Olive Shoots

Things I don't want to forget

2011-12-21T00:51:00.002-06:00

Elisabeth has started counting, though the number sequence is "1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10." Today, she proudly announced that she had nine toes, after counting the digits on one foot!

Last week at dinner we were explaining opposites to Clara. "The opposite of tall is not tall, or short," I told her. After doing several pairs successfully, I asked her, "What is the opposite of clean?" "Not clean," she replied. "What is another word for 'not clean'?" I coached her. "Laundry?" she asked.

It’s been two months already!

2011-12-20T04:04:00.001-06:00

Owen with Mommy

Owen with Dr. del Castillo

10/19/11

Owen with Daddy

Owen’s birthday party in the hospital and meeting Grampy, Elisabeth and Clara.

10/20/11

10/21/11

10/22/11

The big girls went to church in outfits Auntie Emmy sent from her trip to China while Grammy, Mommy, and Owen stayed home!

10/23/11

Pastor Veiga came to visit

10/25/11

Owen rested in the sunlight.

Clara made a feast for Elisabeth and herself.

10/26/11

Celebrating Grampy’s birthday

Dressed up for his first outing to Kacey’s baby shower at church

Trick or treating at home since Mommy got the date of the Trunk or Treat wrong. Daddy ran to Walgreens for candy and then went from room to room in the house so that they could knock on doors and get Halloween goodies! What a fun Daddy!

10/29/11

10/30/11

Trick-or-treating at Katy Mills – complete with a stop on the carousel!

Our pumpkin Owen!

An “orange” dinner in honor of Halloween!

10/31/11

11/01/11

Can you tell our days are exhausting?!

11/02/11

Elisabeth gets some fresh air!

Two weeks old

11/03/11

Clara pretends it is really cold.

11/05/11

Clara and Elisabeth play dress-up

11/09/11

Owen is three weeks old

11/10/11

Celebrating Clara’s birthday – at the park with Grandma and Grandpa and then with friends and family at home.

11/12/11

Clara’s birthday

11/13/11

Everyone wearing the headbands sent by Nana for Clara’s birthday.

11/14/11

11/15/11

At the mall with friends. Let’s just say the the four free punching balloons that we received for Clara’s birthday from the carousel lady made us look like crazy mothers. Picture four children between the ages of 2 and 4, a newborn and recently postpartum mom, and a 37 week pregnant mom and FOUR PUNCHING BALLOONS. And two double strollers. And did I mention the FOUR PUNCHING BALLOONS? We always strive to avoid calling attention to ourselves. That is why we didn’t take any pictures after receiving the balloons…didn’t want to draw undo attention…or maybe I just didn’t have a free hand.

11/16/11

Owen is four weeks old.

11/17/11

11/20/11

Loving his sisters’ attention

11/21/11

Thanksgiving Day – sick little girls, so had breakfast, went to the park and postponed the big meal for the next day!

11/24/11

Our Thanksgiving Feast! So much to thank God for this year!

11/25/11

Guess who got into the markers? Thank goodness they were washable!

Taking a train ride with Daddy at the mall!

11/26/11

11/27/11

12/02/11

12/04/11

Making Christmas cookies

Trying to interest Owen in baking…

…or testing his hearing. I am not sure which.

12/05/11

Dinner by the Christmas tree. Maybe next year we will try the Walnut Room in Chicago!

12/10/11

Decorating gingerbread houses – Thank you, Grampy, for making them with us!

12/14/11

12/15/11

Can’t get enough of these smiles!

12/16/11

12/18/19

Two chins for two-months old!

12/19/11

12/20/11

At two months:

Owen likes to be cuddled; sleeps up to a six hour stretch at night and then naps most of the morning; is most social in the evening; is finishing off his size 1 diapers, but probably should be in size 2; is growing into 3-6 month clothing; enjoys watching his big sisters; doesn’t complain during baths, diaper changes, clothing changes.

We love having this sweet boy in our family!

He is here!

2011-10-20T16:30:00.003-05:00

Owen Gregory Polderman was born at 11:15 pm on October 19. He weighs 8 lbs. 10 oz. and is 21.25 inches long. We are thrilled that he has arrived and praise God for this newest blessing and His faithfulness to our family. Owen is named after his maternal great-grandfather, Owen Boothroyd, a godly man and a pillar of faith in our family.

I don't want to forget...

2011-10-02T01:07:00.002-05:00

Tonight (10/1) as I was rocking Clara before bed she said (paraphrasing from the last line of the book Corduroy), "Mama, I like you just the way you are, but you would be even better with a kiss!" and she proceeded to give me a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Rainy day play

2011-09-26T03:47:00.001-05:00

It was raining without thundering so Clara asked to play outside. Much in the manner of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, if you let my children play outside, they will ask for a popsicle. After splashing in puddles and eating popsicles, they will get cold and ask to come inside.

When they get inside, they will ask for a warm bath. Being in the warm bath will remind them of playing in the pool, so they will leave on their swimsuits.

Wearing swimsuits will remind them of playing outside, so chances are, they will ask for another popsicle!

6/22/11

The End!

Popsicle Princess

2011-09-25T22:25:00.001-05:00

6/18/11

Grammy arrives

2011-09-25T02:33:00.001-05:00

6/8/11

Grammy came into town to get acquainted with south Houston and we got to pick her up from the airport! Our tradition is to pick her up after her early flight (the first flight of the day is the best for standby travel!) and head to breakfast and rocking chair riding at Cracker Barrel!

That evening we met Grampy – and his Texas-sized pick-up truck – at the ‘fountain restaurant’ to drop Grammy off.

Just peeking in

2011-09-25T01:50:00.001-05:00

6/7/11

We made plans to go to the beach one day with friends while both of our daddies were on business trips. We loaded up all four car seats ready for our sandy adventure and were about 20 minutes away from Galveston when rain drops started splattering on our wind shield. We kept hoping that the rain would stop, so we drove onto the beach and gave the kids snacks to eat in the car. A look at the radar on Kacey’s iPhone, however, showed another cell heading straight for the island. So, promising that we would return to the beach, we backtracked to Moody Gardens and went to the Rainforest Pyramid. The kids loved watching the otters and ran off some energy, nearly falling into koi ponds several times. After the rainforest, we enjoyed a great lunch at Mosquito Café and picked up treats across the street at PattyCakes Bakery. Finally we drove back to the beach, where the kids played hard. The late afternoon was the perfect time for our little fair-skinned brood to be frolicking in the water and sand – we relied on their rash guards to protect them and no one got burnt! Our drive home was very quiet as one by one they all nodded off!

Raise your toe if you know the answer -

2011-09-25T01:39:00.001-05:00

Who is the cutest baby girl?

6/6/11

Memorial Day

2011-09-25T01:36:00.001-05:00

5/30/11

Memorial Day was a wonderful family day. We started the morning with our ‘special day’ breakfast of Dunkin’ Donuts and then went blueberry picking. The farm was having a special event because of the holiday, so the girls got to see a pony and rabbits. Elisabeth loved the rabbits and would follow them as they moved around the pen. We stopped at Walmart and picked up a kiddie pool on the way home, which has been a hit for the entire summer. I had actually gone to pick one up earlier, but the one that I purchased would not fit in the trunk. The family parked next to me tried to help me maneuver it into the trunk and then helped me carry it back to the garden center. This episode made such an impression on Clara that she still talks about the pool that did not fit into our trunk! That evening Nathan and I also had the opportunity to go on an anniversary date. 5 years! It is hard to believe how time has flown by! We enjoyed a special meal at Taste of Texas – a place we have been told to visit since we moved here! Better late than never!

The Fountain Restaurant

2011-09-25T01:25:00.001-05:00

My dad started a new job just south of Houston, so we have been fortunate to see him weekly or so. We have been meeting for dinner about half-way and the establishment of choice, for the girls at least, is the ‘fountain restaurant’, Goode Company Taqueria. We make sure to bring plenty of change to donate!

5/25/11

Blackberry picking

2011-09-24T23:22:00.001-05:00

5/25/11

We picked berries again this spring – blackberries are much easier than blueberries! I had to explain to Clara that the red berries were un-ripened blackberries, not raspberries, and I promised that we would be able to pick raspberries when we moved to Chicago! Elisabeth did not quite get the picture and puckered-up with some of her sampling selections!

A red-letter day!

2011-09-24T01:50:00.001-05:00

Clara wrote ‘Tulip’ after we talked about how to spell it.

5/21/11

Daddy took the girls to the carousel!

(Clara is searching for her token.)

Ah-dee!

2011-09-24T01:47:00.001-05:00

05/21/11

Both of our girls have lifted their hands above their head to signal ‘All done!’

A brother or a sister?

2011-09-24T01:41:00.001-05:00

05/18/11 – We brought the girls to the ultrasound and the technician told Clara that she would tell Clara the ‘secret’ and then Clara could tell us if she was going to have a brother or a sister. So the tech whispered in her ear and we predictably asked, ‘Clara, what is the baby?’ She responded, ‘A brother or a sister.’ The second time, we did get a clear response – we are having a boy!

On a side note, Clara asked me why they were changing my diaper when I was lying on the examination table for the ultrasound!

Pudding Finger Paint

2011-09-24T01:36:00.001-05:00

Beginning…

Middle…

End!

05/11/11

Michigan for Mother’s Day

2011-09-24T01:27:00.001-05:00

^05/07/11

Grandma’s back yard and Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan

There is nothing that compares to the blossoming of Spring, and the flowers delighted both of the girls. Clara was so excited to hear that there was a tulip festival and Nathan’s Aunt Carol was kind enough to lend the girls Dutch costumes to wear to it. They looked very authentic and were repeatedly asked for photo-ops! Clara, however, had no interest in being a model and Elisabeth didn’t quite get the idea, though I have a feeling her personality will eventually develop into more of a performer!

They both enjoyed watching the Klompen-dancing and Clara almost ran out into the street to join the performers. I don’t think they have any Kinder-Klompen in Houston!

Attempts at a picture with Grandpa and Grandma

05/08/11

Our precious baby girl!

Foo-la-la

2011-09-24T00:51:00.001-05:00

05/02/11

One of Clara’s best friends was having a birthday party when we were going to be out of town, so we celebrated a little early by going to Chick-fil-a and having cupcakes from Ooh-La-La, which Clara continues to call Foo-La-La.

Our big girl

2011-09-24T00:46:00.001-05:00

05/01/11

I am filling in the gaps....

2011-05-22T23:07:00.001-05:00

I've once again updated the blog backwards, so scroll down for posts. The 'newest' post is dated February 18.

More Easter

2011-05-01T23:23:00.003-05:00

4/24/11

Me and my girls!

Before and.............................................................After!

Resurrection Sunday

2011-05-01T01:29:00.001-05:00

4/24/11

Making Chocolate Pudding Pie

2011-04-29T23:16:00.000-05:00

To welcome Daddy home from a business trip to Chicago, we made him a chocolate pudding pie. I had both of my little helpers on the counter!

Elisabeth looking up the recipe on my phone…

4/29/11

Clara after taste testing…

Spring!

2011-04-21T23:27:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Spring and its attendant cultural traditions by dyeing eggs, making nest cookies, and having an egg hunt with friends. Most of the footage is on video, which I haven’t yet figured out how to retrieve and post, but here is a sweet snapshot of our nest cookies!

4/21/11

Playing in the fountain

2011-04-19T23:34:00.000-05:00

4/19/11

Elisabeth loves to get wet in the fountain, but Clara prefers to stand back, holding the hose and controlling the water flow by bending it!

At Grammy’s House!

2011-04-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Nathan went out of town on business so the girls and I headed to Orlando! The flight there was so smooth and we had a great time enjoying family and the pool! Nathan joined us when he finished his work in Chicago so we were all able to fly back together!

4/11/11

Elisabeth enjoyed her first popsicle at Grammy’s house! It was a hit!

4/13/11

Clara and Grammy reading ‘Duck and His Friends’ – a vintage book. Clara walked around for several days quoting the book – “Duck is a fine fellow!”

4/14/11

Clara loved all the flowers and spent a great deal of time both in the front and back of the house looking at and picking blossoms.

Texas Bluebonnets

2011-04-08T00:14:00.000-05:00

Sweet sisters and..

Sweet friends!

4/8/11

These pictures turned out great (thanks, Kacey!) but belie the chaos that is involved in herding four children 3 and under into a limited patch of flowers and away from the high way! The first patch we stopped at was sparser and near a road that, although it looked like a little-used side road, had trucks barreling down it. After chasing the littles around there, we loaded them up and sought bluer, safer fields. Unfortunately the best patches were on private property, but we saw a gate open at a ranch and drove in. A white pick-up was on its way out and I hopped out of the kiddie caravan and asked the driver if we could take pictures on his property. He seemed amused and kindly let us romp around, safely behind the ranch fence!

After our photo shoot, we enjoyed a delicious, but also somewhat chaotic lunch at Must Be Heaven in Brenham. At one point I made a potty run with the three girls. All three of the potty-trained persons used the toilet and I changed Elisabeth’s diaper while she was standing on the counter because she refused to lie down and also not bother the vintage ladies hats that were decorating the powder room! Another adventure, for sure!

A great Saturday

2011-04-02T21:58:00.000-05:00

It started with donuts – Dunkin’ Donuts – and coffee (one of the first cups I enjoyed this pregnancy), then a sleepy big girl joined us, then a cuddly little one…

Then we headed to the West Houston Airport for a WWII airplane show and flyover. As we watched the planes fly in, Clara picked wild flowers and Bitty waved. Clara was able to explore several planes, as well. She was so intense as she looked at the instruments and practiced pulling back on the yoke and looked so small inside the cockpit!

4/2/11

Essentials for a good group picture

2011-03-26T22:29:00.000-05:00

Cute children – check

Cute, coordinating outfits – check

Good lighting - check

Sweet expressions – check, um check again, and check one more time with subject #1…

Visual contact with either the photographer or the line of sight in the same general direction – um, not so much…

3/26/11

Art installation by Clara

2011-03-25T22:38:00.000-05:00

There was one drawing on each of the drawers, card board blocks symmetrically placed on the counter, and the crowning glory of a Duplo Christmas tree. If it were up to Clara, this would remain as part of the ‘permanent collection’, but as the museum curator I remind her that dish water and residue from food preparation will harm the artwork.

‘Papa Wearing Beads’

‘A Jack o’ Lantern’

3/25/11

Thank you for the sand toys, Grammy

2011-03-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

We love them!

3/22/11

Things I don't want to forget

2011-03-21T00:06:00.002-05:00

A few months ago when Nathan asked Clara what song she wanted to sing during family worship, she requested "Hallelujah, Praise Ja Tuba." We hadn't started Hebrew lessons yet....

Clara was being really silly and I told her she was a little nincompoop. She replied, in all seriousness, "Mommy, don't say 'poop', Mommy. It's rude."

Two weeks ago during family worship we were reviewing the catechism and were talking about Adam and Eve. She told us that they were not supposed to eat the fruit off of one tree, but they did; they sinned. When we asked her how God punished them, she said, "He made them lie down in green pastures." This is from our girl who doesn't like naps...

This week Clara asked to sing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" during family worship and sang the entire first verse with us. She never sings a song all the way through with us, and it was very special to me because that was my Great-grandma Pszyk's favorite hymn.

Today, sitting outside eating her snack, Clara called to me "This little girl loves Jesus!"

During her bedtime snack I try to sit and talk to her and today we were talking about when she grows up. Apparently she is looking forward to giving herself her insulin shots and finger pricks. She also informed us that she will be living in Frodafrida - which is in Michigan, and is where Finger lives. When she is as old as Mommy she told me she will "Talk on the phone." She wants to have three babies - triplets - and their names will be Annabel, Mark, and Ryan.

Three months of no posts do a trimester make

2011-03-20T01:18:00.004-05:00

Due date: October 10

This is only a partial explanation of the lack of posts - other contributing factors include my own inability to follow through with long-term projects, occasional single-parenthood due to Nathan's increased travel for work, and our embarking on a new stage of life as Clara was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Check back infrequently for more posts!

Look at all these socks!

2011-03-19T22:48:00.000-05:00

She put on five pairs of socks and thought it was hilarious – naturally.

3/19/11

Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show

2011-03-18T23:53:00.000-05:00

We knew we had to make it to this event while we were living in Houston, so the girls and I picked up Nathan from work one evening and took the train from downtown to the Reliant Center. I had been to a local rodeo as a child, but everything is definitely bigger in Texas! It was also interesting to see what an event people made of it, dressing in their best Texas gear…I asked Nathan if he thought they wore these outfits anywhere else!

Unfortunately Clara was either disinterested in (livestock show) or scared of (crazy, chaotic petting zoo) the animals and Elisabeth, who usually loves animals, was coming down with a fever and seemed out of sorts. However, we had a great time riding the Carousel and going through the kid’s farm exhibit that showed children the progression of food from the farm to the farmer’s market. After taking their ‘produce’ and ‘dairy products’ to the farmer’s market, the children were ‘paid’ and got to ‘buy’ a treat at the grocery store. The exhibit was well done and Clara loved it.

3/18/11

Bakery

2011-03-15T01:32:00.000-05:00

3/15/11

Out and about

2011-03-09T01:29:00.000-06:00

My mom knows me well and wanted to make sure that I felt comfortable getting out with the girls before she left. We made it to the mall for lunch and the carousel, which is always a treat!

3/9/11

At home

2011-03-08T01:24:00.000-06:00

Clara draws a happy Edith getting a ‘finger poke’ (the red dots)

3/8/11

Planting sunflower seeds, which the squirrels then dug up and ate – they even dug up the seedlings to eat the remainder of the seed.

The beginning of March

2011-03-07T00:45:00.000-06:00

I’ve written a little bit elsewhere about this, but at the beginning of March, Clara was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. After calling the nurse’s line at our pediatrician on March 2 to ask about her fluid intake and frequent urination, I took her in to the pediatrician the following morning. After her diagnosis, the doctor told us to take her to the ER at Texas Children’s Hospital to be admitted. It was so difficult on her (I don’t think the ER nurses had ever seen a child fight an IV with such vehemence – there were 5 adults working to restrain her and get the IV in and blood drawn), on us as parents, and on little Elisabeth who was shuffled around a bit and had a cold. Nathan stayed the nights at the hospital so that I could put Elisabeth to bed and cuddle on her in the mornings and we were there together most of the days, so that we could both hear what the doctors had to say.

We were so grateful that my mom could come and help take care of Elisabeth and then stayed to keep our household running while we adjusted to the structure required for Clara’s care. We were also so blessed that Clara is a strong little girl and took (nearly) everything in stride, charming the nurses (but oblivious and indifferent to their attentions) and enjoying the hospital stay as much as one could. She relished the snacks (sugar-free jello and popsicles), the meals, the fun-cart (volunteers who brought crafts, small toys, play jewelry, etc.) and the play room.

After admission to ER and then after the IV battle (this second picture breaks my heart.)

3/3/11

Daddy is here! and We are finally transferred to the Endocrinology department and our own room!

Jello!

(Once the nurses realized how much she liked it, they would give us 2-3 cups at a time)

3/4/11

I brought some paper and ribbon to make a banner to personalize her room. You can see her beads from the fun cart in this picture, as well. I think that at this point they were still in their original configuration – I restrung them several times in the hospital due to weak elastic.

She loved this little scoot car and sped through the halls with it. She told us she went all through the hospital.

Enjoying dinner

3/5/11

She (and we) were so blessed to have many visitors from our church. Her friends James and Abigail came with their families and Rabecca, Miss Tammie and Robert, and Uncle Barron all stopped by, as well. It was so encouraging and helped to break up the time. We were at the hospital from the 3rd through the 7th mostly because we were waiting to take a diabetes education class that wasn’t offered until Monday.

Taking a drive to the playroom!

Exploring new toys… It was Sunday and the whole floor was so quiet. Clara and I had the playroom mostly to ourselves.

Jello!

Practicing giving baby insulin – Nathan and I both had to be able to comfortably and accurately give her her insulin injections, so a diabetes educator came by with supplies for us to practice with. One doctor had mentioned that having Clara practice giving injections to a doll would make her more comfortable with the process, so I brought a doll from home and her doctor kit. We duplicated the procedure that she went through, taking the baby’s vitals, measuring the insulin, etc.

(Apparently baby is not following her diet plan closely and is trying to sneak a cupcake!)

3/6/11

Elisabeth visits and enjoys the balloons!

3/7/11

Happy to have our big girl home (although she told us that she wanted to stay at the hospital!)

Hey there!

2011-02-26T23:40:00.000-06:00

2/26/11

The “Ball-Pocketer”

2011-02-26T23:38:00.000-06:00

2/26/11

She made up this game herself, filling her pajamas with the balls from the inflatable ball pit and then unzipping her pjs to unleash them!

Grammy visits

2011-02-25T23:50:00.000-06:00

Nathan left for Chicago and my mom came to visit. We were delighted to have her and to include her in the initial ultrasound of Baby #3! Both girls wore ‘Big Sister’ shirts – it felt kind-of crazy to put one on Bitty!

2/23/11

At Hermann Park after the OB appointment

2/25/11

Celebrating Grammy’s upcoming birthday with strawberry shortcake!

Sisters

2011-02-18T23:52:00.000-06:00

2/18/11

Backyard photo shoot

2010-12-12T23:19:00.001-06:00

8/12/10

Duplos

2010-12-12T02:22:00.001-06:00

8/11/10

Trip to Michigan

2010-12-12T02:20:00.001-06:00

In August we headed up to Michigan to help host a shower for Nathan’s SIL Janice, who was pregnant with triplets, to celebrate summer birthdays and to attend a family wedding. It was a party trip!

The shower:

8/05/10

A day at the lake:

Elisabeth awake in the shade

Cousins building castles

Naptime!

This season’s beach fashion – layering head coverings!

Birthday celebrations that night:

Helping me open presents

8/06/10

During this trip, Elisabeth had acute stranger awareness, which was sad since this was our first trip to Michigan with her. However, she was quite taken with Uncle Matthew and bestowed him with the honor of holding her!

The following day was the wedding but both girls seemed tired and Clara was quite contrary, so we decided that Nathan would attend the wedding and then come home while the rest of his family headed to the reception and we would spend the afternoon filling Clara’s ‘love tank’ since the previous days had been so busy.

We played outside at home and at a park – the weather was perfect! Then we visited one of Nathan’s favorite places from when he was a kid.

8/07/10

Clara seemed much, MUCH more mellow. When we got home she felt warm and I took her temperature. Sure enough, she had a fever of about 102. The poor little one fought a virus the last day of our trip, but seemed to improve upon returning home.

A lovely Saturday

2010-12-12T01:48:00.001-06:00

A special breakfast treat from Daddy and…

7/31/10

swimsuit swinging! Who could ask for anything more?!

Vacation Bible School

2010-12-12T01:44:00.001-06:00

I was so excited that Clara got to attend VBS this year. Although her class was supposed to be 3 and 4 year olds, there were only two 3 year olds that were registered so the sweet teacher told us that Clara was welcome to come. The main teacher, Mrs. James, is a former preschool teacher and she had plenty of other aides, which was good because there were at least six 2 and 3 year olds in the class each day.

Clara did really well following directions, though all the chaperones noted that she did her own thing most of the time and didn’t seem too interested in group participation, as this final day group picture demonstrates.

One of the highlights for her was following her teacher to the classroom holding onto a rope with her other classmates. She still occasionally will have her dolls hold onto a necklace and tell them to ‘hold the rope.’

7/30/10

I enjoyed the time to get errands done with just Elisabeth, though it was odd not to have my little chatterbox along with me!

Popsicle

2010-12-11T01:09:00.001-06:00

7/28/10

Three little pigs

2010-12-11T01:04:00.001-06:00

I am not sure that I can summarize our trip any better than this post, but here are some additional pictures of our brief period outdoors and then our stake-out in the air-conditioned Science Museum lobby.

Let me just highlight that, yes, that is a pile of, let’s see, one, two, three, do I see four dirty diapers in the left lower corner?!

7/22/10

The chaos in its full glory – I am pretty sure that the women in the upper right corner are not admiring our children or our bravery in taking four children age 5 months to 2 years on a field trip!

Cookies

2010-12-11T00:49:00.001-06:00

7/21/10

Clara’s favorite part of making cookies is tasting everything – each ingredient, the dough, the finished product. I don’t normally like batter, and don’t eat it because I am one of those people who don’t believe in eating raw eggs, but Nana’s peanut butter cookie recipe is the one exception. It doesn’t call for eggs and the batter tastes like peanut butter fudge. We roll the dough into balls, then in granulated sugar, and finally press the balls with a tumbler that has a starburst pattern on the bottom.

Bitty was made for the Bumbo

2010-12-11T00:44:00.001-06:00

7/18/10

Why do you do this to us, Mom? and other fun pictures….

2010-12-11T00:37:00.001-06:00

7/18/10

A fun Saturday

2010-12-11T00:32:00.001-06:00

One thing I failed to mention in my post about our trip to Minnesota was that it convinced me that Clara needed to be toilet trained. On our flight home I took her to the lavatory (why is it only called that on planes?) for a very necessary diaper change that also involved a change of clothes. She felt very insecure on the tiny changing table that folded down and was very upset. Her consternation and protestations were so loud that one of the crew members knocked on the door to make sure that everything was okay. I decided that ready or not, it was time to potty train.

Because all of Clara’s big transitions have gone smoothly when we handled them cold-turkey, I figured that was the way to go. I stocked up on salty snacks, special beverages, homebound activities and made sure that we had meals in the freezer so that I could completely focus on the task at hand.

And focus we did. I set a timer. We had potty time every 30 minutes. I gave stickers, snacks, pep talks, and rewards for anything that sounded like dribble, even if it may have been incidental plumbing noises from our old toilets. I stayed up from 3-5 am with her on Sunday morning as she insisted that she wanted to go potty on the toilet and yet could not. The problem was not having accidents, the problem was that since she did not want to go in her panties, she did not want to go at all. She was stressed, I was stressed, and we gave up after day 3. Which was fine and good because four days after her third birthday she decided that she wanted to be potty trained and not even two weeks later she wasn’t having any accidents and was dry through the night. My mom would say it was pay-back, but you will have to get the details of that story from her!

Before our ‘big-girl’ shopping trip to buy panties.

Look how naïve I look!

7/10/10

Bonus adorable Bitty pictures

Smiles

2010-12-11T00:08:00.001-06:00

7/08/10

I think Elisabeth really looks like Nathan here! What do you think about Clara?

Boots

2010-12-11T00:04:00.001-06:00

Rain – lightning = puddle fun!

7/08/10

Trip to Minnesota

2010-12-10T23:59:00.001-06:00

Over the July 4th holiday, we flew to Minneapolis to visit Nathan’s sister Rachel and her husband Geoff. Mom and Dad Polderman were visiting them, too, which was a great bonus!

Being the Florida-raised girl that I am, I was certain that the ‘heat and humidity’ that they told us they were experiencing was certainly not really hot or humid, so I packed jeans for the girls and me. Let’s just say that our first full day there we sought out the local splash park.

Elisabeth was enamored…and Clara was enthralled. You may be able to tell from her picture below that her Mama was not all wrong about summer in the North being different from summer in the South – the water is a whole lot colder!

7/05/10

Aunt Rachel and Elisabeth -

7/05/10

The second day we were there we went to the zoo. There was a beautiful old carousel that was the highlight of the park for Clara. She was in tears when it closed for the day!

Elisabeth hanging out with me while everyone else rode the carousel. (The pictures of Clara are blurry!)

7/06/10

First Taste

2010-12-10T23:38:00.001-06:00

6/30/10

Rice cereal didn’t impress her. After several attempts, we aborted the solid foods for a few weeks. We were out-of-town, and packing baby-feeding-wind-shield-wipers didn’t seem worthwhile. Even now (at 10 months), this Elisabeth of mine is a nursling. She nursed well from her first moments and seems to consider it her own area of specialty!

Grammy and her girls

2010-12-10T23:33:00.001-06:00

6/27/10

6/28/10 – In Costco!

Surprise!

2010-12-10T23:27:00.001-06:00

On June 26, my 30th birthday, Nathan and my sweet friend Kacey executed a surprise birthday lunch – complete with childcare, Chocolate Italian Cream Cake, and an impromptu visit by my parents!

It was a special day and I am so thankful for the blessings of family and friendship that He has given me!

Haircut

2010-07-31T01:45:00.001-05:00

Before – see how long it is in the mirror!

After – with her lollipop!

06/23/10

The women at Little Lords ‘n’ Ladies do a fantastic job and Clara loves it!

Sisters before a storm

2010-07-31T01:33:00.001-05:00

06/22/2010

The light was so pretty before it started to storm. I had Clara run out to the back yard quickly so we could get a picture.

Splash park

2010-07-31T01:31:00.001-05:00

06/22/10

Penguins

2010-07-31T01:20:00.001-05:00

06/21/2010

The first time Clara told me what she was drawing she was about 17 months. She scribbled some black crayon on a piece of paper, pointed at it, and said, ‘penguin.’

Penguins are still a popular subject in her artwork. Here she is displaying a penguin that she drew on her doodle pad. They are most often the result of drawing a ‘V’, then turning it into an ‘upside-down A’, and then finally adding eyes, flippers and, in this case, either grass or toes…I’m not sure which.

Let me know if you are interested in purchasing a piece of her ‘Polderman Penguin’ collection. She is prolific, so we can fill orders quickly.

Friends

2010-07-31T01:14:00.001-05:00

06/20/2010

These babies are three weeks apart and are growing like zucchini!

Blueberries for Clara

2010-07-31T01:10:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite books is Blueberries for Sal, the story of a little girl who goes blueberry picking with her mother. A bear cub and his mother are also on Blueberry Hill, eating berries to grow big and fat for the winter. Both little ones wander off and end up following behind the wrong mothers, but Sal’s mother finds her after hearing the ‘kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk’ of the blueberries dropping in Sal’s small tin pail.

Because this is such a favorite story and because Clara loves blueberries and says “Clara eats blueberries like Little Sal,” when I give them to her, we made plans to pick blueberries when I found a farm north of us. We went with Clara’s best little friend and her mom and 4 month old baby brother. It was a little bit like a (very hot and humid) circus, but Clara’s excitement was definitely worth it. She mentions the blueberry patch almost every day!

Clara in her pajamas eating her breakfast on the way to the blueberry patch at 6:45 am. She requested the sun glasses.

There was lots of dumping berries from one bucket to another, picking white and red ‘blue’berries, and sampling…

I have never been so glad for air conditioning as when we got home. I gave both littles a bath and then we enjoyed powdery-fresh skin and cool clean sheets playing on mommy’s bed.

06/17/10

Summer

2010-06-30T01:02:00.001-05:00

6/16/10

Bitty and Mommy

2010-06-24T20:52:00.001-05:00

6/11/10

Sisters

2010-06-24T20:51:00.001-05:00

6/11/10

This just about perfectly captures the sentiments of my girls toward each other. Elisabeth loves Clara and thinks she is just about as fantastic as Mommy. The feeling is not mutual, yet, but Clara is generally a sweet, if indifferent, big sister.

To Orlando we go

2010-06-24T03:34:00.003-05:00

From 5/24 to 6/9 the girls and I were in Florida. The major occasion was the wedding of my dear friend Andrea from college over Memorial Day weekend, but Nathan had two conferences, one on either end of the wedding, so I flew out early and returned late, enjoying a nice long stay at my parents’ home.

The Lord was gracious to provide safety during our travels and although I do not relish the idea of flying alone with the girls any time soon, I was grateful for His provision of kind airline employees and surrounding passengers.

Just a quick recap of our flying experience for posterity’s sake: When departing Houston, Nathan was also flying out to a conference and so was able to help me through security, but didn’t have time to help at the gate. I checked all our luggage but the diaper bag and stroller. However, the stroller needed to be disassembled in order to be placed in its carrying case to be checked at the gate. After flying so much with our single stroller and seeing the abuse it sustained, there was no way I was going to not put our stroller in the carrying case. Unfortunately Clara decided that she wanted to walk, not sit, and had a classic terrible two’s episode in the gate area. Elisabeth was hungry and screaming, but wouldn’t nurse because she had a tummy bubble so I one child flailing and screaming on the floor and another doing the exact same thing under a nursing cover. I didn’t want to even get on the flight at that point, and I was pretty sure no one else did either! Fortunately reason, or some semblance thereof, returned to Clara and a gate agent bounced Elisabeth while I stuffed our stroller and its parts into the bag. Once we got on the plane, all was well and everyone was happy. I thought to myself, “If only I have help in the gate area, I really think I will be okay flying with these two.”

So, on the way back, Nathan arranged to have my mom help me through security and in the gate area until we boarded. Everything went very smoothly, until we were about 30 min into the flight. Clara started fussing as though she wasn’t feeling well. I wasn’t entirely surprised because she had slept about 14 hours the night before and had woken up with a 102 fever. When I talked to Nathan before we flew out, we decided that I would go ahead and fly home so that if she was catching something, she would be home. Her whining escalated and she coughed, gagged, and vomited a little bit, which scared her. She was beside herself and I couldn’t really care for her and hold Elisabeth. A sweet woman behind me, who was flying with her two teenage daughters, held Elisabeth until Clara fell asleep on my lap. Unfortunately Elisabeth was then hungry, but I couldn’t nurse her without disturbing Clara, so the man next to me held her for a while until Clara roused and sat up. As soon as we landed I called Nathan and begged him to hurry so that he could meet us at the gate. I don’t think I have ever had such an exhausting flight in my life, or felt so helpless!

So that was the traveling part of the trip, here is the fun part!

Dinner at El Rancho in Deland. And the spoiling begins….

5/24/10

Elisabeth’s first sink bath

5/25/10

Fun at Nana’s house

The bride- and groom-to-be at the rehearsal dinner at Mattison’s Riverside

5/28/10

The view from the banquet room

In curlers waiting for her hair to be done

My girl, the flower girl

The bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Milgate

Dancing solo on the dance floor 5/29/10

Grammy and Bitty

Clara did a perfect job at the rehearsal, walking up the aisle, inspecting the asparagus ferns tied to the pew, and looking intently at the photographer who was crouching in the pews, taking pictures. The day of the wedding, however, she was feeling the lack of a regular schedule, the waiting was wearing on her, and her little heart was just pretty contrary. Consequently, when she saw me lined up to walk the aisle with the bridesmaids, she wanted to go with me. The wedding coordinator was not about to argue with a two-year-old and so we just went together, me and my big girl. Incidentally, Clara now thinks that she is a flower girl, as though she has been initiated and the title flower girl defines her role and being.

At the Toelcke house, enjoying family time in the pool

5/31/10

Clara in her ‘princess skirt’

A not-so-successful attempt at a picture of the girls together

6/2/10

6/3/10

Clara’s feet felt cold and I asked her if she would like a pair of socks. She wanted some, but then I realized I hadn’t packed any, since it was Florida and summer sandal weather. She still wanted them, so my mom put a pair of her socks on Clara, who wore them the rest of the evening.

6/4/10

Eating Chicago-style hotdogs at Hotdog Heaven with Grampy

6/7/10

Nana and her great-grandbabies

I was also able to see my roommate from college, Kelly, and her little girl, Elizabeth, who will be two in late June.

6/8/10

Dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse with Grampy and Grammy

What a great trip! We loved being with you Grampy and Grammy and seeing Nana and Papa and good friends! We miss you!

Look who’s coming for dinner!

2010-06-24T02:32:00.001-05:00

5/22/10

This was Elisabeth’s first time in the high chair. She would be eating solids if we let her. She is very engaged at the table and loves looking and grabbing at our meal, utensils, drinks, etc. Her crabby tummy and the convenience of nursing are making me less enthusiastic about the idea than she is!

Check-up treat

2010-06-24T02:26:00.001-05:00

5/14/10

After going back to the pediatrician to recheck the staph infection, Clara enjoyed a treat at the lobby Starbucks. She repeatedly told me, “Mr. Farmer didn’t look in your mouth, did he?” This translates, “Dr. Farmer (female) didn’t look down my throat.” The intricacies of grammatical and syntactical structure will be saved for another day of school. Right now we are just focusing on the fact that the first seven letters of the alphabet are ABCDEFG, not ABCDAFG.

A pumpkin plumping update

2010-05-12T01:02:00.001-05:00

5/11/10

Elisabeth had a check-up today. She is 14 weeks, 5 days old and weighs 16 lbs (95%) and measures 24.5 inches (75%).

A frolic

2010-05-12T00:56:00.001-05:00

Doesn’t it look like a pretty day to be outside,

to have a tea party, to cast aside

the shoes that seem less fit for spring

and more a fall or winter thing?

5/11/10

Note to Reader

2010-05-10T02:26:00.002-05:00

Dear Grammy,

Mommy is working on catching up with blog postings, but she really likes to keep things chronological, so you will have to scroll down to see the posts that she has added. Thank you for persistently checking the blog and leaving comments. It gives her a sense of accountability and so maybe we will actually have baby books/photo albums. If so, that would be the longest term project, other than school, that she has ever completed. (She is telling us that we don't know what ABD stands for or we wouldn't be saying that...maybe you can help us figure out what she means.)

Love,
Clara and Elisabeth

Why we need to work on the catechism

2010-05-09T23:35:00.000-05:00

When Clara saw our pastor at prayer meeting, she said, “It’s God.”

Birthday Party

2010-05-08T16:53:00.001-05:00

Today was Clara’s best friend’s birthday party. We have been anxiously anticipating this celebration and she has asked me to read the ‘macation’ many times each day.

Clara and the birthday girl

Adorable, personalized ball party favors

Abigail enjoying her presents

5/08/10

Clara enjoying her cupcake

Kitchen help

2010-05-05T02:22:00.000-05:00

5/05/10

I am sure this is where everyone keeps their pastry brush…

Misdiagnosis, milestone, and munchkins

2010-05-05T02:17:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, May 5, Elisabeth was scheduled to have her 3-4 month checkup. I was anticipating with pride how much weight she would have gained, but was also anxiously watching a diaper rash, which I was fairly certain was a yeast rash, that I had been treating tenaciously for over 2 weeks. Liberal amounts of Balmex, Lotrimin, and Nystatin had been applied. Diapers were changed when any heat or moisture could have built up. Running around naked to dry her out completely after bath time evolved into letting her be a ‘naked lady’ all day, attiring her little bum with diapers only when she requested them and then removing them quickly when she no longer required them. The breakouts only became more persistent, so I decided that Clara needed the appointment more than Elisabeth.

It turns out that the rash is a staph infection – I was not prepared to hear that and receive the treatment plan titled ‘MRSA – Patient Care Plan.’ Now while I know that there is no way for them to know the exact strain without a test, I am following the directions to a T: Chlorinated-bathes 1-2 times a week, cleaning showers after every use, oral and topical antibiotics, washing towels and washcloths after every use, applying antibiotic cream to all household members nases three times daily (I let Nathan apply it himself!)

Clara is very aware of what goes on at the doctor’s office and wants nothing to do with the whole process, so I was prepared for an unpleasant visit, but tried to tell her what to expect and promised a treat if she was brave. She did a great job, tentatively allowing the nurse and doctor to examine her and only fussing slightly when her throat was swabbed for a strep test. The highlight of the visit for her was choosing a lollipop. She is still telling me how brave she was!

We got home 4 hours later after picking up antibiotics and as I started STAGE ONE OF MRSA TREATMENT PLAN, Elisabeth decided it was time to make her day memorable, and promptly rolled over three times on her play mat – tummy to back!

Then we went outside and enjoyed spring weather and summer dresses!

5/05/10

Daddy and Elisabeth

2010-05-02T02:25:00.000-05:00

5/02/10

Pretending to Drive

2010-05-01T02:37:00.000-05:00

5/01/10

Clara’s new car seat exit strategy is to race up to the front seat before you catch her so that she can ‘pretend to drive.’ Looks like fun, doesn’t it?!

Wee one and waffle cone

2010-05-01T02:34:00.000-05:00

5/01/10

Friends

2010-04-30T00:02:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed dinner with friends at the Knox home. There was an abundance of littles – seven under the age of 4! Thanks to Wie, we have some pictures of the evening.

Elisabeth and Eli – 13 weeks and 10 weeks, respectively.

4/30/10

3 months old

2010-04-29T02:08:00.001-05:00

In honor of Elisabeth’s 3 month birthday, here is a record of her growth:

Birthday – 8 lbs 1 oz

4.5 weeks old - (3/2/10)

7.5 weeks old - (3/22/10)

9 weeks old - (3/31/10) – 13 lbs at 2 month visit

11 weeks old - (4/15/10)

12 weeks old - (4/22/10)

13 weeks old - (4/29/10)

Sunday Sunshine

2010-04-25T00:10:00.000-05:00

04/25/10

She's here!

2010-02-21T01:28:00.003-06:00

02/06/10

And we all love her!

Elisabeth Irene arrived on January 28th, 2010 at 6:34 am.
She weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Things I don’t want to forget

2010-01-27T00:08:00.001-06:00

When you first said ‘banana’ you called it ‘mema’
Although you say their names correctly individually, ‘Grammy and Grampy’ becomes ‘Gampy and Gampy’ and, likewise, ‘Grandma and Grandpa’ becomes ‘Gampa and Gampa’
You repeat our little dialogues. For example, as we are reading through Matthew in family devotions, when Daddy asks you what book of the Bible we are reading, you say, ‘Maf. No, not Maf. Maffew.’
After the novelty wore off, we had a hard time getting you to say the catechism. It became a real battle ground, but one day when you asked for some beans for lunch, I told you that you could have a bean for each catechism question you answered. It worked and the next time I served black beans, you said, ‘Who made you?’ – the first question in the children’s catechism.
The first time you tried a peanut butter and jelly sandwich you said, ‘Cookie?’

Mock smocking, striped stockings

2010-01-26T23:56:00.001-06:00

11/01/09

Pumpkin Girl

2010-01-26T23:51:00.001-06:00

10/30/09

On the day before Halloween we took Clara to a ‘Trick or Trunk’ at the YMCA. She was very cute in her pumpkin costume, but a little overwhelmed. However, she certainly got into the treats once we got home!

10/31/09

Dewberry Farms

2010-01-26T23:41:00.001-06:00

Animals and a petting farm

Lots and lots of pumpkins 10/24/09

Hay!!!!!

I have been wanting to go to Dewberry farms since the October I was pregnant with Clara. I tried to talk Nathan into going that year and he wisely pointed out that a 37-week pregnant woman with a knee cap that was prone to dislocation and little to no sense of direction had no business tramping around a corn maze at a farm way out in the country. This year, however, we took Clara and I look forward to taking her every year. They had so many wholesome activities for different ages and though she loved it this year, I can only imagine how much fun she will have in a few more years! There was a petting farm, all kinds of rides, a hay ride, and a huge pumpkin patch. Sitting in the hay and throwing it in the air was probably her favorite activity.

Goodbye apartment

2010-01-26T23:40:00.001-06:00

09/29/09

This is one of the last pictures I have of Clara in our apartment. Just about the only thing I miss is the beautiful natural light in the kitchen and her nursery.

God blessed us with a rental home that we moved into in mid-October. Clara was a real trooper as we looked at many houses in September. She became obsessed with sockets, probably because of all the empty homes we looked at and their increased prominence in unfurnished rooms. In fact as we would pray and thank God for providing this home for us, she would thank God for the sockets!

She also was very cooperative as we went back and forth between the apartment and house packing and cleaning. She had a cold during the big moving push and though I had arranged for her to stay with friends for the day several times, she ended up coming along with us. I actually think that seeing the process helped her adjust. She still refers to our home as ‘the new house’ and says ‘Goodbye, new house!’ each time we leave.

Big girl swing

2010-01-25T22:53:00.001-06:00

9/25/09

Friends and freebies

2010-01-25T22:51:00.001-06:00

During the month of September Houston Chick-fil-a restaurants had free sandwiches on Thursday evenings. We combined that with a trip to the Children’s Museum, which is also free on Thursday nights.

Clara’s friend Abigail and her mom joined us for the fun.

9/24/09

Living in a big city has it’s perks…like not having to milk real cows.

All by self…

2010-01-20T23:43:00.001-06:00

9/20/09

Birthday parties

2010-01-20T23:40:00.001-06:00

When Auntie Emmy came to visit us during the summer -I have yet to find the pictures. Emily, did you send me files? – she brought Clara a tea set. Somehow tea parties and birthday parties became nearly synonymous and so each pretend tea party we had became a birthday party. So, when Clara received invitations to several friends’ real birthday parties, she could hardly contain her excitement. The night before her friend James’ birthday party she didn’t fall asleep for an hour!

9/12/09

She still talks about the balloons from James’ party – she hoarded them and anytime a less-focused young guest would leave a balloon behind, she would snatch it.

The next weekend was Joshua’s party. She had a blast playing at the splash park and enjoying the party food. Not quite as popular was the pinata…each time I asked her if she wanted to take a turn she strongly retorted, ‘No!’

9/19/09

Big shoes

2010-01-20T23:26:00.001-06:00

9/09/09

Evening light

2010-01-20T23:23:00.001-06:00

8/13/09

Nathan’s Birthday

2010-01-20T23:19:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Nathan’s birthday at home and in Orlando a few weeks later. Here are a few of the highlights:

8/10/09

Enjoying a bite of Daddy’s birthday banana pudding

8/24/09

You can see the beginnings of one of Clara’s ‘Is it a rash, a sunburn, or an allergic reaction?’ episodes. We could not figure out the splotchy redness on her skin, so off to the pediatrician we went when we got home. Of course it was a virus… That diagnosis provides a certain level of relief because there isn’t anything that as a parent you should have been doing while you debated whether to go in to the doctor, but it is also frustrating because you can’t do anything and you went to the doctor. Oh well!

Take me out to the ball-game

2010-01-20T01:09:00.001-06:00

We joined our church for an Astro’s game at the end of July. Thank goodness for the covered stadium!

07/24/09

Clara enjoyed the proverbial food and fellowship.

Michigan Cabin Trip

2010-01-20T01:00:00.001-06:00

In mid-July we were able to get together with all of Nathan’s immediate family to celebrate summer birthdays and enjoy time together at a cabin that is owned by his brother-in-law’s family. We were happy to have the opportunity to share our news with his family in person, too!

7/18/09

Incidentally, this is the last picture I have of Clara with her ‘Poppy’, as she referred to her pacifier. When I found out that we were expecting, there were several transitions that I wanted her to get through so that we wouldn’t have to be too concerned about her reverting to baby behaviors. I wanted to get rid of the pacifiers (done by end of August), transition her to a big girl bed (done in December), and potty-train her (HA! – no longer on my list of goals).

The transition of getting rid of the pacifier was remarkably easy. An acquaintance mentioned that if you snipped off the end of the pacifier, it no longer was satisfying to suck on and the baby would eventually give it up. So, I snipped the end off of every single one and when she asked for one at nap time I gave it to her. She was very confused and said that it was ‘Dirty – wash it.’ So I rinsed it off and told her it wasn’t dirty, it just had a hole. She requested another, and so I showed them all to her. She tried every single one and then began commenting ‘Poppy has a hole’. She persisted in trying to keep them in her mouth and was a bit more wakeful at night for a few weeks, but I threw all the pacifiers away after I saw that she was just holding them. The primary downside was that she no longer napped, at all, except in the car.