Our Life Lately 9.3.14

I used to post picture updates like this often, but there are so many sweet moments in daily life that I don't capture in pictures.   Partly because I don't have a camera phone (crazy, right?) and partly because we are on a hands-free journey right now. But here are a few!

OUR GARDEN OF DELIGHTS: Every morning, Sisi and I run outside to see how many passion flowers have popped open.  I will always be fascinated by these freakish blooms, and the fact that they only stay open for one day makes them even more special.  Still haven't seen any passion fruit yet.

BABY "SPRINKLE". I helped throw a mellow baby shower for a sweet friend at church.  It's her third baby, so she didn't want a big fuss.  Good food, pretty flowers, and sweet friends were all we needed.

Which one is 8 months preggers?? :) 

Thank you Trader Joe's for the cheap stock, snapdragons, mums and roses.  $30.00 of flowers was more than enough to decorate the whole house.

CAMPING TRIP:  We had our first family camping trip in a pretty remote part of Big Bear.  And about an hour after we arrived and set up camp, a very large bear came super close to us.  He was sitting kind of dopey-like on his haunches, staring at Joe, just hoping he'd share our pulled pork with him. Us women-folk jumped into the truck, and Joe scared him away with a rusty old machete. The first thing I said to Joe was, "You said there were no bears in Big Bear!!!"  I guess there are, but they are more like raccoons than bears.  Still gave this suburbanite a scare!

belly shot, about 22 weeks.  I'm 25 weeks now and feel twice as big as this pic!

 

Joe's camping coffee setup.

Joe said that this was a more comfortable spot to sleep than the tent!  

He scampered up that rock face in 2 minutes like a squirrel.  My husband is such a stud.

Sheep's milk yogurt with grain-free granola (essentially "nut-ola") for breakfast.  

FAMIILY DINNERS. Lately, most of our dinners take place al fresco, on the patio.  This was a particularly yummy paleo meal- cauliflower mash, almond flour breaded pork chops, and artichokes dipped in drawn butter. 

I am also heeding the advice in the book French Kids Eat Everything by making dinner time special every night.  An everyday dinner is the perfect occasion for candles, flowers, and music.  I even splurged on real cloth napkins yesterday, which is a first.  I am also making an effort to sit still and wait for Joe and Sisi to finish eating before I hop up and tackle the dishes.  This is a tough one, since I'm always the first one done and I am eager to get on with the clean-up duties.  But dinner time is such a special time and should be savored, right?

Not pictured: a major water damage/mold issue in our home, scouring craigslist daily for furniture for baby #2's nursery, and lots of etsy mask orders. 

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Something that makes motherhood easier!

camping in Big Bear

How much do you value your child's ability to play independently for long stretches of time?  I value it IMMENSELY.   It's in my top 3 qualities that I want to nurture in my kids (along with empathy and contentment and faith and genuineness- ok, there are lots.)

What is independent play?  It's when your child plays happily in their own little world (without having to rely on electronics). I've heard it described as "deep play"- that zone your kid gets in when they are totally and unselfconsciously wrapped up in play.  Time doesn't exist. You barely exist.  As a baby, it probably consists of manipulating simple objects and toys, gnawing them, banging them.  As a toddler, it usually means toddling around, discovering and rediscovering the space around them.  As a preschooler, it means pretending and imagining new worlds either on their own or with friends.  When Sisi is playing independently, she has a sort of faraway look in her eyes.  She is often talking or singing to herself while creating some melodrama with sticks and pine needles.  Sometimes she's just sprawled out on the grass, talking to the clouds.

What does independent play look like for me?  As a mom, it means FREEDOM!!!  It means sitting on the couch while reading my kindle. Prepping tonight's dinner.  Scouring etsy for new wall art for baby #2's nursery.  Or blogging like I'm doing right now.  It means a well-deserved break from taking care of Sisi's needs, because she needs nothing but her own imagination, some twigs, and dirt for the next hour.  We are both free.

Sisi is about ready to give up her last remaining nap, but I'm not even worried about it.   In fact, she's been in her darkened room for over an hour, chatting to herself and her stuffed animals.  She's not napping per se, but  we still get our much-needed quiet time to recharge.  And anyway, I get enough breaks during the day because Sisi knows how to play without me (and enjoys it!) I would say I get at least 3 or 4 extended breaks (each between 30-90 minutes) throughout the day where Sisi is doing her own thing in the house or the garden.

Ok, so it probably sounds like I'm just bragging up a storm right now.  "You just got an easy kid!" is what you're thinking.  Or "You have a house with a fully enclosed yard, what would you do in an apartment?"    Perhaps Sisi is on the mellower side, and yes, our home is definitely kid safe and conducive to free play, but I really do believe any child in any space can learn to play independently.  We didn't just hope she'd learn to play by herself, we expected it.  We prioritized it.

In one of my favorite parenting books, Bringing Up Bebe, one image that always pops up in my mind is that of the French mom at the park.  She is calm, relaxed, chatting with a friend, while her child plays happily in the field with a ball.  Just one ball.  Contrast that with the author, an American mom, who has lugged bags and bags of toys to that same park, and who must entertain and interact with her child almost the entire time. She's following the child, saying "Wheeeee~" every time the kid slides down the slide.  The magazine that she brought with her goes untouched, but she didn't expect to read it anyway. Which mom is going to have more fun at the park?  The Frenchie, of course.

I try to channel my inner French mom often.  To do that requires a certain philosophy: that independent play is great for mom.  It's not selfish to expect your kid to play by himself, rather it's necessary to make motherhood pleasurable and sustainable.  It's also super good for kid.  It allows the child to learn about the world at his or her own pace.  In their own little world they can be creative, content, and learn to turn boredom into a spark of genius.  It's an extremely useful life skill, although it doesn't always look like anything mind-blowing.

Here are my top 5 tips for getting kids to develop the skill of independent play.

1. Don't Interrupt.  Today at the children's museum, Sisi played for 45 minutes in the water area, her favorite exhibit.  As I zoned out on the bench people-watching, I noticed how many parents swooped in and dragged their kids away from the water area after 5-10 minutes. "Come on Jackson, all done water, let's go do an art project!"  Their kids had been happily splashing and watching toy boats, and could have probably stayed there as long as Sisi did.  But after a few minutes the parents seemed to get antsy and wanted the child move on to the next thing.  Perhaps they were trying to get their money's worth and hit up all the exhibits, or maybe they didn't want their kids to get too wet, but that is one way to sabotage independent play.  Why can't the kid just splash around for 20-30-60 minutes?  Lots of people compliment Sisi on her long attention span, but I wonder if many kids have actually been discouraged from focusing on one thing for too long???  If your kid wants to do nothing at the park but feel the sand between his fingers, will you just let him be?  Or will you suggest he hit up the slide, swings, and monkey bars to make the trip "worth it"?

2.  Simplify the Play Space.  Another absolutely genius parenting book, Simplicity Parenting, suggests you cut your kids' toys in half.  Then in half again, and perhaps again.  Completely declutter the play space (and the whole house while you're at it) and just watch the kid engage deeply with the few toys they have left.  We learned early to give Sisi simple, open-ended toys that don't light up or make lots of noise.  Babies don't need all the bells and whistles.  We've all noticed that our babies seem to enjoy the gift wrap more than the fancy toy, right?  When the toys are too complicated and there are too many of them, kids get overwhelmed and usually don't want to play with them.   When Sisi was a baby, I often put her in a play pen with just a few toys, and was amazed when she'd play for almost an hour thoroughly exploring that small space. Now, as a preschooler, she has 2 boxes of toys and a small bookshelf.  That's it! Too much choice leads to stress and ambivalence, which are not at all conducive to independent play.

On the same topic, don't assume that your kid needs to do some super special outing each and every day. I think we unwittingly turn our kids into adrenaline junkies when it's good for kids to be bored at home once in a while. I was talking to a hilarious Grandma at the children's museum.  She said her grandkids have season passes to the zoo, museum, amusement parks, trampoline parks, etc.  Every time she babysits, their mom has something spectacular planned for them.  "I don't understand why we can't just stay home and play with all the toys that are gathering dust in their playroom?  Why do I always feel like I have to take them on a grand tour of Southern California when I babysit?"  I hear ya, grams!  

3.  Don't say much.  In addition to cutting out the toy clutter, cut out the verbal clutter.  Avoid excessive praise ("You threw the ball?  Awesome!!!"), micromanaging ("Make the dolly drink from the bottle like this!"), or social direction ("Billy wants the toy, so you should be nice and let him play with it.")

I'm noticing more and more how when I interrupt Sisi's deep play with questions or commentary about what she's doing, it snaps her abruptly out of her little world and she actually looks a little embarrassed, as if I've caught her doing something wrong.  Deep play is such a private, all-engaging activity for her that I realize it's better to just let her be and only speak if totally necessary.

By keeping a respectful distance while they are playing, you are preventing the "Look at me, mommy!" scenario where a kid doesn't feel like he's truly playing unless someone is there to witness and validate him.

4.  Make togetherness count.  I do play with Sisi sometimes.  We have special moments throughout the day when she gets my full and enthusiastic attention.  At mealtimes, we sit together, chat and enjoy the food together.  Before naps and bedtime, we snuggle on her bed and read books and Bible stories (and often sing songs and tickle and act very silly.)  Before bath time, I try to get out her remaining energy with a game of hide and seek, duck duck goose, laundry basket basketball,  or general rough and tumble play.  When I'm on, I'm on.  I make those moments of togetherness count.  That means no phones, no internet.  When you have solid bonding rituals that your kids can depend on, I think they feel free and safe to play on their own most of the day.

5.  Limit electronics and screen time.  This is the one that's hard to hear, isn't it?  We are certainly not electronic-less. I let Sisi watch 20 minutes of Little Mermaid every other day, and sometimes short videos on youtube about something she's curious about (volcanoes, geckos, whatever the hot topic du jour happens to be.)  But that's it.  I've read lots of articles about how technology hampers development in the very young.  I think commercials (and even just shows and movies themselves) make kids want a bunch of crappy toys and crappy food that they don't need.  But most importantly, and contrary to popular belief, I think it makes parenthood HARDER.  We got into a rut a year ago when Sisi was watching a little bit of TV almost every day.  I justified it, saying I needed time to prep dinner during that five o'clock "witching hour".  But what struck me was how much moodier Sisi was after watching, and how much she bugged me to watch more and more and more.  Managing her screen time was taking way too much of my energy, that the few minutes of peace and quiet it bought me just weren't worth it.   Now, I find that 20 minutes every other day is that sweet spot where she is not addicted, and her mood isn't really affected.  My husband wishes she had zero exposure, but now that she's 3 1/2, I don't see the harm in letting her watch just a tad so she'll start to learn some of the cultural references that her friends talk about.

In conclusion, independent play makes motherhood calmer, happier, and dare I say relaxing much of the time!  Hopefully, I can try to encourage the same independent spirit in baby #2.  He's a boy, by the way :)

My favorite resources on the topic:

• Bringing Up Bebe (Funny enough, this was recommended to me by my friend who isn't a mom, she's just a Francophile!  It's such a fun read and such a good "big picture" book.)
• Seven Myths that Discourage Independent Play (this article --> FREEDOM!)  
• Simplicity Parenting (Every frazzled mama needs to read this book.) 
• The Dream Baby Guide (If you're one of those people who likes to have step by step very detailed instructions on how to raise your kids, this is the book for you!!)

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Sticking to my Parenting Philosophy

When our dog Pesto was younger, we enrolled him in a training camp that came highly recommended. Supposedly, Pesto would become a well mannered pup, able to walk beside me without a leash and never jump up on people or other dogs. I enthusiastically enrolled him, and was surprised to see how harsh the methods were.  Pinch collars, loud German commands, with lots of negative reinforcement were used.  After a few months of this training, Pesto's behavior was worse.  He bit when cornered, became possessive of food and toys, and spent most of the day hidden under chairs.

When I finally realized that this training class was harming our dog, I cried big tears and we pulled him out. Cavalier King Charles are a sensitive companion breed, and this course was not speaking his language. We hired a miracle worker to undo the damage.  His strict boundaries (never let Pesto on furniture unless he's invited, make him sit and wait for his food, etc.) paired with lots of love and positive reinforcement produced the results we wanted, without any of the harsh punishment. Pesto learned that he was actually a DOG, not a human, and that he could trust our authority.  I swore then and there that I would never make a mistake like that again.  Hiring experts to help is sometimes necessary, but never hire someone whose philosophy is so vastly different from your's.  That's just a recipe for trouble.

Well, I'm sad to say that 5 years later I made this same mistake again, only this time with my 3 year old daughter. Lured by the idea of making her "water safe" (I fell into a pool as a toddler and still remember the trauma) I enrolled her in a "swim boot camp" where she was guaranteed to swim after 10 minutes a day, 10 days in a row.  The assumption, which still makes a lot of sense to me, is that all children instinctively know how to a) hold their breath under water, and b) kick to move in the water.  Other programs that spend months "teaching" children what they already know are wasting time and possibly confusing the children. Case in point, I know many kids who have taken traditional swim lessons for months or even years who still cannot swim, and I didn't want to get stuck paying for years of "useless" lessons.  So this swim boot camp seemed like the miracle answer for us.

Here's the problem.  The instructor states his "philosophy" on the website, which is that children cry to manipulate and show who is boss.  The teacher will ignore this crying and make the child do swim drills, no matter how much they protest.  Supposedly, after a few days of crying, the children undergo a magical transformation where they start to like swimming and enthusiastically participate in the class. He has a ton of videos on youtube demonstrating this very process, from crying on day one, to joyful swimming on day 10.

RED FLAGS GALORE.  I don't believe crying is always manipulation.  Sometimes crying reflects fear, anxiety, confusion, grief or overstimulation.  I don't believe in ignoring, distracting or suppressing a child's cries. I believe crying is normal and healthy and even therapeutic, so I let my child cry or tantrum if she needs to.  This doesn't make me a pushover parent.  Actually, I have very firm boundaries.  But these boundaries are never arbitrary, and I always try to explain my reasons why.

Another red flag- my child is highly sensitive. For the most part she is very cautious, easily-overstimulated, and she likes to take things really slow. I've done my best so far not to push her into things before she is ready. For example, at 3 years old, she *just* started enjoying some slides at the park. Not all slides, just some. She still won't even touch the swings.

This swim boot camp was a fast paced, sink-or-swim style that should have made me run for the hills.  Even if a ton of kids on youtube did well on this program, I should have known that this was a bad fit for us because it is totally contrary to my philosophy of respectful parenting.

But I signed the check and took her anyway, justifying it by saying that swimming is an important safety skill that she needed to learn as soon as possible. I prepared her a month in advance, telling her exactly what would happen, showing her the videos so she could ask questions about why the kids were crying.  I hoped this would help, and it probably did prevent some major emotional damage.

I won't go into detail about what happened in those 10 minute sessions because frankly, I'm still a little too upset to relive it fully.  Let me just say that it didn't go as I had hoped.  She never had that magical turnaround that I saw on all the youtube videos.  She cried and gulped water all the way up to day 9. After a few days when she realized that the instructor would just ignore her crying, she tried to rationally negotiate with him ("Can I have a rest? How bout just one lap? Can I try back stroke instead? Can I swim to mommy?") and was baffled when he ignored her requests, which to her were perfectly reasonable.  In a panic, she often swallowed big gulps of pool water that made her sick.  "Just smile, mom!  Even if she's crying or throwing up, just smile," was the instructor's advice to me.  Ughh.

He kept telling her how to feel and how to interpret the situation.  "Don't cry, you just swam great!"  "You're not scared!"  "Swimming is fun, isn't it?"  But my strong and very emotionally aware toddler  wouldn't let him define her feelings, "No, I'm actually sad.  I want to cry.  I'm scared. I don't like swimming under the water."

I didn't sleep much that 10 days.  I kept waking up in a sweat dreading the next day. Why did I keep coming day after day?  Am I stupid, masochistic, sadistic?  No. The instructor played upon my anxieties of water safety, and assured me that she, just like the other 3000 kids he had instructed, would be a happy swimmer by the end. It would all be worth it, but we had to finish what we started. I let him interpret the situation for me, and suppressed my own motherly instinct.  I was determined to finish that 10 days to at least give her closure.  Weirdly, she would say things after class like, "I miss the teacher," and "I swam great!", which made me believe she was handling it ok. I never had to drag her to class, but she did confide in me in the car on the way how nervous and scared she was.  I thought that by talking it out and reassuring her that the teacher would keep her safe, I was doing enough to protect her.

Sure enough, all the other kids I witnessed in the class did have that turnaround early on.  I watched, sunglasses hiding my tears of envy, as the kids jumped into the pool on their own volition, and happily swam the length of the pool.  Why wasn't this happening for my daughter?  What was wrong with us?

Thankfully, on the last day, when I was allowed into the pool to help coach her, she did a lot better. She even smiled some, and didn't swallow any water.  She made some jokes with the teacher and even pretended to be a frog.  She can indeed swim about 10 feet on her own, which I realize is amazing for a 3 year old.  After it was all over, the teacher once again tried to define the situation for us.  "Wasn't it worth it mom?  Some crying and spitting up pool water is nothing compared to being in a hospital on a ventilator, or worse- a coffin- if she ever fell into a pool. You should be so happy."  I shook hands, feeling manipulated, conflicted, and anything but happy.  I prepared to do a big debriefing session for my child (plus I scheduled a session with my therapist for myself!)

Thank goodness my child does not appear to be traumatized.  We went swimming the other day and she did great in the water, although declared that she still feels scared to dunk her head in.  I do believe his method "works", but at what cost?  I still have so many mixed emotions about it.  My therapist, after listening to me cry for an hour, suggested that even though Sisi didn't appear to be traumatized, probably in part because of our open communication and the fact that she did trust me all along, I appear to be very traumatized.  I have to agree.

After the Pesto incident and the swimming nightmare, I do hope I have finally learned my lesson.  Stick to my parenting philosophy, even if the "experts" tell me not to.  If my child is trusting me, I better trust myself.

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Pin the tail on the Sisi

We are all a little dog-obsessed in this family, but Sisi takes the cake! 

Sisi made some artwork for Pesto.

For the last year, Sisi has worn a tail almost every day.  It's the first thing she asks for each morning.  Dude, toddlers take this pretend stuff very seriously.  If we call her any other nickname- bunny boo, little monkey, chickadee, she corrects us, "No, I'm a dog. My name is Kona (or Tinkerbell, or Pesto, depending on the day.)

She likes to place her water bottle by the doggy water bowl so she can drink with them.

She sometimes scratches her head with her feet.

When I comb her hair, she asks me to pretend I'm a dog groomer.  She makes whining sounds and then thoroughly shakes after I'm done.

She only wants to wear pigtails (doggy ears.)

She barks at the mailman.

She eats grass and then pretends to hack it up.

She has adopted my old "Return to Tiffany" necklace as her dog collar.

She pretends her toothbrush is a rawhide.

She insists on doing tricks for her snacks.

She plays fetch with her very own dog toy.

She licks my legs at the most unexpected times.

I want to remember every detail of this phase, even the annoying bits, because I know someday it will pass.  Maybe sooner than we know.  Just the other day, she asked to remove the tail (GASP!) and put on butterfly wings instead.  Then the next day she was back to being a dog.

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Siena is 3!

My marvelous kid just turned three years old!!!

With her chubby cheeks and round tummy, she still looks quite babyish.  I love that!  But don't let that fool you.  She is a full-fledged toddler, with opinions, profound reflections, a sense of humor, and enough language skills to express it all pretty well.

Three years with this girl, and you think we'd be used to her adorableness! But sometimes Joe and I still sneak into her room at night to stare at her and say, "Wow, I can't believe how cute our child is. Ridiculously cute!"

This year for her birthday, thanks to our newfound minimalism, we only got Sisi one simple gift.  I made her wait patiently for about 15 minutes while Joe got his camera ready before she could open it.  She has enormous self-control.  I'm pretty sure she would have been one of those kids who waited to eat the marshmallow!  

 Her very first tea set!  She uses it in the bath to make "cappatinos" (cappuccinos) with bubble bath foam.

Almost tall enough!

 Three years old, and this kid has still never climbed out of her crib.  She is so uber-cautious,we could probably keep her in her crib until 4 or 5!   Her cautiousness definitely makes my job a lot easier :)  I swear, our next child will be an adrenaline junkie or something.

Testing boundaries. A major theme in any toddler's life.

Her birthday was her last day sleeping in the crib.  She now has a platform bed in her brand new yellow and teal room which I will be blogging in the next week.  It's the perfect room for Sisi- colorful, happy and not too girly.  I can't wait to share it with you.

I wasn't super emotional when she turned three. The only time I lost it was when I tucked her into her "big girl bed", and she busted out and ran to her old crib and tried to climb into it.  She sobbed and pleaded, "I don't want big girl bed!  I want my crib! I don't like new room!"  

Eventually after I cuddled with her in her bed and sang her Jason Mraz songs for a few minutes, she calmed down and slept soundly in her new bed.

But I learned an important lesson:  Don't label things "big girl_______" because it adds unnecessary pressure to times of transition (which are alreaady stressful to begin with).  Big girl potty, big girl bed, big girl room, big girl underwear, etc.  I think the idea of being a "big girl" comes with mixed emotions and anxiety for both parent and child.  I will let her be who she is.  Not a baby, not yet a big girl. Just my silly, sensitive, creative, cautious, curious toddler.  

And now I have "I'm not a girl" by Britney Spears stuck in my head! All I need is time, a moment that is mine, while I'm in between......

Sisi at a glance: 

• Wearing 3T and 4T clothing
• Potty trained for pee since 2 1/2, but still not poop (below, her sticker encrusted potty!) 
• Favorite songs:  Katy Perry "Roar", Lorde "Royals", and anything by the Okee Dokee Brothers.
• Current obsessions:  band-aids, tails (she has been wearing tails every day for the past 5 months), ducks, cutting things with scissors
• She is left handed for most tasks
• Favorite foods:  berries, sweet potatoes, parsnip fries, pats of butter, sardines, fatty fat fat (the fatty portion from steak, lamb, etc.), brocolli with mayo, dark chocolate, and any paleo treats I whip up.  
• She loves being a dog.  She will ask to wear our dogs' collars, does tricks for treats, and even scratches her head with her feet sometimes.  
• She and Joe often go on sunrise hikes.  During those hikes, they refer to each other as "daddy tiger" and "baby tiger".  So cute!  
• We took her to the aquarium for the first time, and her favorites were the seals, garden eels, and homo sapiens (the divers).  She refused to touch any of the sharks/sting rays/anenomes in the touch tanks.  Like I said, very very cautious child.  
• While we're still pretty strict about limiting her screen time (she's still never seen a whole movie) we do let her watch bits of videos we rent from the library.  Thomas the Tank Engine, Charlie Brown, Pocoyo, and Bob the Builder are some of her favs.  
• She has now travelled by plane to Boston, New York, Costa Rica, Mexico, Oregon, and Florida.  That's a lot of trips in 3 years! 

 I was about to put my camera away when she said, "Wait!  How about like this?" and did this silly pose. 

I love this girl so much it hurts.  Here's to another amazing year!  Happy Birthday, my sweet cherry blossom!

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Life Is Beautiful

...Even in times of grief.  Here are some things that are making me smile, despite our recent loss.

A new picture for the photo wall... 

Pretty good, right?  

Not only do we have half a steer in our freezer, we also bought a grassfed lamb from Primal Pastures.  I LOVE lamb.  And I love how the butcher packaged the meat all old-fashioned-like with paper and string.

My herb/veggie garden is actually doing ok! Big surprise to me.  Growing our own herbs has definitely saved us a ton of money.  It's wonderful cutting a snip of this and that for each meal.  

Women's tea.  Makes me feel like I'm doing something good for my lady parts, as they've been through a lot the past few weeks.  Placebo effect? 

My precious friend Julie sent the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers.  1 1/2 weeks later, they are still blooming beautifully.  

Ok, this is the coolest toy we've ever bought.  They are called "river stones" and Sisi has found so many ways to play with them.  She pretends the carpet is the water and she has to hop across.  She also pretends they are linked trains and rides around with her friends. I have a feeling these will be a big hit at our next playdate, too.  These would be a rad Christmas gift!

Yes, she's wearing a dog collar.  Don't worry, we don't put a leash on her :)

Sisi is finally old enough to know that glue is for creating, not eating or pouring on furniture.  We have fun collecting stuff around the house for collages.  And then I throw them away.  I can't stand the clutter.  The old me would have saved every single one.

I love that it's December and sunny enough to craft outside.  

Although we started clearing out our office to prepare for the baby that we lost, we decided to keep the momentum going and finally moved our computers to the sunroom.  This Ikea kitchen island is the perfect standing desk, and Sisi can do art right next to me while I work.  It's fun working right next to Joe, like we're office buddies or something.

Sisi's "tail phase" has lasted for months now.  Shoe laces, ribbons, boas, lily grass- you name it, I've pinned it to her butt.  

I ordered this lovely banner from Joyful Joyful  because I knew it would be good for us to sit down and write out things we are thankful for, even through our tears.  The banner included those little leaf cutouts and clothespins exactly for that purpose.  

The old office is now Sisi's new room.  Soft yellow, Sisi's favorite color (probably because of her thing for ducks?)  When I was pregnant, I allowed myself to relax, sleep in, take it easy (as all pregnant women should!).  Now that I have my energy back, I decided to put it to good use and fix up our house.  I'm not a handy woman by any means, but I'm trying.  I patched up the drywall, hung a bunch of pictures, and painted two rooms in two days, all by myself. I'm super proud, even if I complained every second of the job.

I hope you're all finding things to smile about, too! 

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