Since I started the Francesca blog in May 2006, the number of blogs that have included or talked about the kids’ relationship with their Auntie Noelle have been numerous.  Which, is to be expected since they absolutely adore her.  She was present at every one of their births, and has been there to support them and be with them through everything that has followed.  And while the big events are unquestionably important, her interest and acknowledgement of all the little things is what I find the most endearing.  With few exceptions, Auntie Noelle has come to visit them every week for the last four and a half years.  That is quite amazing, when I think about it, but also quite wonderful.  Not only does she come to visit, but she is always completely focused on them; even when her own life had significant complications, she was not only there but present.  As a result, the relationship she has with each one of them is very strong, unique, and special.  We are all so blessed to have her in our lives and to be the recipients of her unconditional outpouring of love. 

Franny and Cole felt that Delaney needed a little company this morning during her floor time.  I thought it was very sweet of them to think of her and share their babies, and Delaney got a kick out of it, as well!

Franny has been waiting a long time for a raincoat and rain boots.  She was very specific about what she wanted—first rabbits, which we couldn’t find; next, ladybugs that we couldn’t find in her size; then, she got impatient.  And, I can’t blame her—we’ve been looking on and off for several months and in the meantime, we’ve had a lot of wet weather and she hasn’t had an appropriate coat to wear.  I finally teamed up with their Auntie Noelle to find a fun rain outfit for her and a coat for Cole (he had already received boots for Christmas).  She arrived today with their rain gear in tote.  Both kids were so excited they wanted to go play in the rain.  That was short-lived, but at least they were dry when they came back inside!

Never is there a day with Delaney where I don’t see some sort of change of some kind.  And, while I could think that this is sad as she gradually leaves that baby stage behind her, it really isn’t.  The baby stage is heart-warming and incredible with a new little life that enhances everything in every way.  But, the six month old just puts one additional layer on that.  It’s sweet to have a newborn curl up into the crook of your neck and fall asleep.  But to have a six month old reach for you, touch your face, and then smile at you?  It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Today, Delany had her Hepatitis B booster, a flu vaccine, and an N1H1 vaccine.  Poor girl!  She has always been extremely cranky after her previous vaccines, and I had anticipated that again today.  But instead, I saw Delaney happier and more interactive than I have ever seen.  There was more visible reactions and smiles to different family members, and there was so much more talking, new vocal inflections, and even new gestures.  She even ate some cereal today.  She amazes me every day. 

Today we rented Monsters Inc.  We thought it would be a fun, low-key thing to do together, as the holidays have left the kids weary and wanting to stay home a lot more.  But, while the idea may have been a good one, the movie wasn’t a good one for Franny.  After ten to fifteen minutes, we stopped it because it was too scary for her.  Because the kids don’t watch television and movies are special activities that we do only occasionally, we had Franny choose a Christmas special DVD to watch instead.  That show ended early, as well, for the same reason.  I felt bad that Franny didn’t get to watch her movie (Cole isn’t really all that interested, anyway)  but it also made me think about movies and media and the different messages that children absorb watching them.  In this case, it was more a matter of Franny not understanding what she was watching; Monsters Inc. is a very sweet story and most of the monsters are not scary.  We tried to talk to her about what she was scared of and also explain to her what she was watching, but she just wasn’t ready for it.  I’m not complaining.  The kids love their books and having those remain their main form of media entertainment is a good thing.  There are very positive movies that I know the kids will enjoy and even benefit from, once they are ready.  We’ll still have our movie nights, but we’ll just use a little better discretion and some of those wonderful Disney movies we’ll just table until a later date.

Today, we put the parlor French doors back up.  We enjoyed the open space, but just decided that in the end, we preferred the look of having them.  Rick got Franny and Cole very excited about the project, and recruited them as his helpers.  Cole’s drill “tightened” all of the screws after he had attached the brackets.  Rick also let them both help with his real electric drill, which was a very big deal.  It was so much fun for me to watch them all work together.  Rick took a very basic, easy project and got them involved in such a fun way.  He’s such a great dad in that way.  These small moments are the ones that are important.  We do a lot of fun things with the kids, but these are the special times that build relationships and bring us closer together. 

Beautiful snow blanketed the yard today.  Franny and Cole were so excited!  The snow started right at the beginning of quiet time; needless to say, there was no quiet time this afternoon.  By the time enough snow had accumulated to make a snowman, it was starting to get dark, but they still built a beautiful snowman with a very sweet smile.  They came in very cold, but very pleased.  The snow isn’t forecasted to continue, so it was nice to have this day where they could go out and play in the snow.  I love the calm and peaceful feeling that always accompanies snow.  Such a wonderful day!

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We always wait until after the Christmas rush to go to Zoo Lights—fewer crowds always makes for a more enjoyable visit.  This year, however, we opted for the only forecasted dry day of the week (of course!), and therefore there was a large turnout.  We arrived right at opening and still had an hour wait for the train!  For the kids, it was worth the wait, as few things beats a train ride and they did really enjoy it.  But, waiting in the cold is not a good thing for young kids, and I think Franny and Cole just got too cold to really enjoy much past the train ride.  Everybody was ready to head home, which turned out to be a good choice.  Cole and Delaney fell asleep on the ride home and Franny was ready to go to bed, as well.  Zoo Lights is such a wonderful event to take kids, and there was so many great new displays this year, but it’s only worth it when everyone is having a good time.  I think we made the right choice to go home early.  We enjoyed the time we spent and didn’t diminish that by extending ourselves too far.  We’ll definitely be back next year.

When it came to rolling over, Delaney didn’t seem to have a period where she was trying but not quite making it.  She just started doing it.  Sitting up seems to have worked in much the same way—last week she just started doing it all on her own.  No tri-pod phase—she just went directly to sitting by herself; and, she maintains her balance for quite some time!  Delaney never ceases to impress me.  She has definitely learned to live and thrive amongst our chaos.  At just six months, she has such a significant presence in all of our lives.  Day by day, she is figuring out our family dynamics and creating a place for herself within it, with very unique and different relationships with each one of us.  She will always be the baby of our family, but from what I can tell, she is going to have a wonderful and strong personality.

On Christmas Eve, Franny and Cole decided to decorate their gingerbread house in their Halloween costumes.  This really isn't an unusual occurrence; they seem to be, more often than not, dressed up in some way or another as opposed to their standard wardrobe.  It’s definitely a good thing that digital cameras date each picture!

Today was a day that was scattered with short bursts of energy followed by long periods of down time.  Cole especially spent a lot of time reading books and looking very, very weary.  Christmas is such an exciting time for kids—it was such fun to plan and then see their day unfold.  But, I am looking forward to the upcoming days, where we can all recuperate and enter into 2010 rested and healthy again.  It’s going to be a great year!

Delaney’s first Christmas: a wonderful day full of family and love.

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We all enjoyed a quiet (well, maybe not so quiet) Christmas Eve dinner and evening with Grandma and Grandpa.  It’s was the perfect way to settle down after all the holiday preparations and reflect on what makes holidays so special.  Tomorrow will be a whirlwind of excitement, presents, and festivities, and it will be wonderful, fun, and special.  But, I think times like these will be the ones that they remember and cherish the most.  I know I do. 

This year, Franny is very excited about Santa Claus.  I’ve been trying to balance her excitement by talking to her about other important things about Christmas, like giving, family, sharing, kindness.  But, since we talk about those all year round, and especially recently at Thanksgiving, the jolly guy in the big red suit is the main thing on her mind.  Tonight, she put out cookies, milk, and a Christmas card for Santa.  Cole drew a picture for him, as well, but he doesn’t seem to be as focused on Santa as Franny; surprising, since he was so excited about talking to him last week.  But, Franny has enough enthusiasm for the both of them, and I am certain that Santa appreciates her thoughts and her efforts.  These cards will definitely be saved and kept in a safe and special place.  She was asleep very quickly—it will be interesting to see how early she wakes up tomorrow!

This week, I closed the book on all the Christmas activities and good intentions that I wanted to do but in the end, just wasn’t able to follow-through on.  I am trying to not focus on these things or regret my prioritization.  I have wonderful kids and I am fortunate that they truly appreciate and love each other.  For this, I am so thankful.  I do know, however, that for any child the addition of a baby to the family will create some unsettling and the adjustment can be a long process.  It’s not just that there is another child to requires love and attention, but this little being also affects everything that we do and how we do it.  In this regard, Franny and Cole have done so well and I could not have asked any more of them.  And for this reason, I have tried to take the holiday season and focus on solidifying our balance as a family and do my best to have them end this tremendous year with a feeling of security and love and not of compromise or trade-off.  For quite a while, I just focused on getting through the day; now, I am focusing on maximizing each day.  Even on a simple, easy day there are so many things that are said and done, and so many opportunities to teach and to learn.  With the addition of Delaney, it has proven to be so much harder to not compromise what I give them of myself, especially my time and my patience.  If there is something that needs to be compromised, it needs to be the what and not the how.  I know, we will not be able to do as much as we once did and how we get through it is not always going to be the most organized and the most perfect.  But I think, when we look and remember days and experiences, the joy will not be in perfection or organization, and if we were even close that won’t even be remembered.  We will remember the joy of being together, in a way that fostered respect, love, and patience.  If we focus on that, we will have endless memories of love and laughter and we will all be closer because of it.

It will be imperfectly perfect.

I love these two together…

At yesterday's Christmas party, all the kids went downstairs to watch a movie--Cole stayed behind to play with this guitar. Later, all the kids exchanged and opened gifts--Cole stayed upstairs to play with this guitar. He did come down briefly to check out the movie they were watching and get a snack before returning to his 'studio' upstairs. Not to say that he was by himself the entire party--Cole did play with his friends and did eat dinner with everyone, but this guitar was definitely the highlight of his evening.

Guitar from T on Vimeo.

At events like these, I can’t help but sit back and be amazed that these kids are still together after more than four years.  Even with scheduling challenges, most of these kids meet on a weekly basis.  Others, get together when they can.  For Franny, it is a very special group.  Cole is still finding his place and learning to play with the other kids (as are all the other two year olds), but he always has a good time and looks forward to the playgroup days.  Tonight’s Christmas party was the first time all the kids have been together for a long time.  It made for a wonderful evening.  They played and exchanged gifts and enjoyed themselves tremendously!  I love seeing them have such a good time.  It’s unusual for the group to meet in the evening, and Franny and Cole came home very excited; even with afternoon naps, they went to bed and fell asleep very quickly.  It must have been a good night!

Top bunk doesn’t feel right….bottom bunk doesn’t feel right….floor is better….  For an afternoon nap, I don’t question the rationale—I just enjoy it!

Yesterday evening we took Franny, Cole, and Delaney to see Santa Claus.  This was something Franny really wanted to do, she dressed for the occasion, and she had it all planned out what she was going to tell him:  Ariel dress-up and princess stuff.  I didn’t really expect Cole to care much, since he’s really not at the stage where he wants more than what he already has.  But, with Santa Claus such a prominent figure during Christmas time, as well as in all his Christmas books, I think he still was intrigued.  Once we arrived, Franny opted out of meeting Santa—she had Rick convey her requests, instead.  Cole, however, was quite comfortable and talked with him for a few minutes (with a little prompting from his daddy).  I felt a little badly for Franny, because I think she did want to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas, but just couldn’t bring herself to do it.  For next year, I’m already considering other plans that will hopefully enable Franny to be more confident and enjoy meeting and talking to Santa.  But for this year, two out of three is just fine!

Rice cereal—it’s a tremendous rite of passage for the six month baby.  This is our third time around introducing solids, and although each time I have approached it a little differently, each time the reaction has been the same:  smiles and excitement in the beginning, but grimaces and  disappointment in the end.  Delaney actually had a little yogurt on Thursday and today it was the second attempt at the cereal.  I tried to make sure she wasn’t too hungry, full, or tired—all the things that can bring eating to an abrupt halt.  But, it didn’t make a difference.  She was still very unimpressed. We’ll try again either tonight or tomorrow, and then again and again and again.  Eventually, she’ll get there!

Today, Delaney turned six months.  It’s hard to believe both that she’s already been with us for six months and also that it’s only been six months!  She is a sweet, wonderful little baby girl and we are so blessed that she’s joined our family.

Over the last six months, people have commented that she looks like Cole or she looks like Franny.  Although I can see subtle similarities to both of them in her, when I compare pictures of all of them, I think Delaney just looks like Delaney.  Beautiful girl!

The rest of the Trio at six months:

After talking about it non-stop for the past week, today Franny finally had her special Christmas cookie making day with her Auntie Noelle.  It was actually both Franny and Cole’s first time baking cookies; both have decorated different cookies, but haven’t been involved with the entire process, and Franny was very excited!  Auntie Noelle has been planning this special day for them for quite some time.  She came bearing cookie dough, cutters, sprinkles, and all the other necessary adornments for creating the fanciest cookies.  Cooking with preschoolers is fun, but it can be challenging sometimes, as well.  But Auntie is so gracious with her time, so patient, and filled with so much love, that this was a really great experience and an incredibly fun afternoon.  Cole’s attention span wavered after decorating a cookie or two, but Franny decorated hers with the utmost care, and could have gone all day.  Franny could really do anything with Auntie all day long, but this was an extra special day, and she knew it and enjoyed every moment.  I’m so glad they had this time together—it was extremely fun to watch it all transpire and see them enjoy each other so much.  What a great day!

Sweet anticipation

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Priceless memories