Sisters

With an arduous work travel schedule for the past few months, my weekends have been much less about relaxation and more so about trying to cram a week's worth of activity - laundry, grocery shopping, etc - into two days.  Despite the long weekend, this one has been just as busy as usual with family pictures scheduled for Sunday afternoon.  With my two sidekicks in tow, we headed out to Alexa's swim practice followed by an afternoon of errands.

I was on a quest to find a pair of jeans for Ani to wear in our family pictures.  At face value, this seems like it should be a relatively easy task, but not with this little peanut.  Ani is extremely tiny for her age, so trying to find jeans that fit proved to be an impossible task.  We tried Target, Carters, H&M and BabyGap, but even the 'Mini Skinny' jeans at BabyGap were way too big for our skinny mini.  Despite trying on a least 10 pair at BabyGap, Ani stayed in great spirits and thought it was a lot of fun to entice me to chase her in the large fitting room to try on the next pair.

Since Ani was still in a good mood, I couldn't resist the lure of a 20-percent off sale at Athleta and decided to push my luck and stop in a quick look.  Of course, I found a few things to try on but the large fitting room that would accommodate Ani's running stroller was occupied.  Alexa offered to hang out with Ani from the comfy lounge chair immediately outside my fitting room, and since they were within two feet of me, I figured it would work.  It was probably the best decision I made all day.

It was both comical and sweet to listen to the two girls as I hurriedly tried on my selections.  Alexa was a perfect doting big sister, looting the diaper bag for snacks (I think she ended up eating most of them) and speaking in silly voices to make Ani laugh.  I'm not sure everything Alexa was doing, but she had Ani giggling hysterically in her great baby laugh.  As I tried on my last hoodie, I could hear the employees commenting how wonderful it was to have that moment of levity in the day and admiring how sweet Alexa is in the big sister role.

When I made my way to the checkout, the cashier commented that the sight of my girls had made her day.  She said the love between my two girls was very obvious, and it made her want a sister (she was an only child) to have a relationship like that.  It was a very hectic day and afternoon, but a comment like that is another reminder of how lucky I am. :)

A little blurry, but my favorite image of the girls from a wedding last weekend.
There's no doubt they love each other.

Powerful Influence

In a house filled with every toy, Build-A-Bear animal and crafts a kid could ever want, it never fails to amaze me that the ones that get the most play, by far, are the herd of stuffed giraffes we have amassed over the past few years.  At least once a week, I find all of the giraffes together on the floor or rearranged on the shelves.  Both girls love playing with them, and Ani loves to make the 'munch munch' sound of the giraffe.

Reminders of Grant span well-beyond the stuffed giraffes scatted throughout the house.  On our way home from swim practice tonight, Alexa was asking me whether the Elf on the Shelf would be making its annual appearance soon.  Although the nightly placement of the Elf is kind of a pain, I always look forward to having a greater power than I....the threat of Santa...to help enforce some of the right behaviors.  I happily responded that it was Elf season, but quickly a much more pressing dilemma than good behavior struck Alexa; the seemingly androgynous nature of our Elf began to trouble her.  Our Elf wears a skirt (I think it even has pierced ears), but Alexa name him/her Granty when my friend Linda sent us it as a gift in 2012.  During the next five minutes of the drive, Alexa contemplating changing the name, using Grant as its last name - candidates included Katie Elizabeth Grant and Elizabeth Jewel Grant - but ultimately she decided she just couldn't abandon the name Granty.  She even rejected my proposal to change it to Grantie (I thought it may be more feminine), saying she needed to leave the Elf named after her brother...even if it is a girl elf.

Nothing makes me happier to know the memory of Grant will continue to live through Alexa.  She talks about Grant on a regular basis, tells people her brother is three and continues to remind me that I have three, not two, kids when people ask.  In fact, she's already narrowed down her dating and marriage pool substantially, as she has informed me on numerous occasions that the boy she will marry has to be named Grant.  I could see that likely changing, but if Alexa ever has a son of her own, I would be willing to bet he will be named in honor of her beloved baby brother.  The bond of these siblings, despite the brevity of their time together, is undeniable and an example for all of us.

Caught playing with the herd (Ani said the one laying down was going 'night night');
Even Alstott gets into the action.

Kisses all around!

Thankful

I stopped updating the blog last year – coincidentally on Ani’s six-month birthday – because I knew my work commitments at the time were going to make it a challenge to update the blog on a regular cadence.  However, as I have gone through the past year and a half, I realized that my blog updates were a therapeutic outlet for me.  The blog updates reminded me to appreciate everything I have in my life and also to recognize the impact and influence of my little guy upon it.  Yesterday, on the three year anniversary of Grant’s death, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I still need this outlet; I miss him so much.  I can't guarantee daily updates, but I will do my best to make frequent posts.

Thanksgiving is a very bittersweet holiday for me that is forever associated with the sadness of the 2012 celebration at Phoenix Children's Hospital.  I have been travelling a ton for work lately, so a low-key celebration in Scottsdale was the perfect way to spend the day.  Wildfish (Damon's restaurant) was open for the holiday, so it provided an ideal solution for our family dinner.  I was happy to abandon the idea of cooking since I returned from Tijuana around 10:30pm Wednesday night - not to mention cooking is not my forte whatsoever.

Thanksgiving dinner was exactly what I expected with my two girls - quick and messy, but a very enjoyable time.  Ani really liked the cranberry sauce, but by the end of dinner, it appears she was using them as an edible finger paint.  Since there's a Costco pumpkin pie in our refrigerator at home, Alexa selected a Godiva chocolate cake for our dessert...so much for tradition.  Needless to say, by the time we were ready to leave the restaurant, Ani was a mess of chocolate and cranberry and Alexa was practically licking her plate to enjoy every last bit of chocolate.  A good Thanksgiving dinner by all accounts.

I look forward to resuming the blog posts, a constant reminder of how truly fortunate I am.  There is not a day that goes by without a reminder of Grant and the influence he's had upon our lives.  His two spitfire sisters have the same tenacious spirit he demonstrated in his life, and I am sure he's proudly looking down upon all of us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving @ Wildfish.

Sisterly love.
I captured this candid shot as the girls watched the Macy's parade this am...hand-in-hand :)

6-months already!?!

It's hard to believe it, but Ani celebrated her six-month birthday today.  Time has flown by!

Today was a bit more meaningful to us than six-month birthdays are to most people; hitting the six-month mark was a big deal!  Alexa is very excited for Ani to start crawling and doing all of the other fun stuff she has seen her friends' siblings do...it's finally her turn to experience it.

One of the major milestones with the six-month mark is the introduction of vegetables and fruit into her diet.  On Friday we introduced Ani to sweet potatoes, and in true Hovey form, she gobbled up the new "treat."  I think 50-percent ended up on her (she grabbed the spoon and attempted to feed herself) or Bumbo seat, but Alstott had no problem helping me clean up the mess.  We'll be starting avocados this coming weekend, and I am hopeful that she acquires a taste for them as quickly as she did with sweet potatoes.  Fingers crossed for a non-picky baby!

When I laid a smiling Ani in her crib tonight, I too had to smile and breathe a deep sigh of relief.  We made it!!!  Just like Alexa, I too am looking forward to the milestones she will achieve in the coming weeks, months and years.  I know her big brother is looking down and smiling with his signature grin :)

The sweet potatoes were a hit; I'm still trying to
remove the stains from her clothes!

Of course Alstott was hovering as she ate the sweet potatoes....
much to Ani's delight.  He's #1 in our house.

The Quest for Freebies

My blog update have become few and far between, largely attributed to little Ani.  The little peanut is wearing me out!  During the past week, she has been able to outlast Alexa in the energy department, a feat in and of itself, and she's definitely putting me to the test.  So much for cutting back on caffeine.....

Despite being a bit worn out from work and my crazy girls, we were able to enjoy a wonderful holiday weekend.  I took Friday off - unfortunately Damon worked - and Alexa, Ani and I went to a pool party at a friend's house.  There was a fireworks display not too far from our house, but Alexa wasn't too interested in going.  Rather, she happily fell asleep on the couch well-before the display was scheduled to begin.  I was a-ok with that, especially since I knew we had a busy Saturday in-store.

After swimming lessons on Saturday morning, the girls and I had some errands to run: Costco, some back-to-school shopping for Alexa (the quest for the perfect thin, no-show sock...don't ask) and a little grocery shopping.  Normally Alexa's not too enthused about errands that don't result in something fun for her, but not this time.  She's become a huge fan of grocery shopping and Costco for one simple reason...free samples.

Last Sunday evening, I had taken Ani and Alexa to Fry's (a local grocery store) to pick up the groceries for the week, and Alexa could not believe her good fortune.  Not only did she get to sample the deli meat and cheeses that I ordered, but a bakery employee gave her a full-sized chocolate chip cookie.  She was in heaven, even exclaiming "This is the best day ever!" to some very amused passersby.  Hmm...next year's birthday party could be a little different if it just takes a few free samples to make her happy ;)

Since the Fry's samples made her day, I knew the trip to Costco would be a whole new level of euphoria for her.  Sure enough, as soon as we entered the store, she was looking around like a hawk to find sample stands and see what kinds of samples people were eating.  I've never seen a kid so excited for a cup of water as Alexa was when we approached the Sparkletts display; the employee seemed ecstatic to have someone so enthused about what would normally be a D-grade sample.  The thrill of the samples only escalated from there - she sampled a scallop (I ended up eating that one), cake, ravioli, grapes, chips & dip, won tons, a taquito, juice and some sort of salad dressing.  Her quest for samples easily doubled the shopping time, but it was well-worth it to see her so happy, not to mention it provided a free snack to buy me some additional time for errands.

I have a feeling she's going to be requesting post-swim Costco runs on a more regular basis.  She's even requested that I bring her journal next time so that she can write down the names of the samples she tries.  I had to chuckle at that request, as I can't help but laugh picturing her walking around Costco with her notebook, writing the phonetic spelling of all the samples.

Maybe frequent Costco runs aren't such a bad idea; it does get pretty tough to think of new (indoor) summer activities in Arizona...

#1 Costco Fan...I'm sure Alstott would join her if he could.

Rated G

Note to self....read the movie list at school when the teacher asks you for your signature of approval.

When I picked Alexa up from aftercare on Friday, the teacher had "that look" on her face and pulled me aside to speak to me.  Uh oh.  I was worried that Alexa had misbehaved or had gotten into trouble, so I braced myself for bad news.  However, it turned out that Alexa did nothing wrong, but rather the teacher was apologizing for the movie selection that afternoon - "All Dogs Go To Heaven."  Alexa got a little emotional when the movie was introduced, saying, "I know someone in heaven - my baby brother, Granty."  Apparently the tears just began flowing, stopping only when the teacher assured her the movie was about a different heaven.  That explanation seemed to provide her some resolve, but the poor teacher felt terrible that the movie caused such emotional distress for Alexa.  I felt terrible that I probably could have prevented this mess had I just read the dang movie list.

Instances like this reiterate how difficult the grieving process has and will continue to be for each of us; this something with which we'll be dealing for the rest of our lives.  I remember the support staff at Phoenix Children's Hospital telling us that we will likely have to inform each of Alexa's teachers and coaches about Granty as she progresses through school.  It's hard to believe that time is already upon us.

Now that she's five years-old, she is eligible to participate in sibling support groups, so I will be contacting the Child Life department of Phoenix Children's to see what resources are available.  There's no doubt that Ani's age and associated activities have brought memories of Granty to the front of our minds.  I am acutely aware that Ani is the exact age that Granty was during his final hospital stint; there are moments when it's impossible to look at her and not flashback to the grueling moments of his final eight days.  Poor Ani's probably wondering why her mom is always teary-eyed when the two of us are having our alone time on weekend mornings.

Little does she realize that her six-month birthday is going to be a milestone in so many facets.  Not only will the comparisons to Granty begin to dissipate - she's been in his shadow for her whole life thus far - but it will be great for Alexa to experience the joys associated with a baby sibling.  The excitement is just beginning :)

Alexa asked to see this picture of herself reading to Granty;
she told me it's one of her favorites.  Mine too.

Mobility Begins

Poor Ani...I looked through the most recent blog posts, and the little peanut's hardly been mentioned.  She'll develop 2nd/3rd child syndrome if these trends continue :)  Although she has not received a lot of mention, she continues to be an amazing baby, maintaining her easy-going disposition (except if you take away her bottle) and quickly learning how to get people wrapped around her finger.

When I flew to St. Louis with the girls, I had strapped Ani to me in the Baby Bjorn, and she's reached the point where she can face-out (yeah...head control!).  It didn't take her long to figure out that she could elicit reactions if she made eye contact with people in the airport and smiled.  I've never had so many comments about my kiddos as I did that evening in the airport with Ani.  Our flight was delayed, so she took advantage of the passing time and made sure everyone waiting acknowledged her and her crooked little grin.  As passengers boarded the flight, she sat on my lap, smiling at everyone who walked down the aisle.  She seemed especially enamored with a twenty-something guy who kindly informed me that I will be in big trouble when she's a teenager.  Great....

Mobility is also becoming a huge factor for our tiny peanut, something we never really had to address with Granty.  I have to admit, it is odd to see a baby of her size nearly-crawling - Damon and I joke that she's like a chihuahua underfoot, all 10-1/2 pounds of her.  It's been a challenge for each of us to get used to Ani's scooting and rolling, no one more than Alexa.  She's been used to being an only child, one who's never had to worry about the small pieces that are associated with most of her toys.  That's definitely not the case anymore.

Alexa was playing with a Lego set and its hundreds of microscopic pieces off to the side of Ani's mat.  Even though Ani was several feet away, she locked in on Alexa and those Legos and wriggled across the floor in record time.  I was washing the dishes and saw the entire situation unfold, even humming the "Jaws" theme as Ani approached Alexa...poor Alexa scrambled to pick up her Legos as fast as she could.

If Ani can move this fast in the creep position, we are in big trouble when she's figured out the crawling position.  Alexa may need to revert to baby toys comprised of large pieces just to avoid the hassle!

Our future troublemaker.... :)