Baby Meatball

Foundation of Love

Ginette — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:29:47 +0000

Dayla’s love and affection for Sebastian melts my heart on a daily basis. And it is not just one sided! Sebastian tracked Dayla’s voice before he tracked ours. He stops crying for her just as fast as he does for me (if not faster). I keep waiting for the ball to drop, for her to hit him or tell me how much she doesn’t like him, but I tell you as of right now this girl has had nothing but affection for her baby brother. I know there will probably be days to come with kicking and screaming and slamming of doors… I am not naiive, I have 6 siblings…but I think in a way that is what makes this time all the more special. I think it is so beautiful that the beginning of their relationship is affection, joy, and love. And on the day when he breaks her most beloved toy or she knocks down his lego tower, I hope that somehow, some way, their hearts will remember these days. I hope they always remember that their first days together were filled with laughter and hugs.

Minnesota Nice. Sebastian’s First Plane Trip.

Ginette — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:34:46 +0000

It was a bit of a whim really, but all the pieces just seemed to line up so perfectly. I am on maternity leave from work (so I have the time), the dates worked for them, the tickets were cheap (since it is COLD there), Sebastian is the perfect traveling age, and it has been entirely too long since we have seen each other. And so that is how this story began.

On February 8th, Sebastian took his first plane trip and he and I flew to Minnesota to visit our good friends, Beth and Justin (and their kids Haley and Matt).

I don’t know much about Minnesota besides that it is cold there, and that the Mall of America is there. So of course I was ecstatic to experience both!

Haley, Sebastian and I

Day one was the Mall of America. It is definitely huge and impressive with it’s theme park in the middle.

5.7 degrees and with the wind chill it was said to “feel like -3 degrees” Brrrr. It was fun to experience for a bit; stings the toes and bites the nose is a VERY appropriate description of that kind of cold. I also really liked learning how they have different things to make life easier with the cold (for example the mall has lockers where you put in all your coats and winter gear while you shop) and liked seeing that girls there still do wear dresses (I was wondering what Dayla would do if we lived there) just with tights and jackets and Ugg boots to make dresses a real option.

Here is Sebastian all bundled up for the cold:

On day two we went to “The conservatory” which had a tropical plant area, zoo animals (inside) and a beautiful building with a glass roof (that made it a perfect place to take pictures!) It was so fun and so beautiful.

Beth loves to take pictures, so this is the view I saw a lot. I was happy to see that my Dayla is not the only kid who gives her picture taking mama a hard time.

I couldn’t help but jump in and want to capture the beautiful model in this beautiful place with the perfect light too.

And every photographer mama wishes that she had more pictures with her own kids, so I didn’t hesitate to ask Beth and Haley to jump into the yummy light so I could capture these:

Day three we hung around the house and then took a trip to the store “Archivers”. Beth and I used to scrapbook with our friend Kristy (a scrapping trio if you will) and every time we scrapped together we would hear Beth sing praises of the store Archivers: a store in her home town and the “best scrapbook store ever”. Of course I had to go check it out. $37 dollars and two hours later, I admitted to Beth it indeed is an AWESOME store. I don’t have any pictures of Archivers, but I did capture some of our jammy time in the house.

Meet Matt:

One of the sweetest things was the way that Matt took care of Sebastian while we were there. Matt is just two, but he was SO interested in Sebastian and loved to “take care” of him by bringing him toys and rocking his chair and watching my every move. It just melted my heart so of course I had to capture a pic of Sebastian and his buddy together:

An awesome trip! The only bad part about it was having to leave. Beth and I were pregnant together with our firsts (Dayla and Haley were born just two days apart) and when Haley was just 6 months old Beth and Justin decided to do missions work in Austria. There have been so many times since they left that both Daniel and I have missed them, but being with them helped me to remember how amazing they truly are, and just how dear they are to my heart. And of course Haley reminds me so much of the girls here so I wish they could all be friends. Dayla has told me more than once (when she sees pictures of Haley), “I am sure we would be the best of friends”…and I know in my heart that would be true. And now Sebastian and his buddy Matt. Oh how we wish you were here Higgins family! For now, we will just enjoy our pen pals…and plan our next trip!

Thank you Beth and Justin for your hospitality and for a wonderful time! I loved meeting your littles and loved spending precious time with you! Until next time…

Second Child

Ginette — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:16:59 +0000

Although I had heard it was possible, I definitely doubted I could love another as much as I love Dayla, but it is true. My heart has grown twice the size and it overflows with love for our little guy.

The joy I had as a first time parent was overwhelming. So much of that joy came from “look what we created!” I studied each hand, each foot, each breath, and each hair on her head, amazed that somehow that little being came out of me. Each “first” and exciting moment brings a sense of joy and pride…”Look at my girl!”

With Sebastian the joy feels different. It feels less about me. I have so much more clarity that he is in fact not mine at all, that I did not create him, God did and He is just letting me hold him for a little while. As I study his hands, feet, breath, and each hair on his head, the reality of what a miracle he is encases each thought I have. I don’t know if it is because we waited and longed for him for what felt like an eternity, or if it is just the nature of the second child. However the way, I know in the depths of my heart that this little baby is my answered prayer (time and time again) and with each day I feel so blessed and lucky to be holding him in my arms.

I love having a second. I love the clarity that comes with it, the perspective, the lack of fear, the joy in each moment. I love that I know that the hard moments are going to be gone before I know it and that the sweet ones will too.

I love the way he lays right now on me when he sleeps: so limp, so trusting. He somehow knows that he doesn’t have to hold on, that there is no way his mama will drop him; I just love that. (Captured by Daniel)

I love you little Bash.

Just Another Sunny Day

Ginette — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:57:32 +0000

Last Thursday we had the world’s sunniest January day.

I promised ice cream.

That means we spent 2 hours killing time in the front yard waiting for the ice cream truck to come….and that lead to a whole lot of:

Dancing in the street….

…in pajamas and rain boots

Playing with our neighbor Sawyer

Finding out that Sawyer likes to model for the camera

and with a whole lot of coaxing (we had the time), so does Bean the dog….

The ice cream truck came and Dayla used her saved up “helper coins” to buy a Shrek Popsicle. Sawyer got a drumstick. Brother Sebastian stuck to milk while the older kids enjoyed their treat. It was a good day on Jolley Lane.

Baby vs. Baby

Ginette — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:41:56 +0000

Comparing. It is just in our nature. We compare ourselves to others….and yes…we can’t help but compare siblings to each other. Do they look alike, act alike, talk alike? I know that one of 5 girls in my family, there was a lot of comparing going on.

The whole comparing babies thing is a super fun game to me. It is good natured and a lot of fun. Wanna play? This is Dayla and Sebastian, both just over 2 months old.

…and with Dad….

…and the smiles…

I keep saying that I think Sebastian looks a lot like Dayla, “but with a bigger nose and a bit more square shaped head”. What do you think?

He Is Gonna Be a Soccer Player…

Ginette — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:43:39 +0000

Recently many of my mommy friends noted that if we thought back to the baby days and toddler days of our kids, we were surprised that our children had actually displayed much of their current personalities from the beginning. Then to top that off, today I read the story I wrote about Dayla’s birth here. I laughed out loud as I read, “Three hours later I was still pushing my heart out, barely breathing in between each push, and still no baby to show for my efforts. I couldn’t help but joke in my head that she better not be this stubborn once she is out.” Hehehe. She had her first “I want it my way” tantrum at 13 months, and now we affectionately would say about Dayla that “she will choose a cause and die for it”….so um…yeah.

So although all babies who kick hard inside the womb don’t turn out to be soccer players, I thought it would be fun to share the little things about Sebastian so far. Cause who knows? Maybe we will be able to look back and say, Sebastian, you were always…..”

Sebastian Smiles (2 Months Old)

Sebastian is the most laid back baby ever. He is just chill. From going overdue (taking his time coming out of my tummy), to the way he is day to day, this boy is just the most mellow baby I have met. During our hospital stay and doctor trips in his first couple months, doctors kept telling me “Okay, he will cry when we do _____” and then he didn’t cry. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from his doctors, “I can’t believe he didn’t cry!” Just a mellow man.

Sebastian is serious. Not unhappy, just serious. He will totally give you a smile, but it is kinda a half smile, almost a coy smile if you will, not the full giddy-as-big-as-the-world smile that Dayla gave as a baby. There are two expressions he seems to make the most. One that looks like he is just taking in the world around him. An observer maybe. And the other one is what Daniel calls his “old grumpy man who is disapprovingly looking at a teenager” face.

Left: Old Man Look / Right: Old Man Sweater and Pipe but with inquisitive look

Sebastian loves to be where the action is, but doesn’t have to be held. If we are all in the other room and he is awake, he will cry until I come and put him where we are, then he’s good. Then he just puts on his observer expression and we are all happy as clams.

Sebastian loves…I mean LOVES… to kick his legs. Just like in the womb, this boy is kicking all the time. Just the other day in the bath he figured out when he kicks the water it makes a big splash. He loved it so much he even broke a smile.

Dayla loves to help with Sebastian; an amazing big sister. This is clearly the bath before he figured out how to splash with his kicks.

So that is our little boy in a nutshell so far. I can’t wait to see what will stay and what will go and who this little boy will grow up to be. For now we are over the moon for him and that I am sure will never change.

And His Name Will Be….

Ginette — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:56:53 +0000

Almost 3 months before Dayla was born we announced her name. With our little man it was more like 3 days. Naming him was one of the most arduous tasks Daniel and I have taken on as a married couple. Picking a name for a person, a name they will carry the rest of their life and will represent so much of who they are, is never an easy process. We first found this out with Dayla, and then discovered naming a boy was EVEN HARDER.

Upon recent reflection, I realized it wasn’t fair that Dayla got a blog post about her name and our little man didn’t just because his parents had so much trouble deciding. So here we are with the announcement and background behind his name.

Sebastian Victor Sundin

What is in a Name?

Like his sister’s name, Sebastian’s name was one of the few names that met our naming criteria. It was actually the first name we both agreed on, but for some reason Daniel and I were unsure if it was the one, so we continued our hunt for the perfect name for several more months. God knew that we had found the perfect name; he just waited for us to figure it out.

We searched high, we searched low. We searched Swedish names, literary names, classic names, and unique (read: weird) names. At the end of it all we narrowed our list down to some top picks and then asked Dayla which one she liked the best (trying to be clever so that we could get her opinion without having her leak the options out to the world). ”Sebastian” she replied with conviction. We did our best to sell her on other names (you should have seen our efforts), but she was set on that one. ”Why do you keep saying other names?” she replied firmly to us, ” His name is Sebastian.” We sure do love our decisive 4 year old.

And so it came to be.

Sebastian is derived from the Greek word “sebastos” meaning “venerable” (venerable: accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character) and closely related to the Latin “Augustus” of the same meaning. (Fun fact: one of the other names at the top of our list was August. I thought it was pretty cool that there were two names on our list that were really one in the same.) We loved the way it sounded, we loved that it reminded us of Bastian from Never Ending Story, and we loved that St. Sebastian was a pretty cool guy.

Victor is not only Daniel’s middle name (Dayla got my middle name, Marie, so it was exciting for Daniel to pass on his too); it was also Daniel’s paternal Grandpa’s name: Milton Victor Sundin, aka “Grandpa Vic”. Grandpa Vic was one of the kindest men and most gentle souls I have ever met. I barely knew him to be honest, as by the time I started dating Daniel he already had the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, but when I sat at his funeral and heard the words spoken about him, I heard that what I had suspected was indeed true: he was one amazing, kind, gentle, and good man. The strong silent type. The type of man I hope our Sebastian Victor will one day grow up to be.

Someone is Smiling

Ginette — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:24:55 +0000

First smile: December 19, 2011

January 2012: Sebastian’s smiles are making hearts melt over and over again.

My personal favorite…your cool guy smile:

Some say you are a serious baby…but I think you just are saving your smiles for us.

Love you Sebastian!

A Drawing. A Note. A Cup of Coffee.

Ginette — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:54:19 +0000

My Dayla.

I left early this morning to take brother to the doctor; you on the computer playing games and Daddy in bed slipping in and out of awake. I asked you to be good to Daddy, as I always request when I leave. You seemed indifferent to the request as you do most times, but when I came home I found this on his bedside table:

A drawing. A note. A cup of coffee.

It was so simple, yet something about it speaks volumes to me. You were good to Daddy. You brought him a note and a drawing and a cup of coffee to wake up to….all things that you thoughtfully put together and knew would put a smile on his face as he opened his eyes for the first time today.

Sometimes you are such a pill….and then there are times when you do things like this. I love watching you grow up. I love watching you interpret the world around you in the ways you do. I love your thoughtfulness. I love your drawings. I love your love of our coffee breath (yes, you do stick your nose in our mouths after we drink coffee).

My sweet Dayla, I love YOU.

80% Good News

Ginette — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:47:10 +0000

Yesterday Dayla was a total pill. The kind of terrible that tests the strength of every cord of patience you have in your body. If you are a parent, you know the kind of days I am talking about. It was THAT kind of day.

Today Sebastian lay strapped on a table in the hospital for 45 minutes getting radioactive something pumped through his blood to check the function of his kidneys. For most of the time he was on that table I couldn’t help but just stare at my boy and take it all in. I didn’t feel sad. I didn’t feel scared. I didn’t feel angry or upset or any other emotion that I believe would have been an understandable reaction to the situation. I just wanted to memorize every nook and cranny in that room. I wanted to burn into the folds of my brain each facial expression and movement that Sebastian made there on that table. I wanted to truly stop and appreciate the miracle of medicine; that they can put radioactive things in his blood so they can essentially do an x-ray from the inside out of my 2 month old son.

I just felt present.

As I sat there desperately trying to soak it all in, I realized what I was doing was being present in the day, the moment, the blessing. It is easy to be weighed down in the difficult moments and terrible days as a parent (because parenting is darn hard). Just the day before with Dayla felt so long, so weighted. But as I watched Sebastian today on the table my heart was so full, an emotion on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Today I chose to be present in the blessing instead present in the terror; reflecting that each day with this little guy is a gift. It wasn’t just his conception, although that was an answer to so many prayers, or the moment he was born, although that was most certainly a miracle to be a part of. The miracle is in each and every breath he takes; each movement of his body is a complete and total gift from God. And not just for Sebastian, but for every child. Whether the child is prayed for and longed for, or a “surprise”, these little people change our lives. These little people are gifts, miracles, blessings….not just one day, but every day.

Yes, even on the terrible-I-am-going-to-do-everything-to-disobey-you-and-be-a-complete-and-total-pill kind of days.

80% Good News:

Sebastian’s two tests came back “good”. (YES, PRAISE GOD). But as I jumped up to hug the urologist, his enthusiasm didn’t match mine. ”The thing is,” his eyes softened with kindness and his voice gained a lot of hesitation, “his kidneys and ureter are slightly dilated and his urethra is narrower than it should be. These are usually signs of another problem. But, when we tested for all the other problems that it could possibly be, the tests all came back good and clear. I don’t know exactly why his kidney and ureter are dilated and his urethra is narrowing….but I want to watch it. ”

He further explained that the above is in no way “normal” and causes him to worry a bit. He said he promises to “keep his hands off him until we know more”, meaning no surgery until we have answers, but that he wants to continue to watch him and have him tested again in 3 months. The catch is that IF there is something wrong, something causing this dilating and narrowing, it can be very dangerous to Sebastian’s life in the long term.

I felt like this was good news, an answer to all my prayers (and all your prayers)! Clear tests! Everything looks good! I am overcome with thankfulness and joy and feel incredibly encouraged! We will keep holding onto the hope that everything will remain clear and that each test that this little guy is put under he comes out of with flying colors.

For now we will sit back, relax, and enjoy the smiles and the snuggles of Sebastian….and trust God that in 3 months His mercy will rain on us again.

Thank you SOO much for every prayer. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I am so thankful for each and every test that our little guy has undergone, if anything just because it causes me to slow down and bask in the glow of blessings.

I am so thankful for each and every technician, nurse, receptionist and doctor that has been a part of this journey for us along the way. Each one so kind; each one so understanding that the heart of a parent bringing their child to get tested (whatever the reason) is a tender heart.

I am so thankful for this journey, because I am trusting God in whole new ways….and He is proven again and again that He is so good and so merciful.

I am so thankful for hope, because without the little glimmer of hope we have gotten at each leg of this journey, it would have been so much harder to trust God.

I am so thankful for each person who has said but just one prayer (and especially for those who have said many!), because it is the reminder that God is with us, that He listens to each and every longing of our hearts, that He just wants us to come to Him humbly and ask.

(Here is a picture of our little man hogging all your prayer time) ;)