I reflect each week about how much I love and appreciate my weekly Wednesday Playdate. Let me set the scene for you so you may undertand why it means so much to me...
It's June 2010. We have just moved to Chicago. I am job-less (as I plan to stay at home with Elly when she arrives in September). I am friend-less. I am husband-less (as he begins busy residency again). I am family-less. I am 6 months pregnant with our first child. I am lonely. THEN, one day I learn about a website called "meetup.com" and decide to check out the world of stay-at-home moms and see if I can find some friends, some outlets, someONE with someTHING in common with me...
I have beautiful baby Elly in September, and soon after, decide to attend my first meet-up event with other stay-at-home mommas. It's at Julius Meinl, a coffee and pastry shop in Chicago. AND there it begins.
I meet some amazing mommas and eventually form a weekly Playdate group with 6-7 other mommas. All of our kids are within 3 months of each other, age-wise. We all have VASTLY different backgrounds, upbringings, interests, husbands, etc...
...but what we ALL have in common is the love and passion we have for our children, a desire to be with them at home while they are little, to experience the joys and challenges of motherhood..and NOW being able to do it TOGETHER!!!
We have continued to rotate homes for over a year now and I enjoy the bond we share more and more each week.
Here's the group:
Andrea, the energetic mom to Charlie and baby Jack, who seems to be on the same life track as me. Met her husband, married, had Charlie, had Jack...all within 2 years. Wow....I like this girls planning ;) !!!
Chrissie, the brave mommy to Bennett and soon-to-be mommy of fraternal twin boys in April, who always seems to be happy (even growing two babies, which I greatly admire, since I was a little "less happy" pregnant lady :/ )
Gaby, the spunky Mexican momma to Alexander, who makes us laugh with her English language slip-ups.
Lauren, the kind-hearted mom to Brynn. This girl is ALWAYS thinking ahead and always making sweet offers. She once saved me a rush-hour trip to O'hare airport with Elly by watching her for me! How generous!
Suzanne, the passionate and sweet-loving mom to Jackson and new baby expected on the 4th of July, who I immediately formed a connection with and continue to enjoy her company on a regular basis.
Tonia, the friendly "new girl" in play group and mommy to Gage, who always comes smiling and talkative.
Each week we swap homes. We make lunches. We supply snacks. We drink Cokes. We watch our little ones play and develop new skills with one another. We laugh. We talk husbands, family, religion, and, of course, lots and LOTS of baby-related stuff. We share the joys of our mothering experiences. We support one another. We make Wednesday's Playdate a PRIORITY.
I have learned so much from my "momma friends" and Playdate wednesdays. I truly look forward to sharing our time together each week. I am passionate about being a mother...and so are they. I need other moms. These moms, in particular, are a perfect fit for my new life in Chicago and my new life as a mother.
Thank you, Lord, for providing me with them!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
"These are a few of our favorite things..."
I'd like to try to stay up to date on the kids current favorite things...people, objects, toys, foods, etc... so I am going to attempt to do a "these are a few of our favorite things..." post once a month. Here it is, a current list of Elly and Hawk's favs:
Elly
1)grandma and grandpa Ganske are definitely #1. Elly just can't seem to get enough of "Grammy Pammy" and her silliness and grandpa's nurturing love. As we travel to Milwaukee as frequently as possible, it just seems that Elly is beginning to experience sadness as we return to Chicago and the reality that grandma and grandpa can't be around to "pamper" her all the time. We are so thankful for the relationship she is developing with her loving grandparents.
2)her little brother, Hawk. Most young children seem to ignore babies...but Elly sure is different (in a very sweet and unusually gentle way!). One of my favorites is when Elly stops her brothers swing countless times a day to give him kisses and "pats". So sweet to watch my children together!!!
3)our wedding album. Elly loves to look at photos of family. She points out each family member she recognizes and kisses them all...MULTIPLE times per day. Of course, she always finds grandpa first :)
4)goldfish crackers, Cuties, and fruit snacks ("fruities"). Elly's appetite has always been pretty good...but recently she has developed a LOVE for snacking. Elly has been a healthy girl in regards to her diet, so far... turning down breaded/fried foods and loving all fruit. Mommy, however, can't turn her down when she'd like some goldfish or fruities :/...
Hawk
1)mommy, of course. I provide all of Hawk's nourishment, and he is WELL AWARE of this fact. I have been nicknamed "Americas dairyland" by Tae, as he watches me pump 5 oz. of milk in a few minutes-literally 1/2hr after Hawk has eaten! Woah.
2)nuk, or "nukkie" as we call it. Hawk is already a big fan of a pacifier. With Elly, we attempted to use the nuk in her fussy periods between 6-10wks old, but she never liked it until age 3+ months. Hawk, however, is certainly calmed by his nuk. Mommy is thankful for it.
The simplicity of childrens interests and favorites are fascinating to me. I appreciate this simplicity and have been attempting to emulate it myself. Amen for my sweet children, and their simple needs.
Elly
1)grandma and grandpa Ganske are definitely #1. Elly just can't seem to get enough of "Grammy Pammy" and her silliness and grandpa's nurturing love. As we travel to Milwaukee as frequently as possible, it just seems that Elly is beginning to experience sadness as we return to Chicago and the reality that grandma and grandpa can't be around to "pamper" her all the time. We are so thankful for the relationship she is developing with her loving grandparents.
2)her little brother, Hawk. Most young children seem to ignore babies...but Elly sure is different (in a very sweet and unusually gentle way!). One of my favorites is when Elly stops her brothers swing countless times a day to give him kisses and "pats". So sweet to watch my children together!!!
3)our wedding album. Elly loves to look at photos of family. She points out each family member she recognizes and kisses them all...MULTIPLE times per day. Of course, she always finds grandpa first :)
4)goldfish crackers, Cuties, and fruit snacks ("fruities"). Elly's appetite has always been pretty good...but recently she has developed a LOVE for snacking. Elly has been a healthy girl in regards to her diet, so far... turning down breaded/fried foods and loving all fruit. Mommy, however, can't turn her down when she'd like some goldfish or fruities :/...
Hawk
1)mommy, of course. I provide all of Hawk's nourishment, and he is WELL AWARE of this fact. I have been nicknamed "Americas dairyland" by Tae, as he watches me pump 5 oz. of milk in a few minutes-literally 1/2hr after Hawk has eaten! Woah.
2)nuk, or "nukkie" as we call it. Hawk is already a big fan of a pacifier. With Elly, we attempted to use the nuk in her fussy periods between 6-10wks old, but she never liked it until age 3+ months. Hawk, however, is certainly calmed by his nuk. Mommy is thankful for it.
The simplicity of childrens interests and favorites are fascinating to me. I appreciate this simplicity and have been attempting to emulate it myself. Amen for my sweet children, and their simple needs.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
New Year, New Beginnings
Well...it has finally begun...my endeavors as a "blogger" about my life as a wife and mother officially begins TODAY! As part of my "New Years Resolution", it only seemed appropriate to resolve to document the lives of Elly Meta and Hawk Anthony (and of course, Tae and I)...
After learning that a blog can be published in years to come, I decided that I really wanted our children to have some insight to what life was like when they were small, and, therefore, am venturing to take on the challenge of blogging our daily laughs, cries, and everything in-between.
We are SO BLESSED with happy and healthy children and I am excited to begin this new journey!
After learning that a blog can be published in years to come, I decided that I really wanted our children to have some insight to what life was like when they were small, and, therefore, am venturing to take on the challenge of blogging our daily laughs, cries, and everything in-between.
We are SO BLESSED with happy and healthy children and I am excited to begin this new journey!
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