Nutcracker Sweet

 Last year around this time, Phoebe learned that there was such a thing as the Nutcracker Ballet.  She wanted to go -- really knowing nothing other than that it was a ballet -- but we determined that our not-yet-three-year-old was just too young for a lengthy ballet performance.  But we told her than when she was three, she could go.

Throughout the year, Phoebe only became more interested in ballet.  She loves to twirl about the kitchen, read books about ballerinas, and to practice “steps” that she has learned.  We knew that she’d love the idea of going to the ballet this year, but we weren’t sure how the performance would work out for her.  But we bought the tickets, and a sweet friend who works at the studio also gave me the heads up that we could also buy tickets to a tea party with the ballerinas.  

Phoebe was absolutely overwhelmed when we brought her to meet the ballerinas. We had talked about meeting the ballerinas, and Phoebe couldn’t wait to show them her steps and warm up with them.  But when we arrived, she couldn’t eat, couldn’t even look up -- and yet, we could tell that she was delighted to see the glittering tutus and stage makeup of the big girl ballerinas.  When I took her to the bathroom, the previously silent little girl couldn’t stop chattering about the ballerinas and the ballet.  From this point on, her face was in a permanent smile... although she was still super-shy with the ballerinas when we returned.

 

 For the entire three-hour performance (which included a forty-five minute prelude), Phoebe sat spellbound.  We watched other children her age wiggle and talk through the show, but Phoebe remained motionless and talked only when she wanted to ask a question about the ballet or the dancers.  She couldn’t get enough of the show; her only disappointment was that she returned home without having had a chance to dance on the stage.
 

  

Phoebe has amazed me with her retention of the different steps and movements from both the prelude and the Nutcracker Ballet itself.  She twirls with a new intensity, and she imitates some of the smaller dancers perfectly.  She remembers costuming nuances and song choices, and she already can’t wait to take Nora again next year.

It has been a delight for me as a parent to watch this interest grow, really in spite of me.  I am not a dancer, nor have I ever been.  I haven’t instructed her with steps; I don’t even have a shred of rhythm.  My role has been really very mild exposure, and yet the Lord has developed this in her, has uniquely made her to delight in dance.  To watch Phoebe as a little ballerina in my kitchen has reminded me that He knits us together in such a way that will bring Him the most glory -- and for Phoebe, that may or may not include dance.  Whether she goes on to dance more formally, or whether she simply praises Him in dance in my kitchen, I am delighted to watch this sweet ballerina twirl.

Lately

We have had some serious sleep issues around these parts, and it's made for a tired, frazzled Mama who literally couldn't wade through the laundry in the hallway until last night.  In spite of it, I've desperately tried to count my many blessings.  And it has been seriously desperate around here.  My mom was here Monday for a baby fix, and I am so unbelievably thankful that her visit was so Providentially Ordained, as I do believe her presence may have prevented me from jumping off a bridge or getting myself committed.

But things really (in spite of the no-sleep, no-nap thing that's been going on from someone small) have been rather delightful.

We're dressing up like robots, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, and Mary (who, today, gave birth to the Lamb of God, aka Lamby).

We're also selling our wares at market, although this market is special:  you buy, the seller gives you the goods AND the money. Today, chocolate chip muffins were on the menu.

We're washing dishes and earning our keep.

We're getting into everything.

We're watching ballets, meeting ballerinas, and talking nonstop about the Nutcracker Ballet (and oh, how Nora can hardly wait until she gets to go next year!).

We've gone on scavenger hunts for Tinkerbell, dressed Mommy (and Jake) with "zebra stripes", had sisters reading to sisters, listened to Nora say "oatmeal" in the cutest way possible, tinkered in the kitchen, snuggled up with Praise Baby, and tried to remain thankful in all things.

There have been moments over the last week or so that I've really felt at the end of myself.  I've struggled to speak kindly, to wash or fold laundry (I believe there's a load in the dryer lingering right now...), to love my husband, and to even get a reasonable meal on the table at a reasonable hour.  Add to that the responsibility of "Christmas" in general -- or at least what I was feeling like was my responsibility at Christmastime -- and I've been categorically overwhelmed.

And yet, isn't that what Christmas is for?  It's so easy for me to sanitize the coming of Emmanuel, and my brain has been going through a retraining this year.  He came to us because we could not come to Him, because we were (and are) at the end of ourselves.  And oh, how I need Emmanuel... not just at Christmas, but every single day, to be God with me.

To tell

Over the last few months, I’ve been consumed, really, with work the Lord is doing on my heart. He’s exposing some really nasty selfishness and pride, and along with that, I’m discovering that I’ve developed a few unseemly habits. Lovely, right? In the midst of this, I’ve probably done too much navel-gazing, analyzing and over-analyzing what I’m doing and how. And really, I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off doing who-knows-what, but it certainly isn’t important stuff, the stuff that He would have me be working towards, because Heaven knows his yoke isn’t burdensome like the one I'm bearing.

And so here I am. I keep neglecting the story here -- my story, our story, but most of all His story -- because I keep finding other urgent things to do. Spots on the floor. Dust in the windowsill. Dinner to be cooked. Dishes to be washed. Budgets to be balanced. Yet my heart longs, even aches, to record and share this story. My days are full from dawn until long after dusk, but I feel He’s calling me to pause a moment and to enjoy this easy burden, to plunk down some memorial stones for the next generation that’s tucked into blankets on the other side of the house. His mercies are too precious not to record, too important not to testify about.

Ruthie is Nine Months Old

How is it that our little Roo is nine months old? Have nine months really flown by so quickly?  I am delighted daily by this little Mouse as she grows and explores -- and oh, how she is exploring these days!  She’s up to so much!  

At nine months old, Ruthie is...

• tipping the scales at 16 pounds, 14 ounces (15%ile) and is 27.5 inches long (50%ile)
• sleeping 12 hours at night, waking some nights (okay, most) at least once.  Most of those nights she is soothed easily; she seems to be hunting for her nay-nay in the dark!  Occasionally, though, she will take a small bottle; Mommy is easily persuaded to give in to her desires.
• napping two good naps a day, usually for about an hour and a half in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.  If her afternoon nap is shortened, she will often take a third short nap in the early evening.
• working on getting some teeth, but none have emerged yet.  She is still generally a happy camper, although she has her moments... for those, I’m thankful that we have Tylenol and Orajel on deck!
• crawling!  She spent last month perfecting her army crawl and backward scoot, but by the time we returned home from our Thanksgiving trip, she was crawling everywhere...and fast!  
• pulling up!  And proud of herself, too!  I’m just thankful that she’s not walking...
• making scrunchy face, which is one of the cutest things that all three of my babies have done.  I’ll have to capture this on camera; it’s accompanied by short, fast breaths.  
• giving kisses, although selectively.  She does not do this trick on command.
• flying away when in our arms; she literally flaps her arms and legs at a rapid clip while being held.  
• into everything.  I’m having to re-learn baby containment strategies these days!  Fortunately, she responds to her name and a soft “no”... at least for now!  She particularly loves to check out Jake’s bowl and to dump the bookshelves.
• on baby food strike, preferring whatever it is we’re eating to mush.  I can’t say I blame her!  I do try to sneak some pureed fruit into her a couple of times a day, but I’ve for the most part raised the white flag and started making her a plate.  She particularly loves her Cheerio’s, frozen peas (still mostly frozen), chicken, cheese, banana bits, noodles, broccoli, and green beans.  The other night, she couldn’t get enough Mexican ground beef... amazing!
• jabbering and making lots of sounds:  mama, dada, nana, blah-blah... oh, how we love to hear her talk!  (She has an adoring audience, too!)
• in love with her big sisters, and the feeling is mutual among the group.  She loves to wake Nora up from naps (and Nora asks to be tickled by Ruthie) and Phoebe will often play with Ruthie on her own.  Ruthie is happiest when she’s with all of us.  She also loves to take baths with her big sisters now!
• wearing 9 month sleepers (although they still seem a little big), a size 3 diaper, and mostly 9 month clothes. 

Ruthie is Eight Months Old

Phoebe kindly reminded me the other day that Ruthie is “almost one” and that she (Phoebe) is “almost four”. While we still have four months until we hit either of those milestones... I suppose we’re closer than halfway there, which is pretty much mind boggling to me. I’m still getting over the fact that Ruthie is no longer a newborn.


I’ve truly done a terrible job of documenting life these past few months... I suppose, again, that I’m still getting over the fact that Ruthie is no longer a newborn. Alas, I will take what I can get these days...

At eight months old, Ruthie is...

• sleeping around 12 hours at night, occasionally waking once in the early morning (5ish) to eat. She takes two two-ish hour naps a day, but if her second nap is short she will generally take a third nap for about 45 minutes. If she eats poorly during the day, her nighttime sleep usually reflects that.
• eating 5-6 ounces of formula (we’re back on Similac now that I can get a good deal on the small cans, and I’m noticing a HUGE difference in how she’s eating) four times a day. She usually eats more first thing in the morning and at bedtime. I also still put cereal in her bottles in the morning and at night. Ruthie also loves to eat both baby food and finger food, and would probably do away with all baby food if I’d let her. She particularly loves her Cheerios, small pieces of banana, chicken, potatoes, and broccoli. We have postponed dairy for her because of spit-up, but we plan to introduce it this month and see how it goes.
• staying awake longer when we are out and about, although she still sacks out pretty quickly in the stroller. I’m remembering that this is the “difficult” phase of outings: annoyingly short naps in the morning, followed by annoyingly short and grumpy afternoon naps. We’re limiting our outings right now for Mommy’s sanity. (Michael reminded me that we will not always and forever have babies that require two naps...)
• spitting up less, although we still probably have two good “spits” a day.
• wearing a size 3 diaper, 6-9 month clothes, and is learning to tolerate socks now that the weather is cooling down.
• scooting backwards proficiently, and getting up on her knees to crawl... although she has yet to really make good forward progress. She will be crawling very soon!
• pulling up... sort of. She can pull up on shorter things (like our large busy box) and stand in a crooked-sort-of-way with a knee on the floor. She also likes to push herself up on our toy baskets in the den, but she has yet to attempt it on taller pieces of furniture like the coffee table.
• jabbering loudly and often. Phoebe loves to inform me when Ruthie has said “Mama”.
• loves to cuddle, unless she doesn’t. She really enjoys sitting in a lap when a book is involved! She enjoys books with real pictures best, although she will also sit still for touch-and-feel books. Mommy is trying to be intentional with some reading time for her littlest Roo!
• cracks up at Jake and Nora, but will laugh at anyone if they’re tickling or playing peek-a-boo.
• beginning to share her paci and her Mousie... so sweet how she wants to share her favorite things!
• happiest with a friend (she’s seldom alone!) and loves to play with bead mazes, chewy toys, squishy blocks, feely books, and anything tiny and illicit that absolutely isn’t a toy.

We adore our little Roo... it’s hard to believe she’s growing up so fast! Happy Eight Months, Roo!

Nora is TWO

So often, I wish I could freeze time with my little people... I remember thinking that when Phoebe turned two, there was nothing terrible about it. Now that Nora has been two for a month or so, I feel the exact same way. I absolutely LOVE having a two-year-old in the house. There is something absolutely delightful - and difficult - about two-year-olds, but I absolutely adore those chubby cheeks, wide eyes, and high pitched ramblings and I wouldn’t trade this season for the world.

It’s so hard to capture the essence of our Norabelle at this age. She quite literally can do nearly anything that her big sister can do. It always amazes me when the ABCs come out of her mouth, or when she counts to fourteen accurately, or when she identifies a letter out of the blue. She converses with ease, and sometimes she makes me forget that she’s only two. Nora loves to pretend, especially with critters; it delights us to hear from the other room her talking to little bunnies or dolls and asking, “What’s wong?” in her special pretending voice. (It took me a long time to realize that she wasn’t talking to Phoebe!)

As big as Nora seems, she’s also still so small. She hates to be separated from us, and she still has a hard time going to Sunday School (one of the only times we are apart), even when her big sister is present. She continues to be comforted by her Wilbur and her nay-nay, and I think she’d hang on to that nay-nay until she turned twelve if we let her. I’ll occasionally catch myself asking something of her, and realizing -- she doesn’t understand this at all. I often forget that her understanding is not as great as her sister’s -- nor should it be! She is now, however, sleeping in a big girl bed with few issues (although she does love turning the lights on and off). She looks so tiny in that big bed, and I suppose that’s because she really is!

Nora is most certainly our spirited, social child. When Nora is sad, she’s very sad. But when she’s happy, she’s exuberant. She hates to be alone; I am thankful that the Lord saw fit to bless this social child with two adoring sisters and built-in friends so close in age. Blanket time remains a struggle, for no reason other than she just wants to play with Phoebe. Nora especially loves her Daddy, and would remain physically attached to him at all times if it were possible. (She tries.) We are working with her on cheerful obedience (as she loves to protest loudly with a toss of the arms and curls), and Nora remains opinionated and exuberant. We have a really hard time not giving in to her!

Nora loves to pretend and dress up with her sister, read stories, climb trees (I’m a koala, Mommy!), play with dolls both big and small, write and draw, help Mommy cook, swing and slide. Nora also loves long baths with her sister having tea parties, snuggles with Wilbur and Daddy, silly songs, faces drawn on the shower wall, unloading the dishwasher, Max and Ruby, and her pink cowboy boots. She loves olives and feta, sour cream, and anything she can dip in something sticky. She loves to sit on the counter with Mommy, smell Wilbur’s ears, and to run around outside.

Oh, Nora... what a great delight you are, to us, and to all who meet you. I am so thankful God gave me you and your pudgy cheeks and curly hair. I can’t help but smile when I look at you! You’re the most precious, sweetest two year old I know!

Ruthie is Seven Months Old

At seven months old, we couldn’t love our little Ruthie Mouse more! Everyone falls more in love with her every day, and it’s easy to see why. She is quite possibly the sweetest, most content little one I’ve ever been around! We had a more difficult month this month after switching formulas (Mama is still oh-so-sad about the Similac recall), but she still remains our little sweet delight!

At seven months old, Roo is...

• sleeping twelve to thirteen hours at night and taking two two-hour naps each day. She just began to drop her third nap a week or so ago, and she seems to be doing fine with a little fussiness around that usual naptime. I imagine that if her second nap is shorter, she’ll take a third nap -- but we really haven’t gone without it long enough to know.

• eating about 5 ounces of formula (now Enfamil Soy) four times a day. Her morning and bedtime bottles both have cereal to help control spit-up, and she eats baby food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ruthie also experiments with table food, and she loves Cheerios. She also loves to suck on green beans and carrot sticks, and she especially loves getting to sit next to Daddy, because he’s pretty willing to share his dinner (and dessert!) with her.

• spitting up a little less, but I’m always amazed at the amount of Shout I have to use on her laundry basket.

• still wearing 3-6 month clothes, but she’s busting out of her 6 month jammies in the feet. Now that I’ve done the seasonal swap out, she’s wearing some 6-9 and 6-12 month clothes, but those are all pretty big on her.

• sitting up with confidence (as in, for as long as she wants, unless she’s toppled by a sister or a dog, and she loves to play in a seated position. She can also scoot backwards while on her bottom (just a few inches or so) and on her tummy (several feet, here, but usually slowly). Ruthie seems to want to crawl, but I’m praying she’ll content herself with her slow scoot for now.
  

• starting to jabber and make sweet babbling noises on occasion.
  

• scooting all over her crib, and seems to prefer her tummy for sleeping. Just the other day, she had pulled the monitor (which was at that point still in her crib) to her and was laying on it as if it were a pillow. Precious!

• learning to play in the pack-and-play for longer stretches of time. She is starting to have a little separation anxiety, but I’m hoping this structured time can continue to bless her Mommy in the late afternoons!

• loves to “fly” when you lay her down, especially for diaper changes. Her little arms and legs just flap at a rapid clip! She is the most exuberant flapper we’ve had yet.

• is starting to get quite grabby... many times a day, I have to extract her fingers from my hair... I’m reminded now why I don’t have much recent jewelry!

• loving to play with blocks, soft critters, and anything with a tag. And her sisters. Oh, how she loves her sisters!

• loving to look at books with real babies, although books make a mighty fine snack, too!

• letting us know she’s done with her food by blowing raspberries. Not the nicest table manners, but I’m thinking it’ll be a few months before she can master the sign for “all done”.

• especially happy outside, and she’s loving our cooler fall weather these days. The stroller, the backyard swing, and the grass are all happy places for her.

What a happy seven months we’ve had!
What a happy seven months we’ve had!