Happy Birthday Lauren!

Dear Lauren,

I woke up this morning in complete disbelief that you're actually a whole year old.  I don't know where the time has gone...

This time last year, we were cuddling up together in the hospital getting to know each other.  I knew then, even as miniature as you were, that I loved you to the ends of the earth.  As soon as I laid eyes on you, I fell immediately in love with you, just as I did with your brother.  I knew in an instant that you were going to be a spirited little girl...by the intensity of your cry in the delivery room.  You were so small, but so mighty in spirit, and I have loved nothing more over the past 12 months than watching you grow into the beautiful, sweet, spunky little girl that you are.

Lauren, you joining our family has been such a blessing.  On your birthday, we became a family of 4.  You gave your Daddy and I the opportunity to know what it feels like to have a daughter, and to show us the differences between loving a little boy and loving a little girl.  You made Joshua a big brother, a role he's settling in to a little more each day.  I pray that you two will always love and support each other.  It's such a gift to have a brother or a sister to love, and I pray that you will always cherish that relationship. 

There are so many things that I love about you...from your "funny face" to the way that you love to wear hats and make us laugh.  I love that you do everything with great intensity and that you never give up on anything until you have it the way you want it.  I pray that that tenacity and perseverance will follow you through all of the difficult challenges you'll face in your lifetime.  I love the way you look at me with complete assurance that whatever it is that you need, I'll take care of it.  You have such perfect faith in me, and although I know I'll surely let you down somewhere along our path together, I love that you count on me.  There's no responsibility I've ever had, or could ever have, that I could cherish as deeply as I do being your Mommy. 

I love the way you snuggle up with me when you're falling asleep, usually with your legs wrapped around my arms as though you just can't get close enough.  I'm cherishing that, because I know that all too soon, you'll have grown too big to do that.  But for now, it's one of my favorite things.  I love to hear you laugh and to hear you say "Mama" (and now "up" since that's your newest word that we know you mean).  I love to watch you blow me kisses when I leave for the office in the morning, and hear you say "Hi!" when I come back home.  And as much as it sometimes make me crazy, I love that you love to be in my arms when I'm working around the house.  Whether it's laundry or dishes or cooking or cleaning, I love having you with me.

Lauren, you are a precious, perfect gift from God.  I am the luckiest Mommy on the planet today, because you're MY daughter.  And I count it my richest blessing that God has blessed your Daddy and I with you and your brother in our lives.  I pray every single day for the wisdom and strength to give you the absolute best.

Know how loved and cherished you are baby girl...today and every single day for the rest of your life. 

With all my love,
Mommy

The post that I saved because I couldn't get the pictures to upload.

**Let me say that I have had this post saved here since Monday thinking that I would be able to get my pictures to upload.  So far...no dice.  So words only, I guess.


What a whirlwind of a weekend it was! 

Friday was catchup day--- catch up on laundry, do some tidying up around the house, catch up on a little down time with all of the sickness we've had running rampant through our household.  It had been a long, tiring week, and we needed to rest.  After Joshua made it through 4 good days of school last week, we had promised him a little movie party on Friday evening.  So I went to the movie store and rented a pile of DVD's that looked like he might enjoy them.  One of them was a superhero movie (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and a few others...pardon my lack of knowledge of superhero things...I'm still new to this "boy" business).  Another was a Scooby Doo video.  And it's safe to say we're now enthralled with all things superhero and Scooby Doo.  Marketing at its finest, my friends.

I also got a little bit of domestic fever and got it into my head that I wanted to be like Darla and make some yummy chicken corn soup with rivels.  So I searched out some recipes and found one that looked good.  I set out on Friday night to start making the soup so that I could finish it up on Saturday for our lunch.  Suffice it to say that, despite the fact that I'm not the world's greatest chef, the soup was pretty yummy.  My mom came to visit on Saturday and helped with the rivel business....that might have gotten a bit touchy....but even she said it passed inspection.

We enjoyed the day with Mom on Saturday very much.  I actually didn't think Joshua was going to let her go home when it was time for her to leave.  We really appreciated her visit and loved having the day to hang out with Nana. 

On Sunday we finally made it back to church after a few weeks of being away/sick/etc.  I believe I was in the sanctuary for 3.7 minutes before Lauren started fussing and needed to go to the nursery, where she would not stay without my being present.  The blessing in the whole thing is that I'm getting an opportunity to visit with a lot of women in the church who are on nursery duty...many of whom I wouldn't get to know otherwise.  But I have to admit that it's more than a little aggravating to spend the time getting everyone out the door looking good only to spend the morning playing on the floor in the nursery.  But...this too shall pass. 

Jason golfed on Sunday afternoon, so the kids and I did a little shopping for Lauren's birthday present.  I felt bad that Lauren was actually with us as we were picking out a  few things and putting them in the cart for her.  But I resigned myself to the fact that she had no idea what was going on and surely won't remember or feel jipped when she opens her gifts on Thursday.  She won't, right?  Joshua picked out a really nice present for his sister.  I was really proud of him for focusing on her for a little while to pick something out before racing to the aisle that had pirate stuff and super hero figures to start his "I want that!" routine.  For not-quite-four I think he did a really good job.

I'm on an emotional roller coaster this week with the big birthday on Thursday.  It's going to be a really small affair at home with Jason's side of the family on Thursday night, and then a gathering with my side of the clan on Saturday afternoon.  I'm a big believer in having cake and ice cream on your actual birthday, but it just doesn't suit to have the Lewistown crew travel our way for an evening party during the week.  So, we'll have TWO parties.  And what birthday girl wouldn't love that?

More to come...

Well...it was a good run.

It's been a good run...almost 12 whole months without a sick visit for our little lady.  But last night, I knew the streak had ended when she screamed as though she was being ripped limb from limb from 9:30 until about 11:00.  We've all been dealing with a cold this week, and I guess it just got the best of her this time.  The fever hit her around midnight, and she was inconsolable through the night unless she was in my arms.  After two rounds of Tylenol, she finally slept in her crib from 2:30 until 4:30, allowing me some much needed time to rest.  But otherwise, we were in the rocker, rocking for dear life. 

Lauren had her first sick visit at the doctor's office this afternoon and sure enough, an ear infection is to blame.  As much as I hate to have something wrong with her, I do feel glad that it was something identifiable and treatable so that we know how to help her.  I might have lost it completely if they had told me that it was just a cold that needed to run its course.

Poor Lauren.  She was exhausted when I got her home this afternoon after being to the doctor's office and then to Wal-Mart to pick up her pink antibiotic.  I hope that after a good nap and the first dose of medicine, she'll start perking up again soon.

In good news, she has continued to nicely gain some weight.  She was 18 lb 9.5 oz this afternoon (dressed, minus shoes).

Jason and I are the next two in line plagued with this thing.  But as long as the kids are on the mend, I'll be happy.

Tell me again why I'm doing this?

Last evening was a whole bunch of running around. And the whole time I was doing it, I was wondering...why am I doing this? Is this really important enough to warrant this amount of juggling? It was the first Parent Partnership meeting of the year at Meadowbrook. We didn't make it to any of them last year since Joshua began nursery school mid year. I really didn't know anything about what happened at these meetings, but being the conformist that I am, felt guilty for not having been present when our presence was requested.

So, I rushed home from the office to feed Lauren, get supper ready and shoveled into the rest of us and out the door at 6:00. Joshua and Jason stayed home to play a little bit and get ready for bed while Lauren and I went to the meeting.

For most of the meeting, I was standing in the back of the room bouncing Lauren around to keep her quiet and still. When that didn't work, I was wrestling her out of the bags of the people who were seated around us. I spent more time bending over to pick up the trail of Puffs that she left on the ground like Hansel and Gretel than I did watching and listening to the presentations. It ended up being good information, but nothing that was earth shattering or seemingly worthy of the amount of schedule reorganization that was required to get there. I could feel myself getting a bad attitude.

Until they started sharing what they called Meadowbrook Moments....times when neat little things happened that show what a special place Meadowbrook is. There were a lot of stories, unsolicited, but that parents just felt like sharing. There were great interactions with teachers, between students...kind gestures that show the heart of the kids there. The last person to talk said that he wasn't sure this would mean much to anyone else there besides him, but that his son, Hayden, has a severe peanut allergy. He said that his Meadowbrook moment has happened over and over again throughout the past few years that his son has been attending school there. He said that his heart is moved so deeply every single time he hears one of his son's classmates say, "Did anyone check that snack for Hayden? You know he can't have any peanuts, right?" or when parents call ahead to talk to them about a birthday party, making sure that Hayden won't be left out. I had tears in my eyes as I realized why I was there last night.

After the small (although thankfully uneventful) peanut scare we had with the M&M mix up a few weeks ago, I think all of our confidence was a bit shaken over the vigilance necessary with helping Joshua to stay safe when he's as small as he is. But I knew why I had felt led to be at that meeting last night. And I'm so glad I followed that urge, despite the circumstances of the day trying to convict me otherwise.

I'm pretty sure there was nothing accidental about that.

I'll end with a few pictures....

Here's what has been happening in the evenings. Joshua CRASHES. These early mornings are doing him in. But we can tell he loves school because he is always excited to get ready once he wipes the sleep from his eyes.

Where's Lauren's tongue? She can now show you her eyes, ears, nose, tongue, head, hair, fingers, toes and tummy when asked. Cracks me up!


I'm already seeking counseling to help get over the fact that she'll be one next week.
Tell me that's not really happening...

The Weekend Where 75% of Us Got Knocked Down

Thirteen days of school in, and Joshua has missed two. Percentage-wise, that can't be good. What we thought was an allergy issue yesterday turned into a fever and throwing up this morning, so we thought it best to let him puke in the comfort of his own home today. Nice of us, huh? All of the upchucking seemed to have leveled off this morning when it came time for me to leave for the office, and after a successful breakfast and then a rest period with no activity, I thought I'd go ahead and come to work. Poor kid. Hopefully tomorrow he'll be back in the fold with the other K4 kids.

So that's the first of us, down for the count.

We skipped church yesterday because Joshua was starting to act icky (with what I thought was just seasonal allergies). I felt bad about not being there, but I have to say that I accomplished a whole lot during that time. Sheets are changed on beds, all of the laundry was washed/dried/folded/put away and all of the fall decorations found their places in our house. (Oh how I love seeing pumpkins and scarecrows!) Joshua was resting on the couch or sitting at the table coloring while all of this was going on. Lauren was either in my arms or walking around the living room getting into everything...because that's just what she does. On one of these walks, though, she must not have seen the dining room chair that she was about to hit. Because she went at it full force. And promptly fell to the ground with a crease in her forehead from the impact. But our little linebacker just kept trucking along after about 7 tears. She wouldn't let a goose egg the size of a golf ball stop her! She's got herself a nice bruise this morning.

Two Dugans down.

And then there's the true klutz of the family.

Here's where I really wish I could tell you it's Jason. But...it's not.

We were leaving the Kiwanis picnic last night in the midst of a rainstorm. The kids were soaked. My back was soaked from standing out of the car enough to buckle Lauren into her car seat. Somehow, in my rush to get into the front of the car and take off, I opened the car door into my head. I really could not make this up. I saw black and then a bunch of pretty stars before Jason came back into view again. And today, I have a bright red spot on my head that screams, "MORON!"

And there ends the weekend.

But we've still got pride!

Lots of great things happened this past weekend.

1. Brooke turned 2! I almost can't believe it. If you haven't seen Libby's blog for the videos and pictures of her party, you'll have to check it out. She was adorable and wonderful as always (Brooke....not Libby, although Libby was pretty wonderful too).

2. We got to spend a weekend at Nana and Pap's. After picking Joshua up at school on Friday, we packed up and headed for Lewistown. It was a whole lot of fun. Our plan was to be there for Brooke's big bash, and then stick around to hope that a whole bunch of good family vibes would help the Nittany Lions to upset the #1 Crimson Tide in primetime with the whole world watching.

3. The kids got to sport their new PSU gear to show their pride. It was adorable. See?

Big hill....little baby!

There was LOTS of running!

And sadly, this was our best effort at a group picture. Pitiful, I know. But you should have seen their bad attitudes and squirminess.

So, that was the good stuff. There were a few not-so-great things that happened this weekend too.

1. Pap's back was out so he was in his bed for the entire weekend. He did get to walk around a bit as the weekend progressed, but it wasn't Pap as usual this weekend. Dr. Joshua was "on the case" as he put it, though. I'm not sure the quality of the medical care he provided, but at least Pap had some company.

2. We won't dwell on it, but all of those people who were watching in prime time saw what "Roll Tide" meant.........Roll over PSU, I think! It wasn't pretty. Maybe next year.

But we still had a whole bunch of pride!

First Day of School

So I guess it's official. Nursery school days are gone. As of yesterday, Joshua was a big K4 kid! He looked so grown up to me yesterday with his loaded backpack and brand new sneakers. He picked the shark shirt just for the occasion.

I know that this isn't about me....at all....but since I'm the one writing this, I feel like I have the right to tell you. I wondered yesterday just how many different "new normal" routines you have to come up with before you're in a pattern that is going to last a while? For the past year I feel like I've been doing nothing more than tweaking a routine, only to get settled into it and then need to tweak it again. For example---- I was home with the kids from October to January. That was new. Then in January, I had to adjust to getting back to the office and being away from the kids. While nursing exclusively. That was a biggie for me. In February, we added a layer by sending Joshua to Nursery School three afternoons a week. That meant pick-up and drop-off at school around Lauren's feeding/pumping schedule, on top of work schedule. Then came summer. Phew--- no more school picking up and delivering. Now yesterday we adjusted, yet again, to a MORNING school routine 5 days a week. Jason is doing drop off at school on his way to work, and I just need to get up there each morning at 11 to pick up our little buddy and take him home to Grandma and Lauren. I consider it a blessing (a gift really) that Lauren seems to want to eat around that time, so I'm significantly limiting pumping in favor of actually nursing her when I come home with Joshua.

I think yesterday went about as well as it could have for Joshua. Drop off was painless and smooth. Jason said that he went right to his seat and got started on his activity while the others were arriving. He said he was a little overwhelmed, but didn't melt into a puddle of tears. And with Joshua, that's a victory...a major one. When I got there to get him, he was seated quietly with his backpack on, and when Mrs. Deitrick called his name he came running to give me a big hug. (Can't tell you how much I love that!) She said he had a good day. They had talked a good bit about school and how it works, Mrs. Deitrick's rules for behavior and had read some stories about going to school. He colored an apple for their apple tree and a yellow school bus. He chose orange juice as his drink for the day, but quickly declared that he didn't like it, so he won't be picking that again. He said he'll stick to white milk from now on. (Way to branch out, little man. Good effort.)

When I picked him up, I was given a homework assignment. Seriously! As if getting him up, dressed, fed and out the door by 7:45 wasn't enough. But I was asked to cut out the 16 little red apples for the classroom tree with the kids names on them. I was happy to help, but found it a little funny that MOM had homework on the first day.

The only hitch in the system yesterday was that Joshua's nose was running like a faucet when he came home yesterday at lunch time. That quickly escalated into a full fledged cold complete with fever, stuffy head and a cough by last evening. This morning, he was in rough shape. I hated not having him at school on the second day of class....I mean really, who is sick on the second day of school? But I thought about what I would want another mother to do if her child was the one who was spraying germs all over kingdom come. And I decided that I'd want her to keep her child at home to get better. So that's what we did. I let poor Joshua sleep it off a little and told him to take it easy today at home so that hopefully he can go back tomorrow. Our house has been sickness free since Easter, and whammo.....first day of school and we're nailed.

In case you're wondering, Jason went to the school this morning at 7:55 to drop off the 16 little (neatly cut-out) apples for the 8:00 start of K4. I felt a little like I used to in high school where it was your responsibility to get your assignment turned in even if you couldn't be in class.

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And here are a few quick pictures of Lauren that I snapped yesterday morning when I was back to having only one child to take care of before getting out the door. I felt so free!

Lauren took every opportunity to play with every single one of Joshua's toys while he was gone at school. The theory of "when the cat's away, the mice will play" certainly held true. I could almost see her looking around waiting for him to swoop in out of the blue and yell at her for touching his things.

Tooth #4 is almost through her little top gums. Nothing like waiting 11 months to get teeth and then getting them all in the span of a week.