A Tribute

We lost Pokey today. If you don't know who Pokey was, you might not understand that this is a really big deal. Pokey was Madelyn's favorite blanket (she got her name from the polka dots she once had). Her go-to blankie. Her lovie! She adored this blanket and took it EVERYWHERE. After I realized it was gone I went back into the store and hunted the shelves for it. I asked for it. Left my phone number at customer service. I even got Aunt Amanda and Grammy to go back to the store with me after Mad was tucked into bed to look one more time. No Pokey. I even called down the aisles for Pokey, just as Mad would have done. "Pokey, where are you. Where are you Pokey." "Pokes" is lost. And I am afraid to say...FOREVER. When Mad went to bed she cried for Pokey. She didn't want to sleep without her. And then once she understood that she had to, she asked when we would get Pokey back. My poor baby lost her Pokey today!

Here's to you, Pokey!



Playing Hide and Seek with Pokey.

Pokey as a napkin.



Folding Pokey.

Pokey watching Nemo on Ice.



Oliver watching Pokey at the Biltmore Estate.

Resting with Pokey after a long day.



Pokey at the park.



Pokey relaxing on the hammock with new baby bro.



Pokey at the Nature Center.



Pokey getting ready for dance class.



Pokey on Christmas morning.

Pokey, you will be missed!



Dance Your Heart Out

Madelyn had her first dance recital on Saturday! Finally. I thought we weren't going to be able to have it because the weather has been so bad. It was rescheduled twice. I guess it's true when they say the third times the charm. She did a fabulous job! I have never been more proud of my little girl! She was quite

nervous about the recital all day long. Shortly after she woke up on Saturday morning she said, "mommy, I not know how to do my 'cital. I not big 'nough." I spent some time trying to convince her that she was a beautiful ballerina and knew exactly what to do. But deep down I wondered if she would actually pull it off. Don't get me wrong- I have complete confidence in her. I just know how she can get when she is nervous/anxious/tired. I knew that she would either do really well or have a total meltdown and not even make it to the stage. We went to dance class and they practiced the entire time for the recital. Like I said, this was the third time it had been scheduled. It had actually been about a month since her last dance class! She did well. After that I had planned to spend the day at home, allowing Madelyn and Oliver to nap. Of course, this didn't go as planned. We went home and Oliver napped. But not Mad. She was too excited to nap (which is typically the case). Which also meant she was headed towards exhaustion. When it was time to head to the Asheville Arts Center we were all in decent moods- and Madelyn was beyond excited. Once we arrived it was time for her to get dressed. I helped her into her pink leotard and blue tutu. Then we put on her tap shoes and fixed her hair. She looked gorgeous!! I had some time to snap some pictures before the recital began.

                                     

After I was done taking a million pictures of my cutie, I decided I would try to go upstairs and find our seats. Philip had already gone upstairs with Ollie to meet the family and try to "claim" good seats (where we could actually see the stage). As soon as I headed towards the door, Mad looked at me and got a little teary. She ran towards me and began sobbing into my shirt. Uh-oh! This is what I was afraid of. She was nervous and tired...not a good combination! I convinced her to let go of me but she kept saying, "but mommy, I wanna stay with you." I eventually broke away and Madelyn got in line. As I sat down next to Philip, I wondered if Madelyn would even make it to the stage. But, within a few moments the girls came through the door. They all looked really precious! And then there was little Madelyn! Once I spotted her I knew she was going to do it!
The girls began dancing to The Dreidel song and before I knew it the song had ended. Madelyn did such a great job! I wanted to see more! And I would get to...since they had another recital in 30 minutes!! :) She did just as well for the second recital. Although, during the second recital her shoe came untied. She kept looking at her shoe trying to figure out what to do. I knew that the teacher had told them several times before the recital that if your shoe comes untied just to keep dancing. I was a little nervous that Mad would get upset about her shoelace and she kept looking at it throughout the remainder of the song. But, she continued to dance! I am so proud of her! She even asked me this morning when she would get to have another recital.

And to top it off, Oliver did really well too! We weren't sure how well he would sit for two recitals, but he did amazing!

Too skinny?

 The other day I took Ollie to the doctor for his nine month check up. He is healthy and growing just as he should be. Almost. He seems to be meeting all of his milestones ahead of schedule. He is constantly on the go and wants to do everything he sees his sister do. But...he is a little on the skinny side. Now, I have never considered him to be "skinny." I actually thought he was rather large for his age. I was quite surprised when I found this out at the doctor's office the other day. He was big when he was born (8lbs 9oz), so I didn't think this would ever become a concern with him. If you didn't know, this was a constant struggle with Madelyn. The doctor was VERY concerned about her weight when she was younger. She was in the 95th percentile for height and the 5th percentile for weight. We tried everything to get her to eat more, but she only wanted fruits and veggies. This doesn't sound like a problem, I know, but it isn't easy for someone to gain weight when eating only fruits and veggies since they are low in calories. She is still skinny- although she does eat a larger variety of foods now- and tall. Now, back to Ollie. I just didn't think this would be a concern. But, here we go, again! The doctor didn't seem to be too concerned, luckily. Ollie is in the 8th percentile for weight. This means that 92% of babies are larger than him. I try to remind myself that the general public isn't all that healthy, so maybe comparing him to others isn't really a great idea to begin with. I also know that the chart his doctor uses is not for breastfed babies, but for formula fed babies. This also makes a difference. But, in the end, I know that he is skinny! And although I try to not let it bother me, it does. He doesn't eat anything very well. He is picky 99% of the time. He would eat bananas all day long if I let him, but I know this isn't really a possibility. I know that eventually he will eat better (I hope). And I know that he is very active. But, I just wish for once that I wasn't thinking about how little my children are...when Ollie is (or isn't) eating, I don't want to have to worry about his weight. Luckily, he hasn't lost any weight and continues to gain weight...just not as much as most babies his age. Maybe I should be glad that they aren't too big, since obesity is such a large problem in our society.





I said he was active! Standing up to eat his dinner...the only way he would consider it!

Enjoying his dinner. He may be little, but he sure is cute!



Dinner is over. Time to burn some more calories!