This week's theme over at i heart faces is hugs and kisses... Luckily we have those in spades around these parts!
Although I have more recent photos to share, this is one of my favorite shots from last year! We met up at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair on Mason's 2nd Birthday and this is how his cousin greeted him... With a great big smooch! These two certainly love each other!
The last month has been anything but normal around here. It started out beautifully with Dagny's 1st ice skating experience on the first... she begged to go back and Pop Pop even sprung for a pair of skates and a helmet. He had promised us that if she ever wanted to play hockey, he'd foot the bill, so we were excited when he was giddy to order her gear!
The night after this photo was taken she was playing on the playground at the Ranch and took a spill... off the top of the playground... and hit her face on a step on the way down.
I was at the store, I got the call saying that she had fallen and was ok, so we headed for the car to head back. A few minutes later I got a call to meet them at the ER and my heart dropped. I got there first and started checking in so when they arrived we could go back. After half an hour of screaming, her daddy had the brilliant idea of putting on an episode of Batman. She calmed down. Have I mentioned how much I love that man!? The freaking out ensued as soon as the doctor came in... 30 minutes later she had a few stitches inside her upper lip and we headed home. No broken bones... no concussion... no permanent damage... I was so relieved.
The next morning she woke up and the swelling was a little worse than we had anticipated. After checking in with the pediatrician, we were sent up to an ENT to have her checked out (to rule out broken bones). They took us back right away and Dr. Epstein, our new doctor and now one of my favorite doctors ever, took a look at her. He gently informed us that it was a hematoma, the blood pooled up in her cheek, and that it would have to be drained. He called over to the hospital (which is next door to his office) and booked an OR. It suddenly got real.
I kept my cool for the next few hours as we waited for her to go back and was very thankful as Joe said he'd go in with her (one of us had to). She, on the other hand, didn't have a care in the world. She knew she had a boo boo, but was playing with dolls and toys, watching movies, telling everyone about Batman and Superman, and then playing with the lockers. While I never wanted her to ever go through this, the silver lining is that she's two and didn't grasp the gravity of it all!
Thanks to Dr. Epstein, her short surgery went swimmingly well and we were back to see her in recovery within the hour (maybe longer, who knows!)! I only lost it once through all of the ordeal-- when Joe took her back for surgery-- and am very thankful for a short phone call with Jeffo who said exactly what I needed to hear (he's a PA who does orthopedic surgeries almost daily!). We got her home that night, just thankful for it all to be over!
The weeks that followed were full of children's Tylenol and antibiotics (and the resulting diarrhea). As soon as she was off the meds, literally that day, she caught a horrible cold and had a fever for a few days. She was really in great spirits considering what had been happening, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that her Daddy and I weren't absolutely exhausted from it all! We were so relieved to have her healthy by last weekend-- just in time for the White Flint Camp Fair, a huge weekend for us camp peeps!
Not only did she walk around the fair and collect camp-swag from all of the camps (as if she has a choice as to where she goes!), she even danced in the Flash Mob! Yes, my brilliant hubby had the great idea of holding a Flash Mob at the Camp Fair... let's face it, if "Party Rock" is playing, our campers will be there!
We had an amazing turnout and I'm so glad that we were able to end such an icky month with a huge dose of positivity and fun (and some booty shakin'!)! You barely see her in this (she's in the center of everyone down towards the bottom of the screen), but you get to see her Dad rocking with all of the wonderful staff and kids!
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to moving on to February and finding our "normal" again-- whatever that may be!
These past few weeks haven't been easy for our little Doodle... her first ER trip, first surgery, a week of tummy issues, and now a nasty virus! I'll save the details for another post and let you know that she's taken it all in stride and is still the sweetest little toddler a Momma could ask for!
I've been out of the blogging rhythm, but once I saw that the i heart faces theme was "By the Book," I just couldn't resist jumping in. Doodle is a bookworm. We have to limit her at bedtime to a few books because she'd go on forever-- and not because she's avoiding going to sleep. We usually have one good "long" book: "Pinkalicious," "Green Eggs and Ham," "Yurtle the Turtle," "Tangled" (Golden Book) and "Big Heroes! DC Super Friends" (Golden Book about Batman and Superman-- her new obsession with these crime fighters is a story for another day!). After a longer book, we try to wind down with "the usuals." She likes "Goodnight Moon," but doesn't demand it every night. The last two books are always "Are You My Mother?" and "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod." She recites both of them, nearly cover to cover, every night.
While this photo may not be the the best by technical standards, I did the best with what I had... no natural light and a toddler with a five minute attention span! ;)
Believe it or not, these are just a few of her books... there's another rack that I didn't bother pulling out! The book on top of the pile, Atlas Shrugged, holds a very special place in our hearts as Doodle is named after the heroine of the book. I can only dream that she grows up to be a strong, intelligent and independent woman who works hard (running a railroad, perhaps!?) and paves her own path in life. Seeing that she's already slightly bossy and tends to rule the roost, I think she's on her way to becoming her own woman! ;)
As you can tell, I love going on adventures - both big and little - with my family.
I used to be a lone adventurer and loved it... I got excited about signing up for a Winter Term Study Abroad trip that I didn't know anyone else on (Guatemala). I packed my bags and headed to Eastern Russia by myself for a semester. I even enjoyed going to Indianapolis for a research conference in college without really knowing anyone on the trip... Thank goodness I did because that's where I met my hubby!
When we first met, one of the more attractive aspects about Joe (besides his smile and cute tush!) was that he was also an adventurer. He had traveled as well and wasn't looking to stop-- we spent our first summer together via pay phones and calling cards as I was living in Spain and he was in Maryland! He managed to visit me in Spain and it was the perfect test adventure to take together... He didn't mind my quirky ways and we were able to laugh over the things that went wrong. I had already known he was the one, but the fact that we could easily travel together really sealed the deal!
When we decided to start a family, we both agreed that the adventures would still continue. They may not be as newsworthy as traveling abroad (although I wish they were!), but when you chose to look at the world the way that we do-- every day is an adventure!
Doodle travels well- she's not really had a choice in the matter! She went to a Caps game at 5 weeks old and flew to Maine for a trip to Vinalhaven at 6 weeks! She's a decent car passenger and is learning the art of road trips (Hello, princess DVDs!).
What has really been fun is that as she has gotten more aware of the world- and what we're doing in it- we now experience it through her bright blue eyes! We spent a half hour feeding goats and alpacas in Deep Creek last weekend- it was as if the rest of the world faded away and her goal in life was to make sure these animals were well fed! She smiled and giggled while she talked to the goat and I could just see how purely happy she was. It cost me a few quarters in feed from a little vending machine and didn't require a single bell or whistle... Just let this girl hang out with a goat and she's happy as a clam!
I'm always looking for these small adventures because you never know where they'll lead you... And I love capturing them in photos that I'll be able to share with her someday. My hubby made a good point tonight-- that often I'm in the mood to take photos and I'll create a new adventure so I can photograph it. Although I hadn't thought of it that way, he's definitely right... but I don't think that's a bad thing. Annoying, perhaps, if you're not into me taking photos of you. To me, if that's what gets us to the Renaissance Faire or the Orchard in the Fall, then it's worth pausing for a few photos while embarking on life's adventures!
What motivates you to get out and try new things? Do you like a challenge (learning a new sport) or do you like to escape reality and enjoy the show (concerts or theater)? Would you rather go it alone or bring the little ones? So many ways to enjoy the world around us... I'm just giddy at the thought of it all!
New Years Eve came this year and as I read through friends' posts on Facebook, it seemed as if everyone was very dissatisfied with the year that had passed. I was amazed at how so many people were ready to write off the past 365 days and start with a clean slate-- as if it didn't happen and we didn't gain anything from this year of experiences. Although it had started to get me down, I simply couldn't let it-- I put down my phone and took a little break from social media (Gasp! I know.). I logged back on yesterday and my faith was restored by this little nugget of wisdom from a friend:
Don't allow a date to define a fresh start. Any day can provide a fresh start, just have courage and make it so. --Anon. (i.e., I don't want to call him out on my blog!)
I couldn't agree more... why wait until a year has passed to make those changes?! Let's wake up and make each day count!
Now, 2011 wasn't perfect for me - there were definitely a few hiccups - but when I look back at the year I shared with family and friends, I couldn't be more grateful for the memories that we've created together. You've read many of the highlights, so I'm not going to do a play-by-play, but I will share this little gem with you...
No, this does not capture everything or everyone (I intentionally focused on just the three of us as I did not want feelings to be hurt if I included someone, but not another person!), I think you get the gist... we have wonderful life and I am so very grateful for everything in it.
Thank you for a wonderful 2011... I simply cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!
