{UN}hurried. My {UN} Word for 2014.

It's become popular over the past few years to choose a "word" for the year, either in place of or in addition to new year's resolutions.  I've enjoyed reading about other people's words, but I've never focused on a particular word for the year.

When Edie and The Nester announced they had picked {UN} words for the year and invited everyone else to join in, I had no idea what in the world my word would be.  Words like "untired" and "undistracted" popped into my head over and over.  But I knew they weren't quite right.  Yes, it would be lovely to not be tired all the time, but with a 9 month old and a 3 year old that's not really feasible.  And to not be distracted would be fabulous, but with two tiny ones my attention is always divided, at the very least between the two of them.  Distracted is sort of my natural state during this season of life.

But {UN}distracted came close.  It hit a nerve with me because I feel like so much of the last year and a half I have been here physically, but when I try to think back I feel like I've missed it somehow.  Almost as if I have some sort of amnesia for the last year of my life.

I went to the library this morning and the Kiddo asked to come with.  I was about to say no, and my husband was backing me up, offering other fun things to do while I got out of the house.  But I said yes.

I had a huge stack of books to return and he enjoyed dropping them in the return drop.  Then I let him help me find my book on the hold shelf, and help me check it out using self-checkout.  When I said it was time to go he asked if he could get books for himself.

Again, I almost said no.  But I thought, eh...why not?  So we wandered over to the kids' section and he picked out 4 books to go with his stack of books we already have checked out at home.  I told him it was time to go checkout and he spotted the table with crayons and pictures to color.

You get where this is going, right?

I almost said no...then I said yes.  I realized there really was no hurry and we had an opportunity to spend time together doing something he wanted to do.  We colored for a bit.  He talked to two little girls that were also coloring, asking them their names.  Then he decided he was ready to go.  We walked to the front and he checked out his books.  He held my hand and walked to the car like a big boy.  He was well-behaved overall.  It was relatively painless.  I have a sneaking suspicion it's because I gave him the time and space to explore his surroundings.  I didn't rush him, even when I was tempted to get in and get out.  We added an extra 10 or 15 minutes to my errand, but in that time we created a memory together which we wouldn't have otherwise.

{UN}hurried.  A life {UN}hurried.  That is what I want.

I can already tell it's going to take a huge shift in the way I think and act.  I've always valued efficiency...doing a job as quickly and perfectly as possible.  I walk fast (and I drive fast).  I type fast.  I race myself to clean my house as quickly as possible.  But in life, maybe faster isn't always better?  Maybe the good comes in the journey between the bullet points of our days?

A life {UN}hurried.  Can you imagine the possibilities?

Do you have a word you want to ditch in 2014?  Please share in the comments.  :)

I'm linking up today over at Life In Grace...be sure to visit and read what {UN}word others have chosen for this year!

Balancing Life as Mama

Oh y'all.  I can talk a good talk on this one.  But the reality is this is still my greatest daily struggle.

Just about every mama I talked to warned me that the adjustment from one child to two is the hardest adjustment to make.  They told me it was harder than going from no babies to one, and they told me going from two kids to three or more was infinitely easier.  I heard them, but I really had no way of understanding what they were saying until I got thrown into the deep end with two kids.

I had lots of ideas for 2013; lots of ambitions.  But what needed to come first was my family.  And while I acknowledged this with my head, my feet kept trying to take me in a different direction.  I knew that my top priority was my little brood who needed their mama, but I had dreams of doing things for myself.

I was going to blog the way I'd always wanted to.  I was going to open my Etsy shop full of vintage goodies and have fun sharing my love of old things.  I was even going to tip my toe back into the waters of interior design.  All good things, yes.  But not exactly what needed to be my top priority last year.  And when these things didn't pan out the way I wanted them to, I felt like a failure.

I struggled against my desire to do more, to be more.  It felt like I was smacking my head into a brick wall on a daily basis.  The more I tried to cram what I wanted to do into my days, the more I began to grow impatient with my daily life as a mama.  I began to view simple things like building yet another train track or reading the same book for the 84 millionth time as interruptions - which they aren't.  When we were in the throws of potty training, I felt over my head and was frustrated with the extra 2 loads of laundry I did every day for months on end.  And over time I began to resent the life I was living.

I've done a lot of soul searching on this one in the last couple of months.  I've come to a breaking point more than once, and here are some of the things I've learned:

1. It might sound like a no-brainer, but I have to get out of the house every day.  If it's only to go to the grocery store, so be it.  But if I can get out of the house and go for a nice long walk every day, so much the better.  I don't have to change outfits or worry about workout gear if I'm going for a walk, and I can take my babies with me if need be.
2. If I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed and feel like I'm going to snap and yell at my son, then I need to walk away.  If he's not in imminent danger or putting his sister in imminent danger (like running into the street or smacking her on the head) then I need to walk away until I can address the situation calmly.  
3. I need to not care as much how my life looks to outsiders.  I don't live an idyllic life and staying home with my children is hard work.  Period.  Sometimes I hear comments about "what do you do all day?" and I want to poke myself in the eye.  The more I hear these types of comments, the more I feel like I'm not measuring up to some standard of super-mom.  Instead of letting these things roll off my back, I feel the need to apologize for my choice to stay home as a mom.  But I don't need to apologize.  Don't I feel like my education is being wasted?  No.  If anything I feel like my education is benefitting my children.  Reading this last week was freeing, if for no other reason to know that I'm not alone.
4. If I'm having a crazy day and my list of to-do items is starting to choke me, it's okay to leave some of those to-dos undone.  I really started to see the value of this the closer we got to Christmas.  I didn't want to spend the holidays stressed out, yet the closer we got, the more stressed I was.  I built up such a list of things I wanted us to do, there just weren't enough hours in the day for us to do everything.  By Christmas Eve morning I was in a sour mood trying to figure out logistics for getting everything done.  I realized I could either get everything done or I could take a couple things off that list and we could enjoy our day.  I lightened our load for the day and it ended up being one of my favorite Christmases of all time. Now, when my to-do list seems to be a bit much, I try to whittle down to what absolutely HAS to get done, and let everything else go.  It's easier said than done, but I'm learning.
5. When I've gone too long without a break, I need to be honest about it with my husband.  If he can't watch the kids for a short while, then I need to call in reinforcements from somewhere.  It's okay to admit that I need a break.

I know I will spend the rest of my life trying to get this mothering thing down.  It's a process and I'm not sure we're ever "done".  Do you struggle in balancing your life as a parent?  What bits of wisdom have you discovered?

3 Months Already!

3 months old...13 lbs, 15 oz...not so teeny tiny anymore!

John Lennon could have written the song for her...just needs a name-change...

diamonds are her birthstone after all. ;)

"Picture yourself in a boat on a river

With tangerine trees and marmalade skies

Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly

A girl with kaleidoscope eyes"

"Cellophane flowers of yellow and green

Towering over your head

Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes

And she's gone"

"Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah"

"Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain

Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies

Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers

That grow so incredibly high"

"Newspaper taxis appear on the shore

Waiting to take you away

Climb in the back with your head in the clouds

And you're gone

Lucy in the sky with diamonds,

Lucy in the sky with diamonds,

Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah"

"Picture yourself in a train in a station

With plasticine porters with looking glass ties

Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile

The girl with kaleidoscope eyes

Lucy in the sky with diamonds,

Lucy in the sky with diamonds,

Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah."

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - The Beatles

What Humility Looks Like

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time with hospitality.  Not on the giving end - I adore being on the giving end.  I enjoy opening my home to friends - new and old.  To make a comfortable home and share it with those I love, to fill the stomachs of those I love with good food, and to serve my friends copious amounts of coffee and iced tea - I love this part of hospitality.

What is difficult is being on the receiving end of hospitality.

I'm not talking about going to a friend's home to enjoy dinner and conversation.  I'm talking about the part of hospitality when I am on the broken end and need others to minister to my body and soul.  Why is that part of hospitality so difficult?

I'd like to believe that it's because I'm such a strong woman, I don't need help ever.  But that's a lie.  The truth is I struggle with pride, and in moments of weakness pride rears her ugly head and makes herself known.

There is nothing like having a baby to put you and your pride in your place.

Let's forget the part where you go to the hospital and put yourself at the mercy of others to help you labor and birth your little one into the world.  Or in my case, willingly lay down on a table and be sliced open to bring your little one into the world.  The IV's and gaping open hospital gowns you rock in pre-op as they pump 3 bags of fluid in quick succession into your body in the hopes of staving off any signs of nausea and vomiting on the operating table.  Only the OR inevitably runs late and you're left running with your IV pole and gapping hospital gown to the bathroom 84,000 times before you even get to surgery.  Then post-op, having to rely on complete strangers to help you learn how to walk again and pee again...yes these things ruffle pride's feathers and make her uncomfortable, to say the least.

But it's really the after part that's the most difficult.  After you leave the hospital and are trying so desperately to return to some form of normal life...only there is no normal and you still need people to help.  This is the part I struggle with.

It has been more than 2 weeks since my sweet little Poppy entered this world.  Pain medication is long gone and I can drive a car again.  Theoretically I can return to my life as super mom {ha!}.  So when a very sweet woman from our church called to set up a time to come visit us and bring us a meal from the church and a little gift for our kids, I thought "Oh how fun!  I can't wait to introduce her to our baby girl and show off the nursery" and visions of my perfectly clean house and perfectly dressed children ran through my head.

Well friends, today was the day and let me tell you, there was nothing perfect about what went down.

It started yesterday with a quick day-trip across the great state of Texas to visit grandparents, which resulted in us getting home after 1am this morning.  We were already delirious from pushing our 30 year old bones to the extremes of travel with a newborn and a toddler, but our sweet little Poppy wasn't done.  Oh no...she wanted to have a party all. night. long.  I think we finally got to sleep at 4 or 5, woke up with Poppy again at 7 and then crashed again.

So at 10:30 this morning I was still in bed when our guest showed up at our door.  The only person in my house who was dressed was the Kiddo and he had breakfast smeared all over his face and his hair stood up on end like he had just been electrocuted.

I did the quick switching out of pajama pants for jeans, threw my hair into a ponytail, and ran to the door.  I didn't even look around the house to see what it looked like.  I did not see the chair our puppy ate yesterday, sitting sadly in the corner with stuffing pulled out at every seam.  I didn't even take a second to do a "pit check" to make sure I didn't smell.  And I most certainly did not realize that Poppy and I had gone our maximum number of hours since her last "snack".  So as I opened the door to cheerfully invite our guest in for a visit, and tried to discreetly wipe yesterdays mascara from underneath my eyes....as this sweet lady {who I have never before met in real life} is bringing in casseroles and gifts from the church for our kids...this is the moment my body decides to fail me and my pride takes a huge beating.  That "all of a sudden my shirt is wet and holy crap how do I hide this???" moment....yes friends, that was me this morning.  Welcoming a complete stranger into my home with my daughter's mid-morning snack running down one side of my shirt and sleeve.  There is no hiding that y'all.

I was mortified.  I still am.  Our visit was short and I would have loved to sit and chat with her for much longer, but honestly I'm not offended that she left quickly.  I imagine she couldn't wait to leave our chaotic mess of a house and the leaky lady with the wet shirt.

But the thing is...I know I really shouldn't be mortified.  What took place this morning is real life.  Real life isn't neat and tidy with a bow on top.  And it is pure pride that makes us put on our "happy" faces and "everything is perfect" attitudes when we walk into church...a place where we should be at our sincerest.

I'm going to level with you...if it were one of my girlfriends or cousins at my door, we would have laughed at the timing and I would have gone to change my shirt.  But because it was someone I had never met before I desperately wanted to look like I had everything together, even though I clearly didn't in this moment.  Why am I more inclined to be less "real" with the Bride of Christ?  Why am I so quick to try to hide any trace of weakness when I am human and therefore completely fallible?

It's my pride that makes me worry that this sweet lady is going to head back to the church saying "Oh y'all...that family! The house was a mess, their dog ate the stuffing out of one of their chairs, and the mom's shirt was soaked through!"  Isn't the whole point of ministering to new moms and dads to help them in a moment when they desperately need help {even if we won't admit it}?  So why am I so afraid of {non-existent} disapproving looks and imperfection?  Am I really so vain that I'm only okay if I'm on the serving side of the equation?

The hard truth is apparently I am.

I have no pearls of wisdom on this one.  I have no answers or remedies.  All I have is a cup of coffee, good music, and this moment of realization that perfection is not required.  Today I choose to sit in this pocket of grace and not reflect too much on things I cannot control.

Two Weeks

I can't believe it has been two weeks since our family has welcomed this little one into the world...

She made quite an entrance, loudly protesting the bright lights and room full of strangers in scrubs...

She has quite a set of vocal chords this one.  ;)

We've had two weeks of snuggles and cuddles...

Two weeks of counting fingers and toes...

This sweet girl has quickly found her place in our family, and already I'm so blessed to get to be her mom.

Welcome to the world little "Poppy"!

Born April 5, 2013

7 lbs 8 oz, 20"

Art of Maturity

 "A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world all of us need both love and charity."   

Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn By Living

My own lightening bolt moment of maturity came last night.  It involved a toddler taking a scrub in the tub on a Saturday night, and a lizard (technically, a gecko, but they're all the same to me).  After my beloved two year old was all suds up, I noticed out of the corner of my eye Mr. Lizard trying to eek his way out of the tub unnoticed.

I hate lizards.  I fear snakes.  And, in my book, lizards are only one rung lower than snakes.  I usually shriek and scream and jump up and down and then make someone else get the lizard.  Lizards are not my friend.

But in this moment, my child was in the tub with the lizard!  I didn't want to scare him or get him all riled up.  So, how to proceed?  

Squelching my inner longing to freak, I told the Kiddo that Mommy was going to get a jar for the lizard.  Luckily my kitchen is right next to his bathroom.  I then hoisted my 37 week pregnant self up on the counter to reach our mason jars, grabbed one, grabbed the dustpan, and prayed the lizard hadn't gone back into the tub water.

He hadn't.

Which meant that now I really had to do this.  My son just sat and stared in amazement at his mommy with the jar and the dustpan.  Realizing how absurd this looked, I had a good laugh and then I wrangled that bad-boy lizard into my jar and topped it with the dustpan.  Me.  The squeamish one.

I was so astonished.

Now what?

Racing to the back door (also not far from the bathroom....thank God!), I managed to unlock it with my elbow (my hands were not letting go of that jar), and escorted the poor guy to his proper home outside.

Of course, then I raced back to the bathroom where the Kiddo and I conversed at length about the "wizard" in the "yewow daisies" for the remainder of bath-time.  I also got to reinforce that this is why we don't drink bath-water.  It's "disgwusting".  You never know what's been in your tub.

So...maturity reached?  

Well, let's see.  I refrained from thinking that I absolutely must kill the lizard, I was objective even in the face of seriously squeamish emotions, I realized that there must be some good in this little creature (do they at least eat mosquitos??), there is nothing more humbling than wrangling a creepy-crawly, and I believe it was charitable to put the dear fellow in the daisies and not just pitch him on the concrete.

Yes, indeed.  Maturity gained at the ripe old age of 30.  ;)

Lately...

I know it's been quiet here lately.  This baby girl of mine is still baking, but I have been forced to take a huge step back in my daily life in order to preserve my last shred of sanity and keep this girly from making an early appearance.  

I have random lists in my head at all times.  For your general amusement, here is my list of projects that need to be completed, in no particular order (and please, feel free to laugh at/with me because I know these aren't all going to be completed...maybe ever).

1. pack for the hospital
2. pack baby girl for the hospital
3. sew pillow covers for sofa pillows
4. organize baby girl's dresser drawers
5. sew a new slipcover for the rocker
6. sew crib skirt
7. sew crib bumpers
8. finish re-painting flowers on nursery wall
9. hang picture gallery in nursery
10. hang picture gallery in Kiddo's room
11. make and order a family photo album for last year, and 2011, and 2010 (and every year going back to 2005)
12. send in my broken camera lens for repairs (ha! sorry baby girl...looks like we'll be doing iphone video for your birth as well)
13. sew pretty camera strap for my fancy camera with the broken lens
14. read each of the 10 books i have currently checked out of the library
15. add all the pretty vintage items i have to my etsy store
16. buy baby girl a baby book and write in it
17. sleep, as much as possible
18. drink water, as much as possible so my contractions won't be so bad (of course the marathon sprints to the bathroom probably aren't going to help stop my labor)
19. go to last (LAST?!?!?!) doctor's appointment next week
20. order stationery and finish thank you cards
21. get my child out of diapers.....yesternow
22. get my puppy to stop using the pretty white shag carpet as her personal bathroom
23. paint chalkboard wall for the Kiddo
24. paint curio cabinet
25. clean out a spot for the pack-n-play in the master bedroom
26. i'd like some pretty pillows for the master bedroom while i'm thinking about it, since i know i'll be sequestered there as the resident milk-cow for at least the month of April
27. April! take bluebonnet pictures while they're blooming
28. buy new swimsuit (ugh) that covers my lovely stretch marks
29. don't forget to go to the dentist next week!
30. make dermatologist appointment to get rid of those new veins
31. laundry, laundry, laundry, laundry
32. pick out a baby name.  this child must be named!!!

Okay, I'm stopping now.  Because really, 32 things on a to-do list when you only have 14 days and 8 hours and 15 minutes before you're supposed to be in the OR meeting your sweet new baby is more than a little crazy.

And really, the one thing I'm most concerned with doing at this point is spending as much time as possible with this handsome man.

I want to snuggle and hold and spend every moment possible with him, making him feel completely treasured and special.  Because everything is about to change!  And I want to make sure he knows he holds a very special place in our family.  :)

In Which Love Looks Like Hard Work

The irony is not lost on me.  That the love that begins effortlessly requires a great deal of time and investment to maintain.

What starts out as a couple of kids in love grows,

and grows,

and grows,

and grows,

and grows.

And while it all looks very fairy tale on paper, in real life it is hard work.  A lot of hard work.

Social media tends to show the good things...as well they should!  It's good to read things that inspire and encourage.  But the nitty gritty things are important too.  It's important to know that however perfect something might look in a picture, everything outside the frame can be in complete chaos.

And a picture captures a moment.  Nothing more, nothing less.

My nails might be done in my 33 week bump picture, but you need to know they didn't stay like that for long.  How could they?  We are working so hard at potty training a 2 year old and an 11 week old puppy simultaneously.  I am constantly on potty patrol and cleaning up mess after mess after mess is hard work.  

It is also what love looks like these days.  

And I have to tell you, I am beyond amazed when I think that my own parents worked so hard to do the very same thing for me.  Not just the potty training, but the discipline.  How to play nicely with others, how to listen and obey, how to face consequences in the event of disobedience.  All of it is hard, repetitive work.  All of it is done out of love.

How tired we are, the Hubster and I.  How drained and almost narcoleptic we are these days.  And we know we have more hard (and soon, sleepless) days ahead.

But these are good days, just the same.  It would be easy to ignore each other - to just put our heads down and work, work, work.  But to neglect the very relationship which has brought about all of THIS would be tragic.

Words that I will spend my entire life trying to live up to...

"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (emphasis added)

And so it is, I believe, with our heavenly Father.  I think it is entirely fitting that the Church is called the Bride of Christ.  How easy it is to be passionate about our faith in the early days of our walk with Christ.  It's further down the road when we reach the ordinary, mundane days where we feel bogged down in minutiae and forget to spend time in prayer, reading His Word, and living out the faith we profess.

Please do not misinterpret this observation and think for a minute that I have this perfected.  I assure you I do not.

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention Christ and the grace he offers to all of us.  Because I believe it is that grace that teaches us how to extend grace to one another.  By receiving Christ's grace and forgiveness over and over and over, I can learn how to extend grace to those around me.  And often times it's hardest to extend that grace to those we love the most.  Often times we take our families for granted, forgetting how fleeting these moments are and how important it is to show them our love.

It is so hard - this intentional way of showing love to those around us.  I encourage you to stop by Love One More (where the focus is on intentionally loving one more person every day).  And please be sure to visit Edie at Life in Grace where so many of us are linking up with our thoughts on living with intention and with love.

Wise Words for Mamas {& Daddys, too}

Jamie at Steady Mom recently published a post titled The Introverted Mom Strikes Back.  Some of you may be laughing, imagining me reading a post about introverted moms, because, while I do have my home-body tendencies from time to time, I'm truly not an introvert.

BUT all of you should go read her words....like now.  Because her wisdom speaks not only to introverts, but to anyone who has kids or spends any amount of time with kids.

Rocks a-flyin'...look at them splash!

Kids are kids.  They're loud all on their own.  Throw in pets and siblings and chaos quickly ensues.  And while it's our job as parents to instruct our children and help them learn to behave and get along with others...there are times when, despite our best efforts, they don't!  No matter how much we plan, they get bored and bicker {in my case it's bickering with the dog who just wants to be left alone}.  Or they get bored and get into everything that's off-limits.  It's hard feeling like a constant referee, constantly hearing ourselves say "No", constantly trying to redirect attention {constantly reaching for the Advil and praying for headaches to cease and naptime to come quickly}.

I think our society has placed so much importance on "productivity" that, for many of us, we get to the end of the day and feel like we haven't accomplished anything, because we have nothing tangible to show for our exhaustion.  Projects we undertake take a million times longer to complete...if they ever get finished at all!

The words Jamie quoted at the end of her post are freeing:

“So stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way, don't let others make you feel as if you have to race.
If you enjoy depth, don't force yourself to seek breadth.
If you prefer single-tasking to multi-tasking, stick to your guns."
Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking

It's freeing because it acknowledges the need to go slow...the need to eat our elephants one bite at a time, so to speak.  It's okay to not overextend ourselves by attending every library storytime and children's museum, or by putting our kids in every playgroup, when many times all the running around town is so exhausting to our kids as well as ourselves.  And while it's good for us to have projects and interests of our own to pursue, it's also okay when it takes a month {or two} to replant the planter boxes in the garden.  Or to only get one room in the house clean instead of the entire house in one sweep.  Or to only write 5 blog posts in 2012 {this is #6...I'm on a roll}.

Our to-do lists will get checked off slowly but surely.  All is grace.  :)

A Day in The Life

The number one question I've received since deciding to be a stay-home mom is "What do you do all day?"

I understand the curiosity.  Before the Kiddo was born I really had no clue what I would do all day if I decided to stay home.  And now I know.

I take care of my child.

I am the primary child-care provider.  I am day care.  I am also night care.  And everything in between care.

In the first few weeks after The Hubster returned to work I had some difficulty sorting out what I should be doing...what my priorities were.  I think I thought my job description was something along the lines of "All-Encompassing Domestic Goddess".  I drove myself crazy trying to keep an immaculate house, cook fantabulous meals, shower/dress/do my make-up {I wasn't going to be a frumpy housewife mama}, and oh yeah, care for and nurse a child round the clock.  It might not sound like a lot on paper, but when you're nursing every 2-3 hours {and then it was more like 2} you have one hour on and one hour off.  And I never took naps.  And I burned out quick.  And thought I was a failure.

With this falling flat on my face came the realization that first and foremost I was home to take care of my little guy.  Not to be the maid.  Not to be our personal chef.  And not to look picture perfect every day.

It took time, but our routine eventually developed.  It's not written in stone, things get moved around a little depending on what's on the calendar for the day. But there is a healthy dose of grace infused in our days and I really feel more productive {and waaaay less stressed} than I did when I first embarked on this adventure.  I share it with you because I'm always curious about how moms structure their days and I love getting ideas for little things I can add to my own routine.

6am-ish:: Our little one summons me.  He gets milk, a clean diaper, sleepy smiles and kisses from mom, and goes back to bed.  Mom and Dad try to get more sleep {fingers crossed}.

8-ish:: We're up for real this time.  Dad makes coffee {bless you Hubster} and I feed the Kiddo breakfast number 2 {usually apples or pears or oatmeal}.  He gets to play {aka: crawl around and get into EVERYTHING while I tell him no and redirect him to his toys} while Hubster and I share coffee and {try to} read our Bibles.  Some days we do this in the backyard if it's a cooler morning.  I love those days.

10-ish:: Babester has been up for 2 hours and is super cranky.  Naptime!!  I go for a 30 minute run and get super sweaty in this lovely Texas heat {good incentive to make sure I get to take a shower}.  When I'm done, Hubster gets to workout.

11-ish:: Babester is up and at 'em.  We have lunch as a family.  Babester gets to play some more.  I put Pandora on the Toddler mix and sing along with the silly songs.  He loves this and laughs {most likely he's laughing at me...silly mom}.  I try to grab 5 minutes to myself to go put some make-up on.  It makes me feel more put together.  I don't worry about my hair anymore...it air dries most days.

1-sih:: Hubster leaves for work.  Babester and I go to wave good-bye each and every day {though he has yet to wave...but he loves watching Dad get ready and go to work}.  We read a book and cuddle {though he's getting more squirmy}.

1:30-ish:: Babester is replaced by super-fussy-monster.  Naptime!!  I clean the kitchen from lunch, get laundry going {there is always laundry}, and pick one room {ONE} that most needs my attention.  I do what I can and don't worry about perfection because...

2:15-ish:: Babester is up again.  This time we play the piano together, or blow bubbles, or scribble with {and chew on} crayons.  Some days I make baby food...so Babester plays on the kitchen floor.  If I'm shopping, he's my shopping buddy.  Some days we play outside...grass is soft and he loves crawling off the quilt I spread out and exploring.  Every day is different, but I try to have some activity going.  On days when I'm exhausted from a bad night the night before this is usually the time when I plop on the sofa and pray that he'll be amused with his noisy light up guitar {alas, it's never that easy}.  My second cup of coffee might comes right about now.  If I'm really drained I grab an espresso {thank you again Emily and David!!!}.

4:30-ish:: It's a toss up.  No matter how cranky and fussy Babester is, he may or may not take a third nap.  I roll with it.  We read a book quietly in an effort to have some downtime.  If he's in a reasonable mood I get to cook myself dinner.  If not, well I can always eat later!

5-ish:: Dinner for Babester.  It's usually a pretty fussy ordeal.  This is what my mom has coined "the fussy hour" and it lasts until bedtime {and sometimes even later}.  Sometimes Baxter sitting next to Babester makes him smile and breaks the fussy spell.  Sometimes not.  I endure.  I am no longer easily ruffled by whining fussy cries.  Only real cries.  And these are cranky cries.  They will not last forever.  And tomorrow morning I will have my sweet child again.

6:30-7-ish:: Bathtime!  Most of the time Babester rallies for his bathtime.  He LOVES to splash and play with his toys.  If he's too far gone, this is where he'll have a real meltdown.  If he's looking more awake we read a book after bathtime.

7-7:30-ish:: BEDTIME!  It usually takes at least 2 tries at putting him down for him to fall asleep.  So after I put him down the first time I do more laundry, clean the kitchen...something that can be done in 5-10 minutes.  Then I go "reset" him.  He's usually crawling around his crib, looking around his room, and calling "Mamamamama".  I tuck him in again, and most of the time that's all it takes for him to go to dreamland.

7:30-8pm-ish:: I eat.  I finish my chores.  I put my feet up.  I watch cheesy TV and I knit or crochet or read.  I make a cup of tea.  Our Pupster comes and cuddles up with me, happy our little one is sleeping and he can have time with his mama.  And we wait up for the Hubster to come home from work.  Some nights Baby wakes up every couple of hours fussing.  Some nights he sleeps with no problems.  I enjoy my peaceful moments and feel blessed that I get to be his Mama.

{Lather, Rinse, Repeat.}

Okay, so it's not glamorous.  But it's what I do. This is our routine.  It works for us.  And I know that if we should be blessed with more children, this routine will only get busier and busier.  So I enjoy it for what it is now. :)

7 Months and Summer Fun

The month of June was filled with exciting milestones for our little family.

Our first ever family vacation…

We rented a beach cottage in Rockport, TX and enjoyed taking life at a slower pace.

The Kiddo and Baxter both had their first trip to the beach.

We saw the oldest tree in the USA.

And Baby and the Hubster collaborated against me in a game of checkers.

Two weeks before our vacation our little one cut his first two teeth. {He's shy about his teeth though, so no pics.}

The week before our vacation our little one rolled from his back to his tummy, got up on his hands and knees, rolled across the room, and dumped out his toy basket for the first time all in one day.

Three days ago he started doing push-ups. {The Hubster LOVES this.}

Two days ago he crawled for the first time.

And yesterday he crawled way across the living room floor into the uncharted territory beyond the sofa.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, Trouble is hereby on the loose!

6 Months

This is so long overdue...there is much to tell!  Our little babester is growing so fast.  At his six month well-baby visit he weighed in at an even 20 lbs. and was 28 1/4" tall {90% for both}.

It blows my mind that a half of a year has passed since I first laid my eyes on my precious angel child.

But it was just yesterday wasn't it?

He's quite the mover now!  He has been low crawling and back crawling for a few months now, but the pivoting started in the last 6 weeks or so.  He used to do them all independently of one another, but in the last couple of weeks he has learned to combine all his maneuvers to go places! 

Baxter is still his best friend...and mine too considering he is the ultimate distraction when a case of the fussies attacks. 

He isn't a fan of pureed anything.  He will tolerate slightly mashed bananas.  We have always suspected he is 6 months going on 16 {or even 60}.  All he really wants is a cup of coffee and a sandwich {preferably ours}.

He is super healthy, extremely strong, and full of smiles...and smiles with his two {lower} front teeth!  We are blessed.  Even though I know he is doing very well, and his doctor was super happy with how he is developing, he still hasn't rolled from his back to his tummy.  He torques his body around contortionist-style and comes so close to rolling onto his tummy.  But then he stops and hangs out like that or rolls back to his back.  Our pediatrician mentioned that he has very broad shoulders, that they are likely getting in the way of him rolling over, and that he will do it in his own time. 

Even though I know all these things are true, it still bothered me to read in my weekly Baby Center email how my child should already be doing this.  Mama guilt over something I absolutely cannot control.  No matter how much I work with him, how many toys I dangle to get him to roll, I know that he is absolutely not going to do this until he is ready.  And that is as it should be.

He is Mama's little helper, and even though it is so much easier to shop without him I really do miss his smiling face when I go shopping alone!

A half a year later and I cannot imagine my life and our family without this little guy.  :)

My Top 10 Mommy/Baby Products

If I were to go back to November 2010 and give myself a pep-talk the first thing I would say is:

"Less is more."

{pants optional}

In my pre-baby days I was overloaded with baby everything and had a list of "needs" that would make Santa's naughty and nice list look like a post-it note.  Now I know better.  That is why my "Top 10" list is really only my "Top 5".

1. California Baby Diaper Wash - From the lovely black poos we encountered at the hospital to our newest version of sweet potato, squash, and pear poo, I do not change a poopy diaper without this.  I can change a poopy diaper without it, but everything is sooo much nicer if I don't.  This is a must have...looks pricey, but 6 months later we are still on bottle #1.  Saves me from scrubbing too hard with wipes and it smells CLEAN.  Nuf said.

2. Haba Pacifier Holder - We purchased this shortly after our little one was born and gone are the days of chasing pacifiers from rolling across the floor.  Although, now his favorite thing to do is take it off and sling it around like a lasso.  I'm thinking this was a must have for the first 6 months and now it's time to wean the paci.

3. An extra onesie - If it can happen, it will happen.  Beware of leaving the house without an extra change of clothes.  That blowout will happen at the Chick-Fil-A that is a half a mile from your house...and it will be the end-all-be-all of blowouts.  And it will happen the minute you run into friends you haven't seen in months who are dying to meet your little one but can't because he is covered in poo.  {Speaking from experience?  Who me??  Nah.}  Repeat after me: "I will not leave the house unprepared."

4. Deo for your BO/Mascara - *Ahem* In case no one ever told you, sometimes mommies don't get to take regular showers.  Don't let yourself run out of either...deo for the smell factor and mascara to help keep you pretified.  Looking reasonably pretty and smelling reasonably pretty will go a loooooong way to helping you keep your sanity {within reason, of course}.

5. Coffee - You can function admirably on 2 hours of sleep or less.  I promise.  And unfortunately, even when your little one is sleeping through the night, there will be random "pop quizes" where they wake every 2 hours just to make sure you're staying on top of your game.  Keep your coffee stockpile high and wide and you will do just fine.

Of course, diapers are a must have too.  And wipes.  And a place to sleep.  But less is more, and baby calls, so my list ends here. :)

Hope you're enjoying a gorgeous summer evening!

Solid Gold{en Anjou Pear Puree}

My sweet mother has told me the story over and over and over.  Baby Food Fest 1982.  How she and one of her good friends decided to make their own baby food...and the catastrophe that ensued.  How she slaved over the food...how it turned out miserably...and how I refused to eat.

This story is running through my mind as I prepare to undertake Baby Food Fest 2011.  And you know what...

...it was so easy!

I mean ridiculously easy.  So easy anyone can do this.  Really.

Start with 4 ripe pears.  I used Anjou and bought the ripest ones at the store...so ripe their skin was tearing easily.  They smelled heavenly.

 

Next, fill a pot with 1-2 inches of water and put on the stove to boil.  While that is coming up to a boil, quarter and core your pears.

 

Feel free to feed the pooch your scraps.

 

Pile your pears on your steamer tray...

 

And place the steamer tray in the pot of boiling water.  Make sure the water does not touch any of the fruit.

 

Add the lid to the pot to make sure you retain all those yummy nutrients.

 

Twiddle your thumbs...change poopy diapers...whatever you gotta do...for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes check your pears with a fork.  If the fork glides through the skin easily they're done.

Remove the pot from the stove and let the pears cool.  Do not dump the extra liquid.

Once the pears are cooled to the touch {I gave them a full 30 minutes} peel the skins off the flesh and toss the flesh into your food processor or blender {or food mill}.

 

This is where my child got fussy and I left the pears to cool even more for awhile.  And thus the beauty of this recipe.  You can walk away for awhile if you need to.  You don't have to babysit the pears.

Puree your pears until the consistency looks right to you.  If you need to add some of the reserved cooking liquid you can.

Pour your puree into your storage containers.  I used these silicone freezer trays and measured out 2 tsp. portions.  

When I ran out of tray space, I poured the rest into a glass jar to store in the fridge.  

The jar has 10 teaspoons of puree in it...or 5 servings for my first-time-foodie.  

You can use this basic recipe for just about any fruit or veggie you want to puree.  Purees will keep in the fridge for 4-7 days and in the freezer for 3-4 months.

 

Enjoy!