Happy Haunted Happenings

Pumpkin carving is my favorite Halloween activity.  I have my special pumpkin-gut-scooping spoon and bone handled, dollar store carving knife.  I am not safe enough to use anything else.  Oh and my trusty sharpie.  It has multiple holiday purposes.

Elise getting in on the action.  She stole my spoon and marker, made an attempt for the knife, trailed the cat through the dirt, unrolled a costco pack of paper towels and tried to climb up my shoulder before we banished her to bed. 

Jack and his pumpkin and his new camera smile.

  Last year she actually carved her own jack o'lantern, this year she was content to count/sort and categorize seeds.  This was the first year she would actually clean the pumpkin.  

Our finished work

I carved three and Jed carved one.  I bet you know which one Jed did.  Those are Jack's hands by the way. Jed also carved his thumb.  I knew when the hunting knife came out we were in trouble.  

The J+J Party

This weekend was our annual Halloween/Birthday bash.  I like efficiency.  I like Halloween parties.  I'm too lazy to plan two parties within the same week.  And no one wants to party the day after Halloween.  More treats bleh. 

 

Dressing up for parties is the best part.  Spidey Jack, Angelic Jara, and Evil Elise.  Jara planned her costume to properly coordinate with Elise's, and there was no confusion over who was going to be the devilish one.  Although Elise's cherubic cheeks are slightly misleading.

Aunt Ashley and her adorable peacock, Scarlet.

Along with Grandma Wheeler as the jester.  (Jed wore that same costume in middle school.)

I have the party formula down: dinner, 3 activities, cake, and presents.

Activity #1  Witch broom races.  I asked Jed what would be a good game to play and he popped this off the top of his head.  Who needs pinterest?

Activity #2 Pinata.  Always a pinata.  This year the great pumpkin Charlie Brown.  Could have fit all three kids in there.

Activity #3 Bobbing for Apples.  Classic.  So, so nasty.  Little kids spit...and snort.  My daughter was the best.  (Not at spitting, even though she's good at that too, bobbing)  I need that on a bumper sticker, "my daughter bobs for apples better than your's." 

 Mason was pretty good too.  He recovered from a partial drowning to chomp his apple.

The bad witch with the cake, owl cupcakes that is.  If you are scared by my make-up, don't worry, you are not the only one.  Jack wouldn't get within ten feet of me for a couple of hours.

Our spectacularly spooky family.  Do you like Jed's costume?

 A lil' devil and angel picture.  I think they look alike.

And I Quote...

Jack has been perfecting his artistry through details.  His mommy now has "thunder legs."  The figure on the left is "baby mommy" and the figure on the right is "mommy all growed up with her thunder legs."  Don't think Jed didn't get a phone call at work about this one.  Upon further inquiry my literal four year old explained that "see I drew your leg and my marker went squiggly like thunder, so you have thunder legs."  There is nothing better when you are four than having the power of thunder in your legs. Got it.  Jack and Jed will live another day.

Tri Tri Tri

When Jed and his brother Ryan get together they have a tendency to come up with many a wild scheme.  This happened to be one of them.  Last summer they started running and swimming in the morning before work and this summer they decided to bump it up and put all of those hours towards training for a triathlon.  At one point Wendy and I thought we would compose a relay team and join them and then we remembered we don't swim.  or bike. and running isn't really very fun.  So we supported instead.

Team Wheeler cheering section. Seven little Wheeler future triathletes.  

Jack enjoying the show and his goody bag from grandma L.  Goody bags were genius.

Eye of the tiger.  6'5" guy on a bike.  I never thought I'd live to see the day of Jed wearing spandex.  We are getting so grown-up.

My winner.  As Jack put it, "look daddy won a GOLD medal." (a bi-product phrase courtesy of olympic watching this summer.) Jed is a very talented man and this just adds to his resume of AWESOMENESS! 

A tender moment.  Actually I was trying to escape his stinky, sweaty spandex.  Eww

Christmas card worthy?  I think yes. 

The IronMen

Congratulations Wheeler Brothers!

 I am still in awe.

The Party

 The actual day.  The party was three days later.  Even though she wouldn't know any different I still couldn't deny Elise her first cupcake on her true day of GLORY.  We celebrate in weekly streaks around here.

 Yes, we look exactly alike, don't we?  I love that she clings to me like a little monkey perching from my hip.

 Birthday present opening.  Elise is taking this very seriously.  Her favorite present was a giraffe that kicks balls, thank you Uncle Jordan and Aunt Chelsey.

How Elise feels about having her very own cake!

The after party.  Turning a year old is simply exhausting.

#1

Elise is a year. ahhh
How fast this year has gone by.

She has been learning so many things and elaborated on many more specialties in the last month and a half since I last posted.  
She is teaching herself pilates.  Downward dog is her specialty, she's way better than me, she loves to get on all fours and poke her bootie in the air.  
She screeches "cAAAA" any time she sees my cats.  She loves the kitty cats even more this month.  Okay that's an understatement she has spastic, overwhelming exuberant joy when in the mere presence of those raggedy mongrels. Jara's stuffed cats are not even safe, she carries them in her mouth like a good momma kitty.  
She is crawling on her hands and knees most of the time when she prefers speed she still slithers but if she is being cautious she's up on all fours.  
When she is feeling particularly cute she will innocently smile and cover her mouth with her hand, so bashful and nice-like.  Do not be fooled, she is not as innocent as she looks.  The other day grandpa A asked her if he was her favorite person in the world and she looked at him, stuck her tongue out and spit, much to grandma A's delight.  Sorry dad, that really means I love you.  I heard her spitting at Jack in the car the other day and then laughing her evil cackle.  She knows, oh does she ever know.  
Elise did time the other day because of her naughtiness. I figured we should stop laughing at her and try to get a handle on her early start towards a criminal career and she went to baby time-out. (Isolation in the bathroom for one minute.)  Because she opened the vanity drawer in front of the bathroom door, I could not get her out, which led to even more wailing and gnashing and huge, sad crocodile tears. After that traumatic experience I lovingly hugged her and promised her she would never, ever have to go to time-out again, poor, sweet baby. sigh.  ha.
Elise is in a 80/20 percentile.  I'll let you guess for what.  She is a bottomless pit and I'm not sure why she doesn't weigh more than 19lbs, she's the bermuda triangle of food.  
The few words she knows other than baby swearing (angry complaining without words) are:  ni-ni (night-night,) mama, dada and lll n (belly button)  She's discovered this amazing body part and is very frustrated when she's wearing a onesie.
Elise tenderly loves Jara's (now Elise's) stuffed cat, she tucks it between her shoulder and ear and cuddles it oh so nicely.  The same way she likes to cuddle us.  It makes me forget that she is capable of head-butting and biting. 
On her birthday we got her a rocking chair and she has claimed it as her throne.  No one is allowed with in a 3-foot radius when she is reigning supreme.  Especially if she has her blankie and thumb.  
Elise explores objects best with her toes.  I've noticed her pick up new objects and place them in her toes turning them round and round.  It's the monkey toes, I suppose.   I mentioned it to my sister-in-law and I'm not sure she had the full picture so Elise proudly demonstrated at library reading time by rotating Auntie's turquoise bracelet through her toes.  At least she doesn't put everything in her mouth.  
Morning nap time was turning into an unproductive battle so we gave it up.  Waaaaaa.  The other two were 15 months when they started only napping twice a day, every-other-day but she has cold turkey gone to one nap a day at only a year.  Needless to say nothing is getting accomplished around here in the morning.  Or really any other time of the day for that matter. 
Elise has started pointing at objects and will use her pointing skills anytime food is in proximity or when we are reading her favorite books.  She has had much success with this skill.  

I look forward to her next milestones, walking maybe...(crawling is dirty) and am no longer in denial that she is ONE.  (Okay still in a little denial. She is still small and only has two teeth its easy to pretend she's younger.)

 Pick me up lady my dress is getting pine needles in it pose

Loving the CAT

Elise's Birth Story

I have a confession to make...  
I have never written a birth story and I have three children.   Maybe because I still remember the way I would want to melt out of a room every time my aunt's and mom would share their stories.  Maybe because I have controlled planned c-sections and they aren't very surprising.  Maybe because I find the experience so personal that it is impossible to put into the proper words.  Maybe because Jara was born before my blog and since I never documented her  birth I felt guilty telling Jack and Elise's story.  Whatever the reason, I am now ready to write Elise's birth story and if it doesn't do me in, I will write the other two as well, because even though it has been almost six years the memory of Jara's arrival it is still very clear in my memory.  On to Elise, since it has only taken me about a year to the day to do this...

I know the day my children will be born.  I even know the hour, but not the minute, no one is that accurate, however having scheduled c-sections helps.  Jara was breech and my doctor was short on options and big on time-saving, for her, the doctor, not me and the consecutive babies I would have afterwards.  Hence the c-sections.  Curse that woman.

The day before Elise's debut I drove myself to the hospital and visited with nurses, had a loooong talk with the anesthesiologist and subjected myself to  miles of paperwork and blood work.  It makes for less stress on the big day.  The night before I find sleep impossible.  Worry over what you know is coming, joy at the thought of a precious baby, fear.  In short, all of the emotions you can think up in the dark of night when you are about to undergo a life-changing event.  Jed and I prayed, he prayed for my comfort and a special bond between the baby and I.  Perfect words of peace.  Elise was scheduled to be delivered at 8am, in order to be ready we needed to be to the hospital by 6:30.  After three attempts to insert my IV and a blown out vein I remember looking out of the hospital window on the second floor and plotting my escape.  At the time it seemed perfectly logical to drag Jed out of that hospital and into the desert up the mesa canyon to have my baby in the wild, no doctors, no hospitals, no c-sections, nothing but coyotes and the person responsible for the baby.  My fear became so great it led to chihuahua like shaking.  Uncontrollable shaking.  I try to focus, meditate, go to my happy place, all of that but its impossible with the questions, procedures and nasty, bitter, vile shot of citric acid.  Next comes the OR.  Sterile and cold.  More shaking.  Being strapped to a table in a T form is not comforting but it does help the shaking.  When your arms are velcro'd down they can't shake as hard.  Everything happened very fast with Elise.  As soon as I was thoroughly numb and the blue curtain was in place inches from my face I was quickly filleted.  There is no other way to describe it.   Filleted like a fish.  Even though I am petrified beyond belief at this point and during the whole procedure there was never pain.  I am grateful for a doctor that ensured my best care and an anesthesiologist who was very calming and kind.  I knew Elise was out when I heard her cry and heard the excitement of Jed and the doctors.  Nothing is better than hearing, "ooo she's a big healthy one."  Once she was out, they wisked her to a table behind and to the right of me, I'm craning my neck straining against my straps to peek at her.  Lots of hair and yes even from my limited view I could tell she was beautiful.  The nurses wrap her and bring her to me.  I'm unleashed long enough to pet her and rub cheeks with her.  Jed gets her for a moment and then they take her away.  Which I hate, I want to hold my precious new baby NOW not wait to be put back together.  With my other two children I remember nothing once the baby was out and I had been able to pet them, with Elise I stayed with it and remember everything such as impatiently asking the doctor if he was done yet, poor man.  It took 20-30 minutes to re-do 5 minutes worth of damage.  Lots of layers to stitch up.  Once released from the OR I was taken to my recovery room.  Jed had arranged for flowers to be brought in and they were waiting for me, greeting me.  Then the moment I had been anticipating for nine months, my baby Elise was placed in my arms and laid on my chest.  Perfect.  I cuddled her till she squirmed and then she professionaly fed for 20 minutes.  Once her appetite had been attended to,she was perfectly willing to allow me to examine her.  I had to look over every little digit and limb.  Elise was very kind to let me wiggle her toes and num her chubby cheeks.  Since she was breech, she had been lying on her right cheek with her head wedged in between my ribs, because of this her right cheek wasn't as plump as her left for months.  Of course it was endearing all the same.  I'm pretty sure at the time if she would have been born with a tail I would have thought it was adorable, I am thoroughly drugged post surgery.  Anyway, after the once over, I plopped her on her tummy snuggled up into my neck and we promptly dozed off leaving Jed in charge.  His job is to make sure everyone stays breathing and I don't fall so deeply asleep I drop the baby.  He is a good caretaker.  I can rest easily knowing he is watching over us.  
My recovery with Elise was harder and hotter (record breaking August heat).  I slept in the recliner for 6 days because my incision didn't allow for sleeping flat or on my side, and certainly not on my stomach.  I bruised deep purple and yellow and now have a slight "shelf" on one side.  Put back together one too many times I guess.  My body also scars easily and I have a rope like laceration/scar to remind me of my experiences.  I'm thinking a tattoo of "J.J.E was here" would go nice. So classy.  However, the physical effects are insignificant.  Every mom knows that.
Jed's blessing has provided a bond between Elise and I that is very strong.  I have relished her  first year. There are almost 3 years between Jack and Elise and it was so lovely to have a newborn again.  The third time is a charm, you are not as scared as the first and not as overwhelmed as you are when you have two. Two doesn't sound like a big number until you think about how two is DOUBLE one.  By three you are past the scared and overwhelmed stage, you know what's coming and you have gotten in plenty of experimenting.  You are just crazy and dog tired.  Minor details.  Elise gets away with all kinds of naughtiness already and I just can't help it.  You want to pull my hair and scream, okay baby do whatever you want, you are just so precious and cute and you are growing so fast and you will never will be little again so I will never be angry with you.  Heaven help us I sound like a grandma.


Happy 1st Year Elise!