Family Weekend

This weekend was chock full o' family stuff! My sister came down for 4 days and I loved every minute of having her here! Our visit went by way too fast as usual, but we had such a great time together. Livy and her were joined at the hip, so much so that Livy called her "Mama" a few times. Niki was of course flattered, and it was extra special becuase she always worries that Livy won't know her since she lives in Albany, but this is hardly the case. I guess I'm easily replacable when Aunt Niki comes around....however I completely understand this because thats exactly how I was when my aunt Linda visited. Her visits gave me butterflies and I couldn't sleep for days leading up to them becuase of sheer excitement just to spend time with her. And from the looks of it, Livy and Aunt niki are headed down the same path. Very cool!

My Aunt Linda and family actually visited this weekend, and although I no longer get butterflies before her visits, it sure was great to spend time with her. She never changes, and neither does my uncle Terry....and my cousins are the sweetest teenager and college student that I've ever hung out with. My Uncle Terry is a kid stuck in a grown ups body, and he will have most anyone laughing. He is so great with kids and he spent countless hours entertaining me as a child, which wasn't an easy task. Both him and my aunt Linda spent alot of time with my sister and I as kids, and really got down to our level. It was fun to see them repeat this with Olivia. I was a bit nervous about how to entertain all the family, including my 87 year old grandma and Olivia. We really needed some good family activities that were wheelchair and stroller friendly. On Saturday we headed off to Harborfest for the afternoon. The weather was 100% perfect, and harborfest was a blast for everyone...including grandma Z and Olivia. My family acted like I had taken them to the ocean. They were amazed at Charlotte...they couldn't get over it. They live near the Potomac River just outside of D.C., have a second home on Lake Champlain, and they still thought Charlotte was amazing. It baffled me. They're world travelers yet they were just head over heels excited for Charlotte. My sister and Chris(her boyfriend) acted much the same....so I guess if you have family in town at least take them out for some Abbotts and a walk on the pier. I suggest the Abbotts inside the ferry terminal becuase its easy access to the pier.

So Harborfest was great fun and I was relieved. I dislike the pressure of entertaining people becuase it means I have to choose how they plan they're day, and its difficult for me becuase I get nervous that I won't choose correctly. Well no worries on Saturday because all 12 of my family members were having a rockin time. For the evening we took them out to Saddle Ridge in High falls, another place that I'd reccommend taking family until about 10pm....from that point on get out or be run over by drunk people and bachelorette parties. We learned the hard way, but it was fun anyway! We had dinner then bowled a few games in the bowling alley which is located inside the restaurant. King Pinz was the bowling alley, and it was very cool because they had glow in the dark pins and played great music. Again my family just raved about High falls, and Saddle Ridge...they loved every minute of it all which was great. For the record my 87 year old grandmother was out until midnight with us! Go grandma! Olivia was home tucked fast asleep by my in-laws, so Dave and I could really enjoy a fun night out, and it was.

I was glad to have all of my family together becuase it meant so much to my grandma, who cried her eyes out with joy as did my cousins. We all just get along so well that we really enjoy each others company. My cousin Jeff and I practically share the same heart, and so do Niki and my cousin Jenn. Its really fun to be with them becuase we are so much alike. But sad as it may be the weekend ended, and everyone headed back down the thruway. Dave and I were happy to have some quiet time at home to reflect on the weekend, and just relax.

Holistic moms

I just have to tell you about this wonderful, amazing group! I finally have found a place where as a mom, I can gather with other moms and be totally honest and open. I can ask questions and get real answers, along with meeting honest caring people. I am just really at peace and at home with Holistic Moms. I am so grateful that such a group like this exists. I realize the importance of mothers being together and supporting one another.

Tonites meeting was about "Food Choices" and how and why we eat the way we do. Members sat in a circle and were to go around the room and tell what healthy food they enjoy eating, what non-healthy food they also enjoy, what food they absolutely won't give their family, and finally do you judge people who eat different than you. In most places this type of meeting could get a bit ugly since people are very opinionated, and rightfully so. Well tonite, as typical of Holistic ,people were just very honest and open with their answers. Most women talked about how they feel stressed that they don't have time to prepare a healthy meal and then end up at MCdonalds sometimes, others said that they kill themselves to make a healthy meal and then feel resentful at times. People talked about being vegetarian for 10 years, now going back to eating meat and feeling guilty. Many people talked about the difficulty of feeding toddlers since they're so picky and tried to exchange ideas with each other. Most of what I heard from the women surrounded their lack of time and energy to cook a good dinner for their family. Most of the women have more than one children, or a newborn who needs to nurse all the time and they're never hands free to cook. So true! I heard the moms of babies less than 5 months old sounding very stressed that they're never hands free. I was able to share that I have been more hands free since Olivia turned 6 months and I could see the look of relief crossing a few faces. :)

So it was a great meeting and a safe place for all to share, and thats really what I love about the group. I talked about how I'm needing to make a descision on whether to raise Olivia vegetarian, and how I"ve been having some uncertainty on the issue. Her food has been a major stressor for me becuase I want to give her healthy options and do the right thing for her. I get overwhelmed by information overload. But I have good intentions and hopefully my brain and heart will come together and make a descision that will work for Olivia. I am just grateful that I found this group and find it very supportive for my mothering adventures. I've been to other meetings where people are judged and it seems as though an agenda is being pushed. This isn't like that and I think thats why the women can gather and be open and honest with each other.

Lily and Zachary

Tonite we got together with Dean and Candie! They brought their two beautiful children, Lily, age 4 months, and Zachary age 2. We had a really nice time, and the kids played together beautifully. Zachary spent the night watching after Olivia and giving her lots of hugs and Kisses. We only get to see Dean and Candie 3-4 times a year, but we appreciate our time together alot. Unlike most of us 1st time parents, nothing phases them now. They're so much more relaxed than those of us navigating this journey as newbies, and it was refreshing to be with them tonite. I've seen the difference in them since this is their second time having a newborn. They're so much more relaxed...its funny how alittle expierience can give us some peace about our abilities. :)
We made homemade pizza, ate munchies, and enjoyed some wine together. Of course all of this was done bouncing kids in one arm, and trying to make food with my free hand. Juggling the kids and trying to catch up on our everchanging lives was a big task. We reminisced about days gone by, when we would sit around their bonfire chatting the night away, and just relaxing...this was pre-family of course. Tonite we barely got 2 sentences in before we lost our train of thought due to making funny faces at each others children, in an attempt to get a giggle. By the end of the night Lily was in 7pm meltdown "newborn fussy mode", so I wore her in my sling and we strolled around the house. She loved it! Candie was ever so grateful to see the sling work so well. It totally brought back memories of wearing Olivia in the sling during her fussy time, which always started around 5:30pm. Now at 8 months, just 4 short months later, 5:3o is now a great time to interact with her. Its funny how a few months just changes everything. Little Zachary at age 2, was requesting to see our basement over and over again, and Dean being the adorable father that he is, took him down there tirelessly.

So although our get together was a far cry from the ones that we used to enjoy, we all learned so much from each other tonite. I was able to look at two people who are raising two amazing kids, and learn real life stuff from them. We talked about real issues, and tried to give each other encouragement surrounding various things that we're going through. For Candie she is dealing with a close friend who is hurting her deeply, and they have been close since middle school. Dean is juggling an insane work schedule, and Dave and I are overwhelmed new homeowners. We all tried to listen to each other, and offer a few words of encouragement where we could. I think parenting makes you more open to discussing things with other parents, because I've found that other parents need each other. I always appreciate talking with other parents becuase I know that they "get it." They've entered this other great and complicated world with me, and they know exactly what I mean when I tell them that I forget to take care of myself, or confess that I haven't had time to wash my kitchen floor in two weeks. Theres a comfort there that comes with the intiation into parenthood. People that at one time I had nothing in common with, I now share a whole list of things in common. Its funny how that happens!

Tomorrow we're heading to our Neighborhood picnic sponsored by the association. I'm hoping to win a door prize, as they all sound great! We seen the big tent set up for tomorrow, and they're having the neighborhood kids take part in a parade...it sounds really cute. They're all decorating their bicylces and strollers. We won't be partaking the in parade, but we're going to the picnic to be neighborly. Dave didn't want to go, but I told him that its good to do things like this, and we'll probably meet a few more neighbors. Then we're off to ELLABEAN's 1st Birthday Bash!! Can't wait to see the little Bean and give her a big birthday hug!!

Houston we have a crawler!

Its official....our little lulu bean is a crawler. She started this great new task on Saturday while I was out with Grandma Z grocery shopping. Dave called my cell and was so excited that he was there to see it....he even took a video on the camera. Go Dave! I cried like she graduated high school or something....I just feel like we've passed a major milestone and theres no looking back. Olivia can now move to get things that she wants, and she does so very deliberately now...shes on a mission. My mom put it really good, she pretended Olivia talks and said " I've been sitting here watching all of you for 8 months, and now I'm off to see what all the fuss is about! Watch out!" So true! Lulu has been sitting pretty staring at us, and now shes off to create her own place in the world. How cool. I'm so glad that Dave got to see a first, as he misses her so much when he's at work. He calls 50 times a day for Olivia updates, and I know it meant the world to him to be with her for that first crawl. And you know what she crawled to....the telephone that had fallen on the floor! Thats my girl! Shes still not 100% sure of herself when crawling, and she takes these little breaks where she'll resort to rolling again, but Rachel assured me that these things take awhile. Rachel assures me alot about motherhood....thank God for her!! Thanks Rachel!!

We visited my mom and sister today and another first happened....Olivia knows the dog. We pulled up to my moms house and enter the house where Olivia see's coco and says " CoCo, CoCo, CoCo." We were shocked. Coco stayed with us 2 weeks ago, and Olivia has seen her alot, and we repeat Coco's name to her alot, but I was shocked that she said her name. Go Lulu. Tonite when I was putting her to bed she saw Coco's picture and repeated her name! So amazing these little beings are. I'm re-learning the world through her eyes and I love it. It makes me feel closer to God when I re-learn about the world through Olivia. I know theres a bible verse about that but I can't remember where?? Hmm??? I'll find it.

On another Olivia note, a friend called tonite who has a video for me that she just received about Vaccines. For those of you who know me, you know that I've delayed her vaccine schedule, and am doing this for safety reasons. I've done too much research and its such a huge issue that I just sort of shut down becuase I don't know where to go from here. According to my friend, she says this video was done by an MD, who did over 6000 hours of research on Vaccines, and quotes the CDC and World Health Organization, which is where I get lots of my info from. 6000 hours is alot of research, and I'm respectful of this because I've probably done 40 hours and my journey took me to places far and away for some very eye opening facts. I'm very middle of the road on this issue because I have to balance my child's health with eye opening scary statistics that most people don't even take the time to check into. I have been dreading her appt in July becuase it will mean I have to make a descision about what to do next. So far she has never gotten more than 1-2 vaccines at an appt, and her reactions have been normal. Ack. Its so crazy to think about, and I wish it were as easy as either doing them or not doing them, but its not that way. Oh well....this video is over 2 hours and I'm very curious to hear what the MD has to say. This is a tough journey for me, and has been the worst part of motherhood. Knowing that Olivia's future health is in my hands by a descision I make now, is something that I don't take lightly. We'll see where to go after I watch the video.

Peace and blessings

Olivia update

Well, Olivia has started doing a new trick, and gaining in strength by the minute. She can now go from lying down, to sitting up, all by herself. Now after waking from her nap she sits up in her crib and chills our talking to herself and looking at her picture board. Where is the time going? This is the newest thing of the week to report.....next to her repeating "Ca Caa" time and time again. My grandma said it once to Olivia becuase she was trying to put a brush in her mouth, and it stuck. She says it all time now...everything is "Ca Caa." Speaking of Grandma Z, we took her and Livy to Panera Bread for dinner tonite, and what a fun time we had! It was great becuase there was plenty of hustle and bustle to keep Olivia busy, the food was good, and Grandma Z was having a great time watching Olivia eat her sweet potatoes. I gave Olivia little bits of bread and she loved it! While we were there several people stopped to talk to Olivia, and a little 5 year old played with her for 10 mintes and was trying to teach her to count. :) It was very cute, and fun! Dinner outings aren't usually the funnest, but the stars were aligned tonite, and we had a great time.