Morgan is One

This is the post I have been dreading. The one I have been procrastinating for over a week. The one that just doesn't seem possible.

This is the post where I wish my baby a happy first birthday.

Can you believe it?

Baby Morgan is one.

She's actually been one for about eight days now, but it's taken me this long to come to terms with that. It was one of those things that wasn't "real" until it was written.

The year flew by. Really. The older I get, the faster the years go. It honestly seems like just yesterday we were contemplating going to the hospital, or waiting it out at home for awhile longer. I blinked...and was transported from the seclusion of the hospital room (remember last year's H1N1 scare? No visitors were allowed at the hospital...talk about lonely!) to the chaos of Morgan's first birthday party.

I have been blessed to witness most of Morgan's milestones during this first year. Thanks to a flexible job and an understanding husband, and despite an uncomfortably low checkbook balance, I've been able to work less and spend more time hanging out with Morgs (and the other three, too!). All the milestones I missed with my other babies, I got to experience this time. That feels good.

I needed to experience those milestones. Because now, I finally feel like our family is complete. I know I've said that before, but this time I mean it. This sweet baby has been a blessing to us, and she completes our family. She is the bookend, the baby, the one we didn't know we were missing until now, when we can't remember what we did without her.

Yet, as sure as I am that Morgan is our last baby, I still can't bring myself to get rid of the baby things. 

I haven't nursed her for eight days, and haven't pumped for ten days. But the breast pump is still out, still plugged in even. The bottles are still in the cupboard, where they are taking up valuable space. I think about throwing them away everyday, but doing so seems so final. I can't do it. But I have no problem giving her whole milk in a sippy cup. I'm ready to be done with the whole nursing/pumping thing, but I just can't take the final steps.

It took until yesterday, exactly one week after her birthday, to turn her carseat from rear facing to forward facing. I thought of it even before her birthday, but I had a million excuses as to why it could wait. I finally mentioned it to Brad, and he turned it around immediately. She's much happier sitting forward, but it still makes me sad.



Lovin' the smash cake!



The same is true with this birthday blog. I've been thinking about writing it for weeks, but until now, just couldn't make myself do it.

Morgan is one.

She is walking, giggling, waving bye-bye and charming everyone she meets. She is a good girl and her smile is contagious.



Turning one is a huge milestone. We had a party. We had cake (for breakfast and for lunch and for supper). It was a great day.

There will be many more birthdays, each one just as bittersweet. But I'm ready.....just as soon as I throw those bottles away......



Unbelievable

It all started as a one word status update on Facebook.

Unbelievable.

It was the one word I could think of to explain my day. I was frustrated, amazed, tired, and upset all at once. I knew if I posted that one word, people would wonder what was up. I hate those vague status updates, the ones where people post something and you know they're looking for attention and sympathy. I almost didn't post it, for that reason. I wasn't sure I was ready to explain my unbelieveable day. And I certainly didn't want any sympathy.

Still, I posted it. Just one word.

Unbelievable.

And the response was, well, unbelievable.

There were question marks, my cousin wondering what was up. There were funny comments about the Vikings. I then felt the need to explain myself, which I did. But there are so many other unbelievable things that are going through my head. Unbelievable and random things that have me scratching my head, and have me once again feeling the need to share. So, here is the continuation of my one word status update:

Unbelievable how incompetent and lazy some people are.
Unbelieveable how tired I am.
Unbelievable how my son thinks being a Lions fan might be a good idea, because his team is playing unbelieveably bad.
Unbelieveable that my baby will be one next week.
Unbelievable how much better I feel after a visit to the chiorpractor.
Unbelievable that until April, I'd never been to a chiorpractor in my life.
Unbelievable how much my Lexi likes basketball. I had a great time with her shooting baskets at the Y.
Unbelievable how good it feels to work out.
Unbelievable that the tv remote is STILL missing. It's going on two weeks. I've quit watching tv. That is unbelievably lazy.
Unbelievable how much Jake and I clash. It makes me unbelievably sad when we fight, and makes me feel like an unbelievably bad mom.
Unbelievable how when running late, I manage to hit every single red light.
Unbelievable how hungry I am.
Unbelievable how easy it is to hurt someone's feelings.
Unbelievable how tough it can be to forgive, once your feelings have been hurt.
Unbelievable that I've done a full day's work in less than three hours.
Unbelievable that we are completely out of dishwasher soap. You can believe I will be stopping at the store before heading home. No way am I washing dishes by hand.
Unbelievable how, despite all the crappy stuff that happens to me, and the negative thoughts I've been having, how truly blessed I am. I have an unbelievable husband and unbelievable kids....and really, in the end, those are the things that are really important in life.
Unbelievable how writing this has me feeling better already.

Kitchen Lessons

Brad spent most of ths evenng cleaning the oven. It was long overdue, but it's just one of those things I never get done.

He should probably get Husband of the Year for tackling this job. It was pretty gross. But, while I do the majority of the cooking, it can't be completely my fault.

Remember this summer when Lexi and Tess were on a baking frenzy? I think a few pans of their famous monster bars must have overflowed in the oven.

A six-course meal, calls for fancy china.
Amazingly, only one glass got broken!



And a few weekends ago, Lexi had both Tess and Taylor over for a sleepover. They are so good at thinking of things to do. This sleepover was all about cooking. They planned, shopped for, and cooked Lizzy, Morgan and I an entire meal. We're talking a six course meal. It was actually delicious. But the best part wasn't the food in my belly (although I do love food!). The best part was watching them work together and plan this big project. They learned how to slice potatoes and cook noodles, but they also learned about teamwork, following directions  and organization.

Perhaps their next lesson will be how to clean an oven....



The Chefs







Morgan-Cam

Brad's aunt gave me this today... it's totally Morgan... I wish I had a "Morgan-Cam"!

Big Brother Jake

Jake acts like he doesn't like his sisters, but the truth is, he loves them. He especially loves Lizzy.

Yes, they clash a lot. Everyday, actually. Multiple times. I get so tired of refereeing their arguments. But I know they fight, because they love each other, and because they are so much a like.

Tonight, Jake finally admitted how much he loves Lizzy. He just discovered my Lizzy-isms Blog. Now I can't get him to stop reading it. He is sitting at the computer, laughing hysterically. A few times, he's been laughing so hard, he fell off his chair. At one point he said to me " Thanks for showing me this Mom. It's so funny." He's even become an official "follower" and told me if he's ever sad, he's going to go read some Lizzy-isms. That, he says, is the best way to make anyone smile.

So think what you will. Poor Jake. The only boy with three sisters. But I know the truth. Jake loves his sisters. And Jake wouldn't know what to do without his sisters, especially without Lizzy...because without Lizzy, Jake says "there would be no sunshine, and also no Lizzy-isms."

Breaking Point

I hit a breaking point of sorts tonight.

It's been a long construction season and a busy fall sports season. Not to mention speech, Faith Formation, work, and the other everyday adventures that four kids bring. I've been handling the chaos pretty well, until this week.

I'm not really sure what happened, but suddenly I have no patience left for my children. I am trying not to feel sorry for myself.. I know there are people who do the parenting thing solo all the time, and my hat is off to those parents. I couldn't do it.

Tonight, I decided when the going gets tough, the tough make salsa.

I gave the big kids chores: one gave the little girls baths, the other folded and put away two loads of laundry. While they did that, I made salsa.

I've never made salsa before. I don't even really like salsa that much. But tonight, it seemed like a project I needed to tackle. I have boxes of tomatoes I picked from the garden now sitting in boxes in the basement. I have been patiently waiting for them to ripen. Tonight, there were enough red ones to make two batches of salsa (one batch takes 18 tomatoes). I stopped after one batch. But I gotta say, I'm pretty excited about this salsa. It looks, and smells, just like the stuff we buy.

But I'm even more excited about this salsa, because it may have saved me from doing, or saying, something I know I would regret. I was at a breaking point tonight. I was either going to freak out on my kids, or do something constructive. I'm so happy I chose the latter. I'm pretty sure they're happy about that too.

And the best part is, I have more tomatoes...waiting for the next time I need a "break".

Sweet Baby Morgan

It must be tough being the fourth child.

Lexi is 11 and responsible, and busy.

Jake is 9 and suffering from major middle child syndrome.

Lizzy is three and, well, she's Lizzy. See more at lizzy-isms.blogspot.com

And then there's Morgan. Nearly 11 months old, and the calmest, sweetest, mellowest baby ever. Sometimes she's so mellow, we forget about her.

I suppose when you live in a crazy, busy house like ours, and you're the baby, you sort of have to be mellow. The poor thing was dragged to her first basketball game at just ten days old. She still takes some of her best naps in gyms, and the buzzer never even wakes her.

While I love having such a mellow, patient, easy-going baby, I can't help but feel a little sorry for Miss Morgan too. Case in point, last weekend's photo shoot. It was supposed to be a photo shoot for Morgan. But Lizzy managed to steal the show.

The pictures of Lizzy are amazing, and I love them all (see just a few at lizzy-isms.blogspot.com) But what you won't see there are the equally amazing pictures of sweet baby Morgan. Again, the photographers managed to capture her easy-going personality, just like they captured Lizzy's Punky Brewster style and personality.

Here are a few of my favorites of sweet baby Morgan:

 

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