12:00PM Alice sits down for lunch
12:40 Alice finishes lunch
12:50 Alice has clean diaper and lays down for nap
1:30 Alice has played/fussed enough for mommy to correctly assume poopy diaper
1:35 Alice lays back down for nap with (another) clean diaper
1:55 Alice still hasn't slept but receives medicine for teething pain
2:15 Alice FINALLY falls asleep
2:55 Alice wakes and begins "unconvincingly awake" fussing
3:45 Alice begins laughing/playing... sounds like sticking her fingers up her nose while saying "nah, nah, nah, nah" (apparently I've heard it enough to be able to identify over the monitor)
So, what's a mom to do? I know she needs sleep, but it's looking like that won't be happening before bed tonight. Perhaps she'll go to bed early? Let's do a comparison of Alice's normal nap time routine:
12:00PM Alice sits down for lunch
12:30 Alice finishes lunch
12:35 Alice has clean diaper and lays down for nap
12:45 Alice is asleep
2:30-3:00 Alice wakes up from nap and plays happily
3:30 Alice is retrieved, cheerful and well-rested
Okay, I guess today I just lose. Perhaps this means she's getting her molars. I'll be sure to update if something happens in the coming days/weeks. It would be REALLY perfect if they decided to cause her the most pain during our flight to DC/Virginia and then is a disaster the entire week we're there. Am I being too sarcastic?
Seeing as today is the official first day of autumn, of course I had to change the theme of the blog. Even though I've had my autumn decorations up in our apartment since August 31, I decided not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the best season of the year so as to see it on the blog the second school starts. Now Alice is back to unhappy fussing. I think she's good and awake now. No chance of a good nap today. Oi. Have a lovely weekend! And happy birthday Scott!
9.23.2011
9.20.2011
Making a Liar of Mommy
Of course as soon as I post saying that Alice doesn't perform in front of a camera.......
Quiche & Cinnamon Rolls
I made a broccoli and cheese quiche recently. It was really delicious and I'm glad I took a picture so I could remember how delicious it was. I also made cinnamon rolls which were spectacular, although not the kind that use yeast. They were more of a biscuit than a roll. Unfortunately I have enough frosting left over (in my freezer) to make another batch. 
Words
I can't believe it's already September 20. Sorry for the lack of posting these past couple weeks. Apparently being under the weather sucks out of me any desire to blog. I think we're all mostly better now, with a lingering cough or runny nose here and there.
In the last couple days Alice has started to really try to say words. For about the past week she's been making animal noises and before that was particularly interested in the different parts of her face. The cutest and most recent word she's been attempting is "Amen" which sounds more like "ah-nnn." Unfortunately, she's camera shy and I haven't been able to capture ANYthing on video. Most of her performing happens when it's just Mommy & her. Even with Daddy around she gets a little shy at times. I've seriously considered hiding a camera some time and letting it run. Surely I could capture something then...
But did you know that a cow says "buuuuu" and a dog grunts twice and a cat says "mah" and a monkey makes a high pitched "AH" sound? The animal she's closest to the actual sound is a sheep "baaa" and that's stinkin cute. She also does a horse noise that's pretty good and a bear "BAAH!"
Parts of her face & body that she knows: eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, lips, cheeks (some times), chin, ears, hair, hands, knees, and feet. If you ask her "Alice, where is your nose?" She'll usually point to hers and then yours and probably anyone else around who's listening. The same goes with ears and eyes and sometimes a few of the others. When you ask about her mouth she opens it wide and squints her eyes a little. Her tongue is stuck out of her mouth when requested and she runs her fingers over her lips and says "bbbb" when you ask about those.
I know I'm biased, but does every parent think their child is THIS cute???
Oh, and you can find more pictures from the month of September (granted, not that many) on the web album or click here.
In the last couple days Alice has started to really try to say words. For about the past week she's been making animal noises and before that was particularly interested in the different parts of her face. The cutest and most recent word she's been attempting is "Amen" which sounds more like "ah-nnn." Unfortunately, she's camera shy and I haven't been able to capture ANYthing on video. Most of her performing happens when it's just Mommy & her. Even with Daddy around she gets a little shy at times. I've seriously considered hiding a camera some time and letting it run. Surely I could capture something then...
But did you know that a cow says "buuuuu" and a dog grunts twice and a cat says "mah" and a monkey makes a high pitched "AH" sound? The animal she's closest to the actual sound is a sheep "baaa" and that's stinkin cute. She also does a horse noise that's pretty good and a bear "BAAH!"
Parts of her face & body that she knows: eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, lips, cheeks (some times), chin, ears, hair, hands, knees, and feet. If you ask her "Alice, where is your nose?" She'll usually point to hers and then yours and probably anyone else around who's listening. The same goes with ears and eyes and sometimes a few of the others. When you ask about her mouth she opens it wide and squints her eyes a little. Her tongue is stuck out of her mouth when requested and she runs her fingers over her lips and says "bbbb" when you ask about those.
I know I'm biased, but does every parent think their child is THIS cute???
Oh, and you can find more pictures from the month of September (granted, not that many) on the web album or click here.
9.11.2011
Sick
Tuesday morning Alice woke up with a gross runny nose. By the end of the day she had a fever and her nose was a constant slimy mess. Thursday morning Happy woke up with a sore throat and runny nose. By the end of the day on Thursday he had a fever, could barely breathe through his nose and his cough sounded horrible. Saturday morning I woke up with a sore throat. By the end of the day on Saturday, I DIDN'T have a fever or runny nose (praise the Lord), but was pretty exhausted. Today Alice & I stayed home from church so we wouldn't pass our germs onto anyone else. She just went down for her nap and I think I'm about to do the same. I think times of sickness really make me appreciate the immune systems the Lord has given us. Not to mention the fact that we have never had chronic pain to struggle through. I am so thankful for the health that the Lord gives us day in and day out, but it reminds me of so many I know that do experience chronic pain. Many of them are such an example to me of joy in suffering. I pray the Lord will guide me in that joy if/when I experience suffering.
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3
9.05.2011
8.31.2011
Confident Parenting
Is there really such a thing? Are there really moments where a parent thinks "Hey, I'm doing a good job at this child-rearing thing"? It has happened, on occasion, that something I was attempting in the parenting realm actually worked. But my response is more one of surprise than of bolstering my confidence as a parent. Is it just a matter of finding the right method? Doesn't every doctor tell you that every child is different? Does that mean you have to change your method with each child? What if one method traumatizes my child? Is it all trial and error in hoping your child doesn't turn out to be a horrible person???
Now insert Christianity. I know that there are principles in the Bible regarding parenting. Not to mention the fact that the character traits that the Lord is developing in the lives of His children are also traits we can seek to instill in our children. But I'm pretty sure there's nothing in the Bible about potty training or weaning or introducing solid food or offering utensils at meals or getting rid of the bottle and using a sippy cup or whether you even DO use a sippy cup...
I've been blessed to watch several Christian couples seek to raise their family in a godly way. Mainly I've been observing from the "child" side of the equation, but in the last couple years my perspective has drastically changed. It's pretty amazing how the Lord works to change the PARENTS of the child as soon as that little one enters the world, but it's also a pretty sobering realization when there are two lines on that little at-home test (I think especially for the mom). More than once I've wondered, "Lord, are you sure I can do this?"
I love my daughter (soon-to-be daughterS) but, man, there are times when I just can't stand her. Thankfully those times are few and far between, and often related to the amount of sleep I've gotten--or haven't gotten. And even more thankfully, "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him'" (Lamentations 3:22-24).
After a particularly frustrating occasion with Alice, I found myself pondering all this, but the Lord brought to my mind the fact that He is MUCH bigger than any method that anyone advocates. He already has every day of Alice's life planned out and no amount of my sinfulness will thwart His plans for her. I pray that my parenting is a help, not a hindrance in her life. I pray for patience and perseverance with her in those challenging times. I pray that the examples of her daddy and mommy lead her fall on her knees before the Lord Jesus Christ and admit her sinful condition and need for Him to save her. What a privilege it is to be her mommy and bring these requests before a Heavenly Father who listens and cares and has the love and wisdom and power to accomplish that which we pray for.
Now insert Christianity. I know that there are principles in the Bible regarding parenting. Not to mention the fact that the character traits that the Lord is developing in the lives of His children are also traits we can seek to instill in our children. But I'm pretty sure there's nothing in the Bible about potty training or weaning or introducing solid food or offering utensils at meals or getting rid of the bottle and using a sippy cup or whether you even DO use a sippy cup...
I've been blessed to watch several Christian couples seek to raise their family in a godly way. Mainly I've been observing from the "child" side of the equation, but in the last couple years my perspective has drastically changed. It's pretty amazing how the Lord works to change the PARENTS of the child as soon as that little one enters the world, but it's also a pretty sobering realization when there are two lines on that little at-home test (I think especially for the mom). More than once I've wondered, "Lord, are you sure I can do this?"
I love my daughter (soon-to-be daughterS) but, man, there are times when I just can't stand her. Thankfully those times are few and far between, and often related to the amount of sleep I've gotten--or haven't gotten. And even more thankfully, "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him'" (Lamentations 3:22-24).
After a particularly frustrating occasion with Alice, I found myself pondering all this, but the Lord brought to my mind the fact that He is MUCH bigger than any method that anyone advocates. He already has every day of Alice's life planned out and no amount of my sinfulness will thwart His plans for her. I pray that my parenting is a help, not a hindrance in her life. I pray for patience and perseverance with her in those challenging times. I pray that the examples of her daddy and mommy lead her fall on her knees before the Lord Jesus Christ and admit her sinful condition and need for Him to save her. What a privilege it is to be her mommy and bring these requests before a Heavenly Father who listens and cares and has the love and wisdom and power to accomplish that which we pray for.
8.29.2011
Emma... Something
Almost forgot... Here's a lame picture of Emma last week at the ultrasound. I figure it's better than nothing, right? Sorry for the glare from the flash of my camera taking a picture of the printed ultrasound picture. We don't have the skills (or equipment) to scan it like I did with Alice.
Half Way There
Today marks twenty weeks of pregnancy, or five months, which means twenty-ish more weeks and (Lord-willing) little Emma will be here! In celebration, and for those who keep asking for it, here's a picture of me at twenty weeks.
Just because I'm cool, here are twenty differences and similarities between this pregnancy and the first (probably not to be read by the faint of heart... or the faint of stomach):
1. Alice & Emma - both girls.
2. Alice made me throw up three times. Emma only made me dry heave once.
3. With Alice I gained weight fairly steadily from the start. With Emma, I still haven't gained much.
4. With Alice, I was hungry ALL the time once I hit the second trimester mark. With Emma... not so much, but food is finally starting to sound good again... some times.
5. Alice was super active starting at 15 weeks, which is about the earliest the mom can start to "feel" baby move. Emma waited until last week to remind her mommy that she's in there.
6. Once Alice started moving it took her daddy a long time to feel her move. Last night Emma kicked her daddy's hand after only a few seconds.
7. With Alice I wanted to eat fruit, vegetables and bagel bites ALL the time. With Emma I want to eat doughnuts all the time. Alice often got that which she desired. Emma has not been satisfied much at all.
8. With Alice I could NOT handle being near, let alone touching, raw meat of any kind. With Emma it hasn't been much of a problem.
9. With Alice I worked full-time until I went into labor. With Emma I'll work full-time until I go into labor, but won't get paid for it :-)
10. Both Alice & Emma have managed to suck all the iron from my body at an early point in pregnancy, putting me on iron supplements. Really fun.
11. With Alice I didn't exercise much until the end of the second trimester. With Emma, going on walks (before the heat wave) has been a regular occurrence.
12. With Alice I'm sure I had some "nesting" symptoms at some point, but with Emma it's been nearly constant. I'm a cleaning and organizing maniac.
13. With Alice there was a good amount of fear (of the unknown, of going back to work, etc.) that sort of overshadowed the excitement at times. With Emma I've been pretty excited (after the initial shock) to have another little one.
14. I thought Alice was a girl from day one and was right. I thought Emma was a boy from day one and was (apparently) wrong.
15. With Alice we didn't want to find out the gender, but changed our minds. With Emma we did want to find out. Actually, I think my wonderful husband would have agreed with whatever I wanted to do.
16. With Alice her name was kept a secret (with very few exceptions) until she was born. With Emma... well, duh. Obviously we've already shared her name.
17. With Alice we weren't completely sure of the name until a few weeks before she came. With Emma we don't have a middle name yet... Still have time...
18. With both Alice & Emma, the quest to find a girl name was made more purposeful after the gender was confirmed. We already have two boy names. It would be funny/ironic if the Lord gave us all girls!
19. With Alice I didn't have a preference of girl or boy. With Emma, I really wanted a girl, but was excited when we thought she was a boy. Then was MORE excited when we found out our doctor was wrong!
20. Thankfully, with both girls I didn't have any problems getting pregnant. With Emma we found that I can, apparently, get pregnant VERY easily!
Okay, that turned out to be a lot longer than I expected. So, if you read that whole thing, your reward is a really cute picture of Alice. And if you didn't read that whole thing, you can still enjoy this really cute picture of Alice.
1. Alice & Emma - both girls.
2. Alice made me throw up three times. Emma only made me dry heave once.
3. With Alice I gained weight fairly steadily from the start. With Emma, I still haven't gained much.
4. With Alice, I was hungry ALL the time once I hit the second trimester mark. With Emma... not so much, but food is finally starting to sound good again... some times.
5. Alice was super active starting at 15 weeks, which is about the earliest the mom can start to "feel" baby move. Emma waited until last week to remind her mommy that she's in there.
6. Once Alice started moving it took her daddy a long time to feel her move. Last night Emma kicked her daddy's hand after only a few seconds.
7. With Alice I wanted to eat fruit, vegetables and bagel bites ALL the time. With Emma I want to eat doughnuts all the time. Alice often got that which she desired. Emma has not been satisfied much at all.
8. With Alice I could NOT handle being near, let alone touching, raw meat of any kind. With Emma it hasn't been much of a problem.
9. With Alice I worked full-time until I went into labor. With Emma I'll work full-time until I go into labor, but won't get paid for it :-)
10. Both Alice & Emma have managed to suck all the iron from my body at an early point in pregnancy, putting me on iron supplements. Really fun.
11. With Alice I didn't exercise much until the end of the second trimester. With Emma, going on walks (before the heat wave) has been a regular occurrence.
12. With Alice I'm sure I had some "nesting" symptoms at some point, but with Emma it's been nearly constant. I'm a cleaning and organizing maniac.
13. With Alice there was a good amount of fear (of the unknown, of going back to work, etc.) that sort of overshadowed the excitement at times. With Emma I've been pretty excited (after the initial shock) to have another little one.
14. I thought Alice was a girl from day one and was right. I thought Emma was a boy from day one and was (apparently) wrong.
15. With Alice we didn't want to find out the gender, but changed our minds. With Emma we did want to find out. Actually, I think my wonderful husband would have agreed with whatever I wanted to do.
16. With Alice her name was kept a secret (with very few exceptions) until she was born. With Emma... well, duh. Obviously we've already shared her name.
17. With Alice we weren't completely sure of the name until a few weeks before she came. With Emma we don't have a middle name yet... Still have time...
18. With both Alice & Emma, the quest to find a girl name was made more purposeful after the gender was confirmed. We already have two boy names. It would be funny/ironic if the Lord gave us all girls!
19. With Alice I didn't have a preference of girl or boy. With Emma, I really wanted a girl, but was excited when we thought she was a boy. Then was MORE excited when we found out our doctor was wrong!
20. Thankfully, with both girls I didn't have any problems getting pregnant. With Emma we found that I can, apparently, get pregnant VERY easily!
Okay, that turned out to be a lot longer than I expected. So, if you read that whole thing, your reward is a really cute picture of Alice. And if you didn't read that whole thing, you can still enjoy this really cute picture of Alice.
8.26.2011
Back to School... Part-time!
Andrew/Happy is back in school, hence the new background. He started classes on Wednesday and is taking Educational Ministry in the Church and Hebrew. Two classes, as opposed to his full-time load of at least three. Then again, Hebrew is a three unit class that really should count as four since he's in class four hours each week, and the other class is another three unit class. He's going to have plenty to keep him busy. Please pray for good time management and perseverance! We're looking towards a Spring 2013 graduation date, Lord-willing.
We had our big ultrasound on Monday and everything is looking great. The only real news to report is that Caleb is actually Emma! Turns out our doctor was a little ambitious when I was 12 weeks (that's VERY early) in predicting a boy. Although I did think I was having a boy, I had a weird dream less than a week before the ultrasound that "Caleb" came early and was a girl. Very strange. In my dream I panicked because we didn't have a middle name. We still don't have a middle name, but have a few ideas. We'd like to have some kind of biblical significance in the first or middle (or both) name of each of our children... So if you're dying to pass on a suggestion, that might help guide you. We've had a handful of people suggest Emma Rose. Apparently that sounds good to lots of people.
Another SUPER exciting thing... I went to a free couponing class last night hosted by the OC Register and am really excited to get started. Just need the coupons now... I was pretty hyped up about it last night and my poor (and wonderful) husband had to listen to me go on and on about how much money we can save and the different methods. I'm such a nerd.
Alice is finally ready to be done with her nap, though she's been awake and playing for 40 minutes! Love that girl. Some day I'll get better at posting pictures. First I have to take them. Turns out Alice is just about as photogenic as her Grandpa Gilmore. Anyone who knows him will understand what that means, but if you don't... I'll just say, Alice doesn't quite yet know how to smile at a camera and keep her eyes open! Have a lovely weekend!
We had our big ultrasound on Monday and everything is looking great. The only real news to report is that Caleb is actually Emma! Turns out our doctor was a little ambitious when I was 12 weeks (that's VERY early) in predicting a boy. Although I did think I was having a boy, I had a weird dream less than a week before the ultrasound that "Caleb" came early and was a girl. Very strange. In my dream I panicked because we didn't have a middle name. We still don't have a middle name, but have a few ideas. We'd like to have some kind of biblical significance in the first or middle (or both) name of each of our children... So if you're dying to pass on a suggestion, that might help guide you. We've had a handful of people suggest Emma Rose. Apparently that sounds good to lots of people.
Another SUPER exciting thing... I went to a free couponing class last night hosted by the OC Register and am really excited to get started. Just need the coupons now... I was pretty hyped up about it last night and my poor (and wonderful) husband had to listen to me go on and on about how much money we can save and the different methods. I'm such a nerd.
Alice is finally ready to be done with her nap, though she's been awake and playing for 40 minutes! Love that girl. Some day I'll get better at posting pictures. First I have to take them. Turns out Alice is just about as photogenic as her Grandpa Gilmore. Anyone who knows him will understand what that means, but if you don't... I'll just say, Alice doesn't quite yet know how to smile at a camera and keep her eyes open! Have a lovely weekend!
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