Brigitta's July POTD

July 7: Are the cookies done YET?

July 9: Rebel Without a Cause- crawling under the desk to pull on all the cords.

July 11: A bit of light reading

July 20: At the hotel in Madison, WI. She loved crawling the halls.

July 24: First experience with an Oreo and she expertly pulled it apart and ate the cream first!

 Aye mi... another month has rolled by. As you can see from the final photo, Brigitta's teeth finally descended although the initial one is still longer than the others. I love that little snaggle tooth! She's started cracking some other teeth along the bottom and her face has changed with the added dental work. She's done amazing in her swim classes and honest to goodness tries to swim by both splashing her arms and kicking her legs. Brigitta's taken her first few tentative steps this month. Just this week she also started folding her arms for prayer before breakfast. Sooo adorable because she can only really grab one wrist with that chubby, dimpled hand. We are working on some simple words like "up" and "milk" but her favorite is definitely her signature "hi". In the mornings she usually plays a bit in her pack and play and when I poke my head in and say, "Is that my BABY?" she gets excited and climbs to stand at the edge so she's ready to get out. She's also getting fussier about messy diapers and will madly slap at it and yell at me until I change her. Once I had her on the changing table and had wiped up the mess and disposed of the offending diaper. She took the clean one and was honest to goodness trying to put it on herself! Hopefully this means potty training will be a breeze down the road. She's discovered the books in Ireland's room and love to rip them out (ALL of them) and "read" through them. When she's done with that, she usually chews on an edge for a while. August brings her 1st birthday so I think we are done for the monthly POTD's but it's been fun to see the transitions she's made! Love this girl!!!

Tidbits

Ireland was fussing while I rinsed her hair. I told her I'd only been able to get the "sham" out but the "poo" was still left. She flung her head back and shrieked, "Get the poo out! Get the poo out!"

I asked Liesel where she would take the family on vacation and she said, "Hawaii." Turning next to Brent, I asked him where he would take the family on vacation and added, "If money were no object." Thoughtfully and slowly he responded, "I'd take everyone tooo..." when Ireland jumped in, "CANDYLAND!"

Whenever Liesel cleans her room she always wants to "surprise" me with the results. I have to hold her hand and close my eyes while she guides me down the hallway to her room. She beams while I gush about how tidy everything is and how hard she must have worked. The other day while Brigitta napped, I was taking a bath and Liesel and Ireland were constantly running in and out of the bathroom to chat with me which was letting out all my warm, steamy air. Just to give them something to do, I told them to go check out the kitchen because what I'd done in there was a "surprise". Seconds later, Liesel came bursting into the bathroom saying, "Mom? Did you really clean all that? Are you KIDDING me?!?!" I have to admit her enthusiasm about my job well done made me smile.

Ireland has a habit of commandeering my food. She particularly loves my yogurt and Brent walked by when she was really enjoying it. He said, "Ireland's eating all your food!" Ireland shot back, "You didn't want any!" She then offered me a completely empty spoon and I said, "No, that's okay" and she triumphantly repeated, "See? You didn't want any!"

She was really into that yogurt!

Liesel is drawing, drawing, drawing these days. I just have to share some of her masterpieces:

This is me on a bike. Do you like my helmet? And my personalized Mom bike? 

Liesel is also trying her hand at writing. This one says, "One day there was a girl. She invited a boy. The End." Apparently Liesel likes beefcakes!

I've told Liesel my favorite color is red. She drew me in a red dress with blue fairy wings. I'll never get tired of being told "I love you Mom!"

Sometimes I'm not "Mom" so much as "Danika". This time it's a rainbow colored dress and red fairy wings. I almost always get fairy wings. Unless I'm on a bike that is. Then I'm already covered for transportation.

Having scrubbed the kitchen clean and feeling low on energy, I took the girls out to Olive Garden for dinner. A couple of very old men with long, white hair, leathery tan skin, and tattoos aplenty were seated at the table next to us. Not being the most tactful toddler, Ireland took one look at the gentleman facing her and loudly said, "I don't like that guy!" Scandalized, I hissed at her, "Ireland! BE POLITE!!!" Without missing a beat, she tried again, "I don't like that guy pleeeeeeeeease?"

Liesel gave a talk in Primary on prayer. We'd rehearsed it a few times and she always stumbled over the word "sincere." That Sunday she was SO excited to sit in the chair up front labeled "Talk" and when it was time, she skipped right up to the lectern. I stood by her just in case she needed help, which it turns out she didn't. She even nailed the word "sincere" and she stopped mid-sentence, turned to me and proudly proclaimed, "Mom! I got the 'sincere' right!!!" It just killed me.

IHOP

Dear little Brigitta still wakes up once a night and even when Brent's here and he's "on" he doesn't seem to hear it. I usually end up waking him up to take care of her and long after he's blissfully snoring again, I can't get back to sleep. Sometimes I find myself staring at the ceiling at 3AM desperately wishing I could just give in and doze off since sleep deprivation is my weekday reality. This morning I just couldn't, so I tried taking a bath. That didn't work. Usually Ireland crawls into bed with me at around 5:30 so I knew she'd be up soon. I told Brent I was taking her out for breakfast and slipped into Ireland's room. I rubbed her back and whispered in her ear, "Ireland, do you wanna go get some pancakes?" In seconds, Ireland went from dead asleep to grabbing her flip flops and brushing fuzzy hair out of her face.

To combat the relentless air conditioning on an unusually cool summer morning, I ordered this yummy hot chocolate

We arrived at the IHOP just minutes after it opened at 6AM. I loved having that one on one time with Ireland! Who else would squeal at the array of syrup choices? The only other people in the restaurant were some construction workers and they kindly greeted Ireland to which she responded, "I'm getting pancakes!" I casually asked how things were going with Liesel. Ireland reported that if she gets out too many toys, Liesel tells her she's being messy. I asked her if she's clean or messy and with her chocolate chip pancakes smeared all over her face and dripping onto her pajamas she immediately replied, "CLEAN!"

She wanted whatever was in the container with the purple lid poured on her pancakes.

We brought home the leftovers to a delighted Brent and Liesel and when our energy waned in the early afternoon, Ireland and I snuggled and took a nap together. Sleep, at last!

Building Cathedrals

I received a link to the following article from a friend on a day when I really, really, really needed it. I'm reposting it here because I want to keep it as a reminder on those (many!) days when I feel invisible:

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’

Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?? 

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘What number is the Disney Channel?’ I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

Some days I’m a crystal ball; ‘Where’s my other sock? Where’s my phone?, What’s for dinner?’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going, she’s going, and she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: ‘With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. 

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, ‘Because God sees.’ 

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was Almost as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.
No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. 

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.’ That would mean I’d built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he’d say, ‘You’re gonna love it there…’ 

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

—Anonymous

At the Hotel

With all of our shuffling between Iowa City and Chicago, the girls are getting very used to short stays in various hotels. They absolutely LOVE it and we had the good fortune to stay in a fairly new Hampton Inn in Madison, WI. We were there to see our adorable new nephew Ezra and celebrate his sister Elizabeth's birthday. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the party but I did catch some great photos of the girls in the pool/splash pad at the hotel. 

Oh my those blue eyes!

 Someday when the family is back together our hotel stays will dwindle, but in the meantime I'm glad it's such an adventure for the girls.

Brigitta's June POTD

June 13: In her new swimsuit...

 ... the best part is the bum!

June 19: Sleepy angel face

June 20: Simply smiling

June 22: After face-planting in bubbles

June 29: Fun, fun, fun 'till her daddy takes the T-bird away

After a couple of weeks observing her sisters in swim lessons, Brigitta made it clear she was anxious to get her turn in the water. Initially I dreaded putting on a maternity swimsuit and getting one more child ready for a summer activity. Boy was I wrong. Now I look forward to a cool dip in the water and spending some one-on-one time with my little one. Brigitta's kicking, splashing and bubble-blowing in that 40 minutes is enough to tire her out for a 2, 3, sometimes 4 hour nap afterwards! She's busted 1 fang and has 3 upper teeth that stubbornly refuse to come down so she is still teething, teething, teething. At times it turns her from the sweetly smiling girl I know into a screaming monster of a child. Oh how I can't wait until those teeth bust through and I can have my darling girl back! Today in church Brent had her on his lap and during one of the hymns Brigitta caught sight of the chorister leading the music. She immediately started waving her arms around and it was the most adorable thing. She's only waking up once a night now (sometimes not even that) and depending on how quickly I can get her a bottle, she's mostly down from about 7:30 to 7:30 which is nice. She's still determined to catch up with her sisters and is getting more and more vocal about her demands. Brigitta's hair is starting to look like and 80's David Bowie with fuzz on top and then straight on the back and sides. No hint of curl and some days she looks platinum blonde while others she's a decided brunette. Only time will tell with that one...

Wuehlers Don't Whine

This is a phrase we've kind of adopted as our unofficial credo. When there is a job to be done, we do it with gusto and with tenacity and most of all, without complaining. I know sitting through church can be difficult for the tinies, especially sacrament meeting. On this particular Sunday, Ireland was having a really hard time so Brent scooped her up to take her out to the car until she calmed down. Of course it was right during the passing of the sacrament and of course, Ireland protested... LOUDLY! "No, no, no, no, no!!! I don't WANNA go in the car!" For whatever reason, the doors to the chapel which are supposed to be shut during the passing of the sacrament were wide open so this protest could be heard as a Doppler effect until Brent got her outside.

The entire bishopric gave me a frownsmile that made me want to melt into my spot there on the church bench, never to be seen again. For a perfectionist like me, motherhood is the ultimate challenge because you can never perfectly raise a child. Even though I had her neatly dressed (in patriotic colors! For the upcoming Fourth of July!) and we'd rehearsed what was and wasn't appropriate behavior in the car on the way to church, Ireland used that strong-willed head and heart of hers.

Just minutes later, Ireland came striding up the aisle with her arms folded, a very stern-looking Brent steps behind her. She'd clearly gotten a talking to and now the whole congregation could see we are not the perfect parents... sooo very far from it, in fact. Ireland was of course oblivious to all this... just happy to be sitting on the bench again with her family. Oh girl, what are we gonna do with you?

Dickson Invasion

We has a short but sweet visit from Reagan and family. After I hugged everyone goodbye and went back to our car, I couldn't help but cry. Reagan was leaving and tomorrow Brent's leaving too. It feels like everyone is always leaving me! Liesel picked up on my tears and said, "It's ok Mom, I miss them too." Luckily we'll be seeing them again in August for Piper's baptism so we have that to look forward to.

Bun heads: they all wanted to look like Tinkerbell!

Aren't they cute?

I loooove seeing these two together! Somehow I still think they're twins in a way.

Reagan has a way of making everyone smile. 

 Really, she makes everyone smile!

Brent and I started out our day in the garage and then I'd been running errands non-stop. No shower, no makeup, and I'm wearing Brent's t-shirt I picked up off the floor. Still, we have so few photos of us together I figured I'd post this one. I have no doubt sometime in the (near) future I'll be horrified I went out in public looking like this!!!

Try as they might, Allen and Reagan still look WAY better than we did!

It's a GIRL!!!

There is no other feeling like the anticipation of finding out the gender of the baby you're carrying. To be sure, another human being in the family changes the dynamics, period. But the gender can swing the pendulum one way or another in terms of the KIND of changes that will take place. Will Brent start making scouting trips? Or should we seriously look at a wedding investment account? Should we book that princess-themed room for our next trip to Disneyland? Or would the Cars-themed room be more fitting for our crowd? It's so fun to guess and dream but in my humble opinion, it's nice to just finally KNOW and move into the planning phase of having a baby.

Since Reagan was in town, she brought along Rockwell while Brent towed Brigitta and poor Allen kept the rest of the girls in line at home. The babies were unusually silent and happy (remember they're both teething and Rockwell had an ear infection to boot) as the ultrasound started. Brigitta even started clapping she was so excited! We got to see the baby kick and swallow which was SO cool to watch! We saw feet, hands, limbs, spine, brain, heart, lots of other stuff I quit caring about as it became apparent the tech was waiting to check the gender last. The little one was intensely private with tightly closed legs and the tech kept jiggling my belly to get a little movement. I offered to use the restroom but she told me that was okay, she just jiggled me some more and checked the image again, jiggle, check, jiggle, check. After staring at the Rorschach-like images for what seemed like an eternity, she FINALLY announced it was a girl. Brent and I took a step away from the dream world and a step towards reality. We are having our Sydney Pippa!

I wanted Liesel and Ireland to be the next to know so I picked up a going home outfit for the baby and a little gift for each of them. Apparently Brigitta was exhausted from all the excitement because she went down for a nap while her sisters ripped open the pink and blue present. Liesel was the first to spot the pink inside and they both celebrated with gleeful yells. I gave them each a hair bow that says, "Big Sister" with one smaller hair bow that says, "Little Sister." Yes, we already have 100+ bows but we're gonna need them with FOUR girls!!!

The outfit and the hair bows.

We're going to have our own set of "Little Women"! While I have no doubt they will all have their distinctive personalities (because santa vaca they already DO), Brent and I have an inkling there will be common threads that will make them well known as "the Wuehler girls".

In my totally, unbiased opinion, she has the most beautiful, perfect profile I've ever seen. I can't wait to meet this little one!

Safety Village

I heard about Safety Village through the network of Relief Society moms at church. Liesel was just old enough and it seemed like a great idea, not to mention the price for the two weeks was reasonable. Sure it was crazy running from swim lessons to yet another summer activity, but Brent and I felt it was valuable. Boy was it ever! Liesel started teaching Ireland little songs about safety and she usurped Brent as the most obnoxious backseat driver in the family.

"Mom, there's a red light up ahead so you'd better stop. Oh, it turned green so now you can go but not until the car in front does or we'll crash. Mom? Did you hear me? WE'LL CRASH!!!"

On our recent stay at a Hampton Inn, Brent and the girls went to the hot tub.  Out of the blue, Liesel stated, "Dad, if you drown, we'll need to go get somebody".  Brent reassured her that one of his purposes of being there was to make sure nobody drowned.

My favorite was the day they learned gun safety. Liesel told me they talked about how you have to wear glasses and ear coverings if you ever fire a gun and to tell an adult if you see one out in the open. She also mentioned you should never point a gun at a person. After a moment of silence Liesel added, "Unless he's a bad guy. Then you have to shoot him until he's dead." I gasped, "Did they teach you THAT?!?" to which she happily replied, "No! I figured that out on my own." I reiterated what she'd been taught in class which is that we NEVER point a gun at another person.

Today Liesel graduated and she showed me what she's been doing the last two weeks. Here are some highlights:

Safety Village is not just a clever moniker... it's an actual little village with these adorable tiny buildings. They learn pedestrian safety and rules of the road in the village which is scaled to kid-sized. 

Liesel in one of the "cars" used when driving the roads of Safety Village. Could she be swimming any more in that t-shirt? I washed it 3 times in hot water to shrink it to no avail. She looks like a Biggest Loser contestant in the final weeks.

The best part about the program is it's staffed by policemen and firefighters so Liesel got to interact with them every day. I'm confident that if she ever got lost, she wouldn't hesitate to stride right up to someone in uniform and ask for help. There was a different rescue vehicle almost every day I dropped her off: police cars, a fire engine, an ambulance... one day an emergency helicopter was sitting there on the lawn! She and her classmates got to explore all of these which honestly made me a little envious.

I love how passionate the kids are about saying "NO WAY!" to strangers!

After her graduation, I took Liesel out for lunch at a crepe place downtown I've been wanting to try out. We're all really glad she had the opportunity to go through an amazing program like Safety Village.