On Sunday afternoon Rhiannon and I were bored out of our minds. We found ourselves gravitating towards the kitchen, chatting. She told me that she wanted to learn how to become a good cook, like me.
(Bless her little heart! I'm going to be honest I melted a little when she said that.)
I explained to her that this didn't come overnight. That when she was a baby, and I was a vegetarian, we ate lots of meals that were less then sub-par, and in this department, practice really does make perfect. She asked me to teach her how to cook and my heart melted again.
I said absolutely.
We decided once a week, and to call it "Cooking with Crystal".
With a little help from my old friend Betty, we will start next week.
I am super excited!
Do you know what else is super exciting? My home state became a little less bigoted, a little more equal and has taken a big step to take a lot more hate out of it.
Congratulations to all my friends who this directly affects.
Last night, while the girls and I were driving, Rhiannon commented on how fast this year has went by. I told her to hang on. Once you start feeling the years go by faster, they never slow down!
Well.....
Today my sweet little girl has officially turned 13.
I have a teenager.
What. The. Hell.
Where did all of the years go?
How is this even possible? (Please make it slow down!)
3 Months Old
6 Months Old
One Year
I don't know about you, but I remember being 13.
(It was painful.)
(Probably not as painful as trying to make this holiday card, though!)
December, 2005
2003, dancing at Grandma's
2002, Halloween
3 1/2, Being goofy on the worlds scariest staircase.
Rhiannon,I hate to tell you this, but the next eight years are going to be the most confusing times of your life.
Lucky for you, your mom knows all the answers.
2010
Seriously, I may not be the typical "Mom knows best," but I have screwed up enough in this life for the both of us.
From friends to jobs to school to feelings...if you are confused by any of it.....ask me.
I may not always know what the right thing for you to do is, but I can ALWAYS tell you if you are doing the wrong thing. (Because I always did the wrong thing!) Here are a few suggestions to get you on your way during the teenage years.
1. Never-ever lose your sass.
(But always know when it is time to put it on a shelf.)
Having sass is good. But never use it to hurt someone.
Stay humble and stay sweet, but never lose your sass.
As long as you have that you can never be treated like a doormat.
Age 5
2. Don't be afraid to feel things.
For some reason, most people think becoming a teenager means you should turn into a stone pillar. Life is to short and goes by to fast for you not to feel the emotions in every situation.
It is okay to feel sad about things. It is okay to be overly ecstatic. It is okay to fall head over heals in love. It's okay to feel anger. Don't try to suppress your feelings, from crying to laughing to everything in between!
Remember, you will never get today back. You will never get those feelings back.
Emotions are good. They are meant to be felt.
It means you are alive!
Christmas at Grandma's, 2006.
3. Make new friends.
Every single encounter you have will shape your life, but none will shape you more then the experiences and memories you will have with your friends.
And this is very important to remember - you will have some friends for two weeks, some for two years and a select few for two+ decades.
Every single person you meet is meant to be in your life for a reason, but not every single person you meet is supposed to be in your life forever.
The quicker you learn this, the happier you will be.
Rhiannon and her best friend, first day of 3d grade.
4. Have good, clean, wholesome fun.
You have your whole life ahead of you to act like an adult.
Don't try and act like one in your teen years.
Once you lose your innocence, you can never ever get it back. And that is a big deal.
Treasure it.
After the color run, Age 12
5. Give plenty of time for yourself.
One of the hardest parts of being a teen is how spread thin you will become.
It is important for you to make time for school, extracurricular, friends, family etc.
However, the most important person you need to make time for, is you.
If you don't have a clear head you will be of no use to anyone.
You are the most important person in your life.
This is not selfish, it is essential!
Try and give yourself some extra time each day! (Even if it is just for ten minutes!)
The day before 7th grade
6. When in doubt, always dress it up.
(It's always better to look well put together then to look like a slob.) Always.
December, 2012
7. Always dance to the beat of your own drum.
Dancing makes you happy. Dancing keeps you young. Why would you ever want to stop either of those things?
Wherever you go and whatever you do in life, never stop dancing to your own rhythm and beat!
It is what makes you, you!
Summer of 2010
8. Never forget your #1 fan.
(I'll give you a hint, it's me!)
There will never be anyone in your life who will be rooting for you more then me.
No one will hold their breath as they watch you try new things.
No one will cringe as hard as they watch you fail.
No one will cry as much when they see you hurt.
No one will be more proud as they watch you succeed and see all of your wildest dreams come true.
Even when you hate me.
Even when I want to shake you.
I will always be there for you.
I will always be proud of you.
I will always love you.
2011
Happy Birthday, Rhiannon! Welcome to your teenage years!
Tonight the Mister and I are going to see these guys.
I'm super duper excited!
It's the last part of our first anniversary fun-time celebration.
(The Mister told me how when he went to the record store to buy me this album, so he would have a place to hide the tickets, the ubercool dude that was working literally rolled his eyed and treated the Mister like he was an idiot for asking about this band.)
Once upon a time there was a scary ghost named Rhiannon. And she would always scare her puppy and she was very mean. Then, one day, a dragon came and ate the Rhiannon ghost all up! And he flew away.
The end!
Clara is constantly asking me to tell her ridiculous little stories throughout the day. This is the story she came up with while "napping" with Buehrle. I do believe, if I were to keep a baby book, this would be something I would put in it. Because I don't want to forget this moment. Ever.
The wee one and I decided there would be no better way to celebrate Earth Day then to stroll around the fabulous beaches and parks this city has to offer.
In case you are not sure of a proper way to celebrate Earth Day, we have a few suggestions:
Smell every single flower you can find.....
Exclaim how beautiful every single one is.
(And mean it.)
Find some sand.
Make some adorable foot prints in it.
Find a beach,
Roll in the sand,
Run in circles,
Laugh maniacally.
(Repeat.)
Or you could be like our neighbor.....
(Who apparently hates the Earth but loooooves dogs.)
However you celebrate today, make sure it is done with love!
Maybe it is just because I haven't seen the kids all weekend, but I sure am feeling the love today!
When I met you I was instantly drawn to you and had no idea why. At first, it was really annoying that you were always on my mind because I KNEW you were not "the boy" I was supposed to love, so thinking about you all the time was quite the nuisance. Once I finally got over my own ridiculousness, I started seeing you for who you really are.
You are the kindest man I have ever met. You are the only person I have ever met that genuinely cares for every human being that you meet. Your love and patience for our girls melts my heart every day and the way you whole heartedly accepted me is something I will never forget.
Because of you I strive to be a better person every single day.
There are few things in this life I can give to you but I can promise you this:
I can promise you that I will always take the cheese and ice cream from your hand.
I can promise you I will always be grouchy until I have had my first cup of coffee.
I promise to always understand that if the Bears are playing--You are not listening.
I promise we will never ever have the cleanest house on the block.
But most importantly, I can promise you that I will always be your life partner, and I will love you with my whole heart for the rest of our lives.
In 2004 Hollywood and Andrew Lloyd Webber came out with a fantastic rendition of the classic hit show Phantom of the Opera. In case you have not seen it before, it comes with a very handsome all-star cast that includes, Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson, Minnie Driver and Emmy Rossum. I went and bought the DVD right after it came out. It was expensive (I think almost $30) and to be honest I really couldn't afford it, so for almost a whole month after that, when I wasn't working, I was at home watching my most favorite indulgence.
In 2004 Rhiannon was a whopping 4 years old.
I'm pretty sure her favorite movie was some sort of Strawberry Shortcake, Finding Nemo or Barbie's Swan Lake. However after watching this one time with me she was HOOKED. It made my heart so happy to know that she loved a part of musical theatre, even if it came as a big box Hollywood sensation.
You gotta start somewhere, right? And who was I to judge? I loved it too!
That year the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis had The Phantom of the Opera come through. I bought the best tickets I could afford and made a Mama/Daughter date out of it.
(Babies, I tell you!)
I have to be completely honest, I was worried.
Rhiannon was only four years old. I didn't want her to
A.Hate it and ruin any chance of her going with me to see theatre again, or...
B. Have a meltdown and have us ruin the experience for the other patrons.
I'm happy to report that she did beautifully!
She was so attentive and into the storyline the entire time.
She gasped, jumped and grabbed my hand when the chandelier fell.
And, (one of my most precious memories of Rhiannon) at the very end, when Christine Daae is being rowed away from the Phantom, I looked down to find my sweet little baby silently crying.
When the lights came up she looked at me and said, "I know I'm supposed to be very quiet and I'm not supposed to cry, but the Phantom was just so sad."
What do you say to that? All I could do was hug her tight as my heart melted.
After that day it had became her favorite movie. She burned through 3 DVD's before she moved on to her next phase.
Fast Forward to 2012. The Mister and I have Amazon Prime. A few days ago I was browsing through the free movies, desperately trying to find something else besides Diego and Dora the Explorer for Clara to get into, and wouldn’t you know it? There was The Phantom of the Opera!
I took a chance and told Clara that we were going to watch Mama's singing movie instead (with hopeful fingers crossed.)
Today we watched/had it on in the background for the fifth time in three days. When she asks to watch it she says, can I watch mama's singing opera show? Once again, this Mama's heart is happy. (Even though I am shushed by a two year old when I try and sing along.)
(Clara's favorite part.)
Snow, Mama! It's snowing!
(Seriously, I think it might be mine too. That cape is FANTASTIC!!!!!)
I know that most people who actually read this blog know me or my family personally, however there are a few who don't. Sorry to be a bit redundant for those of you who have heard this all before.
When I started this blog it was a way for me to get my thoughts together, however silly they may be. Since then it has grown into a documentation of our girl's lives. A place where they can look back and remember how loved they are and all of our stumbles along the way. I would be remiss to not add todays events here.
When the Mister, my sister, Rhiannon and I went in for my 20 month check up, excited to see what kind of baby we were going to have, we were instead told that our daughter had a very serious birth defect called Gastroschisis. (If you want to learn more, click the link.) It is a horrible terrible defect where the babies are born with their insides out. It causes many problems with the pregnancy. The children born with this are often hospitalized for months and endure many surgeries and life changing complications. When Clara was born she was only 4 lbs. She was so beautiful and SO tiny she didn't look like a real baby.
Right after Clara was born I was able to glimpse her from across the room before she was whisked away to be prepped for her first surgery, which took place a mere 2 hours after she was born.
I've always been very protective of her first pictures we took of her, as they are quite graphic. Children who were born with this condition 20 years ago pretty much just died. It is so amazing how far doctors have come when it comes to gastroschisis. I'm actually writing this post now for the women in the support groups I joined that were my lifeline when we were in the thick of all of this.
After our diagnosis, I immediately googled the condition, read all the horror stories, and wept my eyes out. The pictures were horrific. The outcomes were bleak. There were babies that were dying left and right. We met with our amazing doctor, Dr. Erin Rowell from Childrens Memorial Chicago, and I told them of all the horrible terrible things I had learned from Mr. Google. I was very firmly told to STOP GOOGLING! Every case is different. Stay positive and be the best you can for your baby. If you are going through this now, please take heed from this advice.
Clara's Gastroschisis
This is how Clara looked th first time I was allowed to touch her.
Clara had two surgeries and was in the NICU for 82 days. This next picture is on Easter Sunday of 2010. She had her second surgery the day before.
She was in so much pain. Everyone around me kept telling me how great she was doing. All I could see was how bleak it looked through a mothers eyes.
But you know what?
They were right.
(This picture was taken on April 2. We went home on April 23.)
Today we went in for our yearly visit. Clara is supposed to have these visits until she is 5 years old.
However, today Clara was officially released from the care of the Pediatric Surgery Team.
We are done.
She is healed.
I am so happy from the inside out.
If you are dealing with a pregnancy/child who has been diagnosed with Gastroschisis and would like to talk to someone who has gone through it as well, please don't hesitate to contact me whether it be through my email or comment section on here, or even Facebook. I would be happy to give my personal insight to you.
Also, Congratulations Clara! You are one tough cookie. Love, Mom & Dad.
This was supposed to run two days ago, but an emergency trip to the ER + a sick kid has put this post on hold.
Remember that girl I talked about in the post below? The one who went crazy and ran a half marathon a while back? Well she got married this weekend. She was hands down the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. It was the most beautiful day you could ever ask for. I can not wait to see all the amazing pictures that were captured that day!
I can't believe I didn't get a single picture of her and her handsome husband together, but I will share the pics I did manage to snap in between all the fun.
The Mister and I in a very windy trolley.
Mr. and Mrs B!
Mr. and Mrs M!
Mr. and Mrs S!
Mr. and Mrs J!
The soon to be Mr. and Mrs K!
Mr. and Mrs. B!
Mrs. J and Mr. N!
And here are the only two pictures I got of the beautiful bride.
Seriously? What kind of friend am I?
The beautiful bride and her equally as beautiful mother on the way to the chapel.
The Mrs.
Congratulations Mr. & Mrs K!!!!!! I also have to give a huge shout out to my baby sister who came and watched my babies for me!
