It has been a FULL MONTH since I last updated our blog! Forgive me, all you Strawberry Patch fans! Susannah's nighttime sleep is just getting back to near-normal after about six weeks of whacked-out, frustrating, what-are-we-doing-so-wrong-that-she-would-treat-us-this-way-in-the-nights??? non-fun. Exhausted doesn't even cover it...for us or for her! In addition to the demands for milk at all hours of the night (God has given me a much thicker skin than ever before, I am proud to report. This happened one night when my daughter's cries turned from, "Oh, Mama...I just want a little nighttime snack and cuddle" to, when denied the breast, "MY RULE IS THAT I WAKE AND YOU GIVE ME MY MILK AND I SAID NOW NOW NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" That highly undelightful expression of want did less than little to help Susannah's cause...), basketball season at VSDB is in full swing, which means that Harry works 12-14-hour days and travels some weekends to out-of-state tournaments with the team. I am blessed to have such a life-giving, mellow little baby, or I would be completely done for!
Seems there is sooooo much to catch up on, and I certainly can't do it all in this one posting. This is, first and foremost, because I lack a mental "filtering system" and can never narrow down the picture selection to a reasonable number. Secondly, it's because I deeply long to share our precious girl with anyone and EVERYONE who is willing to tolerate my endless gushy narration of her every edible nook, cranny, and talent! Our month will therefore come in "installments," so I challenge you each to stay tuned to the Strawberry Patch as I do my very best amidst Christmas preparations to blog on a weekly basis.
Soooo...for this first "volume," I will focus on our Thanksgiving celebration, because it was such a SWEET, SWEET time of fellowship with our dear friends Jeff, Kara, and Coleman from Franklin, Tennessee, for the whole week. Once again this year, they sacrificed themselves to drive ten hours, this time with the purpose of meeting our Susannah Joy! I think they wanted to see Harry and me, as well, but not nearly as much as they wanted to love on our baby! Coleman, almost three years old, was also pretty thrilled to see Rylie, the World's Best Kid Dog. We had a BLAST together for seven short days. Enjoy the pictures and captions below, which will navigate you through some highlights of our time together!
Our week with the Wolfe family was relatively uneventful, which is just the way we like it! We spent much of the week hanging out around the house, where super-bright, ultra-charming Coleman played with many of the toys I have collected through my years of preschool teaching and early intervention work. Our living room featured a vast array of unit block constructions, including several different barns for horse figurines, almost daily. The cream rug was turned into both a "train depot" as well as a "police station," depending on which accessories adorned it. Puzzles were a hit...very, VERY complex ones at that! Coleman is a WHIZ at using his observation skills, trial-and-error, and sophisticated logic to assemble puzzles designed for five-year-olds. Trips were made to the library and park, as well as to Pufferbellies Toys and Books, Kara's and my favorite store in the universe! LOTS of time was spent in the kitchen preparing delicious entrees and delectable desserts, which were eaten in no time flat! Finally, we spent a lot of time sharing our lives through conversation into the wee hours. Of course, it's not hard to converse into the wee hours when BOTH Coleman and Susannah exhibited chaotic sleeping patterns! Such is life with young children and changes...
Coleman and Susannah Joy
Coleman genuinely LOVED playing with Susannah...
...and she delighted in watching and touching her gentle, attentive new big-boy friend!
One of my favorite nights of the whole trip was when Kara, Coleman, and I spent at least an hour in Susannah's nursery (fondly called The Strawberry Patch, as well) PLAYING, PLAYING, PLAYING!
A chorus of joyful laughter emanated from her strawberries-and-cream striped room as the children played an impromptu game of "Peek-A-Boo" with a burp cloth.
Children so naturally provide treasured moments in the simplest of ways... What a BLESSING they truly are! God's design of them is beyond PERFECT!
Delighting in my big-boy friend Coleman's antics! Did you see the way he put that burp cloth on his head in the picture above? That was amazingly creative and hilarious to me!
Susannah LOVES to have her face covered with a cloth or blanket, so when Coleman and Kara did this to her, they won her heart...and her sparkly smile...again and again!
Oh, Coleman...I adore you!
Coleman cared for Susannah so tenderly, brushing her strawberry fuzz and giving her kisses and hugs.
Coleman often asked to hold Susannah, and on this particular night, she loved being held by him! He is amazingly fascinated with babies, and while playing with and holding Susannah made such comments as, "Look at her chubby little legs and toes! I just love them!"
Sweeter than sugar!
(Does anyone else hear wedding bells in the background?!)
The next morning, the two were at it again! Coleman was zealous to get into Susannah's room the moment he heard that she was awake.
This is perhaps one of my very favorite pictures from the whole visit. ENDEARING!!!!
Adult Time (sort of...)
We tried to have an exclusive "Adult Night" with fondue and a movie; however, it was a little more than disrupted by the presence of both of our children either sporadically (Coleman) or constantly (Susannah). Ah, well...fun was had by all despite the interruptions!
Fortunately, Susannah really enjoys marinated chicken cooked in the fondue pot! :)
Jeff kicking back!
On the last night of the Wolfe family's visit, Susannah and Coleman decided to commemorate the final moments of adult time by staying up extra late despite our best efforts to tame them early! Ah, well...Susannah made a pretty cute chair ornament sitting next to her daddy and obsessively examining her newfound feet!
Thanksgiving Day
Grammy, Pop, and Uncle Seth joined us for a delicious Thanksgiving feast! They drove up from Colonial Heights to spend the day with the Woods and the Wolfes, and a memorable time was had by all. Scrumptious food, entertaining conversation, a walk to the park with the ever-neglected Rylie during which Seth played "surrogate uncle" to handsome little Coleman, and a family photo shoot by the exceptionally talented Kara (those pics are to come in a future posting...) made the day spectacular! We culminated the day by "playing jewelry" with my mom and Kara's Premier Designs collection.
Saying Good-Bye
Coleman and Susannah had one final parting hug...
Oh, how we miss the Wolfe family! Hope to see you all again very, very soon. WE LOVE YOU HEAPS AND HEAPS AND HEAPS!!!!
We were all pretty tired after the Wolfe family left, so a lot of sleeping was done by all on that Friday after Thanksgiving! Susannah just tucked herself right into Mama and Daddy's big bed :)
Speaking of bed...
Soon to come on the Strawberry Patch:
"Our Strawberry at Six Months!"
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas..."
