Homecoming 2024

 She skipped out to the truck, barefoot, heels and iPhone in hand I opened the rear passenger door for her and her full hands, and caught my breath.

11 years ago, she had her first taste of glam, also in shades of plum, as flower girl for Amy and Ben and now we’re here.

I know the next 11 years will also fly, and she’ll be 25… the age her own mama was a bride, and I can’t help but wonder…. Will there be another sunny Saturday where she is all glammed up and trots barefoot out to her dad’s truck, again to be whisked away to a beautiful photo shoot with her best girls, and then off to another milestone dance.

Pardon my nostalgia as I dream big dreams for my Bean on this HoCo night.

 

 

Picasos….Picasi? what is the plural of Picaso?

     

Golden

Three.

It's a magical number today.

My third-born turns three years old on the third of May.  It is her golden birthday.  And my mind boggles that the day has come.  Weren't we just floating away into the Cumberland River?  And here we are....

I realize I should be captioning these photos, but, man, what I see as her mother -- her mommy -- looking at each of these is hard to put into words.

It's so much more than "Erin loves her chocolate milk."

And, "Erin is all about rainbows these days."

It's more than "I wear you's pink stipstick."  It's time in the morning, even when the morning hasn't made time, to spend a minute in the bathroom with my girl, whittling away at the Mary Kay tube of Fancy Nancy, and watch her try to blot her lips "just like mommy."  It's pausing to realize that she is truly my mini-me, watching and mimicking my every move.

It's more than "Erin is an artist at heart."  It is that you are passionate about what you love.  Color and pattern and beauty, and you see it in so many things, and you create it where it doesn't naturally exist. ;)

 

Oh, Erin, two was a tough year, little miss.  We gave you a baby brother for your second birthday, made you start preschool, moved you to a big girl bed, potty trained you, stuck you in the hospital for a week...

And you were a rockstar.  A dramatic, angelic, often (literally) snotty, adorable 21 pound handful.

You are an amazing sister, daughter, friend.  Your favorite people in the world are your family, plus Mr. Doug ad Tiff'y. You are still shy around most people, but I love that innocence.  You amaze me, sweetheart.  You are everything and nothing that I imagined, and I am so lucky to be the one who is your momma.  I won't always be your favorite, or your best friend, but I'll always be your biggest fan.  You are the brightest star in my sky.  I love you.

Erinism

"Mommy, you knows who my fav'ite?

Scoob-Dooby."

I die.

Score one for SantaMommy

When we took the kids to see Santa, Erin was PETRIFIED.  Like, we have a framed picture of the boys with Santa.  No Erin.

Nope, she stood behind the photographer having a complete meltdown, and when asked if she didn't want to tell Santa what she was wishing for for Christmas, she just screamed "PINK!!! BIKE!!!" through her tears.

Well, Erin got a big wheel trike for her birthday in May, so it didn't really seem plausible that she'd be getting another bike for Christmas, but.....

On a whim, I scanned Craig's List, and found this:



For only $5!!!

So, needless to say, Elf Daddy and Elf Big Brother are picking this up while they are out and about running errands this weekend.

It may be too big, and it may be used, and it may not even work, for all I know, but for the smile I'm sure to get from Erin on Christmas morning when she sees this under the tree, I'd have paid way more than must $5.

10 Things I Learned from Erin’s Surgery: Part I

You would think what with all the time I had to prepare for Erin’s tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A), I would have waltzed into the experience with nary a care.  After all, I’d been sure we were headed to this point for almost 10 months.  But, alas, when it was all said and done, I realized I knew NOTHING about what this “rite of passage,” if you will, would teach me.

I know several friends who have faced, or are facing a similar procedure, so I made a (not0even close to comprehensive) list of some of the things I learned during our T&A journey.

10. When your little one is scared, it seems to help if you, as the momma, fake bravery.  Even when you aren’t brave; only anxious.  And tired.  Because, man, you have to get to the hospital early for these things!

9.  A good nurse is worth her weight, and then some, in gold.  Or other precious commodity of choice.  The longer we were in triage, the more antsy Erin and I both got.  Our nurse recognized this, and brought over stickers, and a strawberry-scented mask to get Erin used to it.  She was so wonderful, and one of several nurses we would have during our stay that made me, as a momma, feel so much better about this whole thing.

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 8.  No matter how much faith you have, or how reassuring the doctor tries to be, seeing your little one being wheeled away on a gurney will pretty much shatter your heart.  I probably don’t have to elaborate on that point, do I?  Thank goodness that the separation, from this point, until she was back in my arms, was only about an hour.

 
7. You’re going to experience a lot of physical discomfort during recovery.  Erin wanted to be held, or slept with, pretty much ‘round the clock after surgery, and no matter how willing my heart was to accommodate her, man, my body was not up to the task.  I came away with bruises and stiff muscles, and limbs that feel asleep to excruciating degrees.  Oh!  And did I mention being only inches away from her mouth was torture.  Seriously.  No one warns you that post-T&A breath is about the foulest thing you’ll ever smell.  Seriously.  It is SO BAD.  SO BAD.

 
6.  They’re not gonna be themselves. =(  Erin vacillated between being loopy and drugged up from pain meds, to being still and listless due to pain.  She was quiet (because it hurt to talk) and she looked so sad and pathetic, I was often asking the nurse, “is this normal, is she okay?”  And of course I was reassured that it was just the anesthesia wearing off and that she’d be back to normal in no time.  But still, I wasn’t prepared for it.

 
5.  A person can indeed watch entirely too much Nick Jr. in one setting.  OMG, seriously, I watched Team Umizoomi for 8 days straight.  EIGHT.  DAYS.  STRAIGHT.  With only limited breaks….and that was only to switch to the random Bubble Guppies episode.

 
4.  Visiting siblings will have more fun with the hospital toys than the patient.  I shouldn’t have even bothered packing busy items (crayons, puzzles, etc.), or having the candy-stripers bring down rec room toys.  Erin was so miserable that first day, she couldn’t have cared less about playing with anything.

3.  On the chance that your child perks up, and, oh, requests a cheeseburger for dinner, don’t hold your breath…..  Our nurses were SO thrilled with Erin’s desire to drink and eat about 8 hours after surgery.  She was mowing down popsicles and juice cups like nobody’s business, and even asked to have a cheeseburger for dinner.  Yea, Erin!  You’re a rockstar!!!!  Several nurses commented that they NEVER get toddlers to respond this well, since they are usually so overwhelmed by the pain.  I was proud of her, and so thankful that we were on track to be headed home the next day!

 
2. …..because she can go from being the Cheeseburglar Reincarnate, to looking like death warmed over.   This photo pretty much sums up what this experience was really like.  Pale skin.  Sunken eyes.  Matted hair.  And popsicles melting, untouched, into a cup.  In hindsight, I can’t believe they actually let us leave the hospital, because it seems apparent (now) that she was headed for trouble once she was off the good pain meds.

 
1. There may be a point after you’re released that the you-know-what hits the fan.  Or, as the case may be, doesn’t.  Let me explain.  The pain meds that were prescribed for us AT HOME were unacceptable to Erin’s palate, and she WOULD NOT take it.  Ergo, she would/could not swallow.  Ergo, she got dehydrated.  And constipated.  REALLY constipated.  Like, finally passed out on my bathroom floor from the pain and effort of trying to poop.  Oh, it was heartbreaking, and it was at this point, I pretty much knew we were headed back to the hospital.

To be continued….

T&A

Monday, 10 December, 2012, 0800, my beana girl is going to be in surgery at Toledo Children's Hospital.

She needs to have her tonsils and adenoids removed, and while I KNOW this is the best decision for her, and while I have received all the information in the world to make me comfortable with the procedure....

HOLY COW.

She is my baby, and they are putting her to sleep, and cutting tissue out of her body, and why yes, I did, dive into a half-gallon of Dark Chocolate ice cream late Sunday night in a fit of uncontrolled emotional eating.

Ugh.

Seriously.  This adorableness in a hospital gown on a gurney?

 

I wish it could be me.

I will try to pull myself away from her snuggly little self and our shared tray of Jell-O jigglers to update y'all on how she come through the operation and hospital stay when I get a chance.

In the meantime, feel free to send your thoughts and prayers to us on Monday morning and in the days to follow.

 

Now that someone has pointed it out....

Erin does resemble Full House's Michelle Tanner (aka Mary Kate or Ashely Olson).  I've never made the connection before, but some random lady at Olive Garden did, and now....

Yup.  I see it.

Hmm.  I wonder if the resemblance will continue as she ages....?  We will see!

(What do you think?  Do you see it? Or am I crazy?)

Erin’s big girl room

Ah, a bittersweet post to write, indeed.
How I have a little girl who is big enough to be getting a big girl room (and even more, a big girl BED!) is beyond me.  That said, the room came together exactly how I had envisioned.
The paint color is Valspar’s Well Water:
 
The paint color was easy to settle on, once I decided on the bedding, which was the Madison Damask from Kohl’s.

That picture of the bedding doesn’t really do it justice, because it makes the green look olive-ish, and it’s definitely more leaf-ish.  It’s brighter, and really pretty, and the perfect shade to coordinate with her existing curtains, and of course, her Small Words art.
I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the pictures.  It was near impossible to get great shots with just the one window and still using a simple point-and-shoot.  But I think you’ll get the idea.

So, here we go with the details…

Above her bed, wall shelves that I’ve had for a decade, with photos and mementos that are special.  Her birth announcement, You are Loved print, first trip to the beach photo, a special letter from Aunt Joyce from before she was even born, and one of her one-year portraits.

 

The metal wall flowers were actually from the garden center at Hobby Lobby at the season end of 2009.

Lamp from Target, embellished by me with clearance scrapbooking ribbon; musical bank from GiGi, Christmas 2010.

A basket, graduated from her changing table, holds her nebulizor and Abuterol right at hand in the nightstand.

The perfect spot for her trifecta of monthly shots, which I’m super proud of because I just eye-balled the frames’ hooks, and all three were level.  YES!

My DIY valance.  Looks as good with Well Water as it did with Picnic.  Score!

 
What is it about a gallery wall that takes so many tries to get it “just right”?  Before we painted, I had it arranged one way, and I should have taken a picture, because it was great.  And after….yeah.  I couldn’t remember, so this is what I came up with.

The oval stained glass mirror hung in my childhood home for as long as I can remember.  I love that it is in Erin’s room now.  Of course, her Small Words canvas played a big role in the direction of the room.  The sampler was made by my grandma, as were all her brothers’, and contains all her birth stats. Her one year picture, I’m sure, is going to be hung somewhere in my home for as long as I live.  I just love it.

The “E” is easily one of my favorite DIY projects ever (and I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’m blogging about it!).  When Tiffany and I went antiquing for my birthday last year, I found both an “E” and an “S” for $4, and we swung into the Franklin, TN, Goodwill to pick up the frame for an additional $2.  I painted the frame the same color as her birdcage, and backed the frame with the same fabric as her valance, and voila!  A super fun monogram!

Lastly, I hung a pencil drawing of San Fransisco that I purchased the summer I lived in California.  (On a side note, I have a complementary drawing in bolder blues and reds that we are currently custom framing for James’ room.  Yea!)

 
Just inside the door is her bookcase, made by Jim’s Uncle Fred.  Baskets hold Pull-Ups, diapers, and shoes.  While all the kids’ toys, for the most part, are in the basement, the top shelves hold a few of her favorite books, her memento box, her letters from Aunt Joyce, and her bow birdcage.

Above the bookshelf is her “e” from Anthropologie (a souvenir from our Vegas trip), teeny birdcages, and a votive holder turned hair rubber band receptacle. =)

Some final details include the sign from my baby shower fastened to her footboard; Bentley’s perch; rainboots (from Kohl’s) being borrowed for use as a doorstop; and a pine footstool (IKEA) to help the little miss get into bed at night.

   

And finally, some fun details about the dresser and nightstand came out after the room was finished.  I had always thought the furniture was some nondescript set (there is another chest piece that is in the kitchen for extra servingware storage), but it turns out, this suite belonged to my great grandmother, and has been used by many members of my dad’s family.

Most days, it isn’t this clean, with little girl leggings and bows and Pull-Ups tossed on top, but on a good day, it’s just some yellow roses, the must-have CD player, a photo of Erin meeting James in the hospital, and my the lamp from my childhood desk.

And an extra little touch to freshen it up – we painted the hardware a glossy white.  Such a small change, but it made a huge difference.

 

So, there you have it.  My baby girl’s not-so-baby-anymore room!

(Again, I apologize for the photo quality…. y’all will have to just come visit so  you can see for yourself how pretty Erin’s room is.  With her getting a queen bed instead of the smaller IKEA one we were eyeballing, this is now our official guest room, too.  Erin can easily move to Seth’s extra bunk, so….come on!  You’re always welcome!)