A Little Sunshine

Since Bennett was born my favorite song to sing to him (and there are lots) is "You Are My Sunshine." I sing it almost every time he is falling asleep. At some young age he started joining me in singing every few words of the song. For example: "You are my (B. joins) SUNSHINE. My only SUNSHINE. You make me HAPPY When skies are GRAY." I, ofcourse, thought this was adorable; still do, actually. He never sang this song around the house, though, like he does his other favorites such as Old MacDonald, She Loves You, and Farmer in the Dell. That is why he completely caught me by surprise the other day when he started to sing "Sunshine" (that's what we call it), and he knew every word. I totally got choked up-I'm a sap, I know. That's our song though, our special song, and it was as if he had been hiding it in his little heart to surprise us one day. I made a huge deal of his performance, so in the video that follows he is being silly. Though the silliness makes it difficult to understand him, I will still watch it over and over again! Without further ado...my little Sunshine:

Check This Out

--Rob

What Do You Think?

Bennett at 12 weeks:

Elodie at 11 weeks:

Bennett:
Elodie:Likenesses? Differences? Resemblances? I want to know what you think!

A Tribute (I Can't Help it)

There are a lot of reasons that I love my Mom. I love that she can start up a lively conversation. I love the way she always the house stocked and ready with our favorite things when we visit (orange juice for Tara, cherrios for Colleen, and tea for me). I love the fact that she doesn't complain about working hard. I love the way she loves my Dad. I love that she wants to solve our problems when we are having rough times. I could go on...but I would rather share an example.

When Elodie was first born (11 weeks ago, can you believe it??), my Mom came up for a week and cared for the four of us. I meant to write about it back then, but the sleepless delirium caused a fog in my brain and I never did. First of all, my Mom was ready, I mean bags packed, cell phone on, ready to drive up weeks before my due date. She was completely flexible about when she would come and what her role would be, and I really appreciated that, because there were so many potential birth scenarios. Just a couple of weeks before baby time I panicked about being "all alone" with two kids. By myself. In a new town. No friends. Husband working long hours in the city. By myself. You get the point -I can get a bit dramatic. We decided it would be best for my Mom to come back the week Rob went back to work. So she came up again about a week after returning home from meeting Elodie. The week my Mom was here was BY FAR my toughest post partum week (so far, keep your fingers crossed!). I was a wreck. I was super sick with a breast infection and some other stuff that probably doesn't belong in a blog. I wasn't sleeping much, and nursing was going pretty poorly. I felt like I was just floating along, eating sandwiches that were placed in my hand, putting on clothes that had somehow become clean, and napping on pillows that miraculously appeared. During that week I was also incredibly grumpy. When I say grumpy, don't picture a cute little dwarf who's cheeks turn pink when kissed by a fairytale figure. No, think grumpy: Having or showing a bad temper: cantankerous, crabbed, cranky, cross, disagreeable, fretful, grouchy, ill-tempered, irascible, irritable, nasty, peevish, petulant, querulous, snappish, snappy, surly, testy, ugly. You get my point. Guess who took the brunt of my attitude? You guessed it, my Mom. But my Mom just kept cleaning, folding, cooking, caring, and burping (the baby, that is). Not once did she snap back at me. She was the one that placed those sandwiches in my hand, and washed the clothes that came clean, and placed the pillows under my head. My Mom took such great care me when I was far from lovable.

And that's my Mom. She is fun smart, and adventurous...but the best thing about her is her ability to love her family when we are unloveable.

So, thanks, Mom. Thanks taking such great care of me all of my life; especially during the times when I have acted unloveable. I hope I can do the same for my babies. Happy Mother's Day!

Belated Post

A few weeks back the Brennans came into town to meet the baby-we had a great visit! Bennett just loves his cousins very much, and they are so sweet with him. It is strange for me to see how grown up they are, especially Ryan and Hannah. I remember so many special times spent with them when they were Elodie and Bennett's ages, and it doesn't feel like it was that long ago. Sometimes it seems as if Rob and I went away for a little bit and...poof!...they were grown.

The Brennans made a vacation out of it and ventured into the city to do fun stuff. Bennett joined them on one of those days trips; he had a blast! Elodie and I enjoyed the time alone, and I also snuck in a shower and other simple things that are luxuries lately. Even though I was still in a bit of a baby haze, it was wonderful to have our family here. I continue to be amazed by how kind, considerate, and mature those kids are, and I am greatful that our little ones get to grow up with them!

Ryan, Hannah, and baby Elle

Jocelyn ("Auntie J.J.") , Michaela and the girl

"Monkey face!"

Thanks for everything, guys!