Happy Birthday to me!

Honestly, Scott and I do very low key birthday's for ourselves, especially since having the kids. My mother asked me what we were going to do this year and I had to ask her what day it fell on. Someone also asked me how old I was going to be and I actually had to go back and calculate. Then someone asked me a couple of days later...the same question...again, I had to go back and calculate. It is not that I feel insignificant, it is just that the busyness just tends to take over and, well, my memory isn't all that great to begin with :). HOWEVER, today, I was the birthday princess not because I insisted on it, but because Mary Ella insisted on it. Everything she did was for my birthday. From several spontaneous hugs, kisses, and "happy birthdays" to my birthday present she made for me outside:

Sure, I had baby spit-up all over my black shirt (you should never wear black with snotty, spitty children anyways), smelled like sour milk, and was mopping today, but I was the birthday princess. To her, I was seen as perfect and beautiful. Addy added her renditions of "Happy Birthday" to the mix all day going something like this:

"appy burday to ya, appy burday....."

Truly, it was too cute. Molly expressed her birthday wishes with several sweet smiles and coos and Scott is getting someone to help me with the "deep cleaning" of the house....what a great man he is!!! So here's to being crowned princess for the day. Now the bed is calling my name....maybe I'll get to sleep in tomorrow morning...hee! hee!

Just Ignore

Just ignore the formatting in the post below. I did it over several days and for some reason, it won't fix, no matter how many returns and edits I try to do. The content is there. I guess that is what counts, right???

Christmas (sniffle, sniffle)

Two out of three ready for church

We had a nice, quiet (sort of) Christmas at home....our last down here on the coast. My brother, Robin, joined us and left with our cold. I'm not too sure how many tissues we went through, but it was a lot and at the service Addy filled the quiet sanctuary with many "yeas", "happy birthdays" and "ho ho ho ho ho hoooos". I got up to take her out at one point and a sweet lady behind me said, "don't you dare take her out! That is the most wonderful sound in the world." I just wanted to hug her neck right there. What a sweet thing to say. After the service we came home to prepare the kiddos for bed. Mary Ella was very concerned Santa wouldn't come because Robin was sleeping in the living room next to the chimney, but we assured her he would come. Mary Ella graciously shared her reindeer food with Addy and she prepared the plate of specially made cookies (I hope Santa has a good immune system). We put them out and Mary Ella put a blanket underneath the plate so crumbs wouldn't get on the table...oh yes, she is my child. I guess she assumed he was a messy eater. Mary Ella's carefully thought-out plan required a last minute adjustment when Addy realized these cookies were not for her consumption:















This was not a pretty scene. Plan aborted!

Santa was very good to Mary Ella finally satisfying her desire to be a rock star. She got a guitar and the Island Princess Barbie. Addy enjoyed a Mickey Mouse ride toy with storage in the seat. I think the storage is her favorite part because I keep finding random things stuffed inside. Santa was really smart and brought Molly some diapers. Guess he knows she goes through a lot!

My little rock star. From the time she could, she was making musical instruments out of anything.

Addy insisted on being pushed.

The girls and their uncle "wobin"

Scott enjoying the bath foam during bathtime. He has so much more tolerance of getting messy and wet during bathtime than I do.

One of the sweeter moments. Addy enjoys a good back scratching. She will plop herself in the middle of the floor saying, "scratch, scratch". I heard Mary Ella say, "here Addy I'll do that for you." Too sweet!

Overall, it was a wonderful Christmas. Three nights we piled the girls in the car in their pajamas to go look at Christmas lights and listen to Christmas music. It was so much fun and a nice way to wind down in the evenings.


With Christmas come and gone, the countdown for the big move is on. We are compiling our list of "to dos" in order to have this house on the market in February. This is where all my nesting that took place during the pregnancy has come in handy. Although there is still much to be done, we have already cleaned out so much. The people at Goodwill will know me by name pretty soon, I'm sure. I think the big challenge will be keeping this place picked up while having it on the market. We'll see how successful we are at that!

Christmas Truth

Well, I feel like we have successfully refocused and in an effort to do just that I pulled out a book of poetry that was once my Mimi's. Mimi was an incredibly spiritual woman who as James Dillet Freeman wrote, "had the heart of a poet." When she passed away my junior year in college we found and opened her worn Bible. In it were notes written all over the pages giving us even more insight into her thoughts, her heart, her SPIRIT. I can only hope my Bible looks like that one day. No, Mimi didn't believe Christianity was all about memorizing and quoting scripture....it was an experience...a journey that filled her heart with joy. Her favorite christian poet was the man mentioned above, James Dillet Freeman. I have one of the many books she had collected by him and in it is this poem.

CHRISTMAS TRUTH

What tale is lovelier or stranger

Than that of God's birth in a manger!

Had I on that first Christmas Eve

Been sent to find Him, I believe

I would have sought in the temple or

Gone knocking at the palace door;

To think to look in a stable yard

To find my God would have been hard.

But if God may be found in a stable stall,

I may not be too mean or small

To give Him birth. I may in me

Discover a divinity.

To find God in the least of things-

This is the hope that Christmas brings.

Christ from His manger cries to the lowly

The truth that every man is holy.

So Merry Christmas to all of my family, friends and anyone else who may read this. There is Divinity in each one of you and my prayer is that you will see it and feel it too.

Christmas Preparedness

Tis the season to be.....busy? Wow! Who would have thought I'd have to hire a babysitter as my own Christmas present to get things done around here???? Taking all three out is definitely something I try to avoid like the plague (mainly with the younger two). There are a few places that are off limits such as the post office (I am just now realizing the ease of "click n ship"), any place without a large basket, and places that do not have enough room for double strollers (any shop you can think of). If I go to the grocery store with them, only a few items can go in the basket because Molly's car seat is either taking 95% of the space or Addy gets a hold of all the boxes and begins opening them screaming for a "nack" (snack). And why is it they just have to put all the fun, sugary cereals right at their eye level???? They know us moms will do almost anything not to walk around with a screaming toddler. Whew! The juggle can be challenging and I am definitely becoming more creative in ways to keep everyone on an even keel around here. I have finally gotten all the teacher gifts, family gifts, cards, and so on out of the way. Now my plan is to breath and to start making everything pretty for our Christmas at home. I have found it contradicting to continually remind our oldest daughter what Christmas is really about when I haven't modeled it very well in all my busyness. It is like saying, "Here honey, remember what we celebrate on Christmas, but I need you to entertain yourself for the rest of the day so I can make your Christmas really special, ok????" My goal over these next few days before Christmas is to really focus on our children instead of the preparation.

Mary Ella also had her end of the year programs. They sang at a retirement center and had a performance for the parents. It was so cute. However, during the performance at school I noticed a very stiff look on Mary Ella's face. I thought, "Maybe she's being shy....". After the performance she immediately took off her paper Santa hat. I had her put it back on just to get a snap shot of the cutie. Later that day I discovered cuts above her ears and she told me the Santa hat was hurting her. Poor thing, like a true performer, endured the pain to get through the show. I felt so sorry for her. She had so looked forward to showing me her moves practicing almost nightly, then couldn't go all out. Of course, I thought she did a great job anyways.

Me and my "first" baby. Ugggh, could she really be starting kindergarten next year?

Proudly posing

Addy ended the week with four bruises on her head and sick for the last day of school. The nerve of her getting sick....didn't she know I had too much to do for her to be sick???? As far as the bruises....the kid is a dangerous climber. I put things up further away and she just tries to climb higher. Just this weeks she has:

1. been found in the bathroom sink sucking toothpaste out of the tube

2. brushing her teeth with Mary Ella's toothbrush

3. Marked all over her arms with a marker

4. dumped a water bottle on the couch

5. found and opened a poopy diaper in the trash

6. fallen off the toilet 3 times (once taking the shower curtain with her)

7. started the dishwasher about 10 times

8. hung on the oven door while I was cooking

9. unspooled scotch tape

10. Rubbing her dad's deodorant all over her face...ewwww!

Trust me, there is more. I just don't have time to write all day.

The kiddos also got to see Santa. Mary Ella was the oldest one there and when we left I got lots of questions and comments including:

"Why did Santa leave through the kitchen...that's silly!"

"Why did Santa not have his glasses on???"

"Did you see Santa's BIG FAT belly???"(I thought you'd like that one Ashley!)

Oh yes, I get more questions a day than are in a couple of Jeopardy episodes.

Our attempt at a family picture

Don't you think Santa needs three girls of his own???

Molly is smiling and cooing more and more. Sometimes I forget she's at that age still treating her like a newborn, then she flashes a big smile on her face reminding me she's already growing up. She's also developed her little baby acne. It looks so cute...... when your a baby.

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

I've reached a few milestones of my own that are actually funny. This last weekend I bought my first pair of black dress shoes in NINE years. No lie people. I've worn the same black dressy sandals for NINE years. Now I'm stylin a pair of peek toe pumps!' Yes, I'm movin' up in the world. Now, this next one is a milestone I would rather not admit to, but here it goes. I now own foundation. Sure I experimented with it as a teenager, but went to pressed powder only by my senior year. So what sent me to the store???? Everyone telling me how pale and tired I looked. I guess the age is showing, so I did it. I now put on foundation to hold the color in my face and make the ever increasing lines less visible. As my friend Jillian said, "look good, feel good." Life is funny that way.

I'll try to post again before Christmas, but if I don't Merry Christmas!

All is right....

with our little world...

1. Molly Kate has been sleeping 8-9 hours all week...CHA CHING!

2. Molly is smiling and cooing more and more. She reserves most of these moments for her sisters (when she's not getting bonked on the head by a random flying object).

3. The tree is decorated although we do have some blank spots thanks to little hands. I've had to get over my desire for symmetry...I'm just hoping the tree stays standing at this point.

4. Addy is using two word phrases more and more and is beginning to put endings onto words.

5. Mary Ella has been practicing her songs for her Christmas program...hand motions and all. I can't wait to see it. I'm sure my post-partem self will be emotional. Proud tears are the best!

4. Last, but definitely not least (according to Scott), LSU squeezed into the playoffs (It's a Louisiana Christmas miracle!)

Now let me tell you how this LSU thing went down at our house. We run a very tight ship at night around here. I'm not much on routine/schedules, except when it comes to night time. It is very important that I get the kiddos to bed in a timely manner. This could be perceived as selfish, but it takes time to shut this house down at night...a good hour at least (toys picked up, kitchen clean, no wet clothes in the washer...this one sometimes gets overlooked, but you get the point) and I like to get in bed at a decent time. So yes, for me to keep my sanity, the night routine is a "must". Now, on to the story....When LSU lost to Arkansas surrendering any hope of a National Championship, or so we thought, Scott must have said..."I just can't believe they lost that game" a hundred times. Later that weekend, he said, "there still is a chance if Mizzou and West Virginia lose...there's a chance." Usually I'm the one playing the Pollyana role, but this was a little far fetched. I smiled and rolled my eyes saying,"don't hold your breath." Well, the next weekend rolled around, it was 10:15pm. I was trying to settle for sleep and wouldn't you know Scott's scenario began becoming a reality? He was jumping around on the bed like the true LSU fan he is and I was asking him to tone it down like the true tired mommy I am. In the end I was just as excited as he was, well maybe not that excited (sleep was still more important) He must have checked every poll and listened to every commentator that Sunday making sure all believed, as he did, that LSU should be "the one." Bottom line...I have one happy husband.

I told ya

Here comes "trouble"....This is what I found when I finished the post below. This is why I have trouble returning emails and phone calls. I've got a 60 second limit before something like this happens :).


Try picking spaghetti noodles up. They break into about 10 pieces every time you try to gather them up. All on top of laundry fresh from the dryer.
Our living room floor was picked up and free of toys before I sat down at the computer. It seems as though Addy has one philosophy when it comes to toys...dump, spread, and move on to something else.....I call them "Addy bombs" How can you fault a curious kid??? The answer...YOU CAN'T!

Less than productive

Oh yes, there are so many things I need to be doing besides sitting at my computer, yet here I sit in my pajamas...it is 11am. The laundry baskets are overflowing (despite being empty a couple of days ago), Scott is outside doing the house lights (sweating I might add....it is 80 degrees and muggy outside), and Molly is attempting to cry herself to sleep. Again, here I sit blogging and attempting to return emails sent over this last week (I'm getting there).

Here is Addy. She (rather deservingly) acquired the nickname "trouble" over Thanksgiving because she somehow is able to get herself into binds and other situations that defy any reason. Notice the big bruise on her on the left side of her forehead? It was a goose egg the size of a grape last night. I often joke saying..."why would I need boys?" because my two girls wrestle, race and compete with the best of them. She and Mary Ella were doing just that last night when our little accident prone girl once again ran smack into the door frame while trying to beat Mary Ella into the bathroom. They play hard which sometimes creates A LOT of noise around here. Most of the time I'm thankful that I have that noise, but sometimes, I'll admit, I do crave some quiet time. Addy has also shown us that the old "soap in the mouth" discipline won't be useful for her. She has come out of the bathroom several times this week licking the soap off her hands smiling and blowing bubbles at the same time. I laugh when we aren't supposed to be somewhere, but when I find her sitting in the sink with soap pumped all down the front of her just as we are headed out the door for school, well, you can imagine it wasn't that funny (especially since I'm running late all the time these days).



We've been getting the Christmas decorations out all week. The excitement is building for Mary Ella. It is so hard to temper that with perspective at 4 1/2 years old. Everything that is advertised on tv she says she wants. I said, "Mary Ella, you are only going to pick 1-2 things, so what do you want from Santa?" She said, "He can get me anything princessy, ok?" Oh goodness, we are in for it. We are also instating a tradition for her to pick out toys she no longer plays with to give away as well as picking out a couple of new toys before Christmas in an effort to teach her about giving and also to clean out things that are just taking up space.


Molly is responding to us more and more. She's even smiling a little. She looks so much like Mary Ella and is already fitting into the little Christmas nighty that Addy wore at NINE MONTHS. She's hit a healthy 10 pounds! She is getting the nickname "rock star" because the novelty of her presence has surprisingly not worn off. Everytime she wakes up the girls get so excited and run to the door. Addy yells "Moyee Ka, Moyee Ka, Moyee Ka" (Molly Kate) over and over again. Little Molly Kate will never know personal space with all the hugs and kisses she gets from her sisters. The GI doctor saw her this week and wants me to attempt nursing again, so I've been working to get all the dairy out of my system that I acquired from cheating at Thanksgiving and will attempt to return to nursing this week. If it doesn't work out, which I honestly suspect it won't, we will return to the Neocate. Having us all on different diets is time consuming and, let's face it, time management is something I'm still working on since having this third one.

Giving Thanks

In the Bible it says to give praise to the Lord in both challenging and good times. There have certainly been times, especially in the last 12 years, when I have been challenged in my faith. From my parents divorce, deaths in the family, depression to my mother's cancer diagnosis...there were definite times when I wondered, "what next?" I sat and waited for the next bit of bad news or expecting to be betrayed by someone I loved instead of focusing on what was going right in my life. This year I give thanks for being delivered from that destructive and limiting mind set. I'm not saying I don't have relapses from time to time (just read my post below). After all, life can be a challenge. I could list all the challenges we face from day to day, but it is in those sometimes very small, brief good moments that God shows his face in a very clear way and those are what I choose to focus on. Giving thanks for the big as well as little things preserve my sanity. In God I can always find hope that things and situations here are just temporary. I found an interpretation of hope in my study Bible that I felt really defines what it means to have hope:

Hope means going beyond our unpleasant daily experiences to the joy of knowing God. We live by trusting in him, not in the benefits, happiness, or success we may experience in this life. Our hope comes from God.....

I just love that interpretation. Hope is a gift and is always there.

So on Thanksgiving there I was with tired circles under my eyes (and probably very little color in my face) looking around at my family fixing meals, feeding Molly, chasing after Addy, and sharing the joy of our togetherness and thought, "How blessed am I?" The fatigue is only temporary, but the memories of the support we receive through the love and graciousness of our families, friends and our God are immeasurable. Despite the challenges...life is so good. For that I am thankful.

We spent the Thanksgiving at my mother's farm in Brenham. I wish I would have taken a picture of how packed our car was. We were only going for two nights and the back of our Suburban was completely filled.

Thanksgiving was a very cold day. Of course the kiddos didn't care. They still wanted to be outside the whole time. Why don't they feel the cold like we do????

My grandfather feeding Molly

This is one of the few times

my grandmother sat down.

We decided my uncle Kent and Molly get the littlest-biggest award.

My aunt Kathie giving me a hand feeding and burping Molly

Aunt Meredith also giving me a hand with the other two (my sister is the best!)

The girls loved the "mule" ride. They came back with red faces, hands like icecicles, and BIG smiles on their faces...poor Scott. The things we do for them to have fun.

As you can see, we had no shortage of hands and good news, Molly has been sleeping for FIVE hour stretches at night meaning she is only getting up once! Yeah! We are definitely heading in the right direction. I won't even mention the LSU game except that we had to ride back home with Scott after that disappointing game....He must have said, "I can't believe they lost that game" over the course of two days.

We got back and had My dad, Eleanor and my college sister with her boyfriend over for lunch

Eleanor, Kristin, and James loving on Molly

Mary Ella getting in some Daddy Boo time

Mary Ella is counting down the days for aunt Kristin's return.

One Month and my Tearful Plea

ONE MONTH

Another little brown-eyed girl

Well, we have one month down. It seems like Molly Kate has been with us forever already. Isn't it amazing how in such a short period of time you can't remember what it was like without the new bundle there? It just fits. It has been a month of excitement, adjustment, elimination diet and experimentation. Yes, Molly appears to have a very sensitive gut....just like Addy. I gave up dairy, soy, eggs, wheat and nuts. We saw some improvement, but she still couldn't get over the hump. So I went vegetarian for 2 1/2 weeks. Addy reacted to poultry, maybe this one does too? No go. The conclusion....multiple food protein intolerance. Therefore, we attempted to put her on Nutramigen (partially broken down protein)....no go. Poor thing developed a horrible diaper rash within 24 hours and was fussy for the first time in her short life. Back to nursing I went. Now have her on the same formula Addy was on (Neocate). It is an amino acid formula (protein is totally broken down into the simplest components). I'm not complaining, but GOLLY that stuff is expensive. So for the last two days I've been eating like a carnivore again and actually got my soy latte from Starbucks this morning...mmmm!

Now for the brutal honesty....I'm just plain tired and have had many foggy mommy moments over the last month. I've tried to put Addy's shoes/socks on Molly, put things in the refrigerator that didn't belong there, etc. I haven't slept more that 2 1/2 consecutive hours in over a month (well, one night she gave me the gift of 3 1/2...I felt like I'd slept 8). Anyways, Scott was on call yesterday, I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and I was spent. Unfortunately it showed. Let's just say my fuse was probably (unfairly) short, but everyone survived. Then last night Molly had trouble going down, she usually just goes down by 9pm (I know, I'm spoiled). I had planned to go to bed around 9pm, but instead didn't get there until I had shed some tired tears praying that God would settle her and give me a good stretch of time to sleep...it was 10:30pm. Remember me saying motherhood isn't always glamorous? This was definitely one of those not-so-glamorous moments. Well, God answered, I was in bed at 10:30pm and she did not wake up until 2:45am (4 hours and 15 minutes!), then again at 6:45 am! Ahhhh, God is so faithful to us tired mommas!

Now for the funny story.....It took me THREE hours to get out of the house yesterday to go pick up the Neocate from the pharmacy? What took so long?...here is the sequence of events:

1. Woke up...fed everyone (we're all on different diets, so I made 3 meals)

2. Finally was able to get in the shower by 9am

3. Got out and tried on several outfits because I have very few clothes that fit.

4. Molly wakes up...still haven't found something to wear

5. Molly is immediately hungry, so I sit down to feed

6. 30 minutes later I'm able to put her down and finally find something to wear

7. It is 10 am, the girls have clothes on, but need hair brushed and shoes on, so I begin that process

8. I complete that process and have to get my shoes, socks and make-up on..get that done

9. Start putting Molly in the car seat and notice she has a dirty diaper, so I go change it and she tee tees all over her clothes, so we change clothes

10. Restart the process of getting her in the car seat, then realize a smell emanating from Addy's diaper

11. Go change Addy's diaper....if she'd stay still it wouldn't take so long...

12. I finally get us all in the car by 11 am....

(All of you with three or more children have every right to laugh at me by this point)

We got to Walmart and Addy is falling asleep sitting up. I guess I need to work on being more efficient, huh?

We hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving. We certainly will as we give thanks for all of you!

No Fits

We are all sitting in the kitchen serving up some apple pie I made for dessert. Scott throws a purple spoon in Mary Ella's bowl and gives it to her. She begins to protest about the spoon Scott gave her wanting a "princess spoon". I anticipate the escalation of the protest and repeat to her what they say at school which is:

"You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. Remember that rule?"

Her response?

"You get what you get and you do throw a fit....That is my rule."

It was hard not to smirk at that point, but then I looked up and saw the smirk on her face indicating her intention to crack a joke. Fortunately, she took the spoon that was given and shoveled the pie in her mouth as fast as she could. Oh yes, we have a witty one...

Burlison Family Public Service Announcement

Just when you think your child wouldn't do something totally random and crazy, think again. Mary Ella, nearing 4 1/2, has done a lot of maturing over this last year. We've had many of the "talks" about stranger safety, bicycle safety, car safety, and fire safety. Being the fearful child she sometimes can be, we often repeat the talks over and over again (she perseverates on things like this). She knows the lectures backwards and forwards. That is why the story I'm am about to write comes as a "shock" (no pun intended...read further).

So it was a normal event. Molly awoke expecting an immediate feed. My routine is to pick her up, close doors, and get the kiddos occupied to decrease the probability that I will have to rescue, mainly Addy, from some sort of "no, no" activity. As I sat down Mary Ella did something that required a "time out" to think. She went to the time out spot and a few minutes later she began crying like she had been hurt. I called her in and she said she hurt her knee, but was very vague about what caused it. I inspected the knee and there was no sign of injury, so I sent her on her way. After feeding Molly, I fed the other two and got them down for a nap. I proceeded to the computer where I found no power. I thought, "that is weird", so I checked the surge protector...again, no power. Changed out surge protector...no power. I looked over to my right and saw a metal key sticking out of the electrical socket with a black ring around it....it would be appropriate to gasp here. I wasn't sure whether to cry or be angry...maybe both???? Mary Ella had been shocked. After working in two burn units and seeing the devastating effects of electrical shock injuries, I had a total visceral reaction.

As the day wore on, more details came out about how she saw fire. I thought, "she knows to come get me if she sees fire..." but the fact is that she didn't because she was afraid of getting in trouble. Now fortunately the fuse blew quickly avoiding significant injury and it looks like the key ring took the bulk of the blow, but oh my goodness...what if??? Usually the sockets are all covered, but when Scott and I put up some of the Halloween decorations the socket cover didn't get replaced. The bottom line is, I never would have thought my 4 1/2 year old would still be curious enough to do something like this. Guess I was wrong. So learn from us....replace those socket covers because let's face it, sometimes kiddos can do totally random and crazy things.

Laugh with me please.....

Ok, so the transition to three children has been much easier than I thought it would be. Yes, I said it and I mean it. Don't get me wrong. We are busy, but Molly is really a great baby. She only fusses when she's hungry and at night???? She wakes up a couple of times to feed and goes right back down. Sometimes I have to remind myself to interact with her because otherwise she'll just sit and look around. Yes, we've been fortunate to have three pretty calm babies.



Mary Ella and Addy??? They are still incredibly loving toward their new sister. Actually, they often compete over who gets to sit right next to her. They hover over and Scott nearly has a heart attack because Addy has either just had her fingers up her nose or Mary Ella is coughing and sneezing in her face. There is NO pristine air around here nor is there personal space. So Molly survived her first cold and I'm sure another is in the near future. I think Scott has already been through a couple of Lysol cans. He chases us all down. It is really quite humorous. I told him the other day we'd rather have snotty noses than cancer :). Our home smells like a hospital at times.



Here are some funnies I've experienced other the last three weeks:



1. I rarely get time do my usual computer stuff. When I do sit down...their seems to be a 60 second limit.


2. I've been getting in bed by 9-9:30 every night and by the time Molly wakes up for the first feeding, I'm sleeping so hard I find drool on my pillow (pretty gross, huh?).


3. When I'm walking to her room for our twilight feeding dates, I couldn't pass a field sobriety test. I swear I bump into every wall, door frame and piece of furniture.


4. Laundry has tripled with the addition of one more child because at every diaper change Molly either dips her heel into her diaper or decides she's not finished doing her business.

5. I keep calling Molly "Addy"...oh goodness, I am my mother's daughter. Let the roll calling begin!

6. When Molly is wiggling on the changing table, I keep attempting to give her something to "play with" like I do with Addy. Talk about the fog of motherhood!



7. I have nodded off several times while feeding Molly. One night I awakened a couple of hours later with her in my lap sound asleep having only completed half of her normal feeding...oops. Guess it didn't bother her too much.




There have also been sweet moments:



1. Mary Ella said, "Mom I love you soooooo much. I love you because you brought home a new baby sister for me."


2. Smelling cookie drool (from all of Addy's love) on top of Molly's head when I leaned down to kiss her in the middle of the night.


3. Having my husband tell me what a good mother I am...ugh, he is so sweet even when I'm totally spent and don't have much left to give.


4. Watching Molly smile in her sleep and get excited when she hears my voice. She's got a huge dimple in her left cheek.


5. Addy surrounding Molly with all her prized blankies and babies. We do have to remind her the blankets can't go over her face though :).

Here are some captured moments that I felt summed up our three (very different) personalities:

Addy (AKA "the bandit") Burlison. This little, opportunistic girl sits, waits and pounces on every opportunity to steal what you are about to use, are using, or have just put down. Then she runs with a big smile on her face feeling like she has totally accomplished something special. She waits for every door, cabinet or drawer to be left open and quietly sneaks in.

Mary Ella "the babysitter" Burlison. She takes every opportunity to mother us all from explaining the rules to Addy....nurturing Molly....to telling us what needs she notices around the house.

Proof that she is loved. No, that is not a bruise on her head, so don't call child protection. It is a marinara sauce smack courtesy of Mary Ella.

Two weeks down

Well, the first two weeks are over. I've found the first two weeks are often the most challenging as I am trying to get to know a new little person, new routine, and just plain taking care of a newborn. I've already changed countless poopy diapers and definitely had my share of sleep deprivation over these last two weeks. However, each day I have fallen more in love with little Molly Kate and her little (sometimes big) noises. Her sisters rarely leave her side leading us to impose some private time for our new little bundle in an effort to not overstimulate her (yeah right, but we have to try don't we???).

After three days at home, I noticed Molly's diapers were looking eerily similar to her sister Addy's who suffers from protein allergies. We had to take Molly to the doctor anyways due to jaundice and the doctor confirmed my suspicions. It looks like Molly also has some allergy issues. Thankfully, we have caught Molly's so early that it looks like it will be managed relatively easily. I've given up dairy which has helped tremendously. I have also limited several other things in my diet until she is fully healed so she does not develop sensitivities to anything else. I will gradually add these things back in over the next week. Hopefully she will outgrow this much earlier than her sister since we have an early diagnosis. Addy is still off dairy and we have recently discovered she can tolerate eggs in baked goods, so she has been enjoying some pumpkin muffins. Pretty good for a child who could not digest milk, soy, eggs, chicken, etc a year ago. She has definitely come a long way. So Addy and I are essentially on the same diet. This should help me shed my extra prego pounds I'm still carrying around which is a good thing.

Last night we put Molly in her room for the night due to the c-section pain virtually gone and the fact that all the noises tend to keep me up wondering if she is about to arouse or not. She did fabulous! She got up at 12:30am and 4:30am to feed, but went straight back down. This is what I like to refer to a "functional". Therefore, today I don't feel quite like a zombi and I actually have make-up on. So yes, the two week hump is almost cleared.

Here are some moments from the last couple of weeks we have captured

This was Molly's first sponge bath at home. Doesn't she look pleased??? Yes, I'm one of those that likes to bath and lather them up with lotion just to make them smell good.

Mary Ella and Addy wore their "big sister and princess" t-shirts to school with Molly Kate's footprints on the back. They took cookies and pink M&Ms (thanks to breast cancer awareness month). It turned out to be perfect because Mary Ella told her class the "m" on the candy was for Molly.

Mary Ella showing off Molly's footprints. Molly Kate definitely has looooong, skinny feet. Poor thing got that from me. It basically comes down to this:

Long, skinny feet=very expensive shoes

Our great friends, the Sumlins, gave these big sister dolls to the girls. They also made the trip down for the birth and brought me a chocolate cake. Aren't they good friends????

Overall, we have had a great couple of weeks with our new family member. We are all doing well and beginning to come out of the two week transition. The girls have been wonderful in accepting their new little sister sharing many hugs and kisses probably resulting in Molly's first snotty nose. It is amazing how I've learned to let go of these things. With Mary Ella I immediately tried to track down where she possibly could have picked it up. With Molly, it is just another snotty nose that could have come from anywhere...me, sisters, Walmart...who knows. She's handling it remarkably well though. Oh well, guess I need to go tend to diapers and feedings. Until next time....

Trick or Treat?

It was definitely a treat as the Burlison girls hooked up with the Greifenkamp boys to do a little trick or treating. Austin, Thomas and Mary Ella took off running and Andrew was not far behind. Andrew and Addy hung out in the wagon and taste tested all the treats (well, Addy got to have a sucker and some Teddy Grahams...). Addy finally realized how much fun running up to the door was the last couple of houses. Notice Addy's costume...it is about as close to dairy as she can get :). I am so glad the Greifenkamps, along with our other dear friends, the Hiltons, will be joining us in East Texas next year. Mary Ella is already planning next Halloween!

Mary Ella had her Halloween party at school. All the kids were precious. Most of the girls were dressed as fairies or princesses and the boys were dressed as superheros...mostly spiderman. It was too cute.

Abundantly blessed

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and of them, there would be too many to declare.

Psalm 40: 5

On Friday, October 19th at 12:33pm we heard the first cries of our new daughter, Molly Kate. Weighing in at 7 lb 11 oz and 19 1/2 inches, she sounded more like a 10 pounder. She definitely resembles Mary Ella, much to Mary Ella's delight. Mary Ella fell in love with her immediately and has quickly assumed a maternal role telling others to quiet down, get her a blanket, and singing to her when she doesn't realize people are watching. What a sweet big sister she is! Addy has seen me hold her without much consequence and says, "baby, baby, baby" over and over again wanting to love and pat on her. It amazes me that these two little girls are already showing so much love and adoration for their new sister. It has been an instant connection. What a gift these girls are to one another!





Can't you see the love already??? Mary Ella has truly taken the lead in becoming a teacher for Addy. She is taking her role as the oldest sister very seriously and has defined what she feels her responsiblities are. It all seems to be coming very naturally. God is truly at work in her heart. I believe He knows exactly how this puzzle fits together and I am humbled to witness His work.






This is one I love. Daddy with his three girls.




Molly Kate bundled up to come home. The afternoon we came home a strong cold front blew through which is not a like thing to happen in these parts!

I have a stories about each member of our expanded sweet family that will forever be marked in my mind.





Scott- What can I say about my sweet husband at a time like this? With the birth of each child, I feel like I fall in love all over again. I know I've said it before, I don't mean to be redundant, but I am so proud of the way he balances his family with his crazy work schedule. He is a wonderful husband and daddy. Now, all of you know he bleeds purple and gold. There was an LSU game this weekend and we didn't have ESPN in our room....bummer. I told him to go spend the night at home and watch the game. Of course, he's a smart man, and said, "no". He went home and got his radio and we listened. He was literally hugging the radio the last 10 minutes of the game. LSU pulled it out and my husband scoured the news for the highlights that night. It seemed that every nurse and caretaker needed something those last moments of the game.



Mary Ella- They brought her up to the hospital on Saturday. We were all chatting and she was sitting next to me holding Molly. As bad as it sounds, so often I am able to tune out little voices when things are crazy around me. All of a sudden I realized Mary Ella was singing "Jesus Loves Me" to Molly in this quiet voice. She was already halfway finished with the song by the time I noticed. Normally, Mary Ella being the attention getter she is, would have made sure we heard her. Instead, she was sharing a moment just between she and Molly. It was a beautiful sight.



Addy- Addy is "monkey see, monkey do". She follows her sister's lead. When they brought her up on Saturday she wanted nothing more than to hold Molly and say "I love you" which actually comes out as "I ya ya". The look of wonder in her eyes is captured in the picture above. Pure love bound by nothing.





These are probably my favorite memories of the weekend. There are so many, I can't include them all here. My time is too limited and sleep is too important to stay up late :). Bottom line is that our cups are overflowing with joy. I'll just leave it at that.

Introducing

Molly Kate Burlison

October 19, 2007

12:33pm

7 lb 11 oz

19 1/2 inches long

All is well and I have already started on a long post that is an attempt to capture all the special moments of this last weekend. Hopefully that will be up soon, but until then.....

Love, The Burlison Clan

Baby Eve

Here I sit at 10:30 pm the night before the anticipated arrival of Molly Kate. My mother was gracious enough to come watch the kiddos tonight so we could go to dinner with our dear friends, Shane and Kristy from Shreveport, Louisiana. We had so much fun and I ate like a pig since I won't eat for the next 36 hours. I definitely overindulged, but it was totally worth it.

So many thoughts are going through my head right now from, "what am I forgetting???" to "how are the kids going to react???" and of course, "what will Molly look like and be like???" Of course I know we've got God on our side and he has blessed us with more than we deserve. He has given us two wonderful daughters and is about to add a third to the mix. So tomorrow, once again, my breath will be taken away as I hear the cry of our new daughter and will be so overwhelmed by the miracle of it all. So I'm going to sign off with that and as soon as we can update we will.

Love to all!

Happy 33rd Birthday Scott

My dear hubby turned 33 on October 10th. It is so funny because I remember thinking about how old we would be when this chapter in our lives would be coming to a close. At the time it seemed so far away, yet here we are. Not that I'm saying we are old, because I certainly don't believe that, BUT the signs of aging are definitely settling in. Scott and I were riding in the car the other day and I was putting on my make-up (I'm lucky if I can do that at home these days). I went to put on my eyeliner and noticed some nice "crows feet" emerging at my eyes. I looked at Scott and said, "I think we are officially getting older, look at these..." He took a look and didn't refute my claim, but responded with ,"have you seen how much gray hair I have???" We both came to the realization that, yes, we are getting older. So now here we are about to celebrate our 10th anniversary, finish all this medical training and we are almost a family of five. It is amazing how things have changed.



So what did we do for his birthday? The girls and I got balloons and decorated before he got home from work. I made him his man meal of chicken fried steak, gravy, rolls and veggies. He got his favorite...homemade banana pudding for dessert (I've got a great recipe if anyone wants it). Golly that man loves gravy. I try to make him something with gravy every few months or so, but after we eat it, we realize why we just can't do that very often anymore.

Therefore, to my husband, the love of my life, Happy Birthday! You are the only one I'd every want to be on this journey with. Our age might be showing after all our sleepless nights, but I love you now more than ever. So here is to your next year. Thank you for being you.

ouchie

Throughout this pregnancy I've been telling Mary Ella that Molly wouldn't be here until close to Halloween, so when I pulled out the decorations she exclaimed, "Yes, that means Molly Kate is about to be here!" Her silly dance immediately followed in order to adequately express her excitement. As it usually does at this age, the excitement quickly subsided and questions started flying my direction:



Mary Ella: But how are they going to get Molly out?

Me: (Thinking, "this is another reason I'm glad I have a c-section".) Well, I'm going to the hospital like I did with Addy and the doctor is going to take her out.

Mary Ella: But that means they are going to have to cut you

Me: Yes, they are going to have to cut me

Mary Ella: But (everything starts with 'but' these days), but that's going to hurt you.

Me: It will hurt, but they will give me some medicine to make me feel better.

Mary Ella: Will you cry???

Me: I'll only cry because I'll be so happy to have another daughter like you and Addy.

Mary Ella: But, will they close you up?

Me: Yes

Mary Ella: And then your tummy will be small again, like this? (she proceeds to push her tummy in as much as she can)

Me: Yes (thinking "maybe with a little plastic surgery down the road" :) )

I'm tagged again. This time with different questions from my friend Stacy:


10 years ago I was..... I had just started my senior year at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. Scott and I were engaged and had started planning our wedding. I was also in the process of applying to occupational therapy school.


5 years ago I was...... Desperately wanting to get pregnant. We were about to start the fertility work up and two weeks later I found out I was pregnant with Mary Ella. I was working as a pediatric OT in Shreveport, Louisiana and Scott was in his 3rd year of medical school thinking he would do OB/GYN.


1 year ago I was...... Starving myself in an attempt to continue nursing Addy and fixing meals for our dog who had chronic pancreatitis. We finally decided to keep Addy on prescription formula and 3 1/2 months later I found out I was pregnant once again proving God does always bring good out of seemingly challenging situations.


Yesterday I ..... set up a thorough Merry Maids house cleaning before this baby comes (a wonderful "mommy" gift from my mother). Otherwise, we had a very routine day...playing with the girls, doing a couple of laundry loads, picking up, making a Walmart run, etc...



Snacks I enjoy..... French fries, Reeses peanut butter cups, any sort of cake/bread/brownie I can get my hands on, Oreos, Oreo blasts from Sonic, queso and chips, a snack mix my roommate in college use to get from her sister (yes, Katharine, I still think about it!)


What I would do with $100 million .......I can't even comprehend this amount of money, but....I would like to think I'd give a lot of it away to people/groups God led me to. I think I would reserve some for a quiet little cabin in the middle of nowhere (no phones, no computer, no tv) preferably with some sort of running water by it and a big porch. Oh, and buy my husband the best LSU season ticket holder seats available.


Bad Habits I have.....I "crack" my knuckles, don't exercise like I should, and sometimes I clearly remember handing something over or saying something to Scott that I haven't getting frustrated with him when he doesn't know what I'm talking about. Let the record show that maybe 1/10 times my memory is right (not very good odds, are they??) Yes, my mind plays tricks on me.


Things I like to do....Sing and absorb worship music, listen to my girls talk and giggle (even though I can't understand everything Addy says, her sister sure seems to), Read and absorb Biblical passages and poetry, talking girly stuff with my friends, having "date nights" with my husband, getting some one on one time with each of my girls, tucking them in at night after they are sound asleep, cooking breakfast on Saturdays, spontaneous treat runs, making meals to take to others, surfing the internet, I could go on and on.

Location I would run off too.....Any vacation place...we haven't been on vacation since the Summer of 2000. Scott's recent conference at the Hyatt was pretty close (for me at least!), but I'd at least like to have us all relaxing and having a good time.

Biggest JOY of the Moment.....Being a wife, mom, daughter, sister and friend. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many people I love and who love me for who I am. Of course in this moment we are all eagerly anticipating the upcoming arrival of Miss Molly Kate (two weeks from today).

Cooties and more

Cooties season has set in down here. Two weeks ago the girls and I both got one of the many viral cold viruses that will be passed around this season and I got the tummy bug a week ago. After losing 4-5lbs of fluid weight, I think I am finally recovering. The darn thing keeps flaring up everytime I think it is finally subsiding. Scott scored some major husband points during this series of illnesses taking on the kiddos and the house. Thank goodness it happened on the weekend when he was around!

There is so much to share, I'm not even sure where to begin.....

Addy found a table to climb on top of at Jillian's






Annie, Hanna and Mary Ella hanging out




A week ago my sweet friends down here surprised me with a diaper shower and loaded us up with lots of diapers, wipes and a few little "extras". My dear friend, Jillian, hosted it at her house and even made pink cupcakes. Oh yes, they hit the spot. Mary Ella was the oldest one there playing mother hen to all the little ones. I do believe she will definitely have a positive impact during Molly Kate's transition into our family. She was just so darn sweet and has been so helpful during these last few weeks of pregnancy. These are a couple of our sweet belly moments.



Addy likes to plant her face in my belly and
she comes up for air grinning. Her world is
about to be rocked.



Mary Ella enjoying some time with Molly Kate.
She loves to sing her songs.



Speaking of the pregnancy, Molly has grown at an exponential rate over these last couple of weeks despite my difficulties ingesting food. I guess that is why "maternal stores" are so important. I'm even convinced she has dropped a little bit. I am currently sleeping with 4-5 king sized pillows, oh yeah, and my husband. Scott jokingly refers to it as my own little metropolis. I go for a doctor's appointment tomorrow and Scott is finally going to meet him. I'm wondering if Scott will ask this one to wear an LSU scrub hat considering my doctor is a loyal UT fan. We may have a conflict of interest there :). I should have warned the doctor my husband bleeds purple and gold. Two and half weeks to go pending any surprises!




Mary Ella striking a pose before
gymnastics.


Mary Ella is happily settled in her gymnastics class loving every minute of it. I love to see her drive and motivation to succeed at tasks that are just beyond her skill level. The look on her face when she succeeds is of pure confidence and excitement. You can see above how happy she is to be going. She also had wacky week at school last week. It took a little convincing to get her to dress "wacky" but she finally succumbed to my silliness. I guess all my emphasis on matching, coordinating, etc is taking. It took a little while to convince her it was "OK" to wear these clothes. I went a step further and made her yogurt green thinking she would find it funny and wacky, but that was going a little too far. Evidently, pink is the only suitable color for yogurt.




Tacky Wacky


Addy is also happily settling... into the challenging toddler years. Every second is spent listening for the refrigerator door to open, something on top of the table being rattled, or the toilet being opened. Now, we have all the chairs shoved in and doors closed to the bathroom, but I have NO solution to the refrigerator. It will be interesting to see what our electricity bill is going to be. Today I was blow drying my hair and she comes walking into the bathroom touching my legs with some wet, thick substance. I leaned down for the "sniff test"....it was ranch dressing. I was mortified by what I would find in the kitchen given it was all over her hands and a foot (oh yes, she tracked it to my bathroom from the kitchen). So I closed the door to the bathroom in order to trap her so I could finish blow drying my hair. The mess would just have to wait a few more minutes. I went to the kitchen and it was everywhere her little hands had touched. Fortunately, it got cleaned up and we started "time out" for the following occurences. By the end of the day, she would put her hand on the refrigerator door and look at me for the warning. She would grin from ear to ear silently judging if I meant business or not.


In the midst of times like the situation described above, there are times when I want to press the "easy button" that they advertise on TV. It seems like just when I need one, it happens. The kids make something so easy on me that there is no explanation other than an answered prayer. We got Addy a toddler bed a couple of months ago. I attempted to put her in it and it scared her to death, so we put her back in the baby bed. I moved the toddler bed into Mary Ella's room and just left it there. Over the last couple of months Addy has climbed in it saying "night night" and put her baby in it, etc. So when I got my energy back this weekend from all the tummy stuff, we decided to give it another shot. We put her in it, said "night night" and closed the door. She got up walked around, even knocked on the door a couple of times, but within 10 minutes things quieted down. We went in to put Mary Ella in bed and there was Addy snuggled in to her toddler bed sound asleep. She has been in there every night since Saturday and this is what I hear every morning coming from the bedroom:



Mary Ella: Good Morning Addy. Did you get a good night's sleep? C'mon, C'mon, let's go get mommy. This way, Addy. Come with me...

I then hear the door open and little feet shuffling their way to our bedroom. Like I said, I think she will definitely be a big help. There is nothing like hearing that loving sound in her voice.



Hopefully I keep up with this a little better in the weeks to come. I am very sleepy, so the bed is calling my name.