Loving Littles

A wise musician once asked, “What is love?.”  I’ve good news for all the philosophers out there...love is my sister, Kara.

In all of the many hours of preparation and reading that Adam and I did as we awaited the arrival of our little Eila, it never really occurred to me that we could actually end up with a C-section.  I was completely overwhelmed when, upon arriving home with Adam and Eila, I realized that I had no idea how to go about caring for this screaming bundle of wiggles without actually lifting anything or being able to sit up on my own.

Eila SCREAMED her entire first night at home.  No, really, the ENTIRE night.  I didn’t believe infants could actually cry themselves hoarse - but here was my own little munchkin - sounding like an asthmatic chain smoker.  I’ve been lying to my choir students for years about this!  When Kara called Monday morning, I couldn’t hold it together and simply broke down.  Adam was rightfully exhausted, my mom wasn’t able to come for another week, and I was overwhelmed.  Kara called back before noon with a plane ticket booked for the very next day.  That’s love.

It was so wonderful to have such a down-to-earth, experienced, and fun-filled expert in the house.  Kara truly helped Adam and I see that we were going to survive - and we would keep Eila safe in the meantime.

LOVE IS...BRAGGING RIGHTS!

Among the first things Kara did when she arrived was put up a “She’s Here!” announcement on our door so that condo co-residents could share in the good news.  While Adam insisted she surrender her wallet for the duration of the visit, Kara was allowed one purchase - a baby balloon...and boy did she make the most of that gift!

She may have only been allowed one balloon - but Kara chose the best balloon she could find - and I’m not exaggerating when I state that the stork STILL LIVES - well beyond Eila’s 2nd month birthday.

LOVE IS...LUGGAGE!  Kara was the bearer of a massive suitcase of treasures imported from Omaha.  Eila’s Nomi-Ann has been keeping all of the fabric stores hopping as she hand-made all of Eila’s nursery items.  Plus, with the blessing of four older cousins from whom to gather both wisdom and hand-me-downs, Kara had her hands and bags full!

Adam tries out his new Nomi-Ann made baby sling - on his first born child.

LOVE IS...FOOD!  Kara also kept us well fed because she always has great recipes to share.

Her chicken taquitos were a such a hit that I made another batch to freeze.

While Kara’s an excellent cook - she doesn’t have quite as much experience with pre-made cookie dough.  The sugar cookies we were making for some neighbors who also recently had a baby somehow turned into a Settlers of Catan board replica.

LOVE IS...”HONEY DO” LISTS

I naively believed that I would have loads of extra time on my hands once I began my maternity leave.  The harsh reality of how little one gets done when trying to feed a munchkin eight times a day led Kara to take on my undone projects.  Here she is going to war with contact paper and the changing table shelves.  

LOVE IS...PHOTOGRAPHY

My amazing brother-in-law Jason has infected us all with a love of photography - though unfortunately his talent isn’t quite so contagious.  While I have absolutely zero talent with the camera lens, I endeavor to get better so that Eila has some visual record of her growing up years.  Kara got us started in style.

Kara taught us that the key to a good picture is great lighting.  Since the sun is a rare visitor in November in Washington, we attempted to build our own infant photo booth - to hilarious results!

Looking professional!

Thankfully, Zoe and her hand-knit twin were much better photo subjects.

Finally - LOVE IS...CUDDLE TIME

Kara has a real gift with newborn babes.  She is kind and patient with their cries and has a special way of calming even the fussiest Bump.

Kara took Eila on her first walking tour of Puyallup in her sling.

Practicing our baby wearing - here Kara’s trying out the Baby K’tan with Eila.

I’m not sure I can ever repay the great service the Wheelers gave our family by lending us their mom for a week.  Our family circle in Puyallup can feel quite small - but with Aunts and Uncles, Grandparents on every side, and good friends so willing to jump in and help when it’s needed - it’s clear that Eila’s village will certainly be ready to show what real love is.