Mimzy's First Birthday Bash

these pictures are nothing fancy, but they do a swell job of demonstrating how the birthday girl should slam down her first piece of birthday cake.

step 1: while everyone is fascinated with the flickering candle, swipe a finger-full of frosting to claim your piece of cake. step 2: proceed to wipe the finger-full of frosting over the entirety of your face. it tastes better that way. step 3: wave hello to all your guests, it's the polite thing to do. step 4: ...a charming smile doesn't hurt either. step 5: remember that claimed piece of cake? well, here's the part where you actually get to eat the whole piece and not just the frosting. step 6: take a couple dainty bites, only because you are a little lady... step 7: and stuff the rest in your face, because after all, you ARE the birthday girl. step 8: after stuffing your face with birthday cake, slam the rest onto the floor just because it's fun. yell out, "done!" (or something like it), and then throw your hands up in the air so everybody knows it. step 9: give yourself a hand (and a bath), you deserve it. p.s, thanks for all the birthday wishes, birthday calls, birthday songs, and birthday presents. it was extremely thoughtful and very much appreciated. :)

mimzy turns one

to our dear little mims,

it's been one full year, since you were born, and one of the most joyous ones at that. you have filled each of our lives with love and laughter as you flash your toothy smiles, and chuckle your hearty giggles. i can certainly say, if i had all the time in the world, it would not be impossible to become lost in your amazing black eyes, and gaze at your perfect little fingers, your chubby toes, and your overall sweetness. i have loved holding you in my arms, rocking you to sleep whether it be in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning.

you were a very quiet and sweet-tempered newborn. you would fall asleep to your musical mobile at 9am every night. at six weeks old, you started sleeping through the night. it was so difficult for me to switch you to your own room, but at six months, you were starting to outgrow your co-sleeper. it had to be done. i missed watching you sleep at night. and i think you missed watching me sleep at night too, because for the first couple of nights in the big kids' room, you couldn't quite stay asleep the entire night. but i didn't mind coming in to check on you.

you took your time doing things like rolling, crawling, and walking. and that was just fine with me. i wanted you to stay little for as long as possible. besides, now that you can walk, it seems everything is horribly dangerous and i am constantly at your heels, or you are constantly at mine. you are such a sweet girl, and so easy to care for. i'm grateful for the presence of tears and screams only when you are absolutely starving, or have an owie. i adore the way you stumble across the room, smiling from ear to ear, flinging your head onto my lap for a moment of kisses and cuddles. speaking of kisses, for now, the open-mouth and very slobbery smooch is just fine...but we'll have to work on the more appropriate pucker as you get older.

you are so very interested in all that is going on around you. you love to sit back and watch, until of course, things get so interesting and the fun is just too much to bear that you just have to step into the raucous makayah, isaiah, and daddy have stirred up. you are sensitive and tender, and prefer the more relaxed and quieter activities...unless the music starts to play, and your little body is helpless to the rhythm. at any time you hear a beat, your little body starts bobbing up and down. your little arms start swinging from side to side, almost involuntarily. and once the music stops, so do you.

you love attention, but mostly from mommy. you are sometimes shy, but not afraid of being heard when you really want to. and all of a sudden, there will be a noise like a little screech owl from out of nowhere. and most times, you don't know what to do with that attention, but smiling always seems to work. makayah has loved having someone to play dress-up with. and i loved walking in on the two of you playing with the dolls and the doll house. girls' days out are going to be so much fun as you grow.

isaiah loves playing hide and go seek with you. he is a kind and very protective brother over his sisters, and you are so lucky to have him.

daddy is rough and tumbly, but it will be to your benefit someday, somehow. he loves you like crazy, and he looks forward to seeing your bobbing head along the bed as you call out, "da-da" for your morning snuggles and naps with him.

and mommy...well, i love you more than words can say. i am in awe of the little person you have become, the big personality hiding inside that tiny body, how is that possible? you have a way of bringing sunshine and warmth into my soul, flipping my frowns into smiles. you calm and comfort me when i didn't know i even needed it. you bring a sense of peace and happiness to every person in this family, and for YOU, we are all so very thankful. we love you samiyah. happy first birthday.

a fall visit to the zoo

this past week has been drizzly and quite chilly. today was different. today was quite a nice surprise. it started out a bit cloudy and cool, but by lunchtime when samiyah and i picked up makayah from preschool, it was a sunny 70 degrees outside...or at least it felt like it. it was gorgeous and we needed to take advantage of it.

so, after we picked up isaiah from school, we picked up daddy from school and then headed over to the zoo. we absolutely love going to the zoo. first of all, it is free. can't beat that. and they have almost everything an expensive zoo would have. they also have this super awesome children's playpark. it's great. we ate our dinner while walking the zoo paths. the best part was when the zookeepers were herding the flamingos indoors for the evening. they were squawking and flapping their feathers, running on their skinny stick legs. samiyah was watching and giggled, she thought it was the best thing in the world. she'd smile at the flamingos and laugh, and then look over at sam and myself and smile again. i don't have a picture of that...so this will have to do:
i think the best part of the zoo this visit was the super chubby prairie dog. makayah yelled out at him, "hey, cute little fatty!" he was adorable. he was so big that his arms were just hanging on the sides of body, and his legs sticking straight out. he just sat there watching as the other prairie dogs were busily engaged in burrowing winter homes. he'd lower his head every once in a while and that just made us burst into giggles because it made him look even cuter.
it felt so good to walk around in the fresh fall air and warm sunshine. we all needed a good dose of vitamin d after a week of gray skies and rain.

quotes of the day...

today on the ride over to the law school to pick daddy up, isaiah pondered in the backseat. "mom, i want to be the president when i grow up. you know why? because presidents can make laws. and the first law i would make would be no fighting. the second one would be, no gaunch launches. the third would be, no robbing. and i think i should also make a law for kids saying that they can't jump off the tops of houses."

...funny enough, i probably could've used that last law when i was a kid. no joke.

the other day when we were on our way to pick up isaiah from school, makayah said, "mom, do you know who my best friend in the whole world is? well, she has black hair, and black eyes. she's really beautiful and fun."

...is it "so and so?"

"nope. it's YOU, mom!"

...i have to say, that made me feel pretty darn special. what would i do without my little ones?

Samiyah is walking

my little mims is officially a walker. she has been so timid about walking and with her being my third child, i really haven't encouraged her. isaiah and makayah both started walking just as they turned 11 months. samiyah will be turning one this week. she began walking along the sides of things like chairs, walls, etc. after a while she mustered up the courage to move from the side of the couch, let go, and fling herself onto me, toddling a few steps in the process.

but, whenever we tried to video tape her, or when anyone began to clap. she would stop and plop down onto the floor. she didn't want to practice walking when we set her up to and she'd kinda just hang limp from our arms. so, we really didn't push her after that first attempt. she practiced when she thought no one was watching. and so it seemed, one day, she suddenly began walking through the house.

it is so funny to see her little body moving. she looks like a little fairy imp toddling through the gigantic (compared to her) apartment. her head barely pokes up above our bed, and sometimes we'll hear the little pads of her feet coming through, and there is her little head bobbing alongside our bed, and her sweet toothy smile, so proud of herself. it's priceless.

she seems too little to be walking around. and now, of course, she will be getting into everything, and i don't mind one bit. i could watch her toddle all day long.

i do have a rare clip of a few of her steps before she caught me recording her. i will upload it tomorrow.

withdrawals

it's been two weeks and still very difficult for the both of us. samiyah will smack me and yell at me, so upset and hurt. i feel so guilty and weak, about to throw my hands up in the air and give in. she'll take her bottle of formula, but it's just not the same. it's an incredibly tedious task to wake up at 5:45am and prepare a bottle of milk. i'd much rather pick her up, nurse, and be done. but those days are sadly gone. i didn't want to wean her so early, but because of the new baby, i just had to.

sam was getting after me for not being strict enough, and allowing TWO babies to suck all the energy out of me. it was very much a half hearted effort. isaiah was weaned at 15 months. makayah was weaned at 13. i felt like i was cheating samiyah out of her last month, and apparently, she felt the same way.

it hasn't been easy. i've been more diligent about the bottle for night-time feedings than i have for the morning feedings. yes, i've cheated. yes, i've cried. i know it's mostly the excess hormones, but it's really difficult letting my baby go, and making her grow up, and HAVING to wean her, and this "decision" not really being up to me or samiyah.

she has been my sweetest and easiest baby, and how do i repay her? i force her to become a toddler, and take away the one thing she wanted most. it had to happen sooner or later, i just wish it was later.

the top 10 of pregnancy number 4

1. undeniable cravings. they change with each thought and mood. but once my heart is set on something i might see or smell or think of...bam, i need it. i need it or there is a very real possibility i may puke. some things i've just HAD to have: steak. organic grape juice. lasagna. grapefruit. pho noodles. bubble tea. fruit tart. once i've satisfied the specific craving, i usually don't have any desire to eat it ever again.

2. at the very beginning, before i even knew i was pregnant, i was at my parents' house. we had just watched this documentary about juicing and decided we'd all juice together. so we did. i drank so much juice and still felt starved. i was extremely fatigued and no energy to even get up and change samiyah. luckily, i was surrounded by my mother, aunt, grandmother, sisters who all helped care for my children. and i seriously thought that the hunger and fatigue was just a side effect of the juicing....little did i know. i only vigorously juiced for 1.5 days and then had to stop. i kept juicing but also ate real food as well. i was tired, tired, tired! nursing alongside making a human being will do that to ya.

3. mood swings. i'm extremely emotional. i get choked up watching any commercials with puppies, kittens, really any baby animal will bring me to tears. i get choked up watching the x-factor, the biggest loser, waving good-bye to isaiah and makayah as they head off to school. choked up as i pick them up from school. choked up whenever i see samiyah smile her cheesy, toothy smile. basically, i'm on the edge of crying all the time.

4. i have to pee all the damn time. 12am, 3am, 5am, it's the most annoying part because it is so hard for me to fall back asleep. i'm one of those people who thinks about all i have to do tomorrow, and start planning for this and that in my head. it's hard enough trying to get to sleep initially, much less trying to stay asleep.

5. one of the "symptoms" that led me to maybe thinking of taking a pregnancy test was a stuffy nose. weird, right? but, with isaiah i was so stuffy. i wasn't sick, just stuffy. so, that coupled with my extreme hunger and fatigue...well, i knew something was up.

6. i can drink buckets of water. in fact, i have to drink buckets of water just to keep my mouth from feeling like i just swallowed the entire sahara desert. i will even wake up in the middle of the night because i am so thirsty. maybe if i didn't have to drink so much water, number four on this list wouldn't be an issue.

7. i get hot and cold flashes. one minute i'm shivering under a thousand blankets. the next, i'm sweating bullets pushing open the windows. it's nuts.

8. i'm 10 weeks and look like i'm 20. when i was pregnant with the girls, i didn't show at all until 4 months. i didn't have to wear any maternity clothes until 4 months. let's just say, i've unpacked my box of maternity clothes, again.

9. i'm anemic. well, i don't know for sure. BUT, the nurse did call and tell me to give her a call about my blood test. she said i shouldn't be alarmed, she just needed to give me some tips to correct something. and since i've been anemic during the first trimester with all three of my past pregnancies, why should this be any different? i've been loading up the legumes, but i think i should still give the nurse a call. ;)

10. with all the crazy, nutty things that happen during my pregnancies, this has to be the easiest one, considering i have three children to watch after and actively care for. honestly, isaiah's was the easiest because i could sleep and eat whenever i wanted to. but if i were as tired as i was with isaiah now...i'd be passed out on the couch from 3pm-7am. that's not the most ideal situation to put my mischievous kids in.

all in all, thank you baby number 4 for making this pregnancy quite memorable and manageable as i run after your three siblings. it's very considerate of you. i am looking forward to the easy part of the second trimester when my energy returns in full force, and when we can see the 20 week ultrasound. that is always my favorite part.

heaven is invisible....

as we were driving to preschool this morning, makayah said aloud, "mom, when i was flying in the clouds up in the airplane, i DIDN'T see Jesus, that just doesn't make any sense!" i tried to explain that heaven is invisible to us right now. she thought that was pretty cool, and somehow, that kinda made more sense. good enough for now, until i think of a better explanation later on.

8 weeks 6 days

today was the first doctor's appointment i had since finding out i was pregnant. honestly, it was quite funny coming back so soon. but my nurse was so excited to see me again, as well as my doctor. they each shouted hooray when they came in the room to see me. i love them, and they don't think i'm crazy for having another baby so soon after. ;)

i was so anxious for this first visit. mostly because all we had to go on that i MAY be with child was the store bought positive pregnancy test, the fatigue, and my wildly enormous cravings...funny enough, i've never experienced such strong cravings for anything with any of my other children. so, it was comforting to see the ultrasound picture/movie of the little jellybean baby hiding out in my tummy. since i was farther along than my previous pregnancies, we could actually see baby's little face (eyes, nose and mouth)...and body tucked in under his/her head. at the precise moment we ooh'd and ahh'd, the baby gave a little head and shoulder wiggle. it was the most adorable ultrasound i had ever seen! it was almost as if baby knew exactly when we could see him/her and wanted to say hello. my baby is already so sweet and considerate!

everything has been made more "real." it's one thing to see two pink lines telling you your preggo hormones are up...but it is quite another to actually see a moving being...living, breathing, heart-beating, all inside of me. it blows my mind, even at number four.

and then of course all the yucky needle, blood drawing stuff. i'm just glad that part is done. it's not really that bad, but i just can't get over the whole needle thing.

i wish i could say i went home and got to go to bed after my appointment. BUT, sam had a law school social thing we all went to. on our walk up to the building it was being held in, one of the law school deans came out of the law building. he had seen our kids walk past the glass doors of the law building and thought they snuck out of the building trying to escape their parents. once he came outside, he saw sam and i walking up ahead and breathed a sigh of relief and said hello to the whole crowfoot clan. sam really does go to the best law school ever. such awesome people. ;)

the place we went was actually a different building than the law building. we walked up bascom hilll. stopped. turned around, and looked down upon UW campus & downtown madison. there were students sprawled across the lawn studying, trees turning the colors of fall, and the smell of honeysuckle wafting through the cool, crisp air. sam and i looked at each other. we are going to miss this place soooo much when we have to leave. madison has been so good to us.

we continued on towards the social. the kids found other kids to run amok with, and we were served spring rolls, rice, and other asian dishes while we socialized. several weeks ago, i was craving asian food. i had to have it or i would throw up. now? well, i took the tiniest bite of the spring roll....yup, can't do it. i had to spit out some of my food in a napkin. gross, i know. all i could eat was brown rice with bokchoy. so, on our way home i was still so hungry. hungry for something specific. i just had to have a fruit tart from whole foods. had to. i begged sam to stop and buy me one. he said he wanted to use the van when he went snowboarding (no catching rides with friends). ok, i can do that. whatever i had to agree to to get my tart, yes!

the kids raced through the house finishing up their chores for the day, hopping into their pj's just so they could get a slice of fruit tart. they did such an excellent job. i will talk more on the fabulous chore chart later that is seemingly miraculous in a later post. as crazy busy as the day and evening was, bedtime went smoothly and i got to enjoy the rest of the entire tart, all to myself. it's been an amazing day, and now it's time for bed. :)

Cucumber Eyes

i gave two choices for quiet time today. choice number one: eat the afternoon snack of cucumbers and broccoli, quietly. choice number two: read a book, quietly. makayah grabbed two cucumber slices, skipped over to one of the chairs in the living room, put her head back, kicked her heels up, and placed the two cucumber slices on top of her eyes. "mom, this is how i'm going to spend MY quiet time."