- Scarlett's Baptism -

Ever since the random April day in 2015 when I cut out [*gulp*] and sewed a little piece of my wedding gown into Harper's baptism gown, I've had this desire for it to become a family heirloom and be passed down for all my female posterity to wear! I've also had this vision of having everyone's name who was baptized in it embroidered into the satin under-layer, but I wasn't quite sure how to go about getting that done. I'm two [or four] stages below an amateur seamstress [typically only sewing things like burp cloths or blankets -- AKA -- things that humans puke on], so I immediately knew I wasn't brave enough to attempt the project myself.  But! One measly mention of it to my grandma, and she jumped on the task and made my vision a reality! I absolutely ADORE the finished product:

^^ ...and it's so much more special knowing she stitched it so lovingly. Seriously, I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! I know my daughters [and their daughters, etc.] will treasure it forever. :)

Anyway, I just recently got the gown back from my grandma and it made me realize that I never posted Scarlett's baptism pics! 

FAIL. 

But yes! It happened! She was baptized into the Catholic Church way back in February, and she is pagan no longer! 

Instead of having a catered post-baptism dinner like we did for Harper, we decided to attempt the cooking ourselves this time around! Second baby syndrome: it fits me like a glove. ;) :) The food prep started at 9am [in anticipation of a 5:30pm dinner!]...

...and with lots of help from Uncle Garett and Uncle Jon, we were packed up with enough food to feed 50+ people and headed to the church by 3:30pm!

Once again, Fr. Meconi humbly agreed to celebrate the Mass and baptism, which of course we were totally thrilled about!  Papa, Grammy, and Harper got to carry the gifts up...

...and then Mass was over and it was Scarlett's show time!

I love the way [Kate and] Harper stood so quietly and lovingly during the ceremony:

"Scarlett Clare, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!"

YAYAYAY for the newest Christian in 'da house!!! May she always keep her flame burning brightly...

...with the aid of her amazing godparents, Tory and Gavin. Thank you both for agreeing to help guide our sweet baby!

Annnnd we're done! 

Freed from sin and claimed for Christ! 

Welcome to God's family, Scarlett Clare!!!

Time to let loose with some food + fiesta!

Oh haiiiiiii, you pure, sweet soul! ;)

^^ ...All kicked back on the beautiful white blanket her Great Grandma Penny crocheted especially for her [or is it knitted? You can tell I'm the typical female millennial...]

And just like she did for Harper, Grammy Resa made a bracelet for Scarlett that she plans to add beads to for her First Communion and wedding! I love this new tradition! 

We love you to the moon heaven and back, Scarlett Clare! May you revel in your Christian dignity and always follow in the footsteps of Christ! :-* 

"God's love be with you, Little One, on your very special day...

As you become a child of His and follow in His way!

And here's a prayer that God will bless your happy family, too...

And watch them with His loving care as they watch over you."

- When you're the BEST of friends... -

...[alwayssss] havin' so much fun together...

I have that catchy Disney's Fox and the Hound song stuck in my head, which is super queer because I'm fairy certain I was eight years old the last time I saw the movie...

But! The point is: I've actually really truly honestly totalllllly never seen two better friends than H and S, and I'm becoming OBSESSED with watching the love blossom between these two beautiful sisters!!! Every morning when Harper wakes up, she comes in our bedroom and nudges her way in between Scarlett and me [disclaimer: we don't co-sleep with 'da baby! But usually after the 6am-ish feeding, snuggle-bug Scarlett melts her tired momma's heart and easily earns herself an hour's worth of spoiling before Harper traipses in and our day officially begins]. As soon as Harper comes in, she always fingers through Scarlett's hair so gently and says, "Good morningggggg, Car-wettttt! How are you da-day, tweet heart? Did you sweep good for Mommy? Did you have a good night, Car-wett?" *swoon* *double swoon* *triple swoon*

[The respiratory junk continues to run thick around here [[pun intended, but seriously, ew gross]], and sweet Scarlett has gained permission to lounge around in her sleepers basicallllly all day every day.  She does have a closet full of beautiful clothes, but I just want little sis to stay comfy while she sleeps off the snots and continues to recover!]

Lately, Harper has been stuck on this: "Car-wett is my best fren, Mommy! And Daddy is your best fren!"  ...And one time she exclaimed her most brilliant idea to date: "Whenever I get older, I'm going to get married to Car-wett and Mommy and Daddy!!!" Oh boy.

I rest a lot easier knowing that, no matter what happens to Brian or me, these two will always have each other!

Keep on keepin' on, you two! Your sweet love for each other has absolutely melted yo' mama's heart!!! 

- Hippity-hopping back to Easter... -

Cinco de MAYOOOOO!!!

...The perfect day to hop! hop! hippity-hop! all the way back to Easter! 

*womp womp* ...But #letnothinggoundocumented!

[I'll make it quick!]

Brian is alwayssss very eager to break my tradition of visiting the [free] Wal-Mart Easter Bunny; but no no nope, he did not get his goal accomplished this year! 2018 makes it four years and counting, so why turn back now?! ...Harper's like, "Hurry and snap your pic, Mom...this rabbit is sketch!" and Scarlett's like, "I think I'll just nap here for a while...wanna come back and grab me after you finish getting groceries?" #momsmemories

^^ PS -- Thanks to Aunt Emma for the matching "sister outfits," as Harper calls them! 

We also did a little Easter egg dying session with Grammy...

...along with some festivities on Easter Eve that included Cricut coloring pages and dinner with Kate [complete with caveman-ish chicken leg gnawing] annnnnnd laying out some carrots for the Easter Bunny...

...which seemed to be the perfect bait, because he showed face and left all these goodies for the girls!

Harper reported to us in the morning that the E.B. woke her up while he was hiding goodies around the house, but she told him, "Shhhhhh! Be QUIET!" so she could go back to sleep. Scarlett watched wide-eyed while Harper hunted all the eggs and then ate about 1/4 of their sugary contents before we scooted off to Mass...

...which was a borderline DISaster, but I won't let it dent my pride this time because surely it was a result of the sugar crash... A+ for Scarlett who slept all the way through Mass [and even through our family-of-five photo afterwards!], and a big fat F for Harper who had already thrown a screaming fit to leave for a bathroom break + flailed her body all across the kneelers like a dying fish + eaten her large collection of snacks alllllllll before Fr. Jeff even initiated the entrance procession. Of course she did shape up to the little angel she usually is by the time the homily was finished, so with that she redeemed herself from earning an F--.

Next! Off to family Easter #1...

annnnnnnd #2!

I know I take this for granted more than I'd like to admit, but we are so very blessed to be able to spend the holidays [and non-holidays, too!] with so much family close by!!! I love watching my girls grow up with their grammys and papas and aunts and uncles and cousins! :-*

Happy Easter, all!  He is risen, just as He said!  *party emoji*

- Three months young! -

Helloooooo, sweet Sissy!!! I just realized that there's only THREE days left of your third month, so I suppose I better hash-type this up and out while it's still [semi-]legit! .....Why you gotta go growin' up like 'dat?!

You are the absolute sweetest little thing, and your bright blue eyes and big toothless smile have us all sucked righhhhht in. We're in trouble! ;)  No pediatrician visit this month to report your weight/height...but OH WAIT, there was still a pediatrician visit... Much to momma's dismay, you caught some nasty bug during your first week of daycare; we were horrified with your cough and decided to take you in to the pediatrician, but she said you're handling your first virus-turned-bronchiolitis like a champ! Shower/steam sessions and essential oils and lotssss of extra snuggles got us through one day at a time, but overall this was a pretty rough month for you!  Four weeks later, you're just starting to sleep through the night again [about 8pm-4:30am!] and your cough is finally gone!!! PRAISE. the. sweet. Lord., because that poor cough just broke momma's heart! :( 

ALSO!  You love your playmat these days and are rolling side to side pretty effortlessly [just can't quite get over that chubby elbow to roll yourself all the way over!], and you still sleep in a pack-n-play butted up next to mommy and daddy's bed...

...in the morning, Harper comes in to snuggle us and is always trying to teaching you the art of "watching bid-eos," which you don't seem to mind!  And of course, you never turn down a little afternoon siesta in the swing.

The winter weather is officially on its way out [I think?!], and we've been enjoying lots of stroller rides and time at the park!  Looking forward to all the fun things we'll get to introduce you to in the next couple of months!

Three months up and three months down... Wowza! 

We love you so, Scarlett Clare!!! 

xoxo

- Pump the brakes... -

...like SCREEEEEECH!  Annnnd halt.

For all that go, go, going we did the last month of maternity leave, we're back to square one -- AKA -- a dead stop. I started back to work on Easter Monday: 

...and with one full week of daycare [which is actually just two days] in the books, poor sweet Scarlett just couldn't hang. :(

I think it's the pangs of #momguilt which are always sooooo sharp no matter the circumstances, but I'm always very quick to blame the daycare when one of the kids gets sick.  Every.single.time, I go through this whole dramatic routine in my head like, "I should probablyyyy go back to part-time 12-hour night shifts...and make the same paycheck as I'm making now working three 8-hour shifts...and pick up more weekends...and sacrifice my sleep and sanity and all of these things just so we won't need any childcare!" And I'm always about to bite the bullet on my feelings when said sick kid easily bounces back among the living, then all is swell again. But in all honesty, I know that it's also very likely that Scarlett caught something from one of our relatives at Easter or maybe even from a random old man who sneezed disease into the air at Schnucks and therefore this is not even related to the daycare at all, so I should just drop the argument right there and get on with my life. 

HOWEVER! 

Any way you roll the dice, I hate having a sick kiddo, and it's the saddest of sad times when a 3-month-old is down for the count! After a couple days of a low-grade fever that progressed to thick congestion and a nasty cough, the pediatrician looked her over head-to-toe and stamped a big ole' "BRONCHIOLITIS" diagnosis on her chart. Boo, boo, double boo.  Fortunately, we had a pretty competent doctor in the house who was very eager to keep a close eye on her baby sis!

Next! Harper started with the snots a few days later, and now I have some respiratory junk, too. Brian is the sole survivor and -- call me crazy -- but if I were him, I'd be donning a surgical mask every time I stepped foot inside this infectious abode.  For a week and a half now, we've been cramming the entire family into our closet of a bathroom any time someone showers [because steam is a coveted thing] ...diffusing essential oils 24/7 ...and napping/sleeping here, there, and everywhere...

...and low and behold [dare I even say it?], I think we're all finally on the upswing and looking up! up! UP! a little more every day!

So!
 
Saint Bernadine, pray for us!
Saint Philomena, pray for us!
Saint Blaise, pray for us! 

And anyone else out there ...powerful and mighty or little and lowly ...anyone at all who can send up some prayers for quick healing and continued health ...please PRAY FOR US...

...because back to work and daycare we go tomorrow! :/