Last week, Ethan was headed to Virginia for a work trip, and so Rebecca decided to bring the babies and come spend a week with John and me. I would like for us all to step back and think about that for a moment. I don't know if I have ever heard of a daughter-in-law who chooses to spend a lengthy amount of time with her in-laws, so props to Rebecca. As she so aptly said it, "Sometimes I think I am a core Kennedy."
There was another reason for her to come as well. Baby had been to a new orthopedic surgeon in Maryland, and Rebecca was told that her hips were bad and that they needed to schedule surgery. This has never been the verdict--not from Dr. Farley at Michigan, nor from another doctor in Utah--so with a mother's wisdom, Rebecca decided to get a second opinion. Since she was coming back to Michigan anyways, she very luckily got an appointment with Dr. Farley.
Sometimes it feels a bit exhausting, having the babies around but maybe that's because there are always so many other people around. John and I find that when it's just Ethan, Rebecca and the babies, life is pretty simple and sweet. Of course, it was the one week where John and I were working at the temple for three of the nights, but I think Rebecca was fine just having some tasty snacks and Dish Network for a couple of evenings ;-)
One of the highlights of the week was taking Baby "out for a walk" each morning. Or at least that what I pictured in my mind. In reality, Baby took us for a RUN! It's crazy to think that Little Baby, who has had hip dysplasia her entire life, can't help but RUN whenever she heads out. I kid you not, the first day she just took off down the path in Dexter. There were some smaller kids that she passed, and when they saw her blow by her, they started running too. In fact, we had to run to keep up with her. She went all out for almost a mile and a half (to the porta-potty on the path), took a breather, and probably ran another mile. The crazy thing was that she walked or ran for almost the entire three miles. I wanted to teach her about all the birds and nature, but getting her to stop and listen? I waited until she was more tired ;-)
I think it was Hannah that I was talking to, telling her about teaching Baby about the birds (but it might have been someone else). She knew exactly what was happening--Lollie (aka Mama/Mommy) doesn't ever let a teaching moment pass, and it's no different with the next generation. We are either learning grammar through conversation, or looking around and learning about what we see, or learning to talk to each other, or sharing our feelings, or something. Kudos to Baby because she can talk my ear off! But the best part was that, at the end of our time together, she was actively listening to all the sounds around us, and she could identify some of the bird calls! Oh my goodness, it was the absolute best.
And not to diss Brother, because that boy is a stroller boy! I always saw those babies who would happily sit in a stroller for a walk or run--I was never lucky enough to have one myself--and Brother is one of them! Put him in, strap in, and he's ready for an adventure. He literally sits straight up in the stroller, holding onto the front bar, watching ahead. The only thing that can possibly distract him is the sound of crinkling plastic from the fruit snacks bag ;-)
And at the end of it all, we always stopped at the park to swing and play. #LifeIsGood
I seriously came home EXHAUSTED after those adventures even though we didn't go near as far as I usually go alone. It did bring to mind that I wish everyone lived closer. What I wouldn't give to head out on those walks everyday with Rebecca and the babies.
Another big part of the week? Eating! I mean, when is eating NOT involved when Kennedys get together? It was crazy to see how much Brother could eat...and how much Baby can not ;-). It was fun having Rebecca here because we got to go to some fun places to eat too (Smokehouse 52, Kouzina)
I could hardly believe my eyes when I caught Baby doing this at Smokehouse 52 as soon as we sat down--it looks ALL too familiar. Turns out, Poppie taught her that little trick sometime ago...and she hasn't forgotten, knife and all!
There's nothing like chocolate milk to teach a baby how to drink from a straw ;-)
Poppie fixed Bluey (his front fender had been duct-taped by Rebecca on the way to Michigan).
I was stern with Brother when he went through our DVDs and decided it was fun to dump them all out. His first reaction was to do "shy foot" (where he grabs his foot and looks sheepish or flirty, depending on the situation), but once he bent down and realized that Lollie was not happy, he just collapsed into a weeping banshee.
When we went to church, Baby decided she needed to take her shoes off like Lollie #MeltMyHeart
Man, it was so good to have them here.
We also needed to get one-year-old photos of Brother. Taking pictures of the babies always makes me a little nervous, because I've definitely had some moments where we didn't get much of anything great, but he was such a little man, posing perfectly in the beginning.
Monday morning, hours before they were leaving, we all headed to U of M hospital for Baby's hip appointment. Wow, what an amazing hospital! They did some x-rays on her, and we just planned for when would be the best time to bring her back for her actual surgery. In the back of my head, I hoped that she would keep running after the surgery, and that it wouldn't be like her aversion to water after wearing her hip brace for several months and never bathing. Dr. Farley walked in and announced (without even saying "hello"), "Her hips look good. She doesn't need surgery."
I think we all could have died. That was the absolute last thing we thought she would say. Her hips are at 22% (they were 32% before), and anything above 30% needs surgery. In other words, like Poppie's weight, they're trending down ;-). In fact, Dr. Farley asked if we could return in a year for a check-up (um, yes please, any excuse to come back to Ann Arbor), but that she didn't expect anything else needed to be done.
What a miracle. I mean, we've been fasting and praying for her hips almost since she was born, and here we were given the miracle. As business-life as Dr. Farley is, Rebecca couldn't help but give her a hug for knowing what she was talking about, and for being the conduit for an answer to prayers.
We sure didn't want to put those babies back in the car, but life moves on.
There was another reason for her to come as well. Baby had been to a new orthopedic surgeon in Maryland, and Rebecca was told that her hips were bad and that they needed to schedule surgery. This has never been the verdict--not from Dr. Farley at Michigan, nor from another doctor in Utah--so with a mother's wisdom, Rebecca decided to get a second opinion. Since she was coming back to Michigan anyways, she very luckily got an appointment with Dr. Farley.
Sometimes it feels a bit exhausting, having the babies around but maybe that's because there are always so many other people around. John and I find that when it's just Ethan, Rebecca and the babies, life is pretty simple and sweet. Of course, it was the one week where John and I were working at the temple for three of the nights, but I think Rebecca was fine just having some tasty snacks and Dish Network for a couple of evenings ;-)
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| Baby showing me that she's ready to EXERCISE! |
I think it was Hannah that I was talking to, telling her about teaching Baby about the birds (but it might have been someone else). She knew exactly what was happening--Lollie (aka Mama/Mommy) doesn't ever let a teaching moment pass, and it's no different with the next generation. We are either learning grammar through conversation, or looking around and learning about what we see, or learning to talk to each other, or sharing our feelings, or something. Kudos to Baby because she can talk my ear off! But the best part was that, at the end of our time together, she was actively listening to all the sounds around us, and she could identify some of the bird calls! Oh my goodness, it was the absolute best.
And not to diss Brother, because that boy is a stroller boy! I always saw those babies who would happily sit in a stroller for a walk or run--I was never lucky enough to have one myself--and Brother is one of them! Put him in, strap in, and he's ready for an adventure. He literally sits straight up in the stroller, holding onto the front bar, watching ahead. The only thing that can possibly distract him is the sound of crinkling plastic from the fruit snacks bag ;-)And at the end of it all, we always stopped at the park to swing and play. #LifeIsGood
I seriously came home EXHAUSTED after those adventures even though we didn't go near as far as I usually go alone. It did bring to mind that I wish everyone lived closer. What I wouldn't give to head out on those walks everyday with Rebecca and the babies.
Another big part of the week? Eating! I mean, when is eating NOT involved when Kennedys get together? It was crazy to see how much Brother could eat...and how much Baby can not ;-). It was fun having Rebecca here because we got to go to some fun places to eat too (Smokehouse 52, Kouzina)
There's nothing like chocolate milk to teach a baby how to drink from a straw ;-)
Poppie fixed Bluey (his front fender had been duct-taped by Rebecca on the way to Michigan). 
I was stern with Brother when he went through our DVDs and decided it was fun to dump them all out. His first reaction was to do "shy foot" (where he grabs his foot and looks sheepish or flirty, depending on the situation), but once he bent down and realized that Lollie was not happy, he just collapsed into a weeping banshee.When we went to church, Baby decided she needed to take her shoes off like Lollie #MeltMyHeart
Man, it was so good to have them here.
We also needed to get one-year-old photos of Brother. Taking pictures of the babies always makes me a little nervous, because I've definitely had some moments where we didn't get much of anything great, but he was such a little man, posing perfectly in the beginning.
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I think we all could have died. That was the absolute last thing we thought she would say. Her hips are at 22% (they were 32% before), and anything above 30% needs surgery. In other words, like Poppie's weight, they're trending down ;-). In fact, Dr. Farley asked if we could return in a year for a check-up (um, yes please, any excuse to come back to Ann Arbor), but that she didn't expect anything else needed to be done.What a miracle. I mean, we've been fasting and praying for her hips almost since she was born, and here we were given the miracle. As business-life as Dr. Farley is, Rebecca couldn't help but give her a hug for knowing what she was talking about, and for being the conduit for an answer to prayers.
We sure didn't want to put those babies back in the car, but life moves on.
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