Baby #3

I am one week from my due date and I definitely feel like a time bomb. I wish I could say that I felt all calm and collected about the "whenever" of having this baby, but this whole brother getting married in Bismarck two days before my due date thing is making it all a little trickier. 

I'm 3+ cm dilated, 90% effaced, and baby's head is at -1. I am only blogging this because I think it is kinda fun to compare to my last bambinos. However, it is becoming quite clear that these numbers pretty much mean nothing. Sweet babes are on their own schedule! 

So I keep ticking. And hoping that this bambino decides to make his grand entrance this week so we can go to the wedding WITH baby in arms instead of in my tummy wondering if he might make his debut along the highway. Ha.

Come on sweet boy! Mama wants to meet you! 

Christmas Memories

I am a total sucker for Christmas traditions. I really just love all things "making memories" and watching my little people get excited.

One of my favorite traditions, carried on from the Wobbema side, is the gifting of Christmas PJs on Christmas Eve. Because who doesn't love cozy Christmas jammies?!

So we started our tradition last year, in Texas, in our cozy little one bedroom hotel room. We added to it by gifting a "Christmas Eve Box," filled with new pjs, a Christmas movie, popcorn, and a few other treats.  And even though we didn't have family around to celebrate with, we did go to Christmas Eve church and had a meal with friends and though it was wonderful, it was all just a little tricky to "fit it all in" on Christmas Eve.

So this year we revamped our plan. We started "Christmas Family Day" - and it just so happened that we could do it on the first Friday of the month based on Jordan's work schedule. (I'm sure it won't always fall so perfectly.)

We had plans to spend the whole day together, playing games, putting together puzzles, playing outside, baking cookies, doing crafts, taking the girls shopping for each other, whatever.

And though it didn't look exactly like I had envisioned it... we did have a lovely family day. We made pizzas together for lunch. We put together puzzles. We watched a Christmas movie. We wore our Christmas jammies. Emberly and I went shopping for Piper. We listened to Christmas music. And we did some just normal everyday stuff. 

It was all kinds of fantastic. And I hope it is a tradition we will carry on forever. (Minus the being very pregnant part.) 

And now my dumplings are tucked into bed... oh-so-exhausted. And I'm just a step behind them. 

I wish I had taken more pictures from today. But that's my only regret.

The end. 

My Thanksgiving Story

So Jordan has been working nights for the past month. It isn't great, but just comes with the territory of his job. 

But I'm burnt out. And today it all kind of came to a head as I wrangled the girls to and through church alone one more time. 

So we survived church and then decided to stop and get groceries on the way home since we literally have no food in our house. I ran through the grocery store so as to avoid any major meltdowns (odds were already stacked against me: kids with colds, didn't eat enough breakfast, went to bed late, just finished playing hard at church...) and we finally make it to the checkout counter. There is an end in sight!

Emberly hops out and insists upon "helping" unload the groceries. Truthfully, this isn't much help. But there's no convincing her otherwise. Piper decides she needs to help too. (She is less help.) 

 

Cashier notices our cheese is moldy. They go searching for more cheese. Piper gets mad because she can't reach the food in the cart herself and throws herself on the floor and cries. Emberly drives the cart over top of her foot accidentally. More tears (none mine yet...)

Cheese is replaced. I'm apologizing to the people behind me. The grocery store is a zoo because everyone in the whole wide world is shopping before Thanksgiving. 

The lady tells me my total. I am holding Piper (who is very against this act of affection in the middle of her tantrum...) and digging through the diaper bag... and it hits me. My wallet is in my purse. At home. Not the diaper bag I threw together before I left for church. 

...

...

So I explain to the cashier how embarrassed I am and truly sorry and ask if I can drive home to get my wallet and come back and get my groceries. She goes to find a manager to find out if this will work...

... and then the gentleman behind me realizes what is going on and just swipes his card and pays for my whole cart of groceries.

My WHOLE cart of groceries. Like all $78 of groceries. And I wasn't crying before, but this just puts me over the edge. Snotty ugly thankful pregnant crying starts as I try to get out the words "thank you" and he just smiles and says "Happy Thanksgiving."

So I carry Piper out of the store who is still having a tantrum, Emberly is skipping along completely unaware of anything going on around her, and I am sobbing. Class A messes.

But so thankful. So so so thankful.

I have a million things to be thankful for... many of which could be misinterpreted above as inconveniences instead of the blessings they really are. Like independent, trying to be helpful kids, and weird work schedules, and being a stay-at-home mama of (almost) three, and a church in which I have friends as real as family and can worship freely the God that orchestrates grocery store check-out line miracles and redeems all of my messes. Not just this one.

And that is my Thanksgiving story.

Purge the Paci

You know those "things" that you should probably not post on the Internet for all people in the whole wide world to read because you just KNOW that 100% of all people that don't have children, and 78% of all parents without paci loving children will not understand and most definitely will judge? 

This is one of those things.

But I'm just going with it because parenting is hard and even though this day has been kind of awful, I want to remember it. Because it has also been kind of sweet.

So Piper loves her pacifier. She didn't always... in fact, as a newborn I kind of thought she wouldn't even take a paci. But I kind of pushed it because, well, there's something about sticking a plug into a baby in church or after shots or at bedtime/nap time that's just kind of wonderful. 

And let me tell you, it worked all kinds of magic. You just needed to mention nap time and this kid was on her way to her bed voluntarily, hoping for sleep and a some good quality time with that pacifier.

For a weary parent, it was magical.

For two solid years, 3 months, and a handful of days it was magical.

But this week it started to not be magical anymore. We had weaned pacis to only sleeping time months ago. And her doctor said it really wasn't a problem for her to have it a limited number of hours in the day, and her dentist uncle said there were no real teeth concerns if it was also within that number of hours. But suddenly she wanted it all. the. time.

If she was hurt. If she was sad. If she was tired. If she was playing. And when we said no it usually wasn't a problem. Until this week. And then it was a major problem. Like crying for 40 minutes until we found some major distraction problem. 

So it needed to go. We checked out Elmo's Bye Bye, Pacifier DVD from the library, watched it this morning, she plopped the pacis in an envelope, and mailed them to a sweet baby in our life. We drove to target and picked out a new special snuggle sleep thing (teddy bear), and I was feeling great about nap time.

But then nap time happened and she realized she wasn't getting paci. And she cried so hard she threw up. And then let me rock her to sleep for the first time since before she was one.

She woke up crying. She was a mess most of the afternoon. And I was dreading bedtime. 

But for the most part it went way better. She snuggled with her big sister in bed and got up a gazillion times for water. And begged me to get to vacuum. (yes, vacuum.) 

When I told her she could vacuum in the morning after she slept all night without her pacis she cheered and told me she loved me. So apparently I'm not the worst mother ever.

She's finally asleep now, a solid 3 hours after her regular bedtime... and I anticipate needing to soothe her more than once tonight... but we are one day done.

The last time I went in her room and she requested the pacis, I told her how brave she was to give them to the babies that need them and she told me she wanted them back and didn't want to be brave. Bless. I can so relate. 

Anyway, Jordan asked me today if this was awful enough that I wouldn't want to give this next baby a pacifier. And my answer was an absolute no. If this baby takes a pacifier, power to the little man. We have had two years of gloriously easy sleep thanks to that pacifier. And I wouldn't change it for a moment. 

And that is the story of the paci.

 

Piper: Age 2

My baby isn't a baby anymore. 

She's two. 

She's "Pipey Ewizabeff." 

She talks in complete sentences. ("Wook mom! I see an Amewican fwag!") 

She tells me when she's "fwustwated."

She uses the big girl potty and keeps her undies dry all day (minus that darn #2).

She sings vibrant versions of "twinkle twinkle" and the "ABCs" and just about any other song you can think of.

She points out "corns" fields and beans and wheat when we drive past.

She loves all things her big sister is doing, but is very much of an individual and thrives on her own as well. 

She loves to play with other kids in just about any situation, and her once terrible church nursery anxiety seems to be completely gone. 

She still loooooves her pacis. But only gets them when sleeping. 

She is an absolute monkey climber and jumps off of everything. Everything. 

She hits when she's mad. And if we haven't caught it and put her in timeout, she puts herself in timeout and fake cries.

She loves a good snuggle and a rockabye when she can't sleep.

She's sleeping in a big girl bed, sharing a room with Emberly (as of two nights ago) and rocks it. 

And I just can't quite believe she's not a baby anymore. 

Emberly

Dear Jesus, please watch over Piper so I can have some time to myself today. Amen. 

Music player suggestions??

Please help.

I have these fond and happy memories as a kid of going on car trips to my grandparents' for the weekend and loading up my backpack of "car entertainment stuff" and throwing in my Walkman. (Anyone else?) 

I had a few tapes (initially)... and as I got older CDs became a thing. 

I put on my headphones and just went to my happy place listening to Psalty the Singing Song book and Point of Grace and Steven Curtis Chapman and Adventures in Odyssey and all kinds of other awesome kid music. I was in charge, and I felt kinda like I owned the world.

(I sound crazy.)

Or I'd sit in my room for hours on end, crafting, coloring, creating things while listening to tapes/CDs on my boom box. Gosh this makes me feel old. Can you even buy such a thing these days??

Anyway... I really want to recreate this for my music loving child. Her birthday is coming up and I would love to gift her with music. But I feel stumped. She'll be FOUR. It seems insane (and slightly less magical) to give her an iPod. But is this the way to go?? Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas? 

:)

Musically yours!

Emberly

She will be four this summer. {How did that happen?!}

Though she still has plenty of emotion, I can see it taming every day. There are more pleases and may I's and thanks yous and a general desire to please. 

She loves to wrestle with her daddy. She asks about him every hour or so while he's at work. 

She thinks doughnuts would be an appropriate breakfast food every day of the week even though she's maybe been allowed to have them 3 times in her life.

Crafting is this girl's job. She begs for quiet time because it means her sissy is asleep and she is allowed to create in peace. Scissors, glue, stickers, markers, and paint are this girl's love language.

She can talk circles around any adult. Don't believe me? Just tell her it is bedtime. "But my mommy and daddy don't ever make me go to bed. They let me stay up and it's because I'm so helpful. And how about tomorrow I go to bed instead? Tonight I think we should just watch a show. I'll even snuggle with you. Suddenly I'm starving. Did you even remember to feed me dinner? How about a bedtime snack? No, nothing you suggested sounds quite right... maybe we should just take a little trip to the grocery store..." 

She thinks Piper is an awesome puppy. This usually includes playing with her on her terms only, usually in a way that is mildly dangerous or taking away toys that she has suddenly found interesting.  But they occasionally have the sweetest sister moments where you catch her holding Piper's hand, reading her a story, or kissing her owies. 

She wants to help with everything in the whole wide world. And is getting much better at actually being a help. 

She never stops moving or making noise. 

She could live outside. 

She is so curious and has the wildest imagination of all time. 

She remembers everything. Everything. She has her daddy's photographic memory. If you miss even one WORD while reading a book she's heard once, she will correct you. Tonight Jordan said "carrots" instead of "carrot sticks" in a book and she corrected him. 

She is always singing. She loves music and if you teach her a new song she won't sing along, she will just say, "again" until she has it mastered. And then she will sing it like she's known it her whole life. 

She insists upon being the one to pray before meals every.single.time. It usually goes something like, "Jesus, thanks that I get to spend this day with mommy and daddy and Piper. Thanks for this food too. I love you. Amen." but occasionally has the most lovely glimpse of her heart and includes a "please help me to be kind to my sister" or "thanks for my grandmas and grandpas. I miss them" or "I felt happy when I got to play outside today. Thanks for grass and trees."  She is often wondering about where God is and what happens in heaven and is telling people that "Jesus is ALIVE!" 

She loves people. Jordan and I often wonder how such a social butterfly could come from two introverts. 

She's pretty wonderful.

Piper

She's almost two. When you ask her how old she is, she holds up one finger and says "free. like Emmy." 

When you ask her what her name is, she will give you some variation of "baby" or "Pipey" or "Pipey baby." 

Most everything needs to be done "like Emmy." And if you forget, she will remind you. 

She climbs on EVERYTHING. Every time I turn around she is on the table or dangling over the back of the couch or hanging off the edge of Emberly's bed. 

She eats just about everything, but is occasionally weirdly selective and won't eat pasta or something she usually loves. Last night she shared Jordan's sushi. 

She takes one gloriously long afternoon nap, usually resulting in needing to wake her after two hours so she will go to bed when her big sissy does at night. She sleeps from 7pm-7am or later like clockwork. 

Her paci is her favorite thing, and I'm fairly certain she is going to be the only 18 year old going off to college that still has one. It's entirely contained to her crib for naps and bedtime... but lately she asks to go in her crib just for a quick paci refresher and then she's ready to conquer the rest of the day. Oops. 

She's a ham. She thinks she's hilarious and is always laughing at something. 

She can say anything she wants, and if you don't understand what she is asking for she will show you or give you clues until you get it. 

If you ask her a question she answers, "I no no" every.single.time. 

Though she's not into cuddling at bedtime, she likes to "pretend" she's my baby and let's me snuggle and rock her. It's maybe my favorite. 

Mother's Day

Today was lovely.  

Jordan let me sleep in.

The girls brought me breakfast in bed and then crawled in and ate what they brought me. 

They sang me Happy Birthday several times (because there's no Mother's Day song).

We picked up food car-side to go for lunch. 

We ate cupcakes.

I napped for an hour and a half.

Jordan folded and put away the four loads of laundry I washed yesterday and never quite got around to finishing.

I made my mama's meatballs and gravy for dinner and they turned out for the first time in my life. 

We played outside most of the afternoon. 

My busy little "no cuddles, no books, just put me in bed" Piper let me read her books AND snuggle her at bedtime tonight.

Emberly didn't throw a bedtime tantrum and was giggling and shouting "I love you" when I tucked her in tonight.

I got a new sewing pattern. 

We went for a family walk (with girls in the stroller... the best kind).

Jordan washed all of the dishes from the whole day. 

And I took a bath. 

Could it get any better than that? 

I vote no.

#wobbemastakenewmexico

We are in New Mexico.  

In a house.

It has a king bed and windows and a kitchen that is not in the same room we sleep in.  

And the girls are sleeping in their own rooms.

And there's even a backyard.  

It's all kind of wonderful.

Jordan goes back to work tomorrow and we are officially on our last leg of this training.  

4 months left.

I feel like 4 months is long.  So so long.  

But praying it will go quickly.

...

I have so many things floating around my brain and I can't seem 

to figure out how to get them out today.

So that's all I've got.

:)

 

    

Far from home...

It's a chilly Friday.  Of a week filled with sickness, hellos and goodbyes of visiting family, a zoo visit, home school preschool, and the 10th day in our new temporary house in Texas.

My brain feels frazzled.  Like it is going in a million directions.  And I don't know how to "zone in" on anything.

We leave Texas in TWO weeks. 

And to be honest, the adrenaline of living away from home has officially worn off.  (Actually, it did awhile ago... but I've been pretending it was there as long as I could...) 

So 10 days ago we packed up all of our stuff and decided that we just could not handle one more day in a one bedroom hotel room.  We lasted a little over 4 months.  So we moved to a 3 bedroom town home just on the other side of base.  And it was entirely worth it.  The girls aren't constantly fighting.  We are all sleeping.  We don't have to cringe every time someone wiggles at night.  Jordan and I aren't sleeping on a pull-out couch in the kitchen.  We actually have a dining room table. 

The one problem is that they don't have any availability for us on the 6th and 7th of February, so we will need to pack up all of our stuff again, move back into a one bedroom, and then move into the three bedroom again.  We are just praying and praying that something will become available and we don't have to move.  When we made this decision, we decided that even if nothing changes, it would still be worth it.  But I'm starting to question.  Let's just say it is improving my prayer life.

So anyway, we have 2 weeks left in Texas.  And I'm starting to get this whole Air Force wife thing.  It is so conflicting.  I feel like I love it here in lots of ways.  We have made this our home.  We have made friends.  We have a church family.  We've developed a schedule.  But I'm yearning for "home."  Our real home.  The place where we have a kitchen mixer, and a bed that only we sleep in, and a stool for the bathroom, and towels that don't get bleached every day, and a 9x13 pan that doesn't flake off on the bottom...

It seems only natural that I'm thinking about home more because everything is coming to a close here.  Except we aren't going home.  We are starting over again.  Where we will need to find a new grocery store and library and church and park and friends...

And we will.  Because we have this great God who never changes even when everything around us does.  And goes with us every step of the way.  And tells us our identity is not in our stuff.  Or location.  And provides help and support and everything we need and more even when family isn't nearby.  And blesses us in the process with growth and communication in our little family of four.  And reminds us that we are all ultimately searching for home. 

It's a good reminder really, that this earth is not our home.  Our citizenship is in heaven.  With Jesus.  (Philippians 3).  And until we are with Him, we will always feel like we are searching.  Looking for something that isn't there.  One more thing we need to make our lives easier or make us feel happier.  When you recognize it for what it is, it really makes what we are going through no different than what you are going through.

And that's what I'm thinking about this gloomy Friday (while my kids are watching Daniel Tiger... one of them I just realized doesn't have any clothes on... and the other has been hiccup-ing for the entire episode).

Time to make supper.  If you made it this far in my ramblings, you must be a true friend.  That's all.

4 months in Texas

I'm sitting on the couch with Emberly sitting half on top of me telling me that she "just can't" (sleep, be quiet, have quiet time, rest, read, play quietly) during what used to be nap time in this house.  She alternates between the "just can't" and some rendition of "I'm hungry" or "I just need to do a project."  And this weary mama is about to lose it. 

I keep dreaming about moving into the 2-bedroom apartment in New Mexico where I can at least send her to her room for quiet time and close the door.  Except there is literally not a spot in our whole hotel room that I can send her (minus the bathroom... and trust me, it's tempting).  Sigh.

So I guess I just need to get over it. 

ONE more month left in Texas.  One.  We've lived here just about 4 months already.  Can you believe that?

And even more unbelievably, we've actually had a lot of fun.  We've made this our home, called it "our library" and "our zoo," etc.  We go to story time on Tuesdays and BSF on Thursdays.  We have pizza night and play at our park.  And oddly enough, it will be hard to leave the people and friendships and routine behind to start fresh all over again. 

Do you know that the first maybe 5 or 6 times I went grocery shopping I cried every time I got home?  It was overwhelming and what took me 30 minutes to do at home took me an hour and a half to find everything I needed.  And the driving.  Seriously.  I could not wait for the day that I did not need to use my GPS to find the grocery store.  And I'm fairly convinced that the interstate system took years off my life.  But now?  It's normal.  I have my grocery spot.  I don't need my GPS to find the grocery store or the library or the Children's Museum.  I kind of even like all of the options.  And in 4 short months, lots has changed.

Jordan went back to work today after having just about 3 weeks off for Christmas.  Before you start thinking the military life is all cush, just go ahead and remind yourself that we are living in a hotel room and sleeping on the floor for 4 months with a family of four.  But the three weeks was seriously wonderful and I was almost doubting my ability to be a solo-stay-at-home mama again.  But the Lord is gracious and we are surviving the day. 

And that's my Texas update.