We are gonna be friends

The lyrics from the White Stripes song We are Gonna be Friends may not yet apply to Lily James and Olive June in the sense that they are not yet in school. Nonetheless, whenever I hear the song, visions of Lily and Olive walking to school, hand in hand, stopping to follow the ants and bugs makes my heart laugh. But in all seriousness, in this scenario that plays in my head, it should be mentioned that I am 15 feet behind them carrying a tactical baton, you know, should anyone get any funny ideas. Who's paranoid? Certainly not me.

Lil' and Olive mesmerized by Elmo

 Just like sissies (sisters, not wimps)! Bath time fun!

I had no idea the amazing jackpot we hit when the Weaver's landed right next to us. I was less than thrilled with the former residents who might list chain smoking and late night parties as their hobbies. But the way everything unfolded in the Weaver + Olsen love story was just perfect. A match for all six family members.

Fast forward to present tense, tonight we celebrated numerous occasions with Mema and Papa McIntyre, the Weavers and their wonderful friends, who are basically an extension of their family, Georgie and "Kevis" (as Olive has christened him).


And the celebration? Friends in town, but most notably, SIX years of wedded bliss that Ben and Caitlin have earned! Congratulations Ben and Caitlin! You're amazing together and you have created the most lovely family! One which we are so thankful to be a part of! Despite my roots and love for the city, I no longer think I could willingly leave our house, next to the Weavers. We should all have friends this special.

The lucky ones

As I sneak into the house, exhausted from playing tour guide to a friend in town visiting, I make one quick stop in Lily's room before collapsing into bed. I stand on my tip toes to give her forehead a kiss and am tempted to sleep on the floor next to her. I have been apart from Lily for the last 13 hours. And it's true, absence DOES make the heart grow fonder. It also reminds me of the luxury Chris and I have with both of our parents and families living close by. 

 

These are (most of) the people that Lil' has got wrapped around her finger.

These hours apart from her are a treat for me to be able to go out with a girlfriend, drive with the music playing loud or simply get grocery shopping done in a timely and much easier manner. However, they are also a treat for Lily as she is either logging hours bonding with Daddy, Gpa and Grandma Sue or Grandma and Papa. I am thankful that seeing her Grandma and Papa means a quick drive to Edmonds where she has her own room and loves to play with Oliver. Or that spending time with her Gpa and Grandma Sue means an even shorter drive, where she's always met with a ton of hugs and kisses (and also has her own room, what a lucky girl!)

I am incredibly grateful to have both of our families close. I am so thankful Lily will grow up with the ability to see her aunties and uncles frequently. So while a bit of time away from my sweet angel baby seems long and makes me long to see her again, I am overjoyed knowing that she is with the next best person to mommy and daddy! 

As any parent can relate, knowing your child is in loving, safe hands when they're not with you is paramount to being able to spend time away from them. I am constantly aware of and thankful for the unconditional love and support we receive so generously from both of our parents.  It takes a village to raise a child-This is so very true. Thank you to our tribe, for everything.

The Beginning...(of Toddlerhood)

After we tucked Lily into bed this evening, I proceeded to sit up, awake in our room and stare, mesmerized, at the monitor screen. You see, one of the perks of parenting in the twenty first century (the latter years) is that we have accessible to us, a bevy of gadgets and gizmos with which to cheat* (at parenting) with. If I had a nickel for every time an older (certainly more sage and wise) family member exclaimed "We didn't have fill in gadget here when I was a new mother", well, I'd have a few bucks. Nonetheless, our monitor is earning it's keep and serving us well, if for no other reason than to spy on and chuckle at our sweet but mischievous 13 month old daughter.

I lay awake at night and stare at this. 

As I watch her wiggle, squirm, sing and talk (baby gibberish, mind you) herself to the land of nod, I can't help but smile. There were some days when I wasn't sure we would get here. She seemed too precious, too small, too amazing for any change to take place. I wanted to freeze moments and simultaneously, fast forward so as to hear how her laugh would sound. And I know better than to wish the days away, after all, we're already past the big ONE YEAR birthday and I am still wondering where my fragile, helpless infant daughter has gone so quickly. 

I have regrets about not writing from day one of our pregnancy but alas, I am going to start now. Better late than never, right? Besides, any one who knows me is aware that I am not the person always toting the camera. I am built differently and usually end up living in the moment (and wishing later that I had bothered to take a photo or two). Thankfully we're blessed to have very talented and documentation oriented individuals in our family! It's not my forte, however this is my feeble attempt to write the days. When our memories have dulled ( and I hear the correlation of memory loss to quantities of children is a negative one) this will be great fun to look back on and remember.

So, here's to my first post as Lily James Olsen's mother (Mamama as she prefers) Thank you my darling for changing my life in ways that you will only truly understand once you have children of your own. You are God's greatest gift to us and you make each day brighter than the last. How is this possible?!