Soluri: May 2010

We celebrated Madden's second birthday Mother's Day weekend with all of her cousins and her buddies Henry and Hudson. I still can't believe she's two. It seems like just yesterday I was home on maternity leave with her. Where does the time go? It has been such an experience watching her learn and develope. She's a little person now, with thoughts and feelings and such a fantastic little personality. She can be quite the character. It's been so fun staying home with her and Grady. She loves to be outside. She got a new swing set for her birthday, so she spends a lot of time swinging. She says "I could swing all day." When she isn't swinging outside, she's riding something. If I'm inside with Grady I'll see her and Matt go by the window on the fourwheeler, then a few minutes later they're passing by on the tractor, and then shortly after that she's driving the lawn mower.

When she's inside she loves to read books. She rarely lets us read books to her anymore. She'll let you read it to her as many time as it takes her to memorize, and they she's reading it to you. It is shocking to me the books that she has memorized. My favorite to hear her read is "You Are My I Love You." To hear her say thinks like "I am your chocolate, you are my licorice. I am your dandelion, you are my first wish," or "He nashed his teeth and stomped his feet and chased them out the door" (from The Very Cranky Bear). I had no idea she is listening that closely when we are reading her books. When she goes to bed she takes several books with her to read to Dora. She spends quite a while in her bed before and after naps reading to and playing with her babies and Dora.

Grady is a tank. He left the hospital at 7 lbs. 6 oz, and at his 1 month appointment he was 10 lbs. 10.5 oz! I guess eating every 3 hours is paying off. I keep waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. He still eats every 3 hours, sometimes less. I am praying for a small miracle between now and June 7th when I go back to work. Right now he gets up 3 times a night and we're up for 30 - 60 minutes. If he keeps this up I'll have to pass one feeding off to Matt. Matt will hopefully be staying home with the kids when I go back to work. We thought it would be a great opportunity for him to bond with Grady and I wouldn't have to pack both kids up along with breast milk and bottles to send to Michelle's. I say maybe because Matt's superintendent is giving him the run around about using his sick days for his paternity leave. If they don't allow him paid leave, then we'll both have to work and Michelle will take the kids. We are certain that the law states that Matt must have paid leave, but Matt's superintendent is too ignorant to know or even care. If we don't get a definitive answer in the next day we are sending a lawyer his way.

Here are some pictures. With both kids I am not good about picking up the camera very often. I'll try to do better.