just thought i would share :)

Me and Evelyn have been picking out a lot of baby books from the library lately , she loves the illustrations and stories. I took pictures of our favorite books we have read this month (due to the photos ) and thought i would share. Yay! for breast feeding and baby wearing, it's nice to see in children's books :)

Book 1.

Book 2.

 Book 3.

Every day evaluations

Its easy to conceive that children learn daily, especially at a young age. Seeing this very natural talent unravel before my eyes, at such a rapid pace to me is astonishing.  I know that grasping the ability to walk talk and identify objects has been happening since the beginning of time, but it still ceases to amaze me, especially when it happens right before my eyes, in my own children. Let me take you an a journey that allowed me and hubby to have 7 full days of ' Everyday Evaluations'. As we embark on what new things we have been able to capture on camera, the findings of 3 little squirrels :)

 Lets start off by observing the growth of the eldest child. I'm enjoying this age of learning and it forces me to re- teach myself a lot to keep up with her demands of her ever growing curious brain :) Seeing her pick up on new things and watching her express understanding and technique makes me smile. "I want to be an artist when i grow up" ~ Evelyn

 Ever since getting her very own library card, we have been to the library 4 times. Each time we go Evelyn picks out lots of books (9 to be exact). She loves when i read them to her and afterwards she scans through them over and over, morning, noon and night,

 She has picked up on letter forming, through her letter writing to pen pals, and is starting to space out words.
(Noisy Nora, Owl Moon, Baby Brains) She has started to make a list of all the books we get from the library :)

 Her creative side also shines through. We used this picture frame to make a mini chalk board, using chalk board spray paint.

Evelyn's backyard art is really blooming :) Here she draws a picture and i label it, as she points out the graph showing 'seeds, 'water' and 'flower' growth in order.

Using an old can, and light from the kitchen Evey discovered she made a reflective flashlight ...

Evey also enjoys spotting words and letters she has learned and uses them during shopping trips to help spot needed food, and crosses it off the list :)

This week we also spotted these foot prints on the back porch. Evey wanted to know who they belonged to, so we put our good detective skills to work by looking them up online and discovered that they might be long to a skunk, or a raccoon. She giggled and kept peering out the window at night to see if she could spot the animal.

Its hard to believe my 2 1/2 yr old, is really 2 1/2. between her speech and imagination, i'm not sure how old she is, HAHAHAHA!

 Omri is shown here typing on her "computer" she made out of  lego blocks........

 And again here, with her two car garage :) ...........

What im most amazed with is her speech. Sometimes i forget how old she is, because she will carry on a conversation like nobody's business. Being fresh is a given........

Pa, "Omri, shhh the baby is sleeping"

Omri, " pa! I was talking to evey and i was talking slow !"

Other quotes from Omri include :

" I just need juice"

" you're supposed to be making my breakfast!"

" I don't want dinner, dinner is for babies"

" Luna, get over it!"

"can you come with me because i'm scared" *insert FAKE sad face here ___

" Eva your not my best friend, mummy's my best friend"

Omri, "you're rude!"

Me: " why am i rude?"

Omri, "because you told me to go clean my room!"

Me, "well thats not nice (sad face)"

Omri, "im  sorry, i didnt say that (looks around,picks up  her cow) he said it,  (high pitched voice) i'm sorry"

I can honestly say i laugh daily at having a child like her in my life.

My Toothy Tinky is growing like a weed, but most of all since she sprouted 2 teeth her overall growth is non stop! it's becoming real that she is no longer a helpless newborn, let me show you how......

 Master sitter! just this week alone, Luna has mastered the art of sitting with out tipping over. She can go from sitting to belly position without hurting her self :p

 Master of 'copy cat'. This babe is serious when it comes to face making, esp when it comes to play time with daddy.

 Master of toilet training.....um.....well not exactly LOL , but we did accidentally catch our first pee on the pot this week :) and no im not E.C'ing i love my cloth diapers too much.

 Master of trying new foods........

 Master of terrorizing all things eye level to her. This babe can scoot using just toes and elbows, and can go room to room using just that.

 Master of giving me a mild heart attack! when seeing this while i snapped a photo, she sure showed us the power of baby legs!

 Master of practical lip removal. If it soft like a breast and stretches like a nipple....

But doesn't taste like a breast, nor have milk......it must just be daddy's lip :/

Master of sleeping like a floppy newborn :)

 When i sit back and re evaluate all that we have discovered in this week alone it just warms my heart.

Owl Moon

We started our week off, by going to a surprise destination. Upon hearing the words fall out of her little mouth, "are we lost? because iv'e never been on these streets before". I hesitated to answer her, as i knew we would be at our destination soon. The public library. Evelyn squealed in delight, followed by an immediate "shhhhhh, were supposed to be quite!" I just smiled at her, as we entered the library doors. I submitted my information and signed up for a library card. I then asked the woman at the desk, "what do we need to do to get this little one a card?" as if Evelyn's smile could already stretch no more, the woman answered, "All she needs to do is be able to write her first and last name." I thought Evelyn was going to go off like pack of illegal firecrackers. She whispers to me, "i know how to do that mummy". I look at the woman and we both smile, she passed Evelyn a form and has her sign on the dotted line, and again on the back of her very own library card :)

So excited she is! we hurry up stairs to the children's level and dig in to some great books. We picked out, 'why do i have to make my bed', 'Noisy Nora' and 'Owl Moon'. I really had my hopes on Owl Moon. Owl Moon was written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr. John schoenherr happened to be a wonderful illustrator for many children's books and who went on to win Owl Moon the Caldecott Medal. I was lucky enough to get a little back round info on such a talented artist because i am blessed to be friends with his grand daughter Nyssa ♥. John Schoenherr unfortunately passed away April 8th 2010 and through his passing i was able to see his work as an artist and as a grandfather throughout photos that Nyssa so generously shares with me.

 A young John Schoenherr

 Holding his grand baby Nyssa

 Painting with Nyssa

Nyssa and her sister at her grandfather John Schoenherr's Book signing, 'Pigs in the Mud'.

Now having a little bit of a back round on Schoenherr, i was excited to possibly  have one of his books in my possession. To be able to share and appreciate such great art work and a little history of this book with one of my own children. After briefly looking for the book, i came up empty handed. I asked the clerk if she would look it up in her computer, and as soon as the words "Owl Moon" came out of my mouth she jumped right out of her chair and pulled the book from the shelf without a second glance, all while ranting and raving about what prestigious medal this book had won! In exchange i had explained to her how iv'e become friends with Schoenherr's grand daughter earlier in the years. I grabbed the book and Evelyn grabbed her pick's and we headed for the check out counter down stairs.

On our walk home, i started to explain to Evey the significance of this book. "Nyssa's grandpa was the illustrator of this book, and even made out a dedication to her"........

 And in the woods he hid her name :)

I read the book to her 2 times as she requested, and when i was done she went off on her own to look at the pictures. I'd like to say she was appreciating his art work :)

Evelyn found the dedications splendid, and found the description of the snow "white as milk" even better :)

•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•.☆~ I didn't know i would miss him too ~ •*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•.☆

They say time heals all wounds, and it has been almost 7 months since the tragedy. I now feel i can express my bottled emotion. I share with you, what seemed to be the hardest thing i have ever have to encounter being a new mother for the 3rd time, and with permission, i am able to share a photo as well. I have anxiety while i type, so please bare with me.

Iv'e known Amie since 2010. We chat almost daily, we exchange laughs and rant about the every day life of being mothers of 2 little girls. With me living in Mass and her in North Carolina, talking on the phone for hrs was a given :) After trying for a few months, me & my husband finally fell pregnant! So overjoyed we were. I waited a bit before sharing with friends, but when Amie shared with me that she was pregnant i felt compelled   to share our news. We squealed in delight! and both of us were waiting to see who was going to give birth to a boy :p 

As time went on our bellies grew, we shared photos and compared bumps, complained about pregnancy 'issues' and text till the wee hrs about sleeping issues. The following weeks and months would come and go, and soon enough we would share the sex of our babies with one another. I was having my 3rd girl☆ and Amie was finally having her boy!☆ We started critiquing & shopping for cloth diapers, often purchasing the same prints ♥ My due date was July 14th and hers was July 24th. I was preparing my self for the upcoming Birth of Luna, being nervous and no longer feeling calm about my VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) but i guess that happens towards the end of every pregnancy, feeling worried and anxiety stricken.

On July 10th at 39weeks and 3 day labor struck, and a little before 6 am on July 11th 2011, My little girl was born! I am a VBAC'er and  now a mother of 3.

I settle in at home in awe of what iv'e accomplished i feel good, but recovery is rough. Of coarse i share the news with Amie, who was clearly cooking Cameron to perfection. She was scheduled for induction at 41 wks on July 31st 2011. We exchanged text messages through out the day, she informed me that she had made it to the hospital, followed by a text hrs later saying, "I'm 75% effaced and 4 cm". I would nurse my soft pink newborn to sleep and rest my eyes, with my cell phone on vibrate and await updates on the delivery of baby Cameron.

Hours later at 11:45pm (my time) i received a text message. "i was rushed for an emg c-sec Cameron didn't make it"

I kept rubbing my eyes and re reading the text message. This couldn't be true! i even went back and checked the cell number because i didn't think it was from  her. I remember texting her back, "what?!!? wait...what?!" i couldn't comprehend what i just read. My body just turned cold and i felt sick, I told her to call me when she could. I spent the next few hrs in the bathroom on and off with the runs from my knotted stomach. i rested my head on my pillow next to Luna and waited for her call.

At 2:35 am my phone rang, i was almost hesitant to pick it up, What would i say? what if i start crying? what if Luna wakes & starts crying? I pick up the phone and just listen, because sometimes that's all you can do, just listen. She talked........she sobbed.......she dozed off for a few...and on the other end of the phone i cried silently. We talked for an hr, about the events of the delivery, he was in distress and and she was knocked out cold and an emergency c-section was performed and when she woke, they informed her he didn't make it. "I never got to hear him cry" i remember her saying. We talked for another 20 minutes, before i let her go and rest.

I sobbed on and off for a wk, my face would feel swollen & i would have a headache from all the crying. At times i couldn't even look at my own newborn. I felt guilty. Guilty for having a healthy child, because i was in the "danger" zone for attempting a VBAC, and here she is with no issues & will leave the hospital with out her baby.

Beautiful baby Cameron was delivered still, weighing 7lbs 3.3oz & 21" long on July 31st 2011

I continue to speak to Amie and together we share the Love we have for both of our babies. In doing so, i hope she can heal from the pain of Cameron's passing still while holding tight to his memory. I'm slowly smoothing down the edges of thinking. Feeling the way i felt, the month my daughter was born was hard, but losing a child is harder. I don't take my children for granted, not now, not ever! Cameron is loved and missed by his parents, but i didn't know i would miss him too!

Pen Pals

Here's my Evey, mailing out a letter to a local friend. I have taught her how to address a letter properly , and let her know it is one of the many ways to communicate. With texting, phone calls, emails & video chat, sending letters by mail is clearly a dying art. She enjoys writing letters and drawing pictures for her friend Jossel, and waiting for his letter in return has brought her much delight. Even though we live in the same City, the fun in it , is very much alive. On route today she was excited to have spotted 3 mailboxes and 1 mail man!

This week Evelyn has peaked curiosity to know about other states and countries. Having asked, "What does it look like over there?", "What do they eat?", "Do  they have the same clothes we do?" So to feed her curiosity, we went to her desired places.(Thanks to google maps) Starting with Madagascar, we visited a local Hospital. We went to Xining China and saw what looked like a tennis court, also stopped in the U.K and spotted a shopping center :)

When i was in school i remember having the opportunity to have pen pals. I was matched up with a girl from Thailand. I was very happy with writing to her once a month, we exchanged hobbies, interests in books, even talked about our favorite foods.

So Evelyn has asked for me to find her a pen pal or two, who live in different areas of the world to write to once a month and share drawings, write short letters, talk about different interest and so on. I love helping her learn about things and now other children will be able to help in teaching her the differences in other parts of the world too :) ♥♥♥♥