Carson is almost six months old now...and he runs our household. When he laughs, so do all of us. It's absolutely contagious.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Season of Giving
Ella has a new pink coat and a matching, fur-lined purse. She carries the purse with her everywhere she goes, toting at least a pound of pennies from her piggy bank. We decided to do some last-minute Christmas shopping at The Greene, so it was only natural that Ella wanted to drag along the purse. "You'll lose it," I said, and rolled my eyes as we attempted to buckle her into her carseat. She had her doll Ava stuffed into her coat and her pink purse clutched tightly to her chest. She persisted and I gave in.
We got to The Greene: I didn't have change for the parking meter, and neither did Derek. Ella produced three shiny quarters, which bought us the exact amount of time we needed to shop. We shopped and bought and moved in and out of stores, and Ella never lost sight of that purse.
On our way back to the car we saw a beautiful live nativity scene. We took it in for a moment and talked about the true meaning of Christmas. They had a sign up: "Donations are warmly appreciated." I suggested to Ella that I was going to give, and she dug her tiny purse from the bottom of Carson's stroller. Derek lifted her high, and we watched as she dumped the majority of her precious coins into the metal container.
That was my Christmas gift — that no matter how much we have screwed up our youth, our cars, and almost every new year's resolution, there is one area where Derek and I are doing something right. That little something just gave of herself for the benefit of others, who were there to tell an important story on a cold winter's evening. And that, my sweet daughter, is something I want you to read about when you are feeling down on yourself someday. I'll hold this memory forever.
Friday, December 11, 2009
In Stitches
The story begins with an excited 4 year old. She stands at the end of a long, carpeted hallway in a pair of rubber-soled mary janes. She builds speed toward the drinking fountain, rubber catches carpet, and she goes flying. Her skull hits the corner of a concrete-block wall.
The next chapter includes a hysterical grandma, a blood-spattered Aunt Andrea, and a Daddy who scooped everyone up and got us to the ER in minutes. I had time to pack a few blankets and stuffed animals, and off we went.
We learned that the cut was through the skin and muscle. We held out for a plastic surgeon...she's a girly-girl, and it's her face, after all.
Dr. Hicks arrived around 11pm, not thrilled to be called in from his slumber. He silently worked on her for almost an hour with Derek close by to hold Ella's hand. (I was pacing the halls and wiping tears.) At the point Derek saw her cranium, he broke into a sweat and asked for a chair. Ella was tearful but more brave than either of us expected.
The story ends with Dr. Hicks finishing the outer layer of stitches around midnight. Ella's sweetness had completely won him over. As he wiped away the iodine, the ER nurses and I heard a tiny sound. It was Ella, whistling a Christmas carol from under the surgical barrier blanket.
The next chapter includes a hysterical grandma, a blood-spattered Aunt Andrea, and a Daddy who scooped everyone up and got us to the ER in minutes. I had time to pack a few blankets and stuffed animals, and off we went.
We learned that the cut was through the skin and muscle. We held out for a plastic surgeon...she's a girly-girl, and it's her face, after all.
Dr. Hicks arrived around 11pm, not thrilled to be called in from his slumber. He silently worked on her for almost an hour with Derek close by to hold Ella's hand. (I was pacing the halls and wiping tears.) At the point Derek saw her cranium, he broke into a sweat and asked for a chair. Ella was tearful but more brave than either of us expected.
The story ends with Dr. Hicks finishing the outer layer of stitches around midnight. Ella's sweetness had completely won him over. As he wiped away the iodine, the ER nurses and I heard a tiny sound. It was Ella, whistling a Christmas carol from under the surgical barrier blanket.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Four Days Away
Once per quarter, I leave the boundaries of what's offered in Dayton Ohio (!) to seek out the latest-and-greatest trends and color forecasts. The Art Directors go, and we shop and scout and have meetings to determine what's the right direction for our product lines. While our destination is usually New York, this time we opted for Los Angeles.
It was one thing for me to travel on business when we had Ella...and quite another with a second baby. I packed 6 different bags. I made calendars for Derek's mom and my mom since they would be helping, and typed up a schedule to help them decipher Carson's coos and howls. I bought gel packs, ice, a nursing shawl, small coolers, aluminum foil, bubble wrap and fedex supplies to ship Carson's frozen milk back to him from the sunny west coast before it melted. Let me tell you, it's hard to be a good mom from thousands of miles away.
After all that preparation (and once I had made it through security with what certainly looked like the makings of a meth lab in my suitcase) I finally took my seat on the plane headed west. The agenda was packed and the days were long, but the payoff was huge. Mollee, Renee and I left with a very good idea of what our 2010/2011 lines could offer.
But if I'm being honest, I think the biggest payoff of my first time away is this: I got to step away for awhile and be the girl in the big city. I got to be creatively inspired and surrounded by beauty. I got to stretch out on a big fluffy bed in a beautiful hotel, and wake up with a great cup of coffee on the penthouse sundeck.
Then I got to come home to a family who tripped over each other with stories to share, who snuggled close to tell me they love me, who mentioned again and again how much I was missed. I am thankful that we have such wonderful mothers who made my departure easier on Derek...and I am grateful for a short respite from spit-up and diapers, to remind me of how good and sweet this time is after all. Sometimes the beauty of what we have is more clearly revealed upon stepping away from it for a moment. What a view.
It was one thing for me to travel on business when we had Ella...and quite another with a second baby. I packed 6 different bags. I made calendars for Derek's mom and my mom since they would be helping, and typed up a schedule to help them decipher Carson's coos and howls. I bought gel packs, ice, a nursing shawl, small coolers, aluminum foil, bubble wrap and fedex supplies to ship Carson's frozen milk back to him from the sunny west coast before it melted. Let me tell you, it's hard to be a good mom from thousands of miles away.
After all that preparation (and once I had made it through security with what certainly looked like the makings of a meth lab in my suitcase) I finally took my seat on the plane headed west. The agenda was packed and the days were long, but the payoff was huge. Mollee, Renee and I left with a very good idea of what our 2010/2011 lines could offer.
But if I'm being honest, I think the biggest payoff of my first time away is this: I got to step away for awhile and be the girl in the big city. I got to be creatively inspired and surrounded by beauty. I got to stretch out on a big fluffy bed in a beautiful hotel, and wake up with a great cup of coffee on the penthouse sundeck.
Then I got to come home to a family who tripped over each other with stories to share, who snuggled close to tell me they love me, who mentioned again and again how much I was missed. I am thankful that we have such wonderful mothers who made my departure easier on Derek...and I am grateful for a short respite from spit-up and diapers, to remind me of how good and sweet this time is after all. Sometimes the beauty of what we have is more clearly revealed upon stepping away from it for a moment. What a view.
Trick or Treat
I've never been a fan of Halloween, maybe because I've never had a love for masks or for candy. Show me a neighborhood where people give out Coldstone Creamery door-to-door and everyone promises NOT to wear strange plastic faces, and you'd have a deal. However...since our little crumb-crunchers entered the scene, the holiday is a whole lot more fun.
Ella decided on a butterfly fairy costume this year, and what a lovely little pink lady she was.We joined the Painters for a celebration at their place, with Willa and Zoe in tow.
Carson didn't object to the pumpkin suit that his sister wore a few years before. He was a pretty good sport about the whole thing and found Pam completely hilarious!
Ella decided on a butterfly fairy costume this year, and what a lovely little pink lady she was.We joined the Painters for a celebration at their place, with Willa and Zoe in tow.
Carson didn't object to the pumpkin suit that his sister wore a few years before. He was a pretty good sport about the whole thing and found Pam completely hilarious!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The New Normal
We're all doing our best to get used to life on the Merry-Go-Round. Ella is back at Montessori, Derek's classes have begun, and I have been back at work for three weeks, where I've cashed in all my "I dunno, that must have happened while I was out" chips. Now I'm in the thick of it. Balance is not something that comes easily to me; I spend a great deal of time, especially now, doing one thing and thinking of another in a feeble attempt to cover all my bases. Derek and I ask each other daily: before we had kids, what did we do all day? It's crazy, and hectic, but filled with belly laughs and fairy dust. I wouldn't trade a thing.
Carson has had an insatiable appetite, and now we know why; three weeks ago, he weighed 12.5 pounds and now—SIXTEEN! He is a tiny cherub with a contagious giggle that I'll try to post as soon as I can catch it on video.
Ella has had a little anxiety about being knocked down the totem pole. It has manifested itself in her adoption of two alter egos; the first is Baby Kelly, who crawls around, climbs on the boppy pillow and wants to sleep in Mommy's bed. We had some family visit last weekend and they brought her a pair of pink footie pajamas, which threw Ella into a total state of nirvana. She has not taken them off since. The grocery, the pharmacy, where ever. We make her wear normal clothes for school, but otherwise I maintain that a kid has only a few years where silly reigns. She could add a feather boa and a collander as a hat, and that would be fine with me.
The second of her new personas is the one who practices independence. She stands at the door with her backpack, staring through the glass with a dreamy look in her eye, plotting an elaborate trip to New York to see The Lion King on Broadway. She sings all the songs and talks to us about showtimes. Her newest trick is to capture the perfect vibrato by pounding her chest at the end of every long note. We do our best not to laugh, since this aspiration is a very serious matter. Maybe someday we'll be giving her a standing ovation.
Carson has had an insatiable appetite, and now we know why; three weeks ago, he weighed 12.5 pounds and now—SIXTEEN! He is a tiny cherub with a contagious giggle that I'll try to post as soon as I can catch it on video.
Ella has had a little anxiety about being knocked down the totem pole. It has manifested itself in her adoption of two alter egos; the first is Baby Kelly, who crawls around, climbs on the boppy pillow and wants to sleep in Mommy's bed. We had some family visit last weekend and they brought her a pair of pink footie pajamas, which threw Ella into a total state of nirvana. She has not taken them off since. The grocery, the pharmacy, where ever. We make her wear normal clothes for school, but otherwise I maintain that a kid has only a few years where silly reigns. She could add a feather boa and a collander as a hat, and that would be fine with me.
The second of her new personas is the one who practices independence. She stands at the door with her backpack, staring through the glass with a dreamy look in her eye, plotting an elaborate trip to New York to see The Lion King on Broadway. She sings all the songs and talks to us about showtimes. Her newest trick is to capture the perfect vibrato by pounding her chest at the end of every long note. We do our best not to laugh, since this aspiration is a very serious matter. Maybe someday we'll be giving her a standing ovation.
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