Mushy Gushy Momcologist

Their is something so amazing about your child taking her 1st steps. From that first breath of life, to rolling over, to sitting up, to scooting around the room and on furniture but their is something so magical about those tiny toes grazing the floor. Well we are please to announce for the past 3 nights Mallory has taken 4 steps each night. Her little wiggly diaper butt standing in front of me, taking steps like's she's known how to her entire life. It's just amazing, gut wrenching amazing.

 The thing is, I thought milestones wouldn't be as big of a deal with our 2nd one, we've seen them before. But that's not true at all. They are just as incredible as when Jillian did them. Seeing our girls morph from completely helpless to little tiny people is just so hard to describe. It's magical. 

 This month I've been in and out of tears, thinking of all of the amazing moments we have achieved these past 7 years. As we lived in our first apartment, to our 2nd apartment, and then buying a house. Then it was onto the "baby stage" in our life, where we brought home this precious newborn for the first time and fumbled with EVERYTHING. Where we drove 20 miles on the highway, then couldn't figure out how to get her wiggly arms in the sleeves of her clothes, to nursing and failing at that, then learning that she was going to thrive no matter what, from making baby food, to learning how to let go of her so I could take a shower without her actually in my bathroom and that too she would survive. And that sweet girl that we took home is going to be 3 before we know it. 

I am amazed at how much easier it was to bring home Mallory, how much more fluent we were. That it was ok to take a detour on our way home to grab diet cokes, to giving her baths, and realizing her arms really where more sturdy than we thought, that she would be ok mingling on her own while I got a quick power shower in. Then to her fighting to cancer, well that was tough, but within those bad days we learned that she was stronger than even we knew. And she graced through being a baby and to being a very very sick child to a resilient amazing little girl who continues to amaze us. She's physically on target in every milestone, it took her sometime to sit up but once she got it that was the end of our sweet peanut sitting still. To say the least, the walking is just amazing. No she's not doing it all the time but it's still a HUGE step. From thinking that she wasn't going to make it to see this day makes it so very special.

 And our dear sweet Jillian, she is so smart. She started saying her alphabet around 2 and now she can tell us the sounds that the letters make, she can count to 20 without skipping 13 & 14 now (we've worked on that one for a LONG time!), and she's constantly amazing us with the things she picks up on. She says "Peease", "Tank Oooo" and "Wuv Oooo" randomly and much more than that. If you sneeze that little girl is right behind you saying "Bwess Oooo".

I don't know when I gave these girls permission to grow up but they're doing it right before our eyes and I cannot thank God enough for blessing us with these little tiny souls. They are so magical.

These past few weeks we've been really getting into the "grove" of things, between making beds, daily chores, and getting our house to the house that we want has been amazingly motivating. Our living room is looking spectacular, I started it while we were waiting the 6 weeks between Mal's last round of chemotherapy and her scans. Well I neglected one wall and some touch ups at the ceiling, well I FINALLY finished! I got a bunch of pictures hung on the wall, we finally bought a new entertainment center to replace our chinsy one we've had for 7 years, which held a TV it just wasn't in the greatest condition anymore. Now I need to update the pictures and it will officially feel like "home". Our Bathroom was finished right before our Baby Party with Mallory and that just turned out incredible, and we have an extra deep bathtub which is amazing. I soaked a TON while I was pregnant with Mal (with Jillian I was stuck using a shower so the bath was a nice addition). Our Kitchen is officially done being painted, now I just have to transform these thrift store frames into something magical. The theme for the house is modern with a kid twist, so we have a lot of bright fun colors but they all pull together to make it look not like we live in crayon town :-p. I can't wait to finish (although I doubt it will ever be truly finished but hey I am ok with that)

We've got scans in about 2 weeks for Mallory, so please send out some prayers for her. Her numbers where obviously a little on the high side this past time and we just need all the prayers we can get.