Sleepy Time Sequence in Syncopation

Dear Peep and Peach, 
On the morning before our trip to Michigan City and Chicago I came into Hazel's room to wake you.  I found Henry with his hand on top of your head (Hazel).  I thought this was incredibly cute so I ran to grab my camera before I woke you. I took one shot and I gave you a little shake, saying, "Wakey, wakey, it is time for our trip!"  Unexpectedly, the two of you did a 10 to 15 second coordinated dance of sorts.  You pulled the exact same moves and I quickly snapped the few shots and then you both slipped back into your gentle snores.  It was a special way to start our trip.  Most times Peep you try to act like you just can't sit next to your little sister.  This was so sweet.  Glad I had my camera on hand.

   Love, Mama

Eye Can See Clearly Now the Fuzz is Gone! All Obstacles Get Out of My Way

Dear Babes, 
I've mentioned before that I have you participate in experiements at IU.  I signed you both up for a couple at IU Optometry, they give ya cool stuff after and a free extensive eye exam.  We already knew Hazel has a very tiny, non-invasive, static cataract, we thought she may need glasses and with some developmental concerns (some muscle weakness, not reaching out, problem solving, motor things) they felt it was time to outfit her with some sweet pink specs. 

Little did we know, suspect or expect but Henry, you needed glasses too!  When the doctor dilated your eyes you were pretty annoyed that one of them was so blurry!  I kept telling you it was just the dilating making the blurry but after your exam it was clear that you had one +1.25 eye and one +.25 eye and needed glasses for close up work.  

You both have been wearing them like old pros and haven't messed with them at all.  When we put yours on Hazellie, you reached, stared, picked and clapped and smiled for a good half hour after.

I am really proud of you both, seemingly adjusting without any issues.  You both look TOO cool.  I'm glad you've joined the four eye club.   Love, Mama

Spring Flower

Dear Hazelita and Henny, 
You seem to be an outdoor kids.  Hazelita, you love the breeze, the sun, the trees, the grass, and even little rain drops rolling on your bitty nose.  Since the temperatures have been a kinder, warmer welcome to the outdoors we've been spending more time in it.  Last week Henny and I cleaned the garage out and you had no problem playing in your jumper-roo while we worked.  Henry, you are a super outdoor worker, never afraid to get dirty.  After the work was done we traced our bodies on the driveway.  You both giggled and twitched as the chalk went around your middles and fingers.  It turned out cute.

Henny, you made certain we were all holding hands.  I think it took on the look that I had floating baby balloon children.  Last Sunday we took our first walk on the B Line since the nice weather.  It started out great but an over exuberant Henry took over and the wildness that getting in the outdoor brings out burst forth.  

We got back to the van to reel it in quickly but not before you (Henny) got to run and jump off of everything and Hazel got a great ride on Daddy's lap, clinging to his side like a munchichi.  Then, just yesterday we had outdoor art time, painting with things we found in nature.  We used big sticks, little sticks, pine cones, smooth rocks, textured rocks, dandilions, grass and our fingers.  The soft breeze picked up and so did little Hey-Dizzle's smile.  

You love the wind, little puff.  You squealed.  Henry and I started to gather our things as little rain drops started spitting down on our paintings and heads, you just squealed some more and threw in a couple of hand claps.  Hey-Dizzle and Mama took a walk this afternoon in the neighborhood.  I left your feet natural and you smiled and clapped all the way down the street, cranking your ankles in circles and scrunching your toes.   When we came upon a dogwood that had showered its blossoms on the sidewalk, already giving way to miniature green leaves.  They covered the conrete like a fluffy pink cloud, I just had to take pictures of you on top of them.  

You dipped your hands in and pulled petals to pieces, watched intently cars passing by, and I could have sworn you garbled out, "Oooh! This is cool!" 

I enjoyed our little photo session.  I look so forward to spending copious amounts of time outdoors this spring and summer.  I think we were all getting a bold case of cabin fever!  Let's have lots of fun together!
Love, Mama              

Pucker Up!

Dear Peep, 
You really love your chapstick.  It has long been a tradition that Grandma P and Bahboo will get Mama some fun flavors for Christmas and this year was no exception.  You took great joy in trying them out.  Pucker up!

Smelling a little grape pixie stick, cherry nerds, with a cherry coke twist. Yum!
Love, Mama  

Vintage Hazel

Dear Hazel, You are the most irresistible in this little vintage dress.  I had to post a picture.  

Just hanging out on Daddy

Henry took one look at his sweet sister and said, "CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!"  He is right, you are.  Love, Mama

Little Glow Worms

Dear Cupcake,
I really love you next to your little glow worm, complements of your little friend Abraham.  I think you kind of look similar.  

 Love, Mama

Lots of Lift

Dear Zellie,
Your hair is in control...perhaps a little out of control.  So fluffy and so soft and so freaking stuck straight up in the air!  A few days after a good washing it starts to lay down a little, and when I say a little I mean you still bear a striking resemblance to Kate Gosselins 2000's look, slick in the front primping rooster in the back.  I love it really.  Just look how sweet you are.  I am sure this won't be my first hair drama in your life. 

 Love, Mama

Two Sweet

Dear Hazie Mazie, 
I had to post these because you are incredibly sweet.  Grandma P bought this little wicker stroller for you to play with someday.  Henny loves this thing!  but for now I'll just prop you in it for a few picts.  
Love you sweet girl, Mama

Dear Peep, 
I love a cold morning to put a cool hat on your head.  You do too.  Love this cuddly moment.  Your pants are rolled because the transition between short pants and long pants was a little difficult.  You were less than thrilled by the feel of the pants on your ankles.  Love your quirky little butt, 
Mama

We were playing different animals, here you are a fox getting away.

Look at you babies!  (Just look at them!)  I still feel like I am stuck in a dream.  Can I really have two children as special and sweet and crazy as these two?  I look at these pictures and I see each of their birth mama's, Hazel's WW and Henny's JoJo and I wouldn't/couldn't have it any other way.  We are sisters and women in the world that needed each other in may different ways.  I love them both.  My gratitude makes me crumble at times.  It also makes me stronger to make the difficult parent choices I need to make as a parent.  Still in disbelief, I look at them, snuggle their soft skin, whisper to them and breathe in all that goes into their being.  By nature and nurture these babies are going to be the coolest ever.

CHEESE!

Dear Toothless Hank,

I love your smiles.
They warm me up!
They make me feel important.
They are the prettiest gummy dazzlin' little smiles I've ever seen.





Love, Mommy

Big Boy Jammies

Dear Henry,

Nothing is sweeter then bed time with you, either getting ready for bed or waking up in the morning. You are like squeezin' on a big fluffy marshmallow or a sweet lil' pug puppy.
You grunt, smile, babble, shove your hand in my arm pit and wiggle your tiny fingers and twinkle your little tic tac-sized toes in my belly button. You're all warm and sugary smelling and I dare to say that I could eat a little piece and be happy forever. I put you near Papa and you lunge for him like a runner for the finish line, the prize being a big kiss.

Yesterday we amplified all of this by simply putting some big boy style jammies on you.
Before you were here and J told me I better be gettin' ready for you because, "You ARE going

to be a mom," Mommy went shopping at Old Navy and purchased you a couple of big boy jammies. The little two piece cotton numbers sans zips or snaps with an elastic waistband and contrasted cuffed wrists and ankles. OH HOW I LOVE THESE BIG BOY JAMMIES ON YOU!


These big boy jammies become the way mommies and daddies everywhere know with certainty that their boys and girls are growing because they watch the little sleeves become a three quarter sleeve and the once wrinkly pants are stretched straight and taut. You seem to be wearing 3-6 month clothing since about two weeks ago with a slightly baggy to perfect fit. I didn't think that you would be into them so soon. I like how the little shirt rides up on ya after you've been wigglin' so your belly peeks out at us. Nobody really tells mommies that the clothes sizes on the rack (newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months) aren't really any sort of manual to live by to make life easier or to estimating sizes to determine if the coolest bargain will fit at that particular stage in your development. You have to shoot and miss sometimes, but these little jammies rock and make changing your diaper much easier than snaps and zips, although we still have some of these on reserve for when we want ya to feel more like our little baby than our little boy. Did I mention you've been sleeping through the night since about week 4.5-6? It is really nice to get some sleep! That is about half of your life that you've gotten jammies and bottle at 9, laid down about 9:30 and calmly helped yourself get to sleep by 10:00. You sleep all night long and wake at about 7 and let us know by sucking LOUDLY on your thumb, which is perfect timing to see Daddy just after he has gotten ready for work. I love it, and I love you. I will continue to snuggle you in your jammies and kiss your face off forever, or at least as long as you will let me or you start shaving, I suppose whichever
comes first.


Love,
Mommy

A Ladies Day

Dear Henry,

Perhaps one day you'll wish for a day where many beautiful ladies are fawning all over you, saying how cute you are, rubbing your head and squealing at seeing you, I will remind you of these early days. This very thing happens to you ALL the time! I feel like I am with a celebrity. Just the other day I was at the grocery getting hamburger and an older gentleman... (old men love you too! and it works to my advantage too because I get lots of complements.) at the meat counter was saying how cute you are and asked your age and I told him 8 weeks with pride in my voice that you've made it this far in our care. He told me I looked great! I said, "Thanks! You should see his birthmother! She looks really good!" He laughed and said oh what a blessing that you adopted and walked away. About 5 minute later a woman at the opposite side of the store getting milk comes barging toward me with a purpose, I nearly looked over my shoulder to see if she was coming for me. She was, she said, "OH MY! He is cute! Some old man I don't know just told me I had to come meet this baby and hear your story." HA!

So back to the real purpose of this post...
This Friday our special cousin Kyra invited us over for a mothers day brunch. Grandma P was there, Auntie Lea, Mamaw Janie, Molly, Martha, Nellie, Kyra, Grannie, cousins Clayton and Hannah as well as Kyra's boys JD, Kolsen and Nash, and their Daddy Matt showed up later.

The ladies loved you and were so excited we are all a family now. When we first got there Auntie Lea and Kyra fought over who got to hold you first, like a bride's maid going for the bouquet at a wedding reception! Luckily no one fell over exposing their undies and nothing popped off of you. Then JD was all about holding you. He was great with you! I told him that part of the reason J said she picked us was due to a photo of JD and I playing Lincoln Logs. JD swelled with pride and became your personal protector.

Nash waited patiently for his turn to hold you. He loved strokin' your hair and snuggling you and was so SWEET!

Kyra made a bunch of great food to eat and my heart swelled up thinking about not only finally being a mother but that I am YOUR mother.


We stopped by Grandma LaJean's to visit with your great Aunt Ruthie and Great Grandma Hazel and then headed on home. Aunt Ruthie bought you a cute lil outfit with tigers on it. I can't wait to see you in the stripes!

It was a nice time! and I really appreciated that this year we could be a part of it in a whole new way.

I love you sweet cheeks,
Mommy