Remembering Again

I've been married four times. For nine years.

Four times I've had the question, "Do you take this man?" asked of me. It was simple and classic, it was beautiful and fancy, it was quick and functional, and it was casual and friendly.

My family is all in another state, and my mother wasn't able to travel, especially not for a whole weekend. I wanted her to be at my wedding. But I also wanted to have a big fancy wedding and invite all my friends locally. And I couldn't do both. Could I? And if I did, would I remember to do everything I was supposed to do?

Two wedding dresses & two veils. One my mother's, one my own.

Twice standing at an altar reciting vows and receiving rings. Three pastors, two ceremonies, two rituals.

Twice we sat at a table with three friends and repeated a quick set of the same.

Twice we had huge meals with many family members and tons of friends to help us celebrate.

Once we had a normal meal with a few friends who joked and smirked and winked.

Three times we cut the cake.

Only once did I smear it.

Once we jammed and danced all night long.

Once we forgot our marriage license. And once we filled it out incorrectly. Twice we had one notarized.

But now it will be nine times that we have celebrated our marriage. Nine years that have passed since we laughed over forgetting so many things. Nine years since we first were man and wife. Nine years since we were second man and wife. There are still a few more months until our third and fourth 9th anniversaries.

Am I wiser, truer, braver? Have I grown stronger, tougher, more faithful? Am I cuter, sweeter, more giving? I hope so.

He's more honest, more willing, more open. He became more handsome, more serving, more thoughtful. He does more than I ask, gives more than I deserve, provides all I need.

I never have more fun with anyone. I always trust his judgement. He never treats me badly. He always puts me first. We never doubt the future. We always embrace the present.

I love you, my sweet. My George, my pooh bear, my snookie-wookums. My tall, handsome hero. My rock star. I adore you, I treasure you, I respect you, I believe in you, I love you.

Nine more years will pass us by too quickly. Sometimes I wish we could stay in today forever.

Month Four

Hey there little fella! You have absolutely turned the corner this month. You happily tolerate the car seat, even when we're just out and about. I can't tell you how much easier this is on your Mama. You love your play mat and your little toys. You love standing up and stretching your little leg muscles, all the while wobbling about on unsteady tree-trunk legs.

You are still swaddled for your nap and for nighttime. Though right now, you are being too sweet. You woke up half way through your nap and every time I try to put your paci back in to help you fall back to sleep, you just grin happily at me. "Nah, Mama, I wanna play!" I know better though, and back to sleep you will go. You regularly will sleep a good 2 to 3 hour nap in the afternoon, sometimes with a wake up in the middle and sometimes straight through. You don't really have a long nap in the morning, just one or two cat naps.

You've started going to bed around 7:30 or 8 at night the past couple weeks. I generally feed you again about 11 or 12 before I go to bed and you'll sleep until about 6:30 or 7:30, wake up for a snack and get up for the day at 8 or 9. I'm hoping your four month sleep regression was the rough patch we had last week when Grammy and Papa were here. That or they were sneaking you candy so they could snuggle you in the middle of the night. Hard to say for sure. You are awfully snuggly.

Some days you are just too yummy and I could literally gobble you right up. Your pinch-able cheeks and your little ears that stick right out--sorry about that kid, that's my fault--are just too delicious. You love to giggle when I kiss those cheeks. Or when I smile at you, or raspberry your belly, or tickle your little pits. You are such a happy man. Life is good for you.

What is it for babies that throws the switch from horribly colicky to happy and sweet? Is it just getting used to the outside world? Is it getting that digestive system properly figured out? Whatever it is, I'm glad that you've crossed over from the dark side.

You're still on the twice-a-week-or-so pooping schedule. Some days it will be a couple times that day and then you could go a whole week with just wet ones.

I finally got all of your clothing organized and sorted into bins. You were lovingly blessed with a ton of great hand-me-downs from a friend with every size imaginable and I don't think I'll have to buy you anything new until next summer! Of course, I'm probably going to make you a few more Baby Tie Shirts. Is there anything cuter on a little boy than a teeny tie? I think not.

You, my sweet, yummy, happy, chubby little man are fantastic. I can't get enough of your smiles and giggles and coos and goofy little noises. You have been so healthy, growing so chunky and just generally being the best little baby every. May you have a sweet and lovable spirit all your life! I love you, my little munchkin. Here's to your first month on the new couch!

Things I Love Thursday: New Furniture!

I have strongly disliked my couch for a long time now. (I would say "hate", but a friend recently informed me that would mean I want the couch to be dead and it seems a bit dramatic for an inanimate object) The couch and love seat were the first pieces of furniture my husband and I bought for our first apartment. They weren't unattractive or horribly uncomfortable, but they weren't really "me," either. Most of my furniture is dark wood and if not antique, at the least, it is early to mid-1900s. The couch, on the other hand, was a very basic plaid and I was forced to coordinate everything else around it.

Suffice it to say, I have been keeping my eyes open for something new and different for a while. At the same time, I haven't been too hopeful because we haven't really had the money for a fancy new couch either.

Enter the highway fix. Yes, for most of the spring and summer we have been lamenting the aggravation of extra drive time while the highway has been closed. It has been quite the irritation, having added a good bit of time for us to go practically anywhere. Because of this, we have often driven through downtown. In itself, this isn't a bad thing as we love downtown and seeing the shops and people about. It can just become tedious when we know it could be so much shorter of a drive.

Last Thursday was such a day. After a morning food testing with my girlie, we were ushered off the highway at an earlier exit close than usual and directed through downtown. Therefore, I drove through one of my favorite areas and past the antique shops.

When I saw it I practically slammed on the brakes. Quickly turning around and snagging a perfect parking spot, I jumped out and examined the goods. "The perfect couch" was in immaculate condition and listed at a very reasonable price. I snapped a picture with my cell and immediately sent it off to my hubby.

Unfortunately, I got a "no" in return. Ok, not exactly a no, more like a, "if you can sell enough stuff to buy it, then fine."

That sounds like a challenge to me!

Friday I was in the area again for a brunch meeting and thought I would stop by to see if the couch was still there and if they would go down on their price. I got a double yes on that. Perfect, I'll take it!

The previous week we had been given a bedroom set for our son which included a solid wood twin bed, mattress, large hutch desk and two locker-type dressers. Him still being an infant, the only thing I could currently use in his room was the lockers. The desk could be put in the spare room but the bed would need to be sold as I didn't even have anywhere to store it!

When I got home on Friday, I went crazy on Craigslist. I also announced that we would be having a garage sale the next day.

As of today, I have sold $32 more than I purchased the couch for and folks are still calling me on a few of my items.

It's perfect and it makes me smile this week. I love it.

When did I lose a syllable?

With my little man's next monthly update approaching, I thought it might be appropriate to tout the girlie a bit.

I am officially "Mom." A few times I have asked her what happened to the rest of my name. She seems to think that is pretty funny. Every so often out of the blue she will say, "Hi, Mom," and give me a hug. Love it.

She loves the little toys -- Polly Pocket, Petshopt and the like. Then I brought up one of my old My Child dolls (anyone else have one of these? I loved mine!) and she loves to dress it and change it and she calls it her own "Baby Emmett," putting it to bed in her doll bed and sleeping with it as well.

Her preschool teacher says that she seems to be catching on verbally pretty well. She's not necessarily behind with her words, but she doesn't have the best annunciation either. However, the things she says somedays just crack me up.

She still regularly takes a 2 to 3 hour nap. Most days I can coordinate the little man's nap to hers and it is a wonderful thing.

She can be super clingy and needy or she can be fiercely independent, playing by herself for hours. The girl has her mood swings to be sure!

With every day she seems to be growing older. Her hair is getting longer and her little body keeps getting bigger. With, "Mama"being outgrown, I fear she'll be heading off to college next week. Sigh.

Fairy Tea Party

Last week we had the privilege of attending a lovely little tea party hosted by the local garden society. In the Sunday paper (which we have gotten into reading more and more of lately--I think we're getting old) I noticed a fun article about several gatherings they were sponsoring to encourage little people to enjoy and get excited about gardening.





I am a huge proponent of backyard garden. Hee-youge. Unfortunately, this year my garden is barely able to be called by that name. It resembles more of a backyard jungle, and not even a fun jungle that you'd want to explore, more of a scary jungle that might grab you by the leg and suck you down into its weedy depths. If there are any vegetables to speak of this year, it will be a veritable miracle.

At any rate, I love gardening and want to teach my kiddos about the joys and benefits of tilling the earth, (Next year though, kay?) so my ears perked up at this fun tea party opportunity. Besides, my girlie and I love getting all dressed up. "Balls to the wall pretty," as one of my favorite comediennes would say.


Now, I'm not likely going to be making us identical outfits anytime soon, but I did go with similar garb for the two of us. It was just too fun. Is she not adorable as she's holding out her little skirt!?

The tea party was a great success. They had tables set out with fancy china and lemonade and beautiful cookies, some that even had lavender in them, a recipe I am dying to test out. There was a story time with a book about butterflies and a craft area where the kids could make little fairy gardens of their own with sticks, leaves and dried flowers. The woman who was hosting the party had an absolutely beautiful garden of her own, with paths, fountains, benches and immaculate landscaping. We had a fun time searching for little fairies hidden in the plants and paths, smelling all of the different flowers, and discovering what veggies were growing.


If I ever get my garden to a stage where it is acceptable for viewing from outsiders, I am definitely hosting a mini version of this with friends. It was such a lovely afternoon with my favorite girl and what a great way to teach kids to love gardening!

Month Three

Sweet Emmett, you did just what I expected you to do. This past month with you has had a few lows to be sure, but it has had a lot more highs than your first two months. You can be happy in more places than before. When you are unhappy, you are still not quiet about it by any means, but it is much less frequent than previously. 

You took your first long car ride to New York this month. Frankly, you screamed most of the way through Canada. Mama and Daddy bought ear plugs for the ride home. Of course, you behaved a bit better that way too. Still plenty of screaming, but I found a few more tricks to keep you happier and at least mollified. 

You got to meet some great-grandparents, and many aunts and uncles as well. You also slept your very longest--8 1/2 hours! Unfortunately, Mama didn't sleep any of that time since I had a horrible migraine due to climbing back and forth from the front to the back seat of the car what with all that screaming. You also tend to be a noisy sleeper and were sleeping in the same room with us so I kept thinking you were waking up every few minutes. 

Some days you will take fabulous three hour naps by yourself (amazingly at the same time as big sissy!) and other days I need to snuggle nap with you to get an hour or two. But really, who can complain about a baby snuggle nap!? Take today for example. You took half a nap in your swing, woke up wailing, didn't even want to eat and then happily snuggle napped while I tried to peck on the computer.

Darn it, little man, you have become the sweetest little thing ever. Lots and lots of beautiful, gummy smiles and you'll be happy lying on your mat or looking up at the fan or the windows. Then there is tummy time. I've never heard of a baby who actually liked tummy time, but I can plop you on your belly for ten minutes or more and you are perfectly content the whole time!

You love bath time and even got your first sink bath last week. The only part you don't like is the cold breeze when you get out! You're so sweet and chubby I could just gobble you up.

I just can't stop kissing your yummy little head. Every time I hold you close you get piles of smooches. Isn't that what babies are for anyway? Everyone wants to get a piece of you. Especially now that you're less likely to scream at them when they are holding you. Granted, I am still pretty much the only one who can calm you when you do get riled up. It's just that magical Mama's touch. If I hold you just right, get your paci in just perfectly and whack you solidly on your back all is well in your world. Works every time. 

The car seat continues to be your arch-nemesis. Though you seem to be getting a little bit more tolerant, but just a bit. With a few hanging toys and a mirror to look in, you can actually tolerate a short car ride. Unlike your sister, however, if you fall asleep in the seat, you won't stay asleep once it stops moving. It's a bummer really, because that was one of our favorite tricks with her. I guess I can't really complain since you take such great naps in your swing. 

Here's to an even better month ahead, my little punk. Longer sleeps, since your usual time is still only about 6 hours and even more happy times. Maybe you'll even learn how to keep your paci in or effectively suck your thumb. Kisses and snuggles. 

Backyard Berries

Berries from the backyard...

Purple stained fingernails...

Fresh homemade blackberry ice cream with more blackberries and backyard mint sprigs...

Blackberry jam...

More backyard berries...

Fresh berry pies!

Pretty impressive for one little bush, I'll say. Now we're just picking the last few and popping them in right away!

Little Old Lady

I'm sorry, but when did my toddler turn eighty-five?

Little Old Lady from Ada Bible Discovery Village on Vimeo.

Would You Like Some Random With That?

A. There is nothing more horrible to hear than a child who is seriously terrified. A couple nights ago after the kids were in bed, Andy and I were down in the studio chatting about this and that. All of a sudden we could hear feet running across the floor above us. Generally, when the girl gets up in the evening she is timid and knows she should be in bed, so running feet were very abnormal. We bolted for the stairs and then I heard it. The screaming. I have never heard her scream like that. I don't know how long she had been awake but when we didn't come get her and she couldn't find us, she was terrified.

The poor thing was sobbing and gasping for breath and while I snuggled and reassured her over and over it took a good long while before she was calm again and ready to go back to bed. Next time we're not going anywhere without the monitor. Can I just accept my bad parent award now?

B. The boy loves his tummy time. This is probably the biggest difference between him and his big sis. He'll lay on his mat looking up for a good 5 minutes or more. Look at that smirk! He has become so sweet and smily. The car seat is still his arch-nemesis, but he is getting a little better. Hopefully, next week's 8 hour road trip will not cause anyone's ears to bleed.





C. This morning we went out for hubby's birthday/father's day breakfast at our new favorite local joint. I think once our bikes are tuned up and the kids' trailer hitched on, we'll be able to ride there easily! This was one of those great places where you don't have to eat lunch later you get so much food. I think I might have a pancake for a late snack, actually.

D. Hubby got older last night. We had a great time at the annual bbq in the park last night. Good food (ok, so the bacon wrapped shrimp got a little charred, but still tasted great!), great friends and some ladder ball.

And then the sky turned ominous. Those with smart phones quickly looked at weather.com and scanned for the doppler to see how much time we had to pack up. What did we use to do without technology? Get rained on?!

Luckily, the house was clean and the kids ended up having a blast running around and playing in the playroom. Chaos reigned.





What did you do this week?

Berries

Today was Randi's first time going berry picking with me. In spite of the heat and humidity, she did so well holding her own little basket and picking a few berries. Now I have to hull all those bright, juicy morsels and make some pies and jams! 

The Same? Or Different?

A)

B)

Month Two + 7

It's a sorry state of affairs when I am more than a week overdue in posting the monthly baby news. Fortunately for us, much has changed in so short a time. While it is true that when you are upset about something you still don't tell us quietly, you scream much less now. People say that time will pass and you'll forget about the times when it was hard, but as of right now I still remember and I'm thankful the time has passed. And yet, it's sad to think that your first month and a half or so was fraught with so much frustration, but there it is.







Your daddy and I have said that now that you're not yelling at us as often, we need to take every moment to just look at you and enjoy your cuteness. You love to smile and you can make the funniest little baby noises. Some days we just crack up at the strange sounds coming from the backseat.

The carseat is probably the bane of your existence, you just hate it so much. Sometimes I can get you to fall asleep during a drive but then I have to keep you moving after we stop or you will wake right up and are not happy to be alone in there. I wonder if maybe you just need physical contact all the time. Not that I mind. You're darn cute and super snuggly.






It's funny how the little things seem so amazing the first kid around and then when the second child does something you think, "Oh, finally you got around to doing something!" I guess we just don't have the time to stare at you quite as much or watch for the new things. Luckily, I didn't miss your first roll from back to belly. Way to go, kiddo! Frankly, you don't really spend much time on the floor to get a whole lot of exercise so it's amazing you've gotten that far.

This month you met a whole bunch of Daddy's family. They oohed and aahed over you and fussed over who would get to hold you. Most of the time you just yelled at whoever had you so that solved that.

You're taking a bottle better now and some nights still need a little snack in between regular feedings. I think you're going to be a chunky little boy!

The past few nights you've slept for about 6 1/2 hours straight. In your own big boy crib! You're finally getting good at going right back to sleep after eating and giving Mama a few more hours before you decide it's time to be up. Generally I try to thwart your efforts and bring you up to bed to snuggle for another hour or so. Mama needs her sleep, kiddo. I also need my baby snuggles, so what can I say?

One of the biggest changes this month was that you stopped pooping on a regular basis. Now, at first I thought this was strange, but upon consulting the internet, discovered that it is fairly common. Kid, you are saving Mama tons of laundry. Two poops a week? Perfect.

Your sister has discovered the fun of making you smile. She sneezes at you and not only do you smile, she cracks up into giggles. Hopefully, you two will get along well and be good friends. She loves to check up on you and always helps get things I need for you or to put your paci in. Though admittedly, she tends to cram the thing in your mouth, but we're working on the gentleness.

You are growing quickly, little man. Into bigger clothes and deeper into our hearts. Here's praying for another better month! Less screaming and more sleeping. Less paci-spitting and more smiles. Less grouching and more of my sweet happy boy. Of course, we only have three weeks left of this month, so we'll see how it goes!