In our family, birthdays are a week long event….a party, your actual birth “DAY” party, and of course a few days of cake, cake, and more cake…
Today, we packed up lunch, a birthday cake of course, and loaded up the cart for an afternoon birthday party at the pool! It just so happened to be tie-dye day, too! Mary Clare was able to tie dye a onesie. Cake AND crafts…too much fun!
It is so hard to believe that only a year ago, our sweet Mary Clare was born. I wish so badly that I had a joyous, and exciting birth story to tell her as I do McCanless on her birthday every year, but truth be known, Mary Clare’s birth was one of the most difficult times of my life. Tonight I pulled out the baby blanket that was covering her the afternoon I first walked up to PC-ICU to visit her and so many wonderful, sad, happy, terrifying moments came flooding back to me.
After a quick and easy labor and delivery, Mary Clare arrived around 11 am. I briefly got a glimpse of her, noting how beautiful she was and how she looked like my granddaddy, Daddy Bob. She was then rushed off behind closed doors. Mel was allowed to see her after they got in all of her lines, and then she was brought to me a couple of hours after birth. These first moments of her were between the glass of an incubator and were very brief. Later that afternoon, I walked up alone to PC-ICU to visit her. She was in bed 1 covered by a tiny crocheted blanket and had a pink bow in her hair. With so many wires and tubes peeking out from beneath her blanket, she was peacefully sleeping and I leaned over her and promised that I would do everything I could to keep her safe. I so badly wanted to hold her, to try to nurse her, to sleep beside her bed as any new mom would be doing. I vowed to stay there all night to welcome my baby girl into this world, and despite the bright lights, IV’s, and loud buzzes, I would be there to rub her little hand and talk to her and comfort her as best I could. But only after only a few moments, she turned blue. Buzzers went off, nurses rushed over and I was told to leave immediately. I wouldn’t see my baby girl awake again for 7 days. She had to be sedated, paralyzed and intubated until her surgery.
The next month would turn into an experience that would forever change me as a person. I am a better mom today because of Mary Clare. I am a better person because of Mary Clare. God has given me a precious angel to care for and for that I am so very grateful. I am thankful for everything that we have been through as a family and I am so proud of everything that she is.
McCanless has been begging me to take her to school lately. Not that she is so inclined in the academics as a mother might wish, she simply wants to see friends. We have been going to the pool daily but unfortunately for her, I’m still around. I think she wants a bit of time away from Mommy dearest, and honestly a bit of non-McCanless time does a mommy good too!
I was impressed with everything that she learned to do at HHS Cheer Camp. I was as equally impressed that she stood up with her small group of 4-year-olds and cheered in front of a huge bleacher full of parents. (Secretly, I’m thrilled!! I so want her to take after her mommy and be a cheerleader. Shhhh!)
This week we all are attending our own church, St. Bartholomew’s, Bible school. I “volunteered” to be an assistant teacher, McCanless has her own crew and Mary Clare is enjoying a one’s and two’s age group class, which is too cute!
..up next, gymnastics camp, and another round of swim lessons (Prestwood Pool this time)!
We had a most wonderful 1st birthday party for Mary Clare and I’ll post photos as soon as I get a few from family!! I was so caught up in the day, I completely forgot to take the first one! (I do remember lots of flashes, so hopefully the entire event is well documented!) This photo was taken this morning as Mary Clare and I finished unpacking the car from the party…
It was a very special day and we were honored to have Annabelle’s family and Emerson and her family with us to help celebrate! For now, Annabelle’s mom has posted a few photos at www.babygirlbutcher.blogspot.com
Also a few more photos at Sara Preston’s website. Sara Preston is another sweet and very cute friend of Mary Clare’s. We were thrilled to have so many wonderful and very generous friends at the party! Thanks to you all! We were able to contribute a ton of baby items and over $1,000 in monetary donations for Annabelle’s baskets! (So far… they are still coming!) It is truly amazing!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Prestwood Playground
3:00-4:30
In lieu of gifts, please bring an item or monetary donation for an Annabelle Basket.
This is where I found Mary Clare this morning as I fixed her breakfast. (In Emmie’s bed with her loot surrounding her…a shoe, a passy, and a dog chew toy.) She is such a little explorer and loves to plunder. She loves to pull anything and everything out of a drawer, bag, purse, etc.
I knew the time was coming when Mary Clare wouldn’t be quite so content just sitting stationary in a pile of passies, books and toys. Well, the time is now and I’m worn out! As a toddler, McCanless never once opened one of my kitchen cabinets, and I’m not sure that she even has to this day, now that I mention it. She was just never interested. She never plundered through drawers, or pulled books off of shelves. I guess I never really had to baby proof the house. Until now!
This morning all within about 15 minutes, Mary Clare had managed to pull a stack of pots out of a kitchen cabinet, dumped Emmie’s dog food all over the floor (and tasted a few kibbles), crawled into the bedroom under my bed, pulled some sort of material/stuffing out of the bottom of my mattress, and then found her way into my bathroom and decided to play pool in the toilet! No she didn’t jump in, she just splashed around in it, which may be worse! After each incident, I would take her to the playroom and show her a new toy and try to get her interested…
I don’t get it. A room full of “educational” and attention grabbing toys, and she would rather bulldoze her way through every other room in the house.
Other than plans to buy those stupid, big, ball door knob covers, putting latches on the cabinets, and installing toilet lid locks, I’m having so much fun with both of my girls. Every day bring a new challenge and so many new laughs. Mary Clare is almost walking now and recognizes so many words, but only says a few…or what sounds like a few words. She definitely says, “Mommy” when she cries, and is still quite a Mommy’s girl. She continues to nod and rock when she sees something she wants and is becoming very good at communicating without saying a word. She’ll take her tiny finger and point and rock until you get her what she wants, then flash a huge smile. If you make a mistake, she’ll throw her head back and arch her back and begin to wail. Quite the impatient one, we have.
When she is good, she is very, very good. When she is bad….you get the point! Sounds somewhat like her big sister!! Yikes!
