Home Sweet New Home

Hey guys, guess what? I have the best news- this beautiful fountain is in my new back yard!  

Well it's in the yard surrounding our new apartment- and we are thrilled to finally be moved into our new home! 

Be prepared for more pictures, and some super cool backdrops in my sewing posts, but right now I just wanted to pop in and thank you all for your kind words, and your offers to help.  

I have felt so amazed by how many people have expressed their concerns and offered to help.  

I also have to take a moment to apologize to everyone who I didn't manage to respond to. I think I was so overwhelmed by our situation that I was just moving through the motions and I was having a hard time communicating with anyone. 

I also have to thank my dear family who took us (and our obnoxious cats) in and really saved our behinds. I always knew that my mother and sister's would always be there for me if I needed it, and this situation really put them to the test and I am beyond grateful for them. 

Now I am back to addressing change of address cards and unpacking boxes! 

Seven Months

Welcome to seven months...well seven months and almost three weeks, but hey we win some and we loose some. 

It's funny because when I posted on her seven month birthday on instagram I said she was teething, but I didn't think any teeth were close to coming through. Well I was wrong and by the time I took these pictures she had two and a third almost cut. 

Shows just how much I can predict when it comes to kids! Cordelia's first tooth cut though at 10 months, and it was a slow process to get all of the baby teeth in, I wonder if Adeline's will keep moving in this fast. It's funny how different kids are from each other. 

Adeline you weigh 21 pounds! You are such a strong little girl, and you have the fastest army crawl of any baby I have ever met. We have to keep a very vigilant eye on you because you  move so fast and you find the tiniest things to stick in your mouth.  

I love watching you explore things- it makes you much more interested in toys which makes it easier for your sister to "play" with you, although she does tend to yell at you and say you are wrecking the toys. 

All you want to do these days is stand- and you are getting close to  being able to pull yourself up, I suspect you will be able to next month. You have such good strong legs which is very helpful to the cause. 

Nothing makes you quite as happy as cats, luckily we have enough for you to play with. 

Cordelia says her favorite thing about you is that you are  ticklish on your belly when she blows on it. You are also ticklish on the bottom of your feet. 

The seventh month of your life was a rough one for our family, but as always you remained our cheerleader. Always happy, always smiling. Still not sleeping through the night, but maybe we will get there one day. 

We love you Smush, and we are soo soo lucky to have you. 

6 years and 6 months

It dawned on me that my children were 6 years and 6 months at the same time and it seemed like such a magic moment I wanted to freeze it. So I froze it the only way I knew how- with pictures.  

Having two small children is exhausting, but there is not a doubt in my mind that having both of them makes my life more complete.

School is out now so I am back to working five days a week. The process of getting myself and two kids up, ready, out the door, pumping milk, smiling at customers, getting everyone home, fed, and to bed is taking some getting used to. Combined with the fact that Adeline is still waking up a couple times a night I haven't had energy for anything "extra". I miss making things.  I miss T.V! I know I will adjust, but darn this is hard- I am soo tired!

But mostly what I miss, more than T.V, sewing, or even sleep, is the extra time during the day with these two. Work is necessary both for our budget- and probably my sanity, but look at these faces! They are just so incredibly sweet.  

 Adeline is very interested in Cordelia. She always knows where Cordelia is in the room. She watches everything Cordelia does- and exasperatingly enough she has even developed a fake cough to mimic Cordelia's very real cough. Now that Adeline can army crawl she has started going after whatever Cordelia is playing with!   

Cordelia loves to make Adeline laugh and giggle, and really enjoys waking her up- which I am not a fan of. Cordelia calls Adeline "Smushy, Mushy, Tushie" - I am hoping this extension of Adeline's nickname doesn't follow her for too long in life because I can see it annoying her as a pre-teen. 

 Adeline is a much more mellow baby than Cordelia was- granted it could just be that we perceive her as more mellow because we are more relaxed as parents, but I think Adeline tolerates things that Cordelia never would have- like being poked and prodded by an enthusiastic six year old. 

They seem so different now that I look forward to seeing how their individual personalities develop and grow. 

I feel very blessed to have my two sisters and my brother, having siblings has shaped who I am as a person in ways I'm not sure I even have words for. At the end of the day I know that my sisters and my brother are always there for me- I cannot be alone as long as they walk this earth. I knew with all my heart that Cordelia should have that too- which adds another layer to my thankfulness for Adeline. 

They are so young and so new at being sister, but they are so connected- I hope that connection is something we successfully nurture throughout their lives. 

Firsts

Life is full of "firsts". Memorable moments all of them, and we each have our own unique firsts that stand out the most. These "firsts" change over time. As a kid and a teen these firsts included the first time I rode a two wheel bike, the first time i took the car out by myself, the first time I dyed my hair, my first boyfriend, and my first (and only) dance. 

As a new adult your "first" start to include things like your first drink, your first tattoo, your first apartment.  

When you become a parent your "firsts" become shared firsts and they seem to increase in importance- first smiles, first foods, first steps, first birthdays, first Christmas, first family vacation. Amazing, breathtaking family firsts. 

Granted not all "firsts" are good. During your youth your first boyfriend will likely be followed up by your first breakup, your first drink might just be followed by your first hangover. As parents your firsts also get to include your first time nursing a baby with a fever, and possibly you first ER visit. I think the firsts seem to get harder the older you get. You loose jobs, sometimes get tickets and eventually you loose people to death.

After someone dies you start to mark time by a whole new set of "firsts". Every one of these seem more painful than the last. 

The first time you start to call them on the phone realize they aren't there to pick up. 

The first family dinner they aren't there for and you realize they won't ever be at one again. 

The first time you need to ask them a question they aren't there to answer.

The first Christmas without them. 

Their first birthday gone.

The first time you start to question if you remember their voice or their stories correctly.

It hasn't even been a year since my Father or Grandfather passed,  but tomorrow marks another first- the first father's day without them, my first father's day without a father or a grandfather. I'm not sure how to wrap my mind around that. I'm not sure how to wrap my mind around the fact that I don't have a Dad. I know people think that time will make the loss hurt less, but it seems like the further we get from the last time I talked to my Dad, the harder it is. 

For all of you experiencing tomorrow without your dad- I'm thinking of you, and for all of you who are hanging with your Dad tomorrow take an extra long second to appreciate him, laugh at his bad jokes, and give him a hug.  

Welcome Sweet Adeline

Our sweet baby girl Adeline was born on the 7th of December. She joined our family earlier than expected but thankfully healthy and a sturdy 8 pounds 3 ounces. God knew we needed a sturdy baby because Adeline has a very enthusiastic big sister who wants to hold her almost every second of the day.  

I am not a religious person, but I do believe in God, and God knew we needed Adeline to help us get through all of the things that had happened this year. 

There are a lot of things that make Adeline different from her sister- not all of those things I can put a finger on right now, I just know in my heart that they are very different people. One of the biggest things right now is that Cordelia was a great sleeper and Adeline is my little bat baby- when we brought her home from the hospital she only wanted to be awake at night! She ate almost every hour on the hour, and she only wanted to sleep while being held. I think honestly I might have trained her to sleep like that by accident. During our stay in the hospital I kept her in the room with me at night- but I had such a hard time getting in and out of bed because my c-section incision hurt so bad that I stopped putting her in her little cart and tucked her into my hospital gown while she slept. I really enjoyed the hours we spent together like that, so I'm ok with the repercussions (well mostly- don't ask me at 4am how I feel about it).

Before I had a baby I didn't understand newborn baby smell- actually I didn't understand it until Cordelia progressed into toddlerhood and no longer smelled like a sweet newborn babe. I have to tell you I am overjoyed by every moment I get to spend hugging my sweet Adeline, and smelling her sweet baby smell. 

I actually had a hard time getting excited to take these pictures because that meant putting her down- and my level of creativity and drive has been on the low end these past couple of months.  Luckily, now that my blood pressure is back to normal, and I have recovered from surgery I am starting to feel a little bit more creativity- I still don't have time to make anything, but at least I have some interest in making things. 

It gives me things to think about as I hold my sleeping baby- right now I'm dreaming of quilts and what nursing clothing i'll make when I get a chance to sew- which hopefully will be soon because I am growing weary of yoga pants and t-shirts. 

But I promise I will never grow weary of these tiny feet. 

10 Good Things About Pig

On Monday the Pinkham family lost a member. We had to put our precious Pig to sleep. He was a part of my life for 14 years and I feel lost and sad  without him. I know our pets do not live forever- and I thought I had been preparing myself for the end, but the end is always so final. 

After finding out about Pig's passing a friend mailed me a copy of the book "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney". It got me to thinking about the best things about Pig. Most of my favorite parts of  him are memories and not things, but I felt I need to write them down (so I might ramble a bit in this post). 

I was fifteen when I adopted Pig, My cat of ten years passed away out of the blue and I didn't actually think I wanted another cat yet. My sister saw this little skinny gray cat in one of the cages at the adoption place and made me pull him out to take a closer look. Pig put both paws on my shoulder and rubbed his face all over my face. That was it, he had to come home with us. Pig loved everyone, and he greeted most people by rubbing all over their faces- in fact that's how we found out my best friend was allergic to cats... 

For the record, I didn't actually name him Pig, I named him "Tomo". My dad renamed him Pig after we discovered his desire to eat everything- he would even get in your lap and try to steal food out of your mouth. His first Christmas with us he ate the Christmas cookies right off the table- and some of the plastic wrap covering them. He slowed down as he got older, but at the end he would steal McDonald's french fries, and he might just bite your fingers trying to take them. 

I know this isn't totally unique for a cat, but Pig loved laundry baskets. He would attack your fingers through the holes, I hated this particular laundry basket but I held on to it for a long time just because he loved it. 

Pig drank his water by dipping his front paw into the bowl and then licking his paw. He also did this to any waiting water glass. I now don't trust cups that have been left out. 

He humored us in everything, absolutely everything. 

When Cordelia was first born Pig pretty much ignored her- once she started moving around he always wanted to be doing what she was doing. He let her dress him up, he played with her toys, they argued over who really owned the pink princess couch. She would squish him and accidentally yank his fur- but he always kept following her.  

When you pet his cheeks he made this silly face
(We called it skinny Pig)

Pig made the best Pillow. He had the softest fur. 

He was always there. He studied with me, he sat on my sewing desk when I sewed, he greeted us at the door, he would watch me exercise, when I was sad and crying he would find me and purr and kneed me until I calmed down. He was always there.