That yes, as a matter of fact, she can be more whiny.
That the best toy is always the one that her sister has.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Things my girls have taught me this week…
When my husband, dear sweet man that he is, says he’s leaving me coffee on the table, I must immediately drink or at least move it or the baby will find it sitting close enough to the edge to dump it. Thankfully it wasn’t too hot and she didn’t break the cup, so no burns or cuts.
That yes, as a matter of fact, she can be more whiny.
That the best toy is always the one that her sister has.
That yes, as a matter of fact, she can be more whiny.
That the best toy is always the one that her sister has.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Winter's Last Horrah.
Church was canceled here in Kansas yesterday because of *SNOW*!
Here are some pictures from our snow fun yesterday. Gabby hadn’t had a chance to play in it before, because she wasn’t walking well enough in the previous snows this year, so this was her first trip out in the white stuff.
See Mama--it's snow!
Kate's favorite snow related fun--throwing it at us!
Striking a pose.
The snow man that the girls knocked over before I got a picture.
It was melting the whole time. I thought that was perfect—it was warm enough not to need gloves unless you were digging in the snow. Justin disapproved—it was awfully wet.
Notice the buds under the ice.
Yesterday we played in the snow. Today the high is supposed to be 62. I feel like I’m back home in Kentucky!
Here are some pictures from our snow fun yesterday. Gabby hadn’t had a chance to play in it before, because she wasn’t walking well enough in the previous snows this year, so this was her first trip out in the white stuff.
See Mama--it's snow!
Kate's favorite snow related fun--throwing it at us!
Striking a pose.
The snow man that the girls knocked over before I got a picture.
It was melting the whole time. I thought that was perfect—it was warm enough not to need gloves unless you were digging in the snow. Justin disapproved—it was awfully wet.
Notice the buds under the ice.
Yesterday we played in the snow. Today the high is supposed to be 62. I feel like I’m back home in Kentucky!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Oh no!
They’ve taken them away!
I’ve changed a lot of diapers in the past three and a half years, but I’m only at about the half way point. I have awhile to go with Gabby, who shows very little interest in the potty at the moment, and the newbie hasn’t had the first of thousands of diaper changes yet.
With itty-bitty Kate I used the Pampers swaddlers. They were wonderful. They feel like cloth and caught lots of messes. Plus I didn’t have to wash them. See, they will tell you breast fed babies will have from one BM a week to 8 a day. You figure you’re little prince or princess will fall somewhere in the middle there. Not our little Katie bug. She usually granted us six of those diapers a day. Technically “somewhere in the middle,” but not at the end we wanted to be at! As she out grew the swaddlers size, we tried regular Pampers, but the leaked up her back. So we tried Huggies, they leaked out her legs. My mother suggested combining the two!
I happened to have a pack of White Cloud diapers a colleague had given me as a present. They weren’t one of the big names, but I thought they were worth a try. Guess what! On my tall skinny gal they were perfect. They also cost quite a bit less than the others. We were loyal customers.
When Gabby was born we did the swaddlers for a few months. Then we went straight to White Cloud. Then the past two times I went to buy them I couldn’t get them. We asked the girl stocking if they had any more. She said they discontinued them! What am I going to do?
My mom jokingly mentioned cloth. If I had a second washer, I’d do it. Gabby would be easy. She only needs a few a day, but the new baby… Will he or she be an eight a day pooper? Decisions. Decisions. Anyone know a good store brand diaper?
I’ve changed a lot of diapers in the past three and a half years, but I’m only at about the half way point. I have awhile to go with Gabby, who shows very little interest in the potty at the moment, and the newbie hasn’t had the first of thousands of diaper changes yet.
With itty-bitty Kate I used the Pampers swaddlers. They were wonderful. They feel like cloth and caught lots of messes. Plus I didn’t have to wash them. See, they will tell you breast fed babies will have from one BM a week to 8 a day. You figure you’re little prince or princess will fall somewhere in the middle there. Not our little Katie bug. She usually granted us six of those diapers a day. Technically “somewhere in the middle,” but not at the end we wanted to be at! As she out grew the swaddlers size, we tried regular Pampers, but the leaked up her back. So we tried Huggies, they leaked out her legs. My mother suggested combining the two!
I happened to have a pack of White Cloud diapers a colleague had given me as a present. They weren’t one of the big names, but I thought they were worth a try. Guess what! On my tall skinny gal they were perfect. They also cost quite a bit less than the others. We were loyal customers.
When Gabby was born we did the swaddlers for a few months. Then we went straight to White Cloud. Then the past two times I went to buy them I couldn’t get them. We asked the girl stocking if they had any more. She said they discontinued them! What am I going to do?
My mom jokingly mentioned cloth. If I had a second washer, I’d do it. Gabby would be easy. She only needs a few a day, but the new baby… Will he or she be an eight a day pooper? Decisions. Decisions. Anyone know a good store brand diaper?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Internet Service
My parents were here for a nice visit this week. It was my dad’s birthday, so he got to spend it with his favorite granddaughters. Okay, they are his only granddaughters, but they’re still his favorites. For any one who knows my Daddy, he loves computers. When I was growing up, we were one of the first families I knew of to have one. He taught himself how to use and build them. Last year when he was here, he set us up on a wireless router, so he could pursue the web from his lap top, rather than having to sit at the desk to use ours.
While they were here, horror of horrors, our internet stopped working. No blogging for me or my mom, no checking the weather, no reading the random entry on Wikipedia for Justin. It was an utter disaster. Okay, so it wasn’t THAT bad. Especially since my parents were here. Otherwise, I would have been out of my daily adult interaction—you know reading about other random people’s lives on their blogs, emailing my two dearest friends who live far away, and looking to see if anyone changed their status on Facebook.
I’d been considering switching service providers for awhile. After some pretty major frustration with a young lady in tech support at the old company and her boss who didn’t know proper English (She kept saying, “The most available day for a service call is in two days.” I didn’t want the most I wanted the next.). She refused to move the date up. She didn’t offer to waive my charges for the days I would be without service. I was mad—I yelled—I hung up. I don’t do that! I talk sweetly, seethe on the inside, and complain to my family later. That’s how I handle those situations. I think that the new baby doesn’t like bad grammar. Maybe he or she will be an English major.
Now I have a new provider. We called tech support last night to get it up and running. They were great.
And guess what? We’re saving over $30 a month. Yippee! Competence at a fair price. Free market is a beautiful thing.
While they were here, horror of horrors, our internet stopped working. No blogging for me or my mom, no checking the weather, no reading the random entry on Wikipedia for Justin. It was an utter disaster. Okay, so it wasn’t THAT bad. Especially since my parents were here. Otherwise, I would have been out of my daily adult interaction—you know reading about other random people’s lives on their blogs, emailing my two dearest friends who live far away, and looking to see if anyone changed their status on Facebook.
I’d been considering switching service providers for awhile. After some pretty major frustration with a young lady in tech support at the old company and her boss who didn’t know proper English (She kept saying, “The most available day for a service call is in two days.” I didn’t want the most I wanted the next.). She refused to move the date up. She didn’t offer to waive my charges for the days I would be without service. I was mad—I yelled—I hung up. I don’t do that! I talk sweetly, seethe on the inside, and complain to my family later. That’s how I handle those situations. I think that the new baby doesn’t like bad grammar. Maybe he or she will be an English major.
Now I have a new provider. We called tech support last night to get it up and running. They were great.
And guess what? We’re saving over $30 a month. Yippee! Competence at a fair price. Free market is a beautiful thing.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Strong Willed
Yeah, with that title I could be talking about me, but I'm not!
It seems that while Kate was sick she was storing all that energy she was conserving. She has been quite the handful this week. I never know what’s next. I thought she’d learned her lesson about salt and pepper shakers (see here), but I guess I was naive to think that. This week I found her lying on the kitchen table with them. I will say at least she wasn’t eating it this time, she was just drawing in the “dust.”
She’s been defiant and screaming a lot. That’s hard because when her volume goes up, I find mine doing the same. Some of it is an attempted to be heard over her, but after a second I realize that yelling back isn’t helping. It’s hard. She doesn’t seem to follow an instruction unless it’s loud or has a consequence attached to it. Or both. And sometimes not even then.
She’s bright and she’s strong willed. This is going to be a battle, but hopefully we’ll get through this now, so that as she grows older she’s willing to submit to her boundaries, at least most of the time. Justin and I were both pretty compliant. My sister probably doesn’t fit that category as well, but she was not so loud and in your face about defying the rules, so we have little practical experience with it.
I'm hoping that her stick-to-it-iveness will serve her well. I know it's gotten me through a lot of difficult times.
And it's hard to discipline when she looks like this. Please excuse the mess. Justin emptied out our only storage in the house looking for a book while I was out and got this picture of Kate in his old hat.
We do know that God wants us to submit to Him. Since He is our heavenly Father, we know that the example we, as her earthly parents have her abide by may be how she views her relationship with Him. It’s a big challenge, but hopefully someday Kate will be a blessing for all. Goodness knows she’s full of fun and joy. So long as she can find a way to reign in some of her wild nature and defiance, she will truly be a great young lady. And hopefully she won’t still be sitting in time out when she’s thirty. Just joking, of course—sort of.
It seems that while Kate was sick she was storing all that energy she was conserving. She has been quite the handful this week. I never know what’s next. I thought she’d learned her lesson about salt and pepper shakers (see here), but I guess I was naive to think that. This week I found her lying on the kitchen table with them. I will say at least she wasn’t eating it this time, she was just drawing in the “dust.”
She’s been defiant and screaming a lot. That’s hard because when her volume goes up, I find mine doing the same. Some of it is an attempted to be heard over her, but after a second I realize that yelling back isn’t helping. It’s hard. She doesn’t seem to follow an instruction unless it’s loud or has a consequence attached to it. Or both. And sometimes not even then.
She’s bright and she’s strong willed. This is going to be a battle, but hopefully we’ll get through this now, so that as she grows older she’s willing to submit to her boundaries, at least most of the time. Justin and I were both pretty compliant. My sister probably doesn’t fit that category as well, but she was not so loud and in your face about defying the rules, so we have little practical experience with it.
I'm hoping that her stick-to-it-iveness will serve her well. I know it's gotten me through a lot of difficult times.
And it's hard to discipline when she looks like this. Please excuse the mess. Justin emptied out our only storage in the house looking for a book while I was out and got this picture of Kate in his old hat.
We do know that God wants us to submit to Him. Since He is our heavenly Father, we know that the example we, as her earthly parents have her abide by may be how she views her relationship with Him. It’s a big challenge, but hopefully someday Kate will be a blessing for all. Goodness knows she’s full of fun and joy. So long as she can find a way to reign in some of her wild nature and defiance, she will truly be a great young lady. And hopefully she won’t still be sitting in time out when she’s thirty. Just joking, of course—sort of.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Telling Daddy
I’ve been remiss in posting—I feel awful! I guess that’s good news for baby. He or she is definitely causing a shock to my system, which means all the hormones have kicked it into high gear.
As I said before, we were quite surprised that we’re expecting our third child so soon. I truly expected the test to be negative when I took it. It was there, so I figured it was worth putting my mind at rest, with an upcoming dental surgery (which has been postponed indefinitely). I couldn’t believe it.
Then came the fun of telling my husband. The man who has been surprised each and every time I’ve told him there was a little bundle on the way. The one who asked, “What is it?” when I gave him the positive test the second time.
(Gabby's announcement to Justin)
I had read about a girl who wrote a little poem to tell her husband. I didn’t know precisely where to go back and find the original, so I made up my own. I had it sitting at his place when he got home from work.
I wanted to write
A little note from
Me to you.
Please know I love you,
Regardless of where we are,
Even when life is difficult.
God will be with our family
Never forsaking us
Always with us.
Now read this from
Top to bottom.
He kept asking, “You’re kidding, right?!”
We spent the entire night laughing every time our eyes met. It reminded me so much of the story of Sarah. We weren’t laughing in disbelief, but surprise. Maybe baby should be named Isaac?
God has such a way of turning our lives in directions we couldn’t or wouldn’t ever take ourselves. I’m not sure why, but I know he Knows the plans he has for Justin, the girls, this baby, and me. In some ways I was ready for another baby, but in my mind I knew it was fiscally irresponsible. Perhaps He just decided to take the burden of that decision from me. Or perhaps this baby has a great purpose to fulfill. I can’t wait to see.
As I said before, we were quite surprised that we’re expecting our third child so soon. I truly expected the test to be negative when I took it. It was there, so I figured it was worth putting my mind at rest, with an upcoming dental surgery (which has been postponed indefinitely). I couldn’t believe it.
Then came the fun of telling my husband. The man who has been surprised each and every time I’ve told him there was a little bundle on the way. The one who asked, “What is it?” when I gave him the positive test the second time.
(Gabby's announcement to Justin)
I wanted to write
A little note from
Me to you.
Please know I love you,
Regardless of where we are,
Even when life is difficult.
God will be with our family
Never forsaking us
Always with us.
Now read this from
Top to bottom.
He kept asking, “You’re kidding, right?!”
We spent the entire night laughing every time our eyes met. It reminded me so much of the story of Sarah. We weren’t laughing in disbelief, but surprise. Maybe baby should be named Isaac?
God has such a way of turning our lives in directions we couldn’t or wouldn’t ever take ourselves. I’m not sure why, but I know he Knows the plans he has for Justin, the girls, this baby, and me. In some ways I was ready for another baby, but in my mind I knew it was fiscally irresponsible. Perhaps He just decided to take the burden of that decision from me. Or perhaps this baby has a great purpose to fulfill. I can’t wait to see.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Surprise
So, I’ve been pretty much gone for two weeks. Last week I was avoiding posting like the plague (more on that later) and this week it’s felt like we’ve had the plague!
I am one of those people that likes to keep some things to myself for a little while, especially when the news is big. But with that the thoughts of it can become so intense that it’s hard to write about other things. Hence the reason I didn’t write last week.
I thought I’d let the girls share the news with you.
Yep, I’m pregnant.
If you look back I the comments from this post, you’ll see we were planning to have at least one more child, but not right now. Of course at the time I was writing that, I was already pregnant and didn’t have a clue. God has a sense of humor. He must have been chuckling to Himself, 'Silly girl thinks she's in charge.'
We’re not sure why God decided that now is a good time. From an earthly stand point the timing is not ideal—money is tight, the economy isn’t great, and we have two small children. I know that God is able to see what this child will need and what he or she will bring to earth. He already knows how He will provide the needs we don’t even know that we require. He stands outside of time and knows all. If it weren’t for that knowledge, I think I would be worried out of my mind.
We wanted more children and will love this baby. We know that Kate wants another sibling. The rest is just logistics and logistics we can handle. Because God knows all that we need.
So rejoice with us in this new blessing!
Now to decide on sleeping arrangements and who will sit where in the van...
I am one of those people that likes to keep some things to myself for a little while, especially when the news is big. But with that the thoughts of it can become so intense that it’s hard to write about other things. Hence the reason I didn’t write last week.
I thought I’d let the girls share the news with you.
Yep, I’m pregnant.
If you look back I the comments from this post, you’ll see we were planning to have at least one more child, but not right now. Of course at the time I was writing that, I was already pregnant and didn’t have a clue. God has a sense of humor. He must have been chuckling to Himself, 'Silly girl thinks she's in charge.'
We’re not sure why God decided that now is a good time. From an earthly stand point the timing is not ideal—money is tight, the economy isn’t great, and we have two small children. I know that God is able to see what this child will need and what he or she will bring to earth. He already knows how He will provide the needs we don’t even know that we require. He stands outside of time and knows all. If it weren’t for that knowledge, I think I would be worried out of my mind.
We wanted more children and will love this baby. We know that Kate wants another sibling. The rest is just logistics and logistics we can handle. Because God knows all that we need.
So rejoice with us in this new blessing!
Now to decide on sleeping arrangements and who will sit where in the van...
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sleep is for Sissies
And am I ever a sissy.
You know, most people lost an hour of sleep on Saturday night? Not me. We lost seven hours of sleep on Saturday night. Kate has been very sick. I took her to the doctor today—her temperature is 104.6 (with Advil!). She didn’t have strep according to the rapid test, but they’ll be running the two day culture. Evidently in little kids strep can manifest itself like the stomach flu. She’s dehydrated, but thankfully didn’t need an IV.
She could really use some prayers for her little body to heal quickly. She’s not had an appetite at all and we have to push fluids because she's loosing them rapidly. I could use some sleep and patience with all the cleaning, as could Justin. Gabby needs patience as she is having to wait more than she’s used to.
You know, most people lost an hour of sleep on Saturday night? Not me. We lost seven hours of sleep on Saturday night. Kate has been very sick. I took her to the doctor today—her temperature is 104.6 (with Advil!). She didn’t have strep according to the rapid test, but they’ll be running the two day culture. Evidently in little kids strep can manifest itself like the stomach flu. She’s dehydrated, but thankfully didn’t need an IV.
She could really use some prayers for her little body to heal quickly. She’s not had an appetite at all and we have to push fluids because she's loosing them rapidly. I could use some sleep and patience with all the cleaning, as could Justin. Gabby needs patience as she is having to wait more than she’s used to.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Baby Shower
As promised, here’s an update from the baby shower. We had a great time. We played some fun games. The most fun was probably a bag game. I had placed 10 different baby related items into bags. The object of the game was to reach inside and determine what the item is without looking. It was fun to see the looks on the women’s faces as they were trying to discern the difference between a cloth diaper and a wash cloth. Of course, the poor new mom has some practice before she's ready for digging through all the baby items in the dark at three a.m.
There was spice cake, cheese cake, artichoke bites, quiche, cookies, and punch. Yum. It’s been a busy week of baking around here! It was yummy and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
One of my favorite things was the diaper cake. I made it from the left over newborn diapers we had from Gabby. I got a great deal on some toys and then threw in a few toiletry items. It turned out well.
There was spice cake, cheese cake, artichoke bites, quiche, cookies, and punch. Yum. It’s been a busy week of baking around here! It was yummy and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
One of my favorite things was the diaper cake. I made it from the left over newborn diapers we had from Gabby. I got a great deal on some toys and then threw in a few toiletry items. It turned out well.
There were of course several lovely gifts. I was busy writing them all down, so I didn’t get a lot of pictures.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Busy Bee
I’ve been a bit busy and not been posting! My blessings have been keeping me on my toes. Speaking of toes… Here are mine!
We had a mom’s night out with our MOPS group last night. We all met up at a local beauty school, who gave us half off their regular rates, so it was quite the deal. I got a pedicure. Not something I would normally do for myself. Okay, not something I ever do for myself--especially not that shade. My one other pedicure was when Gabby was over due and it was truly an attempt to induce labor—it failed. But I had pretty toes when she came!
I’ve also been preparing for a baby shower that will be at my house on Saturday. I’m not going to post any pictures, just in case the Mommy finds her way over here. Speaking of her, we got to work on the curtains for her nursery on Monday. We put the valance up on Monday with five cute, little, sleepy owls on it.
We’re going to make a curtain one night too. But not this week. Between that on Monday, MOPS night out last night, and Justin and Matt (the father of the baby who will live in the owl nursery) practicing to play at chapel on Friday night, and a house full of ladies on Saturday, I think I’ll stay home for a couple of evenings. Besides—I’ll have baking to do!
We had a mom’s night out with our MOPS group last night. We all met up at a local beauty school, who gave us half off their regular rates, so it was quite the deal. I got a pedicure. Not something I would normally do for myself. Okay, not something I ever do for myself--especially not that shade. My one other pedicure was when Gabby was over due and it was truly an attempt to induce labor—it failed. But I had pretty toes when she came!
I’ve also been preparing for a baby shower that will be at my house on Saturday. I’m not going to post any pictures, just in case the Mommy finds her way over here. Speaking of her, we got to work on the curtains for her nursery on Monday. We put the valance up on Monday with five cute, little, sleepy owls on it.
We’re going to make a curtain one night too. But not this week. Between that on Monday, MOPS night out last night, and Justin and Matt (the father of the baby who will live in the owl nursery) practicing to play at chapel on Friday night, and a house full of ladies on Saturday, I think I’ll stay home for a couple of evenings. Besides—I’ll have baking to do!