Friends Archives - Page 7 of 9 - Enjoying the Small Things

Miami (also known as A Really Big Post)

June 6, 2010 By Kelle

So, while my life generally consists of a nice juggling of laundry folding, picnics in the yard and afternoons scouring cookbooks for recipes with ingredients we actually have on hand, there are times when a whole lotta fabulousness rains on us all in one weekend. Not that home making isn’t fabulous. I wouldn’t trade my days home with my girls for the world. It was my first pick for The Life I Dreamed Of. And fortunately, I won the lotto there. But, if The Life I Dreamed Of hadn’t panned out, I had The Back-up Plan. And The Back-up Plan involved some fabulous city, hailing cabs, wearing heels and pretending I was really, really important. It’s still my alter ego. And, this weekend…I dipped into it, head first.

Here’s the cool thing. While previous fabulous nights had me choosing between kids and crazy fun like there was a difinitive line separating the two, sometimes fabulousness allows us to merge the two. Sometimes, we can wear heels and feel like a rockstar while slingin’ our baby to our chest–get this: at the same time. Gasp.

So it was Friday night when I glossed my lips and slipped into my heels to join the girls for the Sex and the City movie.

And, because my girl won’t take a bottle, she got to come with. And, how cool it was to blend my polar opposites–my home-lovin’ mama heart with my inner city girl–as I jammied my girl and patted her down with some Burt’s Bees to make her smell extra delicious for all the lovins I knew she’d be getting from my friends…and popped her in the sling, nestled right next to my fabulous dress, and high-tailed it out in my sky-high heels for a night of fabulousness…baby on board.

And I spent the evening huddled in a dark theatre alternating my eyes between Carrie Bradshaw and my sleepin’ girl who was passed down the line of my friends.

…who looked really fabulous, might I add.

And here’s my great shoes, juxtapositioned nicely between the wad of toilet paper resting on the floor in my bathroom stall.

And that was only the beginning of the weekend’s fabulousness because Saturday morning, my girls and I headed out across 75 to the other side of Florida to meet Katie in Miami.

I met Katie the night she was the scheduled nurse for Lainey’s delivery. And then she just went and crawled up in my heart and never came out. She loves my girls and we love her. And she lives in a fabulous condo overlooking the Miami skyline.

We commenced our morning strolling up Lincoln Rd., stopping in little shops, sipping lattes in cafe chairs, and fanning menus to cool the sweaty babies (who we eventually let strip down to diaper/undies because it was that hot).

We savored sangria, meandered our way around the palm tree peppered streets and dove into air-conditioned coffee shops every ten minutes to cool off the babies…

Miami Beach is saturated with culture and color. As we zig-zagged the stroller through throngs of bikini-clad women and cigar peddlars and made our way past art deco hotels piping out Cuban beats and graciously cooling us pedestrians with fan misters, I tried to drink it in…the moment…the memory…the awesome truth that there are so many fabulous places in this world that allow us to suck the marrow out of life a little more and still be mamas.

That’s a bike with no seat. ???? What the? Uncomfortable.

By lunchtime when we breaked for an ice tea at an outside cafe on Ocean Dr., it was torturous hot. We were greased with sweat, blowing on the babies to keep them cool and I couldn’t even cross my legs without them slipping apart. Discomfort that requires expletives for explanation, in case you were wondering. So, Lainey and Nella and I ditched inside Sephora while Katie took a cab back to get the car. Lainey thought Sephora was heaven. I allowed her three disposable lip gloss wands and we strolled through the aisles until she pointed out the lipgloss she wanted to try. A purple Lancome. A pink Clinique. A peachy Yves Saint Laurent. You would have thought I took her to Disneyworld.

Two minutes and three used lipgloss wands later, we were, I’m sure, annoying the associates. So we left back into the heat and onto 8th and Collins where I stood on the corner, attempting to discretely nurse a sweaty Nella and keep a stroller from rolling into the street while waiting for Katie to pull up and rescue us. Some guy holding a stack of nightclub V.I.P. passes actually came up to me and said “You lookin’ for a nightclub tonight?” Dude, does it look like I’m looking for a nightclub? I’m nursing a baby and pushing a stroller. When in Rome doesn’t exactly apply to everyone.

We skipped the nightclub and instead headed back to Katie’s where the pool welcomed us and we happily dove in…

How’s that for a pool view?

And, just about the time we were going to head across the Ally back home, the sky went from this…

to this…

And driving on a narrow stretch of freeway between two alligator-laden swamps in the middle of a monsoon is not my idea of a good time…or a safe one, so we called it a night and opted for a sleepover right there on the 32nd floor, overlooking Miami.

The view from our bed last night…

…and this morning…

Good Morning, Miami!

Katie, we love you so very much. If we can borrow your happenin’ city single life from time to time, you can borrow our cozy family waffle-making, cookie-baking life anytime you want. xoxo

And the icing on the cake was arriving home today to a package from my cousin’s wife who made my girls the most beautiful matching apron dresses that they just might live in for the rest of their lives. Thank you, Madison! Her Etsy shop here.

So, the fabulous weekend may have come to an end, but joy still awaits in the morning.

Oh wait…walked by this cool store in Miami…

…which had me thinking…how ’bout one? A random commenter will win a $50 gift certificate from Belkai Designs. Winner will be announced this Tuesday. Oh, and if you feel like it, let me know where you’re from when you comment.

Weekend Highs.

May 2, 2010 By Kelle

If days of the week are ice cream flavors, then Monday’s about a vanilla and leads up the flavor wheel respectively until the weekend which is definitely a Peanut Buster Parfait. It’s nutty and chocolatey and melts into sweet puddles of milky swirls that pool at the bottom of the cup.

I love weekends.

I love sunshine that fingers its way through curtain openings and wakes us with its happy plea to join it for coffee on the lanai and pajama trike rides in the driveway. I like my girl’s crazy hair that twists into wild tufts of spun sugar overnight and stays that way until our bath.

It was the perfect weekend. Nowhere to be in the morning so we lazily moved about, refilling coffee cups and lying around in sun spots, playing with babies and dogs and taking breakfast short orders.

We’ve tested just about every ‘waterhole’ in the house for Nella’s baths, alternating between tubs and sinks until we found her favorite–safe and secure nestled into the small bowl of the bathroom sink with folded towel cushions and Burt’s Bees bubbles. She loves it.

She fits perfectly and snugly, and the sight of her little froglegs curled up in that pool of water with her drippy lashes and rosebud lips and the way she coos when I wring out the washcloth with warm water that rains down on her little cherub cheeks…well, I wish I could share that with every scared pregnant mama out there who knows she’s getting a little something extra too. It’s pure loveliness and just the kind of love I thought I was going to have.

This weekend brought its usual loveliness with sunscreen-greased cheeks and sweaty babies. We had company and stayed up late sipping wine and swapping stories, and I cooked–like really-good cooked–pasta with homemade alfredo sauce and lemon caper chicken yesterday and taco soup and biscuits today. Brett washed cars in the sun today to the sounds of the Zac Brown Band humming from the little beat-up radio in the garage while rivers of sudsy water rinsed out faded chalk stains on the driveway. And the sprinkler once again proved its worth as it double-dutied drenching parched, brown grass spots and sun-kissed blonde pigtails simultaneously.

We were blessed to celebrate the birthdays of two of our sweet friends this weekend.
Chase turned one…and I’ll never forget walking in the delivery room just minutes after this sweet boy tasted his first breaths one beautiful year ago.

And our bud, Samantha, turned two and celebrated today with an Elmo party at the park.

And I could not stop laughing at this scene…

Elmo just showed up and walked across the park to the party under the pavilion and it was hilarious watching him make his way there–like he was just there, taking a walk and happened to say ‘hi.’ Lainey was glued to my hip during his stay, but she did manage to shake his hand…and was very proud for doing so. Me shake Elmo’s hand was the first thing she told her daddy when we got home.

In traditional Hampton fashion, I ran through the house fifteen minutes before the party, scrounging for some kid wrapping paper. We found none. We did, however, find some nice Christmas paper which rocked out nicely with a white bow.

If weekends are Peanut Buster Parfaits, then celebrating a little’s birthday on a weekend is the heaping dollop of whipped cream on top and watching them play and grin and drink in each others’ company? Well, that’s the cherry.

High on life. Because it’s delicious and grand and missing out on loving it would be such a pity.

“I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.”
-Dawna Markova (thanks again, KC)

Grief…and Learning to Ride Again.

February 1, 2010 By Kelle

Today is gray and rainy. I knew it would be a harder day the moment I woke up despite my attempts to turn it around. I will always try and sqeeze the bitter lemons into sweet lemonade, but sometimes, no matter how many scoops of sugar you add, you taste your concoction and it’s crap. I have my girls…and that’s what matters. Crappy days are inevitable.

I scrolled down on my blog today and reread some old entries…when I was pregnant and reading “you’re gunna be a big sister” books to Lainey. It hit me hard again…even my header photo. And my mom leaves tomorrow. And Brett heads to Chicago for ten days, and I already miss him so much, my heart aches. I love him so much more through all of this…I didn’t know it was possible.

We got our chromosome tests back today. I was expecting the call all day, and I knew full well what we would be told, but my throat still constricted, my eyes still welled and I felt that bottoming out of my stomach I felt so much of last week nonetheless.

Dr. Foley gave it easy…”Sweet ‘Lil Nella has Down Syndrome…just like we thought.”

I liked the “Sweet ‘Lil” part. They were like spoonfuls of sugar in my crappy lemonade today.

She is sweet & ‘lil.

Many have wondered or assumed this would be easier if we found out early. I opted not to have the Triple Marker test so many do to rule out ‘abnormalities.’ Her heart was perfect. And, regardless, A: We wouldn’t have done anything ANY differently had we found out, and B: I wouldn’t have changed a thing about the way this happened. I wouldn’t have wanted to know.

I am a person of hypersensitive emotions. I love like love is a drug and I am an addict, and I grieve deep, concentrated grief. It’s who I am. I know if I found out earlier, I would have put up a barrier. I know I would have been depressed for weeks. I know I wouldn’t have sucked the joy out of my beautiful pregnancy like I did, and that in itself would have been a terrible loss.

I needed to find out the way I did…to grieve hard and heavy. I needed to hear the news the moment she was handed in my arms so that my love at the sight of her could help heal my broken heart. She fixed me.

But, like every other fix, sometimes things temporarily break down again, and I found myself shaking a bit today. It’s not her ever. She is not a disappointment in any way, shape or form. In one week, my soul–the one that has Lainey all carved in her spot–has been chiseled away to make room for my sweet Nella–and she fits perfectly…right in her spot–and they both are locked there to stay.

It’s ideals. Dreams. Expectations I had for life. I keep telling myself that our old life didn’t die…it’s just different. Erase and Replace. Every day, there is something I think of and, slowly, I erase the old memories and replace them with new ones. Different ones. Good ones. And you know what? I cannot wait to take our new family to Isle of Capri. I am dreaming of tiny little swimsuits and Nella-izing the place like Lainey already has. I want her footprints in those sands, the grooves of her walker wheels carved into the old wood floors, a dollar bill with her name on it stapled to the beams above the bar where others have gathered under the thatched palm roof. There are such happy days ahead. And that’s not just sugar talkin’…those are our lemons. And, they are sweet.

So, real life has begun. A new life. It’s like learning to ride a bike again. I fell off a couple times today and the damn chain breaks loose every once and awhile, but it feels good to ride. To pedal slowly on this steep incline. It’s a hard ride, but I know I will find beauty…in the flowers on the side of the path, in the breeze that still exists. The incline will even out soon, I know. I’m not alone on this bike. I’ve got my babies strapped to me. And then there’s Brett and the boys who ride along…and, well…hell, last time I looked back, there’s like a trillion of you all attached. World’s Longest Tandem Bicycle. …that’s what we’re riding.

There’s beauty in our new real life.

~ The introduction of our new girl to the waiting hearts of friends at a ‘Welcome to the World’ brunch Sunday hosted by my friend, Heidi (everyone needs a Heidi in their life. I’m lucky I found mine).

Friends, when you love my children…you are loving me. Thank you.

~ Our first outing alone…to Costco to pick up some pictures. And my big girl huddled in the back over my little girl, protecting her, loving her while I pushed the cart.

I picked up the pictures and then felt all Supermommish and ventured further in the store to challenge myself. Maybe some papertowel. Some cheese. I can do this. But then I saw crowds of people and long lines…and I screeched the crooked wheels of our cart into a 180 and got the hell out of there. I can be Supermom another day. Not today.

~ We give baths and change diapers.

…and do loads and loads of laundry. Tiny little pee-stained laundry that seems to multiply like rabbits. We clean and cook and scrape up dried play-doh off the couch. Because that’s what every mom does.

~ We take breaks to soak up the most important thing we have…our family. Last night, we huddled over candlelight on the big coffee table…all of us…and played Yatzee. Brett kicks our butt every time, but it doesn’t matter. It feels good to be together…to laugh as I attempt a full house once again only to deal a crappy roll and bottom out on the scoreboard every time. I held my sleepy girl and watched as Lainey fought for the dice between every player, demanding, “mine turn.”

~ We nurse our babies…she figured it out…I knew she would.

And, for the record, Nella “gave” Lainey a new baby at the hospital when Lainey came to meet her. It was a beautiful moment–cameras flashing, tears streaming. She opened the present and smiled at the sight of the new baby. I kneeled next to her and whispered, “what are you going to name the baby?” The videotape rolled as the room grew quiet and we all waited her response. I expected something beautiful. Something profound. And she replied with…
…Hot Tub.
You can actually hear on the video this quiet pause and then someone pipes up with, “Did she just say HOT TUB???” And she did. Been callin’ her that ever since.

~ We paint faces once again. And it seemed appropriate…today, on her own, she asked to be…
…a bunny.

~ We move on. In our Chinese food delivery the other night, I dug for the fortune cookies, expecting something beautiful. Certainly, this week calls for a beautiful fortune. You know what I got? Some crap about my “executive abilities.” So, I dug for another only to get some confusing line about some “iron constitution”…and I had to laugh. This is real life. Our fortunes will not always be beautiful. Things don’t always make sense. But we move on.

Lainey’s cookie held the last fortune. And it said, “You have a lively family.” And then my mom broke a dish (for the third time this week).

Yes, we have a lively family. A lively, beautiful family that will move on with time. We have to…’cuz all these people are pedaling our tandem bike and we have no choice. We’ll let you pedal for us for now and when we’re ready, we’ll stretch our legs back down and cycle through those rhythmic turns. We’ll learn to ride again.

…these beautiful little souls we created make it pretty easy…

Totally…Madly…Deeply…in Love. ~k