Now That's Just Crazy.

I let Adele play in her room last night because she wasn't quite ready to sleep. As I left, I said, "don't forget to put yourself to bed when you get tired" or something like that. I never did turn on her monitor, but she seemed to get quiet pretty quickly.

A few hours later, we had a tornado warning and this is what Daddy found when he went to get her to bring her downstairs.





She had tucked herself in, pillow and all, to the doll sized pack and play! She's a pretty good listener, that Adele!

We had a few laughs, snapped a few pictures and carried her downstairs to wait out the storm. This morning, I asked her where she slept last night, and surprisingly, she remembered that she went to sleep in the "doll crib." What a funny little girl!

Ten

I have about ten MILLION things to blog about, but I never can get started....so I made a deal with myself to write about just ten of the exciting things that have happened around here lately!

1. Anna took her first steps, a few "single" steps here and there, two "official" steps on her birthday at Conner Prairie, and then six steps to Memaw on Friday. Then she got sick (sinus infection and fever) so she hasn't taken any more.

2. Adele had a playdate with her best buddy, Andrew on Monday. She was an absolute darling while he drove her around in the Barbie Jeep after she got over the fact that he didn't really want to play "prince and princess"

3. We took Anna to target to get her one-year pictures taken. She was very serious and not very smiley, and then she ended up sick...which is exactly the same as what happened to Adele for her one-year pictures. Uncanny, those two girlies!

4. Memaw and I took Adele and Anna to a local mini-golf range. Adele tried to get the hang of using the golf club, but I think it was pretty frustrating for her. She mostly ended up picking her ball up and dropping it in the hole. I was carrying Anna in the sling (she was a sick little trooper...poor thing!) so I couldn't really "coach" Adele as much as I wanted to, but I'm pretty sure Adele had fun anyway. (And Anna got lots of mommy snuggles in the sling, so it was win-win-win!)

5. Memaw and I took the girls to Conner Prairie to find out if the sheep that went into labor during our visit on Thursday had had her babies yet. She hadn't...false alarm. Speaking of false alarms, it was "Civil War Days" weekend, and there were guns going off everywhere. At one point we were probably not even 20 feet from a gun as it went off repeatedly. Adele was not thrilled.

6. We spent some time flying a kite on Saturday, but Adele got mad when I put Anna in the stroller and shouted her favorite phrase (for the time being...) "Never!" "No, mom, I said NEVER put Anna in the stroller, Never!" We realized later that she got the line from "Tangled" (Her second-favorite phrase is "Hey guys, what's going on here?" I think it's from the Lion King 1 1/2, but I'm not sure...

7. Anna has stopped saying many of the words that she used to use. She used to say mama, dada, woof, bapa, this, that, ball (well, "ba" but she does mean ball), moo, baa, and la (la la), but has recently only been saying bapa or this/that for everything. She calls most people "bapa", and points to everything else and says "this" or "that". I think that's because she is trying so hard to walk, and regression is normal when a new skill is developing. She did have a funny word for "shoe" yesterday (I find myself calling them "eesh" since that's what Adele said for the longest time) I think it was something like "wish" (it definitely ended with -sh). She loves her shoes and gets excited when we get them out, she'll even hold her foot up, eagerly waiting for us to put a shoe on her!

8. Adele got her hair cut yesterday. All morning she went back and forth about wanting it cut, and finally I just took her. I didn't want her to get upset and cry, so I was VERY nervous when the stylist made that first cut, but Adele is getting so much attention from her new hair cut, I don't think she minds one bit! We cut about 4 inches off, I kept the stylist from cutting an extra inch, but now I'm almost wishing we had made it a bit shorter. It is still long enough for a pony tail, and she has a few layers that are helping her bangs grow out more evenly.

9. Anna has definitely become attached to her "green blankie"-which makes me happy! We had an exciting experience with her "my-key" (I swear, she has called it that once or twice, and it stuck!) several weeks ago when we went to the zoo with our friend Stacey and her son, Hunter. About five minutes after arriving at the zoo, I realized that I had lost her blanket. I checked with lost and found, retraced our steps, even going all the way back to the van and found nothing. We got there just as the zoo opened, so there weren't all that many people there. I tired not to be too worried, but I had no idea how it could be so lost when we had only just got there. I was given a number to call "at the end of the day" if the blanket hadn't turned up in lost and found (which it hadn't), and Stacey convinced me to call it. The man who answered the phone had just been handed the blanket. It was definitely a happy ending, but I do wonder what happened to the blanket, and what kind of adventure IT had to tell of its day at the zoo!

10. Adele and I have started a garden. It is called a straw bale garden, because our vegetables actually grow in straw bales. We have planted carrots, peas, lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons and pumpkins. We also picked up some strawberry and pepper transplants (because our pepper seeds didn't sprout), and some oregano, basil, chives, cilantro and spearmint transplants to add edible foliage to the sides of the bales. We also have sunflowers growing in a patch of the yard near the clubhouse. Stay tuned for more about our garden as the gardening season progresses!

Percentiles!

Anna had another great report from Dr. Freeman.

She weighs 20 lbs, 8 oz, which puts her at the 43rd percentile (boy, that's a change from the 99th!)
She is 30 1/4 inches long, which is the 85th percentile
And her head is still small-28th percentile at 44 1/2 cm

We don't get to turn her car seat around until she is "kicking" the seat because the safety guidelines have changed. Anna's probably not too happy about that, however, she is long enough already that it probably won't be too much longer before we flip her around.

She does have a little cyst or hernia on her belly that has been there since birth. Dr. Freeman is referring us to a pediatric surgeon to have it checked out. I kind of wish she would've used the term "specialist" instead of "surgeon" because Daddy and I definitely want to have it looked at...I just don't like even thinking about a possible surgery for my little girl! (Which, of course, just makes me even more thankful for how blessed we truly have been with our healthy girls so far!!!)

Happy Birthday, Anna!

Happy First Birthday, Baby Girl!

Tonight I might as well have been in labor as I sorted through the last year of pictures of Anna to find a smattering for my blog. I finally whittled it down to...um....59 (and counting...) pictures, and, well, that still seemed like too much...even for a babe as cute as this one!

I can't believe it's already been a year, but at the same time, I feel like Anna has been part of our family forever! She is such a sweetheart. She truly loves her family! She is a snuggler, choosing Cookie as her favorite snuggle buddy! She looks up to her big sister and copies her every move. Her eyes light up when she sees Daddy or hears his voice, but despite everything else, she's still a Mommy's girl to the core! She is getting better about being left with babysitters. She sometimes sleeps through the night, but she never gets midnight snacks anymore! She is a laid back little trooper no matter where we go, unless, of course, you are trying to change her diaper. Then she squiggles and squirms all over the place.





































Anna was up early, not wanting to miss a single moment of her big day! We partied this morning before Adele woke up, and headed over to Conner Prairie after her morning nap. She was quite the trooper at Conner Prairie, and had a blast petting cows, goats and sheep. She took her first completely independent step while chasing after a goat today, and then we startled her by clapping and shouting, so she reverted to crawling. She "picked" some carrots in the play area and played with the doll house. Another nap, the arrival of Memaw (and Puccini's) and it was cake time!

Anna LOVED her cake!













Needless to say, after the cake, it was bath time. Then she opened a few presents. Adele had wrapped up some "old" toys and clothes to give to Anna, who was none-the-wiser about her gifts being hand-me-downs (plus, I think this may help Adele out as Anna continues to transition into Adele's old clothes...we're getting to the point where Adele remembers her old outfits and doesn't want to part with them!) Anna had a blast opening her presents. She carried one doll around with such a look of pride on her face. (I'd say that I'll post one of Memaw's pictures, but I think you're on to me and won't believe that it'll ever happen!) She also tried to take an independent step again. She stayed up way past her bedtime, but was the sweetest little angel when I did put her down to sleep. She talked quietly to herself for a few minutes in her crib and has been sleeping peacefully for a while (hours, even at this point, this blog has taken so long to write!)


Dear Anna,

While you were growing in my tummy, I had a favorite song (I know, I have a lot of favorite songs...this one actually became the ring tone on my phone!) I didn't know you yet, but I knew that this message was something that I wanted you to hear. A full year full of blood, sweat, tears and lots of smiles later, I still want to pass on the same message:


Sidewalk Prophets
The Words I Would Say:

Three in the morning,
And I'm still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I'd say,
If we were face to face,
I'd tell you just what you mean to me,
I'd tell you these simple truths,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

Last time we spoke,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I've already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

From one simple life to another,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say


I love you, baby girl!
Love,
Mommy

Bossy, Bossy

My conversation with Adele this morning:

Adele: I want my 'breahfast'
Mommy: What do you want for breakfast?
Adele: Am I allergic to donuts?
Mommy: Well, no, but we don't have any donuts.
Adele: Well, am I allergic to chocolate donuts?
Mommy: No, but sometimes donuts with chocolate also have peanuts on them and then, since you are allergic to the peanuts, you can't eat the chocolate donuts.
Adele: No, mommy, this is how it goes: I can eat white donuts, 'pint' donuts, but I am allergic to chocolate donuts.
Adele (Screaming) I WANT MY BREAHFAST!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta love three-year-olds "early" in the morning (Today "early" was 9:15 for Miss Adele-and Anna was already taking her first nap of the day!)

Enough

On Wednesday night, I decided that I'd had enough. Enough with nursing in the middle of the night. That's right...just a week away from her first birthday, and my Anna would still nurse at least once, but usually two or even three times a night.

I know, I know. I'm just not really a "cry it out" kind of mom...I've tried to be, but I just can't stand to hear my babies cry!

It never felt like *that* big of a deal to stumble into Anna's room, nurse her (and usually fall asleep, myself, in the rocker), with her sweet little body wrapped around mine. It was our private, middle of the night snuggle time. Some nights I would find myself just staring into her dark eyes, smiling at the precious gift that is my daughter.

But mostly, I did it because it was easier to get up a few times during the night than it was to sleep with Anna crying...which would usually turn into Adele crying, too. And I tried not to complain *too* much...because I knew that the blame was truly mine for allowing this night waking habit to continue for so long!

Every now and again, Anna would sleep through the night all on her own. Usually, the next night would be a terrible one, but then the following night would be great-she might even sleep through the night again. But then something, a visitor, a vacation, a new tooth, or a cold...something would come up, and then it would be two or even three weeks before she'd sleep through the night again.

I would always feel like I was really "ready" to let her cry it out during the night just in time for company to come visit...and that's just plain wrong. (Although, I have a feeling that most of our guests would be much less disrupted by Anna's all night crying than I am...)

But this Wednesday, as Anna stood screaming in her crib, I decided that enough was enough. I had visions of going off to college (or at least kindergarten) with her so that she could snack all night long, and I decided that it was time to cut her off...and it was up to me to do it.

We'd had a babysitter, and although Anna was asleep when we left for the evening, she was awake when we returned. I'm not exactly sure, but I decided not to nurse her back to sleep. I took her away from the babysitter, snuggled her, and placed her back in her crib. She cried and cried, stood up and cried some more, but I went downstairs and didn't give her a second thought. She just wanted a playmate (which our babysitter had been happy to play the part of!) but playtime was over! She eventually went back to sleep. I honestly have no idea how long she cried for. When I went upstairs an hour later to brush my teeth, she woke up and started crying again. I brushed my teeth *extra* carefully, and let the water run while I brushed so that I would be able to ignore her cries a bit longer. It worked, when I climbed into bed to read, she was quiet.

Around 3:00 AM, she woke up again. While I hadn't exactly gone to bed thinking that I was done nursing in the middle of the night, I decided that I'd already let her cry herself back to sleep twice, why not give her a third time. In my head, I did a little math. No visitors coming for another week or so, tomorrow was Thursday, I had no plans for the day, so *if* I was up until 6 listening to Anna scream, I could probably take a nap at some point during the day. And then, if she was up all night on Thursday night, I could nap again while Adele was at preschool on Friday morning, and then it was the weekend-Daddy would be here to help out if I was completely sleep deprived.

I decided that as long as Adele stayed asleep, I was going to stay in bed. (When Adele wakes up in the middle of the night, it's not pretty...but when she wakes up because of Anna it's not too hard to get Adele to fall back to sleep as long as I quiet Anna down quickly)

And so, I let her cry. And cry she did! She cried until about 4:30. Now, to be fair, I DID go into her room to try and soothe her a couple of times. I just made sure to let her know that "the goods" were off duty, and she wanted nothing to do with me...she didn't want to snuggle, or gaze into my eyes at all. Feeling like she might be making herself hungry, or at least thirsty from all of her crying, I gave her some water out of a sippy cup, which she promptly spit out. What this girl wanted was a pacifier...unfortunately, she only took the human kind.

I can't remember for sure now, but I think it was some time between 6 and 7 that she woke up for the day. Of course, I nursed her right away, but she didn't act like she'd been deprived or anything. She did nurse longer than usual, but hey, I'm all about the lazy, early morning, still-half-asleep snuggles!

I was slightly worried going to bed on Thursday night, but Anna didn't fuss until 4:30, and if she cried long, I fell back asleep while she did.

Friday night she slept through the night without a peep.

We've never had 3 nights in a row before!

As I sit here proofreading, my Anna has woken up and is talking to herself. I am confident that I have not jinxed myself, though, because no matter what happens tonight, I know that I will not be stumbling down the dark hallway and collapsing into the rocking chair to snuggle (and pacify) my sleepyhead.

The Skin(?) That Cried Wolf

So, apparently Monday has become "Go See Dr. Freeman Day" at the Gropp household.

Adele has had a fever since at least Saturday, and last night, Bapa (who had been visiting) thought Adele had a rash on her belly. 'Well, that's hardly new' is what I thought to myself as I checked her belly...which was mildly rashy, but had been for quite some time (or at least since Saturday, when she scratched it enough to bleed on her dress....)

Since her fever was so high (between 101 and 104.5) and using both motrin and tylenol didn't bring it below 100, I decided it was time to take her in...but I called the nurse line instead of making an appointment right away just in case, you know, to be sure I wasn't turning into the kind of parent who cried wolf and took her kids to the doctor once a week...

When I relayed her symptoms to the nurse (fever, cough, difficulties breathing) she said something like, "well, this is definitely one of those times we want you to bring her in", but I wasn't convinced there would be anything to do for Adele except to wait out the fever. I hadn't even given her any motrin until she'd had the fever for several hours and it was at something like 102, figuring that I should just let nature take its course.

So, anyhow, we got to the doctor, and Nurse Michelle was talking with me, then looked at Adele and asked, "were you going to tell me about her rash?" I replied that Adele *always* has a rash, but remembered that Bapa had said something about it as well.

When Dr. Freeman came in, we talked about her symptoms for a while, and once again, I forgot to mention the rash (seriously, we all know that the kid gets a rash if you even look at her the wrong way...) Fortunately I caught a glimpse of Adele scratching her wrist and remembered to tell Dr. F about the rash, and when we lifted up her shirt, Adele had the reddest, most awful looking rash I had ever seen before. The rest of her "eczema ridden" areas had gotten progressively worse over the weekend, but her belly hadn't looked that awful even a few hours earlier while we got dressed.

While inspecting the rash, Dr. Freeman asked Adele if she had a sore throat, and Adele instantly replied that she did. (which explains why she hasn't eaten anything all weekend, even though she will beg for food...she takes a bite and is done...poor girl!) Mom of the year, here didn't even think to ask Adele if anything hurt. My bad.

Instantly, Dr. Freeman called it Scarlatina, which is more commonly known as scarlet fever. Seriously....I used to do so much research on rashes that I felt dumb for not knowing this time...but then again, I stopped even noticing Adele's rashes since she's always covered in them. But, come on, Scarlet Fever...really?!

We got some generic, yet very expensive antibiotics (that the pharmacist said I will "absolutely love" because they are "a class above amoxicillin") that should have Ellie feeling back to normal in 24 hours.

So, while most of me feels like I should fill out my application for "Worst Mommy of the Century" and stock up on postage to return all of the Mother's Day gifts I just know the girls have ordered for me ...(I mean, come on, I never even asked Adele if her throat hurt when she hadn't eaten anything substantial in days---I thought she was just holding out for the sugar-laden gogurt "treats") The other part of me wants to teach Adele's skin about the boy who cried wolf so that I won't ignore her next rash!