MollyMadonna.com

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firsts. (30)

Today was a good day. We embarked on a few firsts (namely, kindergarten) and I think the experience might have even exceeded expectations. Henry was so excited for his first day at his new homeschool collaborative this morning, making it (mostly) easy to drop him off without a tear (mine) at school.

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Eloise was a quite downtrodden about having Henry gone for the day, which reaffirmed my inclination that our kiddos really do thrive when they’re together. I’m so thankful for this option to have Henry in a school setting with great teachers, classmates and families, but to still have him home most days of the week for now.

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Eloise and I headed out on a few little mommy and Ella Belle firsts of our own…she was eager to spend time out and about and not at home without Henry, which was endearing and ended up being a great way to share our first day in a new routine. We stopped for coffee and a treat, and then got our nails polished (which feels like a manicure to a three year old. Win!) together for the first time downtown.

A little lunch at home and face time with Gramma, and it was already time to collect Henry again. The reunion was sweet as both kiddos wanted to catch each other up on the excitement of their days. The afternoon was fairly peaceful–everyone was happy to be back together in the nest again for the rest of the day.

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I have been coasting on some crazy level of ambition and energy for the past few days, but this afternoon, I just kind of fizzled out. Par for the course, but tonight I’m really ready for bed after falling asleep once already when I first sat down to these keys. It’s grand to be motivated at the stage of pregnancy, but it’s probably all the better to be realistic that there’s a difference between how much I want to do and how much I actually can do right now. I’ll spend the next few weeks trying to strike a good balance, I’m sure.

Tonight, the house is quiet while tuckered out kiddos sleep and Jason and I work away at respective projects before bed. I am so glad to be here in this anticipatory space, where life hasn’t yet changed but it’s on the horizon. It’s so timely to be coming into a new phase of life at the same time that the air is slanting slightly cooler and the leaves are beginning to turn. Tomorrow welcomes September. That feels beautiful in and of itself. I’ve never been quite so excited for fall as I am this year. There’s much to look forward to, and firsts around every corner.

easing our way into the newness of things,

mm

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just keep swimming. (33)

I like Dory. In spite of her lack of short term memory, she’s pretty wise. Can you hear her humming to herself right now? “Hmm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hmmmm, hmmmm.” She approaches life with joy, excitement, possibility, and plenty of hope. Who wouldn’t love to be a little more like Dory some days?

My memory is ridiculous right now, so I’m channeling my inner Dory on multiple fronts. Laundry in the wash? Oh, that’s right. Plenty of x,y or z in the house but I put it on the grocery list anyway? Yep. It’s not even all that frustrating, really. Just funny to be so out of my own mind in moments that I can think about the deep, detailed things, but not the small, everyday things. That’s pregnancy and motherhood and life and summer talking all at once.

Just keep _____ could be my motto for everything right now:

Just keep resting. Just keep organizing. Just keep having patience with yourself. Just keep loving your kids well. Just keep praying. Just keep showing up. Just keep swimming…

Yes, even swimming is on the list these days. Ask the kiddos. I did as many summersaults and handstands in the pool today as I could. (We’re going to get this baby in the right position, yet, I tell you.)

And you know what? Of all of the things I’ve done this weekend to move us along in the right direction toward baby? I think swimming with the kids was probably the winner. I didn’t even want to go, honestly. I mean, 35.5 weeks pregnant and a swimsuit aren’t my favorite duo. But it was too hot to stay out of the water, so in I went. And I had some of the best, most treasured times with H and E that I’ve had all week…maybe longer. They thought mom doing summersaults in the pool was awesome (it doesn’t take much to impress, I guess). But we laughed and splashed and the sun and water were good for all. I only wish I could ask baby what he or she thought of my antics, but time will tell.

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Just keep swimming. This applies to me, but I imagine it applies to you, too, in whatever season you’re facing right now. Just keep doing the thing that moves you forward, whether it’s big or small. Put on that swimsuit and jump into the pool–literal or figurative, without caring what you look like to anyone else, and so as not to miss out on what life might have for you in the next moment.

Keep on. Dory would agree, I’m sure of it.

hmm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hmmmm, hmmmm,

mm

 

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say cheese. (37)

When I was pregnant with Eloise, my body stopped tolerating dairy. If I had any at all, I got a migraine headache that would not quit. It was painful to eliminate it from my diet, but I stopped eating it as soon as I made the connection, and the headaches stopped, too. After birth, I was able to have it again without the headaches coming on, yet it took us nearly six months to realize that Eloise had a dairy allergy herself. The poor girl had been miserable for so long at that point, and my renewed dairy consumption was the culprit. I felt awful about it. Her first six months of life were truly hard on us all.

Saying goodbye to dairy cold turkey for a second time was no fun, but not nearly as bad as watching our babe struggle through tummy issues and insomnia night after night, month after month. I only wish we’d cracked the code far sooner.

Three years later, Eloise is still dairy free. I’ve been eating in solidarity with her from the time we discovered her allergy, and we’ve both benefitted from a lack of dairy in our lives.

Nothing like a little raspberry sorbet to make your day!

Nothing like a little DF raspberry sorbet (and that smile) to make your day!

This time around, pregnancy has been surprising in many ways, but one of the things that gets me the most is the crazy number of times I’ve craved dairy. A total 180 from my last experience, I was really hesitant to give in to the craving at first. I thought I might get sick like before, and I hated the idea of eating it when Eloise can’t. Being the DF duo in the house has worked out just fine for a long time, but not now.

This morning, I snuck a piece of cheese in the kitchen so Eloise wouldn’t see me eat it. She notices everything, and I can’t blame her. The other night at dinner she asked if other little girls could have dairy, and answering that question was actually really hard for me. I hate for her to feel left out, and I don’t want to leave her hanging on the DF front.

There’s something different about this baby though, and he or she wants cheese. What’s a mama to do?

Hesitant to begin feeling the repercussions of dairy again myself, I’ve eased into the notion that maybe baby needs something that only dairy can offer. High fat? Some protein I wouldn’t find elsewhere? I can’t bring myself to jump back into regular milk and yogurt and such, but cheese and ice cream (hello, toasty summer!) have become a completely different story.

Baby #3 keeps my on my toes in so many ways, and is largely a big mystery to me. My desire for dairy is just another one of those things to chalk up to pregnancy and to realize will likely shift again once baby is here. I keep telling myself it’s to afford us another strong, healthy kiddo like the other two have been. I pray that’s exactly the case.

It’s been a tad hard to shed guilt each time Jason and I have ice cream from our favorite local spot after the kids are in bed, or after I’ve tucked a slice of cheese under other things on my plate when I’m sitting down next to Eloise at the table. But I’m going against all previous wisdom and bowing to the whim of my pregnant body–the one that’s capable of knowing what this baby needs and communicating that clearly.

I’m not binge eating ice cream or downing gallons of milk at bedtime, but I’ll admit cheese feels a little like an old friend, and I haven’t hated craving it a little here and there. It’s nice to have pregnancy take me in the direction of a food craving this time around, instead of another food aversion. So far, dairy, coffee and eggs have made their way onto the “aversions that stick post-pregnancy” list. I wouldn’t be all too excited about adding anything new to the off limits column.

Cheese is a beautiful thing in moderation, my friends. And if it’s good enough for baby in these last weeks of pregnancy, it’s good enough for me, too 😉

86ing dairy free mama status around here (for just a little while anyway),

mm

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rainbows and unicorns. (40)

When Eloise asked for a rainbow birthday party a number of months ago, I wasn’t sure it would stick. But as party time got closer, she kept up with rainbows and pointed them out everywhere. I was so thankful for a simple theme in a season when throwing a party at all was going to be a little more of a stretch than normal.

It isn’t hard to find rainbow colored items–not especially as the 80s have made their comeback and Lisa Frank type styles are everywhere. I didn’t buy much, but a few cute things that would be fun for details and some rainbow crafts for entertainment for our younger guests. I opted for an email invitation to keep things as simple as possible, and found a cute one on Minted’s beta evite site. As it’s in beta, the invites were free to send. Perfect.

With invitations out to Eloise’s requested guest list, I didn’t fuss around much with planning until the party got much closer. Pregnancy and a busy summer just didn’t leave room for fuss, and that worked out well. I picked up Crayola school supplies (so easy to grab at this time of year) and stumbled upon packages of blank notebooks in a rainbow variety pack at Target for favors. I love making favors, but that plan was out this time around. These did the trick quite nicely:

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For food, a rainbow theme is amazing. Tons of fruits and veggies in rainbow order on trays are just about the simplest, healthiest option available, so I ran with that. I had a saint of a friend stand in my kitchen, slicing and chopping, for three hours the day before the party. Thank heavens for amazing friends and willing hands to help. Throwing a party for thirty takes a small village even if it’s a simple party, but especially when I’m this pregnant. I love how colorful the table was, and how easy to plan, too.

Besides the fruit and veggies, I wanted the food to be all things Eloise likes, so I decided on salami and turkey sandwiches, rainbow pasta salad, pickles, chips and salsa, and popcorn (clouds) to round out the menu. I almost always do drinks in large dispensers, but that calls for cups and drink prep and often, messes the day of the party. Canned Izze sparkling juice, juice boxes and bottled water (with some rainbow unicorn Duck tape for fun) made the drink menu a simple, colorful one.

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When it comes to birthday parties, one of my favorite parts is planning a centerpiece worthy cake. I’ve only made a few myself, and this year, when Eloise requested rainbow pies, I was a little stuck on how to make that happen. Then, last week, she changed her mind and asked for rainbow cake and ice cream, making things a little easier to implement (minus the last minute change and searching around for a bakery that could accommodate a dairy free cake on late notice). Eloise and I ran through photos on Pinterest briefly and took a handful of Eloise-approved designs to the bakery. They thought this design was most doable, so we ordered it up (“with pink where the red is”-Eloise). I’m so happy with how it turned out, and equally as thrilled with how it tasted. Turns out everyone loves a good DF/GF cake! We went with vanilla ice cream and vanilla almond milk ice cream for the DF crowd, and everyone was happy. Simplicity for the win.

For decorations this time around, I planned on bright flowers from the farmer’s market (our Saturday morning market makes this an easy choice every time), balloons, buntings reused from Elle’s first birthday, and some rainbow lights I’d grabbed for $3 a strand at Target. I always decorate our easel with a birthday sign, so that was on the agenda, and then Eloise spotted some stick-on gems at Hobby Lobby that inspired a sparkly number “3” for the food table.

When we figured out mid-week that the party would likely have to shift from an outdoor affair to an indoor one, I started brainstorming on simple ways to add more color inside. I kept most everything the same, but added two simple buntings at the last minute that were super easy to implement and ended up looking really fun. I’d stopped at Lowe’s with the kiddos earlier in the week to pick up paint chips for a possible indoor party craft project, and after cutting them for the craft, decided that some would be relegated to bunting status instead. I would do this again in a heartbeat. SO easy and colorful!

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Indoor activities were a little more challenging in my head at first, since I’d planned on a piñata, a ball pit, bubbles and a few other large muscle activities for our outside event. Not all of those would fly inside, but we improvised and managed to make things work. Our non-adult guests ranged in age from 1-9, so I thought indoor entertainment would be more challenging. Turns out a craft table, a mess of ball pit balls in the playroom, an indoor piñata extravaganza and a highly entertaining balloon artist/face painter do the trick. The party lasted about two hours, and the kids were amazing. No one seemed overly bored, few tears were shed, and best of all, no one got hit with the whiffle ball bat as it swung in tight quarters through the living room. 🙂

Our crafts were super simple and not at all messy: scratch off rainbow hologram sheets from Hobby Lobby (24 for $3.99, or less with your 40% off coupon), paint chips turned bookmarks with rainbow stickers, crayons for decorating, and rainbow washi tape, and best of all, Wikki Sticks in rainbow colors. The kids had a blast with these, and they designed shapes and creations that went up all over the house throughout the party. The wax sticks cling to just about anything, but leave no color or residue, so they were a fun addition to the decor and a breeze to clean up. I would order them again any time (thank you Amazon Prime for filling this last minute, rainy party need).

I have to say, of all the parties we’ve thrown for the kids, this one turned out to be one of my favorites. In spite of the rain (and let’s be real, the two tornado sirens that went off during the party as well), everyone seemed to have a good time. The birthday girl was happy, our friends were gracious and accommodating about the space and the rainy weather, and it truly felt like a celebration, which is really all I could hope for for our sunshiny, rainbow-y girl as she turned three.

I learned a thing or two about simple being best (you’d think I’d know by now), and also learned the value of a good entertainer when you have a house full of kids on a very wet day. Balloon animals and pink kitty cat faces for the win, I tell you.

There are traces of the party still coloring up the house in corners, and I love that. Lingering birthdays are the best kind of birthdays, and go with the flow parties are the best kind of kid birthday parties, too. I’m so thankful for all of the many hands that helped to make the day a smooth one, for the friends and family who came to celebrate, and for the chance to rest well at the end of the day, with plenty of great memories to last for a long time to come.

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Rainbows and unicorns were not on my radar, but Eloise was as sure as could be. And I’m so very glad 🙂

celebrating another red letter day for the books,

mm

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weathering the weather. (41)

There is so much to learn in a day’s time, and some days are just so much better at delivering lessons than others. Today was one of the better days.

This morning started early as we prepped to celebrate Eloise with an outdoor party turned indoor, which meant for some modifications and creativity. It’s not the first time we’ve shifted our outdoor plans to celebrate, but it was the first time I’ve been 34.5 weeks pregnant while doing so. That exercise, in and of itself, was a good lesson for this mama who struggles with slowing down. Not much you can do besides crank it back a notch when you’re setting out rainbow everything and having contractions five weeks too soon at the same time.

Pregnancy humbles me.

By noon, our house was filling up with some of our very favorite people, and in spite of the weather outside, everything was looking very colorful indoors. Eloise had just fallen and landed on her forehead on the wood floor, so she was toting an ice pack and trying to fend off a pretty snazzy goose egg. This made for a rougher start to her birthday party than planned, but she was a trooper, anyway. My mama heartstrings get tugged so hard when she really gets hurt–mostly because she’s normally right back up and at so quickly. Today was not one of those days.

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The lesson here for me was that my spirit has changed and bends more to what actually matters than it used to. I’m so grateful for this. Getting food out and making last minute party adjustments fell away as I snuggled Eloise…I just wanted to make it better. I can’t say I’ve always been practical in this way, but I can say that God has worked in my heart to be a much more compassionate mom over time. Thank goodness.

With the party in full swing, and 30 adults and kiddos tucked into the little blue house together, it felt just like a birthday party should: Eloise was surrounded by people she loves, and there was laughter and good conversation and rainbow party food being consumed by all. When the godsend of a balloon artist showed up as entertainment mid-lunch, the kids were happily occupied for a good while, which was excellent, because the weather was picking up outside.

In the eight years we’ve lived in this house, I’ve not once heard a tornado siren that wasn’t a drill…until today. So the siren is going off and people start getting tornado weather notifications on their phones, and I’m processing what it will look like to put all of us in our 85 year old Michigan basement. Hm. A few years ago, this might have put me in a tailspin, but not today. I’m already having contractions, so what’s a little more excitement, right?! I mean, what kind of story would that be to tell somewhere down the line?

So long as we were all safe, I could swallow the challenge of everyone hanging out amidst our laundry and storage and spiders. Maybe this third baby is having more of an effect on me than I’ve realized, and that’s a good thing.

We didn’t end up needing to go to the basement, but almost. And the sirens stopped and then started up again about 20 minutes later. We were practically holding all of our poor guests hostage with the weather, but it’s a testament to our friends and family that everyone was pretty low key about it all. The kids kept getting faces painted and we sang “Happy Birthday” and everyone devoured some seriously yummy dairy free, gluten free cake (I can’t take credit for it, so I can say it was seriously yummy 😉 ) and ice cream.

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Jason rocked the indoor piñata, which was another situation that might have put me right over the edge a few years back. I’m relaxing in my old age. Or something. Honestly, it was fun figuring out how to make it all work. I didn’t think I’d be up for a challenge at this stage of pregnancy, but rising to the occasion is always a fun test, right? I genuinely enjoyed the whole party, and the only things I didn’t quite love were the intermittent contractions and the possibility of a tornado passing over our awesome guests and family.

The fact of the matter is, a few hours came and went and Eloise was well-celebrated, which was all I ever really needed or wanted to make sure of in the first place. It may have been tight quarters, but that’s what I love so much about grace: it comes in and fills the spaces we can’t fill ourselves, and it passes over the rough parts to make them smooth.

Today, in all of its indoor, rainbow delight, was a day of grace in many ways. In spite of being much too physically taxed and probably in great need of a nap, I coasted on the energy of hosting and entertaining and being gathered with dear people. The beauty was wrapped up in doing life alongside others for a few hours while we celebrated our sweet baby girl and this milestone of growth in who she is and who she’s becoming.

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No goose egg, no tornado siren, no contractions for a few hours’ stretch are going to dampen the heart behind a day so filled with love. I can regale the details of the party later, but most importantly tonight, there’s a very happy little girl tucked away and dreaming in her bed after a day that was full and joyful in so many ways. I even hear rumor that God put a rainbow in the sky when the rain was through–no doubt the kind of detail that matters to Him, and the kind that so lovingly reminds us that He sees us and delights in us. How much he wants us to delight in Him and in each other, as well. Such a beautiful picture!

Tonight I’m headed to bed with all kinds of aches and pains that were hard-earned and well worth it. Sleep will be sweet this evening, and memories of today will stay sweet themselves for a long time to come.

absolutely loving the calm and quiet after the storm…listening to the wind rustle and welcoming the heat break and cool temps that will grace the day tomorrow!

mm