The delay in my posting more details about Nora's 4th birthday celebrations occurred because she kicked off her 5th year with her eighth (8th) case of strep throat. I still have not loaded the photos onto my computer yet, but I do have some less-exciting photos from this past week :(
Exhibit A: Poor girl wanted to take Billie Holiday for a walk but refused to get out of her pajamas. The only compromise she was willing to make was to remove her pajama shirt, but then she would not replace it with a normal shirt. Oh, well. She is cute clothed or unclothed.
True confession: I actually liked Nora having strep throat. Not because she was sick and suffering, but because we got to spend time alone together at home that we rarely get anymore. Life with multiple kids is tough; you have to be very deliberate about carving out one-on-one time for each of them. Wes and I do a pretty good job of this, but we know we could be better and we know each of our kids would love more time with just us. So, I will take what I can get!
While the boys were at daycare, Nora and I hung out at home. I fought the urge to put away laundry, vacuum the floors, and do all of that housey stuff that I always feel obligated to do when I'm at home and not doing Beautycounter work. I spent much of my time at home on Tuesday and Wednesday just holding my baby girl in my arms, watching Elena of Avalor and Peter Rabbit. It was tough not to let my mind wander back to the days when she was our only child. I began to feel those familiar waves of guilt over my worry that we pushed her and Isaac into sibling hood too soon. Later that evening, Wes and I found Nora's new white board (a birthday gift from some very sweet and thoughtful friends) with "I LV ISAAC" written on it and my feelings of guilt sort of evaporated at that moment. I know that my kids argue with one another, scream, hit, pull hair, cry, and get jealous. BUT, I also know that my kids really do love another deeply. They are one another's best friends, and I hope that lasts a lifetime. The next morning, I found this written on Nora's white board, reaffirming my belief that we, her family are her universe, as they are ours.
Note: she does not know how to write Daddy on her own yet, which is why she didn't include him!!
While home with Nora, I also go to enjoy several picnics and tea parties. Billie was a passive participant in these gatherings.
When Nora was finally deemed "no longer contagious" after 24 hours of antibiotics, I took her to one of our local coffee shops for an icy beverage to further "help" her throat (and maybe to spoil her and spend some fun girl time together).
It was pretty awesome having some special time with my girl. It reminded me that despite how chaotic life gets, I have got to find a way to make this happen for all of my kids. It's funny how parent-guilt works though. I was really eager to pick the boys up each afternoon from daycare and felt oddly guilty that they were not home while Nora was. I found myself keeping them up a little after their bedtimes to spend just a little more time with each of them, and then I did that totally creepy thing where I watched them on the video monitor while they slept for longer than I really needed to. Oh, and I took pictures of them sleeping.
Now, it's Friday and we are back at it again. All 3 kids are at daycare, and I'm at work. I will leave you with a photograph of and a link to my very favorite lunch boxes that we use for daycare (with Bentgo boxes inside).
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