Friday Funnies

Charlie Brown's parents arrested for child neglect

Bottles, Pacifiers, Juice, Dentists, OH MY!

Note to self: Do NOT read parenting magazines!

Bottles: We have some troubles here on the home front. We've been spoiling Maryn with bottles. She loves them. They calm her down before nap and bed time. She will NOT drink milk out of a cup. She loves to drink water out of a big girl cup but milk, for some reason, belongs in a bottle. And now I know, according to dentists, bottles can be bad for little ones and should be GONE at least by 14 months. Sigh.

Pacifiers: With Maryn's stubbornness, I am SO grateful we did not do a pacifier with her. Well, we tried to do pacifiers but she hated them all. Now I'm wondering if I should embark down that little path with baby Josiah. I think I have a higher tolerance for crying than I used to. But I think I'll just use my instincts on this one. We will probably reserve it for car rides. John gets really agitated while driving with a crying baby. And I think we all know what dentists say about pacifiers.

Juice: Dentists hate juice! I am so glad we don't have a juice addict on our hands, either. I've decided to just not even try juice with Maryn and only give her lemonade and whatnot on very special occasions. I just know how stubborn she is and once I give in...all is lost. Plus, she loves water, so why offer juice or sugary drinks?

Cups: Maryn has been able to drink out of a big girl cup (a regular cup) for a while now, but she drinks so much we let her have a sippy around the house to prevent spills. I think we'll start really pushing for the cup though, especially now that we've lost her other sippy cup and are down to one. She loves water (drinking it, playing in it, dipping things in it), so it'll be interesting.

Dentists: Did you know kids are supposed to start seeing a dentist before age one? I kind of was wanting to take her to one but I thought I was being paranoid. I'm just curious to know if she has healthy teeth and if we're in for lots of cavities or not. She's been a great tooth brusher lately, and we haven't used juice or pacifiers, so she should be in pretty good shape. The only thing is bottles. Strike one against mom and dad! And flossing...we haven't tried flossing Maryn's teeth. Can you just imagine (if you know Maryn)? Strike TWO against mom and dad!

Doctors: I made Maryn's 18 months appointment for June. Even though she'll be well over 20 months by then. And even though she missed her 12 months appointment, too. Man, I totally suck. The doctor is going to look at me like I'm a flipping moron. My excuse? "Well doctor, we can only make appointments for Thursdays because that's the only day we have access to a car, and on Thursdays we always have other things and appointments, and we were switching homes and states and jobs and insurances, and it was just confusing so we were just taking her to the seminary clinic and really, she's been fine and growing healthy and hitting her milestones early and I promise I weigh her and everything and they're always checking her iron and weight at the WIC office and I'm really sorry! Please don't call Children's Services!"

Gardening: Day Two

I have about a quarter of our seeds planted, including all our herbs (cilantro, basil, oregano and parsley) and some flowers. I really wanted to make some more rows to plant more, but I just didn't have the energy to build up another row today. It's really tough to keep Maryn busy out there, too. Our garden is surrounded by lots of others, so I can't let her run around. She does well for about an hour, digging and eating the snacks I bring. The problem is she wants to dig where I'm digging (sowing) and she wants to throw her cheese in the neighboring garden. :)

I really want to get out there again soon but I will need John to help me this time. Do you think he'll be up for it this weekend? We shall see.

Today I'm also making chocolate chip cookies, sloppy joes and macaroni and cheese. And we're also going swimming. Maryn looks SO cute in her swimsuit from her Auntie Alicia. I'll try to get a picture on John's phone.

Let the garden begin!

Man oh man. I am dead on my feet. What a day. WHAT a day!

I took on an extra child today. He's a great, GREAT kid, so I figured no biggie. Sometimes he actually makes my life a little easier. But he and Maryn butted heads (sharing) about every two minutes, which would leave them both in tears. Sigh. I can't WAIT to deal with sibling rivalry.

My back hurts extra badly on days that I babysit LittleTike. It's not necessarily from lifting him, but there's just more work. More bending, more cleaning, more of everything. He's two and a half and has some special needs, so you can imagine--he's a little heavier than Maryn and needs a lot of assistance.

So then I thought it would be a swell idea to start the garden. I mean it really did need to be started before more rain comes. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, so our eight year old neighbor girl abandoned her sweet mother and came to my rescue. Even she was surprised how clueless I was.

But you know, after I got that garden started I felt a little addicted. I had some major pain in my wrist (carpal tunnel during pregnancy), and I could tell my back was going to be sore, but I was actually enjoying myself. And the garden actually kind of looks like a beautiful garden similar to Rabbit's in Winnie the Pooh.

Well, that's the only serious garden I've ever seen.

I don't know if my garden will produce anything worth eating. But the soil looks so great and smells so good, and I really kind of love being out there working in the sun. And that is something I can be proud of.

The Kentucky Derby Parade PREVIEW

Today we ventured to the Kentucky Derby Parade Preview. The two weeks around Derby time are filled with festivities, including the half-marathon John ran and a parade on Thursday. Today Maryn and I hitched a ride with our sweet friend Dana and her three little sweetlings (did you get that they are SO sweet?) along with a caravan of other moms in and around our neighborhood, to the Expo Center. At the Expo Center, they had a bunch of floats for the parade, and little booths (think Wayne County Fair style) handing out things that were impossible for me to carry. Including a little cup of soil with a pumpkin seed inside, two toothbrushes, dental floss, a pinwheel, bookmarks, a visor, a paper crown, and some crayons. We saw clowns, which Maryn surprisingly loved. She chased them. We saw miniature horses, which Maryn mostly loved but was a little uncertain. But the highlight was the one minute the bounce house guy let Maryn and I have the bounce house all to ourselves. This girl LOVES to bounce. Since she was born, she has loved bouncing. Loves it more than swinging or sliding, for sure. Good thing we live in a tiny apartment with no yard because I think I could see a bounce house in our future.

So it was fun and I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a nap. I wish John was coming home soon.

The Joys of a Vegetable Garden!

It's that time of year. Time to plant my garden. Oh wait, I've never planted a garden.

Hmmm....

So I guess tomorrow I'm going to drag some gardening tools out there in our broken wagon, all two of my gardening tools, and a bunch of seeds and maybe borrow some more tools and start making rows and rows of dirt. Then I'll just plant a bunch of my random seeds we bought.

But I think I want to go to the greenhouse soon and buy some tomato and pepper starter plants since the backs of those seed packets said to start those indoors eight weeks ago.

I tried to watch some instructional videos on YouTube about gardening but they were all a little too high tech for me. I can't compost here. I'm not buying a tiller. I am not buying some weird black plastic stuff or an irrigation system.

MAN! I am so confused.

more whining about mother's day

Mother's Day gifts are weird. Please no one get me an "inspirational clock."

I don't wear crosses.

I don't want any little gift books with random quotes by Gandhi, Jesus, and Deepak Chopra.

So what does a mom want for Mother's Day?

I don't know. Maybe a day where I don't have to wash the dishes or clean but everything stays immaculate. Sleep in, take a long shower. Cuddle with my family all day. Read, talk, listen.

Love This, And I Love Them

Our friend Bethany's mom measured their dining room table and made this cute little playhouse for kiddos! Wouldn't it be fun to let the kids help decorate it with fabric paint or fabric markers? The possibilities are endless. Such fun!

Military Families

Certain people have been on my heart a lot lately, mostly military families. What a great sacrifice they make and most of the military families I know do it happily. Please remember these families in your prayers and see about encouraging and supporting them. Many churches have a Soldier Care program where you can just donate a few items, or you can send a care package. OR you can send something sweet to the family of the soldier you know.

If you are or have been part of a military family, thank you so much for your love and sacrifice. I am astounded by you, encouraged by you, and I am praying for our troops around the world.

waiting

I have been thinking a lot about my insensitive post a while back about limiting child-bearing until certain milestones had been met, such as owning a home and acquiring degrees. I just wanted to expand on my thoughts since so many anonymous readers were so offended by my statement that they felt it necessary to attack our financial status, our life choices, and so on (those comments were not published. I deleted them because we don't need to thrive on discord).

"Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven." Proverbs 23:4-5

All of us at some point, myself definitely included, can be workaholics, but wealth is fleeting. All of us should know that these days! At some point, we must be discerning enough to desist and focus on the eternal rewards of life or the little things that do not bring monetary rewards. That may be having children. It may mean going on a marriage retreat or a second honeymoon. It could mean any number of activities that bring us no financial gain whatsoever.

The day I wrote that blog post, I had just spent a wonderful little morning and afternoon out with my daughter. We'd had a lovely little lunch date, only one temper tantrum or so, and even a minor poop issue. I sat at that table looking at my daughter's perfectly beautiful face, conversing with her about noodles, chicken and cheese, and wondered to myself...why wait so long?

I do know people who are waiting for very good reasons, or who are on some type of b.c. It may be because they're working on their marriage, they are in deep financial trouble, they've suffered too many miscarriages, etc. Some people I know are BRILLIANT and are called to be doctors, scientists, etc., and they feel it's necessary to wait. That's fine! I don't know your individual situation, and if you think God truly desires that for you, who am I to say otherwise? And why would you even listen to one of my dumb comments or waste time being offended?

If you were seriously offended by my post, I am deeply sorry. I believe that many who were offended do not entirely understand our situation or know me. We waited a few years before having children, and I do believe there is a time for waiting and a time for not waiting. I just want to seek the Lord in all that I do, and I hope you all can be encouraged by that somehow. Because God does care when and if you have children or not, and he does care about your finances. He cares about your education, your trip to Disney World, everything!

We must seek Him in ALL we do.

whatever i feel like writing is fine with me as long as it's fine with you

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is approaching and I can't help but create a secret list in my mind of everything I want to buy for my mommy dearest and other moms I know as well as I wish list for myself. None of it will I actually buy, and none of it will I actually request or receive. I really do love gifts. And I love spending money. It doesn't matter if it's for me or someone else. I just love NEW things. And spending MONEY. :)

For some reason, all of our kitchen appliances and cookware suddenly need replacements. My sweet mommy dearest got us a talking microwave from Goodwill. What a great find! I always think of blind people when I use it and that perhaps I should donate it to the blind school. Teeheehee. But it's mine. All mine. My lovely talking microwave.

Kitchen Catastrophes

Our toaster also blew up, which my mother also replaced with a super fantastic one, also from Goodwill. Our 13 x 9 pan was mysteriously destroyed and she got us a new one of those, too. I'm still on the lookout for a glass 13 x 9 and a SKILLET. Skillets are insane. Insane! It's not fair at all. I'm internet shopping and doing all the research I can. I really would appreciate suggestions.

I tried to make a cool HUGE cupcake cake today in the pan my mom gave me, also from Goodwill, and I totally ruined it. You would have, too. I need to find some directions on how to use it online because the sides are completely different sizes, so they bake differently. I have decided to turn the yellow cake I ruined into a Butterfinger Trifle.

Pregnancy Whining

This baby has a serious sweet tooth.

He is killing my back.

I have been so morning sick the last 3 or 4 days. I try to do my reading in the morning and the words just swim all over the page. Ugh.

Maryn, Age 2

Maryn is a two year old now. Not by date, but by personality. No hugs and kisses for me anymore. I'm sure glad I "spoiled" her as an infant by holding her and then holding her some more.

But she has her days. And the last few days she's been kind of a nightmare. This happens. For two or three days she's so well behaved and then a new little attitude crops up and we have to take care of it. Consistency is key. Consistency is key.

John has been amazed by her vocabulary since we returned home. It's incredible how much she can learn in a week. Today I asked her, "Do you see any squirrels outside?" And I promise you she answered me, fairly plainly, "No. I don't see squirrels."

Other new and interesting words she is saying: rocking chair, nasty, toilet paper and lots of colors. Before we left for Ohio, she knew maybe two colors and now she knows so many of them so well. I think it might have been all the playing with Play-Doh. And she's even catching on to shapes. It's amazing. She is such a natural learner, a perfect candidate for home schooling.

Okay, that's all for now. Camera still lost. Sorry. :)

Memory Lane Part II

I left camp as a new person. Humbled, tan, makeup and maintenance free. I even learned to like cold showers. I'd been like a big sister/mom to ten or so children each week, tramping up pretty intense mountains (hills), rock climbing, swimming every single day, going showerless for days on end, and sleeping in a little tent by myself or out in the open air or in swinging beds.

And I fully intended on never speaking to 90% of the camp staff again. And I didn't for a long time.

Fast forward to March, 2003. I'd entered a NCAA Tournament bracket to distract myself from boys (one ignorant rat in particular) and possibly win some money. So I was watching basketball every night, which my roommate had no objection to, and was gripped by the Kansas Jayhawks. I'd randomly chosen them to win the tournament. It was consuming my thoughts and my time. On my AOL profile I had written GO JAYHAWKS!

One evening, MUCJOHNNIE instant messaged me asking, "So what brought you to cheer for the Jayhawks?" And we chatted here and there starting then. Nothing serious at all. Until his girlfriend broke up with him. And the Jayhawks lost in the final game. So we were both a little heartbroken, needing distraction, needing a rebound, not trusting a single human soul in the world.

So John asked if I would like to come to the Cleveland Zoo to meet up with some old camp friends (ha! Since I was so eager to see camp people again). We each got there right as the zoo opened and no one else came, except his brother and Debbie who both arrived around lunch time. So John and I had the morning to ourselves, where we talked about elephants and shoes (he'd worn very inappropriate shoes for the zoo) and whatever else. Then we went to his brother's apartment. I knew I should just call it a day after the zoo, and I knew I should only stay a little while at his brother's, and I knew it shouldn't be so hard to say goodbye to him at 9 or 10 pm, but it was.

Something about him was magnetic. I couldn't tell if he liked me. Surely he didn't! I knew for a fact that nearly all his friends had hated me. But he called me the next day. Like first thing in the morning (which was like 1 pm back then)! And he called me every day (honestly, it was kind of annoying). And I kept going to his house, and he kept coming to mine, and we kept going out on dates. We didn't have long, long talks about anything serious. I just enjoyed him so much. And every time I drove the 45 minutes to his house, I wondered, "Why am I doing this?" I wondered if he really even liked me at all. He hadn't tried to kiss me. He hadn't even tried to hold my hand!

Until date number ten. I got my answer. He finally held my hand. Yay! Sparks flew. And months and months and months later, he finally kissed me. And months and months and months later, he finally said "I love you." And this girl, who once couldn't trust a single human soul in the world, had fallen in love.

My husband played his cards exactly right, and whether it was out of fear or chivalry I don't know (he would say it was all in his secret plan to sweep me off my feet), but it was all perfect and wonderful.

7 years ago yesterday was our first date at the zoo. Happy Anniversary, John! Thank you for being just perfect for me.

Memory Lane

In the summer of 2002, I signed on for a summer as a camp counselor. I had seriously high expectations for camp. One: I was going to make lifelong, fantastically amazing friends. Two: I was probably going to meet the love of my life, my future husband. He would be fun, adventurous, outdoorsy, an awesome Christian and of course he would be very, very sexy.

After a week of counselor training, I could see that none of these things were going to come true (I did make some friends. I'm not a total loser :). On one of the last days of training, we were assigned to build a huge porch on the back of one of the main buildings. This would be a great team-building exercise. I tried to only do the painting, weeding, and clean up, but eventually I was expected to help pound in some nails.

Sigh.

All around me, these huge buff girls were pounding in nails, being all tough and athletic and beautiful. One girl in particular especially hated me (yes, she actually told me to my face that she hated me) and she was there, being perfect and doing more work than most guys could do.

I was doing my best pounding in nails, but they kept going crooked. This relates to my right-side syndrome which I can tell you about later.

After trying to fix one very, very crooked nail, the director's son--who was loved by ALL, and pretty much perfect in every single way according to everyone--came and took the hammer from me with no intention of giving it back.

I walked away, defeated. Defeated, I tell you.

And so began a long summer of camp where the kids loved me and I loved them, but pretty much half of the staff hated my guts for reasons unbeknownst to me. And I had the great pleasure of watching the oh-so-perfect director's son put on a big show of diving in the pool at the Water Olympics Opening Ceremony (whoop-dee-doo) every single week because apparently, he was some amazing swimmer who also, apparently, must have talked to everyone else (because everyone loved him) except me. Little, worthless me.

Who knew that eight years later, I would be sitting next to him right now. And you know what? He is pretty amazing. Because he's my husband, and he loves me so much and I love him more than anyone in this world.

Thanks for taking the hammer from me those years ago, John!

Friday Funnies

Maryn had her first strawberry sundae tonight. I can't even describe to you how hyper she was afterward. I have never seen her so crazy in all her life.

Friends and Family

Maryn at my brother's track meet.

Maryn out on the field with her Coach Papaw.

Maryn loved the merry-go-round with Mamaw, Aunt Cathy

and some random little girl.

We had a picnic at the park today and a little time of play.

On Wednesday, Maryn and I traveled down to my friend Kendra's house in southeast Ohio. She has three little girls, all under five, and Gigi and Maryn are just three weeks apart. She also lives on a farm, so we had a good time running around, getting into things and making lots of messes.

It was a two hour trip, just Maryn and me. For the first fifteen minutes we talked, danced and sang to the Dragon Tales CD. Then she slept for about 45 minutes, and then she woke up around 11:30 screaming and all in a panic. Lunch time. So we stopped at McDonald's for chicken strips, french fries, and a vanilla milk shake.

I know what you're thinking. "Really, a vanilla milk shake? Who gives their 18 month old a vanilla milk shake to drink all by themselves?" Well, I figured she would make a mess, but it would last a while and keep her quiet. And I knew the fries and chicken strips would last a while, too.

My theory was correct. The food I chose was perfect! Except I had to stop about 20 minutes away from Kendra's to change Maryn's entire outfit and wash her arms, legs, face, neck and hands. :) At one point, I even looked back and saw her pulling her straw out of her cup and "drawing" on her pants with milkshake. And I just thought, "Hmm...at least she's quiet!"

Someday maybe I'll be the kind of mom that has homemade granola and you know, whatever other things are healthy on car trips. But Wednesday was not that day!

We made it back to my mom's house by 10 that night, and Maryn was awake for the last hour of driving. Lovely. Of course she was so hyped up to see Mamaw again, that I didn't even bother trying to get her to bed right away. So we've pretty much been in a stay-up-late and sleep-in routine, eating a ton of junk food, sugar, etc. I am feeling a little miserable, but SO grateful Maryn is on a good schedule normally. Shwew.

But I sure am gonna miss Cap'n Crunch Berries. :-(

an afternoon at paw-paw's

This is Maryn's big thing she does now. She loves to get into containers. At home this usually includes large boxes, the playpen, and her toy box (which does not have a lid and I assure you is quite safe). But at other people's houses, she just has to make do with whatever container she can get a hold of:

Cheese!

Maryn was fascinated by Buddy's amazing tricks.
He is a great dog around kids. Probably our favorite Ohio dog.
Charlie hasn't been quite as friendly.
And Cayenne was maybe a little TOO friendly. :-p



If Maryn knows there are pets in the house, she immediately
tries to find their food so that she can coax them into eating it
out of her hand.

Today we visited my dad's house, who Maryn calls Paw-Paw Mike, and his wife, Mamaw Susan. I was trying so hard to get good pictures of Maryn that I forgot to get a picture of her with them. I know it's awful. I will try to do better.

The Perfect Plan, the Perfect Life

"She encourages me to be the mom I need to be." -Mrs. Michelle Duggar about her friend Kelly.

I am so grateful to my friends and family who can lovingly guide me, who can gently encourage me, who can cry with me and laugh with me...and even laugh AT me sometimes! I have a lot to learn, it is true, but so do you. And we'll never know it all, but we do the best we can.

Sometimes we make decisions based on what our society tells us or based on our own family traditions. Sometimes we jump out in blind faith and sometimes we know. Sometimes we know this is just right, this is what God wants for us, this is where we are supposed to be.

I shouldn't have to defend myself to my family and friends as to why we chose not to be on birth control or whatever at this time, why we decided to have a second baby. But those of you who know me know and understand and that's really all that matters. And I know there's a time to wait and a time to be a working mom and a time to be a stay at home mom. If you know my history and my background, you KNOW I know that. And if you know me, you know why we chose the route we chose. I will not defend myself to anonymous, judgmental, hateful people.

Also, if you know me, you know that we waited three years into our marriage to have children, we DO have degrees and John is getting his Master's, and I don't regret waiting for a period of time. And we had no money, then we had lots of money, and then we had no money...and I've learned from that experience that you cannot plan out the perfect life.

But you know, somehow God has blessed us in it all, and I don't know why He chose to do it that way. But I am grateful and I hope I can be faithful. Though we surely weren't able to plan the perfect life, and nothing is really happening the way we planned it, our life together (John and me) contains so many glimpses into Heaven that it overwhelms me sometimes. Nothing in this world is perfect, but all things work to His glory. When things are hard and I just want to cry (or die), I just hold on to those truths I know about God and His plan for this world.

So please don't be hateful towards the choices we have made, the mistakes we are bound to make, and the foolish things I sometimes write or say or do. It's really a waste of your time to dwell on the silly things that are going on in my crazy head. I am a human, as are you. And I am usually just doing the best I can the best way I know how.

The BIG Questions of Motherhood

What will I do when she shuts me out, when she wants to just be alone,

when she doesn't want my kisses or my hugs when she is hurt, heartbroken or lost?

How often should I let her eat sugary cereals?

What should we call "passing gas?" Should we just say gas?

Or one of those other silly words. Toot, fluff, chop?

These are some of the questions I wonder. But for now, let's just play.

Let's just cuddle and laugh and tickle and enjoy each other.

confession

I don't understand why some people wait so long to have children. Gotta get 3 degrees and own a house to have a kid? Please! It's retarded. That's right. I said it. Retarded!

Girls' Day Out and Fun at Mamaw's

I LOVE this picture!!!!!

Aunt Cathy brought over a ton of fun Play-Doh stuff yesterday.
Sara, my mom, Cathy and I all played with her for about an hour
before dinner, making PlayDoh food and encouraging
her to PRETEND to eat it. Very tricky.
In this picture, she's smashing an elephant truck (courtesy Cathy)
onto her nose and trying to do an elephant sound although both her nose
and her mouth are covered.


Everyone at my mom's house is back at work or school, so Maryn and I had the day to ourselves. A day to ourselves with a CAR! Miracle of miracles!







So we stopped by some of my favorite places in the little town of Orrville, the town where I grew up. First, we dropped my mom off at work (Goodwill) and stayed a while browsing the aisles, causing a ruckus and I even bought a few things--a few books and a hat--all for Maryn. Then we went to Audrey's Attic, a cute little country gift shop (antiques, primitives, folk art, pottery) where I always buy my wax tarts. Three cats trot around the store like they own the place and Maryn loved chasing them among the fragile novelties.

After that, we visited Das Dutch Kitchen. Das Dutch is an Amish restaurant where I worked throughout most of my high school years and I crave their chicken so badly when I'm pregnant. So it was a must have today, Monday, the first opportunity I had to take advantage of their lunch buffet. Maryn and I shared the salad bar and buffet, an iced tea and a lemonade, all for less than 13 dollars. I don't think most restaurants expect that free little toddler to eat so much, but we shared four whole pieces of chicken and Maryn just about ate a gallon or so of cottage cheese. I ate about a pint of mashed potatoes smothered in butter, butter, and more butter. John and I have learned that buffets and salad bars are usually VERY good deals for us. Otherwise, we have to buy our starving little Maryn an entire kids' meal for 4 or 5 dollars, give or take. John eats enough for two and me, well now that I'm pregnant I eat enough for two as well. Especially when you're talking fried chicken and anything that is made from a potato.

After we stuffed ourselves silly, we played in the gift shop for a while. Maryn fell asleep in the car within two minutes, and now I'm just relaxing here on the couch with my face burning like crazy.

Why is my face burning? I tried out some of my brother or sister's Clearasil gel and woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible sunburn-like feeling all over my face. It looks awful and feels awful, too. Any suggestions on how to cool it off? Should I just treat it like a sunburn and use some aloe?

Anyway, I also wanted to say that I think Das Dutch, and more restaurants, should invest in a sturdy playground. Even if it's very small and just includes a few benches and a place for kids to run around. Das Dutch is right on the highway and I think more families would stop there if they knew their kids could get out some energy. Plus, the gift shop would make more money because it has so many toys in it. But the crowd it mainly attracts is senior citizens who I hardly ever see walk through the gift shop. I think that if you have kids with you, you're more likely to walk through there (unwillingly yes, but you probably would).

If you're ever in the Canton/Orrville/Wooster area, please take a look at these places. You'll be glad you did. :)

Family

I tried to take pictures of Maryn today with my mom's camera, but she turned her head every single time. She's been loving this ball pit. Here you see her playing in it when she was about 7 months old. She likes it a lot more now. She was literally doing flips into the field goal that's on it. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures later.

I found these pictures on my mom's camera. Oldies but goodies!

I had never seen some of them.

Maryn as a tiny baby with her Uncle Jordan:
Jordan is like, all grown up and sooo much bigger than me! He's a top notch guy, too.
And he even willingly gives me hugs!


Here's Sara with the beloved Mozie. Isn't she beautiful? I just love her.

This week Maryn and I have the pleasure of staying with these two lovely people. Jordan and Sara, my brother and sister. Jordan is a freshman in high school and plays football, wrestling, and runs track. So far, track is his favorite. He pretty much has girls chasing him 24-7.

And is learning to drive. Oh, the horror!

Sara is our little sweetheart. Sweet from the day she was born, smart and athletic to top it all off. She is in 7th grade and runs cross country, track, and plays basketball. She's pretty much a genius and received a scholarship to go to a math and science camp this summer along with just one other girl from her school.

Anyway, this big sister is proud!

Our Trip to the Zoo

Today was our family's first trip to the zoo with our little Maryn. It was a pretty good trip. We arrived just as the zoo opened and it was pretty chilly today, so there was hardly anyone there. We got great close-ups with the animals because most of them were inside due to cold or due to it being so early.

One highlight was the orangutan that was giving me kisses through the glass. He (or she?) was so sweet! The baby giraffe was very hyper this morning and running around in its stall. So we got so close to the baby giraffe and its mommy. Wow, they seem so tall when you're right next to them! Also, we heard the lions roaring. I've never really heard a lion roar, but it was pretty impressive.

Maryn's favorites were: her Little Debbie oatmeal creme pie, her stick of colby cheese, and her fruit snacks. And of course, the stroller we rented because we FORGOT hers. Ooooops.

She wasn't totally into the animals today. Disappointing. When John lifted her out of the stroller to see the animals she'd say, "Pweeeeease, nooo!" But she was most interested in the monkeys.

About a week ago, our friends who babysit her on our date night took her to the zoo and they said she LOVED it. But today she just wasn't that interested. Maybe because of the cold. :-( Boo-hoo.

Natural Childbirth

Now you all probably know that I am kind of a fan of natural childbirth. I found, after some research, that natural childbirth was best for me and our family a couple years ago. You also probably know that after oh, two days in labor, I had a c-section. I'm okay with that, and I'm glad I had the experience of natural childbirth even if it didn't quite happen all the way. And I still encourage everyone to do their research and make an educated decision.

This time, I am seeing a doctor in an office that also employs midwives. A complete and total miracle in today's medicine. We have spoken with both my doctor and a midwife, and we know there is a pretty large chance of me needing another c-section, but we are going to try a VBAC. I am so grateful for this. My main goal in this pregnancy is NOT to have a c-section.

What's wrong with another c-section? I have had too many surgeries in my life already, including two abdominal surgeries. Plus, we'd like to have more children. Do I want to have FOUR (give or take) c-sections in my life? NO. I don't mind having two, really. But four? No.

Are you going to try natural childbirth again (no drugs)? I am basically going to put myself at the mercy of my doctor this time. If he thinks I need pytocin (the drug they use to induce or make contractions stronger), I am going to accept it. I believe this really would have helped in my last labor because my contractions were NOT strong enough with Maryn. If labor is moving slowly, I am also going to accept an epidural. Not because I am afraid of the pain, but because if this labor results in another c-section, I don't want the pain of the c-section on top of the pain of laboring for hours. John and I have talked about it, prayed about it, and we believe this is best for our family. This time I will not only have a newborn to care for, but also a toddler.

I think I also had some post-traumatic stress after my last labor. I was pushing for so, so long that the pushing sensation actually didn't completely stop for hours (days even) after Maryn was born. I had nightmares, intense pain in my arms, and my jaw is still suffering from all the tension. These are not things that will happen this time around, natural or not, because my doctor will not let the labor progress for as long as my previous midwife let it progress. But the trauma of that experience I know influences my decision this time.

Sidenote: Please do not use my experience to discourage you from natural childbirth. Especially if you can labor in a hospital that employs midwives or is supportive of natural childbirth! You can also hire a doula or midwife to help you at many hospitals. Our doula was a godsend. I do wish I had been in a hospital, but because of Naples hospital being so close-minded towards natural childbirth, the only option for me was a free-standing birth center. I have spoken to former patients of my current doctor and I KNOW that he will do what he can to ensure I have a VBAC, so I trust him. Thank God for doctors like you, Dr. Grady!!!

One reason for not having an epidural is because people say, "You don't feel when to push." Well, I know that I KNOW how to push, so that is not a fear of mine. I know how labor works and I know what I'm doing. So I am making this decision based on what's best for me and my family, not some legalistic "I-must-do-it-this-way" attitude.

And that is my decision, and I feel so good to have made it. I feel it's the right way to go for us, at this time, for sure!

Mary Poppins

Over the last few days, Maryn and I have been watching Mary Poppins. Since she'll only sit for about 20-30 minutes of it, it's taken us a while. I am surprised by all the wonderful parenting/caregiving advice I gleaned from this movie that I never noticed before.

Of course, not all of us can be Mary Poppins, but when I nannied I do think her type of attitude was helpful to keep. She has a ton of fun with the children but keeps them in order. She is kind but firm, and always has a cheerful disposition. But her main goal wasn't to impress anyone or to selfishly take anything from them. Her main goal was to improve the lives of this small family.

Read this small sing-songy exchange between Bert the Chimney Sweep (Dick Van Dyke) and Mr. Banks, the children's father:

Bert: You're a man of high position, esteemed by your peers. And when your little tykes are crying, you haven't time to dry their tears... And see their thankful little faces smiling up at you... 'Cause their dad, he always knows just what to do...
George Banks: ...Well, look - I...
Bert: Say no more, Gov'ner. You've got to grind, grind, grind at that grindstone... Though childhood slips like sand through a sieve... And all too soon they've up and grown, and then they've flown... And it's too late for you to give - just that spoonful of sugar to 'elp the medicine go down - medicine go down - medicine go down. Well, so long, Gov'ner. Sorry to have troubled you.

Childhood goes by so quickly. One day your baby is an infant and the next she's pulling peppermints and receipts and coupons from your purse. Mary Poppins reminded me to hold my babies, choose their caregivers wisely, and play undistractedly with my children. Every day. It's so worth it.

Easter Memories and Traditions

One of the disappointing things about this Easter is that we still haven't found our camera. The good news is we got a lot of good stuff on the video camera. The bad news is blogger.com doesn't like our video files. So, no photos or videos for you. Sorry. :-(

We all slept in yesterday, got ready for church and dyed eggs together as a family. Maryn loved seeing the eggs pulled out of the dye.

"Oooooh!" She'd say. "Bwuuue!" (Blue) or, "Wewwow!" (Yellow) or, "Pewpel!" (Purple). Those are the only colors she knows right now, but she doesn't always know them and she often says yellow anytime we ask her what color something is. It was exciting because she just learned these. While the eggs rested in the dye we ate our breakfasts, drank our coffee and even colored some pictures.

Then we quickly headed to church, where Maryn was so excited to see her friends she walked right into her Sunday school room all by herself. She looked a little bewildered when we picked her up after only an hour instead of two hours. We made a yummy brunch and I made a chocolatey chocolate cake as well.

We did the egg hunt much later, and Maryn did a fabulous job finding eggs. I had to give her some directions like, "Look behind the TV!" but we didn't have to help her too much. She had some good practice at the neighborhood Easter egg hunt Saturday.

After dinner, we took a nice little walk in time to see the evening choo-choo train go by and reluctantly called it a day a little later than usual, as we let Maryn stay up until nearly 8:30. It was quite a perfect day.

I do always miss spending time with my other family on holidays. Whatever we did or wherever we went, it usually included ham and potato salad--maybe some deviled eggs. But John and I are not particularly fond of ham and John despises anything with mustard or mayonnaise. I always end up missing them, and missing my family, too. We'd eat, play games and watch movies. Visit grandma's or one of the aunts' houses. Sometimes Aunt Cheryl or one of my aunts would have made us chocolate lambs or bunnies with the chocolate merkens from the Oak Cupboard, which were better than any Hershey bunny found in the stores.

But part of growing up and having your own family is making your own traditions, and often as new moms I think we feel we fail. Why? One reason is because I combine all the good memories and I think I must do all those things in one year. In actuality, we didn't have homemade chocolate lambs every Easter. And not every Easter was perfect. Sometimes it was just my mom and me, without any other family. And that was okay, too. Children are very forgiving. Much more than their mothers, anyway. :)

Saturday Sillies

Yesterday our friend Nathan posted this on Twitter:

"Daddy, let's play Jesus on the cross. I'll be Jesus, you and Jovie be disciples and Mommy will be Judas." -Jaxon, age 5

Isn't it lovely how stay-at-home moms get picked on the most?



Also, a very cute, funny video from Nathan and Bethany's friends, the Whittakers (and another lesson in parenthood):

Single Ladies

Resurrection

Please check back for Friday Funnies tomorrow. We'll have Saturday Sillies instead. Today is Good Friday so I feel kind of inappropriate making jokes. Also, please note that there are TWO posts today and make sure you read the news about our baby boy below!

Anyway, I heard such good information in my SWI class last night. The cross and resurrection were explained more clearly than I'd ever heard before. I will try to retell it later, I think.

This Easter, the death of Christ and His resurrection mean more to me than ever. I can't go into all the details with you, but there are some really terrible things going on with friends lately. I understand more clearly now how sin separates us from God. And to think Jesus took that sin upon himself, paying the penalty for us, leaves me in awe.

I don't understand why He did it. I know He did it because He loves us and that all things are for His glory. But I'm completely stupified as to why, or how He loves us this much. In my finite mind, this makes no sense to me. There are women in jail who actually killed their own children. And Jesus LOVES children--He took THAT sin upon himself?! WHY?! The pain he must have felt on that cross. I cannot fathom it.

Anyway, I feel a little disgusted with myself and mankind, but thank God we have a Savior.

More on this later maybe.

I Have a Son

I saw it before the ultrasound technician could even say it. It was true. What we knew all along. We have a son!

Now of course, in many ways I wanted a girl. That way Maryn could have a sister and our new baby could have a big sister. Sisters have a special bond. But so do brothers and sisters.

In many ways, I am fearful of raising a boy. Little girls grow up and become Mommy's friend. They chat on the phone at least every now and then. Little boys are around for a while, soaking up Mommy's kisses and then, after such a short time, they grow up and leave.

"Leave and cleave" to their wives. That is what boys are supposed to do eventually, and of course I want my boy to grow into a strong, godly man. One who loves his wife like his daddy loves me. I don't want him to be a mommy's boy. Well, not really.

I looked at that little baby on the ultrasound screen. He was curled up so tightly in a little ball--not all stretched out like Maryn was in all of her ultrasounds, waving at us. He feels safe with his Mommy. And someday he will be coming home with his nasty smelling gym shorts (or worse--swim gear. YUCK.) and maybe he'll give me a sweaty hug to be funny, kiss my head--because chances are, he will be at least 8 inches taller than me.

And maybe I'll remember these days, Josiah, when I felt you close and ached to kiss your sweet baby nose. When all you knew was Mommy and all I knew was how I much I love you.

My first pedicure

She made me paint her toe nails just like mine.


I made her sit while they dried.
This part she didn't like so much.

It's a good thing we had Dinosaur Train to help her sit. We watch Dinosaur Train sometimes instead of Imagination Movers. I knew Maryn would like Dinosaur Train because it has two of her favorite things: dinosaurs and trains! I enjoy it, too because it has some great info about dinosaurs. This information is always helpful when you're a teacher--and as a mom, that's what I am.

Today we learned that there was a very small dinosaur called a microraptor. It had four wings and more than likely had feathers. Smaller than a chicken, it is thought that it could actually only glide rather than fly. It immediately made me think of Kendra and her fear of chickens.