Thursday, June 6, 2013

Baby Girl's Fourth Birthday


Before we met I felt that I already knew you, never before had I been so certain about who I was welcoming. I spent the days of my pregnancy talking to you, so sure that you were a girl~that you were my daughter, and by the time you actually arrived we were already deep within our mother daughter dialogue. I am so glad that you are my baby girl.

Even if you wrinkle up your nose and remind me that you are in fact a big girl now, and stomp your feet when I giggle at your scrunched up face and then insist again that you are no longer a baby. Even when I kiss your head and touch your face and sigh and relent and assure you that I know you're big, because you are, even then you are still my baby girl. 


We celebrated Saoirse's special day this year with a trip to the Farm. The weather was beautiful for it and we stayed all day long, they practically had to kick us out at the end because nobody wanted to leave. There was simply too much to see and do and I have a feeling we'll be going back soon.























Then we had to quickly rush home in time to make a cake, which thankfully Ruari was willing to help me with, otherwise I have no idea how we would have managed it. Luckily Sarah picked up Maija from soccer and LaVrene brought dinner over because I still had to do a seven minute power tidy up, nurse the baby and go get balloons. Did I mention that Brendan is in Ireland? 


Here are a couple of things I would like to remember about Saoirse on her 4th birthday:

*She is incredibly sweet.

*She has a great sense of humor and is often cracking jokes or running through the house giggling.

*Songs! Oh my, she is s little poet/song bird. She loves to sing and also compose and I can hear her singing little songs to herself daily. Brendan once overheard her singing "Everywhere I go, there is fire and LAVA!!!" as she skirted past the coals he was heating for the grill.

*Often times her musical narration is done in the cutest, softest, highest little sing song voice you have ever heard.

*She's a frilly girl, which much to my embarrassment I sort of encourage. She is very opinionated about  her clothing now and wants to pick her outfits all the time. She also wishes her favorite ruffled dress was clean every single day.

*Despite the frills, she is not afraid to go on adventures outside. Her frills are accustomed to mud and dirt and sand. Her frills get messy. 

*She is very affectionate with everyone, but especially with Oisín. She was the baby of the family for over 3 years before he joined us and we were curious to see how she would welcome him to the fold, turns out it was with arms wide open. She is always trying to help me with him or play with him. She still asks me numerous times a day if she can hold him, which is becoming more challenging now that he is getting big and squirmy and basically has zero interest in being "held". 

*She is so NOT a morning person, whereas Nuala is up at the crack of dawn, Saoirse would sleep in much later than our current schedule allows if she could. There are quite a few days when I have to actually wake her up in the morning and it is not fun.

*There is still something so soft about her, and I don't know how to explain it other than to say we will still spend a quiet moment together each day. A quiet moment when I can feel her breath on my cheek, or her eyelashes against my forehead. A quiet moment when I can feel the rise and fall of her chest against my own. A quiet moment when she just looks at me and I can peer into her blue eyes and she stares right back, neither of us blinking or needing to speak. 

*There is also a bit of a temper flaring up lately. Oh boy, she doesn't take nonsense from anybody. There's been quite a bit more out of bounds behavior along with foot stomping, and let me just tell you that she has an intense stomp for someone with such tiny little feet! 

*She is still so shy sometimes, painfully so and it reminds me of myself. During these moments I have to remind her to breathe.

*Maija calls her "Bean", dada calls her "Little Bug", I used to call her "Skittles" but now just call her "Baby Girl". Her original nickname of "Junebug" is long gone.

*Her favorite colors are purple and pink, her favorite movie is Sleeping Beauty, her favorite food is spaghetti, her favorite dessert is ice cream, her favorite fruit are grapes, her favorite vegetable is broccoli and her best friend is Elsa.

*She is wild and carefree and goofy and it's an absolute joy watching her grow up, seeing the way her little mind works and loving her along the way.






Hmmmm, I wonder if Nuala was a little bit over excited?











Day after her birthday and we are in recovery mode with a slice of Sydney's pie and a cup of coffee.


Although someone else has her eye of the leftover cake, which by the way tastes even better one day later.



Sunday, June 2, 2013

Another Month


And then yet another month goes by and I don't make the time to write. I have so much to say and a running catalog in my head at any given moment about the things I should share or try to preserve, and like the majority of parents everywhere I think I will get time to actually make it happen once the kids are in bed. Except then I don't. 

And I think I need to remind myself why I started this blog in the first place and why I want to be able to come back here in a few years to walk down memory lane which will be hard to do if there is nothing here. But I always say this and then find something else to do once the house is quiet. 

At any rate here is a quick photo recap of a few May highlights. As usual I over edited and under edited and there is no real rhyme or reason, but I want to just say that May was super busy and super fun and I am soooo glad that it's over because yikes it was bursting at the seams. 

Brendan, Finn and Mike are in Ireland and so I'm flying solo here for the time being. I was sort of nervous but it's been great so far and I find that I am missing my husband not so much in a "help, this shit is crazy without you" type of way, but more in a "hey, I really like you buddy and I wish I could just see your face right now" sort of way. I like holding hands. I like talking to him. I like that after nine years together I still enjoy being near him. I know that probably sounds silly or obvious or rather simple, but I won't take it for granted. 

Anywho, we have a little bug, a little beanie turning 4 this week and I need to go get started on one last gift for her. I'm sure I'll tell you all about it. Just give me another month.














 




Oh Saoirse.