Birthday Party Part I

In the past, we've had birthday parties for the girls and our guests have been all of our family and friends. This year, Lydia wanted to invite her classmates. That resulted in a conundrum. I was fine with her having a friends party, but couldn't figure out when to have family and our friends over as well. If they came for her friends party, there would be way too many people and it would be chaos. Plus, Charlie's birthday is three days after Lydia's, and last year they had a combined party. So, we decided to have a small party with just family for both Lydia and Charlie, then Lydia would have her friends party, and then in June when it was Audrey's birthday, we would have the big bash with family and friends and make it for all three of them. So, technically, Lydia really makes out by having three parties, even if two of them are shared.

So, this past Saturday was the family party. I made the cakes and they turned out great. My track record with cakes isn't that great, but these were good. I was pleased.

A rainbow cake for Lydia (she decorated it herself).

Brobee cake for Charlie. She loved it and kept saying "More Brobee cake now please."

Oh, the rainbow cake? This was inside. So impressed with myself.

We lit the candles and the girls blew them out. Oh, but first? Lydia's hair caught on fire.

So, that was traumatic. But, we recovered.

Afterwards, presents were opened and then everybody went outside and played.  I absolutely love any opportunity the girls get to see their cousins because they just love them so much and have a blast playing. They ran all over the yard until they were exhausted.

Happy Birthday, Audrey!

Today, Audrey turned three. She was very excited about turning three and has been asking for the past several months, "When am I going to be three?" so it was very exciting today for her to finally be able to say she is three!  Audrey is unlike her sisters in the fact that she can be grumpy. I don't think this is a bad thing. Lydia and Charlie are very easy to please and laugh at anything. Audrey is more conscientious and has a very serious analytical side. Sometimes, you can almost see the wheels spinning in her head as she checks out a situation with great care and thoughtfulness as she decides how she is going to proceed.

Audrey was born during a tornado warning. I would say she has many of the same qualities as a tornado -- unpredictable, serious, dangerous. That's not to say she doesn't know how to have fun. Audrey is hilarious and has a very funny sense of humor. She loves to tell jokes and has a belly laugh that just kills me. She loves her sisters very much, but as Jayson recently told me, "She's done taking Lydia's crap." Yes, the days of Lydia telling Audrey what to do and Audrey happily complying are over. Audrey has started yelling back at her, "No Lydia! You not listening. You need a time out!"

Audrey is also unlike her sisters in that she has green eyes and straight brown hair instead of blue eyes and curly blonde hair. I'm still not sure how curly Charlie's hair will be, but it will at least be curlier than Audrey's. Audrey also has her quirks, like the fact that one of her favorite birthday gifts was ice packs for her to sleep with. One of my favorite recent Audrey stories was the other day when she was doing something very impressive, but I was busy, so when she asked me to look at her, I made a typical mom move and kept looking at what I was working on and said, "Yes, Audrey, that's great!" and she yelled at me, "LOOK AT ME WITH YOUR FACE!" That's my Audge-pants!

One!

Today, my sweet little Charlie turned one. We celebrated with a birthday party for both her and Lydia with our extended family. Charlie is such a little trooper. She's always smiling and has a contagious giggle. She only ever really cries when she's tired, and then it's just a quick bottle and she goes to sleep like a champ. She eats whatever we put in front of her, but when she's done, she throws the rest on the floor. She doesn't talk much yet, but has finally started saying "Mama" in addition to Dada, Lydia, and dog. She waves, and she sucks her thumb when she's tired. She loves to wriggle away from you when you change her diaper. She follows her sisters around the house and laughs at them and screams when they get rowdy.

Charlie made quite an entrance into the world. Both her sisters were induced after their due dates. I was sure Charlie would also be late. I went to a Brewers game for my sister-in-law's bachelor party the Saturday before the Thursday I was due. When coworkers would say, "Maybe you won't be here tomorrow!" I would say, "Don't worry, I'll be in."

On my due date, Lydia had a rehearsal for her dance recital. I took her to the rehearsal and then we got home and went to bed. I woke up at about 1:00 am with very light contractions, and as they became more frequent, I figured I would be having her the next day, and tried to sleep some more. They got to be about 10 minutes apart, but didn't increase in intensity. I called the doctor on call for my OB/GYN office and she told me to call the delivery room to see if they wanted me to come in. I explained that my contractions were consistently 10 minutes apart, but not very strong. They said to come in, but sounded like it wasn't a big deal. We called Jayson's mom to come over to watch the girls and while we waited for her, I took a shower and got some things together.

As I walked around more, the contractions became stronger and more frequently. Suddenly, I was sitting down in pain and gasping as they came. I told Jayson I was going to wait in the car, and when his mom drove up, I forced a smile and waved. Jayson rushed to the hospital as I gripped the arm rest. Luckily, the hospital was only ten minutes away. When we arrived, the triage nurse checked me immediately and said we were ready to go. She told me usually moms walk from triage to the room, but she was just going to wheel me. When we got into the room, I asked with hope if I could still get an epidural and the nurse looked at me like I was a little kid who just discovered the truth about Santa Claus and said, "No, not enough time!"

So, we started. I couldn't even breath. I had not planned for this. I was used to slow labors without much pain. When I had Lydia, the nurse told me to push the button when I needed more pain meds, and I pushed happily away. She told me that I should still be able to feel the contractions and I smiled and said I could even though I couldn't. As contractions came, the nurse would excitedly look at me and say, "Do you feel this one coming?" and I would smile and nod and pretend I felt it, and push when it seemed like I should be pushing. Not with Charlie. Oh man, did I feel it. I think all of West Allis knew I felt it. Luckily, it took all of 20 minutes, if that, and she was out.

All 9 lbs, 12.5 ounces of her. With a fractured collarbone because she was so big and came so quickly. Charlie will always be my reminder of what I can do. This past year, when I've been afraid of something, I tell myself, "I gave birth to an (almost) ten pound baby without drugs. I can do this." And now look what I have! Such an amazing, sweet, little girl. As I look at her older sisters -- Lydia with her curly blonde hair, blue eyes, wild imagination, and zest for life; Audrey with her wavy brown hair, green eyes, serious attitude, and quick temper; and I wonder what life will bring for Charlie. I can't wait to find out.

Five!

Lydia turned five yesterday. It seems so strange to me that she was four because she has been getting so big and learning so much. A lot of people say things like, "Can you believe she's five already?!" and yes, I can. In fact, I almost can't believe she's not a teenager yet. I feel like I've known her forever and I'm constantly amazed by how big she is.

Lydia has always been able to make me laugh. She has always been very silly and very smart. The things she sometimes says are pretty awesome. I remember when she first started counting and we were amazed. I remember when she learned the alphabet and we couldn't believe it. Now she explains to me what a hypothesis is (An idea that can be tested!), tells me all about the solar system (Did you know the sun is a STAR?!?!), and listens intently and asks questions as I explain the water cycle to her. She has a thirst for knowledge that fills me with pride.

She also cares deeply for her friends. I love seeing the little trinkets her friends trade her on the school bus and at school. I'm curious what she gives them when she returns with broken buttons, Happy Meal toys, and Hindu prayer cards. She is friendly with everybody. She frequently comes home from school to tell me about her new friends. When we're in the grocery store, she waves and says, "hi!" to people. She's also very sweet to her sisters, and frequently tells them she loves them. She fights with them, but when it comes down to it, she is very concerned about them and rushes to help them when they need it.

Lydia has ALWAYS been a performer. Even as a baby, she would flirt and smile at anybody who paid her any attention. As she got older, she would set up stages and sing and dance. Whenever I video record her, she does a huge intro like a newscaster. When she first started getting into watching TV, she would watch a show and then act like the story was her own and everything she just saw happened to her. She remembers movie scenes and lines and reenacts them. She absolutely loves an audience.

I love her big, blue eyes. I love her crazy mess of curls. I love her big smile.

So, happy birthday to my little Lyd-face, who has brought so much joy into my life. I remember how nervous we were to meet her. I remember those last few weeks before she was born, how we understood that in just days, our lives would change forever. I remember before I went into the hospital to be induced the next morning, Jayson and I ate dinner for his birthday and just kind of looked at each other like, "Holy crap, this is it." We knew a change was coming, we just didn't understand just how great that change would be.