My How Life Changes

Well, here it is, February 24th.  I cannot believe this month is almost over.  It seems like Christmas was just last week, and we were celebrating Valentine's Day yesterday.  I like to play little time games in my head and think about the the time lapse between one event to another, and how that applies to today and the future.  For example, Valentine's Day was 10 days ago.  March 6th is just 10 days from now.  Christmas was 8 1/2 weeks ago, the end of April is just 8 1/2 weeks from today.  Doesn't that seem unreal?!  And to think in that time, we will have had St Patrick's Day, crossed over to (hopefully) a little warmer weather, have had Easter, and I will have another kid by then.... maybe even in the next 10 days! 

I started to panic on Tuesday after my weekly OB visit.  Emma Joy is due March 15th, but, in Dr. Smith's opinion, will make her debut much sooner, in fact anytime in the next week or two.  As excited as I am to have this pregnancy over and have my body back to myself, I realized we aren't as prepared as we should be!  So, this waddling momma took herself straight to Target in hopes of finding some warm little outfits and socks (can you believe this baby has hardly any clothes?!  All of Grace's baby clothes were summer-appropriate.  Seeing as how there is snow outside and it is expected to return in the next few days, this hardly seems acceptable!).  I am a huge fan of Target, but was incredibly disappointed that all of the clothes were short - no sleeves and capris or shorts!  Well, this baby is not going to freeze on my watch, so I quickly got home to do some online shopping.

When I was a teenager right up to a few years ago, there weren't many activities I loved more than going to the mall.  These days, I practically dread it.  I'm not really sure why because I have a very well-behaved little girl that adapts to pretty much any situation - I really can take her anywhere with me.  Maybe it's because my priorities have changed and I just don't look at "things" the way I used to.  I really would rather spend my time playing or reading Dr. Seuss or singing silly songs than browsing narrow aisles at the mall (far too narrow for strollers, I might add....that might be part of it!) for things I really don't need.  I would also rather save my money for more important things like organic food, vacations, and family-related activities.  Well, thank heavens for amazon.com.  I can order pretty much anything from diapers to granola bars to baby outfits to new pillows.  I don't have to go anywhere and my items will be here in 2 days, with pretty low prices to boot.  Can't beat that! 

As much as I abhor so many things about this fast-paced world, online shopping is definitely one perk of this era that I do enjoy.  I still read real books, send paper invitations and thank you notes (except this Christmas.....8 1/2 weeks sure did slip by, oops!), prefer that I drive a car without a tv in it, refuse fast food, avoid preservatives, and bake almost everything from scratch, so I will gratefully await my amazon delivery this afternoon, and appreciate the stress and unnecessary hassle it saved me. 

All You Need is Love

It's the official day of love, and my heart is so full of all things wonderful.  Sometimes in this crazy world in which we live, it is easy to get caught up in superficial nonsense, material possessions, and worldly goods.  But, those are not the things that matter in life.  Sure, I am grateful for a nice, warm house, plenty of clothes and shoes, and various other luxuries such as cars that run and my trusty iphone.  But, what I am grateful for the most are the people in my life and the memories and moments I get to have with them.  Most of all, I am lucky to be the mom of a super cool kiddo that I get to hang out with every day.  On this Valentine's Day, I am thinking about all those that I love and how much I appreciate each and every one of them.  No box of candy, fancy card, or any other trinket can fill my heart the way my family does, and my true friends, as well.  So, to all of my treasured friends and family - thank you for filling me up.  Happy Valentine's Day, may your heart be filled with much love, too!

Volunteering this morning

 

Lunch with Gigi

 

Interesting table manners

 

Grace's first scar - still a cutie patootie, just added a little character!

Tough Teeth

What a long week it has been! Grace is working on her canine teeth, and I have to say they are the worst by far. She chews on ice a lot during the day and wakes up at night grabbing at her mouth and crying. It must be terrifying to wake up in that kind of pain and not really understand it. I feel so bad for her. Tylenol helps somewhat, but I really don't like to give it to her consistently. We discovered Orajel really has done the trick for the last two nights and we have all finally gotten some much needed rest! Such hard and painful work for something that will eventually just fall out. My goodness!

This morning I went to a baby shower for the tiniest baby I have ever met. She was born a couple weeks early and weighs less than 6 pounds! It's amazing how a tiny little body like that functions outside the womb, God sure works miracles. Baby Josie received a bunch of adorable outfits and other baby necessities. I left feeling so anxious for our own baby to arrive. I can't wait to have my body back, and to wear normal clothes! I want to go running and work out. 6 more weeks.....but then of course come the sleepless nights and lack of energy due to sleep deprivation. Such is life...

I am so excited to see the dynamic between Grace and her little sister. Grace loves to take care of her baby dolls and stuffed animals. In fact, when she asks for a drink or something to eat, she often will let them "have a share" first. I find that to be very thoughtful and hope that Grace is just as sharing and caring to her sister - though I hope she will understand new babies don't eat goldfish crackers and drink apple juice. Of course, neither do stuffed animals and dolls.

Rocking her baby before bathtime

Beet pancakes and blueberries - yum!

Dessert at Cupcake Royale