Not MY Child!

Every parent looks at their child (even if it’s for a brief moment) through rose-colored glasses.  It seems like my son became a toddler over night.  I look at him, while he’s sleeping, car in one hand, bear in the other, and think to myself how innocent and precious he is.  It’s those moments in particular, that assure me that he is and always will be my baby.  But he’s growing up.  Quickly.  Sometimes too quickly.  Those sleepless, endless nights of nursing and co sleeping seem so far away.  Some nights I’ll ask my husband if we can bring our little boy into bed with us (of course he says no).

My son is a “good boy.”  I know…every parent says that about their child.  But his preschool teachers and church teachers tell me the same thing.  That he’s sweet and playful and talkative.  I’ve never heard anyone tell me he is mean or rough or disrespectful.  And while he’s two and voicing his opinion and asserting his independence, he doesn’t get in trouble much here at home.

My parents came down to our place to spend the weekend with us.  We spent a lot of time taking my little boy places like the pumpkin patch, Goofy’s Kitchen, and Mickey’s Trick or Treat Party.  I was sitting with my father talking over popcorn and bottled water at the pumpkin patch when my mother comes rushing up to me, telling me we have to go home.  I look at her in bewilderment.  “Your son just pushed a little girl for no reason and she fell down,” my mother says to me sternly.  I look at my son and then at her and then back at my son in shock, wondering if she’s talking about the right child.  Surely she’s not talking about the right child.  And if she is talking about the right child, then that little girl must have done something to incite my son to such an act.  So I inquired more about the “incident.”  Apparently, my son pushed a little girl for no reason…at least not any logical reason my mother or I could come up with.

And so my idealistic bubble of a child was burst.  Has your child ever done something that made you say to yourself, “Not MY Child!”?  I’d love to know!

Toddlerisms

My little boy is so funny.  Every day he says something that surprises me (most of the time it’s good!).  My husband and I have a habit of taking pictures of people in our lives, and asking my son who they are.  Of course, when we show him a picture of himself, we tell him…”That’s you!”  So this morning, we’re looking in the mirror together, and I point to myself and ask, “Who is that?”  His response is, “That’s mama!”  So then I point to him and ask, “Now who is that?”  His response is, “That’s you!”  I just squeezed him as tight as can be and laughed.  I mean, in some ways, he’s right!  Now we need to teach him that “you” also has a name!

I’ve Been Feeling a Little “Off”

I’ve been feeling a little “off” lately.  I’ve been trying to think of the right word to describe how I’ve been feeling and that’s really the only word that comes to mind.  It really hit me last week when I took a 3 hour nap with my son in our bed.  The very fact that I put him in our bed, after he’d been napping in his crib consistently for months, was an indicator that I was desperate for sleep.  I’ve also been obsessed preoccupied with food, which I find odd, since I’ve been trying desperately to lose the last 10 pounds left over from my pregnancy.  But apart from a little less energy and a little more of an appetite, nothing really seemed to explain why I’ve been feeling “off.”

Last week I looked at the calendar and things started adding up.  So…it was time to take a test.  I was fully convinced it was going to be negative and my husband would finally be convinced I was paranoid.  And then this…

I went back and forth about whether or not to share this news so soon.  If I did the math correctly, I’m only about 5 weeks…much too soon, by most, to announce a pregnancy.  But how does one keep something like this inside?  I’m overjoyed and overwhelmed, excited and nervous…  There are so many emotions flooding through me at this moment.  If you know me or read my blog, then you know how difficult my first pregnancy was.  There were times of uncertainty…anxiety…fear… But I truly believe that all things happen for a reason.  I trust that just like last time, He is in control.

So, with great boldness and anticipation, I announce that we are expecting a baby…sometime in January.  This time is going to be different.  This time I have a toddler to care for…and a new home to keep up with.  This time I’m journaling every thought…every emotion…every dream.  This time I plan on enjoying and embracing each moment of this pregnancy with hope and trust that this time is going to be different. And in the end, I pray for a stress-free pregnancy, a safe delivery, and a healthy baby…

He Has My Heart…

I couldn’t wait until Wednesday to post this picture. I have no words to describe the love I feel for my sweet baby (who’ll always be my baby no  matter how old he is).  As I think about what Mother’s Day means to me, this is how it’s best depicted.

Holiday Stress

I can’t put my finger on exactly why I’ve been feeling so stressed since we went away to visit my in-laws over Thanksgiving.  It’s like I’ve suddenly lost my ability to multi-task.  I feel like I don’t have enough time in  each day to get everything done that I want and need to do.  I even had my parents come to stay with us for a few days in hopes that I would be able to “catch up” on things like cleaning, laundry, and shopping.  Even when things get done, I feel like they’re only done half-way because of time constraints.  Moving into a house a month ago means we’re still in boxes.  We had planned to host a holiday housewarming party but decided that sanity prevailed.  I’ve been thinking a lot about why I’m stressed and the reality is that my focus is on the wrong things. I’m trying to keep things in perspective and I realize that all of the busyness of the season takes away from the true meaning of Christmas.   

So I’ve decided that we’re all just going to have to be okay with the laundry in the dryer and the dishes in the washer for a few more days.  The tree is up (lit but not decorated), gifts for our friends and family are bought (but not wrapped), and our Christmas cards are sitting on the counter begging to be mailed. And maybe we’re just going to have to be okay with it all.  I don’t my memories of this season to be of stress, hustle, and busyness.  Next year nobody’s going to remember what decorations wer on our tree or that our Christmas cards came the day after Christmas. So this season we’re sticking close to home and having a small family get-together with food that was prepared by someone else. I may even empty the dishwasher for the occasion!

The normal holiday stress has been compounded by the financial state of this country.  Share how you’re coping this season over at the Parent Bloggers Network. They’ve teamed up with FFDA, a non-profit organization that offers support and assistance for folks who are feeling overwhelmed, both at the holidays and all year long. They offer free support groups for moms and their services may be the answer to a healthy and happy new year.

Pumpkin Carving

My son loves to go on walks and it seems like every house we stop at has a pumpkin (although he calls them nanas).  So we bought him his very own pumpkin and he loves it!  Here are some shots of him and daddy “digging in”! Enjoy!

THE House!

I cannot believe that we have finally moved into our very first home.  Jason and I are beyond excited and extremely a tad bit overwhelmed.  We have waited so long and have saved for so many years and it has finally come to fruition.  If you can believe it, we put an offer on this house in July, the day before we left for BlogHer.  We never knew it would take almost 4 months to close and move in.  I have to say that there were times when I really doubted that the house was meant for us.  I knew that buying a foreclosure would take more time than a straight sale, but never realized HOW long and what hoops we’d have to go through to make it happen.  My amazingly patient husband was the one who encouraged me when I lost hope and wanted to give up the entire process.  

Over the weekend we moved from a tiny one bedroom apartment to an almost 1400 square foot house. With new paint, carpet, and some cleaning we were ready to move in.  All I can say is that I’m hoping we don’t move for a very, very long time!  So, without further ado, here are some of the pictures from this weekend.  Please bear in mind that we JUST moved in on Saturday so we are obviously in boxes and pretty much in a mess.  Our son’s room is the worst.  He’s never had so much room to play or throw his toys around.  

BTW…I am a little behind on posting winners but don’t worry…I’ll be catching up in the next day or so since our spotty internet reception has been fixed!  Enjoy!

We’ve Moved!

I am so excited to say that tonight is our first night in our own home.  I promise to post pictures soon!  We are so relieved (and utterly exhausted).   

 

Don’t worry, reviews and giveaways are lined up!  Stay tuned!

We’ve Moved!

I am so excited to say that tonight is our first night in our own home.  I promise to post pictures soon!  We are so relieved (and utterly exhausted).   

 

Don’t worry, reviews and giveaways are lined up!  Stay tuned!