Teething

Emberly suddenly stopped sleeping through the night... and as much as I really shouldn't complain, I did.  Because getting up 3 or 4 times in the middle of the night to a crabby 17 month old who is convinced that the only thing in the whole wide world that will solve her problems are a "nack" and some "bah-bah" (snack and water) is really not fun.  But then I'd get the crackers out and she'd throw them on the floor and cry and cry.  And she wanted to cuddle except really she was just trying to crawl out of her own skin...

And I just couldn't figure it out. 

And then, in my brilliance, I noticed a tooth popping through her sweet little gums.  Why did I not think to look?  It is a danger zone in her mouth... if I stick a finger in there to check, I will get a sharp little chomp.  So I don't.  But this little pokey tooth was quite obvious. 

No wonder she wanted to crawl out of her own skin.  And no wonder she thought she needed a snack.  Her little gums were itchy and she needed to chew on something. 

So last night we went straight for the tylenol at bedtime, and my sweet little one slept through the whole night.  Praise the Lord.  Seriously.  Because that little one of mine needed a good night of sleep.  She was getting crabby.  And I did too.

Now we just pray this tooth/teeth come in quickly!

Mama love

I seriously love being a mom and a wife. And this is how I know...

Every day on my drive home from work I feel this little anxious excitement like a kid waking up on their birthday or that feeling you get when you're going to see a friend you haven't seen in ages. And I'm literally that excited to get home and see my two. I crave that little voice that shouts "mama!" when she hears the door open and runs over to show me what she's been up to.

It is truly the best thing in the whole wide world.

Today Jordan and Em were out and about when I got home from work and it was weird. So weird. I walked in the house and sat down on my couch and ate my lunch uninterrupted and listened to the music I wanted to listen to... and I couldn't even really remember what life was like pre-Emberly when I did this every day.

And sometimes I think I miss that "independence." But then I have days like today and I realize I don't miss it at all. It is oddly empty. I wouldn't trade this life I live now for the world. And I think of my friends who are worried about trading in their independence, much like I was, and I realize that you have to experience something like this to believe it. It is heaven on earth.

Saturday

I love Saturdays. It's 9am and I'm still laying in bed under my cozy covers just waiting for sweet Em to wake up. Have I mentioned that I love that she sleeps in almost every day, even though I'm not home 5/7 days a week to benefit from it? It makes Saturdays all the more awesome.

So here I am Pinterest searching Valentine ideas because, well, I secretly love Valentine's day. Jordan and I will be in Orlando, FL this valentine's day, and though I'm obviously excited about that, I am just a tish bit sad I won't be home to give my sweet Emberly pink food colored milk and cut her toast into a heart shape like my mama did for me when I was growing up. Funny how that is one of my favorite happy feel good memories. I would just giggle with delight when my mom would pour the milk over our cereal from the carton and it was... pink! She had taken one extra moment to sneak into the kitchen before breakfast just so it was ready. And we were always surprised. And it always made my day. :)

Do you think other mamas dream about when their children are old enough to have you pack their lunch for school just so you can slip little treats in their lunchbox? I totally do. Maybe I'm strange. I also dream about homeschooling my kiddos through k, 1, 2ish and all of the fun little things we will do to make it special and memorable and fun. Like planning a valentine party with a whole day of hearts and chocolate and talking about love and how much Jesus loves us and how that is the reason we can even celebrate love? My teacher brain goes all crazy planner mode and I think about all the stuff I would love to do in the classroom but will never be able to because there are too many kids, too few supplies, and too many restrictions. It's sad, but then I hope I can just lavish that love on my own kiddos. Makes me want more than two!

Sigh. Well this bossy baby in my tummy says it is time to sneak out of bed and find some breakfast. I was dreaming about donuts right before I woke up and now I want an apple fritter in the worst way... but alas, no apple fritters in this house. Guess i'll settle for a homemade bun with peanut butter on it. That sounds yummy too.

Happy Saturday!

Foooood

I think McDonalds is a nasty gross place. And yet I've craved a fruit and yogurt parfait and hash browns every day this week, therefore have been to McDonalds 4/4 weekdays. Pregnancy does strange things to a person.

And today I spent Emberly's nap time Pinterest searching "chocolate." Oh dear. This could be bad.

Feeling Better

Dear Life,
I have been feeling sooo much better this week. Like someone switched a light switch at 14 weeks different. I still have to eat all the time, and I don't feel good in the middle of the night if I have to get up with Emberly... but it is manageable. Compared to my puking any time any where phase, I will take this any time.

I did let myself go a little too long without eating tonight though and ended up puking while driving home. Oops. Pulled off onto a side street and just puked right out my car door at a stop sign. How's that for lady like? Not.

Anywho... I felt good enough to skip my afternoon nap while Em napped today and worked on a sewing project I started months ago. I was making a blanket for Emberly out of minkee fabric and fleece. A friend of mine from college made Em one before she was born and it is her all-time-favorite "nigh nigh" - so much so that it is hard to sneak away and wash. So I decided to make one... except I have nowhere near the sewing skills she does! Ha. But I think it turned out ok. Especially since Em doesn't have a very critical sewing eye.




What do you think? I still have to top stitch and tie it, but that is for another nap. Maybe tomorrow if I have another good day. Tonight instead of finishing it I took a hot bath and ate cheesecake after tucking Em into bed. It was all kinds of pregnant lovely.

Oh and guess what else is lovely? Jordan and I decided to go on a "babymoon" or "anniversary" trip (our anniversary is not until August, but we will have a fresh new baby then). So after lots of looking and debating (and figuring out what we could afford) we decided we'd go to Orlando for a week in February and we booked tickets this morning! Thanks to some awesome military deals we can afford it and not break the bank, and we even get to go to Disney World a couple of days, which I've been begging Jordan to do for years! Sooo excited. And slightly terrified to leave Emberly. We are going to be gone just under 5 total days, and Em will get to be loved on by my mom for 2 days and 2 nights, and by Jordan's mom for 2 nights and 2 days. Tell me it's going to be ok and I'm going to have fun. Please. Because well, Em and I have been kinda inseparable since day one.

Hmm. I think that's all in the world of updates and baby and travel and sewing and fun. Weekends just go way too fast. That's all!

Sincerely Yours,

Crazy

Today I watched the children of two dear friends of mine. In my house at one time there was a 12 month old, 16 month old, 18 month old, and 5 year old. It was all kinds of exhausting, but all kinds of fun too. Emberly absolutely loved having friends to play with. She is tired though too, and therefore tucked into bed at 6:30pm. It is now 7:00 and I still hear her decompressing from the day, probably thinking of the fun she had playing peek-a-boo, crawling around after the little one, and chasing around and dancing and playing hide and go seek with the bigger two.

It was a glimpse of crazy.

And now I'm deciding if 7:00pm is too early for my bedtime...

Baby in my Belly

Dear Baby in my Belly,

I got to meet you today. I mean, we've had little conversations here and there, but it's mostly me that does that talking. I get to tell you how much I love you already and how excited I am to meet you. Sometimes I tell you that it would be really awesome if we could just skip this first trimester "stuff" and get on to the good stuff... I even call you bossy sometimes because you really know what you want and when you want it, and boy do I pay for it if I don't listen or catch on right away.

But today, I got to hear back from you when I got to hear your little heart beat. Those 155 beats per minute were serious music to my ears. It made me so excited to know more about you. What your little ears and eyes and nose will look like. What we'll call you. Who you'll look like. What will tickle your funny bone, if you'll be a picky eater, if you'll be tidy or messy, what you'll tell us when you can talk. It made me wonder all of those things and just be excited. I cannot wait to meet you. I cannot wait to hold your little hand. I cannot wait to laugh with you and rub noses with you and rock and rock and rock until we fall asleep together.

 

You're perfect in every way already.

Love,

Your Mama

 

 

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Loving the Little Years

I've been re-reading this sweet little book called "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic. If you have small children, this is really a must read. I don't say that about many books (mostly because who has time to read when you have littles anyway?!?) but the author of this book describes herself as "in the trenches" as she's writing this book. It isn't a book where she's looking back at all of the fond memories of her children growing up and she's already forgotten the sleepless nights, quarelling between children, messes and "stuff" that comes along with raising littles. She has five kids, three in diapers, two of them twins. So she gets it. And it's short. Just a tiny little paperback with two or three page chapters, all completely unrelated little stories that you can read while brushing your teeth or quickly before you fall into a deep sleep at night.

I read this book the first time when Emberly was just a few months old. I mused at the little stories and mostly just looked forward to what life would be like... with one... or two or how ever many the Lord decided to bring into our life. I had this sunshiny little view of what disciplining Emberly would look like, and how obedient she'd be, and how I'd surely be able to laugh at the little struggles that would arrise here and there.

And now? Well now I have a whole new view of the fact that nobody had to teach my sweet little bambino how to throw a tantrum, hit when she's mad, give a dirty look, or throw food on the floor. I had no idea how it would frustrate me. How I'd wish I could fix it. How I'd wonder what I am supposed to do. What is the right or wrong way to approach the situation, or if I'd be able to really mess up my child by my responses?

And for that? There's grace. Thank you, Jesus, for grace.

But back to the book. The author gives these lovely little illustrations of how their family responds to the messes in life. Or at least how to frame your mindset... because let's be honest, most of the time, that is the problem. MY mindset. MY attitude. MY heart. MY issues.

At one point the author speaks of "Thanksters and Cranksters," and how they try to teach their children that thankfulness is the perfect antidote to fussing (aka being cranky). When they "catch" a child of theirs being downright cranky (i.e. "When are we going to get there?!? I hate riding in the car. My brother is sitting too close to me. It is too warm in here!) they try to help them think of things that are positive and spin the situation. (I know that you are feeling like this trip is taking forever, but isn't it great that we have a car with air conditioning to ride in instead of having to walk? What else can you think of that you are thankful for? Aren't you glad that you get to see out the window? Isn't it a lovely thing that God gave you eyes to see all of his beautiful creation? What can you think of that you enjoy looking at??) They call the first kind of person a crankster, and the second a thankster. Which would you rather be?

And all the while I'm thinking about how I will help Emberly see this way, I'm realizing that I in fact need to do this in my own life. Oh you're feeling miserable and sorry for yourself that you've puked 4 times today? Aren't you glad your hormones are in high gear so that this baby can grow inside of you? Aren't you excited to meet this child - this LIFE that is new and fresh and only God knows about?

Yes. Yes I really am. And I'd actually much rather be a thankster than a crankster.

Oh you're feeling sorry for yourself that your child didn't nap today? Aren't you glad she slept 14 hours through the night last night? Isn't it a wonderful thing that she is so sun-shiny in the midst of not napping? Don't you love how she laughs and sings and wants to be involved in all you are doing all day long because you are her mama... the only one that can fill those shoes in her life?

Oh you're feeling grouchy that you had to go to the grocery store today? Aren't you glad you have money to buy groceries? Aren't you thrilled that you can provide healthy meals for your family?

Now, it'd be easy to read these and think that I was even reprimanding myself for my lack of thankfulness (which I could easily do), but that isn't the point. The point is that my heart gets all goofy sometimes and forgets. And when I ask, "Aren't you... xxx??" it isn't sarcasm, but instead, "really Molly! Look! This is incredible and are complete gifts from God! Don't forget!" It is all in love. And that is what I want to teach Emberly. But first, it needs to be real in my own heart.

Anywho. This got very long. But you should order the book. She is much more eloquent than I am. And you'll just fly through it. I re-read it in two evenings after tucking Emberly into bed. And I don't stay up late. In fact, it is now 8:45pm, and this is probably the lastest I've stayed up in 3 weeks. No lie.

That's all.

 

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NDSU

Kindergarten Student:  Hey Mrs. Wobbema, I know how to spell NDSU!!

Me:  Oh really??

Kindergarten Student:  Yup.  N.D.S.U.  {smiling and so very proud}