Tidbits

From Ireland: "My belly's not interested in food, it's only interested in chocolate milk."

Brent and I were trying to make phone calls regarding our house hunt while Liesel and Ireland were begging for some ice cream. I tried to explain to them that we needed to have it quiet while we talked and besides, would they rather have a house so the family could be together or ice cream? Liesel sadly admitted she wanted a house. Ireland perkily told me she wanted the ice cream. As I gave Brent a look that said, "What are we going to do with this girl?" Ireland remained determined and repeated she wanted the ice cream... in case I didn't catch it the first time.

Brigitta got into my makeup:

And the Butt Paste:

And chipped her tooth (best pic I could take since she was screaming and crying):

Of course that happened within a month of her dental check-up:

I've repeatedly (and I mean repeatedly) told the girls not to bother me when I'm on the phone. Ignoring this completely, Ireland came bounding up to me to ask about something when I was deep in conversation with my sister. I lost it and said, "#1- Don't EVER interrupt me when I'm on the phone! It makes me want to beat you to death with my shoe!!!" Ireland considered that for a second and not even a bit intimidated said, "And #2?"

I was folding laundry when I picked up a sweater of Sydney's that happened to match the swimsuit Liesel was wearing. Jokingly, I told her to put it on and without a thought, Liesel slipped it on and zipped it up. That Liesel of mine is one tiny girl!

The time came for me to get my Hep A booster (I'd had the first shot before our trip abroad). I purposely brought Liesel and Ireland so I could show them that even though I hate needles, I could get a shot without being difficult to the nurse or crying. When it was time, the girls were much more fascinated in watching the nurse stab me, than in seeing how brave I was. The Hep A shot is one that actually hurts more afterwards and between the pain and my two girls grotesquely wanting to witness the blood and gore part, it all made me... want to cry.

A pretty good braid:

We found out Liesel will be taking the bus to school this year. I'm ecstatic about this little development and I excitedly told her, "Did you know I took the bus when I was a little girl?" She pragmatically responded, "No, because I wasn't there."

In the midst of moving madness, I was called to jury duty. This is my third time and I've never actually had to serve so I gambled rather than following the instructions on what to do if you cannot actually serve. I should have factored Cook county's high crime rate in my thinking, because I was actually called to serve. I had to file for an extension... whoops.

This is how Liesel falls asleep every night:

Love my little book worm!

Brigitta is TWO!

Oh this girl. This girl is putting me through my paces. She is by far more mischievous than the rest of her siblings... combined. Gita has the ability to get into trouble, even in plain sight. Keeping up with her older sisters makes her brazen, fearless, and determined. I'm reminded these will all be good qualities to have someday. I'm not sure what her ability to create massive messes in stunningly short amounts of time will come to, but she has that in her pocket as well. Little Brigitta also seems to be rather accident prone. When I think of the things she's managed to ingest, I simultaneously cringe and gag. Brigitta can scream like a banshee... something she demonstrates often. Right now she is challenging me as a mother every minute of every day.

As I've mentioned, Brigitta had a case of chicken pox the week prior to the photo shoot. She also had a bad fall and hit her cheek on the pedestal foot of an office chair so that's the lovely yellow-brown bruise. She has a scar on her left eye from another bad fall many months ago. The chip on her front tooth is from trying to dive under the water in the bathtub. Just for fun, the day before the shoot, she had two mosquito bites just under her right eye which made it very red and swollen. I'm surprised no one has called Child Protective Services based on her appearance alone. 

I debated putting on some concealer but in the end decided these photos were never about perfection; they are about capturing the children at different stages of life. To cover up all those bumps and bruises would be akin to covering up Brigitta's personality.

This close-up gives a great view of the chipped tooth, the bruise and the lingering pox. And yet she is genuinely smiling. That's my Gita!

I first spotted this dress on a trip to Solvang, CA. I fell in love with it (those shades of blue and turquoise on a blue-eyed little girl? Heaven!) but Brent discouraged me from buying it as our vacation was getting plenty expensive. When I saw it again in another store in Boston, I snatched it up without a second thought. Liesel and Ireland wore it and I felt it was the perfect dress for Gita to wear for the photo since she has a summer birthday.

 Seriously? I mean... SERIOUSLY?

That's better.

Much, much better.

For the next year I will be in the trenches with this one as she rides the Terrible Two's. I know it's going to stretch me to the limits of my energy and patience but I also know it will be filled with eager kisses, proud proclamations of, "I did it!!!" and crooked smiles with that chipped tooth. 

I love you Brigitta, with all my heart and soul.

We Bought a House

At closing when we'd finally signed the last document and our broker handed us the keys, I turned to Brent and cried, "OH MY GOSH WE'RE IN SO MUCH DEBT!!!!" Our attorney and broker exchanged glances and I was keenly aware the typical buyer skips into the parking lot with their keys and little concern otherwise.

I did feel secure that we had done our research. We rigorously reviewed school ratings. Brent called utility companies and got average, high and low usage figures. I contacted the county to see if any ferocious dogs were registered in the neighborhood. We checked the Illinois sex offender website to see if there was anything concerning nearby. I called the local police station and asked about crime in the area. 

The schools are excellent. The utilities are doable. There are no pit bulls, doberman pincers or German shepherds nearby. There's no registered sex offenders anywhere near the area. The most reported crime is theft from unlocked cars in public parking. Not to mention we loved the house. The girls did too. Brigitta cried when we left after the initial showing. 

While Brent and I were closing on the house, my father-in-law BJ watched the girls. He treated them for a light lunch and then met us at the house afterwards. While the financial obligation still weighed heavily on me, everything bounced back into perspective when I saw the girls playing in the backyard. Brent gave me a reassuring smile. Between the two of us, we can navigate any financial situation... we have before!

We are finally together again as a family and this is a home we will cherish. 'Nuff said. 

Moving

In my head, it was all planned out. I'd been packing for weeks so all we had left were the last essential clothes, bathroom and kitchen items. Easy peasy. On Move Day I'd scheduled Sydney's 9-month pediatric appointment thinking that would give me a full 3 months until her next check-up. After all, I didn't want to try moving and then work in her check-up amidst the chaos. I thought I was brilliant. I also scheduled haircuts for the 3 older girls. After a long summer of sun and chlorine damage, they were in desperate need of a trim. If I did it on Move Day, their hair would be as freshly cut as possible for the start of school. Again, I didn't want to try and find a place, schedule appointments and take them in when we'd be trying to get settled. Brilliant, right?

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!? Move Day was chaos. The things we needed to pack up suddenly multiplied... and scattered themselves haphazardly around the house. I found myself throwing random items into our very last moving boxes, laundry baskets, and horror of horrors- industrial sized garbage bags. A dear friend came the night before to help wipe down walls and cupboards, dust, Windex, etc. Many more friends came the morning of the move while the older girls were at a play date. I apologized repeatedly as I ran from one appointment to the next. When all appointments were taken care of, I rushed back to the house and found everyone had left but there was plenty more to do. 

By the time the truck was packed and the house was clean and buttoned up, I was dirty and winded. Brent and I checked, rechecked, audited each other's final check of the house and we finally hit the road around 3:30. 

I still can't believe this little truck holds all the valuables for our household of SIX!

Ireland announced she would take the first shift driving the truck with Grandpa. She was pleased as punch.

Once we checked into the hotel and I was able to soak in the hot tub, I realized how tense I had been. I was still concerned about closing on the house the next day. My mind was searching for any tiny thing we could have left unresolved with my parent's house. It was getting late and I wasn't sure what we'd do for dinner. I was hoping beyond hope the girls would completely wear themselves out in the pool and quickly fall asleep (yeah, right). But seeing my girls laugh and splash in the pool with their daddy made me inexplicably happy.

BJ moved heavy furniture and boxes all morning, then drove the moving truck 4 hours, then frolicked with the girls in the pool. I don't know where he found the energy. Brent and I were glassy eyed. 

BJ even managed to wear Brigitta out in the pool- something I thought was an impossibility.

Should we have to move again in the future, I'm going to remember a few things:

1- I will buy waaaay more boxes than I think I'll ever need. I can always return unused ones and it's just better to have them on hand.

2- Be on hand during the actual move. Don't assume a couple of hours with just myself, my husband and father-in-law will suffice.

3- No matter how minimally I lived in the past (right up until I was married, I could fit all my earthly belongings in my Honda Civic), I have a family now. By today's standards, it's a big family and we have stuff. Lots of stuff. Maybe it's a lot less than the average family of six, but it's still a lot of stuff.

4- Before attempting to move, throw out half the stuff. I will trash it, donate it or sell it. Get down to the bare minimum to survive. Take a look at what Gandhi left behind when he died. Try to emulate that.

5- I hope to always have good friends who will love me even when I'm a mess on Move Day. They make not just the move, but life in general so much sweeter.

Sistows!

A pride of lions. A murder of ravens. What do you call a group of little girls? Brent and I have decided it is a drama of girls. But underneath the teasing, the tears, the territory-mongering, there is a heart-melting sweetness to sisterhood. Observe:

With their babysitter Amanda

  

With cousin Elizabeth

I'm so glad they have each other! There's nothing in this world like sisters.

Sydney's 9 Month Photos

Confession time: Sydney is technically 10 month old in these photos. I'd planned to get her 9 month photos taken at the same time as Brigitta's 2 year photos. A couple of weekends were taken up with the move. Then Brigitta got the chicken pox... and she's HAD the vaccine! Apparently it's not 100%. The good news is that it wasn't severe and didn't last too horribly long. The bad news is that we had to cancel the photo shoot. By the time Brigitta was recovered, Sydney was barely 10 months old. Well at least Sydney's sisters can't accuse me of favoring her as the youngest! At one time or another all these kids feel the crunch of a bigger than average family. 

Ready for some cute pictures? Here we go:

We had to do the traditional bathtub photos!

I'm not usually into crazy pattern-on-pattern kinds of outfits but when I saw this one, I fell in love with it. I knew the colors would bring out Sydney's strawberry blonde hair and she wears it well.

Oh how I adore this swimsuit!!! I absolutely, positively HAD to have professional photos of Sydney wearing it. This one of her from behind is my favorite. She was beyond tired and fussing so badly the photographer couldn't get a decent photo. Brent handed her his iPhone which quickly engrossed her. This was the last photo of the day.

Sydney's July POTD

Could not, would not, absolutely refused to be soothed.

Brigitta's first order of the day is to come screaming into the room, "Syyyyyyydneyyyyyyy!!!"

So You Think You Can Dance was on and she was particularly enjoying the routine. Wow, I look horrid!

Good morning sunshine! Always a happy face first thing.

At the store in the ginormous cart.

Wind!

Baby play area. Perfect for one who is perfecting sitting up, rolling around and creeping.

She couldn't quite finish the bottle before nodding off so she saved it for a nightcap.

Nauvoo

Growing up in Iowa City, we went to Nauvoo a lot. Whenever friends or relatives came into town, it was the nearest tourist attraction (for Mormons anyway). Over time, I felt kind of Nauvoo-ed out. I had my brick. I had my horseshoe nail ring. I'd heard the tours. I'd seen the depressed lawn where the temple once stood. I could quote the entire Nauvoo pageant by heart. 

Jim and Vanessa stopped by on their way back from the City Beautiful and regaled us with tales of all the new things to do in Nauvoo. With our time in Iowa City rapidly running out, I took a Saturday to introduce Liesel and Ireland to a bit of my childhood. 

Of course we stopped by the Visitor's Center and saw the Monument to Women garden.

If memory serves, there are only two surviving sunstones form the original Nauvoo temple. One is in Nauvoo and the other is in the Smithsonian. I've seen both but now I need to get the girls to DC. The sister missionaries were rather charmed by Liesel and Ireland.

From there on out, I have to say Nauvoo has changed quite a bit since I was a kid. There are many more tours. Even the ones I'd been to have been updated. They have wagon rides and activities. The restaurant offerings are still slim to none, but all in all Nauvoo was well worth visiting again. Not to mention there is an added sentimentality in visiting the temple where Brent and I were sealed for time and all eternity. 

The "pioneer games" before the pageant were a huge hit with the kids! The girls earned a bead for each activity they completed so they rushed around trying to get in as many as possibly. They colored pictures, braided cloth, tried walking on stilts, made dolls, got a wooden toy to climb a rope, etc.            It was a lovely way to get there early, save our seats, and then kill time until the pageant started. My phone died so I wasn't able to catch everything but I was crazy proud of little Ireland. They could learn a Scottish reel and just as a crowd left, Ireland went right up to the performer and asked her to teach it to her. Another crowd gathered as Ireland did it alone. There was also a band and dancing (no bead to earn from that one) and Ireland asked one of the performers to dance with her there as well. Liesel was pretty shy but she didn't mind cuddling with me and watching Ireland. She was so tiny with all of these teenagers dancing around her. I was so impressed she had the guts to do it... I know I wouldn't have! 

I loved seeing the girls run around on the lawn below the temple. It reminded me of the opening credits of Little House on the Prairie.

When the pageant started at sunset, we slipped into long pants and hoodies and then sprayed any exposed skin with bug repellent. We sat back to enjoy the singing and dancing spectacular against the backdrop of a sun setting on the gorgeous Nauvoo temple. The girls are still a little young to sit through a lengthy live performance but they held on to the end. Both of them were fast asleep before we even crossed the Mississippi River.

I'm really grateful to Jim and Vanessa for inspiring me to go. Since Nauvoo is so close, perhaps we will make it a tradition! Well, at least until the girls tell me they're Nauvoo-ed out...

The Lemon and the Lyme

Over the 4th of July weekend, we all came down with a bug. It seemed to hit Liesel the worst and for about 36 hours she was unable to keep anything down-- even water or just Pepto Bismol. It's actually pretty unusual for Liesel to get very sick. She and Brent seem to have the hardiest constitution and I credit her early years in daycare, where she caught every bug imaginable. 

Liesel was terrified of the blood draw so they put numbing cream on the site to help. See how she's balancing on her left leg? 

Before Liesel was sick, she complained her body ached. I figured it was the early signs of that nasty bug making its way through her system. Then the aches didn't get better even after she'd been feeling fine otherwise. Finally, the pain seemed to localize in her right knee. Liesel began mentioning it more and more until she was limping, and crying constantly. She woke up everyday in tears and Liesel... well... she just doesn't do that. She's not the type of girl to make a big deal out of physical maladies for attention. Furthermore, I noticed red patches of skin on her torso and limbs flaring up and then disappearing only to flare up in another area. Children's Tylenol didn't help at all and my gut instinct was telling me something was really wrong. I phoned her pediatrician's office back in Illinois and the nurse on call advised me to have her seen as soon as possible. 

What is it about my child getting x-rays that makes me want to bawl my eyes out? Is it the juxtaposition of the super technological equipment and my delicate little girl, trustingly laying on the table? Is it the apron they have to spread over her vital organs to keep from destroying something important? Is it the fact I have to step out of the room and smile encouragingly through a small, mesh, glass window? I dunno, but it gets me every time.

I ran through the symptoms with a local pediatrician who ordered blood tests and x-rays to really get to the bottom of things. Some of the tests came back immediately and they were all inconclusive. No JRA (her cousin has that), no signs of cancer, nothing off the charts really anywhere. As a precaution, the good doctor ordered a prescription for Amoxicillin as her symptoms seemed typical of Lyme disease which is on the rise in Iowa. I recalled Liesel's Kindergarten class going to Lake McBride on a field trip so it was a distinct possibility.

A proud Liesel who survived getting 6 vials of blood taken. The phlebotomist pointed out her body would regenerate it all back within 30 minutes. I hate needles so this part of the visit earned us both a cupcake afterwards. 

 Throughout the week, more tests came back and we still didn't have any answers. Finally the Lyme results came in and she was positive for the first test but negative for the second, more sensitive test. However, the pediatrician said her symptoms were so typical of Lyme, she was pretty sure that's what was going on. Liesel was probably bit by a nymph which is why there was no obvious bite mark. Aside from Liesel's palest of pale skin, I also bathe her almost every night and I definitely would have noticed an adult bite.

The picture Liesel drew while I talked (and talked and talked) with the pediatrician. It's both of us at a birthday party with a dolphin balloon. She was so happy with it, she asked me to take a picture. 

After 4 weeks on Amoxicillin, Liesel is back to her old self. A follow up with the pediatrician tells us this one is unlikely to rear it's ugly head again. Honestly I would have felt much better with a definite diagnosis and a complete assurance Liesel is in the clear.  My dear friend Natalie once told me that the whole medical profession is a guessing game and for now I'm going to have to square with that.