(My favorite photo of Sister bear and I taken at Selby Gardens, just days into being pregnant with Brother bear and not knowing yet -photo taken by my sister)As I am approaching the plans of Sister bear's 4th birthday, I can't help but think back upon the earlier days of when Sister bear was "little". It seems so long ago, but when I came across these journal entries, I couldn't help but smile, laugh, tear up and want to relive them over and over again. I know I can only relive the memories and with that, I am going to share them. More will come as I plan her party over the next month. Enjoy the story of a pregnant mother already mothering a toddler. Let me preface that Sister bear and I were living on both sides of Florida at the time, mainly on the west coast while Papa bear worked and lived mostly on the east coast. Yes! Glad those days of separation are over. Read on and enjoy the colorful photos that capture some beautiful moments.....
(Laying on her favorite blankets, the heart one from mama -a valentine gift and "Lamby" the lamb blanket from my mother when she was born.)Friday, February 29, 2008
so it's "LEAP YEAR" and here are a few Sister bear stories to share with you today, lets just say leaping is lightly used to describe this day.......so we're at the "little house" aka our apt in deerfield beach. getting ready to head to the "big house" our house in port charlotte. i am packing the car and getting it ready for our big drive across the state. Sister bear is bouncing around the house being her cute self and exploring new things. she finds a star that was once attached to a gift bag given to me by nichole, it has a little foam cube attached to the backing w/adhesive. Sister bear is playing with it, she loves stars and all of a sudden she is holding the star and there's no longer a white foam cube attached to it and she is picking her nose and breathing heavy. i immediately connect the two, while remaining calm and having brief flashbacks of stories from my mother about me shoving and sticking things in my mose as a baby. i tell Sister bear to stay still and let mommy take care of it. hoping she will only want to blow and not inhale at this time. i use my fingers as tweezers and retrieve the little white foamed cube that is obviously shoved in a place it shouldn't be and with great success accomplish a mother's dreaded dream. i pull out the cube and hug Sister bear with relief and let her know to never put anything in her nose again. i also let her know how badly she scared mama. she knows (no pun intended) what being scared is all about. mommy accomplishment of the day #1!
(In Holley, NY with Nonni picking flowers at a very old cemetary we stumbled upon. She is truly my sweet little flower child.)
(The best kisses from Papa bear, camping in Big Sur, CA with all our great friends and my niece. Sister bear was a natural at being one with nature.)lets move onto our next adventure....we decide to break up the drive and enjoy the youthful day and stop at the big shopping extravaganza in fort myers. we venture into target, a place i haven't been to in a while and just couldn't get in there fast enough. so i decide at some point, i'd like to buy me a few dresses for a pregnancy photo session i am going to be doing soon. while i try things on, Sister bear is enjoying all the fun contents in mommy's purse... she fixates on my burt's bees lip balm, it has a slight hint of pink, so she paints her lips, teeth and chin, i don't mind.. i am getting a moment to try a few things on and it's burt's bees, it's practically edible. so as i am done, i gather all the loose things from my purse, my few items of interest that actually fit nicely, Sister bear and lastly, my mind.. we exit the dressing room, i give Sister bear the dressing room number "4" to let her feel like a big girl, telling her to give it back to the ladies and say thank you. not another second passes and she's off and running, yes, with her number "4" in hand and a sprint that could probably win her an olympic medal. i am frantic (in my mind only, trying to remain calm) my vision begins to blur, i grab my stroller as fast as i can and begin shuffling thru the racks and let me remind you, i am at a SUPER TARGET, so with question of which direction has stella run to? wishing i knew, i pick one and go speeding thru as if i am playing broom ball with my stroller sweeping thru the aisles not caring about what gets knocked over or who i ram into.. i need to find Sister bear. i am calmly, but louldy calling "SISTER BEARRRRRRRR!!!!!" nothing, i can in my mind see her running in and out of clothing racks, laughing with glee and a sense of freedom that she longs for any chance she gets. her hair must be blowing in the wind, the number "4" must have fallen from her hands racks ago. where is she going? she doesn't care, how fun is this free footed journey. while mama is no where close to finding her, panicked and strolling that stoller thru target at a speed never seen before. i ask random people, "have you seen a little girl run by?" "no" they say, or "i hear one, over there!" over there, is nothing but an empty corner that holds jewelry on a turntable. i retraced my steps, thinking logically, she must go back to familiar territory, and just when i am about to think she's gone forever, another mother of two, pushing her full basket with children in tow, says, "she's over here, what's her name?" i say with great passion, "SISTER BEAR!!!!!" and here she comes, running into my arms, smiling as big as that sweet little mouth can stretch. no number "4" to be found... but my little girl ran straight into my arms. i told her that she "scared her mama and to please never go running away from mommy in a store again." i hugged her so tight, i forgot to breathe and asked her if she wanted some popcorn for being a good girl and coming back to mommy. she gave me a huge hug and kiss and then said, "i sorry mama. i want popcorn!" and away we rolled. mommy accomplishment of the day #2!
(Playing as she did so well on the living room floor at "Big house", our home in FL the place we spent most of her early years. Very peaceful place. We plan on spending most weekends there when we move back to FL in a couple months. Ahhhhhh.)
(At an Italian Festival where her great grandmother was born in Holly, NY. We were visiting with my mother in the fall of 2007 it was a 3 year tradition.)you think it would have stopped there.. this is not so bad, as it is just funny. first let me just say, if you like, love or just are curious about honey. you must go now to your nearest starbucks and try their new "honey-latte". i had it iced with soy, it is absolutely my new favorite beverage. so i drink my coffee slow, and once we got home, i still had a quarter of my cup left and so i put it into fridge to savor the last little bit, thinking i am going to raise my feet up onto the couch and read my latest edition of gourmet magazine while sipping my ever delicious little bit of honey latte, and enjoy my little home after being away from it all week and just being tired from the drive across the state and the few heart stopping incidents Sister bear threw her mother into. well, it's not that easy with a toddler and being pregnant and so my coffee sat in the fridge a bit longer than i had anticipated. so i got distracted and forgot about it. well, stella is very comfortable with the fridge she knows her way around it, not that i am comfortable with that, but what's a mom to do? she usually has a cup of "moosey" aka "milk" that sits on the top shelf right in front, for her easy access. well, sometimes, it is in the form of a starbucks tall iced cup. yes, she mistakenly grabbed my quarter cup of iced honey-latte and sipped it enjoyably. just as i put the sound of what she was making with the visual of an empty delicious iced honey-latte. i ran to find her finishing it with a big satisfying smile on her face. i laughed, i couldn't help it and asked her, "did you just drink mommy's coffee?" she smiled real big and said, "yes, i like coffee!" (and then she motioned slurping sounds with accomplishment) lesson to mama: no more coffee left in the fridge, sacrifice and put on high counter to possibly go warm. if Sister bear can't have it, there's a good chance, neither can you. so my daughter has definitely taken a few "leaps" today! and so have my heartbeats. HAPPY LEAP YEAR!
(Sister bear and her Noppy, my sis.. they have a very special bond because Noppy has been there with her from day one and we are very close sisters. The little ones know that from a very young age) 
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