Second Holy Communion

The best Mother's Day gift came last week when my two little girls made their First Holy Communion. We were so glad that my mom was here and the girls were wearing heirloom dresses that she made for them. They looked beautiful and innocent and happy.

 Forty years ago, the same mom made my First Holy Communion dress. Apropos of the time, it was much less fancy and took much less time for her to make. She indulges me these days to tackle very difficult projects on the sewing machine. Her handiwork almost always involves my little ones.

 Today, we all got up for the early Mass and quietly and reverently went to Communion for the first time as a whole family of five, the second time for the girls, and as part of the eternal line.

Sanctified Times Two, version 2.0

The girls both made their First Reconciliation today with the same lovely priest as their brother. They asked if they could go again next Saturday. I told them any time their little hearts desire to go, I will take them. Any time.

We celebrated with a brunch at The Waffle House. Big brother, who is now an altar server, is off with his Pinewood Derby. Tonight, the girls have the annual Father/Daughter Dance and I get the traditional Mother/Son date.

Time flows steady and strong and these babies of mine are being carried away from their childhood. I try so hard to preserve it, even if momentarily, against the ever-moving current.

NICU Wall Art

A while ago, I allowed my girls to be photographed for an art project at their old NICU. This weekend, their nurse posted her pictures of the finished prints and her musings on the wall of fame that now graces her workplace.

Thanks, Sara. You are an amazing nurse and you have enriched our lives by being so good at what you do.

Proofs

[Photos by Sally Gupton, all rights reserved.]

The girls were asked to be photographed for an art display at the NICU. Photos of some graduates will be displayed on the walls as a sign of hope for the families who are currently in the NICU. I thought that sounded like a great idea. The photographer is Sally Gupton and I think she did an excellent job. Click on the photo to embiggen it.

Pixel Dust

Behold our first ever picture taken with Santa Claus. We thought of photoshopping the cowlick, but then we'd have photoshopped out all the whimsy.

Merry Christmas from the Adamses!

I Owe You a Few

[Top to Bottom]: My dashing, incredible son, Zeke, as Dash Incredible; Annie as Ariel, Zeke as Dash, Mary Jo as Tinker Bell, Hallowe'en 2008; Mary Jo and Annie leaf nothing to the imagination; Zeke, Joey and Annie astride an alligator at Alligator Adventure, September 2008.

Happy 5th Birthday, Annie & Mary Jo!

Yesterday, we celebrated a little milestone as the girls turned 5.

Here's Joey, awaiting her guests' arrival.

ADDED: Dave tells me that Zeke snapped this picture. Perhaps he's got the Uncle Paul gene?

And this is Annie with her new stuffed elephant "Gipper," a present from Uncle Chris and Grandpa. By the way, Uncle Chris is batting a thousand when it comes to gift selection.



Mary Jo looked at the two cakes and asked if Annie was having a birthday, too. After I quit laughing, I explained that, yes, Sissy is having a birthday, too.

Pun o' the Day

[Overheard today in my kitchen]

Zeke: Do you know who stole all the tub toys?

Joey: No, Zekie, I don't.

Zeke: The robber duckie.

Me: [Laughing] Zeke! Where did you hear that one?

Zeke: Tigger.

Mother-Daughter Tea

I bedecked the girls in their new frocks and joined about 75 others at our church's annual Mother/Daughter Tea. The food was good and the girls, who've been practicing a lot on their tea party table from Sippican Cottage, did a great job with pinkies up and few spills. The guest speaker, a lady known as 'The Creature Teacher,' brought sugar gliders, a ball python, a chinchilla and rabbit for the girls. We left as the python was being brought out, not from ophidiophobia, but because Annie was 2 hours past tired and Mary Jo was quite understanding.

I love this little gathering and this is the third time I've taken the girls out for it. Every time it gets better and better.

And the Hits Just Keep Coming

Dave and I breathed a sigh of relief when the vomit wave didn't hit the other two kids on Wednesday. On Thursday, it hit Joey and she's past the wave and onto a BRAT diet, and Zeke's still 'in the throes' of it. It's a good rainy day to hunker down, do nothing but try to be well. It looks to be just a 24-hour stomach bug [Zeke hates that term! he thinks he has an insect in his stomach making him puke].

Sorry about all the vomit-blogging. It's all I know lately.

ADDED: Dave told me that during one of the mid-night 'events' Zeke cried out, "Daddy, I hate it when it roasts my nose!"

Teaspoons and Egg-Timers

I'm home sick today. Actually, the girls both continued their barf-fest overnight and I am taking a sick day to care for them. I called the triage nurse and she gave me a recipe for getting them hydrated ever-so-slowly and introducing food ever-so-bland. It entails water, measured by the teaspoonful [2-3 max], administered every five minutes [timed, so I don't have to keep track of it] for 8 hours. Feeling like a duck in a shooting gallery, I'm watering, washing, timing, cleaning, back-and-forth, back-and-forth, all day long.

Two Barfing Girls...

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

I secretly hoped Dave and I would be up to welcome the New Year, but didn't plan on it to be this way. Annie's been heaving since 6:30; Joey just started. Lots of laundry and clean-up in store.

Happy New Year!

Mother/Daughter Outing

We took advantage of having the back-up Nanny and me off of work to go and have a girls' luncheon and shopping. I took Joey and Annie to Ruby Tuesdays where they did very well. I was a little tired, and I noticed they were, too, but I asked, "Do you want to go home or go shopping?"

"Shopping!" I heard in stereo.

So off to the nearest large store of general interest items: Big K-Mart. We looked at almost everything and then arrived home exhausted, with a small collection of new clothes, sized for next season.

Insert Title Here

The girls had a mid-morning appointment with their beloved eye doctor. Annie's patching is going well and she's been moved back to patching only 2 hours a day. She clearly has a right-eye preference and a very mild crossing [we notice it mostly when she's tired], but he's not interested in surgery for something this mild. She showed much improvement at answering his eye-test questions.

Mary Jo was on Daddy's lap and I'm told she did just fine. She withstood the dilating well and her prescription is too close to be changed. She won't see the eye doc for 6 months.

After the girls did so well at their appointment, we went home, got Zeke and Nanny and dined together at Applebee's. All now nap, and I better hurry if I'm gonna' get one in, too.

Party Gals [Updated]

Tomorrow morning, the girls are going to a birthday party at a local place called "Bounce U." The guest of honor is a little boy in their religious education class who is celebrating a birthday. Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I make a big deal about birthdays, but they are usually big deals at home among close family and friends. I've never opted for one of those kinder-gaggles thrown at a kid-friendly place. I still have never been into a Chuck E. [Fargin'] Cheese, even though I read about Lilek's monthly trek there with Gnat. Just never opted in. I figure there are some things they won't miss if they're never introduced to them. But I'm not opposed to anyone else throwing such parties. Also, this is a family that I don't know, but who are connected with us from Church. I see that they're wanting their child to socialize with other kids from Church. I don't disagree with that. Hence, the girls and I will be going out early tomorrow for a bounce; the menfolk have yet to declare their plans. [I'm guessing they'll both sleep late.]

We've been prepping the girls, too. Today after Mass, we all went to the store to select gifts for the little boy [and no one else]. They did a good job at church and at the store and I was appropriately effusive with my praise. Today, Daddy was having them practice saying, "Happy Birthday, P******! Thank you for inviting me to your party!" Let's hope they put on their princess manners and have a blast.

UPDATE: We came, we bounced, we ate some cake. What a cool place that was! Annie started out with her leg on and then found all the climbing to be better accomplished sans leg. [It only freaked out the parents.] There was loud, frenetic music playing and the kids behaved accordingly. It was lots of fun. What a neat idea for an add-water-and-stir party for children!

Triptych from our Trip

Over at Paul's blog, he's posting some photos of the children.

Fall Fell Today

Last week it was beachy-humid, sunny and we swam in an outdoor pool. This morning, it was gray and rainy and felt cold. I was up early to be ready when the electricians came to repair our kitchen light. The children slept late. They seem to rise with the sun. I tend to not wake them. Most bodies wake when no longer tired. This "sleeping late" phenomena happens just before we change from daylight savings back to standard time. It will correct itself in a couple weeks.

Today's game: beach. The girls asked repeatedly if we could go to the beach again. As we have a spring jaunt already booked, I replied "yes." They thought that meant today. Annie asked if she could walk to Myrtle Beach. Mary Jo wondered if she could pack her favorite blanket and stuffy-wuf. I had to explain--repeatedly--that we have to have Halloween, Daddy's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter before we return to the beach. They didn't like that answer at all.

Vacationing from the Neck Up

I returned to work today, but still have vacation on my mind.

Joey and Annie [wearing Mr. Tony on the beach for the first time] playing in this really cool sandbox.


My brother, doing what he does best while his daughter Kate directs traffic.


Zeke with the unfettered exuberance of five-year-old-boyness.


Mary Kay Ash once said, "Leisure is a beautiful garment, but it will not do for constant wear." It was good to go; it is good to be back.

Why? It Urped

I'm home today because the girls were ill. Or at least I surmised they were ill from the vomiting I witnessed. They seem better now, or at least on the mend. Mary Jo is just crabby and Annie doesn't like the limited diet she's on [basically, bread and water]. I recall one other time when Annie had a curious urping session. She avoided a surgery and my father passed away within a couple weeks. Today, the back-up Nanny was ill, too. Let's hope it was just a confluence of much-needed sick days for all of us. And I often take comfort in the advice I got from Reader which went something like, "Did I tell you my son was a puker? Some kids just are."

Joey Soprano?

Yesterday, Mary Jo got her new, bigger eyeglasses. She's always had a narrower face than Annie. In fact, when NICU kids develop facial thinness [from being kept on their sides to accommodate breathing vents and other apparatus], they are sometimes referred to as "toaster heads" at least by the staff we had. So, little Mary Jo put on the first new frames she's had since she was 18 months old. She looked a little like Junior Soprano.





If Junior Soprano wore pink frames, that is.