Thanksgiving Morning

 My (beautiful-huge-hearted-works-a-zillion-hours-for-no-money-to-help-at-risk-kids) sister works full time at a homeless outreach center in the City.  So, sometimes we get opportunities to help out.  This year all four of us headed down on Thanksgiving morning and it was wonderful to get to serve there!

Here's my Facebook status from right before we started...

Corinne Heiliger 

"Extremely thankful as I sit in my car and look in the rear view mirror and see Sadie asleep in her carseat and homeless people huddling near the door of the shelter we're about to go into to serve food. Seeing both in the same mirror is sobering"

 Chris got to hang out in the dining room where they were serving food for 4 hours.  He emptied trays for people as they headed out the door.

 Ella and I worked in "The Marketplace."  She sorted through donations while I worked in the free store as a personal shopper.  I SO enjoyed it!  I got to hold a shopping bag and spend 10 minutes with each person helping them find the right sizes for whatever they were looking for.  Since it was a holiday there were no limits on how many items each person could choose which made it extra fun! I was willing to serve in whatever capacity but doing this really confirmed that I LOVE people.  It would have been tough for me to have a job where I didn't get to talk with, love on, hug, touch, help the people!  Love, Love, Loved it.

 There was one other kid there helping with her parents so she and Ella became buddies and worked together the whole time :-)

 Did I mention this was a family affair?  Chris' Dad played the keyboard for the entire dinner service in the dining room!

Certainly hope to make this a tradition on Thanksgiving and help out down there at other times as well.  Ella's heart is so open to serving and giving right now so we're enjoying giving her (and our whole family) opportunities to live it out!

Our Life Group

A few months ago we were pretty sure we were going to leave our small group from church to lead a new one but God surprised us and gave us the opportunity to intensify the commitment and outreach aspects of our group and lead it! We went from meeting every other week for an hour and a half to every week for 3-4hrs. We're reading a really challenging book (Radical by David Platt, which I highly recommend) that is changing all of us. We're also in the process of starting to do outreach ministry together starting with some service projects in December. Thankful for this chance to regroup with people we've been with for 3 years and see what God has for us with this heightened level of following hard after Him.

Art of manliness

The other day I went to leave a playdate at my friend Jen's house and for the first time in 8 years of owning this car, it wouldn't start. Things against us: we had 6 kids 6 and under we had to keep alive, it was pouring rain, and neither of us have ever jump started a car. Things for us: chris on the phone, jumper cables with instructions, jen's phone finding directions on a site called "the art of manliness" (we weren't satisfied with one source of information, we wanted 3 to ensure we didn't blow ourselves up and leave a Lord of the flies scenario in Jen's house). We also had it going for us that Jen and I are both full of hutzpah. It was pretty funny deciding who'd attach the last cable and jump back fast! All in all, it worked and the kids didn't maim each other. Fun adventure!!

Science Center

These pictures have horrible quality but I like them anyway :-)  We love our local Science Center!

Sadie cries every time we make her leave the water table area.  She LOVES it.

My girls look so little!

Kindergarten pics!

Ella's school pics turned out great! She's turned a corner in being willing to look at the camera and smile:) Love my kindergartener!

"Loss" or blessing?

Tonight, all four of us were in the car driving home from dinner. I remembered as we were chatting that I hadn't told Ella about Sadie's hearing tests a few days ago.  I told her that Sadie got to go see her audiologist, Dr. Robin which Ella thought was cool.  Then she asked "So, does Sadie have hearing loss?" and I said "Nope. She did well on her tests" (which were just follow up, precautionary tests because of the family history).  Ella immediately said "Yay!!!...I mean, awww :-( "  Chris and I looked at each other sadly and he asked her "Why did you say "Yay" then "Aww"? Chris and I held hands, knowing the answer but curious how she would communicate it.  She said "Well, I'm happy that she doesn't have hearing loss but I'm sad that she's not like me."

Chris validated her feelings and encouraged Ella for being mature enough to know what she was feeling and explain it to us (can you tell he's married to a therapist? ha!)  It was a tough moment and touched on a pain I've felt before.  In the hospital when Sadie was born, they came in to tell us that she'd passed her newborn hearing screening (which Ella failed).  We were obviously anxious to hear the results and I burst into tears.  I had to explain, once I calmed down that I was happy about the results and partially crying in happiness over the relief that Sadie (and I) won't have to deal with the burden and limitations of hearing loss.  However, 90% of the reason I was crying was the heartbreak of the moment we'd have to tell Ella that Sadie wasn't like her.  That her hopes of passing on her hearing aids to her baby sister weren't necessary.  My heart broke for my first born being "alone" in this burden.

When we initially told Ella we didn't make a big deal of it and she hasn't mentioned it much over the last year of Sadie's life. So, it was tough to hear Ella speak exactly what I feared today.  But, she is a super resilient, sweet girl who really does seem to want the best for Sadie. I'm not worried about her.  What a blessing that she's learning early to face challenges, even when they make you different and others don't understand.  I have no doubts she's well on her way to being a woman of strong character and not hearing so well is simply part of what is making her that.  As for Sadie, we're thankful for her hearing and also that she'll grow up in a family that will cause her to be notably grateful for something so many take for granted.  As far as I can see, hearing loss has really been more of an opportunity for teachable moments, gratitude and pushing through challenges than any kind of "loss." God's growing our family exactly the way he knows is best. It's an appropriate week to be thankful for that :-)

Sadie is 15 months!

Sadie is exceedingly cute these days.  She's so goofy and silly and understands so much and when in the mood, talks quite a bit!  Chris, Ella and I are still totally in love with this little girl. 

• Stats:
• At her 15 month appt
• Length:  31 7/8 inches (90th percentile)
• Weight: 23lbs 2oz (50-75th percentile)
•  Head: 47 1/2 cm (90-95th percentile)

• Sleeping: she had an enormous set back when Chris was out of town for a week.  She has been sleeping through the night for months and months but woke up many times every night he was gone (except the first night when she didn't realize he was gone).  She'd cry for "Dada"-it was wretchedly sad.  She also wouldn't nap well during the day that week and then we went out of town the day after Chris got home and she was a horrible sleeper there too.  We're recovering but it took almost 2 weeks for her to not stand up and cry EVERY time we put her in her crib after Chris got back.  Bottom line: Chris cannot travel.  Ever. Again.

• we're still transitioning between 1 and 2 naps.  The problem with one nap is that she usually only naps 1.5-2hrs.  If I let her have 2 naps, she'll sleep a total of 3 hrs or more.  So, still doing 2 naps on mornings we can. At night she's sleeping from 7ish to anywhere between 6 and 7:30. Usually closer to 6am.  Sigh. 
• UPDATE: she has recovered from Chris' trip and is happily laying in her bed and going to sleep when we put her down.  PRAISE GOD! (took about 2 -3weeks)

• Eating: slowing down a bit in her voracious appetite.  A little more picky and doesn't eat as much at every single meal (though still handily out eats Ella).  Still loves her meat :-)
• Mobility-Sadie's a fast crawler and still tends to drag one leg which is incredibly cute to watch.  She can stand up on her own for a few seconds and then gets scared and sits down.  On her 15 month birthday last week at Aunt Amy's house she took her first steps!  She took 2 then fell, then 3, and then did 5 steps!  It helped that Amy, Ella, Hannah, Christopher and I were all cheering insanely :-)  And of course, she hasn't done it since then.  No rush.  I'm ok with a crawler.
• Personality: 
• SILLY! I need to make some videos of the child because she's just plain silly.  She loves to make funny faces, initiate games of peekaboo, climb on anyone, hug and kiss dolls and certain people (especially Ella!), she thinks it's hysterical to lean backwards and make anything around her into a pillow and she loves being tickled.  
• She has a very adamant head shake when she doesn't want something. It's super cute (and I hope is not to soon replaced by the far less cute "no"). 
• She likes to snuggle and hug and in the last week has learned to wave and blow kisses.
• Sadie is compliant in a way that Ella never was.  I pray this sticks around...it's kind of amazing to me that she tends to obey as soon as I say something one time.  Weird.

Words Sadie understands

• splash
• milk
• cup/drink
• bath
• outside
• dog
• lay your head down
• hug
• snuggle
• smooch
• kiss
• ball
• bed
• nap
• on/in
• more
• all done
• body parts (head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, hand, toes, belly button)

Words Sadie says (or has said a couple times! ha! We take what we can get!)

• ball
• dog
• owl
• mama
• dada
• Ella
• olive
• diaper
• bottle
• more
• please
• bird
• book
• up
• bye
• and LOTS of random words/phrases various people claim they've heard her say (including french fry, necklace, rabbit, under the table and many more)

So thankful for this not-so-much-a-baby girl!

First Annual Family Pumpkin Carving!

Being fall lovers, pumpkin lovers, and party lovers, Chris and I decided to start a new tradition and have family over for a Pumpkin Carving Night.  We're hoping this will be the first of many.

Sadie likes Halloween colored Oreos quite a bit :-)

The Oreo, Ice Cream brownies deserve their own pic too right?

Ella requested this face and took this one :-)

3 sisters-in-law :-)  

Great time!

10 (really 11) years!!

My classes this semester are tough and my motivation is waning (4 full years of grad school with one semester off to give birth is rough!) so, I'm way behind in blogging but certainly don't want to forget these awesome events, so late is better than never!!

So, in October, I was able to meet up with my closest college friends along with husbands and kids at William and Mary for our 10 year reunion!!  It was WONDERFUL.  Such an amazing thing that we pulled it off!  We were able to get a timeshare a few minutes from campus and stay in the same building (baby monitors reached far enough for us to all hang out together each night-it really was ideal!)  Considering we all came from Richmond, VA Beach, Baltimore, Boston, and Nashville and have 9 kids 5 and under between us, it really was amazing that this happened! So thankful to have these women still in my life!

Turning 30 did something to all of us-5 of the 6 of us had babies last year!!!! Maggie, Joe, Henry, Elsa, and Sadie!!

CHEEEEEEESE SHOPPE!!!!!!!!!!! I think most of us were excited to see each other first, and to eat Cheese Shoppe second.  YUMMMM.  My order from college was still as tasty-turkey with havarti on french with sprouts and house (dressing) :-)

Jennifer and Jeremy teaching Henry young :-)

Annie, Jennifer, me, Kathy, Libby, Meredith. 

All the girls!!!  Most of us were roommates at some point, we all did Bible Study together and I still talk to some of these girls every week! Amazing Friends.

The big kids had fun too :-)

I took Ella to see my old Mailbox.  I mentioned that I still use my mailbox # as my password for almost everything and Kathy said she does too!  See how much we love W&M?  We're weirdly linked to it still :-)

Those are my feet-and yes, I actually graduated 11 years ago but I started with all these girls in 1997 I just accidentally graduated a year early (stupid AP classes in high school hijacked my college career).

Ella decided on this trip she likes getting her picture taken!  Wahoo!!  I've waited 6 years for this.  Well, not this face exactly but looking at the camera is a huge step forward :-)

Thomas, Will, and Ella.  Will and Ella are exactly a month apart in age.

I feel like we look like a stroller commercial here ;-)

Sadie LOVES holding hands with other kids. Maggie's not so sure.

I told Ella this is old-school time out.

 

Family Pic Fail

Sure do love this girl.

I pretended to be taking a picture of the tree to snap this pic of the colonial dude on his cell phone.  Cracked me up!

Ella actually took this pic!

It was a WONDERFUL trip and we all vowed it will not be another ten years til we all get together again!