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You know those times when you leave your kids in another room for a few minutes and then all of a sudden you realize you haven’t heard from them in a while? And you think, “Hmm…this silence is probably too good to be true?” (You see where I’m going with this). That silence IS too good to be true.
Jimmy had some creative fun the other day when he was left alone in the kitchen. But how can I be mad at that adorable face? I’ve been scrambling for activities that will keep Jimmy independently entertained for more than a few minutes while I tend to Danny, and I hit upon a winner: Dishwashing. This child LOVES to swish a sponge around in soapy water!
The only problem is, when I’ve left him happily sudsing up the sink while I run upstairs for a minute, I always come downstairs to find a trail of water…everywhere. Jimmy takes the sponge with him when he leaves his dishwashing post, squeezing all the water out as he toddles on his way. So I end up having to change his wet clothes and mop up the floors in his aftermath. So the jury’s still out as to whether this diversion is worth it…but at least it makes him happy for now!
I did it! I got out of the house, and out of the car, with all four children by myself! I took the kids to the mall today, and it went really well. Danny slept most of the time, Jimmy sat happily in his stroller, and the girls were absolutely thrilled to be back at their favorite location. In fact, the only time Danny was fussy was when we sat down to eat McDonalds for lunch, and I’m willing to bet he was simply distressed that I ate WAY too many french fries! The kids loved being back at the mall’s play area, and this was the first time Jimmy really got in on the action as well.
We even had enough time to stop and smell the flowers!
As we were leaving the mall, a lady stopped our sprawling gang to say hi to the kids. The girls, for the umpteenth time during our trip, excitedly yanked back the sunshade on Danny’s car seat and proudly exclaimed, “Look what we got! Look what we got!” You’d think they thought we won Danny at the mall’s gumball machine! After the lady said goodbye and we walked away, Susie smiled up at me and announced, “Everybody likes us!” I couldn’t help but laugh, and thank her and her siblings for their good behavior that had led to such a successful outing. I’m not holding my breath that our next trip will go as smoothly, but I’ll take what I can get!
Several people have asked me how Jimmy has reacted to Danny’s sudden appearance in our household. I’m pleased to report that Jimmy treats Danny with as much fascination and tenderness as he does our cat, Tommy…which is to say, Jimmy seems to like his little brother a lot. When Jimmy sees Danny (which actually isn’t very often, since Danny still sleeps a lot, and I’ve staggered Jimmy’s and Danny’s naptimes so I’m not often grappling with two needy boys at once), he lets out a high-pitched squeal, just as he does when he sees our cat. And he loves to pet Danny’s head, just like he does the cat. And Danny is kind of soft and furry, and his cry indeed sounds like a mewling cat…so I can only conclude that Jimmy thinks Danny is his new pet. I can think of worse reactions!
The girls may not have been quite clear on the concept (their puppets kept saying the same thing over and over), but I still found their show quite entertaining!
My mom flew back to California yesterday, and boy, I was tempted to make her miss her flight! She has been a lifesaver around here these last two weeks, changing diapers, feeding mouths, brushing hair, washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, running errands, rocking babies, pushing swings, reading stories, cuddling kids, and basically preserving my sanity! I can’t thank her enough for helping to ease Daniel’s transition into our family, and ease my mind during the whole bringing-baby-home process (I highly recommend having a NICU nurse for a mom!). Mom, you’re the BEST!
Tomorrow marks the first day I’ll be one-on-four. Those odds are rather daunting, but I’m excited to see how it goes! A very special package arrived today from a very special friend. Connie, you are TOO good to us! We love the hoodie sweatshirts. They’re perfect! Thank you so much for your kindness to our family! The big kids were so jazzed by their new clothes that they were seized by a case of the sillies and couldn’t sit still for a photo shoot. But I figured you’d like to see them in all their silly glory!
Danny has had some lovely ladies come to see him already. This boy is spoiled! Last weekend, Ramona and Ashley came for some cuddles…
…and then cousin Alli and Aunt Julie got to meet their newest family member.
We’re so thankful for the visits! When I first moved to Connecticut to be near Jim almost ten years ago, I didn’t know anybody besides his family. My best friend, his sister, soon moved away to Arizona to be with her husband’s family, and I found myself in a new state with a new marriage and a new job and truth be told, I was kind of lonely. And then I realized there was someone else who was in need of a friend: Jim’s Nana. She and I quickly became each other’s companion. I drove over to her house once or twice a week, where she would either cook me a meal, or we would go out to Wendy’s, where she would unfailingly order a small chicken sandwich and a chocolate Frosty. She showed me how to get the best deals at the Dollar Store and the discount grocery store, and afterward we’d sit on her back porch in sunny weather and drink instant coffee from her well-loved cups. She told me stories about life when she was a new nurse during the Hartford circus fire of 1944, about how sad she was when her eldest son Jim moved away to Pennsylvania and she could no longer hear him playing the organ in the room next to her bedroom at night, about how much she loved playing with her great-granddaughter Alli and giving her a Teddy Ruxpin doll, and about how she missed going window shopping at Talbots with her dear friend Olga. She filled my days with her stories, and my heart with her warmth and good humor. A few years after Jim and I were married, Nana’s memory began to fade, and her stories turned into jumbled words that only made sense to her. She’d still try to fix me instant coffee, but she wasn’t sure what or how much to put into my cup. Her fingers could no longer use the microwave to heat me up her beloved cheese danish. When the girls were born, she was still physically fit enough to help me push their double stroller through the grocery store, and she loved getting stopped by other older ladies admiring her grandchildren. She laughed as the girls crawled, then toddled around her apartment, and she would babble to them as they would babble back. Even without the ability to speak, she communicated her love for her family. In the last two years, I don’t think Nana knew who we were when we visited her in a memory-care facility. But she never failed to smile and laugh when she saw the kids come into the sitting area. She’d reach out her hands to touch them, to bring them closer to herself. When Jimmy was born, she protectively cradled him in her arms. She’d clap along with the kids when they sang Bible songs to her, and she smiled broadly and pointed at the girls’ twirling skirts as they danced along with the singing. Last week, we were told that Nana had taken a turn for the worse. I wanted her to see her newest great-grandson, so I took Danny over to meet her. She was lying in bed, unresponsive, but I held him up beside her and introduced them. They were both sleeping, their chests slightly rising and falling. They were both so fragile, so weak, so dependent on others. One soul had just entered this world, and the other had nearly departed.
Nana went to be with the Lord on Friday evening. She is no longer bound by the frailties of her earthly mind and body. Instead of stuttering, she is now singing. Instead of laying, she is now leaping. Her big, beautiful eyes are no longer clouded with confusion, but are bright as she meets the gaze of her Savior. I have the assurance that I will see her again one day. Through Christ’s forgiveness of my sins, I have the amazing privilege of joining her for eternity. The Bible says of Christ in 1 Peter 1:8 & 9, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” Nana now is with the One in whom she has believed. Her life here was characterized by unspeakable joy, and now she has received the end of her faith, glory with her soul’s Savior. And when I am ushered into the presence of the Lord, I look forward to hearing the hymns that Nana once hummed in her house, now ringing through the halls of Heaven with her clear, strong voice. *** Here are the links to some of my favorite pictures of Nana that I have posted on the blog over the last few years: |
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