{Applause inserted here.}

She can play without a companion for about 20-30 minutes. Mid-afternoon has become a time for dolls, littlest pet shop, and other rainbow-colored shenanigans.

I am often right next to her as she plays. For real, I could play next to her for hours but somehow I grew up. Dinner and responsibilities cut in and I can only give her short bursts of playtime. Which is good, I guess, but I’d rather play than just about anything. Except snacking and napping. Am I a kid or what?

Molly playing with my dolls from childhood

Molly aka Rainbow Brite

Molly feeding her doll

Love,

Jess

Claire in the NICU

Born 5 lbs. 12 oz. at 36 weeks via c-section. She spent 8 days in the Natal Intensive Care Unit after birth. She was healthy but too early, so she needed a little help eating and staying warm. We couldn’t have visitors for the whole week because the H1N1 virus had just spread over the community forcing the NICU to only open its doors to necessary visitors, like us. It was hard to have my family and friends excluded from the experience, so we took a lot of photos to share on facebook. She had tubes to help feed her and an Isolette box to keep her warm. The nurses helped feed her while I painfully recovered from surgery back in my room. I came to the NICU as I could but I didn’t see her as much I’d expected to in the first few days. But, we tried as hard as we could to be in the room with her to change her premie diapers and take her temperature. I was so happy to see my “baby a” in person.

Molly at home with Claire (Me nursing Leah in the background)

Home life with Claire was cozy. Two small pack and plays were set-up next to my bed for the twins. I kept Claire and her sister on the same schedule of sleeping and feeding, most of the time. I stayed in my room taking care of the twins for 2 months. I am not sure where Peter slept or what happened to my other kids during that time. I was in a cocoon I guess.

Claire in her car seat

And out the cocoon, popped a bright-eyed healthy baby ready to go-go-go! I swear, Claire taught herself to crawl just so she could dump out the basket of DVDs and reach in to the dishwasher. She sucked her thumb at night with her taggie and eventually made it to the “big crib” in the kids’ bedroom.

Claire's 1st Birthday Cake Face

Claire was a good napper. She took two naps a day at 2 hours a pop. This gave me a much needed break in the day from all the toddler action. Claire loved sweets, peas, cottage cheese, bread and Crazy Bread. I took her to MOPS at local church twice a month.

Claire's first Easter Egg Hunt (in Leah's coat)

With time came confidence. CJ loved brushing her own teeth at bedtime, climbing into her own booster seat in the kitchen, and riding her own push car in the driveway.

Putting her 'feet up' at the beach

Her eyes are as bold as her will is strong. Her heart is not satisfied to conform, but seeks a humble uniqueness. She engages the World with a cautious spirit. She shows ownership in her blanket and taggie lovey and love to her dolls. She likes to set things in motion in her own way.

I call her CJ. She calls me Mom.

Love,

Jess

I find a moment or two like these…

Winter sun rays

Brighter than summer days

Snow banks beam light

Warm sunspot, just right

Children bounce off the wall

Mama is ready for Spring to call

But for now, Winter’s here

Another storm rumbling near

Drifts a mile high

Childhood days blinking by

]]> http://justablink.com/2009/02/winter-sun-rays/feed/ 2 http://justablink.com/2008/09/artist-in-training/ http://justablink.com/2008/09/artist-in-training/#comments Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:00:49 +0000 Jessica http://themcwilliams.info/?p=687 Look for giveaway below!

Today’s artist, 3 year old Ryan, is still in his formative years. He has been toying around with several types of art media such as: charcoal, pastels, watercolor and crayon. He is often found at his kitchen table studio doing “projects” with tape. Lots of tape. He prides himself with a rotating art gallery found at the coolest art gallery around, El Refrigerator.

His current collection features 3-D paint also known as fabric or puffy paint

Flower, Caterpillar and Friend, Spider by Ryan

Here is an inside look at McWilliams at work in his studio.

Giveaway Details

Everyone please join in! Make a comment on this post to enter a chance to win one small painting from today’s On the 6 artist.

I am struck more now (as a blogger) than ever before with the thought; my kids won’t remember a thing! Taking the time to photograph and journal about our lives together has been a gift to me. The chance to slow things down one post at a time.

Ry took a bike ride down to the corner gas station while I pushed Molly in the stroller. Which of course turned into a race. I am not sure who won but we were all laughing in the end. We purchased our treat and sat watching the traffic from a grassy spot on the bike path. Molly and Ryan took a moment to share a cold milk while eating M&M cookies. Ryan gave Molly an M&M from his cookie. I had picked most of hers off. I was impressed by his kindness. I gave him a smile and asked why he shared something that he too likes so very much. He squished up his nose and said

Well I guess because it fell off and went into the grass on the ground…so…I thought Molly could use it, that’s all.

Nice. Never been more proud!

I hope some memories seep into their beings as we navigate through these fleeting, precious and meaningful years.

I have a hand full of vivid but scattered memories of my own childhood during the wondertime years.
A few of the things I remember:

• Cooking or “muxing” with my Mom or Grandma in the kitchen
• Listening to Thriller on cassette tape at friends house
• Rubbing my knuckle calluses earned from swinging on the monkey bars
• Smelling shampoo flowing down the kitchen sink drain from having my hair washed while lying on the counter
• Tasting white bread at the neighbors house. Yes, thanks to my Mom I was raised on whole foods–all of the time

Long gone are the days of throwing a few things in a backpack, picking up some friends and fluttering off to a campground for a music festival.  Though, Peter would say he has never fluttered off anywhere, you get my drift. The children, I call them that when I distance myself from them, can not be crammed in a backpack and tossed in the car. Trust me, I’ve tried.

I was feeling so proud of myself that I didn’t tell Ryan about Family Camp until today (I usually can’t keep a happy thing to myself for long). I have learned however that anticipation for a happy thing just kills Ryan. He can’t stand the joy I guess. He gets moody and whiny to say the least.

He was way too out-of-sorts today! Maybe something to do with staying up at friends house last night to watch the Olympics until 10:30! That’s my fault, yes, I know. So on to why this post is called Camily Famp.

I scolded him with all that was in my special forces inspired Mama Arsenal. But alas, I broke down and just started saying cliche parenting comments.

Me: You know Family Camp is a treat so start acting like it! (What that even means I’m not sure.)

Ryan: Camily Famp is NOT a treat! That’s icky it would taste like dirt. You don’t eat Camily Famp!

Me: Bust out laughing. (How could I resist?)

The tension broke and on he went helping me pack up his back pack with his CARS flashlight, sunscreen and Blue (his blanket).

So off we go to Camily Famp to bond together at the end of this glorious season, summer.

As a baby and toddler Ry slept with one or both of his eyes slightly open (which is a little weird to see mind you).  I always joked that he’d grow up to be a lookout in a cowboy bandit gang. Well, his sleeping quirk added with a love for guns, beards and the expression eehh-haw all led to my believe I guess.

Bottom line: He is very light concise and has to sleep in the dark. (Thanks Phil for our room-darkening shade!).

Molly has super sonic hearing. She sleeps with her ears on full alert. Since she has quirky hearing we have never been able to sneak into her room to watch her sleep and give her one last sweet tuck-in before we head to bed ourselves. I don’t even think I have ever seen her sleeping except for in the car seat. She will stir in her crib if you even so-much-as think about her in your head.

Good defense reflex for her. Bad bonding deal for us.

Spies? Agents? Soldiers? Maybe. But for now it is so nice to know they are under my roof recharging their little bodies for the next day.

All too soon I know we will be waiting up for them to come home in time for curfew and praying they stay in their rooms all night long, alone. Till then I dream of their futures and pray for their childhood quirks to turn into grown-up character traits like a heart for justice and a spirit of discernment.

Molly and I had some rare alone time with each other as Ryan slept off his fever. It was fun to play with her without parenting a 3 1/2 year old at the same time. She smiled often as she realized that I was indeed still paying attention to her and just her!

We spent most of today with the shades drawn as the house seemed to ache with the kids. The general feeling was happy but we all knew that we weren’t running at full steam. Finally after supper the three of us walked around the block. Ryan only made it 1/2 way before hopping into the stroller. I only hope boredom doesn’t set in tomorrow!

He is learning to skateboard and he loves wearing his red skate helmet and pads [largely due to the fact that I think he feels more inline with what a superhero looks like than the actual safety they provide].

We are always pretending to be a family of supers or rescue heroes. I am often addressed as Spiderman-Lady and Molly, of course, is Spiderman-Lady’s baby. He has great sense of justice and right and wrong.

He pretends to play army and says he’ll be in the army for Minnesota when he grows up! He even converted Molly’s exer-saucer into a tank by flipping it on it’s side and adding a radio for communication. He is very brave in most ways but he still hasn’t quite overcome his fear of bugs.

He loves sweets, his sister and the beach.