically aren't into summer yet but it's the summer months and it's been HOTTTTTT. We had a few changes lately. I am enrolled in school (finally!!) and so with my school schedule we decided to take Betsy out of her Mother's Day Out program just for the 8-week summer session. Our original plan was to have my mom watch Betsy during the mornings I would be in class but it just so happened that Tony has been assigned a later day shift so he has been able to stay home with Betsy. I am taking two classes: Psychology of Grief and Math for General Education. My math class is just a 4-week fast track class and my Psychology of Grief is online. I am really enjoying school so far. I have already enrolled for my fall classes and if everything stays according to plan (fingers crossed), I should finish in 3 years.

So, since we took Betsy out of her Mother's Day Out, we decided to enroll her in a few summer activities so she wouldn't have to have a "boring" summer. The first thing we did was put her in a dance class. I've been waiting 2 years for this moment...to put my little princess in a tutu and take her to dance class. Is it just me or is this every mother of little girls dream?!? She is such a doll!




She seems to be really enjoying the class. We can't watch her because it's too much of a distraction to 10 little 2-year-olds to have 20+ heads surrounding the door. We can hear them through the door though and it sounds so cute. After the first session Betsy came home and ballerina danced all over the floor. Who knows, maybe she will become a dancer. She is so tall and skinny she could probably be really good at it.

Also this summer we are giving Betsy swim lessons. We have a family friend who teaches classes and is also a lifeguard so she is teaching Betsy privately at her house. Betsy's first class was last week and I think it went well. Betsy is very, very comfortable in her puddle jumper floatie so for being without it I think she did very well. She has already learned to kick her legs while on her belly and has discovered when she does that she actually can move all over the pool. She's gonna be a pro by the end of summer! :)

At her first swim lesson


Betsy LOVES the water. And I'm glad because both Tony and I both are water hogs and love to swim. We have already been twice to White Water waterpark this summer because Betsy loves it so much. She just gets in the water and takes off. It's so much fun. We spend alot of time at my dad's house swimming. Before long we will have to check our feet to make sure they aren't webbing. Haha.

To top off our exciting summer so far, and partly why we have been so busy, is Tony's family came to visit us the first week in June. His brother, sister-in-law, and their two children have never visited Oklahoma before so we were especially excited for them to come. They are from New York but have been living in Florida for the last few years. Also Tony's mother and her longtime boyfriend came to visit. They are both from New York as well. We haven't seen his mom since our wedding 7 years ago so we were sooooo thankful we were all able to spend some much needed time together.

Betsy really enjoyed playing with her two cousins, who are ages 9 and 3.


We had a busy week. Not only did I have school every morning but when I got home we were on the move. We visited the Omniplex, White Water, Oklahoma National Memorial, rode the water taxi downtown, went to Bass Pro Shop, and much more. We were busy. It was so much fun to get to visit and spend time with everyone. I wish we saw each other more. We are already talking about going and visiting Florida next summer so we can at least be consistent in spending time together. I enjoyed everyone so much.

Here is a fun picture we took at the Science Musuem (that's what it's called now, not Omniplex anymore). I forget how much fun it is there. This was like a mirror room.


Jason, Lisa and Kaitlyn at a giant table


Tony and Betsy on the water taxi


All in all, our summer has started off great. Now that our company is gone and I've slipped into a routine with school, we should easily start slowing down a little. All our schedules were thrown out the window for that week and I think this picture of Betsy pretty much sums up our entire week! We stayed at my mom's house at night and let our company have our house. She fell asleep in the car on the way there and didn't wake up until the next morning. Even being layed out like this, changed into her jammies, diaper changed and face washed. She was crashed. Sweet baby.