I was thinking this morning how ironic it was that Friday's five minute writing prompt was on waiting. Right now we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our newest niece and the anticipation is driving me crazy! But I love it all at the same time.
You see I live for times like this. My parents are in town, my sister-in-law is texting me regularly with updates and there is just a general buzz in the air as everyone waits. While it is nerving wracking at times I actually think the waiting is what makes it all worth while. There is something to be said for this time where we all are checking in with each other often, guessing when and how the baby will come and trying to plan around the what ifs. It's exciting and it is the stuff that makes life worthwhile.
And then before we know it the moment we all are waiting for will actually arrive. The phone calls will be made, everyone will rush around to fulfill their designated duties and the wait will be over. We will huddle around in the small hospital room gazing for the first time at the newest blessing. Everyone will be smiling ear to ear, trying to decide who she looks like and playfully arguing over who gets to hold her next. There will be rejoicing as the long wait will finally have come to an end.
I am trying to soak it all in while we are in the moment because before I know it the dust will settle and life will return to normal. We will go about our day to day until the next big celebration is announced and we start the dance all over again. But for now...we wait. And it's all good!
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
You learn something new everyday...
This is so true. Especially now with the amount of technology we have at our disposal. It's probably more accurate to say, "You learn 10 new things everyday." Let me see if I can think of 10 things I learned today:
1. You have to pay for all day kindergarten. Maybe not true for every school district, but true for mine.
2. When you have a friend whose name sounds like Santa, you need to be careful having a conversation with her within earshot of your children!
3. You can receive a wake-up call from your utility company if you report a power outage. This blew my mind and is actually what sparked this post.
4. March 14th is both the Man version of Valentine's Day and Pi Day. I knew this information separately but never put it together that they fell on the same day until today.
5. When you leave a 3 year old alone to take his fluoride tablet it may end up being ingested through the nasal cavity rather than by mouth. (This one I could have done without ever knowing!)
6. Even babies are fascinated by newborns...our 9 month old was going crazy over a baby we spent time with today who was less then a week old.
Okay...hitting a wall here. Maybe this was a 6 new things kind of day. But that's not bad. If I learned 6 new things everyday for the rest of my life I would be pretty knowledgeable!
What is something new you learned today?
1. You have to pay for all day kindergarten. Maybe not true for every school district, but true for mine.
2. When you have a friend whose name sounds like Santa, you need to be careful having a conversation with her within earshot of your children!
3. You can receive a wake-up call from your utility company if you report a power outage. This blew my mind and is actually what sparked this post.
4. March 14th is both the Man version of Valentine's Day and Pi Day. I knew this information separately but never put it together that they fell on the same day until today.
5. When you leave a 3 year old alone to take his fluoride tablet it may end up being ingested through the nasal cavity rather than by mouth. (This one I could have done without ever knowing!)
6. Even babies are fascinated by newborns...our 9 month old was going crazy over a baby we spent time with today who was less then a week old.
Okay...hitting a wall here. Maybe this was a 6 new things kind of day. But that's not bad. If I learned 6 new things everyday for the rest of my life I would be pretty knowledgeable!
What is something new you learned today?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
This New Year
Ah, the excitement of a new year is upon us. The Christmas decorations are being taken down, the new gifts are finding their place in our home and the busyness of the holidays is settling. Life as we know it is going back to normal as we get ready for whatever 2011 has in store for us.
Normally this time of year has me feeling excited over the possibilities of a new start. All sorts of resolutions race through my mind as the permission to start over is granted with the dropping of the ball. This year I am just not feeling it. Maybe it's because I didn't actually stay up until midnight (hey, mother of a 7 month old here...I'm allowed to be lame like that!) so the whole change over hasn't set in. I think more likely it is because this last week, most of this last year really, has been so full of blessings that I do not find myself looking ahead for what's to come. I am actually relishing in what I have at this moment which is such a good feeling. I got to spend the holidays with all of my favorite people and I just soaked up that time realizing how truly blessed I am in this life. I am so grateful that this year brought us Isaiah, who along with his two older brothers has shown me what life is really about. I appreciate the increased opportunities my husband and I have had to serve in our church. I realize that I am in a marriage that is getting stronger each year and I know that this isn't something to take for granted. I have family who truly loves me and supports me in all that I do. These things alone are enough to make me want to hold onto the moment as it feels as if it can't get any better than this.
That being said, as I sit and think about it I do have plans for this year and hope to use the time I am given to work towards being the woman I am meant to be. While the typical lose weight, get organized, etc. are on my list the real goal I am setting is to become more of a woman of virtue. The biggest areas I struggle in that I am feeling convicted to change are to no longer allow laziness/idleness to rule my day, to be more present for my kids and husband, and to be a good steward of what God has given me...my body, my time, my money, my home, my family. This is a big task!! If I am totally honest with myself these are things I may have to work my whole life at and never truly accomplish to the level I am striving to reach. It is not like saying I want to lose XX lbs. The scale will tell you when you have reached that goal and you can feel released to finish your weight loss journey. To strive to be a woman of God is to commit to a life long journey of getting closer to him and trying to align my will with his. Overwhelming when looking at the big picture but so exciting to think of what he can do with my life in this next year if I continue to allow him to guide it. I am not even going to guess what I will have to write about when reflecting on 2011 but I can't wait to find out. Hey, I did manage to get excited talking about the new year...just needed to take a minute and think about it I guess!
Normally this time of year has me feeling excited over the possibilities of a new start. All sorts of resolutions race through my mind as the permission to start over is granted with the dropping of the ball. This year I am just not feeling it. Maybe it's because I didn't actually stay up until midnight (hey, mother of a 7 month old here...I'm allowed to be lame like that!) so the whole change over hasn't set in. I think more likely it is because this last week, most of this last year really, has been so full of blessings that I do not find myself looking ahead for what's to come. I am actually relishing in what I have at this moment which is such a good feeling. I got to spend the holidays with all of my favorite people and I just soaked up that time realizing how truly blessed I am in this life. I am so grateful that this year brought us Isaiah, who along with his two older brothers has shown me what life is really about. I appreciate the increased opportunities my husband and I have had to serve in our church. I realize that I am in a marriage that is getting stronger each year and I know that this isn't something to take for granted. I have family who truly loves me and supports me in all that I do. These things alone are enough to make me want to hold onto the moment as it feels as if it can't get any better than this.
That being said, as I sit and think about it I do have plans for this year and hope to use the time I am given to work towards being the woman I am meant to be. While the typical lose weight, get organized, etc. are on my list the real goal I am setting is to become more of a woman of virtue. The biggest areas I struggle in that I am feeling convicted to change are to no longer allow laziness/idleness to rule my day, to be more present for my kids and husband, and to be a good steward of what God has given me...my body, my time, my money, my home, my family. This is a big task!! If I am totally honest with myself these are things I may have to work my whole life at and never truly accomplish to the level I am striving to reach. It is not like saying I want to lose XX lbs. The scale will tell you when you have reached that goal and you can feel released to finish your weight loss journey. To strive to be a woman of God is to commit to a life long journey of getting closer to him and trying to align my will with his. Overwhelming when looking at the big picture but so exciting to think of what he can do with my life in this next year if I continue to allow him to guide it. I am not even going to guess what I will have to write about when reflecting on 2011 but I can't wait to find out. Hey, I did manage to get excited talking about the new year...just needed to take a minute and think about it I guess!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
These are the sounds of my house
I remember a day pre-kids when 5:45 am was an awakening time saved for the rarest occasion. A fishing trip, an opening shift at McDonalds, or a procrastinated project to finish in college. And I can probably count all of these times on one hand. But ever since Nathan was born, 5:45 has become an all too familiar wake-up time. I have never been a big fan of extra sleep as there is just too much to do and there is so much I might miss out on if I am sleeping. I think that this is one of the many ways Nathan is just like me. Now over the last year or two it has gotten better. Depending on whether or not he napped and what time he went to bed he will stretch out his wake-up time until 6:30 or 7:00. This may seem early to most but it feels like sleeping in around here. Of course now that Isaiah is here he presents a whole new factor in when we wake-up.
Last night Jeremy worked night shift so in typical fashion I didn't get to bed until around midnight. For those of you who have to spend evenings alone for whatever reason, do you find it as hard as I do to crawl into bed without your spouse? Maybe it will get easier over time but since he is on rotating shifts I go through this every two weeks and it doesn't seem to get better. Anyway, Isaiah started fussing shortly after 1:00 so I sleepily dragged myself to his room and brought him back into my bed where I could nurse him and drift off to sleep. Fast forward to 5:30 and I can tell that nursing and snuggling is no longer going to cut it to keep him asleep. Jeremy must have gotten off work early because when I stretched out I found him passed out on his side of the bed. As I laid there trying to soak up every last minute that Isaiah would give me before it was absolutely necessary to get up with him, I heard stirrings from Thing 1 and Thing 2. Sure enough within 5 minutes half the lights in the house were on and they were on a mission to find something fun to play with. I knew I needed to track down a binky but was dreading leaving my dark warm room for the colder and way too brightly lit living room. Nonetheless I drug myself out of bed and fumbled into the living room grabbing for a binky in the last spot I remembered putting it. I found the boys at the living room table playing their new Go Fish game and reminded them to do so quietly so that the rest of us could get a little more sleep.
At this point I went back into my room and as I was wrapping Isaiah up tightly in his blanket I happened to glance up at the clock. 5:45 was staring back at me. I don't know what it is about that number but it just must be my fate. I began rocking and shushing my fussy baby and the sounds of the house became ever noticeable. Jeremy was snoring as so often is the case after his first night shift and being up for almost 24 hours straight. Grace, our clingy cat who is only comforted by my presence in a room, must have heard me stirring and was planted firmly outside my door crying for me to come out and keep her safe. The soundtrack began to play in a somewhat cohesive rhythm of snore, snore, rock, rock, shush, shush, MEEEOOOWW, "Brother, I got a 4!". This combination of noise could drive a sane person crazy at this hour in the morning, but for me, these are the sounds of my house. And while I would never turn down some extra sleep, I wouldn't trade in these noises for the silence we used to know.
Last night Jeremy worked night shift so in typical fashion I didn't get to bed until around midnight. For those of you who have to spend evenings alone for whatever reason, do you find it as hard as I do to crawl into bed without your spouse? Maybe it will get easier over time but since he is on rotating shifts I go through this every two weeks and it doesn't seem to get better. Anyway, Isaiah started fussing shortly after 1:00 so I sleepily dragged myself to his room and brought him back into my bed where I could nurse him and drift off to sleep. Fast forward to 5:30 and I can tell that nursing and snuggling is no longer going to cut it to keep him asleep. Jeremy must have gotten off work early because when I stretched out I found him passed out on his side of the bed. As I laid there trying to soak up every last minute that Isaiah would give me before it was absolutely necessary to get up with him, I heard stirrings from Thing 1 and Thing 2. Sure enough within 5 minutes half the lights in the house were on and they were on a mission to find something fun to play with. I knew I needed to track down a binky but was dreading leaving my dark warm room for the colder and way too brightly lit living room. Nonetheless I drug myself out of bed and fumbled into the living room grabbing for a binky in the last spot I remembered putting it. I found the boys at the living room table playing their new Go Fish game and reminded them to do so quietly so that the rest of us could get a little more sleep.
At this point I went back into my room and as I was wrapping Isaiah up tightly in his blanket I happened to glance up at the clock. 5:45 was staring back at me. I don't know what it is about that number but it just must be my fate. I began rocking and shushing my fussy baby and the sounds of the house became ever noticeable. Jeremy was snoring as so often is the case after his first night shift and being up for almost 24 hours straight. Grace, our clingy cat who is only comforted by my presence in a room, must have heard me stirring and was planted firmly outside my door crying for me to come out and keep her safe. The soundtrack began to play in a somewhat cohesive rhythm of snore, snore, rock, rock, shush, shush, MEEEOOOWW, "Brother, I got a 4!". This combination of noise could drive a sane person crazy at this hour in the morning, but for me, these are the sounds of my house. And while I would never turn down some extra sleep, I wouldn't trade in these noises for the silence we used to know.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
5 weeks
5 weeks from now we will be meeting our little man. That is if all goes according to plan, which we all know with babies is a toss up! As of right now I am scheduled to be induced two weeks early because of my high blood pressure so unless he decides to make his own entrance before then, we are counting on 5 weeks. The question that I have begun to hear almost daily is, "You must be so ready to be done!" I don't know if it is because this is my third child or because it most likely is my last pregnancy, but I am actually perfectly content right where I am. I truly enjoy pregnancy and am in no rush to have it over with. I love feeling him rolling around in there and bumping around. I guess part of it is selfish...right now he is all mine and this is the only time I will have him all to myself. It is a special bond that I cherish and am not ready to give up. I will admit that all of my motives for staying pregnant as long as possible aren't as sweet as all of that. Having already had two other children I know what's coming once he arrives and I am in no hurry to lose sleep and be strapped to a completely dependent little person 24 hours a day. Right now I still have total control over him, and those who know me know I love control!
Having said all that, there are plenty of things that I am looking forward to. I can't wait to see his little face. I am so curious to see if he will resemble one or both of his brothers or be his own completely unique looking person. I am already dreaming of that wonderful baby smell and snuggling a sleepy baby on my chest. I can't wait to see him and Jeremy taking naps in the recliner. There is something so beautiful about watching daddy and baby together. Introducing him to his brothers is another thing I am looking forward to. I am waiting for the look on their faces not only the first time they meet him but when we bring him home and they realize he is staying forever. In my mind I am already fast forwarding 2 years and seeing them all playing and wrestling and laughing together. Its a great thing, I can't wait to live it!
Soon our family of 4 will become 5. This mother of 2 boys will be the mother of 3 boys. Life is going to get hectic...that crazy hectic that comes when life as you knew it before changes and will never go back to what it was. I am soaking up these last few weeks of what we have and getting ready for whatever is in store in our new life. I see bigger piles of laundry, more dishes in the sink, having to leave even earlier if we want to attempt to make it anywhere on time. Mixed in that is a lot of giggles, hugs, tickle fests, wrestling matches and dirty little faces. This is not the life that I would have wrote out on paper 10 years ago. It is so much better than anything I could have come up with.
Having said all that, there are plenty of things that I am looking forward to. I can't wait to see his little face. I am so curious to see if he will resemble one or both of his brothers or be his own completely unique looking person. I am already dreaming of that wonderful baby smell and snuggling a sleepy baby on my chest. I can't wait to see him and Jeremy taking naps in the recliner. There is something so beautiful about watching daddy and baby together. Introducing him to his brothers is another thing I am looking forward to. I am waiting for the look on their faces not only the first time they meet him but when we bring him home and they realize he is staying forever. In my mind I am already fast forwarding 2 years and seeing them all playing and wrestling and laughing together. Its a great thing, I can't wait to live it!
Soon our family of 4 will become 5. This mother of 2 boys will be the mother of 3 boys. Life is going to get hectic...that crazy hectic that comes when life as you knew it before changes and will never go back to what it was. I am soaking up these last few weeks of what we have and getting ready for whatever is in store in our new life. I see bigger piles of laundry, more dishes in the sink, having to leave even earlier if we want to attempt to make it anywhere on time. Mixed in that is a lot of giggles, hugs, tickle fests, wrestling matches and dirty little faces. This is not the life that I would have wrote out on paper 10 years ago. It is so much better than anything I could have come up with.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
A prerequisite for marriage
Yes, I am writing this on Valentine's Day. No, it is not a sappy post about how much I love my husband. (See the post on his birthday if you are looking for something like that!) Instead I am writing about a revelation I had yesterday while putting together the boys' bunk beds with my husband.
Have you ever tried to build something with your spouse? Some piece of furniture or complicated baby item that has poorly written instructions and 10 gazillion pieces to it? If so then you probably know where I am coming from. This situation always turns into a nightmare in our house. My husband's temper is never shorter then when something isn't going the way he thinks it should which is always the case when we are putting something together.His anger quickly rubs off on me and pretty soon the whole project is abandoned mid-build. At least this is how it used to go.
We first experienced this when putting together baby cribs (have you ever done that? INSANE!) and ever since our system has been that if something is possibly a one person building job I do it because I have more patience for it. And I actually believe in following the directions. This has saved us much heartache and I have gotten quite proficient at assembling items. To the point where if I didn't hate it so much I would offer my services to others who have suffered in the same way we have. But every once in awhile there is that project that has to be done by two people. The bunk beds were just such a project. So as we embarked on what became a 3 hour journey, we knew that we were on rocky ground. This is a place in the past that has caused nothing but trouble. I am happy to say that we made it through fairly unscathed. One minor temper flair from hubby occurred but was quickly diffused and we were mostly able to laugh at ourselves and pass the time by making junior high jokes about "screwing." Hey, whatever it takes, right?
Having gotten through this felt like a milestone for us. Like we had accomplished something that all successful couples do at one point or another. We moved past one of those things that normally trigger chaos. It may have taken us nearly 7 years but we did it! This doesn't mean we are going into business assembling things with each other, and I will most likely continue to do this solo, but we now know that if the situation warrants it we can work together. This led me to the revelation that building things together should be a part of premarital counseling. On one of your sessions they should lock you both in a room with a gazillion piece project and see if you come out on the other side still wanting to get married. That sounds like a true test of a couples love! Having said that, we probably wouldn't have passed that test way back then so it's a good thing we weren't asked to. But we could do it now. I guess that can be our Valentine's gift to each other this year.
Have you ever tried to build something with your spouse? Some piece of furniture or complicated baby item that has poorly written instructions and 10 gazillion pieces to it? If so then you probably know where I am coming from. This situation always turns into a nightmare in our house. My husband's temper is never shorter then when something isn't going the way he thinks it should which is always the case when we are putting something together.His anger quickly rubs off on me and pretty soon the whole project is abandoned mid-build. At least this is how it used to go.
We first experienced this when putting together baby cribs (have you ever done that? INSANE!) and ever since our system has been that if something is possibly a one person building job I do it because I have more patience for it. And I actually believe in following the directions. This has saved us much heartache and I have gotten quite proficient at assembling items. To the point where if I didn't hate it so much I would offer my services to others who have suffered in the same way we have. But every once in awhile there is that project that has to be done by two people. The bunk beds were just such a project. So as we embarked on what became a 3 hour journey, we knew that we were on rocky ground. This is a place in the past that has caused nothing but trouble. I am happy to say that we made it through fairly unscathed. One minor temper flair from hubby occurred but was quickly diffused and we were mostly able to laugh at ourselves and pass the time by making junior high jokes about "screwing." Hey, whatever it takes, right?
Having gotten through this felt like a milestone for us. Like we had accomplished something that all successful couples do at one point or another. We moved past one of those things that normally trigger chaos. It may have taken us nearly 7 years but we did it! This doesn't mean we are going into business assembling things with each other, and I will most likely continue to do this solo, but we now know that if the situation warrants it we can work together. This led me to the revelation that building things together should be a part of premarital counseling. On one of your sessions they should lock you both in a room with a gazillion piece project and see if you come out on the other side still wanting to get married. That sounds like a true test of a couples love! Having said that, we probably wouldn't have passed that test way back then so it's a good thing we weren't asked to. But we could do it now. I guess that can be our Valentine's gift to each other this year.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Still recovering
I think I am suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder! Okay, maybe more like a slight case of drama queen but nonetheless I am still recovering from yesterday (see yesterday's entry if confused about what I am referring to). The incident itself was really no big deal. The bathroom was back to normal after sopping up all the water and Jordan was no worse for the wear despite getting up close and personal with the Lysol bottle. All in all, it was mild compared to what it could have been. So what's the big hang up? This lingering sense of pain is caused by the place I have allowed my brain to go. Like even though I have always been aware of what my kids could do, I was able to push that out of my mind because it wasn't in the here and now. Then they are kind enough to show me a taste of what they are capable of and I realize all the things I have worried about or never even thought to worry about are possible. They are going to do crazy, god awful things no matter what I do. This was not the part of parenting I was signing up for! I know, I know, it comes with the territory. But that certainly doesn't make me like it.
And to top it off people LOVE to use these kinds of things to remind me, as if I could ever possibly forget, that in a few short months we will be adding a third boy to the mix. Do you not think that as soon as we saw that little penis on the screen we didn't start thinking about all the extra craziness we were in for? But I guess I was mostly envisioning down the road. Teenage stuff. The fact of the matter is that toddler and child stuff is scary too, in a totally different way. And while I fully realize that any combination of children, girls or boys or both, can get into any range of trouble, I think it is a well agreed upon fact that boys come prepackaged with their own unique brand of trouble. The more boys you add to the equation, the greater the possibility that they will give you gray hair, cause you to have a heart attack, or plain land you in the insane asylum.
I guess it is good that I can recognize this now. That my life is going to be one crazy roller coaster ride full of messes, bumps and bruises, close calls and anything and everything in between. Truth be told, I wouldn't change it for the world. I may come out a little worse for wear on the other end of it all, but I am sure I will have some amazing memories and a lifetime of stories that will make it all worth while. I long ago realized that God has a sense of humor and that he has to find ways to entertain himself too...guess he's just gearing up for a real good laugh at my expense!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Moments Like These
I just love moments like the one I shared with boys tonight. When everything comes together just right to make the everyday, mundane, routine things seem extra special. My husband is working night shift this weekend, which I always dread. It has become easier to do dinner and bedtime with the boys by myself but I am not especially fond of it. Then you throw in bath nights and I can really go into it with a bad attitude. But something about tonight was different. Bath time went so smoothly and they did a great job getting into pjs and brushing teeth. Then we moved onto story time and as I was sitting on the couch snuggled between my two little guys I just realized how lucky I was. That this was a moment to cherish. It won't be long before they won't want to sit in my lap anymore. Me telling stories will no longer seem exciting. They will put themselves to bed, no more prayers and songs. This time we are in together is only temporary and one day I will look back and miss it. And so tonight, I chose to live in the moment. Cherish it. Truly take part in enjoying the small things that make life so great. We read extra stories using funny voices and made our way to their bedrooms pretending to be airplanes. They loved it and so did I.
I realize that it isn't a likelihood, or even possible, to live every moment like this. In full realization of what awesome blessings we have been given or in recognition of how fleeting time can be. So when that moment comes where I am able to truly appreciate what I am doing, I chose to live in it and be grateful. I pray for more moments like these.
I realize that it isn't a likelihood, or even possible, to live every moment like this. In full realization of what awesome blessings we have been given or in recognition of how fleeting time can be. So when that moment comes where I am able to truly appreciate what I am doing, I chose to live in it and be grateful. I pray for more moments like these.
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