Happy Birthday times two!

My niece Shannon and nephew Reggie were born on the same day, eight years apart. It still blows my mind and is proof that the Universe works in mysterious ways. I would think with 365 days in a year the odds of having two of your children born on the exact same day (even if you tried) would be astronomical, unless of course they were twins!

We celebrated their birthday(s) recently and it was a chaotic event with the whole gang there (both my brother in law's family and my sister's). I was relieved and happy that Michelle was so good for the event. You just never know. It could have gone either way. She didn't have much of a nap so I expected her to be cranky but I think she was fascinated by all that was going on and having little kids running around.

Reggie was trying out his "Angry Birds" face for the picture. Most of his gifts had an Angry Birds theme. I don't quite get it myself. From what I understand it's a video game/cartoon and series of toys and other merchandise based on birds being angry with pigs for trying to take their eggs. Someone is making millions of dollars from a simple idea.

Michelle always loves being at my sister's place. She enjoys seeing her cousins and she likes having so much room to move. My sister joked that maybe Michelle would start walking at May's house because it's the place she first crawled perfectly. When it was time for dinner I asked my Mom to keep an eye on Michelle while I quickly grab a plate. Michelle was playing on the floor in the living room. Next thing I knew my Mom was in the kitchen too. "Where's Michelle?" I asked her. I looked over and saw her standing in the middle of the floor by herself. My dad was still in the room to watch her. She seemed to be doing fine on her own. She can stand for quite a long time now and when you approach her with open arms she will take several stumbling steps toward you. "It's only a matter of time. She'll be walking on her own any day now!" someone said.

She kept getting caught up in her dress as she tried to walk and crawl. It was a little big on her. The straps didn't adjust. We ended up tying them at the back with a ribbon. It's so hard finding things to fit her now. She can wear anything from size 9 months to 12 months depending on the brand. She's tall for her age but quite slim so pants are often falling off of her. Dresses really aren't practical, especially when she's crawling and learning to walk but I love putting dresses on her. She's got several pretty little dresses and I want to make sure she wears all of them before she outgrows them. With her hair still so short you really wouldn't know she was a girl if I didn't dress her in dresses and girlie colours. Even dressed in pink sometimes when we're out people will ask "How old is he?" or "Is it a boy or a girl?" I can't wait until her hair is long enough to put it in little pig tails. Sometimes the ends curl up a little and my Mom thought maybe she'd get curly hair like her cousin Reggie.


Some days she's difficult and cranky and other days she's my perfect little angel. It all depends on how much sleep she gets but her sleeping is impossible to control or predict. Sometimes she'll settle down for naps and go to sleep at night no problem. Other times she refuses to nap and complains that she's tired all day but still doesn't sleep at night. She's my moody, unpredictable little redhead.


Shane's Aunt was at the party and telling me that she had a redhaired child who was so hyper and intense that they would "vibrate." My Mom piped in how Michelle clenches her fists and shakes with excitement. I am glad that Michelle is so intense. I love watching her excitement. I also love that she is so affectionate. She loves to snuggle and say "Awww" with me, my Mom, her favourite stuffed monkey etc. As difficult and demanding as she can be sometimes it's worth it to have my complex, fascinating, unique little ginger girl. I wouldn't have her any other way.

Family Resemblance

Michelle's last doctor appointment went really well. The doctor was pleased with her weight gain (she's up to 15 lbs 8 ounces now) and said she's the picture of health. (If you missed my previous blog on the subject, my doctor was concerned that Michelle hadn't gained enough weight since her last appointment and wanted to see her again in a few weeks. I was worried because I was already breastfeeding her every 2 hours and also giving her solid food. She eats constantly but she burns it all off because she's so active.) I was so relieved to hear that she has gained now so I can relax. The doctor said I don't need to bring Michelle back for another checkup now until she's 9 months old! Wow. That seems a lifetime away. I wonder what she'll be doing at 9 months. She already seems so different than she was a couple of months ago. So much happens in a month, even day by day. I'm glad that I get to watch each babystep in her journey.

We had a nice visit with my Mom and my sister after the appointment. Michelle showed Auntie May how she can put one foot in front of the other, as long as you're holding on to her. It was cute watching her take little wobbly steps. It will be so exciting to see her take steps on her own someday soon. My Mom keeps telling me not to be too anxious for those milestones because she will be even more of a challenge once she's mobile. I know that I will have to change several things before she can walk. I'll have to install the baby gates and child safety plugs, move breakable things. She's so curious already and tries to grab at everything. When she can get around on her own it's scary to think how many things she could get into. I'll just have to watch her like a hawk. I used to be able to put her in her Bumbo chair for a few moments but now she scooches along the floor in it and leans out of it so far she almost falls. She's got this new leaning habit going on. It's very difficult when I'm trying to carry her with one arm and she starts twisting and leaning. I know she's only 15 lbs but it feels like 20 or more when you're trying to balance her on one sore wrist!

My nephew James

Most people who see Michelle say that she looks like me. Though I hate to admit it I can't help but see a lot of her father in her but she definitely looks like a Pincivero. Several of us in fact. When I was at my Mom's she showed me a baby picture of my nephew (my brother Mike's son) James. I couldn't believe the resemblance. He's almost Michelle's twin! I never realized how alike they were, especially the eyes.

Baby James

I looked around my Mom's place for another photo of James and found this one of him sitting up. I can't believe the similarities in their face structure, eye shape and colour, complexion, hair, just about everything. It's almost uncanny. It's been several years since I saw James as a baby. I didn't really remember what he looked like. I never could have imagined at the time that one day I'd be having my own child that would look so much like him. It's still so surreal to me that I'm a Mom. I watched my siblings having children over the years and just assumed I would always be the proud Auntie. I never expected to have a little girl of my own. It was the furthest thing from my mind. I remember sometimes when I would hold my nieces and nephews as babies and they'd look up at me I'd feel a small twinge in my heart but I denied it. When people asked if I wanted my own I always said no. I just couldn't imagine being a Mom. Now I can't imagine life without her.


My sister May with my nephew Dan

The first time I became an Aunt I was 13 years old. I was so proud of my little nephew Danny (my sister May's first son). Everyone remarked about how much he was like me with his red hair. When my sister first saw Michelle she said how much my baby looked like Dan. To some degree I guess all babies look alike, especially when they're newborns. They come out all wrinkled up, almost bald. Many of them start off with blue eyes but that can change later. I'm pretty sure Michelle is keeping her baby blues.

Of course my Mom says that Michelle is a mini me. She is as fair as I was as a baby, with red hair and blue eyes. I was a tall, slim baby too and very active but my Mom didn't worry about me being underweight because her doctor told her I was healthy even without the proverbial "baby fat." When I see baby pictures of me I definitely see the similarities. She even has the same expressions, the same smile. Of course Michelle is a better, updated version of me! From what my mother has told me about my moodiness and lack of sleep as an infant, it sounds like Michelle takes after me in many ways.



















I love this photo of my Dad and me. We both look so happy. The portrait that James Harvey did of Michelle and I seems to echo it. Michelle has almost the same smile and she's even wearing white. My Mom and Dad make such a fuss of Michelle whenever we visit and Michelle just adores her Grandma and Grandpa. My Mom said seeing Michelle is like having me as a baby again.

I feel so blessed to have my family. Though Michelle and I are a little family of two, she also gets to be part of a bigger clan, a fun, loving bunch including Grandparents, Aunt and Uncles and six cousins.

What are the odds?



Beautiful birthday girl!



This past weekend we celebrated my niece, Shannon's and nephew, Reggie's birthday. They are my sister's two youngest. Yes they were born on the same day. No they're not twins! They were actually born 8 years apart, on the same day! Shannon was born a couple of weeks earlier than her due date. Reggie was born a few days earlier than his due date. My sister was really hoping he would NOT be born on the same day as Shannon. She wanted them each to have their own special day, separately. Unfortunately the way the law of attraction seems to work, the more you focus on something, the more you attract it, whether it's something you want or something you don't want. So when she kept saying "I don't want him to be born on the same day! Don't let it be the same day as Shannon's birthday!" sure enough the Universe responded by having Reggie born right on Shannon's birthday. Of course Shannon is such a sweetheart she didn't mind sharing her day. But it does make things a little more hectic. 

There were already coincidences with birthdays in our family. My nephew Dan and nephew James were born a day apart. My niece Eve was born the day after my due date so my baby may share a birthday with her! When you consider that there are 365 days in a year, seriously what are the odds of having so many family members born on or around the same days? Of course Shannon and Reggie take the cake for the biggest coincidence of all. Speaking of cake,  Shannon made the cakes for her and Reggie and did a fabulous job! They tasted even better than they looked! 



Shannon made the cakes! Awesome!



Double the cake, double the gifts, double the chaos! In our family alone there are 6 nieces and nephews. My baby will be the lucky number 7th grandchild as my Mom pointed out. Add my brother-in-law's family to the mix and we're up to 10 cousins running amok. (Well technically my oldest nephew Dan is an adult so he doesn't run amok quite as much!) It's still surreal to me that my baby will get to meet the whole gang at her first Christmas this year. It will be the best Christmas ever with my precious miracle gift! I never thought in a million years that I'd have my own baby someday. 

 

The sweet birthday boy and girl!

                                                                      I love when the whole family is together but when the house is full of kids it is a bit of a three ring circus! Running, laughing, squealing, screaming, crying. One falls, another bangs his head, another two are fighting over balloons. A couple of them in the "terrible twos" stage, trying to assert their independence, insistent on getting their way, not fond of the word "no" can get very vocal. There were a couple of ear-splitting moments where my siblings and in-laws smiled at me and asked "See what you have to look forward to?" But I am looking forward to it. It's amazing how your perspective changes once you're in Mommy mode. The sound of children crying and screaming used to just be an irritant. Now it makes me smile. It feels like home.

Anyway, I'll only have one little one to look after, not 10 at once (except at visits and get-togethers and when you're used to living alone the chaos is actually kind of a fun place to be for a change.) It will be a while before I'll have to contend with the terrible twos. I know that a newborn will be a handful. Though you never know, I may get lucky like my niece-in-law did. She said everyone was telling her how difficult it would be but her little one is nine months old and has been a dream child. She sleeps 9 hours, right through the night without getting up! She only cries when she's hungry. She was good as gold all day. Didn't even fuss. Was quite curious and good-natured. I even managed to catch a smile on camera. Or my baby could wind up being a high maintenance screamer insomniac like I was (to hear my mother tell it.) You just never know. One thing is for certain -- my baby will have all my love and attention. Since it's going to be just her and I for the most part and while I am on maternity leave especially, I will have all my time and energy to devote to her. 

  

When it came time to open their presents, it was a bit overwhelming. Shannon and Reggie both tearing through gifts at once. Cousins trying to get into the presents. "No sweetie it's not your birthday. That's for Reggie." So much going on at once it was hard to keep track. It all went by so fast, a flurry of bags and boxes and flying tissue paper, toys and clothes. When there are that many kids it's almost impossible to control. They are like forces of nature! Like wild animals unleashed! 

It was fun but stressful, especially for my sister who was trying to watch both of her kids open their gifts, and take photos, and coordinate a meal, see to the guests etc. We are a big family. When we all get together, both sides of the family, there are more than 20 of us! It's nice to have a tight-knit family though. I hear of a lot of families that don't even get together for special events. It's always been a tradition in our household and always has been in my brother-in-law's family as well. We are a close loving bunch!

 I couldn't help but think how lucky Shannon and Reggie are to have so much love from their family and extended family. They really are blessed. 

When I'm home it will just be my baby girl and me, a family of two, but I will always be visiting my Mom and sister and on special occasions my little one will get to see all her cousins, aunts and uncles.  

It's always a challenge getting a group shot. Especially with a group this big. To fit everyone in, to get everyone looking. I'm glad to get these photos though. It reminds me what a big extended family we have. The self-timer lets me sneak into the shot at the last minute as well. I have 10 seconds to run in and take my place before the picture snaps. The next time we are all together, I will have a smaller belly (hopefully!) and be holding my precious little baby girl.  

Photos have always been so important to me. They are my way of holding on. Kids grow up so quickly. Things change. Life is so fleeting. But the photos are forever. They capture the moment and preserve it. I feel fortunate to have so many memories captured in images. Previous boyfriends used to tease me about it but even some of them wound up thanking me years later for taking those pictures of their family. Something they'd never had before. You hold on to what is most precious.

It feels like only yesterday that I found out I was pregnant. Now we're into June and I'm having my baby next month! I want to remember this time. I want to remember being pregnant, being nervous and excited about the baby, the biggest event of my life coming up. I am glad I got so many pictures last year of my adventures before the baby and I'm glad to have these pictures now. This is my life journey and I feel a need to record it.

And my little girl is going to be inundated with photos! I'll be the biggest mamarazzo (the Mom version of paparazzi!) ever! Everyone says how quickly the time goes by, how they don't stay little for long. I will want to capture every moment.



Let them eat cake!

 Everytime I see them I am so grateful for my family. They make me laugh. They make me feel safe. They are my home.

As a single Mom, I will have a lot to face on my own but I know that I won't be completely alone and that they will always be there for me, a phone call or a short drive away. I look forward to spending time with my baby, just her and I. I also can't wait to get together with everyone for special occasions. I want her to see how lucky she is to be the newest member of this amazing, crazy family.