The Wedding!

My brother got married! Honestly there could be 27 more exclamation points after that sentence and it still wouldn't feel like enough. Lukas and Virginia tied the knot on December 30 on St. Simons Island, her hometown. It was beautiful. It was incredibly well-planned and executed (there was a 15-page master schedule that covered the week, broken into 15-minute increments... these people were serious). There was so much smiling and laughing and praying. And I am more than thrilled to call Virginia my new sister.

The dawning of the Big Day.

We wrapped up Christmas in Peachtree City and booked it for St. Simons on Thursday morning, followed closely by Matt's parents, who were also invited to the wedding and would be acting as our stand-by babysitters (having both Matt and I in the wedding was going to make it difficult to wrangle our little flower girls so I was thrilled to have the grandparents along!) It monsooned on us basically the entire way to the island. We rolled in just in time to check into the hotel, change, and head to the rehearsal, or what I called the "listening and following directions" time. Given the circumstances, the girls did an awesome job. Violet asked me to run through her instructions over and over as we were in the church, making sure she knew exactly what to do the next day. Typical Annie just ran around and charmed everyone. We were given lovely gifts of matching black hoodies with our monograms on them - adorable! The girls loved them immediately - their first monograms! We headed to the rehearsal dinner and listened to stories from the bridal couple's nearest and dearest. Annie was escorted home by grandma and grandpa while Violet made fast friends with the other flower girl and hammed it up in the photo booth.

Look at these beautiful girls! (Every time I want to chop off Annie's hair, I see a picture like this and be still my soul and scissors...)

Quick, while she's actually looking at the camera!

The wedding kiddos!

Love it when Stephanie makes it out from CA!

The next day, after a quick run on the beach (with strict instructions NOT to go into the water!), the ladies of the wedding party arrived at the Belt residence for hair, makeup, hoodies, pictures, the works. This was the start of the hurry up and wait portion of the events. I was worried about my kiddos... waiting is not always the easiest. But they entertained themselves well. For what could have been a stressful time, everyone was remarkably calm. Videographers roamed around, the photographers flitted in and out, everyone just did what they needed to do, I attempted to be helpful and stay out of everyone's way.

Virginia and her girls!

Getting her hair done like a big girl!

Annie, continuing her trend of not looking at the camera.

The countdown to making Aunt Virginia our real AUNT Virginia!

Finally it was time to board the trolley (Violet made me google a picture so she could understand exactly what a "trolley" was) to take us to the St. Simons lighthouse, scene of the wedding reception and pre-wedding pictures. Overnight the temperature had dropped 20 degrees, meaning we were looking at outdoor photos by the ocean in low-50 degree weather. But the sun was shining and we were counting on adrenaline and love to keep us warm!

We're Hunting Eggs, Again!

Egg hunt no. 5, still excited!

Violet had a record-breaking five egg hunts this year: the neighborhood sponsored one, a school hunt, one in our own backyard with the neighbors, one with our small group at a friend's house, and one at Grandma's house on Easter Sunday.

She was super psyched for every single one. I guess finding brightly colored eggs filled with candy (or money!) never gets old.

After finding all the eggs Grandma and Mimi had put out, she refilled a few eggs and set out to orchestrate her own egg hunt just for Daddy and Uncle Lukas. Those boys. Let me tell you, she was in take-charge mode, directing them through the backyard to every egg, and they dutifully followed along. Easter at Matt's family's home, with my family along for the celebration, was the perfect way to end what has seemed like a long Easter holiday season. Now, as soon as this candy is gone (probably tomorrow at the rate Violet's going) we can pack it up until the next big candy holiday season, Halloween. Whew!

Follow the dictator leader. Rocking her rain boots like a pro.

The egg toss. Such good sports, the two men in my life.

Six Weeks

I can't believe it's been six weeks already! I don't have a newborn anymore, I have a full-fledged baby. And my maternity leave is half over. The time has just flown by and I am drinking in these days.

We had a busy day yesterday. Once I dropped Violet off at school, it was time for Annie to eat, so we plopped ourselves down in the infant room. It was great getting to see the place where Annie will be headed come January. I got to meet the teachers and see how things are done. Annie loved it! She was so alert, looking around the room at all the bright colors. And it was fun to see the other babies and look forward to everything Annelise will be doing soon.

After an hour in the infant room, we packed up and headed over to my school. It was picture make-up day, and since I missed the initial yearbook picture day, I figured I'd pop in and get it done. Then I headed down the hall to surprise my class. They were so excited to see us! They loved the baby, of course. I was showered with hugs and smiles and I was surprised to find myself actually excited to see them too. Already the boys and girls look so much more grown up than when I left them six weeks ago.

From there we headed over to the educational center to get Violet registered with the county so she can be evaluated for speech. She definitely needs it and I'm hoping to get her in now, as opposed to waiting until kindergarten. It's one of those things that was on my must-do-during-maternity-leave list, so I'm glad I finally got it crossed off. We have to wait for our evaluation appointment now.

That afternoon, my brother came up to hang out. Matt was out of town, and I always feel more comfortable when someone else is in the house with me. (Don't even get me started on the zombie nightmare I had the night before!) So he agreed to crash on the couch. It is so fun to see the relationship between Violet and Lukas blossoming. She used to be fairly shy around him, but now she can't wait to play and roughhouse with him.

So as you can tell, we keep busy around here!

Annelise - A Baby Story

And here's how little Miss Annie came into the world...

As you know, we had a planned c-section scheduled for Monday at 12:30. The idea was to get up, get ready, drop Violet off at school, and head to the hospital, nice and relaxed. I wasn't allowed to eat after 4 a.m., so Matt even set his alarm for 3:30 so I could get up and eat a snack. My parents were planning to meet us at the hospital before picking Violet up from school. My bag was packed, and I even upacked Violet's bag, since she never ended up needing it.

Oh, foolish me. I should have known.

At 2:30 in the morning, I rolled over in bed and my water broke. Oops. Talk about deja vu. I called the doctor as was told to come straight to the hospital. I called our neighbor A., our plan for just this type of situation. She unlocked her back door and after throwing Violet's clothes back in her bag, we carried her over. She was surprisingly agreeable (or just half asleep still) and snuggled right down, to our great relief. I called my mom, just to let her know the baby would be a little ahead of schedule. Then we hopped in the car and were on our way.

At this point the contractions had started up, pretty intense. Once the nurse checked me and discovered I was already five cm dilated, she stated that things were going to happen quickly. And did they! In no time I was in the intensely lit, freezing cold, very crowded operating room. And within 20 minutes, Annie was born, weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 5 oz. No one in the room predicted she would be that big! Then I lay there on the table, getting put back together, while Matt watched over the baby as she rocked her apgar score and got herself nice and pretty. From my view, I caught a glimpse of little hands and feet waving. It was a very different experience than Violet's birth.

It's strange. I feel much more relaxed and far less emotional than I did with Violet. I think having gone through one birth and newborn stage and everyone has survived to tell the tale gives me lots of confidence. It's a relief to feel like I know what I'm doing this time. On the other hand, this being my first c-section, there is a lot that is very different, mainly with my physical experience. That has come with a bit of a shock. It was strange not to be able to hold Annie immediately, though it was sweet getting to watch Matt take over the Daddy role so instantly.

Once I was ready, I joined Matt and Annie back in the recovery room and got to know our chubby new friend. She nursed like a champ immediately and no one entering the room to help but remark on what a big girl she was! They gave me a lovely morphine drip with my new best friend, a little button I could push at will. And push I did, because the pain of a c-section is no joke. (Although the pain of delivering a 9 lb-plus baby would have been no joke either - I think she was breech for a reason.) Within no time, we were wheeled to our Mother-Baby "hotel" room and received our first visitors!

Papa stopped by.

Annie and Mimi.

Aunt Dani came by...

And so did Uncle Lukas.

Miss Amy meets Miss Annie!

Big sister makes her big arrival.

My girls!

Violet did so well meeting her little sister for the first time. She loved giving Annie the presents she'd picked out (random toys, a paci, a little Curious George doll) and really loved opening the presents Annie had ready for her (a big Curious George, book, and lots of candy). She was mildly curious: "Mommy, why is your tummy still big?"... "Mommy, the baby is too loud!" But she was also sweet and gentle with the new baby, even willing to share a spot on the bed with her.

Talk about a busy day! I am so glad I ended up having the c-section hours earlier than planned. By 5 p.m., 12 hours later, I was finally on the upswing and getting a jump on my recovery. The grogginess from the medication was wearing off, the morphine was doing its job keeping the major pain at bay, and I was actually able to get out of bed and move around a little. Annie proved herself to be quite a little sweetie, a trend that continues even now!

Birthday Do-Over

Remember when Violet turned three? We had our special birthday breakfast before school... she was all grins and silliness...? Yeah, well, what I never mentioned is that I got a call from daycare that afternoon telling me to come get the birthday girl because the poor thing was throwing up.

I got her home, assuring myself it was just a fluke, probably too many treats at school, she'd be fine in the morning, just in time for her big Build-a-Bear birthday bash. Except then she threw up all over the couch.

Still I was feeling relatively confident the show could go on. It was probably just a bit of a stomach bug, nothing a good night's rest couldn't cure. But then she threw up at 2 a.m., all over herself and her bed. Twice. And I knew at that point that her party was toast.

And thus began a miserable birthday weekend. I scrambled the next morning to contact all the party guests, telling them we would NOT be at the mall for cupcakes and teddy bears that morning. Violet continued to be sick all day, on the couch, once on me... She refused to eat anything, and wasn't able to keep down anything I did manage to bribe her with. (When this kid refuses cookies and ice cream, you know something is legitimately wrong.) Her only Saturday activities were watching movies, sleeping, and throwing up. We skipped church on Sunday and Grandma came up later that day so Matt and I could go to a funeral (I'm telling you, the weekend just kept getting worse!) and stayed through Monday so Violet could have one more day to recover.

All that to say... both her Build-a-Bear party and our family party were cancelled. And while I'm still working on rescheduling the bears, we finally had our family up for a birthday re-do. Three started pretty rough, but this has now turned into the never-ending birthday celebration. It was so nice to celebrate with our parents and my brother and sis-in-law. Violet got some cute new things to go in her newly-organized playroom (Matt went on a cleaning/organizing/sorting rampage this morning, determined to get rid of some unused toys to make way for the upcoming loot.)

The Big 3, Finally!

So I think I can safely say that Violet had a pretty good third birthday. And hey, being three can only improve from here!

You Say It's My Birthday

Well, another birthday has come and gone. As I told my first graders, I turned 29 again... for the fourth time. It was a good birthday, a low-key one, and I'm happy with that.

Violet is diligently doing her best to help me blow out those candles.

Matt and Violet snuck out early Thursday morning and came home bearing doughnuts from my favorite shop in town, which was a fun surprise. My school kids were SO excited and couldn't wait for me to open the presents they brought. I was showered with chocolate, Starbucks cards, and a few gems I won't quickly forget.

I had two students who brought in jewelry which they unabashedly confessed had belonged to their moms but been deemed unwearable - but perfect for regifting! In one case, I'm still not entirely sure the mother knows her bracelet is now in my possession!

But the best gift was the basket from the whole class, filled with books for the classroom library. These are books I've used throughout the year as mentor texts and teaching tools, and it will be so nice to have them at hand next year, rather than scrambling to borrow them from the media center or fellow teachers.

I wasn't the only one receiving gifts at lunch - check out the matching SI jackets!

Then today we spent a lovely lunch with my family in Peachtree City. And I'm now the proud owner of an ice cream machine! It's one of those splurges that I would never be able to justify making myself, but the perfect thing to receive from someone else. I'm looking forward to trying it out (and slightly scared of knowing the ingredients it takes).

Some Holiday Pictures

Angry Birds with Grandma.

Merry Christmas from this guy...

...and this guy (it still surprises me that my brother doesn't have hair)...

...and this guy.

Violet is loving her princess gear!

What We've Been Up To

Just in case you thought all I do these days is complain about how stressed out I am at work, here are a few random events to prove I still have a life. A life that includes sweet new babies, family, fun with the neighbors, and puppies. Really, what's not to love?!

My newest little friend! (Courtesy of proud parents Travis and Wendi.)

Hanging out with my best girl.

Birthday lunch for Aunt Dani.

Getting ready for picture day at school!

Hot date at Publix.

Tucking the puppy in for the night while dog-sitting for the weekend.

Lake House Weekend

This weekend my family had the pleasure of heading to a beautiful Oconee lake house for a mini-family reunion in honor of my mom's birthday. Mom has long dreamed of having all her kids take a mini-vacation like this, and we were all excited to make it happen for her big day. 

The lake house was fabulous. We're already scheming to go back.

Our best attempts at fishing. Danielle won for the biggest stick.

It was a nice relaxing weekend filled with laying on the dock, testing out the paddle boat, cooking and eating together, just being a family. We're all so busy, we really treasure the times we get to spend together. And it's easier to relax when we're all away from the daily pressures of home and laundry and work. Violet had fun hanging out with her Aunt Danielle and Uncle Lukas. She took a little while to warm up to them, but they won her over eventually.

Silly Aunt Dani!

Uncle Lukas shows off.

In true Swedish style, we all prepared a little something (song, poem, tribute) to honor my mom. Dad rewrote the lyrics to a song and we all serenaded the woman of the hour. The chorus went like this (can you guess the tune?):

Here's the truth and we must share it

There is none to match our Berit

We've shared a million cups of coffee, but we've just begun

She's our super Bee, and she is number one!

The Fortunato Family Singers.

It was pretty hilarious.

Some presents...

And a new book... (hopefully I can borrow it!)

The birthday girl declared the holiday a success and we loved it too. Happy (early) birthday, mom! We love you!