Finding Her Balance

Try and try again..this is a lesson I haven't really had to teach my daughter so far she does so on her own, she is very persistent about things she finds interesting or she is determined to do (Thank God!). She's been watching the amazing young girls of the U.S. Gymnastics team and has become even more enamored by gymnastics than she was earlier this summer. I had tried to get her into a gymnastics course for the summer but they wouldn't allow her to join because she was not four years old yet, so she's found every occasion to practice on her own...in our living room, at parks, in the back etc. And she can do this for hours just trying to get her balance..she yells out "look mommy I stuck my landing!". How precious! As a new big sister, she has had a shaky few weeks, she was my baby in every sense of the word and being told she isn't a baby anymore has seemed more like a punishment to her so I am almost in tears when I see her excited and relaxed (not questioning if I still love her..) I really hope she can find her balance...

1 Month Old

Evie weighs (at 5 weeks) a whopping 11 lb. 8 oz. and measures 22 1/2" long; obviously she's not starving even though I feel like I always am. She has developed quite a temperament that's all her own, she's like a gentle giant...it takes quite a bit to get her to the point of screaming. She's still quite a good sleeper except once every 8-10 days she decides to stay up until all hours of the night just making sounds and looking around, not crying (like last night...). She took her first immunization yesterday for HepB and her big sister was there to hold her hand and pick out a sparkly band aid for her. 

4 Weeks old

Dear Evalie,

Today you are 4 weeks old! almost an whole entire month! In that short time, you have completed our family and have healed my heart. You have brought an unexpected amount of love to us and really could not imagine being without you. I think I was right months ago when I wrote a post that I thought my mood might definitely match your personality, a mild mannered, easy going baby. You are a fantastic baby and I'm not just saying that because you are mine. I am surprised everyday by how little you cry and how easy you are to soothe, it makes being your mommy very simple and pleasant (no surprises tonight little girl!) You sleep just as well as you did the first day we brought you home so I'm not as tired as I imagined I would be. You smile and laugh sometimes and put the biggest smile on your big sisters face when you do so. She loves taking care of you and is very protective over you. The other day she read a book to you, she said she was helping you learn! 

I am happy to be your mommy for many reasons; the little sounds you make in your sleep are very cute,  the way you cringe and clench your fists with your eyes opened wide as we walk down the stairs is pretty funny, the way your lip curls when you cry is the cutest little thing as well. Most importantly, we all seem to get a kick out of your unfailing ability to reel us in with your smile and once we are all like "awww look she's smiling"..you immediately let out the biggest fart and poo sounds and remind us that you're just a baby and have no idea what we are saying!

Love you,

mommy.

Nostalgia

This weekend was spent driving through Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown quite a bit, mainly because we visited my sister at the hospital there a few times, while doing so, it got me feeling rather nostalgic for a time past. When my family moved here from Nigeria in the late 80's, we lived in Tarrytown and even though at the time it felt so foreign to me, now looking back, its the closest thing to "home" for me in the United States. As children, my siblings and I complained of boredom constantly, it almost felt like life was happening everywhere else besides there so I was taken aback when we drove through and it looked liked a new place to me. Like any other place, it has had some turnover and improvements but somehow they have preserved the essence of the place, the old and the new sit nicely together.

Although I longed for that time, it was different, I don't miss being a kid there but now with my family, I understand why families yearn to raise their families there. I marveled at the beautiful homes within Philipse Manor, the historic architecture, it all was quite impressive. It has culture and a rich fabric that my current town is devoid of and I miss that. I miss living in a place with rich history, with a story behind it that doesn't involve shelf stable cheese. Is that wrong? We moved here initially for one reason and that was to make my commute shorter, I no longer commute further North so its a bit tough to now hold on to a place that has no purpose anymore especially after living here for almost 5 years (..which is crazy!). and still feel no connection to it. Certainly I would miss the fact that I have had two babies brought home here but its been really tough to make friends and really become part of a community here, its just not that type of place I suppose. Anyway, I've really been thinking about long term plans and feel strongly about making some moves; I was raised all over the world and was exposed to different cultures early on (which had its pros and cons) and I would like my daughters to have a similar experience in life, I can't imagine them only living in Monroe for half their lives (pre-college). I would like them to develop a love of other cultures, languages and people and feel the best way to do so is to travel and live within them or at least live in a more culturally diverse* and rich community. 

(*I dont like to use the word "diverse" because I've found in the this country it often refers solely to "black, asian and spanish..." which is not what I mean.)