Eleanor's Ear Transformation

So, I am super beat.  It's 9:33 PST and I've been up since 6:30AM and at the hospital all day.  

I wish I was chattier but I have to be brief out of straight up fatigue.

-Eleanor did awesome today.  She's still doing awesome. Tired, but relatively little pain. She's eaten a popsicle, vanilla milk, chocolate ice cream and LEMON BREAD from Starbux.

-Here is her ear transformation thus far.  Quite remarkable. I'm beyond happy. 

-We have another 8 days in California.  I will do my very best to blog as we go cause I'm pretty sure my little travel companion and I are going to get up to some serious fun.

-I adore my family and friends and the support we've received. THANK YOU.

COOLest Art Class EVER

Look at these self portraits!  

The teacher took the pics, blew them up and let the girls go to town.

What I love most is how the photos the teacher took are so THEM.  

Things like this always leave me feeling so creatively inspired.  If only I could figure out how to channel my creativity.

Eleanor + Garland = Father/Daughter Dance

So, I wasn't aware that we were already 'there' but seeing as she is already applying lip gloss very carefully in the bathroom......

Eleanor and Gar had their first Father/Daughter dance tonight.

Sis had a really hard time with this.

She had to be in all of the pictures.

*AND* she had to be assured of special daddy time for her this weekend.

Ginger?  Well, she was just being Ginger.  Sucking her thumb and crying for Craisins.

Eleanor could NOT stop looking in the mirror.

She wanted me to curl her hair just like I did my own hair on Halloween.

Which, by the way, was Halloween 2009-when I was pregnant with Ginger in Longmeadow. 

Apparently it struck a chord?

Looking up Daddy while he tied his tie. 

She was so happy.

Daddy and his girls. Sis looking a wee bit sad.

Eleanor, seriously, why can't I get a REAL smile?

Sis, my sensitive soul.

The whole ensemble, carefully assembled by her.

A little last minute rain and dip in temps forced us to go with tights and not our new sandals.

Daddy, don't stick me with the pin, k?

She was so happy.

My precious girl.

Or, as Gar said in a quick text after he got there, my "future Junior Leaguer." 

Apparently she was making the rounds.

xoxo.

Is it okay to be so overwhelmed with love sometimes?

Wilmette

Consider me back to blogging.  For now anyway. That could change in a day, when life happens.  You know like, too many soccer games, ceramic classes, library storytimes, etc. take over my energy supply. 

Until then.......  Here is the FABULOUS and I do mean AWESOME AMAZING WONDERFUL beach in Wilmette.  I love, love, love to run down there and stop for a break to dip our feet in.  The weather has turned and the lifeguards will be up this weekend for Memorial Day.  We won't be at LBI, but I can assure you that we will be pretending we're on vacation by going to the beach every.single.day!  Including Monday. 

We are so spoiled.  I do miss Longmeadow and the East Coast but I really, really love Chicago.  And I really, really love our new home in Wilmette.  It's just beautiful and there are so many excuses to be outside and active.  Which, of course, I love.

So if you are reading, consider yourself invited to come and visit us!

xoxo

Round 2 is done

Author's note: I am a busy distracted chronically tired momma who just now realized, four months later, that I never posted a Stage 2 update. So here is the post I started and never finished. 

So Stage 2 surgery is done.  Three days later and we are home.  Eleanor and her sisters are upstairs asleep. Everyone is healthy, safe, loved. Sometimes I feel so silly when I blog about Eleanor's surgery, post the updates on Facebook.  Garland and I have *always* felt grateful.  From the moment this child came out and we figured out that something was "wrong," we've only ever felt grateful.  Grateful that it wasn't an internal organ, wasn't her brain.  I can say very, very honestly that I can not remember stressing about it in the hospital during the days after her birth.  All I ever saw was this beautiful baby that was mine and I loved her.

The day we brought Eleanor home, my mom got on the internet to research microtia, it's causes, surgeons.  She wondered why Garland and I were not doing the same.  But we were just enjoying those first days with our baby.  Microtia wasn't on my mind.  I don't know why.  It just wasn't.

But now it's the only thing on my mind.  I look at the latest pictures of the ear ten times a day.  I read friends and family messages on Facebook ten times day.  It makes me happy.  And still grateful.  And sometimes dumb.  Because what if those people who have a child with something SO much worse were to read my Facebook updates?  Would they think I was crazy?  But at the end of the day, we are all here, parents, worrying about our children.

Here is the picture of Eleanor's ear post-Stage 2. Next surgery is July 24.

Sissy Magoo's Preschool Spring Concert

The sweetiest sweetie pie there is.

She loves to sing and perform.  

And she *loves* her school.

The three goofballs getting ready.

We love to perform for the camera.

Trying to get a nice shot with mom is really hard.

Even harder is the family shot.

Closer in, Elle.  Please.

Not too bad.  At least we look like what we are: H.A.P.P.Y.

Eleanor's First Piano Recital

Eleanor had her first piano recital this weekend.

My confident girl played Ode to Joy.

NO fear.

Never swayed.  Played her song.

Curtzied. Is that how you spell that?

And then came back to hear the rest of the kiddos play.

Her teacher gave her a flower. She was so excited.

And an attempt at a family picture since we are so rarely all dressed up and in one place.  Like the backdrop we chose?  Darn.

My sweet Sis and me.  Have I mentioned that I love her and that she is super sweet?

And if you are still reading.....here's the video.