Lexi, upon receiving a bowl of grapes and cantaloupe:
"Look, Daddy! I have grapes and candlesticks!"
The morning after the inauguration Lexi and I were watching children on t.v. who were sending messages to President Obama. One of the children said, "I hope you make it a law that there is no more littering." Lexi turned to me and in complete shock said, "No more LETTERING???"
After a particularly bad morning I said to Lexi, "Lexi, I think Mama's going to cry..." She stopped what she was doing, looked right into my eyes and said, "No Mama, don't cry. If you cry I am going to cry."
When I picked up Lexi at Fadia's on Wednesday I peeked around the corner and saw her standing with one elbow on the toy box next to Luke who also had one elbow up on the toy box. She said to him, "Hey Lukey, do you want to run around and around until my Mommy gets here?" He replied, "Okay." Lexi said, "Okay, let's do it!" and off they ran until Lexi caught me out of the corner of her eye and exclaimed, "Oh, hi Mama!! I didn't see you there!"
She just keeps making us laugh...
Friday, January 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Lexi-isms
Even when she's sick, Lexi makes me laugh...
The other evening she climbed up onto the couch and asked if I would let her watch cartoons. I had been watching the news, but was happy to put cartoons on for her, because she was really feeling lousy. As I got the cartoon that she wanted she said to me, "Mama, maybe when I'm older I'll watch the news with you and Daddy."
A day or two later:
Lexi: "Mama, I can't breeve."
Me: "I know, sweetie. It's because you have a cold. If you want, I can get the sucker (aka "nasal aspirator") and suction your nose. I will help you to be able to breathe better."
Lexi: "I can breeve now."
What a cutie. Here she is with her "Brover brov brov" aka "Zacharia" aka "Buddy" wearing her "Big Sister" shirt and Zach wearing his "Little Brother" shirt that she picked out for him.
And it's hard to believe, but this happy little boy is starting some of his own tricks as well! A few days ago I was nursing him and telling Ahren a story. Apparently I was being too loud because He started waving his hands around and moaning at me as I spoke. I stopped talking and he went back to happily nursing. As I started talking again, he again started waving his hands and moaning. Apparently the little prince needs to eat in peace...SO much like his big sister. :)
Last night after we ate dinner, Zach was in his swing and Lexi and I were chatting at the table, but we had our backs to Zachary. He started fussing, and we turned and saw the biggest pouty face we'd ever seen! As soon as we starting talking to him we got this face:
Then Ahren came over and we said, "Zachary, show Daddy your new trick - show him your new face!" and we got this:
The original face was much poutier, but as soon as we all laughed, the bright smiley face came back. He did it two more times after that too...the boy is two months old and already smart as a whip! We better start saving more money for college - because we have two genius children on our hands. :)
The other evening she climbed up onto the couch and asked if I would let her watch cartoons. I had been watching the news, but was happy to put cartoons on for her, because she was really feeling lousy. As I got the cartoon that she wanted she said to me, "Mama, maybe when I'm older I'll watch the news with you and Daddy."
A day or two later:
Lexi: "Mama, I can't breeve."
Me: "I know, sweetie. It's because you have a cold. If you want, I can get the sucker (aka "nasal aspirator") and suction your nose. I will help you to be able to breathe better."
Lexi: "I can breeve now."
What a cutie. Here she is with her "Brover brov brov" aka "Zacharia" aka "Buddy" wearing her "Big Sister" shirt and Zach wearing his "Little Brother" shirt that she picked out for him.
And it's hard to believe, but this happy little boy is starting some of his own tricks as well! A few days ago I was nursing him and telling Ahren a story. Apparently I was being too loud because He started waving his hands around and moaning at me as I spoke. I stopped talking and he went back to happily nursing. As I started talking again, he again started waving his hands and moaning. Apparently the little prince needs to eat in peace...SO much like his big sister. :) Last night after we ate dinner, Zach was in his swing and Lexi and I were chatting at the table, but we had our backs to Zachary. He started fussing, and we turned and saw the biggest pouty face we'd ever seen! As soon as we starting talking to him we got this face:
Then Ahren came over and we said, "Zachary, show Daddy your new trick - show him your new face!" and we got this:
The original face was much poutier, but as soon as we all laughed, the bright smiley face came back. He did it two more times after that too...the boy is two months old and already smart as a whip! We better start saving more money for college - because we have two genius children on our hands. :) Thursday, January 15, 2009
2 Seconds Flat
That's how quickly it can all go to hell when you have kids. Everything is going along swimmingly and then BAM! downhill faster than you can say, "What happened??". The good news is that this time around I have a good sense of humor about the hell I often fall into, and I've also learned to let go of the little things when the big things take over.
Yesterday, life was good. It was Wednesday, so that meant that Ali was coming for her weekly visit, and I was also scheduled to go see my friend Christi and her new (4 day old) baby, Henry. Things threatened to get nutty in the morning, but we pulled out of it quickly, and I had two happy kids and a happy Mama. While I was changing Zachary, Lexi had assumed her position, right by his head, entertaining the heck out of him while I swerved to avoid the poop rockets he was shooting at me. As she stood there holding his hand and saying, "Hi Zachary. Hi...hi..." he looked right into her eyes and said, "HI". No word of a lie. Lexi and I both stopped short and looked at each other. Lexi said to me, "Mummy, I didn't know that babies could talk!" I didn't know it either, but honestly if you did not know that Zachary was only 7 weeks old, you would have been sure he was a one year old responding to his big sister. It was hysterical! The rest of the day went great. It was fun visiting with Christi and the baby, and Ali and I hung out and chatted up a storm all afternoon. She is like my weekly therapy, and I look forward to her Wednesday visits all week long.
At 4:30, Ali, Zachary and I left the house to pick up Lexi and drop off Ali. On my way from Ali's to Fadia's my neighbor Maureen called to see if we had power. Uh oh...we had when I left the house, but sure enough, when I returned home we were out...along with the rest of Harold Street. Great. Luckily, although Gigi and Poppy were not home, Gigi had made a huge dish of rice pilaf before she left, and instructed me to take the kids there and eat dinner. So, I did. As the night progressed, so did the "estimated time power will be restored time" on National Grid's website. It went from 7:30pm, to 10:30 pm (when we decided that Lexi would sleep over at Gigi and Poppy's) to 1am (when we decided the rest of the family would sleep there too). Having a sleepover mid-week is inconvenient, but we were lucky to have the option, so Ahren and I went back to the house in the dark to pick up some clothes and supplies. Everything seemed like it was going to be "fine"...until 3am when Lexi woke up screaming because she had a bloody nose. This is not a terribly unusual event. Lexi never had a chance of not getting bloody noses, as Ahren and I both got them terribly when we were children. The bloody nose was fine...it was the fever that I worried about. Gigi and I got the nose under control and we all went back to bed...I, however was wide awake...worried about this fever, and wondering if she would be staying home from Fadia's in the morning...thinking about the plans I would have to cancel...worrying about what was causing the fever...and worst of all, worrying that Zachary might catch the illness from Lexi. 4am screams got me out of bed again with another bloody nose, and while she felt mildly cooler, she still had a fever. When we woke up this morning, it was clear that she would not be going to Fadia's today. This is where I need to take a big, deep breath and let go. I can't panic about what's not going to get done, what I'm going to miss, etc. I just have to rewire my brain into, "today we're all staying home."
So, here it is, almost noon, and I still have dishes from yesterday's breakfast in my sink, I haven't showered, Zachary is in his p.j.s, but we're good....I'm good. I guess the key to being a healthy mom free from the almost crippling anxiety I suffered from when Lexi was a baby is learning to be okay with the hell...it can come in 2 seconds flat, and if that's okay then we'll be okay. Because just as quickly as things can go to hell they can go just as fast back to good.
Yesterday, life was good. It was Wednesday, so that meant that Ali was coming for her weekly visit, and I was also scheduled to go see my friend Christi and her new (4 day old) baby, Henry. Things threatened to get nutty in the morning, but we pulled out of it quickly, and I had two happy kids and a happy Mama. While I was changing Zachary, Lexi had assumed her position, right by his head, entertaining the heck out of him while I swerved to avoid the poop rockets he was shooting at me. As she stood there holding his hand and saying, "Hi Zachary. Hi...hi..." he looked right into her eyes and said, "HI". No word of a lie. Lexi and I both stopped short and looked at each other. Lexi said to me, "Mummy, I didn't know that babies could talk!" I didn't know it either, but honestly if you did not know that Zachary was only 7 weeks old, you would have been sure he was a one year old responding to his big sister. It was hysterical! The rest of the day went great. It was fun visiting with Christi and the baby, and Ali and I hung out and chatted up a storm all afternoon. She is like my weekly therapy, and I look forward to her Wednesday visits all week long.
At 4:30, Ali, Zachary and I left the house to pick up Lexi and drop off Ali. On my way from Ali's to Fadia's my neighbor Maureen called to see if we had power. Uh oh...we had when I left the house, but sure enough, when I returned home we were out...along with the rest of Harold Street. Great. Luckily, although Gigi and Poppy were not home, Gigi had made a huge dish of rice pilaf before she left, and instructed me to take the kids there and eat dinner. So, I did. As the night progressed, so did the "estimated time power will be restored time" on National Grid's website. It went from 7:30pm, to 10:30 pm (when we decided that Lexi would sleep over at Gigi and Poppy's) to 1am (when we decided the rest of the family would sleep there too). Having a sleepover mid-week is inconvenient, but we were lucky to have the option, so Ahren and I went back to the house in the dark to pick up some clothes and supplies. Everything seemed like it was going to be "fine"...until 3am when Lexi woke up screaming because she had a bloody nose. This is not a terribly unusual event. Lexi never had a chance of not getting bloody noses, as Ahren and I both got them terribly when we were children. The bloody nose was fine...it was the fever that I worried about. Gigi and I got the nose under control and we all went back to bed...I, however was wide awake...worried about this fever, and wondering if she would be staying home from Fadia's in the morning...thinking about the plans I would have to cancel...worrying about what was causing the fever...and worst of all, worrying that Zachary might catch the illness from Lexi. 4am screams got me out of bed again with another bloody nose, and while she felt mildly cooler, she still had a fever. When we woke up this morning, it was clear that she would not be going to Fadia's today. This is where I need to take a big, deep breath and let go. I can't panic about what's not going to get done, what I'm going to miss, etc. I just have to rewire my brain into, "today we're all staying home."
So, here it is, almost noon, and I still have dishes from yesterday's breakfast in my sink, I haven't showered, Zachary is in his p.j.s, but we're good....I'm good. I guess the key to being a healthy mom free from the almost crippling anxiety I suffered from when Lexi was a baby is learning to be okay with the hell...it can come in 2 seconds flat, and if that's okay then we'll be okay. Because just as quickly as things can go to hell they can go just as fast back to good.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Busy Week
Last week was an extremely busy one, and it really took a toll on this mama. By Friday I had certainly reached the end of my rope and I was very thankful for the weekend once it arrived.
On Monday Lexi, Zachary and I made the trek to Wellesley to see Mr. Aaron, her orthotist. We enjoy visits with Mr. Aaron, although Gigi usually joins us for the trip so it means that I get a couple of relatively uninterrupted hours to talk to my mom (rare these days). Gigi wasn't available on this day, so we made the journey alone, and MAN is that a long drive. Mr. Aaron was pleased with the SMOs, but did give us a new stretch to start working on. I am glad for the stretch because I felt like the other one was too easy for Lexi to squirm out of...this one just seems more effective.
On Tuesday is was back down Rt. 95 to the Sports Spa with my dad. There we ran on this cool treadmill call the Alter G. You basically get zipped into this enormous space bag from the waist down which allows the machine to reduce your weight to up to 20% of your body weight. It's like running on the moon - very cool.
On Wednesday I had my 6 week follow up with Ruth. I was glad to see her, and she told me that things are healing nicely, but we're not there yet. That was no surprise to me, but I was glad to know that everything was normal. She was so excited to see how big Zachary has gotten, and was surprised to hear that he's already giving us 6-8 hour stretches just about every night. She said I must have good milk, which made me feel proud for some reason... :) It feels strange that I won't be back to see them for a whole year...I really love that practice so much, and I feel like they've all become close friends of mine. In the afternoon Ali came to visit, and I have to say that there is nothing better than having a girlfriend to come hang out with me. We went out for lunch and then ran some errands together, and it was just awesome.
On Thursday Zachary and I checked out a new Stroller Strides class down the street...well...I checked it out, Zach slept through the entire thing. It was an interesting class, though different from the Baby Boot Camp class I took after having Lexi. Mostly it's just nice having a group of moms all working out together. There's never a lack of conversation, and we all feel much better after working up a sweat and working out our frustrations. It's not easy to get exercise with a newborn in the middle of the winter, but it's so important...especially for me.
Friday was the busiest day of all... We had our "six month" (actually almost one full year) follow up with Dr. Raffalli, Lexi's neurologist. These appointment are always frustrating for me because Dr. R. is constantly pushing us to take Lexi for a repeat urodynamics test. If you don't remember the story about the original test that she had before her surgery, I'll just say that it was pure torture. Ahren usually allows me to make most of the medical decisions about the kids. We discuss them fully with each other, but he usually agrees with whatever I come up with, which is nice. This was the one medical issue that Ahren literally forbade me to go forward with. It was fine because I agreed with him, but he would not have allowed me to take her to repeat this unnecessary test - that's how horrific it was. Dr. R. seems upset that we flat out refused to take her for the test. It's designed to test whether or not the bladder is functioning, and since Lexi is fully potty trained we think that's pretty definitive. This appointment was no different from the rest, and I was pressured again to take her back for the test. In the end, my "punishment" was a threat to re-MRI her (which is fine with me) and send us back to Dr. Smith for a follow up to see what he thinks (also fine with me). So, now I'm just waiting to hear back from Dr. Raffalli once he has a chance to confer with Dr. Smith. I'm glad we have thorough doctors, but I truly feel that Dr. Raffalli is more focused on making the parents obey, than taking care of Lexi. He didn't even ask about her gross motor milestones until I just started telling him all the things she can do. I'm actually truly hoping that they will let us take her in for a repeat MRI and a visit with Dr. Smith. I feel like those two things will give me a better idea of where she is. He also recommended that we get her back into Physical Therapy, so that is my next agenda item...
It was a busy week, and it was hard for me to deal with the emotional aspect of Lexi's "issues" on top of the physical pain of some of my remaining issues. But, in the end I think it was good for me because it was hard, but I managed and made it through. What doesn't "kill" me, only makes me stronger.
Okay, off to see if I can console Zachary so that I can get a quick shower in before noon!
On Monday Lexi, Zachary and I made the trek to Wellesley to see Mr. Aaron, her orthotist. We enjoy visits with Mr. Aaron, although Gigi usually joins us for the trip so it means that I get a couple of relatively uninterrupted hours to talk to my mom (rare these days). Gigi wasn't available on this day, so we made the journey alone, and MAN is that a long drive. Mr. Aaron was pleased with the SMOs, but did give us a new stretch to start working on. I am glad for the stretch because I felt like the other one was too easy for Lexi to squirm out of...this one just seems more effective.
On Tuesday is was back down Rt. 95 to the Sports Spa with my dad. There we ran on this cool treadmill call the Alter G. You basically get zipped into this enormous space bag from the waist down which allows the machine to reduce your weight to up to 20% of your body weight. It's like running on the moon - very cool.
On Wednesday I had my 6 week follow up with Ruth. I was glad to see her, and she told me that things are healing nicely, but we're not there yet. That was no surprise to me, but I was glad to know that everything was normal. She was so excited to see how big Zachary has gotten, and was surprised to hear that he's already giving us 6-8 hour stretches just about every night. She said I must have good milk, which made me feel proud for some reason... :) It feels strange that I won't be back to see them for a whole year...I really love that practice so much, and I feel like they've all become close friends of mine. In the afternoon Ali came to visit, and I have to say that there is nothing better than having a girlfriend to come hang out with me. We went out for lunch and then ran some errands together, and it was just awesome.
On Thursday Zachary and I checked out a new Stroller Strides class down the street...well...I checked it out, Zach slept through the entire thing. It was an interesting class, though different from the Baby Boot Camp class I took after having Lexi. Mostly it's just nice having a group of moms all working out together. There's never a lack of conversation, and we all feel much better after working up a sweat and working out our frustrations. It's not easy to get exercise with a newborn in the middle of the winter, but it's so important...especially for me.
Friday was the busiest day of all... We had our "six month" (actually almost one full year) follow up with Dr. Raffalli, Lexi's neurologist. These appointment are always frustrating for me because Dr. R. is constantly pushing us to take Lexi for a repeat urodynamics test. If you don't remember the story about the original test that she had before her surgery, I'll just say that it was pure torture. Ahren usually allows me to make most of the medical decisions about the kids. We discuss them fully with each other, but he usually agrees with whatever I come up with, which is nice. This was the one medical issue that Ahren literally forbade me to go forward with. It was fine because I agreed with him, but he would not have allowed me to take her to repeat this unnecessary test - that's how horrific it was. Dr. R. seems upset that we flat out refused to take her for the test. It's designed to test whether or not the bladder is functioning, and since Lexi is fully potty trained we think that's pretty definitive. This appointment was no different from the rest, and I was pressured again to take her back for the test. In the end, my "punishment" was a threat to re-MRI her (which is fine with me) and send us back to Dr. Smith for a follow up to see what he thinks (also fine with me). So, now I'm just waiting to hear back from Dr. Raffalli once he has a chance to confer with Dr. Smith. I'm glad we have thorough doctors, but I truly feel that Dr. Raffalli is more focused on making the parents obey, than taking care of Lexi. He didn't even ask about her gross motor milestones until I just started telling him all the things she can do. I'm actually truly hoping that they will let us take her in for a repeat MRI and a visit with Dr. Smith. I feel like those two things will give me a better idea of where she is. He also recommended that we get her back into Physical Therapy, so that is my next agenda item...
It was a busy week, and it was hard for me to deal with the emotional aspect of Lexi's "issues" on top of the physical pain of some of my remaining issues. But, in the end I think it was good for me because it was hard, but I managed and made it through. What doesn't "kill" me, only makes me stronger.
Okay, off to see if I can console Zachary so that I can get a quick shower in before noon!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Everywhere I go I hear people saying good bye and good riddance to 2008. It's true that overall 2008 was not a great year for our country, but as a family we simply cannot ignore all the good things about this past year. We had wonderful vacations with our families, weddings, engagements, Ahren's Uncle Doug suffered with but ultimately survived a terrible cancer, Ahren earned his CFA, we added a beautiful addition to our home, and we welcomed Sophie Rose and Zachary Thomas into this world. Economic times are tough, but we are blessed for sure, and we cannot forget that.
Christmas was wonderful as always! It was crazy with 5 children running (or crawling or squirming) around, but it was absolutely fantastic. We had Christmas Eve at my parent's house as always, and Santa made his yearly visit. As the kids get older things just get more and more fun. Lexi, Cassie and Ben played so beautifully with each other this year, and it was hysterical watching them.
Of course, Santa came to visit the party, but Lexi was still not interested in going anywhere near him. She just does not trust a big man in a red suit - which I suppose, in the grand scheme is a good thing. But she was more than happy to be handed a gift from him...via one of the other children.
Christmas morning was crazy as always. I think Lexi had more fun handing gifts out than opening them. Lexi and Cassie had a blast comparing gifts, and all three kids shared with each other nicely all day long. 
Dinner was wonderful, as always, and then there were more presents in the afternoon. Lexi was all gifted out by the end of the day...but it wasn't over yet!
On Monday, Uncle Devan, Aunt Jen, Auntie Kae, Grammy and Grampy all came to our house to celebrate the Lippman Christmas. Santa had made a visit at Grammy and Grampy's house, so Grammy brought the stockings up here for Lexi and Zachary to open. We had a very relaxed dinner, and then opened a gazillion presents. It was great to see Devan and Jen, and a fun evening all around.
On New Year's Eve, Ahren, Lexi, Zach and I drove up to Gigi and Poppy's condo in Vermont to ring in the New Year with my parents and some of our friends. The drive was horrible, and took 5 1/2 miserable hours, but once we got there we enjoyed a very relaxing few days lounging around the condo. Lexi and Poppy tried to go sledding, but it was 5 degrees and just a little too cold to enjoy the ride.
So the rest of the weekend we really just lounged around and did almost nothing. It was fantastic!
So, now we're back to "normal" life and I have to say I'm pretty happy we are. The holidays were a blast, but they were very busy, and I'm glad to have a few more weeks of maternity leave to enjoy my newborn. Zachary is growing up so fast, and I feel like I've missed a lot of it from being so busy with the festivities.
We are looking forward to a better 2009 for everyone, and continued blessings (hopefully not in the form of more children, just yet) for our family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)