How does your heart feel?

My sweet girl Caroline is known by family and close friends for her spunk and personality.  She loves to play dress up, sing, dance, jump and run.  She's always excited to get in the car and go to whatever destination is up next.  There's only one small hiccup that keeps rearing it's ugly head when we get to said place... We "act" shy.  Our head is down. We don't want anyone to look or acknowledge us. Our little face shows a frown.  I first noticed it when we were frequenting story time at the library.  We would spend the first 20 minutes clinging to mom, not even remotely paying attention to the librarian reading the story or singing a song.  By the time story time wrapped up, we were finally happy and ready to engage.  I was perplexed. Who is this girl? By nature, I'm an extrovert.  I like people and new situations.  I like to go to parties and and events.  I don't feel right if I haven't struck up a conversation with someone new.   Dan, on the other hand is different.  Not the most gregarious person in the room. Confident, yes - but not generally a conversation starter.  I decided that Caroline was more like her Pop and I labeled her as my little introvert.

Then we started school and dance in the fall.  I was so fearful that she wouldn't like it. She would sit in the corner and cover her eyes.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  She loved it!  I attribute this to her teachers, but also to miss Caroline - who maybe doesn't fit into any one particular box like I originally thought.  Is she shy?  maybe. Is she anxious in new situations? possible. But does she ultimately warm up and have fun? ALWAYS. 

Now that we're 3 and officially a "big girl," we can have more intimate talks - her and I.  And during one of these talks the other day, I finally figured out the best way to help her understand what happens when she walks in a room with her head down and her eyes covered.   We had just entered the dance studio and she started in with her little scowl and head down routine and I said, "Caroline, how does your heart feel?"  - no response - "Ok, Caroline do you feel happy?"  "Yes"  "Do you want to be here?" "Yes" "Ok, then your face needs to show how your heart feels!" "Can you show me your happy face?"  "Yes"

I think it's clicking... I mean, I don't want to change her personality - she is who she is meant to be. But I do want her to understand how her outward actions make others feel.  If you look like you're having a bad time, people assume you are.  I still remember as a little girl people always coming up to me asking me if I was "ok." I never understood why... But later on I realized that I need to smile :)  I tend to stare into oblivion sometimes, lol - and in those moments my face looks like I just received some really bad news.  Typically not the case at all.  Maybe my little Caroline is a lot like her mama after all!  And if that's the case, I'm in for a world of pay backs!

Doc McStuffins Extravaganza

If you know who Doc McStuffins is, then chances are you have a 2-4 year old in your life.  Caroline gravitated towards this show on Disney Junior when I was pregnant last summer.  It was actually great.  She lost her fear of doctor's offices and hospitals thanks to our friend Doc McStuffins!

Earlier this year, Caroline wanted to begin planning her 3rd birthday and Doc McStuffins would be at the center of the action. She wanted EVERYTHING Doc.  I made the mistake of letting her look at pictures on google of Doc themed parties and the rest is history.

So, I did my best. I'm not really crafty, but I tried :)   A HUGE thanks to family and friends who came and helped get the party together.  We are so fortunate to have great people around us that love our little girls!

Took this picture a few days before. Wanted to make a poster similar to something I found on Pinterest. 

All of the sweet goodies!  We made the cake, but ordered the decor on top from an Etsy Vendor. Tasted better than it looked, lol.  My aunt (or Caroline's nana) made the cute bandaid cookies.  They were meant to be on top of the cupcakes, but my frosting was a little wimpy - so we improvised and the kiddos loved it!

Hard to see in this photo, but my mom made the cutest stethoscopes you ever saw! Complete with a little bandaid and a heart - just like Doc's.  The kids played doctor (or at least that was the plan) with my old beanie babies.

Saw this game on pinterest.  Pin the nose on Chilly.  There was so much going on that the game didn't get much attention.

Miss Caroline was a little unsure of all the attention.

The growth chart was a big hit!  It's now in our play room :) 

And here are some pics of some (unfortunately not all) of our party guests.  So fun!

 

 

 

 

Looking back

When I started this blog after Caroline was born, I thought it would be a place that would primarily focus on Caroline's MCAD (Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency) diagnosis.  Within a few months of dealing with the frequent feedings, it became clear that MCAD was not going to rule our lives.  Instead it would just be a very small (yet important) component of our everyday.

Fast forward 3 years. Caroline turned 3 on June 1st. Abigail is 7 months.  She also has MCAD.  And while Abigail has given us a run for our money (3 ER visits so far), we still are so grateful that their conditions are very manageable. The truth is that these girls were meant to go through this journey together.  The moment I realized that was the moment I found peace with the sleepless nights ahead.

My hope is that if a new MCAD parent stumbles upon this blog, it gives them a sense of peace of mind.  Something I was lacking 3 years ago when we got a call from the hospital. 

If you're curious about MCAD, see here.  And, unless something major happens, that will be the most MCAD talk you'll see on this blog for a while. 

See you soon!

We're back and we've multiplied!

I've decided to start blogging again.  For two reasons... 1) I may be annoying my facebook friends with too many posts on random topics and 2) Mama needs an outlet.  Somewhere to document my thoughts and what's going on in our lives.

So, here we are.  Almost 2 years later and we've added another redhead to our clan!  Meet Abigail.  She's sweet. A little stuffy. And she looooooves her mama!  We turned 7 months old yesterday and it's unbelievable how fast the time has passed.  I'm truly loving being there for every moment with her.  Beyond grateful that I'm able to do so and looking forward to what life holds for us next!

 

 In other news, I'm a stay at home mom now (2 years this month).  Dan is in grad school working on an MBA. And, we just celebrated (well, acknowledged) our 12 year wedding anniversary! And that would conclude our re-introduction. More to come.

See you soon!