Welcome to a Goddess

Hip, hip hooray! My little sister, an amazing and freakin' crazy momma of three, has decided to join the blogging world! You simply must click here to read her first few posts: Mom of 3 / Goddess ... and then add it to your favorites or your blog roll or whatever ... you are going to want to stay tuned to read what she has to say! Oh, and give her a little encouragement with a comment or two. I especially love her post defining a "goddess," a truly wonderful interpretation of the word, and her superpowers make me chuckle ... because I can totally relate!

Welcome little sis! I am so glad you're here :)

Nothing but ... Bs Flattened

Okay here's totally random ... as advertised ... you know what you're getting on this blog after reading the tag line under that fabulous title up there ... so no whining ... head shakes, grins, and belly laughs welcome :)

Nothing but ... Bananas Flattened
It seems like I think about food ... a lot ... lately. And my brain is not usually preoccupied for the sake of my own nourishment. No, I am constantly thinking about what to feed Natalie, especially when we leave the house for an extended period of time. There's nothing worse than a hungry baby melting down in public! Even if she isn't particularly hungry, it seems like food can slay the fussy monster before it rears it's terribly ugly little head. And before we leave the house, I arm myself with an easy-to-transport snack. Something like Gerber's Puffs; I like to pack a variety in the little container that once held three bottles worth of formula. Isn't that a clever re-purposing? I thought so, too. It has three sections and a little spout for pouring those puffs out in small "doses."

Ummm ... what does that have to do with Bananas Flattened? I'm not entirely sure ... but hey consider that an unexpected tip from me to you :) Anyway, back to the NBBF, a fantastic treat for on-the-go ... hiking, errands, trips to the park, ... you name it. And you can get your Bananas Flattened at Trader Joe's for about $1.29. It's a flat package that weighs just ounces, but the contents provide a plethora of nutrition and entertainment. The ingredient list is: Bananas. No crazy chemicals or coloring agents or crap you and your baby don't need. Just bananas. It is completely mind-boggling to me how they manage to process, flatten, and package those bananas in such a way to make them delicious and long-lasting (without chemicals) - the package I just bought doesn't expire until June 2009! How do they get those delicious bananas flattened and fresh for so long?! If you know, please tell me :) But the answer or lack of answer isn't going to keep me from buying and enjoying this delightful treat. You just peel off a slice and chew, chew, chew ... it is somewhat reminiscent of Fruit Roll-Ups from back in the day ... only it doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth or turn your tongue/teeth weird colors. I can't remember what else I wanted to tell you about the Flattened Bananas ... mainly because part two of this post has been floating around my brain ...

Nothing but ... Bs Flattened
Along those same lines, but definitely not edible ... Natalie has been completely weaned for six weeks now, and boy, did the girls pay the price for that little 11-month work load. When I look down - where my once perky size C rack formerly resided - all I see are Bs Flattened! I mean the flattened part is bad enough, terrible actually. But how the heck did I lose a cup size? Something about that just isn't right! But is does explain why so many of my mommy friends with babies the same age as Natalie are thinking about and even trying to have a second child ... they all want their voluptuous ta-tas back. And I can't blame them. I may even join them! Definitely something to consider ...

Pa ... another one's got the fever.

The title of this post is a rather obscure quote from the movie Unforgiven, a western that is not usually my type of movie, but it was one of my first dates with my now hubby, so we still quote from it occasionally.

So what's that have to do with anything? Good question. Well, Natalie has been running a fever for three days now - this is day three. She felt kind of warm to me during the day on Tuesday, but I never bothered getting out the thermometer because a) she hates to have that thing under her arm for the two minutes it takes to register ... and if she hates the underarm, imagine how she'd feel about the other option, which really isn't an option because it gives me the heebee-geebees hardcore and b) she was acting like her usual, high-energy self. And then at 1:00 am, she woke up crying, something she hasn't done in a very long time. At this point I did break out the thermometer; she felt hot rather than warm. The thermometer read 99.9, which I guess is really 100.9 after you add the degree ... so confusing ... especially when you're doing this stuff with one eye open! She got a dose of baby Motrin and a 30-minute snuggle with me and back to sleep she went. Same deal on Wednesday; she felt warm all day, I dosed her with Tylenol, and then we hung out again around midnight.

Today - day three - she still had plenty of energy and no other symptoms ... well, there were a few disgusting diapers, but she was eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping like normal. However, her fussiness has reached an all-time high and my tolerance has sunk to an all-time low. Hoping this fever takes a hike ... like soon!

"... damn pigs."

Update: No fever today, Friday ... woo hoo! Have heard from several other moms in my Mom's Group that this sort of thing seems to be going around - fever for three days with no other symptoms. Well, we're done with it ... on to the next baby with you, darn fussy-inducing fever!

Lucky Number 13

My baby girl is 13 months old today! Woo Hoo! Last night, just before midnight, I sat in Natalie's room while she slept and tried to remember as much as I could about the past 13 months. And I cried - a lot - good happy tears. I swear each month I mourn, just a little, the baby that she'll never be again but I also fall in love with the little person she is right now!

And here's a list of 13 things I currently love about my 13-month old!

1. My sweet baby girl says, "Hi!" all the time to me, to Chad, to Louie, to the flowers, ... but never in response to a stranger saying "hi" first.
2. Natalie has been making some rather messy attempts at spoon-feeding, and she really loves to hold the bowl! Also, she signs eat, more, and all done with much zeal and pride. She can also drink from a Camelback bottle - bite valve, straw, and all.
3. I am completely in love with her ridiculous snaggle tooth - no front teeth at this point, just the one snaggle. (But I could do without the baby mullet; wishing the front of her hair would grow in already!)
4. It is so cute the way she bends over and looks at me from between her legs - where did she get that idea? Just looking for a new view of the world, I suppose!
5. She drops her binky and lovey into her crib when we get her up; I know it isn't easy to leave those security items behind, but she handles it well and gets rewarded with lots of smooches!
6. She adores her kitty cat lovey that I've named "Meow" - she chats with him and lights up when she sees him ... it's adorable!
7. File this under random ... Chad and I have been saying letter names to her when we play with the blocks or foam letters, and when we say the letter "L," she totally cracks up ... why is that funny?
8. I love her voice from her random babbles complete with highs and lows to her mimic singing of Aye, Aye, Aye and La, La, La.
9. Her obsession with "balls" continues; too bad she always takes them from her playmates. We play "roll the ball" with her, and she really likes to sit between us while Chad and I volley a beach ball back and forth ... simple pleasures :)
10. Taking things OUT is a well-honed skill ... books off of shelves, clothes out of baskets, plasticware out of cabinets, everything out of her diaper bag, ... yeah, she's got it figured OUT ... IN, not so much. I just love to watch how determined she is to empty whatever it is she's working on.
11. This girl has some serious dancing ability. Gone is the nonchalant rocking back and forth, instead she's up on her feet bouncing up and down and shaking it ... as my sister might say, "She gets it from her mama." All those afternoon dance sessions are paying off ... thanks MTV online!
12. Natalie loves the water. We frequent the neighborhood baby pool, and she splashes like she means it! Not mention how stinkin' cute she looks in her little baby bathing suit and sun hat. Seriously, it should be illegal to be this cute :)
13. She is WALKING everywhere ... she does laps around the bottom level of our house. She takes off from the family room, walks into the living room, runs the corner to the dining room, and then heads into the kitchen ... and does it all over again. I want to strap a pedometer on her little waistband :)

Yes, this blogger is so very happy to be the mommy of an amazing 13-month old!

Flying Cross-Country ...

... with a One Year Old and a Layover ... in Newark ... what the heck was I thinking? I was thinking that it would be nice to visit my dear friends in Northern Virginia. That's what I was thinking. And I was so right about that part! Aside from the almost debilitating heat and humidity, it was awesome to be back amongst friends :)

But the actual traveling part ... pretty much sucked! Oh, by the way, it was my brilliant idea, or at least my conscious choice to fly with a connecting flight ... no one to blame but myself for this little misadventure!

Seattle to Dulles International via Newark

The flight from Seattle to Newark was long - as long as expected - and somewhat delightful because I had an extra (free) seat for Natalie and her infant carseat (the one that she really doesn't fit in anymore but I brought to the airport just in case, and it paid off). She fell asleep right after take-off. I attempted to watch a movie ... the one with Reese Witherspoon and a girl who looks like a pig ... can't remember the name. I even paid a dollar for the headphones. Well, the movie was kind of lame, and Natalie woke up after just an hour of napping ... probably because the captain and flight attendants kept making the loudest stupid announcements ... but whatever. And wouldn't you know it, the drink cart and meal (greasy cheeseburger - heated in a plastic bag) arrived just as Natalie got restless. Balancing a drink and meal box on a tiny tray while keeping a one year old at bay is no easy task ... thankfully I had a container of Veggie Booty just for such an occasion! Anyway, I managed to entertain her for the rest of the flight ... I had a stockpile of toys and books, but she preferred the disposable plasticware from our meal - the plastic cup, the plastic salad plate, the little plastic tray to keep my two cookies from being reduced to crumbs, ...

And so delightfulness ensued until we landed in Newark. Our connecting flight was a considerably smaller plane, which doesn't bother me in the least, in fact, Chad use to fly 50-seater jets, so that is not an issue. The issue was getting to the "tiny plane" terminal. God-forbid these freakin' airport builders, architects, morons would give a thought to how passengers with a baby and stroller might get from one terminal to the next. I can't imagine how people in wheel chairs must feel about this predicament; it is so infuriating! First we waiting in this tiny, disgusting room for a bus to arrive. Then I was shown to a freight elevator that hadn't seen a mop in a very long time. I somehow managed to get Natalie out of her infant seat, fold my stroller, and get everything on board the darn bus without so much as a mention of help from the driver or fellow passengers ... hello, rude! After a short ride, I again juggled all my crap plus Natalie off the bus only to discover 16 concrete steps. Huh?!? I mean, I can manage a backpack, a stroller, an infant carseat, a 22 pound baby, and my sanity when not faced with 16 stairs and no elevator! I just about lost it! Thankfully a baggage handler noticed my dilemma and rescued us ... and the many witnesses to my potential breakdown. He carried my stroller ... at arms length from this body ... as if it contained dead animal carcass or something ... but at least he took it all the way to the top.

Once inside the "tiny plane" terminal, things did not get any better. On the contrary, things just kept getting worse. Keep in mind that Natalie had only slept for a grand total of one hour at this point. Let's see ... how do I make this long story just a smidge shorter ... our one hour layover ended up to last a grand total of FOUR hours. And I could only keep Natalie up off that FILTHY, DISGUSTING, GERM-RIDDEN airport terminal carpet for so long. Eventually I had to concede and let her .... crawl around for a little while. Oh, it makes me sick just thinking about it! What makes it even worse is the fact that she constantly sought out and crawled to every trash can she could spot! We made many, many, many trips to the restroom to wash hands with soap and water - after the anti-bacterial wipes were all gone. Her cute little pants were absolutely black - or at least a very dark gray - from cuff to just above the knee ... YUCK! But we did meet a wonderful mom and her teenage son from Texas, and they kept us company during the long wait ... and gave Natalie a new object of her flirting affections.

The flight included an hour long sit on the taxi way before take-off, which sucked, but we finally arrived in Virginia ... at midnight. And my poor friend Heather had to roll out of bed to come pick us up. At least we didn't even have to think about airline travel for another 6 days.

The Return Trip: Dulles International to Seattle via Newark

The return trip was just as awful ... no really, it was ... perhaps even a little worse. But I'll spare you a big long, detailed recounting. Here are the highlights:

Our travels began at 3:00 pm, when we left Heather's house - this information will be important toward the end of my tale. Our flight leaving Dulles was delayed for more than an hour, and we had another connection through Newark. Repeated the awful process - in reverse - of getting from the "tiny plane" terminal to the main terminal ... again, those 16 steps do not come with the option of an elevator. Thanks to a kind and somewhat beefy guy, I managed to get us and all our stuff on the bus. Only to discover that our light from Newark to Seattle was ... you guessed it ... delayed ... for hours! Again, Natalie got the chance to crawl on some of the dirtiest carpet I have ever laid foot on! The flight was beyond full, which meant no empty seat for Natalie. Which also meant I had the distinct privilege of holding my 22 pound baby girl ... on my lap ... for many, many hours. We spent almost two hours on the plane before take-off. Two hours of squirming and fussing because it was bedtime for NHV. We finally departed, and Natalie fell asleep almost immediately and stayed that way. So began my battle to sit comfortably in a window seat while holding 22 pounds of dead weight. Grand total, I did this for seven hours, and let me assure you I never did get comfortable. My arms and back and legs hurt so badly I wanted to cry on several occasions ... part of that could've been shear exhaustion, too. At Seattle airport, I had a terrible time finding elevators. When I asked for directions to the nearest elevator, people looked at me like I had asked for a unicorn or something ... with this slightly bemused look on their faces! By this point it was after midnight - or 3 am east coast time - and I was pretty much anything but amused. Anyway, just another point of frustration. We then took a taxi to our car which Chad parked at a friend's house about 5 miles from the airport. We pulled into our driveway at almost 2 am - or 5 am east coast time. Must give mad props to my baby girl. She maintained her composure through it all. I guarantee I would never even attempt this type of travel if she wasn't the amazing little person that she is!

Phew! That was a lot of typing and a lot of reading if you stuck with it. But I am blogging about this so I can remember the pain - I don't want to forget it like childbirth and foolishly decide to do it again!

P.S. We actually got back from this trip - almost a week ago to the hour - but I am just now writing about it because I wasn't ready to relive it until now :)

12-Month Check-up

Natalie is nearly 13 months old, but today was her 12-month check-up. I thought we had an appointment for the middle of July, but apparently I was temporarily insane. And then I booked a flight to VA and had to reschedule my rescheduled appointment. So today was the day ... but the type A in me is bothered to be "late."

Anyway, after all that waiting, we waited some more. Within minutes of arriving we were escorted to the exam room, and Natalie was measured and weighed*. But we waited for almost an hour to see the doctor. An hour of entertaining a half-naked baby (wearing just a diaper and her striped Baby Legs) in a tiny room with just a few toys and books. An hour that included the consumption of two apple wagon wheels, a handful of Veggie Booty, and 4 ounces of formula. An hour of my entire repertoire of silly songs. Even with Chad there to share in the "fun," I was more than a little frazzled by the time Dr. Maplethorpe came in. But I quickly forgave her because I love Dr. Maplethorpe! She took care of me through my entire pregnancy - and even forgave me when I ignored her bedrest treatment plan. She delivered Natalie and helped me figure out how to breastfeed. She continues to treat our entire family with the assistance of her wonderful nurses and super-friendly office staff. I guess what I am trying to say is ... Dr. Maplethorpe is worth the wait :)

Natalie had only a mild case of stranger anxiety during the exam and cooperated with most of the doctor's request. She was most disgruntled when having her ears checked ... and the vaccinations were awful - at least for me. Chad held her, and I turned my back and shed a few tears for her. Sitting on daddy's lap, clutching her lovey, Natalie was unbelievably brave and calm. She cried - hard - during the injections but then recovered within a minute or two. My sweet girl was even smiling by the time I got her dressed and out to the reception area. Overall, a very successful check-up :)

*Check out these stats:
Weight: 22 lbs. 4 oz.
Height: 31 inches

Crepes: One of the Many Reasons I love CPV

What an awesome morning! First of all, I got to sleep in! My sweet Chad Patrick got up with Natalie at 7:00 am, fed her breakfast, and played all his fun daddy games. They woke me up just after 8:00 with a good snuggle in bed, my favorite way to greet the day. I left the two of them playing while I walked to Starbucks with my neighbor, friend, and new mommy, Jessica. We had a wonderful conversation while I sipped my chai tea latte. I returned home to find Natalie down for her morning nap, and Chad heating up the pan to make a batch of his now highly requested CREPES! Seriously, does it get any better than this?

Crepes are a new treat around here. Just this summer CPV expanded his culinary repertoire to include this decadent breakfast option. Crepes were an occasional childhood treat for him, but my tastebuds were crepe virgins ... I've had plenty of pancakes, waffles, and french toast in my day, but never a crepe ... and after three samplings, I am totally hooked! Anyway, a co-worker recently reminded him of their deliciousness during one of many non-work related conversations and gave him a recipe to try.

Crepe Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt


Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Use hand mixer to blend until liquid consistency. Let the batter stand, covered, for 1 hour. (The batter may be made up to 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.)


To Make Crepes:

1. Start with a heated a 9 inch skillet. Chad sprays the pan - just one - with cooking spray.
2. Once the pan is hot (but not smoking), remove it from the heat.
3. Stir the batter, fill a 1/4 cup measuring scoop with batter.
4. Pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate that pan quickly to cover the bottom with a thin layer of batter and then return the pan to the heat.
5. Loosen the edge of the crepe until the underside is browned lightly.
6. Flip the crepe - you can even get fancy about it - and brown the other side.
7. Transfer the crepe to a plate.
8. Serve with strawberries and whip cream, berries and powdered sugar, just powdered sugar, or maple syrup - these are the toppings we've tried thus far :)

This was most certainly the kind of breakfast you "write home about" ... or at least post on my blog. I somehow managed to eat 3 crepes ... all filled with strawberries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

My husband is the best, and I love him for his crepes :)

Mobility: That Baby Gets Around!

This past year has been jam-packed with milestones, and most of them have involved mobility - getting somewhere, especially places where I'd rather Natalie not go ... like between the wall and the toilet, behind the couch, to the doormats, to the cat's food dish, ...

Rolling: Natalie rolled from back to tummy first, and she did this for a good long while before figuring out the other direction. Once she unlocked this little mystery, she spent a lot of time practicing in her crib ... when she was suppose to be sleeping! All that rolling led to our first "doctor's office" injury. Natalie dislocated her elbow, which sounds worse that it actually is - click here to read the story: Elbow Injury. Anyway, rolling didn't "change my life" but it did prompt a note to self: Don’t leave NHV unattended on raised surface.

Crawling: This was the next big "leap" in mobility, and I must admit, it rocked my world. It happened about a week after she turned 9 months. I couldn’t believe how tired we both were when Natalie first started locomotting on all fours. As evidence, her naps suddenly extended to a solid two, sometimes three, hours. And often times, I joined her for at least one of those naps! Clearly, the naps were a major benefit. But it also came with more than a few drawbacks. Gone were the days of plopping her down with a basket of toys and expecting to find her there three seconds later. Gone were the days of going to the bathroom by myself - although it does crack me up when she crawls around the corner and seems surprised to see me sitting there on the toilet! And I have never vacuumed, swept, and mopped more in my life. Now that we were spending so much time moving around on the floors, I couldn't help but notice how dirty they seemed - all the time. No wonder I was so tired, when I wasn't chasing Natalie everywhere, or resetting her to a safer, cleaner place, I was doing my best impersonation of Cinder-freakin'-ella!

Pulling Up: Pulling up brought a whole new set of surprises as well as a strong desire to climb the stairs to our second floor. Suddenly a quick diaper change took 10 minutes because we had to scale the mountain of 16 steps to get to the nursery and her changing table! Why didn't I change her diaper downstairs you ask? Well, that's because changing the diaper of my proficiently mobile baby girl while she lies on the floor is like wrestling, and sometimes chasing, a slippery pig.

Taking Steps: Natalie's most recent "claim to fame," her stumble from ottoman to couch.

Ballet of Movement: Today I sat and watched as Natalie entertained me with a baby ballet of her very own blend of mobility. She started in the middle of her room. Full-on crawled to the window, pulled herself up, shifted weight from one foot to the other while holding on to the sill, side stepped to the toy basket where she dropped to her knees to investigate. When she found one of her favorite bunnies, she grabbed it in her right hand and cuddled it near her cheek, while "gimping" on her left hand and left knee to the bookcase. With bunny still clutched in one hand, she pulled up on the book display but quickly decided using only one hand was not effective in her attempts to empty the bookcase. So she squatted - both knees bend but rear end suspended a few inches from the floor - to ponder the situation. It was a tough decision, but she decided to ditch the bunny. She stood back up without holding on to anything and proceeded to throw books to the floor - what fun :) The empty bookcase prompted her to look over her shoulder to find me sitting on the floor with a silly grin on my face, which was all the motivation she needed to take off "walking" toward me. After about 8 steps and lots of giggling, she gave up on her own two feet, crawled over, and pulled up on me to receive the big hug I had waiting for her.

Walking: I can't say that she is officially walking because more often than not, she resorts to one of the many other forms of mobility in her repertoire. But I also know it is only a matter of time - a very short amount of time - before she's off and RUNNING!

Trip to the Zoo ... and a really cool date: 8/8/08

We went to the Cougar Mountain Zoo today, and it was awesome! For a relatively small zoo, I was very impressed by all that it had to offer including ... two gorgeous Bengal tigers, a mountain lion (aka a cougar), and an exhibit of Macaws that blew me away and had me smiling from ear-to-ear! One of the Macaws hid behind his wing and then said, "Peek-a-Boo," as clear as any human ... and perhaps I am easy to please, but that pretty much made my day!

Natalie had a pretty serious look on her face the entire time; I like to think she was really trying to soak up all the new knowledge, but perhaps she just wasn't as impressed as me. Natalie seemed to like the bronze animal sculptures the best ... probably because we let her get down and crawl/walk around. But my favorite part was totally unrelated to the animals. All of the brick walkways contained engraved paving stones. It's a fundraiser for the zoo - each engraved brick pays for 20 blank ones. Not only is it a great way for the zoo to raise money and complete its walkways, but it's also such a cool legacy-type thing to do and a unique gift to give someone ... hint, hint ... I've decided I must have an engraved brick at the zoo.

I should also mention two other important events on this 8th day of August 2008 ...

My wonderful friend Laryl became a mommy to her beautiful baby girl, Marissa Marie. Congratulations, Keith and Laryl, and welcome to the world, MM! Also, today is our neighbor Sebastian's one month birthday. Sebastian's parents, Johny and Jessica, "planned" his birth as a first birthday gift for Natalie ... hee, hee :) Happy One Month to you!

Favorite Thing: Teething Tablets, Mum-Mums, & Veggie Booty

So this month's favorite things may - at first glance - seem unrelated, however I assure you that this is not one of my many moments of randomness. No, I had three favorite things to share, and they are all things to put in your baby's mouth ... or let her put it in her mouth, if you'd rather :)

Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets
I am not sure I completely agree with their advertising slogan, "A safe solution to every problem," but I think these teething tablets do take the edge off when Natalie's gums are wrestling a new tooth. Of course, she only has two teeth at this point, but so far these tablets have seemed to help :)
Here's a little description I found online:
"This is a great natural pain reliever for your little ones. These unique tablets dissolve instantly, and treat teething pain and discomfort with a homeopathic blend of natural substances. no side effects, 100% natural."


Baby Mum-Mum Rice Rusks

Natalie has been eating these things for a few months now, and she continues to chant "mum-mum-mum" each time one appears. She especially enjoys the Vegetable variety - it contains the "powder" of spinach and other delectable veggies. Yum!

I love Mum-Mums because they ...

• quickly dissolve in the moist mouth of a little one
• are easy to transport (aka they can be tossed in the diaper bag)
• make almost no mess - I can even get away with forgetting a bib!

Oh, and Baby Mum-Mums are made in Australia - Good day, Mate - but no I do not order and have them shipped from another continent! When I sent the link to my friend Laurie, she gave me too much credit and thought I was having Natalie's snacks shipped from down under :) Fellow mommies, I get my Mum-Mum supply from the local grocery store, which reminds me, I need to add these to my current shopping list.

Veggie Booty
Don't you just love the name? And the pirate-play-on-words? Well, you know I do, but I am admittedly easy to please! Aaaargh! Bottomline: This booty is delicious!

Being honest ... I am not sure how "nutritional" this snack really is for my NHV, but I do know that she loves it! Again, its ingredient list boasts a variety of vegetables (broccoli, kale, carrot, spinach) in powdered form.

I like to eat it, too, and I figure it must be better than throwing a handful of Cheetos on her tray :)

The Growing Cunninghams

That's Hayden - calm and relaxed - Landon - known for his carefree tongue - Morgan - grousing just a bit - and Natalie looking so grown-up and happy :) Isn't this photo just priceless?

Natalie and I had the chance to visit my amazing friend Debbie and her adorable TRIPLETS. We also met Ruth, a sweet woman, who is fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with the four of them.

The babies were born on April 20th, but their due date was July 30th, so I was meeting one month old triplets who've already graced this world for more than three months. That's the only way I can wrap my brain around this miracle.

I've done my best to hold tight to the memory of seeing Debbie, my friend who is now a mommy, and meeting her babies, but some of it is a blur - because of emotions and the fact that I was chasing down my NHV while visiting. But here are just a few things that stand-out:

• three happy, healthy babies, and did I mention ADORABLE?!
• a happy, healthy, rested momma - not overwhelmed in the least
• three swings all lined up and holding babies while they napped
• the girls in their matching dresses - so cute!
• a variety of Wub-a-Nubs - I am sure they are lifesavers!
• Landon in my arms - he was so tiny but also sturdy
• a small tub of medications administered before feedings
• Starbucks - my favorite chai tea latte - waiting for me; thanks, Ruth!
• a color-coded feeding/medication schedule typed in Comic Sans font
• many, many monogrammed/personalized gifts; it was so fun to see those three names all over the place

Oh, I just can't wait to see The Growing Cunninghams again! In the meantime, I'll rely on Debbie's website updates to make me feel like I am there :)