Hibbskids

Eat your heart out Pinterest

2012-02-12T22:13:00.008-05:00

I love beauty. I love when something as simple as a notebook feels special when it has a pretty print on the cover. However, I can get a little carried away sometimes. Like when Annalia's crayon box broke, and instead of just putting them in a ziplock bag, I made a pink, cinch bag to hold her crayons. Which of course meant she needed a matching bag to protect her "I Can Read" books, and now I want to make her cute matching name tags for her book bag and lunch box. See what I mean - a little carried away?

So of course, as Valentines Day approached, I started looking around for a really cool card idea that I could do together with the girls. I found this adorable froggy one - cute, right? Now, don't get me wrong, I think a beautifully, handcrafted card is a treasure, and shows a level of care and thoughtfulness that has been a little lost in our day and age.

But let's be honest, I wasn't going to make those cute froggy cards thinking about how each of

Annalia's classmates would appreciate the thought. No, I want all the mommies to think I am a cool, creative mom who takes time to do fun crafts with her kids.

Well, it was a busy week, (strep throat, scarlet fever, ear infection) and I didn't even think about making Valentine cards. we get to Sunday night, and of course I can't let her go to her class' Valentine's Day party without cards for her classmates. So, I pull out some old Thank You

cards (left over from our wedding) and colorful paper. She starts cutting out hearts, gluing them on, and all by herself, she creates these beauties.

I was humbled. I think about all the beautiful creations on Pinterest that I want to do, adding to this ridiculous list I think will make me a "cooler" person.

Tonight, I watched my daughter carefully cut, glue, and create individual cards for her friends, thinking about each classmate as she chose the colors and style. And I was reminded that this is what I love about handmade crafts. The thoughtfulness. The care.

It reminds me of a lady at church who hosts the most beautiful parties. Little flags label the foods, name plaques tell me which tea is in which pitcher, and the decorations are carefully handcrafted and gorgeous. With each detail, I know that she has been planning for weeks for my visit. She has put thought and care into making me feel welcome and comfortable in her home.

This is what I want to strive for. Thoughtfulness. I don't want to do things to show off, to make myself look cool. I want to make something because I know what joy it will bring to my friends, my family, and myself.

The Journey

2012-01-04T09:58:00.018-05:00

I have never liked due dates. I always thought it was silly that we assigned one specific day for the baby to arrive. With each pregnancy I would work hard to forget the "day" and just think about the general time. But this time, when there is no longer a baby to expect, all I have left is her due date -today- January 4th.

It is hard to reflect on the last 5 months, filled with questions and grief with little comfort and no answers. A week after giving birth to Hope, we moved into our new house - and I hated it. The house that we had bought envisioning 4 kids filling the rooms. Everywhere I looked I saw the spaces I had visually marked out for the new baby. That corner where I might put the swing I finally had space for. The ridiculously huge master bedroom that would have been perfect for keeping my newborn close-by. The beautiful soaking tub I had looked forward to laboring in. I hated it all.

But as it does, life kept moving on. People stopped greeting me with a sympathetic look. School started, both for Justin and Annalia (and myself as we began homeschooling,) Justin was voted in unanimously as the pastor of our church. And we started using our house for all the entertaining and hosting opportunities that has also influenced our purchasing decision.

But as much as I tried, the grief just didn't seem to fade. And with the grief, lots of guilt. I mean, it isn't like mine is the worst story out there. Woman have suffered so much more, losing all their kids in one fatal accident, watching their only child suffer for months before dying, and on and on. Yet I was still so consumed.

And of course, the questions. Why did God give me a baby I didn't plan, only to take her away after I was finally excited? How do I pray in Faith again? And just what role does Faith play in the way God answers our prayers? Did I make a mistake - holding her, naming her? Maybe it would have been easier if I had never seen the person that I lost. The more I dwelt on the questions, the worse I felt.

Psalm 119:28-30 says, "I weep with grief; encourage me by your word. Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your law. I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your laws.

We chose the name Hope because it means relying on something that we may not be able to see, or aren't feeling at that moment. There have been many moments these past few months that I have really let God know how I am feeling - and it wasn't pretty. It was easy to lie to myself. To say that God didn't care about me, that He didn't have a plan, and was mistaken if He thought I was strong enough to handle the multiple blows that had hit our family this summer.

But I have learned I can't focus on these things. I have to set my eyes on Jesus. I have to focus on the things I know. The Truth. "Truth soothes our fears, changes our feelings, and shapes our thoughts. The truth is what we need when the hurt is the deepest." It has been a journey, and I am not sure I see the end anywhere in sight. But I guess that is what Faith is for. As for the doubts, fears, and the lies I believe while wallowing in my grief - I guess that is what Grace is for.

"He shot His arrows deep into my heart. The thought of my suffering and hopelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction."

Lamentations 3:13, 19-22

Hope's Story

2011-07-06T20:47:00.021-04:00

I have always shared the birth story of my babies, but I debated sharing this one. Not the typical labor and delivery excitement like with the first three. Do I really want to put my pain out there for the public to see? But you all have been so supportive, so comforting, I want you to know.

When we found out we were pregnant with number 4, I have to admit it took a while for me to be excited. Although I had always wanted 4 kids, we had decided that Xander would be our last biological child, and even took steps to insure that. But soon I noticed how I could smell everything. So I took a test - and cried.

However, in the weeks to come, we bonded. We were all excited to add another child to our family. We started thinking about names, wondering if it would be a boy or a girl, and really moved our house search into high gear. We put a contract on a house, got to hear the baby's

heartbeat a few times, my belly button popped, I felt the first movements, and we were getting excited.

A friend called to say she was training another nurse on the sonogram machine and they needed pregnant mommies to practice on, and would I like to come in. Of course - who passes up the chance to get a sneak peak at their growing little one. And being the 4th, I figured, "what the heck, let's invite the whole family." I would be 14 weeks, and I was pretty confident we would be able to see the sex of the baby, as I had found out with both Naomi and Xander even earlier. The training nurse started looking around, and practiced taking measurements. Pretty soon, she leaned over and said that they weren't seeing what they expect to see, and maybe I should go see my midwife. I wasn't too worried at first. People have always had trouble finding my babies' heartbeats, and I knew the statistics. Once you have heard the heartbeat, and are past 12 weeks, the chance of miscarriage goes way down. But after seeing my midwife, and then the obstetrician, we learned that we had a

baby girl, and that she had died - probably that day.

Devastated. Crushed. Words just can't describe as we now had to think about the next step. I had 3 options. I could wait for my body to pass the baby on it's own, I could have a D&C (Dilation and Curettage - a medical procedure where they would force my cervix open and scrap out my uterus) or be

induced. The idea of the baby coming while I was home alone with the 3 kids sounded like too much. And I just couldn't even imagine the thought of being put to sleep while the doctor dismembered my baby girl to remove her from my body. The midwives and doctors agreed that the safest option was an induction.

Sat, July 9th, we were supposed to be moving into our new house. Instead, we were at the hospital. Before starting anything, we asked for another sonogram. Even though we both knew the truth, we had to see that still, silent screen one last time. They gave me some medicine to start things, and then we sat around and waited. I had expected it to be painful, and I had expected it to be emotional, but I didn't expect it to remind me of all my other births. The intense back pain that started every other labor. The horrible side effects of the epidural I remember from Annalia's birth. The way I felt my water break, like with Xander. The intense desire to have her near me after she was born. But that is where the similarities end.

Instead of rushing to hold and nurse my newborn baby in joyful anticipation, they handed me a tiny, perfectly formed baby no bigger than my hand. Our hearts broke.

We did all the things new parents do. We counted her fingers and toes - perfect. We touched her face - she has my chin. We just sat there and stared at our daughter. We decided then to name her Hope. In Hebrew, qavah (hope) means more than just wishing something will happen. Rather it is a confident waiting in something you know to come. To expect it. It also means to bind together. So although this whole experience has been so difficult, we know that our hope is bound God, and that He is sovereign, and we can trust in that.

After a bit, there was nothing left to do but say goodbye. As we sat in our empty room, with our empty hearts, Justin read Isaiah 40 to me, reminding me that God has everything in control. I may not feel it now, but deep down, I do have that hope.

It has been interesting going through all this with a 4 1/2 year old in the house. Annalía has been very involved in this pregnancy from the beginning. Early on, she told me she had heard in a dream that it was a girl. When we told her that the baby had died, she was crushed. But, being 4, she verbalizes everything while she processes is. She reminded me that Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, even after he started to stink. When I told her God probably wouldn't put another baby in my belly, she reminded me of Hannah's prayer, and that Samuel means "God answers." When I heard her crying at night, I went in to hold her, and she tearfully confessed that now she wasn't going to get to hold this baby while standing up, (something I had promised her). She seems to be working through her grief a lot faster than me though. The tears and anger are gone and she talks about her little sister all the time. She brings me things to make me happy, and she reminds me that she will never forget her little sister, Hope.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Justin has been so wonderful as we have cried and grieved together. The kids have been such a comfort, as I am reminded that so many women go through this with no children at home to help heal their hearts. And I have been blessed with such supporting and and understanding friends. The outpouring of help and prayers has just been overwhelming.

And now it is time for me to keep going. It doesn't mean I am ok. It doesn't mean there is a moment that goes by that I don't think about her and hurt. It just means that we have hope - a longing expectation that Jesus is caring for our child, a joyful knowing that we will meet her in heaven, and a trust that we are bound together with God as He holds us, comforting us through this season of pain and sorrow.

Curlylocks

2011-03-06T20:39:00.005-05:00

Curlylocks, Curlylocks,

Wilt thou be mine?

Thou shalt not wash dishes,

Nor yet feed the swine.

But sit in the parlor

And sew a fine seam,

And dine every day

Upon peaches and cream.

I am curious to hear what you think of this little nursery rhyme. I can picture my ultra-feminist friends bemoaning the idea that a woman's place is to sit pretty in her parlor and be doted upon by her hardworking husband. And although I have to admit that I had a bit of that reaction myself, ultimately this warms my heart. Here's why.

The other day at church, Mr. Stu whispered these sweet verses to my darling, curlylocked Naomi. Side-note of Mr. Stu. He is this inspirational, 98-year-old man who continues to live every day to the fullest. Always prepared with a profound thought or funny quip, it pains me to watch his lose of hearing keep him from the meaningful conversation I know he craves. One weekday, Mr. Stu stopped at the church to pickup his forgotten bible. He seemed a bit out of breath, so I asked him if everything was ok. He stopped to look at me, turned up his hearing aid and asked what I said. After repeating myself, he says, "Yeah, I'm fine. Well, I just got back from the gym, so I am a little winded."

Anyway, Mr. Stu has a special fondness for my Naomi. I believe her curly hair reminds him of his late wife. I don't know much about this woman, but I do know how much he loved her. How he is still proud of her beauty, that he was so lucky to have her. That he cared for her to the end, moving into the nursing home with her, even though he wasn't in need of the services.

We live in a time when woman's rights have come a long way, and don't get me wrong, I am thankful for the freedom I have to either choose a career, or not; a husband, or not; a traditional life or one packed with travel, adventure and danger. But there is something to be said about a mans desire to protect his wife, and a woman's desire to be cared for. Whether that manifests in the traditional "man=breadwinner, woman=homemaker," model, or in something a bit more radical, I want my girls to know that it is ok to have needs, to need people. And that I will love them dearly, whether their heart's desire is to scale the cliffs of Kilimanjaro or to sit in a parlor and sew a straight seam.

Lessons from "Little Women"

2010-12-26T21:31:00.004-05:00

I didn't grow up with cable, so Christmas never included 24 hours straight of "The Christmas Story" or any other countless holiday movies. But it is certainly one aspect of Christmas that I enjoy now. So when I laid down one night and saw that Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" was on, I was thrilled. I remember really liking the movie when I was younger, but I seemed to get so much more out of it this time. There were a few things that really struck me this time. I don't know if it is because I am getting old, or if it the phase of life I am in, but I wanted to share.

1- Simplicity - I loved all the Christmas decorations: the hand-tied garland that flanked every entryway, the bows tied from left-over red scraps. I am so often ashamed by my ridiculous amount of possessions, purchased for a ridiculous amount of money at some store, or from some garage sale. After watching the movie, I was inspired to make my own wreath. Something I have always wanted to do. It wasn't crazy hard, it didn't take forever, but it certainly took time. It took energy, and I ended up with something I was proud to put on my door. But what if I had to make everything I used? Every article of clothing that had to be cut and sewn? Every grain of wheat that had to be harvested, dried and ground? Would I think twice about my "needs"? Something as simple as chicken stock, bread, pasta, butter - what if I had to make these things everytime you wanted it? Perhaps I would be more cautious of the things I use.

2- Simple Food - The March family has fallen on hard times during the war, as has the whole community. On Christmas morning they lay a breakfast spread that each girl marvels at. The main delight? Bread with butter. Later, Joe is in New York and has meet Prof. Bear. At one point he hands her a gift - a simple orange. Later that night she writes by candlelight while eating her pealed orange. Would I be satisfied with a simple orange as my bedtime snack? I think about my options each night for a snack. The food in my fridge, freezer and pantry could probably feed my family for weeks, maybe months. I work hard to make simple, unprocessed foods for my family. Yet thinking about this made me realize just how far from "simple" I live.

3- Some things don't change - I never liked Amy, in the book or the movie. I still remember reading the book as a child, and throwing the book across the room when Amy marries Laurie. And I was so upset when she waisted a whole months rag money on limes. What a silly desire. But don't we all do that, buy into something simple that every one else wants? I do it. The "all natural" looking toys I like my children to have, trendy clothes, a well-designed home. These are my 26 limes that cost my family a whole months rag money.

4- I am old - I remember watching this movie when I was in highschool, and I was not satisfied at all when Joe ended up with Prof. Bear. Why? Because Laurie was a young, energetic character while Prof. Bear was old. What happened when I watched it this time? Somehow Prof Bear wasn't so old. He was charming, intelligent, and sophisticated. The movie certainly didn't change, it must be me. I must be getting old, because the ending was so much more satisfying this time.

I watched the movie with Annalia this time. I know it was silly, to think that she would enjoy it at her age. She didn't. She kept asking if we could watch "An American Tale" instead. I really hope I didn't ruin it for her. At the end, she said "I didn't like that movie." Probably had something to do with Joe (a boy's name) ending up with the old guy.

Moon Festival

2010-09-23T15:12:00.005-04:00

Remember the beginning of the summer when I shared about our disastrous journey to the National Zoo in DC? (I'm not a true blogger, so I don't know how to link to past stories - sorry). I won't bore you with the details, but it involved a long drive, traffic, no parking, vomiting, and ultimately an early end to the day.

I have learned my lesson.

Last February my girls discovered NiHao KaiLan, a Nick Jr. show that is basically Dora The Explorer, but for Chinese culture. I hate to admit it, but I kind of like the show and its eastern, "think of the group" way of solving problems.

Anyway,

They learned about the Chinese Moon Festival, where you eat dinner under the full moon and eat moon cakes. So of course, me with my love for anything that has to do with a culture other than my own, decided to enlighten my children and make moon cakes with them. I got some pretty weird looks at the Asian market when I was asking for the ingredients. Apparently no one eats moon cakes in the winter - as the festival is in the fall. I guess it is kind of like looking for Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes in August.

So we waited - all summer - looking forward to the Moon Festival. Looking back, it is kind of silly. It isn't like there is some cool meaning behind the festival that we could focus on. Just another one of those "turning of the seasons" kind of holiday that is part of most cultures.

Silly or not, I planned an elaborate family outing to Chinatown in DC. And by elaborate, I mean we had no other plan than to just go downtown and eat at a Chinese restaurant. Yup, I drove to the metro, paid the parking and the train fare, dragged the double stroller and my baby in a sling through the DC Metro - just to eat at a Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown.

And it was totally worth it. Only you and I know that what we did wasn't a big deal. My girls had no clue. According to them, we had taken them to China itself, with roasted ducks hanging in the windows and signs written in unreadable (for us) Chinese characters. We went to the "Wok 'n' Roll" (corny, huh?) where the girls had bubble tea, dumplings and ramen. The servers were impressed with Annalia's Chinese words (Thank you KaiLan), and they were thrilled with Xander.

I love going places that are so influenced by another culture that the workers barely speak English. It makes you think you are getting the real thing, not just take-out General Tso's Chicken. I knew I was in one of those places when a waitress came up to me and offered to hold Xander while I ate. I can't even imagine that happening at a "Friday"s or "Chili"s. So I happily handed him off and devoured my Chow Mein. Justin just stared at me in shock.

After our yummie and uneventful meal, we packed the kids back up into the stroller and sling, and I handed the girls their mooncakes. (purchased, I learned that no one makes their own moon cakes). I had thought of taking them into a little store to buy a souvenir. You know, something else to make the trip all that way worth it. But they were ready to go home, and I didn't argue.

purposeful disappointment

2010-09-13T23:59:00.007-04:00

Nobody wants their child to be spoiled, but it isn't always an easy thing to do. I look around our house, filled to capacity of things we think we "need". I only buy toys for the kids for birthdays and Christmas, yet there always seems to be more than we can handle.

Annalia has been looking forward to her birthday for quite a while now. I guess she is finally old enough to understand that it is a day all about her, she gets things she wants, and of course, she gets to request whatever cake she wants.

She made it very clear that she wanted 3 things. A little sewing machine, a pink pillow pet, and a pink cake with blue butterflies. So simple, so little. Yet I didn't want to start a precedence that would eventually lead to extravagant birthdays with lots of expensive gifts. I prepared her for the idea that she MAY not get everything she asked for. Lucky me, she was eventually ok with it. She told me all she wanted was the little sewing machine and she would make her own pillow pet. (Can you tell she is my child?)

Now, I knew that a little sewing machine was not the most practical gift. She is a little to young to REALLY use it. But it was all she talked about, all she wanted. Did I "give in" to this one desire, or purposefully disappoint her that she won't always get whats she wants? Well, like so many other things, I let circumstances decide for me. I happened to be in Joann's without the girls and saw that the little tiny sewing machines were on clearance, and only 1 was left.

So I got it.

And I didn't get the pillow pet - but I am not sure that should count, because I did let the grandparents know that was what she wanted. And, come on, what grandparent is going to pass up the opportunity to get the prized gift?

And of course I was going to make her a special cake - that is just what I do.

Then, the day before her birthday, I get mega-sick. Could barely get up, was in no shape to make a pink cake with blue butterflies. The next morning I was feeling a little better, but not even close to good. She was disappointed, but didn't really understand that there was no way I was going to be able to make her cake. On the way to church, I have a great idea. I will swing through Dunkin Donuts and get her a donut with pink frosting. She is thrilled, and all seems to be well. Until I get to the window and realize that I left my wallet at home.

So much for worrying about getting her everything she wanted. It seems I was able to disappoint her without even trying. And of course I felt so bad. Who wants to make their beautiful 4-year-old cry on her birthday?

All in all, it was a great day, and she loved (almost) every moment of it. You should see the way her face lit up when she opened the sewing machine, and then the PINK pillow pet. That girl was in high heaven. And to top it off, I had Justin pick up a dozen donuts as her "cake", and you would have had no idea that just hours earlier she was crying over the loss of her pink cake with blue butterflies.

A Green One

2010-09-09T21:50:00.003-04:00

I recently made a batch of trail mix for the girls. Which, of course, included m&m's. And I fully expected the girls to eat that first (Come on - who wouldn't?) It was especially cute watching Naomi. She would pick up each piece of candy-coated chocolate and declare, "I found a red one!!" or "I found a blue one!!" It was as if each new discovery was another reason to celebrate.

Later, I was at the grocery store and Naomi was in the front seat - an uncommon occurrence, as she prefers to walk the isles with her big sister. I was mostly focusing on the grocery list, but every once in a while I would hear Naomi exclaim, "I found a green one!!" I didn't think much about it. I figured she was finding colors in the store and making a game of it. In fact, I was even a little proud of my cute little 2-year-old as she showed off her color skills.

Then I happened to look at her right before one of these little bursts of color excitement. She digs her finger into her nose, pulls out a nice, big boogie, and shouts - "I found a green one!!"

Eat Your Words

2010-08-27T07:46:00.001-04:00

Isn't it so rewarding to prove someone wrong after they have said something not-so-nice about you. Perhaps you overheard so-and-so mention your less than stellar housekeeping skills, and then the next time they visit your house happens to be in impeccable order. Those are always good days.

Monday was not one of those days. Someone recently asked me what the biggest challenge has been with adding a 3rd child. My answer was immediate and definite - going out. It is a juggling act to get myself and 3 kids ready, into the car, with everything we need for the outing, into the store, around the store, through the check-out, and then back home. And since Xander is only 3 months old, I am still in the trial and error stage.

Oh the choices - keep Xander in that awful infant seat, only to have something else to drag around after he has woken up and is crying because he hates the thing. Or put him in the sling, knowing that at some point I will probably have to carry a kicking and screaming Naomi because I didn't let her run wild (as her heart so desires.)

I know now that the first time to a new place should be thought of as "training" and I shouldn't go with the expectation of actually accomplishing what you would expect to accomplish at said place. But knowing this and doing this are 2 different things. We took a trip to the library on Monday. We have gone often enough that the girls now know what is expected of them. However, we hadn't been in a few weeks - just enough time for them to forget. To top it off, I had forgotten the sling, which means I was down an arm at all times.

It all started out decent enough. I held Xander as my 2 darling daughters held each others hands and walked gracefully into the library. On our way in an older woman looked at me and said, "How sweet, we could all learn a thing or 2 from you." I told her she may want to reserve her praise until the end of the trip. And boy was I right. I spent the entire time chasing Naomi, putting her into time-out, telling Annalia to stay in the kid's section and not follow me as I stop Naomi from pulling every book off the shelves. I don't think we were in the building for more than 5 minutes before I decided we needed to leave. Of course, that meant dragging a very resistant Naomi through the checkout line (where of course I had fines to pay, because it was just that sort of day) and out the door.

I don't know if that nice lady was still in the building, witnessing my desperate attempt to discipline a 2 year old in public, but I am sure she was ready to eat her words.

A Coffee Can of buttons

2010-08-25T22:29:00.003-04:00

You know how you have these memories from your childhood that seem so simple, yet so beautiful. Climbing a certain tree in your backyard? That one place on the playground that you and your friends always hung out at during recess?

One of mine is a coffee can of buttons. I know it sounds silly, but my mom had a coffee can filled with random buttons under her sewing table that I loved to play with. I loved the feeling of digging my hands deep into the can. How all the buttons were so smooth. I loved looking at all the different types of buttons there were, sorting them out. Does this make sense to anyone else besides me? I don't know what the draw was, but I loved it.

But how do you get a ton of buttons? Have you ever checked the price on them? It is ridiculous. You can spend over 1 dollar for 2 buttons. At that price, it would cost a pretty penny to fill up a whole bucket.

So when I say my friend's tub of buttons at sewing camp, I went a little bizerk. All those same childhood feelings came rushing back as I dug my hands into the buttons. I guess Andrea pitied the look she saw on my face, because she let me take them home.

And of course, as soon as I get home, I want to share my childhood memory with my girls, and let them play in this big ol' bucket of buttons.

WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I THINKING? Buttons - EVERYWHERE. It was a nice memory - but now I feel bad for my mom having to pick up after me all those years ago. Although, it is cool to see that Naomi seems to have the same fascination with a bucket of buttons as I did. And I can already see her, 28 years old, chasing down rolling buttons as her 2 year old indulges in her mommy's impractical, nostalgic whim.

Never a Dull Moment

2010-08-15T20:13:00.003-04:00

Sometimes a long day can lead to tired kids, an early bedtime, and some much needed R&R for Mommy. But more often than not, a long day leads to exhausted children, a chaotic night, and a mommy wishing her glass of wine was a stiff drink.

Anyone wanna guess which night I had tonight?

Justin and I knew it was going to be a long day for us and for the kids, so we planned accordingly. And amazingly things went very much according to plan. We didn't forget

anything at church, we got in and out of a sit-down lunch in less than 45 minutes, and Naomi even took a nap in the church nursery during the whole memorial service.

I finally took the kids home to feed them supper and put them to bed. Justin, unfortunately, had to stay at church for a meeting. So it was all up to me. The kids needed a bath, so - silly me - I decided to give them one. Not that big of a deal, now that Xander is old enough to be in the big tub (in his little infant sling, of course.) As I am sudsing up Little Man, Annalia is in the tub helping me. I had already stripped Naomi down, all ready to toss her in once I got Xander out.

All is going well, even though I seem to be smelling Naomi's previously poopy diaper quite strongly. I make a mental note to take out the diaper pail - I figured it must be pretty full and that is why I am still smelling her dirty diaper. Until I look over, and see that Naomi apparently wasn't finished filling her diaper. She had taken a nice-sized dump on the floor. And since I was so intent on making sure my 3 month old didn't sink below the water, she had enough time to step in it multiple times, and then try to wipe it off of her foot on various things.

Poor Xander had no idea why he was left to scream on my bed, wrapped only in a towel (I sure hope he didn't pee and I just don't know) while I hastily got Naomi clean enough to dump her in the tub. Eventually, I got everyone clean and in bed (well, almost. Annalia is still going potty - in the toilet, thank goodness, and not on the floor.)

On the plus side - my bathroom floor is now spic-n-span.

Just go for it

2010-07-07T12:37:00.005-04:00

Brave. Adventurous. Crazy. However you want to label me, it all comes out the same. I have always been the kind of person that does what I want, even when it isn't very convenient to do so. And having a 3rd child hasn't exactly changed that.

Earlier this year, Justin found out he would be going to a computer conference in Denver in June. And since that just happens to be the city that my best friend was moving to, naturally I planned on taking the whole family. Never mind the fact that my 3 baby was due the end of May. I figured I had taken a 6 week old on a plane before - what could be different. Mmm, maybe the 3 year old and 2 year old that would also be tagging along?

I used to be able to just go somewhere without much planning or thought. Boy am I glad I took some time to prepare for this trip. Our carry-ons were filled with books, crafts, and of course, the computer and mp3 player with all their favorite songs. Clearly the music helped them both take a good nap on that first flight.

As we were planning the trip, I kept reminding my friend that I have 3 kids. I repeat, 3 kids. There were others visiting as well. Each couple with their 1, very manageable, child. Everything is complicated when you have multiple children. Going out to eat (thank you Jesus for booths!), getting around (that $110 upgrade to the minivan was SO worth it,) and sightseeing (Mmm, unless that Museum has the word "Children's" in front of it, I think we'll pass.)

But really, I had a great time. I may have spent a lot of my time chasing kids around, feeding children, telling stories and initiating new activities to keep everyone entertained, but I also learned that the best times are often had when all the other plans go to pot. Like when we had to duck out early while the other checked out downtown Denver, we stumbled upon a Butterfly Pavilion on our way home (score!). Or when Miriam came to pick us up from the airport and we somehow shoved 2 large suitcases, 3 kids and us (me holding another carseat on my lap) into her 94 Toyota Carolla. And, of course, there are the things you do despite having children, like going to the 12:01am opening of Eclipse, praying that Xander will take the bottle (first time) with formula (because I forgot my pump.)

There have been plenty of activities over the past few years that I have opted out of because I thought it would be too much of a hassle dragging my kids along. And I am sorry for missing almost every one of them. Last night I took Annalia and Naomi to the carnival. At the last minute, I decided to take Xander too. (Justin had a lot of work so I felt bad leaving him with a crying baby.) I admit, I started with a bad attitude - I knew it would be a disaster. And for the most part, it was. It was packed, we had to park a half a mile down the street (beyond the end of the sidewalk.) When we finally arrived, I learned that both girls were too small for any of the rides. So we spent $10 for them to throw a dart and pick up a ducky, and finished off our trip with an ice cream cone for each girl.

But as they held hands and licked their melting ice cream on the hike back to our car, I was glad I took them. Not because it was a "successful" trip, but simply because we did it. Call me crazy, but I LIKE it when things aren't perfect. Probably because it makes for a better story :)

Next crazy adventure - planning on taking my 3 kids (probably by myself) to Dutch Wonderland to meet up with my friend and her 3 kids. Watch out!

2 hands, 3 kids

2010-06-22T21:18:00.003-04:00

I have heard the sentiment before. Sometimes with understanding and camaraderie. Other times it is with a cynical tone. Either way, the fact remains that I now have more children than I can hold on to myself.

I will admit, I am a little intimidated by the idea of raising 3 children - at the same time. Not just the emotional and social stuff, but even the logistics of it. You can't fit 3 carseats across the backseat of a typical car. We won't all fit on the 3-seat side of the airplane anymore, we could take up a whole row now (if we wanted to pay for the little one's ticket.) Everything just takes a little extra time.

Well, I have begun my journey into the land of 3 kids. It has been a peaceful first month. With lots of help from Justin, and my MIL, I haven't had to take all 3 kids on an outing by myself yet. That is, until yesterday. We are headed on a trip, and I needed to get a bunch of stuff. The idea of 2 hours wandering around Super Walmart, chasing after my 2-year-old had me sweating. Thankfully, there is a really nice Target nearby that just added fresh produce (and I needed some fruit.) So I packed us all up - said a prayer - and headed out.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a space open next to the cart corral (thank you God.) and in that corral was one of those mega-carts that has 2 seats attached for the older kids. I thought this would be perfect for my first outing. All 3 kids contained sounded like a good idea. (All you seasoned moms can laugh at my naivety - I give you permission.)

I needed to exchange an item, so we started at the Customer Service Desk. She informed me that I needed to go and get the other size I needed, and come back. So I start pushing that monster of a cart around the infant section, looking for what I needed. As I am bumping into everything, Naomi is already begging to get out and walk. Annalia is repeatedly telling me she needs to go to the bathroom. And Xander wakes up - unhappy to be in his carseat - and probably just a little hungry. Great.

Thank God for the Family Restroom. One big room where we can all regroup. (not to mention no one can hear me as I reprimand Naomi for sticking her hand in the toilet water.) It is here that I decide the mega-cart is not for me. I am going to just going to suck it up and teach Naomi how to stay next to me. (insert lots of prayers here.) I put Xander in the sling, get him latched on and covered up (nothing stresses me out more than listening to my crying baby while I try to shop.) and we head back out into Target.

I am happy to say, that this story has a happy ending. With my nursing baby in the sling, I marveled at my oldest take care of her little sister. Although Naomi started in the cart, she soon wanted to be walking with Annalia. You need to know, that this has NEVER worked out before. But this time, she stayed in the same isle as me, and always returned when I called her. She did remove quite a few items from the lower shelves, but always put them back when I told her to. I was shocked - completely amazed. Naomi, who is usually one to test every boundary, over and over again, behaved beautifully under the example of her older sister.

As we left the store, I almost teared up when I saw Annalia take Naomi's hand to walk her across the parking lot. It made me think that I even though I have more kids that I can hang on to myself, I do have enough hands. They just may not all be my own.

Learning my own lessons

2010-06-11T22:40:00.005-04:00

Well, I am now the proud mother of not 1 or 2, but 3 children. And now that Xander is 3 weeks old and has finally woken up, the real fun begins. The last few weeks have been a wonderful blur of the perfect, sleeping infant while I continue with the job of raising the 2 older girls. I am thankful God made it that way. It gave me 3 weeks to reinforce the rules with Annalia and Naomi, assuring them that Mommy still loves (and disciplines) the same, even with the new addition in the house.I had prepared myself for the girls to have a bit of a difficult time when Xander finally joined our family. Remembering Annalia's reaction to Naomi (which was great) I completely expected Annalia to transition beautifully. And I thought that my introverted little Naomi would be the one to struggle. Boy, was I ever wrong. Somehow, the presence of Xander in the house has brought Naomi out of her shell. When guest come over, she is the center of attention, talking, laughing, and just having a great time. Not to mention she is IN LOVE with her brother. Really, she can't keep her hands off him.

Annalia, on the other hand, is having a more difficult time. Don't get me wrong, she loves her brother just as much as Naomi does. She loves to hold him, get things for him, talks to him. It is adorable. But she is having a hard time adjusting to the ramifications of a 3rd kid in the house. I like to think that I am a fairly good mom, but I certainly have my faults and shortcomings. The main one being that I tend to take the path of least resistance. When Annalia wanted something, or wanted me to do something, if I could do it, I often did. I really only said no if it was going to hurt her, or if I really couldn't accommodate. I am still that same way, however the amount I can do has just decreased. She is having a hard time with this. Often throwing fits when things don't go the way she wants. I have repeatedly had to tell her "Sometimes things don't always go our way, and we just have to learn how to deal with it."

Well, she must be learning something, because just yesterday she was able to apply that lesson in a very humbling way (humbling for myself.) For the past 3 weeks, I have been very blessed to have all 3 kids down for an afternoon nap at the same time. I know - I should be on my knees thanking God right now. However, yesterday it was not to be. Naomi - who ALWAYS takes a nap - who has ALWAYS been a great sleeper - hardly ever gives me trouble in that area, decided not to take a nap. And if Naomi doesn't sleep, there is no way Annalia is going to go down. It didn't really help that I was already a little tired. I took them all downstairs, hoping they would watch a show and I could rest on the couch with Xander for 26 minutes. Lucky me, though, Naomi decides this is the perfect time to test just how much she can get away with before I drag myself off the couch to punish her.

Needless to say, I was soon in tears. I tend to throw myself a pity party when the girls miss naptime (and I miss "me-time"). Don't get me wrong, I had every right to cry and be disappointed, but I was then reminded that I could chose a better reaction. Soon, my 3-year-old is at my side, stroking my hair, saying, "Remember Mommy, sometimes things don't go the way we want, and we just have to learn how to deal with it."

From the mouth of babes - words of wisdom. And it was just what I needed.

Xander's Birth Story

2010-05-22T14:47:00.004-04:00

For those of you who love the play-by-play labor story- read on. You know me, I don't mince words. If you are the type who likes the Sport's Center version, well - you can ask Justin :)

To start, I had been having contractions every night the entire month of May. Now, I know that this can happen with any labor. Although I am glad that it got me a head start on the whole dilating process, it also served to make me very anxious. Seeing as how I didn't know my EXACT due date, and knowing that Naomi was 2 weeks early, I spent all of May wondering if tonight would be the night. By the time the weekend of the 15th rolled around (a weekend I thought I would be taking care of a newborn) I was ready for him to come.

So, I took the advice of my midwives. I sent the girls to Nana's, and Justin and I had a relaxing date night, with all that a date night entails. I guess it did the trick, because by 4am, my body was emptying itself of all contents (beginning with my stomach and intestines.) When the contractions continued to get stronger and closer together, we were pretty confident that we would have the baby that day. Since the girls were next door, Justin and I had a relaxing morning together. Although I knew that I was still in early labor, at 9:30am we decided to head to Annapolis to see how things were going. (With Naomi's pregnancy, I went from "I think we have lots of time" to "Oh My Goodness, I Have To Push!" in less than an hour.)

We went to the Birthing Center, and I was only 4cm (I had been 3 the week before). So we decided to go for a walk, and since I was feeling better, we went for breakfast. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and I actually enjoyed a morning just walking (and laboring) with Justin. After walking for a couple hours, the contractions were getting more intense, but still manageable. So, we headed back, just to check things out again. This time I was 5cm, so we went for a walk around the hospital grounds. It was interested seeing the different reactions between the people at the hospital ("Are you ok?!? Do you need us to rush you to labor and delivery?!?") compared to the people at the birthing center ("All right, you look like you are in early/active labor, and doing great - want to go for another walk?") After an hour of walking the hospital grounds and stopping every so often to assure people that I was ok, I was getting a bit tired, and the contractions were getting more intense. So, the midwives officially admitted me to the Birthing Center around 12:30pm.

I thought now would be a nice time to try out this whole "jacuzzi laboring" thing. So they filled up the big tub and I hopped in. Justin - remember, he has been aimlessly walking this whole time with me - sat down next to the tub and promptly feel asleep. The warm water felt good. Too good. After 10 minutes, and only 1 contraction, I was afraid I had just slowed down my progress. As nice as it felt, the last thing I wanted to do was prolong the inevitable. So I got out, got dressed, and started pacing. Praying that the contractions would come back. (I know, sounds a little insane, but hey, I wanted to get that baby out.)

I decided to go for another walk. Let me just take this moment to say that I LOVED my time with the Birthing Center. It was so wonderful to just labor in a way that felt comfortable and productive. So, around the hospital grounds I went again. Only this time, I was a little more motivated - practically powerwalking. The contractions returned to the same intensity and consistency as before, and I was glad that I hadn't completely stopped the process. But I was also getting pretty tired. By now, I had been walking for about 3 hours. I decided to head back and labor in bed for a bit.

I got into the room, and all of the sudden, my water broke. That was kind of cool. I have never experienced that before, and I kept thinking that I wouldn't notice it if it happened. But, it was just like everyone described. I felt a pop, and then a gush of water. My excitement was short lived, as with the breaking of the water, often comes the "strong stuff." The midwives checked me, and I was only 6cm, so I decided now might be a nice time for the tub.

I assume this is the time I hit transition, because my thoughts went from, "Oh good, he is definitely coming today," to "What in the world was I thinking!?! Why did I think I wanted to do this again!?!" Pretty soon, I was telling them I needed to push. Now, Justin and I had talked about the whole water birth thing. I was ok going either way, but Justin was pretty sure he thought it would be too "Discovery Channel." So, I told him that when it came time to push, he was going to have to get me out of the water, because I knew that I would not be in any state of mind to move myself. And, turns out I was right. We didn't expect me to be ready to push so soon, and when Justin asked if I wanted to get out of the water, I told him there was no way I was moving any more than necessary. (Ok, it probably came out more as a whimpering, "I can't move.") Suffice it to say, I stayed in the tub - and pushed.

By this time, I was pretty tired. And for some reason, I was only half-heartedly pushing. Later, Justin and the midwives said that I had great control during the pushing portion. Little did they know it was just exhaustion. Finally, a sane thought pushed its way through, reminding me that if I pushed, he would come out, and then the pain would be over. Ahh, now that was motivation. I got serious then, and he was out. That was at 3:33pm, Thursday, May 20th.

Words can not express the emotions of that exact moment. He barely cried (just enough to count on the Apgar) and was purple all over. Apparently I did better with my breathing this time. I think it had something to do with the fact that I allowed myself to make noise. I was pretty noisy. As a friend said earlier, "Some woman scream their babies out." I figured screaming was way better than holding my breath. He pinked up pretty quickly, and he was perfect. We moved to the bed to deal with the rest.

No one warned me that the contractions to release the placenta get more intense with each subsequent labor. I was a little surprised at the intensity of these contractions. I guess it makes sense, and all in all, I should be thankful that my body did what it needed to do to prevent hemorrhaging. Soon, that part was over too, and my little Xander was latched on and eating like a champ.

Although I was tired, I felt really great, and was looking forward to going home so introduce Xander to his sisters. I ate a little food, my blood pressure was good, and my uterus was contracting as needed. I was cleared for release at 7pm. The girls came over, were both enamored by their little brother. After a couple hours, they were getting a little overwhelmed, and went back to Nana and PopPop's for bed. It was nice, just me, Justin and Xander for that first night. It was wonderful to be in our own bed. To not be woken up every couple hours to have my vitals checked, or to make sure the baby was eating enough, or all the other million things the nurses have to make sure they do when you are a patient. And just as importantly, Justin was able to get a full nights sleep, making him rested and useful the next day, when I knew I would need him.

All in all, it has been great. I mean, don't get me wrong. I just went through 12 hours of labor, and now I have 3 young kids running around. It isn't all roses. But, when I step back for a second, and just enjoy my amazing family, I feel blessed. I have an amazingly supportive husband, (who made delicious waffles, from scratch, this morning.), a beautiful 3 year old, who has been so helpful, throwing away diapers, putting toys away. I am amazed at Naomi's gentleness with her brother. She really does love him. And I have a beautiful, perfect little boy, who I look forward to getting to know more and more.

Announcing Xander Ryan Hibbard

2010-05-21T22:03:00.002-04:00

Xander Ryan Hibbard

May 20, 2010

3:33pm

7 pounds, 8 ounces

19 1/2 inches

Getting Ready for Baby Brother

2010-05-20T08:37:00.003-04:00

Well, it is May 20th, the official due date for this little guy, and I must admit, we are all getting pretty excited to meet him. I can hardly believe I am about to give birth to my 3rd child. There is something special about it, being a 3rd child myself. Something I have always been secretly proud of. I like my "middle child" qualities, the fact that I grew up with others always around, that I have never really had my own room and things. I like that I don't view material things as "mine," but rather "stuff that I use." This had effected how I have prepared for each child. When pregnant with Annalia, we were careful to register for all gender neutral items (the big stuff, at least.) With Naomi, I think the only new thing I bought to prepare for her was a coming home outfit. She didn't seem to mind all the hand-me downs. Now, because this is a boy, a few new things were necessary. Justin probably didn't want me to bring him home from the hospital wrapped in pink flowers.

So, lately I have been having fun with boyish fabrics, and decided to make him a few special things.

We haven't moved Naomi out of the nursery yet, so I purchased a used changing table to put in the corner of our room to hold his daily needs. Annalia insisted on organizing the blankets. I thought it was sweet of her.

Justin is going to kill me for this, because I didn't tell him what he was putting on, or that I was taking a picture, or that I was going to post it. But I decided to make a nursing cover up this time. I have always used a blanket before. But, knowing that I will be out and about more often, I thought I would try it out.

Last year, I designed a carseat/stroller bunting that I sold. So, I thought I should make one for my own child. So, we have the carseat all set up and ready to go. And if he comes on a rainy day, he will be protected. If he comes on a hot, sunny day, we can just leave it unzipped. Either way, we'll be ready.

My boppy cover wasn't really girl (in fact, it was less girly than this fabric looks in the picture.) But it was made of velour, which is quite hot. So, I wanted a cool, cotton cover. However, Annalia has decided that this is her new favorite pillow. She has slept with it every night for the past week, wrapping it around herself. I have warned her that she will need to share it with Baby Brother. We will see how that goes. Here she is nursing her little Aslan.

Curse of the Creative

2010-05-06T22:26:00.004-04:00

When Annalia told me that she wanted a mermaid costume, of course the first thing out of my mouth was, "Sure, we could make one." In fact, Annalia hears this so much that when we are in the store, she no longer asks for things, but asks if we can make it. (It is actually a good way to avoid the "I wants" in a store.)

I would love to say that my impulse to make, rather than buy, is based on the honorable desire to create something beautiful. But no - it is really about some warped rules that I have made for myself. I am not sure when I decided that commercialism was the root of all evil and should be avoided at all cost when raising my children. It probably has something to do with my desire to be different, and not have just another Disney-Princess-tee-shirt wearing girl running around. It is a pride thing (which, ironically, I am not proud of). I don't want to have to say, "Yes, I bought that Ariel mermaid costume because she wanted it." Somehow, in my head, it sounds better if I can say, "Oh, well, she wanted a mermaid costume, so I just whipped one up."

But that isn't exactly the case. She has been asking for this costume for weeks. Finally, we picked out some fabric, and another 2 weeks later, I started. It soon became a chore that I needed to finish before the baby came, and so I hurriedly finished this afternoon. Not exactly worrying about quality or perfection.

There are a couple things about this project that I am proud of though. For one, it only cost $1.50. I try to be frugal in my spending, and aware of the resources that I use in my daily life. One of the ways I achieve that, while still doing the crafts and projects I love, is by using the things I have. I did purchase a yard of fabric at Walmart, but everything else is scraps I had laying around. This is something I want to pass on to my children, using what you already have before purchasing something new.

The other pride, that I am truly proud of, is the joy this costume brought for Annalia. As soon as I put it on her, she exclaimed, "Look Mommy, I am a real mermaid now." And she swayed her hips, twirled around, and then ran outside to show her Nana. Knowing kids, and what happens to even the most beloved toys, I know that this outfit will eventually be shoved to the bottom of the dress-up box, and forgotten for months. But for now, she is blissfully happy to pretend that she is a real mermaid. And I am glad that my part in it was more than just an impulse buy, but rather a thought out, time consuming project that I endured for this moment of childhood joy.

Pieces of Me

2010-04-12T13:20:00.003-04:00

Growing up, I remember quite a few times hearing my mother say, "Karlene, I hope you get a little girl JUST LIKE YOU!" It was usually following one of my antics that often left my mother exasperated. But when Annalia was born, and as I got to know her personality, I was so thankful that my mother's wish came true. Annalia is very much like me. Which is actually great, because I understand her. She is 100% a people person; slow to judge and quick to forgive. She doesn't harbor secrets and will tell you exactly what is on her mind if you ask her (and sometimes even when you don't.) Because I understand why she does what she does, it makes it so much easier to discipline and guide her. I already know how these characteristics can be a good thing, but more importantly, how they can be bad. I can start teaching her now that not everyone is so transparent, and how to deal with that. I can start teaching her how to hold on to her passion and enthusiasm for more than 3 minutes. And I will be ready when her open heart gets broken, reminding her that it is still ok to love freely.

And now I have my beautiful Naomi, whom I originally thought was almost the complete opposite. Naomi guards her feelings in and very judicious about who she opens up to. (After a year and a half, she finally started opening up to the nursery workers at church.) Not because she is shy - I have figured that out now. She is just careful with her heart. Something I very much do not understand. And I think here is where I think the intent of my Mom's declaration may actually come true. Now it is my challenge to appreciate this quality in Naomi, and encourage her as she makes deep, lasting friendships (as I know she will.) To admire her perseverance, and acknowledge her quiet, heartfelt actions.

Now of course, Annalia isn't EXACTLY like me, and Naomi isn't my COMPLETE opposite. It has been so fun to see Naomi's carefree personality come through these past few months. Although Annalia is very open to meeting new people, she is not as open to doing new things. This girl is just now learning how to slide down the slide on her own. I don't know what I was like as a toddler, but most people who know me, know that I am often the first to jump into some crazy adventure. And this is where I see myself in Naomi. She may not always tell me what she is thinking or how she feels, but I can see her sense of adventure coming through. On a recent trip to the beach, while Annalia was safe on the sand, making new friends, Naomi and I were down by the water's edge, feeling the roll of the waves over our feet. I recognized the look in her eyes as she gazed across the vast water. She longed to be out there, to know what was on the other side. And I did something I didn't even know was possible, I loved her even more.

Here - both girls in their outfit of choice. I just couldn't resist the contrast :)

The journey or the Destination

2010-04-06T20:45:00.006-04:00

We knew it was going to be a winner of a day when it took us over 2 hours to go 25 miles to the National Zoo. Then upon arriving, the parking lots were full, so we had to find a garage in walking distance, and to top it off, I lost my breakfast in said parking lot. Grand start to our little "Family Day Trip."

It is Justin's spring break, and we thought it would be fun to take the girls places while we had the time off. It was supposed to be a nice day, so we thought, "Hey, how about a nice day at the zoo." How soon we forget that 85 degrees in Maryland is not a nice day when you are outside, walking, with 2 young kids. It didn't take long for both girls to start complaining.

And I was extra excited, because I had finally found the battery charger for our camera, and I was wanting to get all sorts of great pictures with the girls looking at the animals, having a grand ol' time. However, you won't find any of those shots in this post. I think they each actually saw about 2 animals each (and that is being generous on Naomi's part).

After a feeble attempt to see the animals, we decided to go out of the zoo for a quick street lunch of hotdogs and gatorade (which I passed on, per my episode earlier that morning.) For a few peaceful minutes we sat in the grass, ate lunch, and didn't have to discipline either girl for a whole 15 minutes.

Needless to say, we were ready to go home. (which took another 2 hours).

As we exited the zoo, Justin was commenting on the failure of our trip. Funny though, I didn't think it was. I think I have had enough experience traveling and doing things with my children that I have learned to adjust my goals. If my goal was to have a fun day at the zoo, looking at animals with 2 happy children, I would be setting myself up for disappointment. But if my goal is to get this kids out of the house, and do something unique and fun together as a family, then I think we still accomplished that. It may not have the been the photo-op I was hoping for, or

even really that enjoyable. But we went out together as a family.

And you know what? The first book Annalia wanted to read for bed tonight was the Library book about zebras. Because, you know she saw them today at the zoo.

The girls ended the day with a good, energy-busting, jump on the bed.

Unrestricted Self-expression

2010-03-04T14:38:00.007-05:00

For all of you who live in the area and see Annalia on a regular basis, you have probably noticed that she is not one for wearing pants. In fact, the only time getting her into pants is NOT a fight, is when we have a jammie day. (Apparently pj pants are ok - I haven't introduced her to nightgowns yet.)

When I had girls, I was actually pretty excited at the chance to dress them up in cute/trendy outfits while I take them for outings and people say "oh, look at those adorable girls, aren't they just so cute." Actually, I have noticed that people are nicer to you when your kids look presentable.

Well, now that Annalia likes to have a say in what she wears, I have had to decide just what is important. Do I want to argue over whether her legs and arms are covered, or whether the shirt under her "cold" dress matches the tights she is wearing (let alone the dress.) Often I am able to suggest or manipulate her into at least a decent combination.

Last week, I decided to let her have at it. I told her that she could pick out whatever she wanted to wear (the rule of covering shoulders and legs still applied - it is cold out there!) and that I wouldn't suggest or change anything. Enjoy.

I think this was day 2 of Self-Expression Week. I had great intentions of taking pictures and blogging each day. But really, who are we kidding. I am lucky if I post a blog once a month.

(I told her to smile, I guess it was opposite day.) I was so glad when she picked out this dress. It was the first time she has worn it and I thought "Oh, yes! A simple black dress. How could she possible find a shirt that DOESN'T match?" Well, leave it to Annalia.

She also likes to pick out Naomi's clothes. But, since I had made no promises regarding Naomi's wardrobe, I vetoed the red sweatpants she had picked out for under this "dress".

She was thrilled with the rules this week. Normally, this is an "at home only" dress. But, she tested me, and I did say she could wear anything. So, this is what she wore to preschool. At least the shirt matched this time :) (Notice the ribbon around the head? Yeah, that was her idea too.)

Jesus has a big lap

2010-02-19T13:53:00.003-05:00

I have learned a great many useful things from my friend Kimberly, but one little rhyme that I have loved, and the girls do it, is a little game called "This is the way the ladies ride." Both Annalia and Naomi love to sit on their Daddy's lap, while he bounces them up and down. It starts slow with the ladies riding. Speeds up a bit for the gentleman. It gets a little wild as they ride like cowboys. And then they go crazy fast as the cowgirls ride. (very feminist, I know, but it is a lot of fun.)

In Bible Study, we are going through the book of John, and Annalia has been learning so much. Of course, with her learning and understanding, comes lots and lots of questions. She knows that Jesus lives in her heart, and she knows that when she dies, she will get to go to heaven to be with Jesus. She also knows that Jesus loves children, and has heard the story many times of how Jesus invited all the children to come sit on his lap.

Now, as we wait for baby number 3 to come, Annalia and Naomi have noticed that my lap is starting to disappear. There is not longer enough room for both of them to sit comfortably for a story. I think this is a little upsetting to the both of them.

While in the car the other day, Annalia was asking her many, many questions. She told me that Jesus must have a really big lap, since he let all the kids come up on it. Then she told me that when she went to heaven to see Jesus, she was going to get up on his lap with all the other kids, and he would do "This is the way the Ladies ride." I thought it was pretty sweet.

The Death of Sharkbait, the Rebirth of Annalia

2009-12-02T22:15:00.004-05:00

(Justin posted this of FB last week, and I thought it too important to not add here.)

Last week, Annalía asked Karlene to check on her Beta Fish that she affectionately named – Sharkbait. Apparently he didn’t seem to be eating his food, and when Karlene checked on him, he was as stiff as a board. When we told Annalía that her fish had died, we promised her that we would go to the store and buy more fish along with an aquarium. So, a few days later we picked up an aquarium with all the accessories and a handful of goldfish, a couple snails, and shrimp.

On the way out of the Walmart parking lot, I said, “Annalía, we have a lot of fish. How cool is that?”

“That’s so cool!” she responded excitedly.
A moment later, I heard “Abraham… Abraham… Abraham.”

“What does Abraham have to do with it?” I asked.

“Abraham and Lot,” she answered. It took me a second to realize that she had associated the word “a lot” with Lot the nephew of Abraham. I laughed.

“Daddy, was Lot a good person?” she asked.

I thought about Lot, his seemingly poor choices at time, but then again, he is listed in the Hebrews Faith Hall of Fame. “I think he was good person for the most part,” I answered.

Let me pause this story a moment to say that we’ve been blessed with a very articulate 3-year-old, which has proved to also be a challenge at times. Right now, we’re in the “why?” stage. Every answer we give, no matter how straightforward, is always responded by “why?”
As we continued our drive, our conversation switched back to her dead fish Sharkbait. “Why did Sharkbait die?” she asked. Since Sharkbait’s death, she’s been very inquisitive as to why he died and death in general, as morbid as it seems.

“He was old.” I answered. “Fish die when they get old.”

She seemed worried. “I don’t won’t to die.”

“I don’t want you to die either,” I responded. “But you know, animals and people die. Sometimes accidents happen or people get old.”

“Why?”

I thought about saying something like “because that’s just what happens,” but a truly inquisitive child deserves so much more. “Because,” I explained, “Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and because they disobeyed God and sinned, everyone has to die. But you know what Jesus said?”

“What?”

“Jesus said, that if you follow Him, you will go to heaven.”

“So, I won’t die?” she asked.

“Well, people still die here on earth, but they get to go to heaven and be with Jesus.”

She seemed a little scared of heaven. Then again, she’s scared of everything. “I don’t want to go to heaven,” she responded.

“Well,” I explained, “heaven is a wonderful place. But those who don’t follow Jesus sadly go to hell – a place filled with fire.”

“I want to go to heaven,” she stated. “Daddy, will Sharkbait go to heaven?”

Again, her question was beyond my theological understanding. I quickly mentally scanned my Scripture knowledge indexed in my head and then the Disney movies like “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” but I didn’t really know the answer to that question. I thought about it for a moment. “I’m not sure,” I responded.

We pulled into the driveway. I thought about getting her out and taking her inside; it was past her bedtime. But I stopped myself. “Annalía, would you like to follow Jesus?”

“Yes,” she responded.

“Well, would you like to tell him that you’d like to follow Him?”

I didn’t need to prompt her further. I didn’t need to say, “repeat after or me” or anything like that. Before I even finished that sentence. She was praying. “Jesus, I want to follow you. I don’t want to go to the bad place. Thank you for dying for me. Amen.”

One theological question I’ve pondered so much in the past year or so is the issue of salvation and the whole “once saved always saved” debate, along with what does it mean to believe in Jesus. As I’ve interacted more and more with teens who come from Christian homes and call themselves Christians (perhaps even said “the sinner’s prayer”), I’ve wondered about the legitimacy of their commitments, especially when studies show that 80% of them will walk away from their faith in their early twenties. “What does it mean to believe in Jesus? How do we follow Him? Can people say the sinner’s prayer and then just turn away from following Christ? Are they saved?” These are just a few of the cognitive questions I’ve been asking, not for my own salvation sake, but to better effectively explain to others about the significance of our commitments to Christ. When answering Annalía’s questions, I wanted to use terms that translate to our language, which is why I said “follow” instead of “believe.” As I studied John 6 this week for Bible Study Fellowship, I came to the realization that a lot of people want to follow Jesus for various reasons. The people in John 6 wanted free physical food, others do so because they don’t want to go to hell, but I believe Jesus wants us to follow Him because we love Him – because just as for the same reason we married our spouses, we want to spend every moment with Him. These commitments, I believe, will be much stronger because their foundation is greater. I tried not to focus on hell too much in our brief conversation, knowing that Annalía is afraid of absolutely anything – animals, water, amusement park rides, slides, etc. I didn’t want to scare her into following Jesus. I wanted His love to beckon her to do so.

As I sat in the front, and listened to her prayer from the back seat, I was so excited to be a part of leading Annalía to Christ. What an awesome opportunity to see a blooming seed that has been watered by so many people from church and Bible Study Fellowship and so on. I even thought about a friend of ours at church, who from the time we mentioned that we were going to have a baby, has on many occasions prayed that she would come to know Jesus at an early age.

While I would like to breathe a huge sigh of relief and say, “she’s going to heaven,” I realize that now begins the tough moments of following through on her commitment. “Annalía,” I said, “I’m so proud of you. Mommy and Daddy want to help you follow Jesus. So, we’re going to remind you of your decision, okay?”

“Okay,” she said.

An R.C. Sproul podcasthas been resonating in my ears. On one of his episodes having to do with Joshua, he talks about the phrase, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Dr. Sproul said something like, “What does it mean to train up a child? Does it mean we hope that at some point they’ll come to follow the Lord just by hearing about it? No, it’s more than that. It’s an active training and teaching and molding of our children.” The most important thing we can do as parents, relatives, and friends now is to tell her how proud we are, remind her of her commitment, and help her to live every day following Jesus.

With kids, you always wonder how “real” those commitments are, and if they’ll just forget it about it in an hour or two. Well, on Thursday, a few days after her decision, as we were going around a circle saying what we were thankful for, without any prompting, Annalía said, “I’m thankful for following Jesus.”

I’ve never been prouder to see my daughter taking those first baby steps in her lifetime commitment of following her Heavenly Father.

God Bless this Home on All Hallows Eve

2009-10-31T21:27:00.006-04:00

As a child, I never went trick-or-treating. It was something my family just didn't do. Oh, I still got to dress up at the school party (which was all I cared about), and in highschool I organized a food drive during Halloween which allowed me to dress up in my toga and drag my angel sister around Dodge Center. So, when I married someone who walked his neighborhood until the rip old age of 15, Halloween was something we had to compromise on. And, in my love for dressing up, I opted towards Justin's upbringing. However, this was the first year that Annalia got excited about it. Of course, she is a child, and any holiday is exciting. One morning, we were watching a Halloween episode of Super Why and I was great disturbed by the message. Basically, one of the characters is scared of Halloween, and the Super Story Answer was "PRETEND." He didn't have to be scared because everything is pretend. That bothered me. As a Christian, I do not believe that witches and evil spirits are pretend. I believe in God and the angels, which also means I have to face the fact that there is a devil with demons. In fact, I think ignoring this can open the door to a lot of problems.

So, naturally, I didn't want Annalia thinking this. It was time to do my research. I knew that Halloween was actually the Eve of All Saints Day, but I needed to know more. True, it is mainly Celtic in origin. Very pagan. But, like many pagan customs, the Church did its best to take what the Devil was using for his gain, and give Christians an opportunity to celebrate something holy. Enter in, All Saints Day, a kind of "Veteran's Day" for all recognized, and unrecognized saints. Of course, the traditions of Samhain (the Celtic festival) still persisted, but the Christians were able to focus their energy on the victory we have over the powers of darkness. I was pleased to learn that trick-or-treating actually has a pleasant history. In the middle ages, poor people used to go around and beg for "soul cakes." Upon receiving this food, they

promised to pray for the saints.

Annalia loves to hear stories, we make them up all the time. So, this week, I have been telling her the good stories of All Saints Day. Talking about the people who have lived before us who have loved Jesus with their whole heart and life. We talk about the poor people who were able to get food on All Hallows Eve, and in return they prayed for the Saints. We also talked about how God is bigger than any scary thing out there, and those who have Jesus in their hearts don't have to be scared. (We'll get into the reality of evil when she is a little older.)

My joy was complete tonight, as Annalia's trick-or-treating was turned into a prayer walk. She joyfully "flew" to each home, and received her treat. And as we left, we said a short prayer, blessing each home. Eventually, she didn't need any prompting, and it was then her joy to pray for each person who had blessed her with a treat.

(note-Naomi had a GREAT time too. She figured the system out pretty quickly, and insisted on holding her own bag, as she walked to each home. She was adorable!)

Happy Birthday, My Naomi

2009-06-09T15:12:00.009-04:00

Dearest Naomi,

You turn 1 today, and it

has been a bit emotional for me. Excitement as I prepare to celebrate, ennui as I think of how fast the year has gone, and a little guilt for how little I have documented this first year of life for

you. Believe me daughter, it hasn't been for a lack of things to say, for you are always learning and doing something new. So today, I wanted to return to the blog, and tell you just what this past year has meant for me.

When we brought you home from the hospital, I was amazed at how perfectly and immediately you fit into our family. Those first peaceful days were dreamy and wonderful, and honestly, I feel as if they never ended. You have grown into this beautiful, sweet child that brings a peace to the whole household.

I have fallen in love with you, my little Naomi. I have watched your personality develop this past year. I can tell already that you have a gentle spirit. But not in that "wall-flower" type way. You are so playful and always ready to have fun. You smile does something to my heart - it just makes me feel good.

I am sitting here, and thinking about why we chose your name. And I am so glad it fits. At first, I wasn't sure I liked the meaning of

Naomi for you. Naomi is a Hebrew name, meaning "Pleasant." I almost thought it was too boring, or too plain of a meaning. But as I get to know you, I see what a blessing that quality is. You have this amazing ability to calm my spirit, and I pray that quality will continue to develop as you grow into the woman God will have you be. You middle name is Abri, a French word for "shelter." I know, it seems kind of weird and meaningless, but I promise it is not. L'Abri is an organization, begun by Francis Shaeffer, offering a physical and emotional refuge for Christians in Europe. Your Daddy and I wonder if your gentle spirit will manifest in your life in a similar way. Perhaps friends will find in you a supernatural comfort; a Pleasant Shelter.

Well NayNay, it has been an awesome year with you. I really have loved every moment. You are such an amazing person already (and you can't even talk yet!) I look forward

to watching you grow, physically, mentally, and spiritually. You have won my heart, mi Noemi.

ER visit

2008-12-28T21:44:00.004-05:00

So, Annalia has not had the most wonderful trip to California so far. Upon arriving at Nathan and Angi's house Monday night (after a full day of traveling, very well I might add) she was acting kind of funny. Then I picked her up, and she threw-up all over me. We thought it was just some bad chicken nuggets. But when we started driving to the home we were staying at, she kept throwing up. She continued to have episodes until midnight. The next day, we thought she was feeling better, but she had a couple episodes on the way to Sea World. She again, had a couple episodes on the way home. By Wednesday morning, her stomach wouldn't hold anything. Food was coming up almost immediately after she ate it. We contacted our insurance, and they said they do not cover California (so much for a PPO), but they would cover emergency care. So, we took her to the ER (quite possibly the best ER experience ever). There was no one ahead of us, and we were seen immediately. (although it didn't start out that great when they insisted she have her temp taken rectally)

decided to give her an IV to get fluids in her. Of course, though, because she was dehydrated, it was not easy. The (not so perfectly nice) nurse started poking her, she thought she got it, but the IV blew, and they had to start again. The same nurse tried again, and Annalia was not very happy. (She kept saying "they're sticking me again, they're sticking me again!") When it didn't work, they called in an IV tech, who was much better with kids. She tried once, and we were all exhausted after it still didn't go. Finally, on the 4th try, she got it. While they drew blood, my poor girl was held down, as we all told her it was all done and no more needles. But she had had it. She tensed up, looked the nurse in the eyes and said with all the authority of a 2-year-old "THAT"S ENOUGH!"

Once the IV was running, we could see the color return to her face. She fell into a shallow sleep, and we were released a couple hours later. We even made it back for Christmas Eve dinner.

However, right after dinner, Justin and I started vomiting. We were both so violently sick, that Angi drove us home, and helped us get ready for bed. Shortly after she left, Naomi started vomiting. I knew there was no way I could take care of her (I could barely move my stomach was in such sharp pain.) so I called my mom, and she came over and nursed us through the night as Justin, Naomi and I were continually sick. Finally, by morning, we were all feeling much better. Annalia has had one episode for the past couple nights, but she is acting like herself during the day. We are praying that tonight (6 days later) will be the first night without being sick.

Naomi is 6 months old.

2008-12-09T08:19:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to post an updated picture of Naomi. She is 6 months old now, and just a doll. Reaching for everything, playing with her sister, saying "dadada, and baba." I will try to get some more updated pictures of the 2 of them. Man, they grow up so fast.

Rembrandt

2008-11-04T18:36:00.003-05:00

So, Annalia loves to paint, and most of all, all over herself. This is her bath outside after covering herself with sidewalk paint.

Then we come inside and she wants to paint with watercolors. She was in her pj's so I took off her shirt so she wouldn't get the sleeved all painted. I turn around, and she looked like this.
So, after that, she needed to be washed off again. And since she is obsessed with the new shower downstairs, she asked to wash off in there. And she wanted to be by herself. So, at 2 years old, she has taken her first solo shower. She did a pretty good job. I didn't have her wash her hair, but she did use the washcloth to get all the paint off.

A Day at the Farm

2008-11-01T11:27:00.004-04:00

Yeah, so I know I am behind, this really happened a couple weeks ago.

We had a great time at Sunrise farms. Annalia was so excited to go to the Pumpkin Patch, and as soon as she saw the pumpkins on the ground, she somehow knew exactly what she was supposed to do. She ran over and picked out the perfect pumpkin. (Which She and Justin carved last night)

They had a cute hay-bale maze for the kids. I didn't think she would understand what she was supposed to do, but after once through, she just kept coming back to the beginning and going again.

This is our friend MJ on top of the hay-bale maze. But if you look in the back, you will see little Anna figuring out how to solve the whole "dead-end" problem.

We went with the MOPS group, and Andrea had her stroller. For the first hour, Annalia pretended to be scared of the animals, and wanted to ride in the stroller. Then we figured out that she was just cold. All us moms were taken by surprise at the temp that day. I am sure we all went home and finally pulled out the winter clothes!

A la Playa

2008-10-10T11:36:00.003-04:00

One of Annalia's favorite books is Dora at the beach. She loves the sand and the water. This girl has no fear. She would have walked right out into the bay if I let her. Instead, she had to live vicariously through Elmo. As she was able to toss him into the waves, and he always came back to her (except that one time Mommy had to wade out to retrieve him.)

Ode to my Children

2008-10-03T10:34:00.003-04:00

I was convicted recently that I, as a parent, need to make sure that I share the blessings of parenting. (Not just the "poop in the hair" or the "she ate a cricket" stories, and good as they are). A friend recently mentioned that Justin and I have convinced him not to have kids yet, with our night-time tales, and the crazy things that kids do. (Don't get me wrong, I know he loves my kids, he showed up with an Elmo couch for Annalia one day, just because.) So, I wanted to share some of the beautiful stories.

I had a really bad day, where everything I tried to do seemed to fail. I was sitting down with Annalia, feeling sorry for myself, and I asked her "Can you say, 'Mommy's a failure?" She looked me straight in the face and said, "No Mommy, I can't say that." Then she held me as I cried tears of joy.
Most mornings, Naomi wakes up happy, and when I come in, she is cooing, playing with her hands, and just all together beautiful. When I walk into her line of vision, her eyes meet mine, they light up and her face breaks out into the biggest smile. My heart just melts.
The other day, as I was nursing Naomi, Annalia was, ever so gently, rocking Ernie to sleep. While holding his head, she used her whole body to gently lay him into Naomi's Moses Basket. When I said I need to put Naomi to sleep, she calmly informed me that Ernie was sleeping there and Naomi would have to find another place to sleep. Eventually, she was able to agree to a co-sleeping arrangement. She is such a good little mommy.
For the past couple weeks, everytime Justin comes home, she runs into his arms and says "Mommy AND Daddy are home now!"

I will have to share more later. I promised the cutie we would play with sidewalk chalk today.

Annalia turns 2!

2008-10-01T08:17:00.004-04:00

Annalia turned 2, on September 12, 2008. We threw a small party for the cute one, and me, who has always hated theme parties, went crazy creating a Super Why party. Princess Pea cake, Super Why invitations, and a full Super Why story game where the kids had to find Super Letters all over the house. I must say, it was worth it. Annalia thought it was a ton of fun.

My first attempt with fondant. I made her a Princess Pea cake. And it must have looked something like her, because Annalia announced "It's Princess Pea" as soon as she saw it.

A little love for Naomi. Ella and Anna giving her a kiss.

Last year, she was more about the wrapping paper. But this year, she knew how presents work, and she was all about what was inside. As soon as she would get the toy out, she would hand it off to Justin saying "Could you open this please?" The politeness started to wane as the evening went on.

I asked her what flavor of cake she wanted, and of course, it was chocolate. She is Karlene's daughter after all.

Naomi had a good time too. Here she is making a face at Becky.

She loved her Princess tent. Of course, she thinks it has something to do with Princess Pea. . . oh well.

A little Sunday Afternoon Ball

2008-09-03T15:37:00.005-04:00

Nana and Naomi. Isn't she getting big?

I don't know if you can tell, but she is smiling like crazy at Uncle Patrick, and soon-to-be Aunt Nicole.

Mighty Girl!

She insisted on pulling Patrick in the wagon.

Daddy and Uncle Patrick trying to show Anna how to hit the ball correctly.

Oh well, so what if she hits it backwards. She is having a great time.

Singing Girls

2008-08-30T16:40:00.003-04:00

I walked in on this adorable sight.

Song for Ethan

2008-08-24T17:56:00.003-04:00

So, Annalia wants to sing a song for her new little cousin Ethan. I hope he likes it:) Notice halfway through she gets quiet? That is because the screen on the laptop went dim, and notice how she knows how to fix it. Man, kids are way too computer savvy.

blankets for Elmo and Ernie

2008-08-15T16:01:00.004-04:00

Grandam Slaton is loosing her eyesight, and the thing she missed the most, is crocheting. But the last time she went to her doctors, he told her that if she loves it, she should do it. So she decided on a small (but important) project. She made a baby blanket for Elmo and Ernie. Annalia knew she was doing it, and has been waiting patiently. They came in the mail today, and boy were they a hit!

Movin' up

2008-08-05T09:37:00.003-04:00

Dude, what is up with this? I knew that when Naomi came home I was going to have share some things, like my toys, and Mommy and Daddy. But this is the last straw, they decided to give away my crib! Lucky for them, I have decided not to make a fuss. See, when I was in NC, I noticed that Logan sleeps in a big boy bed. And I also learned that most of my friends sleep in big beds. Well, you know me, little miss social butterfly, I've got to be like my buddies. So, last night I slept in my BIG GIRL BED. I needed Mommy to stay a little bit longer than normal (hey, this is scary stuff!) but eventually I let her return to Bible Study, and I happily fell asleep (sideways) on my bed.

Although I can get down on my own, we are still working on getting up. I am kind of a short kid (the doctors say I rank somewhere in the bottom 10 percent for my age). But I know I can do it.

Time in North Carolina

2008-08-01T09:37:00.008-04:00

The Hibbard family just got back from North Carolina, visiting good friends Corey, Meghan, and Logan. We all had a great time, going to the pool, story time at the mall, a kid's carnival, and a little zoo. Not to mention tons of playing for the kids (and by kids we mean Justin and Corey's time with the play station.) With all the fun, both Daddy and Daughter needed some down time. We drove home last night, and , thank the Lord, both girls slept all the way (for the most part.)

One afternoon was spent at a small zoo where we road a train, and a carousal (Anna was pretty scared at first, but was begging to go back on by the end.) It was a hot day, so lucky Daddy got to carry his little girl on the shoulders. As you can see, Anna loves her Daddy.

Although Justin did most of the soaking, Anna and Logan got a couple dunks in themselves.

Annalia, Naomi, and Logan had a great time playing together. Naomi watched while Logan and Anna ran around, played with all sorts of toys, and tag-teamed saying their alphabet. The cutest was at the lunch table while Annalia would make an animal noise and Logan would have to guess what animal she was saying.

Logan enjoyed Justin hanging out with him. As the Mommy's relaxed at the side of the pool, Justin was dragged around the pool by both kiddies playing, getting wet, and having fun.

We had a great time floating around at the pool in Logan's community. Annalia doesn't get to go swimming as much as her Mommy would like, but she took to water like a fish, and both parents were proud!

up the slide - FINALLY

2008-07-26T09:41:00.006-04:00

So, we have this little playground thing a neighbor gave to us. And by little, I mean tiny. Something any small child should not be afraid of. That is, except for scardy-pants Annalia. For the longest time, she would not climb up the ramp, or go down the slide on her own. But apparently, now that she has a little sister, Anna is all of the sudden a big girl.

First things first, she has to have it clean, so we keep a rag out back to clean it up.

Then she climbs up the ramp in back (note, all by herself), not that it is tall or anything. The top of the slide comes up to below her chest (note, hers, not mine)

Then, she has to stop and drive the bus (while singing "The Wheels on the Bus go round and round).

Look, she can even stop herself in the middle of the slide. Now she is just showing off.

Ok, I know I am being silly, she really should have been able to do this months ago. But she is a pansy, and I am a softy.

Photo shoot

2008-07-24T22:03:00.003-04:00

So, thank goodness for digital cameras. Over 60 pictures, and barely a good one in the bunch. Now if only I could get my 2 year old to look at the camera instead of wanting to take all the pictures herself.

Gram & Grandpa come

2008-07-21T08:14:00.006-04:00

Even though the main drive for the quick (48 hour) trip was to meet little Naomi, Gram and Grandpa made Annalia's weekend.

And Gram and Grandpa got a kick out of our little Diva, with her sun glasses, "pearls" and purse.
We had a great time at KinderFarms. Annalia loved looking at the animals, but was a little cautious when it came to touching them, as you can tell by the death grip she has on Justin's arms. And do you see Grandpa? He is picking grass to feed the chickens. Good think Anna can't read the signs yet that say "Don't feed the animals."
Grandpa had a great time with his grandaughters. Annalia loved that he would swing with her. Of course, with Grandpa swinging, and Daddy taking the picture, she was at a loss for anyone to push her.

Mommy in training

2008-07-10T09:27:00.006-04:00

Annalia has taken to her new sister very well. She loves her, hugs her, can't get enough of her. (we will ignore the fact that she bit her foot this morning, I think she was just curious to see what would happen. Needless to say, Naomi did not like that wake-up call).

However, with the new baby, comes baby things, and Annalia has become quite the mother to her little Elmo. She insists on giving him a bath often. Although, I don't think washing him in Aslan's drinking water should count as "clean". She also gives him "leche". And she is a modest girl while she nurses, insisting there is a blanket to cover up with. And she loves to carry him around in the sling. After many times of fitting Mommy's big ring sling around her, we made her a small one, just for Elmo and Mommy Annalia.

Naomi adjusts to life at home

2008-06-20T09:01:00.009-04:00

It's been a busy week for us all, and Naomi seems to be taking it all in. Besides having a new baby, Justin's been building a deck (and didn't anticipate the baby coming 2 weeks early). However, it's just about complete... thanks to Annalía's construction skill (yes, we're not above sweat shop labor).

After a long, hard day, Annalía curls up with Naomi for a little R&R on the front lawn.

And after being outside all day, we give Naomi her first bath at home, and besides Annalía sort of giving her an immersion form of infant baptism, everything went great!

Naomi sure is loving her big sister and adjusting to life at our home!

Introducing Naomi Abri

2008-06-10T13:33:00.006-04:00

Weighing in at 6lbs, 12 oz

Measuring 18 inches long (or tall, however you prefer)

And coming in 2 weeks early, June 9th, 2008 at 10:06 AM

Naomi Abri Hibbard

Naomi's Birthday Story

Karlene started having contractions around midnight, Monday morning. However, like all mom's who have been through it before, she remembered the week of false contractions leading up to Annalia's birth. So, she didn't get too excited, but tried to get rest anyway, just in case it was the real deal. The contractions didn't let up, so she spent some time in the tub and shower. All the while, letting Justin sleep so he could be well resting (if it was the real deal). As the night wore on, the contractions didn't let up, however, they also didn't get consistently stronger and closer together. (A sign of "real" labor, not false) Around 6:30, (when Annalia woke up) we thought we would go to the hospital. Although, Karlene still wasn't sure. She was remembering her previous labor, and how by 5 cm, contractions were unbearably strong. (Keep in mind, Annalia was a back labor baby, and although Karlene had heard that back labor was supposed to be more intense than a typical labor, she didn't realize it was that much so). And although these contractions were pretty intense, they were nothing like she remembered. So she thought she couldn't be that far along. Then they slowed down to about 8 minutes apart, so we decided to take a little nap (in between contractions of course). Finally, at 9am, we left for the hospital. We arrived at 9:31, where the nurse told me, "All right, it looks like we are going to have a baby, because you are already 8cm." They moved us into the delivery room, and the nurses rushed around to get everything ready. After 2 contractions, Karlene was begging to push. After 2 of those contractions, they let her. And 2 more contractions later, Naomi was born, a mere 35 minutes after arriving at the hospital. The entire time, Justin was awesome, so encouraging, just an old pro, knowing exactly what to do. Although we wouldn't ever want this, Karlene is confident that if we wouldn't have made it, she would have been in great hands!

It was amazing! Karlene never knew you could feel so incredibly normal after labor. With the absence of an epidural, hemmheraging, and a 3rd degree tear, She felt wonderful, almost immediately after Naomi came out. The entire post-partum experience was unreal. The most uncomfortable part was the hep-lock left in my arm until the risk of bleeding was gone.

Annalia was able to come in the next couple hours and meet her baby sister. It was adorable as she pointed out the nose, and mouth, and eyes, asking to hold her. It was beautiful.

The family is now home, and recovering well. At the moment, Daddy and Anna are taking a well needed nap, while Mommy nurses her new little one, and yes, will then take a nap with the rest of them. Thanks all for your prayers. We know that is what got us through.

Lancaster Play Day

2008-06-02T14:27:00.002-04:00

So, we went to visit Gibbs and Kel over Memorial's Day Weekend. We went to the Amish Market, and then ended up at the way cool fountain that both Annalia and Collin loved! You can see the Daddies were all about getting the kids nice and wet!

Congratulations Karis

2008-05-19T15:53:00.005-04:00

Who can resist a beautiful flower girl? Not me. And especially when the adorable one is my daughter! Here are some cute shots from the big day. And by the way, she did great, especially considering the isle she practiced on (outside), was 5 times shorter than the one she ended up walking down (inside due to rain.)
Practicing hairstyles the night before the wedding. She sat amazingly still (I think playing with the whole container of bobby-pins had something to do with it)

The hair the day of, or, at least at the beginning of the day, before pictures. It lasted through the ceremony, but not the hour and a half nap in the stroller during the reception. Karlene was fairly pleased, she actually got to enjoy a wedding dinner.

You can't tell from the picture, but she is standing in the rain, looking at rocks.

The camera ran out of batteries after this. (I know, I know, typical Karlene move). We'll post more as people send me what they have.

Family Friendly Posting

2008-05-14T20:22:00.003-04:00

Annalia with Mommy (33 weeks)

So, we all know Annalia is the coolest kid in the world. However, she is soon to have some pretty fierce competition. Hence, the beginning of a new blog. HibbsKids is your new source for all things Hibbard. ENJOY!