An ode to Woobie

Aside from her mommy, of course, (yes, you can laugh) there are really 2 great loves of Hunter's life. 

In 2nd place is 'Baby'. 

And in first place is 'Woobie." 

(An affectionate term I had remembered from Michael Keaton's 1983 movie 'Mr. Mom'.)

(A special movie clip included at the end)

Woobie was a gift to the babies (actually 3 woobies) from our good friend Mike Morrison's daughter, Meghan. The boys never really cared much about theirs so Hunter adopted them and has since been lovin on all 3 of them. HOWEVER, she loves HER woobie the MOSTEST. It's only about 12 inches by 12 inches so it's the perfect size for little arms to grasp and carry around. And that, she does. 

Here is Hunter, much, much younger carrying around ALL the woobies. 

(I'd never noticed Colton's expression in this photo until just now. He's clearly thrilled about something. Hilarious.)

Her love for her woobie is a very special kind of love. 

It's the kind of love that made us consider immediately running out and purchasing another one just like it in case anything unfortunate ever happened to it....

Unfortunately, we never did. 

And woobie is lost. Disappeared. Misplaced. Left behind. Who knows, really. 

Woobie is straight up gone.

Unfortunately, it's such a commonplace item in our household that no one can really pinpoint exactly when we last saw it. Kind of like the 2 missing forks in the silverware drawer. Hunter was pretty distraught (though surely not as distraught as I, knowing the real implications of a truly lost woobie) the first day she realized she couldn't find it. Nevertheless, we kept reassuring her we would keep looking for it, until it showed up. A few months back, we were actually prepared to drive back to Phoenix to Nana and Papa's house to retrieve a left-behind woobie. Thankfully, it showed up just in the nick of time in the storage compartment of one of the kids' chairs that Al and Grammy built. 

"OHH, Wooooobie!" Hunter proclaimed when she saw it again. 

Woobie might as well be a family member. 

It literally goes everywhere Hunter goes. 

That said, let me clarify my little girl's relationship with her woobie. Her attachment to her woobie is not one in which she becomes unconsolable or able to function when it is lost or when we make her leave it in the car at the county fair. She can still function, she just thinks about woobie constantly.

She  really, really loves her woobie. 

And when it's gone, she's sad. 

So, so sad. 

Woobie's been a lot of places with Miss Hunter. 

It's been to Dr. Goldberg's office. 

It's spent many an hour in the backyard playing. 

Woobie has doubled as a dance floor,

Woobie is never far from where she is. 

(See it off to the left side of the screen?)

When she cleans, woobie is nearby.

When she's on an airplane, woobie is tucked safely under her little chicken wing. 

When she's waiting in an airport, so is woobie. 

When she's walking downtown Kansas City, Woobie walks downtown Kansas City. 

When Hunter naps at the Crayola Cafe, woobie provides a comfy place to do so. 

Woobie, Baby, Hunter. 

Hunter, Woobie, Baby. 

Baby, Hunter, Woobie. 

Best friends forever. 

Woobie has watched Grammy Sky Dive.

Woobie has spent some unfortunate time in the toilet.

Thus, Woobie has also spent some much needed time in the washing machine. 

Woobie goes to almost all restaurants...here woobie is at Chili's. 

Woobie goes to Babies R Us. 

And where ever we travel, so does Woobie. 

Here, woobie is visiting our friends the Jen, Nate and Ava Borquez.

Do you get the gist here people? 

And this is only a SAMPLING of the photos I could've posted. 

I would not be surprised if, in a few years, I have to sit down with Hunter and have THIS conversation. (Thank you Michael Keaton for paving the way for me.)

You may want to scroll down first and pause the MixPod music player so you can really hear the video.)

Anyhoo, we've been looking for woobie for days now. We keep looking in all the same places we've already looked. You know, just in case. We've looked everywhere 4 times a piece. Hunter, God love her, periodically throws out suggestions of where she thinks Woobie is. "Mama! Woobie in da car! Woobie in mama's car!" And though I know it's not, we go out and look anyway. 

The fact that we have somehow turned it into a game is, I think, helping with her separation anxiety. Every day, before she goes to bed, right when she wakes up and at random times through the day, she proclaims "Where IS woobie? We'll find it mama. We'll find my woobie." {Please let this be true, I think to myself.} 

Recently, we'd had several visitors to our house, so I shot out a FB message to them in hopes that I had somehow sent woobie home in their belongings. One was to my friend Jen Borquez, who promptly responded that woobie was not with them. 

The second came from a blogging friend who I was SO excited to meet after years of following her blog and her quest to becoming a mother. She also replied that they had not seen woobie. 

Sigh. The only other think I could think of, was that woobie fell out of our choo choo wagon at the zoo and was currently comforting the otters or the ducks and was surely never going to be seen again. All we could do now was keep the game going. Just keep asking "Where IS woobie? We can't find it! I wonder where woobie is" and hope that someday she would just understand that woobie was simply, sadly gone. 

And then it happened. 

I got a phone call, while in the car on the way to Toy Story 3 on Ice, from my blogging friend. 

Friend: "Ami?"

Me: "Yes..."

Friend: "Does Hunter's woobie have polka dots around the edge?"

Me: YES!!!

Friend: "We found woobie!" 

No joke. I almost could not get off the phone fast enough to tell Hunter it had been found. I was giving my friend a stroller in which the kids played all morning before she and her baby girl came to get it. 

Well, I absent mindedly folded woobie up into the stroller when I was setting it aside for them. Thankfully, she opened the stroller 4 days later when she really could've set it in the garage for who knows how long! 

By now, I know you don't need to me to explain how excited Hunter was when I told her that Woobie had been found. 

The smile. The big ol' smile...oh yeah. It was worth the wait. 

"My woobie?"

Yes baby. Your woobie. 

Then we got this photo of my friend's baby taking care of woobie before they mailed it back to Hunter. 

At least we know it was in good hands. 

So if you need Hunter in the next day, she'll be outside waiting by the mailbox.  :) 

Don't you just love happy endings?

I know I do. 

Happy Blogoversary to Me

Who knew it was such a momentous day?

Perusing my own blog earlier today, I scrolled down and then abruptly back up. The little icon on my sidebar caught my attention. "Your Blogoversary is today" it so kindly reminded me! And how nice of my computer to remember me.  :)

Wow! 3 years ago today, I posted that first photo of the 3 black blobs who would become my Colton, my Hunter and my Ethan.  (Random Sidenote: In case you've ever questioned the equality of my love for my 3 babies because of the way I address them, fear not. I 'almost' always address them or refer to them in their birth order, which is Colton, Hunter and then Ethan.') Furthermore, when I lay clothes out for them or sippy cups, toothbrushes, etc., I do them in birth order as well. The only thing that's really not in order are the beds in their room, and yes, if you must know,  it bothers me to no end. The reason for the bed order is that it mimics the order they were in while in the NICU, and at the time, it made sense to us to keep it the same at home. Anyhoo. Just thought I'd add that in case anyone was afraid that I loved Ethan the least because I always list him last.  :)

Moving on. :)

It's so crazy to me to look back...first to a time when they were just blobs on a screen.
Then they became heartbeats on a screen.
Then they became 'A', 'B' and 'C' on a screen.
Then they became baby Boy, Boy and Boy on a screen.
Then they got names and became Colton, Ethan and Hunter on a screen.
But THEN, in a big twist of fate,  they became Boy, Boy and GIRL on a screen.
And yet they remained Colton, Ethan and (baby girl) Hunter on a screen.
And alas, they were born Colton, Hunter (who snuck out 2nd instead of 3rd) and then Ethan.
And NOW they are real live human beings who have changed my life forever.
They are my babies.
I growed them.  :)

And on this, my blogoversary, I just wanted to say "I LOVE MY LIFE!"
I love how perfectly imperfect it is.

I love that my hillbilly boys ride their quads in onesies in 90 degree heat, with winter hats on their heads.  

And I love my sassy little girl who is, well, an awful lot like her sassy mother.  

And I love this guy! I love that he's totally rockin the triplet dad thang.  

So there. Happy Blogoversary to me! 

Life is good! 

Bugs & Bedrooms (but not together) :)

I guess I really shouldn't be and yet, I am. Surprised, that is. At how little fear kids have when it comes to bugs and lizards, etc. But then again, why WOULD they be afraid? 

They haven't lived long enough to know that sometimes bugs are creepy.

I supposed when you're 2 and half a bug is no different than a wind up toy. 

It moves. 

And THAT makes it fun.  

For the record, bugs don't really freak me out. (Unless it's a cockroach.) I mean, I live in the desert. I'm used to a variety of creepy critters and still catch scorpions and spiders and release them back to the desert as opposed to killing them. 

But when you're in a zone, washing dishes and your daughter hands you something which you fully expect to be a hairband or a penny or a piece of trash and it's actually a bug, you do that whole 

shreak-and-flail-your-arms-flinging-that-bug-wildly act.

And then you realize it was just a June Bug. 

And it was dead. 

And now your daughter thinks you're crazy. 

So I'm getting used to this whole 'bring mommy treasures' act and I'm just cautious about which gifts I accept. I at least look first.  :) 

The other week, my dad, "Ponka" as they call him was visiting. He witnessed the kids' fascination with  this poor little June Bug who sadly met his demise at Casa de Bunch. 

I don't think they meant to kill him, but little hands are kinda rough on littler bugs. (So 6 little hands are pretty much torture.) They checked him out up close and took turns picking him up, putting him down, turning him over, turning him back. 

And Aunt Kristen had given the kids each a mini flashlight the week before. Aunt Kristen is a genius. You have a two year old you need to get a gift for? I'm just saying, go for it. Get him a flashlight. They use them everywhere. They take them everywhere. They are perfect for examining bugs.  

Here they are examining their victim. 

Ponka is doing his best to prevent unnecessary torture to the bug. 

I'm sorry, little bug. I really am. 

But you're just...so...

interesting! 

Moving on now, I have finished the 'main chunk' of the kids' bedroom makeover. 

So far, mama likey! 

Thank you Ponka and Genise for our new beds! 

The kids absolutely love that they now have 'ownership' over their beds, and yet every single night Hunter gets upset when I refuse to take her letters down. Sigh....

The adjacent wall (to the right of Colton's bed in this photo) will eventually become some version of  this ABC wall, which I  found on Pinterest, but originally came from here:

But this will come in time....for now, I'm just loving that they are loving their new room. 

And sleeping has become almost normal once again. Like I had mentioned, it was almost always Ethan who refused to stay in his bed. But with the assistance of my sister's video monitor, I am able to use the intercom feature to quietly say, "Ethan Bradley, get in your bed and go to sleep." And now, for the most part, he stays. Their 'time off task' has decreased tremendously and they more or less fall asleep within about 45 minutes or so. 

All in all, I am one happy mom! They still sleep late (8-8:30 ish) and they go up to their beds at the same time they did when they were in cribs (8:30 ish).  I cannot complain! 

So there you have it!

Next up, pictures of my organization frenzy! 

Up-cakes

"I cooook mama? Mama, I hep you coook?" (the extra 'o's are not a mistake.) "I see up there?" (Translation: please get my stepstool for me, Mama.) What can I say? Girl loves to help in the kitchen. Usually it's with me, but sometimes, she manages to woo her daddy into baking cupcakes with her. Such was the case a few weeks ago.

Lately, you see, she's been a busy little baker in her fake kitchen and has been forcing all of us to enjoy the most deliciously plastic cupcakes you've ever chipped your teeth on. Well, in a stroke of good timing, I had just made Brian read an article called '50 Rules for Dads with Daughters' which left him feeling extra sentimental. What came of it was an offer to his only little girl to make cupcakes with her daddy. With pink frosting and sprinkles and everything. JUST like her plastic ones. 

"Hunter? Do you want to help daddy make cupcakes?" he asked her.

SOLD.

What followed was one of the most heartwarming gestures I've seen in a long time. I remained completely absent from this process, (other than just taking the photos) so that the two of them could do what they do! 

Here's my little baker with almost all her needed ingredients. 

Step One: Read the Directions. (The teacher in me likes how he's tracking the print with his finger.) 

Next up, pour in the oil. 

Now add the mix. (After you cut it open, of course)

Never mind Colton...he was trying on (putting away perhaps?) my shoes. 

Unhappy that her brother is trying to get in on HER fun baking adventure. 

Let him lick the batter and he'll be out of your hair. 

I'm sure they make these warnings for a reason.

But that doesn't mean we have to listen. :)

Okay, well photos and THIS was my involvement. 

Taking em out of the oven! 

Can only mean one thing....TIME TO DECORATE! 

Pink frosting, just like the plastic cupcakes. 

And sprinkles just like the plastic ones. 

VIDEO ALERT! 

I think my favorite part of this video is at the end, when Brian's cell phone rings and Hunter starts dancing to the beat. 

The four cupcakes at the bottom of the picture are her plastic ones. 

The test audience (he approved.)

And so did she. 

Even the next morning! 

Good times. Further more. Girl calls 'em "Up Cakes." 

Is there anything cuter? 

*Stay tuned tomorrow for an update on the sleep situation as well as photos of their room redo almost complete!! Woo hoo! Things hanging on the wall = a happy me.