The Birthday Parties

On Thursday, we had a small family celebration for Ella's birthday. Grace and I woke her up in the morning with a lovely rendition of "Happy Birthday" which I'm sure she loved. She heard it at least 10 times that day. When Travis and I got home from work, we let Ella smash a cupcake and open her gifts. She didn't know what to think of the cupcake at first and seemed concerned that we were huddled around her high chair staring at her. She eventually figured it out and kept signing for "more" after she was done! This frosting covered baby needed a quick sink bath before opening her presents!

Grace was a wonderful helper and did most of the unwrapping herself. Ella loved all her new noise-making toys, especially the Glo Worm. Remember those? It's so cute and lights up and plays soothing music, and she's been sleeping with it every night.After presents, we loaded up and headed to Babe's for a birthday feast with Grambi, Papa Jim, Aunt Pj, Bubba and Uncle Lindsey. Ella was happy to eat biscuits, butter beans, corn and mashed potatoes, and we were happy to eat all of that and more!Saturday was "big birthday party" day. I spent the day getting the house ready and decorating. That night, we had 40 people at our house for dinner to celebrate Ella's first year of life (including four generations of Cramers and Spillmans). I just love having a house full of people and 1st birthdays are a big deal at our house. I'm so glad I actually got some pictures with the birthday girl!

The highlight of the evening was definitely Ella's cake smashing. Didn't the cakes turn out precious?

Grace helped Ella blow out her candles, and then because she had a little practice on Thursday, Ella dug right it, squishing the cake and icing between her fingers and completely destroying it! She was so happy to have everyone watching her and clapped for herself when she was done. Afterward, I gave her a quick bath and put her in her jammies. Her birthday dress (the same one worn by Grace) was covered in icing, and I got a little sad thinking about the fact that it could be the last time anyone wears it. After cuddling my sweet baby, I took her back downstairs to visit for a little while, and then, just like clockwork, she was ready for bed about 8:00. Poor thing was so exhausted that she didn't mind the noise downstairs and slept right through the last guests leaving around 10:00. What a wonderful day!

I know Ella won't remember any of this, but I'll be happy to show her the pictures and tell her about how special she is. I also started a new tradition for the girls this year that I'm very excited about. At Grace's party, I had all the guests sign a copy of "Pinkalicious." It was her favorite book this year and the inspiration for her birthday party. At Ella's party, I had them sign "On the Night You Were Born." It's an incredibly sweet book that talks about how the world and the angels celebrated on the night she was born because there will never be another her. And, it includes one of my favorite verses: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-15. I love that Grace and Ella will have these special keepsakes to add to their libraries!

Thank you to everyone who came and for all the gifts! Santa does not need to visit us this year!

Tiny Girls

I took the girls in for their 3-year and 1-year checkups today. It started out very happy...

Neither one cried when Dr. D walked in or when he examined them. Ella kept saying "hi" and was very chatty. Grace told him all about her birthday party. He said both girls are healthy and doing great.

They're still very small, but that's normal for them. Here are their stats:

Grace

Weight: 24 lbs (less than 5th percentile)

Height: 36 in (25th percentile)

Ella

Weight: 16 lbs 14 oz (less than 5th percentile)

Height: 28.5 in(40th percentile)

Head: 17.5 in (30th percentile)

As always, Ella is a pound heavier than Grace was at this age. Grace weighed 15 lbs 15 oz at 1 year and 19 lbs at 2 years. I realize that some 6-month-olds weigh more than this, but skinny-ness is in their genes :)

Things were going so smoothly, but then, Ella got her shots. As she's screaming and trying to recover, the nurse says they need a urine sample from Grace. Wonderful. And, how do you propose I get that while holding a screaming baby? The nurses and Dr. D were nice enough to hold Ella for me, which made her even madder. I take Grace into the bathroom and break the news that I need her to pee in this tiny plastic cup. She looks at me as if I have three eyes and starts to cry. This is a pretty typical reaction when she's not sure about something. I assured her that it wouldn't hurt at all and would be really quick. Easier said than done. First of all, I NEVER let her sit on toilets in public restrooms. She's okay with this and knows, "Their potties are dirty. Right, Mama?" But, it would be impossible to hold her up and hold the cup under her at the same time, so I tell her that the doctor's potty is clean and it's okay to sit on. She's not sure how to process this, as it goes against everything I've told her for the last 6+ months. Finally, she gets up on the potty, and I kneel down and place the cup where I think it needs to be. Of course, she doesn't need to go, but I explain that we're not leaving until she does. Meanwhile, we can hear Ella sobbing hysterically outside the door. Finally, Grace goes. All over my hand. Thankfully, we managed to get a little in the cup, and I figure they can run whatever tests they need to with a small amount.

After we wash up and I pass off the sample, I try to console Ella. At this point, she's crying as if her feelings are hurt, like "What are you thinking leaving me with the strange people? Did you think I would be okay with that?" And, then as if we haven't already had enough, the nurse tells me they need blood samples from both girls. Again, wonderful. So, we walk back to the lab. Ella's crying is softer and slower, but she's still clearly not happy. Then, the nurse grabs her little finger, wipes it off with alcohol and pokes a tiny needle in it. Does this make Ella feel better? I think not. The nurse proceeds to squeeze Ella's blood drop by drop into a tiny tube. Poor Ella is again hysterical and looking at me as if I'm a terrible mother. Grace, however, is very calm and tries to comfort her. "Ella, you're doing so good. You are SO brave. What a big girl. It's almost over. It's going to be okay." Finally, it is over (for Ella anyway). The nurse slaps some band aids on her and then tells Grace it's her turn. Then, Grace gives me that terrible mother look and starts to cry. I can't very well tell her that it's not going to hurt because clearly Ella thinks otherwise. After a bit of arguing, Grace finally takes a seat in my lap (still crying). Ella is also still crying and wiggling. The nurse goes through the same procedure with Grace. It was really enough to drive a sane person insane, but I took a deep breath and thought, "Thank you, Lord for these precious girls and for keeping me together in times such as these."

I finally made it out of there with two red-eyed girls with band aids on their fingers. As I'm putting Ella in her carseat, she starts to chew on hers and it occurs to me that she might actually get it off and then choke on it while I'm driving. So, I take it off, and thankfully, the bleeding has stopped. Then, Grace decides she wants hers off, too, and I help her get it off. Yea! All buckled in and ready to go home...Not so much. I look in my rear view mirror and notice a huge DART van parked right behind me in the middle of the parking lot. Meanwhile, Grace's finger starts to bleed and she's in a panic. I hand her a tissue and tell her to wrap it around her finger, all while doing about a 20-point turn to back out of my parking space without hitting the van. Then, my cell phone rings and I notice it's my secretary calling. She knows I'm at the doctor's office, so it must be important. I answer it and answer her question. I'm finally out of the parking lot, and Grace's finger is still bleeding. She's crying because she doesn't like blood and says it hurts. While stopped at a red light, I take a look at it and confirm that she is in fact overreacting. I help her wrap the tissue around it tighter, and after about 5 minutes, she stops crying. Yippee! Ten minutes later, we're home. The girls are happy now, but I sure am exhausted!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ella!

One year ago today, God changed my life again. I became a mother for the second time, and God blessed us with another miracle. Her name is Ella Claire. Before she arrived, I wondered, "How could I possibly love another baby as much as my first?" And, yet, as soon as she arrived, God doubled the size of my heart. And, I do love her more than I thought was possible. What a blessing she has been! During my pregnancy, I was convinced I was having a boy. My second pregnancy was completely different from my first. Instead of being sick for 14 weeks, I threw up everyday for 6 months. It was so bad that I started having contractions at 25 weeks due to dehydration. And, everyone except my husband thought it was a boy. Well, so much for a mother's intuition. When I heard the doctor say, "It's a girl!" I almost thought he was kidding. Travis says he wished he'd taken a picture of the look of shock on my face. Yet, even though I was wrong, I fell in love with her right away. Look at how she's grown...

30 seconds old

30 minutes old

1 month old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

9 months old

10 months old

11 months old

1 year old

I love that Ella is her own person. She's still just as sweet as Grace, but much more independent and outgoing. She has 5 teeth now (3 on top, 2 on bottom). Her hair is exactly the same blond color as Grace's, but with less curls. Her eyes are also the same green, but everyone says they're shaped just like mine. Ella loves the water--baths in the sink and the tub, swimming lessons on Saturdays--she's never been afraid. She loves to play Peek-A-Boo and Pat-a-Cake, read books, swing, and go for wagon rides. She does not like to sit still. She's not walking on her own yet, but walks around the house pushing the doll stroller and cruises around all the furniture. She's been crawling for about 6 months and makes mad dashes for the stairs if the baby gate isn't closed. She loves the camera. She adores Baylor and calls him by name. She wakes Grace up in the mornings by crawling on top of her and smothering her with kisses. Her vocabulary consists of mama, dada, bay, book, baby, bye-bye, this, ight (light), out and off. Sometimes, we think she even says her name- El-La. She waves goodbye and blows kisses. She points to things and says, "This?" She tickles herself and says, "ticka, ticka, ticka." She knows that she's "SO BIG" and raises her arms over her head. When you ask her what a monkey says, she goes, "Ooo ooh!" When you ask her what a kitty says, she goes "MEEEOOOWW!" She shakes her head and her finger when she doesn't want something. She signs "more" when she needs more of something (usually food). She loves to eat. She stopped eating baby food at around 9 months. She likes Cheerios, granola, bananas, strawberries, grapes, mango, mandarin oranges, carrots, broccoli, noodles, spaghetti with meat sauce, lentils, Ritz crackers and graham crackers. Just like Grace, she does not like cheese. Her favorite restaurant is Babe's- casual atmosphere, yummy food, and she'll actually sit still for the entire meal. We haven't indulged her sweet tooth much, but if she's anything like her mama and sister, she'll love sweets, too. She's very social, always waving and smiling at people. At Kindermusik, she goes around the room to visit with each family. She plays her instruments (and often tastes them) and hums along to the songs. One of the most special things this year as been watching the bond between sisters...

My cup runneth over with blessings. The thought that God chose me to raise these two precious girls is overwhelming. I'm doing the best that I can, and I hope He's pleased. I'm so thankful to have a wonderful support system in Travis, Gabby and the rest of our families and friends.

A Pinkalicious Party

One of Grace's favorite books is Pinkalicious, so we decided to have a Pinkalicious 3rd birthday party at Pump It Up Jr. The book is about a girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink. To return to normal, she has to eat green food. While most kids balk at green food, Grace actually loves it--from broccoli, to green beans, to snap peas, to edamame, to artichokes, to olives. I decided to take this theme and run with it. So, it started with the perfect Pinkalicious outfit.

We even asked all the guests to wear pink, and most of them (including my dad) did! Next, I ordered pink cupcakes that looked just like the ones in the book, and a pink cake (with a little green thrown in for good measure). We had a tray of pink food (pink grapefruit, watermelon and strawberries) and green food (green grapes, broccoli and cucumbers) with green ranch dressing. To drink? Pink lemonade, of course.

Next, we decorated the tables with pink tablecloths, tissue paper, plates, napkins, forks and pink balloons. I set out pink M&Ms and jelly beans and even made party hats out of pink paper and maribou feathers. For party favors, the girls got pink bags filled with a pink crown, tutu and ring and Pinakalicious coloring pages. The boys got green bags filled with pirate stuff (not really with the theme, but still fun). We had all the guests sign her Pinkalicious book, and she'll be able to have that as a reminder of her party. Overall, it was a huge success! I didn't take many pictures, but I know some family members did, so I'll have to post more later. Enjoy!

She Says the Funniest Things

In the spirit of trying to remember things, Gracie said something so funny today on our way home from lunch...

G: I just want to be a mama.

Me: Well, you have to get married first, and then, you can be a mama.

G: But, I don't want to get married. I just want to be a mama.

Me: I understand, but you can't be a mama until you get married. Those are the rules.

G: But, I don't want to get married!

Me: Why not?

G: Well, Mommy, you said that I can't marry Daddy, and now I can't find a boy!

Me: Oh, honey. Don't worry about that now. You have plenty of time to find a boy. Like, at least 20 years.

G: But, I can't find one.

Me: Gracie, you have plenty of time to find a boy. Daddy and I will even help you do it.

G: Okay. But, I just want to marry Daddy.

Also, we talk to her about God a lot, and how He made her and loves her so much. One night before bed, she said, "Mommy, I feel God. He's walking around in my throat. Like, my throat is a sidewalk."

Another night, she said, "Mommy, I can't go to sleep because I'm scared." I explained to her that Jesus' angels are always with her and will protect her and that there's nothing to be afraid of. I told her that if she ever feels scared, she can call on Jesus to protect her. About 5 minutes later, Travis and I heard her talking through the monitor. She said, "Jesus, I'm scared, okay? So, I need You and Your angels to protect me, okay?"

Happy 3rd Birthday, Gracie!

Disclaimer: This is a long post, but I wanted to write down all these details mostly so that I can remember them.

Three years ago today, my life changed forever. I became a mother, and God blessed me with a miracle. Her name is Grace Caroline. I remember every detail of that day and have savored each moment since. She's changed so much, but she still makes my heart sing.

30 seconds old

Thirty minutes oldSix months oldOne year oldEighteen months oldTwo years oldTwo-and-a-half years old

Three years old

She blesses us everyday with her sweet spirit, kind words and caring nature. She's silly and playful and wakes up happy. She doesn't get out of bed by herself, but wakes us up each morning with, "Mommy! Daddy!" until someone goes to get her. She loves fruit and granola for breakfast. She likes "Dora the Explorer" and "Jack's Big Music Show" in the morning. She loves her sister and has learned so much about sharing in the past year. She only drinks water or milk and has never finished an entire juice box. Her favorite snacks are graham crackers, cheese bunnies, and raisins. She loves chocolate and ice cream (favorite flavors: mint chocolate chip or Haagen Daaz chocolate chocolate chip). For lunch, she likes jelly sandwiches (she's allergic to peanuts) in the shape of a flower or a butterfly. She loves fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, edamame, artichokes, mushrooms, and onions. She does not like cheese. For dinner, she likes spaghetti, but will eat whatever I cook. She loves calamari. She enjoys playing at the park, especially the swings and the slides. She likes going for walks. She loves to color, paint, sing and dance. She loves to take showers. Her favorite movies are "Wizard of Oz," "Cinderella" and "Annie." She knows almost all the words to every song. She's a wonderful mommy to her Lamby and tells us when Lamby needs a bath. She talks ALL the time, in complete, fully understandable, multi-word sentences. In fact, most people can't believe she's so young because she speaks like a big kid. She constantly surprises us with things she knows. She is very observant and takes clues from people's faces and tones of voice. She worries about things, like whether someone is mad or isn't feeling well. She doesn't forget ANYTHING. She remembers very clearly details about when Ella was born, when she broke her leg, and her 2nd birthday party. She loves God. She tells us that she can feel Him. At night, she likes to watch "Little Bear" and then read books. Her favorites are Bible stories, Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, and the Little Critter and Berenstain Bears series. After we read, we turn out the lights and pray with her. Then, we play Favorite Part. I ask her what her favorite part of the day was, and before she answers, she always says, "No, what was your favorite part?" Then, she asks Travis about his favorite part, and then, she'll tell us hers. Usually, it's something like, "When you came home to see me." Then, we ask each other what their sad part of the day was. Her sad parts often involve food, like not being able to eat candy. Next, Travis kisses her and tells her goodnight and I cuddle "for 5 minutes" then kiss her and tell her goodnight. She says things like, "I love you, Mommy! Love you Daddy! Hope you're feeling better! Sweet dreams! See you in the morning!" I always tell her how much I love her and that Jesus and Daddy love her, too.

Each day is a gift. I wish she could stay this age forever because she's so sweet and loving. I tell her that I don't want her to get big and not need me. She says that she'll always need me and that she'll always be my baby. I hope so. Happy Birthday, sweet Gracie girl. Oh, how you are loved!