The Cutest Things

Ophelia, Lavinia, Helena... the cutest things. We have a special "mommy book" that is kept up on a high shelf and is never read alone but is only read by mommy to one or all of the girls. It's called "When I Grow Up, I Will Be Me." We love this book, it's wonderful and has become a very special shared moment that is repeated between the girls and I. It's fun and interactive and a very nice experience for us to share. I've realized that I'm going to have to get three more of these books, keep them in their package and give them to each girl as a high school graduation gift... I can't believe I'm thinking about their high school graduation. I love our daughters, they are amazing and they teach me so much. This book is so special to us, for them it is a special time with me and a time for them to be encourage to be just who God made them be, no more, no less and to take the time ro enjoy the world around them with repsect for the world and the people they share it with. For me, it's a beautiful time with them and a reminder that we have to let them be just who God made them be, no more, no less. As they help me read our special book I am amazed at how much each girl is already who God made them to be, each unique and shinning with a quiet strength that none of us understand, but all of us are blessed by and grateful for. And they are so cute!

Most of this post is actually about Helena, our baby that's really not much of a baby anymore, but will stay that way in our hearts forever anyway. Helena is a year and a half old, hard to believe. She looks so much like her daddy except she has blue eyes and a little girls sweetness/cuteness that daddy is (thankfully) lacking. In a way, we can see a little bit of each of her sisters in her, not just in her looks, but in her personality and expressions. Strong willed (and that makes three!), she knows what she wants and makes sure everyone else does too. Very curious and determined, she hates the words "no," "don't," and "stop." There is nothing that she won't try and heigth and danger are of no concern to her, she is more than willing to climb in, up, on, or behind anything to find out what she wants to know. A little too smart for her own good, she has figured out how to open doors, remove outlet safety covers, and unlock the dishwasher. A constant challenge to keep up with, she has a wonderful time exploring her world. She walks independent and sure, running most of the time unless we ask her to and then of course, she saunters at her own leisurely pace. Not interested in talking for a while, she has suddenly launched into two or three word phrases. We often hear “want some,” wanna sit,” “where is it?” and “what’s that?” The single words she says include mommy, daddy, doggie, uh-oh, ball, book and more that I can’t think of right now. She understands even more and like all children, has developed some of her own words for things. Her energy is almost always high and she is already demonstrating a musical and rhythmic ear… I don’t know why! Dancing, clapping, singing and “playing the piano” are all some of her favorite activities. She is already keeping good time with her rhythm and matches pitch most of the time when she sings. Every chance she gets to bang on drums, she plays her heart out, loud, hard, and with a steady rhythm. Helena was one of our more difficult babies when it came to sleeping, unlike Ophelia and Lavinia, she wakes easily and needs a rather quiet environment to sleep well… no small task in our house. Still, she has slept through the night since a few weeks old… even better after three months and now we almost never hear from her. She goes done easily and stays down as long as we make sure it doesn’t sound like she’s trying to sleep in a war zone! We’ve used her need for a quieter environment to sleep as an opportunity to teach respect. Helena goes to “school” three days a week and loves it, her favorite teacher is Miss Yolanda. She is friendly to everyone she meets, though often a little shy initially with a smile that promises that if you give her just a bit, she’ll be a good friend. Her big sisters love to look out for her and take care of her, they brag often on her latest achievements. Helena is both a daddy’s girl and a mommy’s girl… she gives love freely and expressively to all of us. We’re proud of our baby, she’s beautiful, smart and very loving.

Hope you enjoyed the update… being the mother than I am, I’m afraid that I went on and on a bit! Oh well, Helena’s worth it! I have some more news that I really need to share here, but it will have to wait for another time. I will say that God has opened some exciting doors for us in our ministry, we will have more to share about that soon. Stay well.