The Stevenson's - An Update!

I have been such a slacker in the girl's stats/update department.  We just took all of them in to the Doctor last week for shots/check-ups.  So, I thought I'd better write down the information and add a few things I want to remember about them, Jeff and Me...Enjoy!

Here goes:

Laurel:

Weight: 21 lbs. 2 oz (3rd percentile)
Height: 30" (8th percentile)

A few things we want to remember about this stage:

Laurel definitely acts like the oldest (even if it is only by one minute).  She is in charge!  She is also such a little nurturer, always making sure Maisy and Norah have what they need. She cannot rest if Norah and Maisy don't get bottles or food before she does.  When I ask her to bring me a diaper for one of the other girls, she will not only bring me a diaper but also the wipes and if she thinks that particular sister needs to have her nose or face wiped, she'll bring a burp cloth as well.  She is TINY as you can see from her stats but so smart and so active...sometimes I look at her and think "how can someone so tiny be so capable!". She is excelling at Beal's School. I think she loves the freedom and order that prevail there.  She is very meticulous and careful and is very good at remembering where things are and putting them away when she is done.  

She still loves to snuggle and needs to be reassured often that she is loved.  She is still working on being "soft" with Norah...she gets frustrated when I am holding Norah and can't hold her at that moment (sometimes I wish I had octopus arms). But she's getting better at accepting that I can't always hold her when she wants me to and is also getting better at loving Norah.  She is always ready to give hugs and kisses.

Some of our favorite words from her are:  "Peese" (Please..she says it so sweetly it's hard to deny her requests).  "No, no NO!" (she says this while shaking her little finger at the cat when he tries to come inside the house or to anyone or anything else she feels needs to be kept in line), "Maytee" (Maisy), "Gock!" (Cat, Dog, Horse...whatever she happened to see at the time), "Aaashes, Aaashes" (she holds Maisy's hands and they do "Ring Around the Rosies" together).

We love her so much and are so thankful she is part of our family.

Maisy:

Weight: 22 lbs. 8 oz (12th percentile)
Height: 32" (50th percentile)

A few things we want to remember about this stage:
Maisy is such a character!  She seriously keeps us laughing all the time.  She is so sweet and has such a zest for life.  Everything she does, she does with gusto! She is talking up a storm and is finally walking!  I think it has given her a new confidence as she has lately been more willing to try more, new things.

Maisy loves to be taken care of (wonder why?). She kind of waits for Laurel to clean up after her or to bring her what she wants/needs.  She's a good delegator.  She will hand a block to me to stack just because she knows I can do it with more efficiency.

Some of our favorite words are: "Moyyyeee" (more...which she says repeatedly, while flapping her arms up and down like a bird about to take flight.), "Ductee"! (dirty diaper that she wants to take to the outside trash can...this is a ritual with both Maisy and Laurel...they have to take their diapers to the trash outside), "Bintee" (Binky...trying to wean her from this...not easy.  If anyone has tips, I'm all ears), and every morning when she see's Norah for the first time, with her sweet little voice she says:  "Hi No-wah!"

If she is having a tantrum or is upset for any reason, I can usually say "Maisy where is your happy face?" and she will raise her eyebrows as much as she can and try to smile.  It is hilarious.  She still has the scream that can be heard round the world but doesn't use it as much...which is nice. We love our little Maise Paise.

Norah:

Weight: 19 lbs 6 oz (95th percentile)
Height: 28.5" (off the charts)

A few of our favorite things:
NORAH IS AN ANGEL BABY.  She sleeps 8-10 hours every night and then just gurgles and coos until we come.  When we go in to get her, she is so happy she can hardly contain herself.  Her whole body squirms with excitement and she has the biggest smile...It is the greatest self-esteem booster ever!  She is always smiling and mostly content.  She is the most patient, sweet, little cherub of a baby.  We are so blessed to have her special little spirit in our home.

She is also a chunk!  If you look closely at the stats, you'll see that she is only one pound lighter than Laurel and 11/2 inches shorter! She is already wearing her sister's 12-18 month clothes (most of which the twins can still wear).  But, I've decided I like my babies chunky! There is just so much more to squeeze and kiss!  Her cheeks are IRRESISTIBLE and those legs!  She is sitting up all by herself and eating baby food.  She used to be able to roll over but I think it's not as easy as it used to be for her.
She is completely enamored by her sisters and we are all completely enamored by her!

Jeff :

Jeff is doing work full-time, school part-time, two callings and everything else.  We don't get to see a lot of him which is hard but the end of school is in sight (1 year left!) so we are excited for that.  He is an amazing husband and father...seriously amazing.  When he is here he's here and I appreciate that so much.  I am so glad we are in this together. I know I say this a lot but marrying that man was the BEST decision I have ever made...ever.  My heart feels so full when I think of him and the amazing man I get to watch him become.  I'm so proud of him.

Me:

I'm not gonna lie.  This stage of the game is exhausting and messy!  There are days that I feel like I'm on a treadmill just running, running, running but never reaching any kind of destination.  I can honestly say that my mind is getting pretty close to the mush stage.  I have to remind myself that there was a time when I was pretty close to sane and that I really can carry on a normal conversation. I know someday I will have all the time in the world and will be able to actually finish something I start and do it well and that I will miss this stage.  It is a crazy life but I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING.

I read the following the other day and I felt Like CJane went into my mushy brain, found this, made sense of it and wrote it perfectly...do any of you feel like this?:

"On a walk this morning I ran into my neighbor Lucinda. I love Lucinda because she skips small talk and just serves the meat. This morning as we strolled by she asked me how I was feeling. After I responded, she went into a thoughtful expedition about the female journey.

'There is a point where a girl becomes a woman.' She said. 'A point where a woman becomes a female warrior. Where her life is no longer a game, it is a genuine battle. Not to survive only, but to survive and be strong.'

The thought swallowed me.

Because lately I've wondered about myself. Where has my youth gone? Suddenly, I don't feel the charms of my twenties, or even earlier thirties. Something inside of me has fundamentally changed when I didn't even know it. But I feel it.

I find myself wanting to fight. Fight for simplicity. Fight for truth. Fight for a daily thirty-minute nap/ quiet time. Because if I don't fight, things get complicated. They get confusing. I don't get a nap. Fear camouflages faith and things get really messy . . . unless I fight.

I think I must be transitioning over the threshold, because I still find myself embarrassed for what I lack. My jokes were funnier, I was clever-er, my ability to keep it all together was intact . . . back then. But now I am in that awkward stage where I am not secure in becoming WOMAN, although there She is, ready to hand me a sword to cut through crap.

Crappy ideas, crappy expectations, crappy use of time or money or resources, crappy things I want (really, really want) but certainly don't need, crappy behavior, crappy situations I put myself into, crappy doubts.

And here is the mashed potatoes to go with Lucinda's meat: when I hear women say "I used to be this or that" or "My brain has gone to mush because . . ." because they've had babies, or because they've devoted their lives to other people, or because they've crossed the line of girl to woman, I always think It won't happen to me. Please, don't let it happen to me. But I see now how it happens. Big dreams seem too distracting, physical energy turns into spiritual examination, gray hairs appear. You change, dang it, you just do.

But perhaps it is all in the wording:

My ability to be clever has turned itself into an ability to be wise.

I have trained my brain to assess the needs of others before my own.

My charm comes from not feeling pressure to be charming.

I prefer the simple life. The life I have now.

And I know I won't always have to fight. At some point it will be in my nature to be a secure, confidant woman without the battle cry. Today though, I like to feel the weapon in my hands, ready to unleash it upon all stupidity.

As for the threshold, I wonder. For me, it isn't pregnancy, or having a baby, or near-death experiences of loved ones (though I am sure they push). It has been a quiet, God-guided transition that I've underappreciated. Until today."


Welp, that's all for now folks.  If you made it to this part you are a true friend and you deserve a big fat kiss on the forehead.