Wrapping Up 2011...

Where in the world did the last two months go?!? Seriously, if you know, please clue me in! Ours have been an exciting, yet uneventful string of days filled with all the usual suspects: poop, spit-up, preschool, and doctors appointments. At the risk of running off the few readers I have, I will attempt to play catch-up in what may be my longest blog post ever, as these blog tales are probably my children’s only hope at a “baby book”. What follows is the abridged version of our year’s end…




Sometimes Leave Home Without It…

We began November with a whirlwind “Great-Grandparent Tour” through the fine state of Georgia. Four days of fun, including 16 hours in the car with a four-year-old and two-month-old… a small price to pay for time with three priceless people. Sissy was on her best behavior, taking long naps on every stretch of the trip, with the exception of the Friday evening drive through the ATL… she, like her Daddy, was NOT a fan. But really, who enjoys driving in Atlanta?

Somehow, we left home without the camera. The realization of this error seemed quite tragic at first, as we were about to introduce Sissy to some of the most important people in our lives, but the sudden loss of digital SLR provided a welcome change in perspective. Instead of focusing on getting the perfect shots, we took on the challenge of taking each moment in, hoping to make the memories last, while also chronicling our trip through the lens of an iPhone. It didn’t turn out too bad after all… (Though somehow we missed getting a picture of Gammy and Sissy…Sorry Gammy!)

Two Months Old…

At two months old, Sissy weighed-in at 11 pounds, 5 ounces… 22.5 inches long. We quickly learned that her stellar car behavior on our trip was merely a one-time occurrence, or an act of God, as she returned promptly to her hatred of the car seat. While she continued to give us sore ears during the day, thankfully, she began sleeping through the night on a semi-regular basis! Though the hour of said “bed time” is anything but regular, at least we get a good 5 to 8 hours of peace once she gives in to sleep. Sissy continues to smile more and even learned a new trick, which she enjoys greatly: sticking her tongue out. Her “vocabulary” is expanding as well, adding cooing to her already perfected skills of screaming and wailing… a welcome addition for sure!

Our Little Turkey…

The Goose is a little shy when it comes to public appearances, so instead of having “special words” at her preschool Thanksgiving performance, she had a “special costume”… one that we found extremely appropriate… The Goose was a turkey… a silent turkey, but a turkey nonetheless! Though she proudly sang her songs at home, she did not open her mouth once during the “show.” Oh well…

Thanksgiving…

We spent Sissy’s first Thanksgiving the same way we spent the Goose’s… at Mimi & Grandaddy’s house. Sadly, I don’t remember much from that day except that we had LOTS of good food, of which the goose ate very little (a common occurrence in our home these days), and we had quite a time getting a good picture of the cousins (another common occurrence in the land of FOUR). It was much easier to get the goose to smile on her first Thanksgiving than it was on Sissy’s…

Milk, Bye Bye… Give Whole Foods a Try…

In our house, we pay close attention to poop… so upon discovering some inconsistencies in Sissy’s, we wasted no time in getting to the doctor, hoping and praying to avoid some of the Goose’s GI adventures. The good news at the time was that it seemed Sissy cannot handle the protein in cow’s milk, which is easy enough to fix with some dietary restriction on my part. So with the hope of a happier, healthier baby, I gladly gave up milk… then soy… then beef… then wheat… then… well, the jury’s still out on what to do next… stay tuned.

Meanwhile, we had toyed with the idea of making the switch to a whole foods diet of sorts (prompted by the 60 Minutes special on “natural flavors” G.R.O.S.S.), so the loss of milk proved to be just the kick in the pants motivation I needed to get a bit more real and a lot less chemical in our family’s diet. It has been a welcome change! Hopefully we’ll share more about that later too.



Firsts…

Advent came and went in a flash this year, and with it came some special firsts…

We were asked to light the first Advent candle at church this year, which made us feel even more like a part of the “family” at our new church.

After seven years of the same 3-foot artificial tree, we finally gave in and got a REAL, 7-foot Christmas tree, which we even cut down ourselves! Surprisingly, the Goose initially wanted nothing to do with the whole “authentic” Christmas tree experience… She stomped, cried, and pouted the whole way to the tree farm, loudly protesting that she did NOT want a new tree! And when asked why, simply responded “because our little one is fine!” Ahh, FOUR. Upon our arrival however, my how quickly her tune changed… merely at the sight of the inflatable Christmas décor lining the tree farm drive, she was in heaven! Her mood only got better as she spied the giant knitted Santa and the tree full of candy canes. And when she heard there was free hot chocolate… well the little dear’s heart nearly burst with excitement! Truth be told, even the accountant had a glimmer in his eye, despite the cost of authenticity… he was pretty proud of his efforts and happily announced that we now have a new family tradition.

The Goose also participated in her first official Christmas Pageant. The four-year-olds were the townspeople and had the very important line “ALLELUAH!”

Sissy made her first visit to Daddy’s office for the company Christmas party. Thankfully, both girls were remarkably well behaved. They enjoyed meeting all of “Daddy’s work friends” and playing in his office with “the chair that spins”…

3 Months: Don’t Put Me Down…

As there was no check-up at the three month mark, we don’t have any “stats” for Sissy, but we know she is growing! She now sleeps through most nights, but still gives us a fit getting her to go to sleep. She is quite a bouncer and has a sixth sense for knowing when the one doing the bouncing sits down… this sitting business is rarely tolerated. She also has a keen awareness of when she is placed in the crib. No matter how deeply you think she is sleeping, the moment her little body touches the crib mattress she is WIDE AWAKE! Magically, if you pick her up, she is instantly back asleep. This little game reminds me of a terrible song from the 80s… “Don’t [put] me dowwwwnnnn, Bruce!” (and yes, I know those aren’t the exact lyrics, but it’s what comes in my head!)

And speaking of terrible songs… “Y’all ‘gon make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here!” is also on a continuous loop in my head…

Thank you Pinterest for this!  (source)

I am grateful, however, that those are the only words to that song I know, but oh how true they are! The third month has been a trying one, in part due to the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, combined with an understandably fussy baby, an often hungry mommy, and a big sister who wanted to recant her Christmas list multiple times an hour. Add to the mix that Sissy is anti-napping, closing her eyes for no more than 15 minutes at a time, generally only after eating, and NEVER in her bed, AND the numerous diaper explosions each day, for there is no diaper strong enough to contain her! And you get one tired lady… with one cranky baby (or is it the other way around?). But our days are not all bad… when Sissy is happy, she is very happy and oh-so-cute. She laughs out loud now, lays and “plays” on her mat, staring intently at the toys her big sister dangles in her face. She also enjoyed watching the tree lights and looking at the shiny ornaments and now finds interest in the lights and noise of the TV.



C H R I S T M A S… In (a few) photos…

The girls had matching PJs for Christmas morning, but... Sissy's only lasted five minutes into the day before a major blowout prompted a wardrobe change... Oh well!

The Goose requested a baby-doll swing, scooter, and notepad from Santa. She was excited to receive them all, but enjoyed opening her stocking best.  She was also pumped about getting her first REAL camera! (she's become quite the iPhone photographer lately) Sadly, the camera didn't work :(

We had a special treat of spending Christmas day with our family from Japan!  The Goose LOVED all the extra attention... and the ballernia doll ("Dolly") that her great-aunt and cousins gave her. 
The dollhouse from Gamma & Beba was also a HUGE hit!

Happy New Year!

We were very happy to usher in 2012… asleep! We narrowly made it into bed with two sleeping kids just before midnight… it was a minor miracle. We were awakened however a few minutes later as the dog made his disdain for fireworks known. Thankfully, the New Year’s noise did not disturb the children, and so we settled back in, looked at the clock, and both laughed at how old we have become. We could not think of any better way to start a new year, for “God gives to his children, even in their sleep.” (Psalm 127:2) May he grant this awesome gift to you too.

Lost Art

I received two notes recently… not just cards with a picture and generic holiday greeting… real, handwritten notes… and they meant so much to me, provided me with such encouragement… not just because they were handwritten, though what a lost and unappreciated art! Taking the time to actually write someone… it’s something I so rarely do.  But in these cards were heartfelt words from two women I truly admire, respect, and love.  They didn’t have to write me… goodness knows I haven’t written them, or anyone for that matter, in ages.  They aren’t people I see very often, though I would love to.  They aren’t famous… they are just normal people with busy lives, but they are special… to me and many others I’m sure.  They remind me that you don’t have to do an extraordinary thing to be extraordinary in God’s eyes.  They encourage me in the way they live their ordinary lives, loving their families, friends, and neighbors.  They lift me up through their simple, kind words, and through the time they took to think of me for more than ten seconds, pick up a pen, a card, address and envelope, and buy a stamp.  They may not consider themselves very special, but they are… in my eyes and in God’s… just for being who they are.  I hope to find the time to pick up a card, address and envelope and buy a stamp for them, and others, very soon. Perhaps you will too… go find a pen and encourage a soul.  Be God’s words of love to someone today… let someone hold those words in their hands and treasure them in their hearts, not just their inbox.

Time Out

Well it’s official… I don’t have time for this… I should be doing any number of a hundred things on my mental to-do list… that’s right… I haven’t even had time to make an actual list, perhaps because I don’t even know where to begin. The floors are covered in dog hair & were covered in little pieces of Christmas tree, but the dog took care of those for me (thanks Sampson… I knew you were good for something!)… My kitchen appears to have no counters… the refrigerator has more food that needs to be thrown out than things one can safely eat… there is sewing to be done… cookies to make… a tree we finally purchased but have yet to decorate… Wes has made valiant efforts to reduce the laundry mountain, yet somehow there is still more to wash... But here I sit, using the few minutes of precious and rare naptime to type. Even I am not sure this is the best decision, as I am sure you might agree.


If by chance you are anything like me, perhaps you look around and wonder where to start and how to make this Advent season less... well, just less… less stressful, less busy, less messy, less commercial. I run through my calendar and my to-dos and I cannot seem to find one thing to strike from the list, nor can I find time in the next three weeks to do it all. I want this season to be about and for Christ but I keep getting lost in my own sea of worthy to-dos. I know who and what are the most important things on my list but somehow there is conflict in my heart… I WANT to do these things for the people who are the most important, yet the normal things I MUST do for these same people (diapers, laundry, grocery shopping, feeding) seem to get in the way. I am at a loss, and so I type and pray, hoping that somehow I will find a way to make time. Make time… maybe I can sleep less? Make more time… more coffee? Make even more time… forget the laundry?

And then, I realize… how bold am I to think that I can make time… only God can make that thing so precious… the one thing on all our lists, no matter our age… the thing that we cannot purchase, nor google a way to DIY… T I M E.O U T.

That’s what I need… a time-out. Can I just go sit in the corner one minute for every year I am old and think about what I’ve done wrong? Please! I need it! Can I cram my buns into the naughty seat? I would love to! I need a time-out, for thinking that I have the power to somehow make time… for thinking that I am capable of producing the “perfect” Christmas, focused purely on the reason we celebrate and yet encompassing every wonderful, memory-making thing and experience for my children, while capturing it all in photos I will treasure forever. WRONG! And so, I give-up... And I give up my time to the one who created it.

I am throwing my mental list out the figurative window and deleting things off my virtual calendar. You’ll forgive me please if I don’t make an appearance at your event… if my children do not wear matching holiday outfits… if my cookies come from a box… if your gift seems sub-par and store-bought… if my photos are mere iPhone snapshots… if your Christmas card arrives after Epiphany… and even if I wear sweatpants and no makeup every day of the week. I am forgiving myself… foregoing my list… and giving up what was never mine to begin with. Now back to the poop, spit-up, tantrums, and undecorated house I love so much… my time-out is up.

Gratitude...

I’ve never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving… I’m not sure why, and yes, I realize that makes me sound like a bad person, BUT… it’s not that I don’t like Thanksgiving… it’s just that I try to be thankful every day, not just once a year. Of course I am thankful for all the “usual” blessings of family and friends, health and home… but I hope that we remember and teach our children to thank God every day for all things, not just once a year for the good things.

So this Thanksgiving, I decided to think of those things that I tend to be least thankful for and take time to thank God especially for these less-than-exciting things…

For traffic when I’m running late, long lines, and the check-writers who make them even longer … Thank you God for teaching me to be patient.

For poop, poop, and more poop… Thank you God for healthy tummies!

For watching people we love slowly slip away… Thank you God for memories… may the good ones far outweigh the bad.

For stubborn four-year-old sassiness… Thank you God for the strong spirit of a child… may she never lose her feistiness!

For noises in the night that make me nervous… Thank you God that these remind me to cling to you when I am scared… and thank you that You never sleep!

For 45 minutes of non-stop screaming in the car… Thank you God for every breath this child takes.

For medical bills… Thank you God for those who care for us… Thank you for sharing your power to heal and knowledge to help.

For the never-ending mountain of laundry… Thank you God for washing machines and dryers! And for clothes, towels, sheets, and diapers too.

For freckles, break-outs, blonde eyelashes, and bad hair days… Thank you God that you make us all different and that your measure of beauty is not like the world’s.

For Wal-Mart… Thank you God that we can go just down the street to get what we need… and for people who make me feel “normal”.



You’ve probably heard the old cliché that “it’s the simple things in life that make living so grand”… but it’s not just the simple good stuff that we are supposed to be thankful for… the simple nuisances, frustrations, and sadness are great causes for gratitude too. Maybe I do like Thanksgiving after all.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” ~Psalm 34:1


“[give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father…” ~Ephesians 5:20

Inconvenient Blessings...

This morning I got everyone ready for preschool and a morning of running errands… hopped in the car… dropped the goose off… drove to Target… calmed Sissy down… put on my makeup… and then… realized I had forgotten my wallet… back home we went, hoping that we didn’t get pulled-over on the way.

By now, Sissy was finally asleep, so I turned off the radio and enjoyed the soothing sounds of the sleep sheep (Sissy’s white noise maker). It was then I realized just how long its been since I stopped to enjoy the quiet. Its not that I haven’t appreciated these brief and rare peaceful moments, trust me… I appreciate every minute of silence... But I usually take this time to clean-up, or catch-up. These moments are spent on ordinary chores, which though necessary and often overdue sometimes lead me to neglect the most important things.

So today, instead of grabbing my wallet and rushing back to my morning errands… I am going to enjoy this time. Instead of using Sissy’s nap to scrub toilets, wash clothes, or sew I am sitting by the window watching the sun shine through the trees… thanking God that I left my wallet… thanking Him that instead of being frustrated with my forgetfulness, somewhere along the way I have learned that we will never know what good may come from ordinary “inconveniences”… learned what things are worth getting upset about and what things are better to laugh at… learned that sometimes its better to turn your chair toward the window, let your house be a mess, and let your heart be full.

Or, as Frederick Buechner puts it in his book Listening to your Life
(a book which if you don’t have you should)…
“There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not to recognize him but all the more fascinatingly because of that [….] Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”

I hope you forget your wallet today… or tomorrow… or someday when you need to turn your chair away from the mess and toward the window.

"The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,and night to night reveals knowledge."
~Psalm 19:1-2

Boo... BooHoo!

Ah Halloween... what fun... that becomes what chaos... that always ends in weeping and gnashing of teeth... followed by months of when-can-i-eat-more-candy negotiations.  But still... what fun! 

This year the goose decided early on, while browsing through a pattern book, that she wanted to be a "nurse-doctor" (which is ironic because this year I did not actually make her costume. Sigh...).  Surprisingly, she never changed her mind and happily declared she was a "nurse-doctor" right on through Halloween night.  This decision was sealed when we found Sissy a onesie that looked like scrubs AND later when the real pink stethescope arrived... there was no turning back!

You may be asking yourself, exactly what is a "nurse-doctor", well you see... if you have your "doctor coat" on, you are, of course, a doctor.  BUT... if you take said coat off and just have on your scrubs... you are a nurse.  Simple enough... and comical too... as the Goose took her coat on and off her shoulders declaring "I'm a doctor! I'm a nurse! Now... I'm a doctor! Nurse! Doctor! Nurse! Doctor!" You get the picture :) 

hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work she goes!

Little Bo Peep found her sheep & brought him by to trick-or-treat!

... But sheep found a stroller & ran off to play...

 About this time in the evening, I think the Duggars came trick-or-treating at our house... seriously... a mini van followed by a 15-passenger van pulled up and out poured at least 20 kids... no lie! They came from all directions... trampling Wes' newly-planted grass... tumbling down the hill... falling in the ditch... they swarmed the candy bowl taking it from full to nearly empty.  In all this mass chaos, Little Bo Peep and Dr. Goose, who had just been arguing over who got to hold Nurse Sissy for the picture, both decided that it is more fun to handout candy than to hold a baby... abandoning poor Sissy at the same time without a thought to who may or may not be holding her.  Luckily... Mommy didn't trust them too much and my hand was right there to catch the baby.  I only wish we had a picture of her sitting alone on the porch :)

What a rough night for a baby!  Sissy needed some "down time" after all that fun... So she headed to her favorite spot... The changing table :)

Whew!  That's enough Halloween madness fun to last a whole year... Thank goodness!

Month in review... October

I’ve been trying to write this blog post for days… make that weeks! But somehow a month has come and gone with no updates. They say time flies when you’re having fun! When you have a minute or ten to spare, catch up on all our October fun… just pretend these happy highlights were spread out over the last four weeks!



Are you sure you’ve done this before???

I fear I learned nothing with the Goose… or at the very least, I seem to have forgotten everything from her infancy. I am sure people look at me and wonder if this is my first baby… as I scramble to find a diaper only to discover there is only one in the enormous DIAPER bag… as I take 5 minutes to change one dirty diaper… as my poor child screams in the aisles, check-out line, and parking lot of Walmart*… as I fumble to get the carrier out of the car… all the while wondering when I will go out in public with make-up on instead of sunglasses.

*Meanwhile... how is it that people go in the walmarket looking like the posterchild for rednecks today and no one gives them a second glance BUT... if you look half-way decent and have a screaming baby whom you are trying desperately to soothe while you attempt to check-out THEN people look at you like you have four heads????  I must say though, one very kind soul came to my aid in the parking lot, helping me load my trunk and taking my cart for me so that I could get said screaming baby and her sister into the car.  God bless you nice lady... wherever you are. 


Goodbye stretchy pants!

Elastic-waist pants are great… if you are in preschool, but for those of us over 6… nothing beats a good pair of REAL jeans. How happy I was the day I put away the last pair of stretchy pants and finally returned to the land of real pants with zippers, buttons, and pockets! Sure they are a little tighter than before, but maybe they can pass for “skinny jeans”??? Who really needs to put anything in their pockets anyway?!?



Lots of Hands & Wet Socks…

Sissy lost her cord at only one week, but we felt that was still a bit too early for a real bath… and she didn’t seem to mind the changing table “bath” too much, so we were in no hurry. When the day finally arrived to introduce Sissy to the tub, the Goose was SO excited! She decided she needed to get in the tub to “help”… As we all oohed and ahhed in our best baby-talk voices, Wes began to chuckle… not at the silly sounds we were making to reassure Sissy that the tub is fun, but at the sheer number of hands there were in one small tub… that’s right, there were eight! Two’s company, Three’s a crowd, but EIGHT… Eight is great!

Not so many days later, I found myself running late (if you can imagine that!), so I decided to delegate baby duties to speed things up. Daddy has always been in charge of bathtime for the Goose, so after four years of practice, I felt confident in his abilities to bathe Sissy by himself… that is until he says… “By the way, if you wonder why Sissy’s socks are beside the sink, they are drying out… I remembered to take her diaper off, but I didn’t think about her socks until she was already in the tub.”



First Trip to Church…

At three weeks, we felt ready to return to church. After scrambling to feed, bathe, and find weather-appropriate clothing for all, we finally set off with over-packed diaper bag, grouchy 4-year-old, and screaming baby in tow. Arriving a mere 5 minutes late, we had high hopes for Sissy sleeping through at least half of the service… WRONG! She made it through a song and the greeting time before the meltdown began. I decided it would be best to listen to the sermon from outside the door after a quick diaper change… only the quick change turned into a huge mess as Sissy not only spit-up all over her pretty smocked dress, but peed all over it too. The ensuing wardrobe change led to a screaming fit, which required a feeding to calm the angered child and, of course, another diaper change. By the time we returned to church, church was over… perhaps Sunday school would go better? Not so much. (Though we did enjoy a few minutes of peace thanks to Pam!) Returning home, Wes and I reminisced (over the screaming) how the Goose slept through church for months… ahh memories… we will remember Sissy’s first church visit as an epic fail. Thankfully, we were not easily defeated and week two proved to be a much more enjoyable experience without any major meltdowns.



Daddy’s new toy…

I didn’t keep an accurate count, but I think the Goose got at least as many presents over the last few months as Sissy did! She is one spoiled well-loved little girl! I only hope she knows how lucky she is… no one wanted her to feel left-out when her baby sister arrived. I think Wes might have felt a bit neglected though, so he had to get a new toy too… I am pretty sure the highlight of his month was the arrival of our iPhones… that’s right folks… we’ve entered the 21st century… our phones are now officially smarter than we are. And we wonder how we ever lived without them!



Pumpkin Patch Fun!

Sissy celebrated being one whole month old with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch! She and the Goose were both on their best behavior… loving every minute of pumpkin-picking, maze-walking, picture-taking fun! Really, it was a fabulous afternoon for all of us… even Daddy... as we shared our first “family tradition” with Sissy.

Is she a good baby???

This is what I hear at least ten times a week… often more. I have decided that this particular ridiculous question ranks right up there with “Are you going to have another one?” or “When are you going to try again for a boy?” in the Most-Stupid-Yet-Most-Often-Asked-Question-To-A-Woman-Who-Has-Just-Given-Birth List. I am also astonished at the number of complete strangers who ask the aforementioned idiotic questions. The latter two I am wise enough not to answer, but the first… well, the first sort of drives me crazy(er). What I would like to know is does any new mother really answer “No” when asked if their NEWBORN is “good”???? Seriously. Sure Sissy has only two speeds… she is either perfectly content or really, really, really screaming mad. But I am ok with that. She is a BABY… she’s supposed to cry… but that does not make her “bad” folks! That just means she is a baby!



Spilt Milk…

The Goose and her Daddy went on one last trip to Carowinds one warm Sunday afternoon. While waiting in line, Wes was telling her how next spring, Sissy can stay with Gamma and Mommy can come ride the rides with them, to which the Goose replies… “Mommy can come, but she can’t get on the rollercoasters… because if she did, Sissy’s milk would spill all over the place!” Hilarity I tell you.



Best Seat in the House…

Sissy enjoys moving, but only on foot... She does NOT like the car seat AT ALL and is not a big fan of the swing. She will tolerate her bouncy seat long enough for Mommy to get half a shower or eat half a meal, but no more! She is also ok with rocking… as long as you bounce while you rock or if she was already asleep when you started to rock. But her favorite spot… the changing table… go figure!



Six Wonderful Weeks…

Sissy is now six weeks old! She “celebrated” with a trip to the doctor for her first month check-up, which was a couple of weeks late, and a vaccination, which she was not at all a fan of. At six weeks, she weighed in at 10 pounds 5 ounces… up 3 whole pounds! (The doctor told her if she breaks his scale she has to pay for it) She also grew 2.25 inches and is now 21.5 inches long…. As you can tell, she likes to eat!

At six weeks, Sissy is starting to smile a lot and even coos a little when you talk to her. She follows objects and people with her eyes now and recognizes familiar voices. She has lost all of her hair except that in the back (yes, we have a bit of the friar tuck going on for now) and new very-light-blonde baby fuzz is coming in nicely. AND… after WEEKS of protesting… she is learning to tolerate her car seat, even napping in the car on occasion! Praise God for answered prayers!



Precious Pumpkins…

Some people like to turn their pumpkins into frightening faces… but we prefer precious pumpkins filled with even more precious pumpkins! Have a look at our Pumpkin Fun…

 
 
Now you are officially up-to-date on all (or at least most) of the family fun!  Stay tuned for more updates HOPEFULLY coming sooner to a blog near you!  Happy Fall!