I always loving coming into their home. Their mama, Nichole, is just so kind and welcoming. She understands babies, understands how they do things and is one of the few people I have ever known who just accepts people. Liam can drool on their toys, play with their toys, chew on the toys, use the furniture and make a mess and in that home, it is ok. I feel like I can do what I need to do to take care of Liam, and anything is ok. In some homes I have felt weird for asking for a place to change him, even in homes with other babies... but today Nichole just offers up her bed as a place to change him. Just all kinds of ok and understanding. I also like it because I trust them enough to know that they keep things nice enough that he won't get sick from playing with their toys!
I always felt a little bit like an outsider before I also had a baby. But once Liam was here I found that with that common thread we had even more in common. I love they raise those girls. They are kind and generous, they share with out even thinking. It is just part of who they are. They are amazing people.
Their youngest girl, Dotty, is my shining light of what kind of baby I want Liam to be. She is adventurous and daring, she is gentle and kind. She shares with the ease and grace of her older sisters and when she wants something she goes for it. She already shows kindness to others and her laugh is beautiful.
Her older sisters have given her this gift of love that makes you feel all warm inside to see. I love seeing them and spending time with them. Pearl and Grace are always together, always seeming to have their own secret world together. Ruth is growing into this stunning young lady, I remember being about her age when she was born and I wished more than anything that I could spend more time with her.
I hope that as Liam grows a bit more and summer comes to Portland we will be invited to tag along on more of their adventures. To get to know more about those girls, to know more about my wonderful cousins.
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This is so sweet! You have no idea how much it means to me. One reason I like being around you is because of how you parent. I look forward to more times together. We love you ALOT. and that little Liam of course.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I take a lot of ideas from you on this whole parenting thing. I don't have many friends with children, ok... any friends with children. So in some areas I am flying blind. I can do the basics, I can diaper and bathe and feed, I can play and decide about shots and medical issues. But in so many other places in between all that I am clueless, desperately searching the internet for ideas, making it up as I go along. You have these 4 beautiful children who are just wonderful people... I search your blogs for ideas, I watch what you do and learn a bit there.
ReplyDeleteI start out worried about this and that and everything else, have a couple hours with you and realize that its ok. The biggest one was letting Liam get dirty. Spill food down his shirt, get his hands into things... He can play with kitchen tools and water and get into "trouble" and its all about learning. Now I just accept the mess. I was all in a panic over keeping his clothes nice and not letting them get stained. But I see your pictures of Dotty with pink streaks down her onesie and this HUGE smile on her face, her hands full of something fun. And its ok. Clothes wash, babies can be bathed, but you can not duplicate what they learn in the process any other way.
I hope I get to spend some time with you as summer comes, see how you wrangle those kiddos outside, because that is one place I am still very very lost. Summer is coming and Liam will be walking before I can even blink. Plus, all the fun things there are to do outside in the sunshine and Dan has to work during most of them... It is awful lonely to do it all alone!