Expectations

I'm not a big "resolutions" person. I don't think one day of the year should be the only time people reflect upon their lives and strive to be better people. But it is also really hard NOT to think about, "What can I do differently and how can I do better?" when it is all around you.

So I have succumbed to the Resolution Monster and have a list of things I want to strive to work on:

1). I really want to learn how to use my sewing machine. I already have some awesome Christmas ideas for NEXT year rolling around in my head.

2). I have some jewelry ideas floating about so I'd really like to make some new pieces and sell my current inventory. For those that don't know- I have an Etsy shop. It's been on vacation since I was pregnant. I make the oh-so-popular hand-stamped jewelry that you now see everywhere.

3). And since we're on the topic of crafts I also would love to learn to knit and how to make crochet baby hats. I can do a simple crochet for blankets. I think I'll get some yarn, break out the needles and put on some YouTube videos on how to do more elaborate crocheted projects.

4). I want to lose 50-60 lbs. I know- everyone has a weight loss or fitness goal for the new year, right? Well I'll be darned if I quit! Someone smack me if I do. I haven't put down an exact number because honestly I'll be happy losing a minimum of 50 but losing 60 is most ideal. I start on Sunday!!!

5). To be a better mom. I feel I'm a pretty good parent but there's always room to grow, always things I'm learning about my kids and myself. Everyday is a day to start fresh. I want my childrens' memories of me to be good, wholesome, full of laughter and love. I need to be less selfish and more focused on them when they need me.

6). To be a better wife. I'll be honest and say it isn't always easy to compromise. There've been some very embarrassing squabbles between the husby and myself this past year. Now, now... nothing to worry over! But I have let bitterness creep into my heart and I really need to focus on being more respectful of Daniel. He, too, has things he has to work on so this isn't one-sided. That is what compromise is all about after all.

7). To be a better cook! Oh how I loathe cooking in my freakishly ugly kitchen. You may have seen glimpses of it in pictures on here. I know the room shouldn't matter but if it isn't comfortable and roomy it just isn't a place I want to be. Therefore I just don't spend time in there. I've been finding many new recipes and trying new things already. I want to continue my streak because I hate processed foods. I love the pride I feel when my family sits down to eat something I worked hard on.


I'm sure there's more. We must always continue to strive to be better people, to be kinder to our environment and to the people around us. I wish so many blessings to each and every single one of you as we venture into 2010!!!

Moby is My Hero

Look who is as snug as a bug in a rug! I got a Moby for Christmas from Daniel's grandmother and it is a hit. Well for me anyway. Zoë doesn't quite know what to think just yet. She prefers being up on a shoulder but she had two really good naps in the Moby as I cleaned. As you can see above she was fast asleep.

I have to admit, though, that it was really difficult doing the dishes with her in this thing. But that's probably one of those common sense things. You see, I don't always exercise the best common sense. I felt like a T-rex doing the dishes because I have short arms and a chunky baby strapped onto my chest.

But it was great being able to actually get the Christmas decorations put away once and for all. I've been working on getting them put away for 4 days straight.

Well I definitely recommend the Moby Wrap if you're having a baby, have a baby or will be having one in the future. It's very versatile. I got it wrapped on correctly on the first try, thanks to a how-to video I watched on their website. Plus the wrap comes with a very comprehensive book on how to do all the different wraps. I feel like an African Mommy Goddess with this exotic wrap since many ethnic groups wear their babies with yards of fabric wrapped all over themselves.

I also ended up just wearing the Moby all day, even when she wasn't in it so that I could easily scoop her up and put her in. Apparently you can breastfeed your baby in it as well, though I'm not brave enough to try that just yet. I am what you would call well-endowed in that area and sometimes the milk lets down so fast that she chokes. I can just see myself soaking the Moby and spraying her in the face as she screams and chokes while trying to pull her body out of the wrap. Um, no thanks. Maybe one day I'll brave it and let you know how it goes... but that might not be until she's much older!

Do you have a baby wrap or sling that you just cannot live without? Or one that you and baby just hate?

Full of Wisdom

Apparently I'm soooooooooo wise I need some of my wisdom stripped away from me. That's right, folks. I will be having my wisdom teeth removed. For the past week, over Christmas, I have had the worst teething pain I ever remember experiencing.

Today I made an appointment with the oral surgeon. To say I am excited would be a lie. Though I cannot wait to feel the relief that I know will come after it has all healed up. January 15 is the day!

We currently do not have any New Year's Eve plans. Might do some sledding during the day with the kiddos (well Daniel would; not me). Daniel and I will most likely stay up but then again we always do. I've never really done anything big for NYE. It's usually just another day on the calendar for us.

That is what is up with me for now. Have a post on vaccines coming up!

The Aftermath!

This was baby girl's first Christmas and she truly was the best gift of the year. I know, I know... it's kind of corny but it is definitely true! We were blessed immeasurably.

Daniel got me a griddle, a rolling pin and some kitchen utensils! He also got me a new camera!!! That is by far the coolest gift because I LOVE taking pictures of my children, as you'll see below. My mom-in-law got me Bath & Body Works' new scent Twilight Woods and I love it. Also got a cookbook that I'm DYING to try out!

And the kiddos were blessed. From us there were Barbies, Littlest Pet Shop characters, board games, jigsaw puzzles, books and a few DVDs (throwbacks to my childhood like Oliver & Company). Abigail got a play vacuum and play food. Elaina got a toy microwave and a doll bathtub. Zoë got a handmade blanket and some money that will go toward her crib.

I put together a sort of gag gift for my mom-in-law. I got her a package of flexi-straws and filled a shoebox with those birthday candle numbers. Every birthday she forgets to buy the candles and ends up using whatever she has. So if someone is turning 26 and she only has a number 4 she'd use just the 4 anyway! Needless to say she laughed when she saw she now has all the numbers!

Here are the kids in front of the tree on Christmas morning. We were waiting for Daddy to finish shoveling snow (it was a white Christmas after all!) so that we could leave go to Nonna's house and I was testing out the new camera.


Abigail being cute!


Zoë says, "Merry Christmas"!


My new favorite picture of my little model!


We also got some homemade gifts this year! The girls got piggy banks they get to decorate with Sharpies, Daniel and I got a gift basket with coffee, popcorn and homemade cocoa mix. And here are pictures of the blankets the two youngest girlies got as well as the toys my mom-in-law made:

This is Zoë's fleece blanket. It has her name on it in some beautiful fabric. Around the border of the entire blanket are phrases- the meanings of her name, proclamations and verses.


This is Abigail's crocheted blanket and the toy balls my MIL made! There is also a huge ball not pictured that is similar that she made for Elaina. Abigail LOVES her blanket! She is not a blanket person but she cuddles with this one. I think that is so sweet!!!


Elaina got clothes and a Melissa & Doug magnet doll instead of a homemade blanket. It's a running joke in our family that the middle child is overlooked all the time so my MIL made blankets for the middle children FIRST.

We still have Daniel's grandmother's house to visit on Tuesday for dinner and gifts. I look forward to good food and showing off the baby!

Yesterday

Someone turned 2-months old yesterday. They also decided to catch a nasty cold with all the works: congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, fatigue, etc. So no photos were done yesterday. My hope is to get photos of all the girls in their Christmas attire tomorrow morning.

Instead I leave you with more pictures from her 8-week shoot.

Have a very Merry Christmas dear friends!

A Birth Story

So I wanted to share this amazing birth story with you. In fact the best birth story ever in history...



On one pretty, clear cool evening a couple was traveling. The fiancé was driving while his pregnant partner began to feel the onset of labor. There were in the middle of nowhere, it was dark and not another soul was in sight.

He kept driving on to get to town while she huffed beside him through each contraction. A ripple of anxiety and anticipation went through her as she realized it wouldn't be long now.

By the time the couple reached town it was too late. Her water had broken and the contractions were right on top of each other. The baby was coming. He would have to pull over to assist her in delivering the baby. So he pulled over and the couple found shelter in a small cavern area right off the road. He helped her walk slowly over the terrain, often stopping to allow her to focus through the contractions. She clung to him, her body shaking uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.

Sweat beaded her forehead as she concentrated, each contraction coming stronger. The woman grunted and moaned in the midst of her labor pains and even began begging the man to relieve her of the pain.

"Oh please! PLEASE! Just make it stop!" she would cry and he was helpless to do anything for her. They finally reached the mouth of the cavern where they would stay until the baby had come. She began to feel immense pressure. She stood, leaning against a cavern wall, swaying her hips in order to relieve the pain. The pressure came more intently and she knew without even knowing that it was time to push.

She squatted. As she bore down the baby crowned and Joseph caught the little one before He could hit the ground. Mary reached out to take the cold, crying infant into her arms to her breast and wrapped Him in swaddling clothing. Mary's own joyful crying joined the infant's until they both quieted to stare at one another. The afterbirth was delivered and wrapped in a cloth as Mary nursed her brand new baby.

Awhile later the couple looked around but found nowhere else to lay Him for the night except for an animal trough where animals drank and ate. As Joseph and Mary finished cleaning up the blood and birth mess the sweet infant lay quietly alert in the manger until His eyes drowsily closed in sweet slumber.


It's so easy to read Bible stories and feel detached from them. The above is my own fictional take on what may or may not have happened at the birth of Jesus (who was, historically, a real person whether you believe Him to be the Messiah or not). I wanted to bring to life to you the story of His coming into the world.

I'm not big on Mary-worship. This isn't to glorify her. But having recently given birth I couldn't help but wonder about her experience. She was a virgin, she had never experienced anything like this and as far as I recall from history they just didn't talk about birth in those days. Not to mention Mary was most likely a young teen girl, probably between 14-16 years old.

My favorite Christmas song is "What Child is This" and I also really love "Mary Did You Know?" Those songs just give me chills. Some lines that really stand out to me:

"Mary did you know that the Child that you delivered will soon deliver you?"
and
"And when you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God..."

Ooh, don't you get chills?

Daniel's father, our pastor, has been talking about the Wise Men who came from afar to see the Christ Child and bring Him gifts. I couldn't help but wonder what they, too, were thinking as they gazed upon His infant face. He was to be their Savior and yet he was only just a newborn baby. Can you imagine the stillness as they approached the cave? The humility of these elders bowing before a rooting newborn?

I hope that this season and every season the reality of His birth, death and resurrection are real to you and not just words on a page... I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

She's got me wrapped around her pudgy little finger!

My SIL ended up giving me her papasan bouncer which has been a godsend. I already have one bouncer that I use downstairs but with two levels you can't have too many! I took the papasan one upstairs to use while I took showers or needed to clean up there. We still haven't gotten the crib! One of these days we will. I think Z is getting money for Christmas and we'll put that toward it. Anyway, so I took the papasan bouncer into the bathroom with me this afternoon and put baby Z in it. She was liking it! Having a great time, looked really snug.

And I was having a great time and taking my time showering since she was doing so well! I was singing and washing. Well then I noticed how quiet she was so I peeked out at her and she's wide-awake with her huge eyes and just content as can be.

I say, "Peek-a-Boo!" in a sing-songy voice. Zoë looks around until her eyes land on my face and then........... her little lip quivers and her bottom lip juts out in a pout and she lets out this roar of a cry! The more I talk and sing to her trying to soothe her the more she cries.

So I get back to washing and rinsing off as quick as I can to attend to her and I notice... she has stopped crying. In fact when I looked out at her she was back to doing the same thing she had been doing before the tears; just looking around and sitting peacefully.

Did she? Did she really just give me some alligator tears in hopes I'd pick her up? ALREADY?!

I had to test this out. I peeked out again and said, "Zoooooeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" in that sing-songy voice again. Her eyes dart to mine and lock on. She stares at me a moment without reaction before that little chin quivers again and that pout pops out! Ha ha! It was so pathetic and so cute. I cannot believe how smart she is that she can cry and know that Momma will be there for her.

Made my heart melt... made me laugh aloud... and made me realize that someone has got me wrapped around her pudgy little finger!