Keeping Things Real

A few months ago I read an article in a parenting magazine about a mother's mortification about her daughter's choice of clothing. I remember reading that article and thinking 'Not my A. She wears whatever I dress her in.' Yeah, Little Miss Prideful spoke too soon.

Earlier in the evening, she brought my 2nd grade ND bicentenial dress down from the playroom and wanted J to help her put it on. He said as soon as she had it on, she twirled and twirled with a huge grin on her face. He couldn't bear to make her take it off, and I was in far too much of a hurry to have a power struggle. So, A proudly wore the Laura Ingalls Wilder look-alike dress, with purple fleece pants, and brown Strawberry Shortcake shoes to Costco. She smiled and said, "Hi!" to everyone we passed in the store. And I was slightly less mortified than I would have been had I not insisted she wear a pink sweater. It WAS cold that night.

When we got home, I told her I wanted to take a picture because she looked so pretty. She glowed!

A's Turkey House

A is excited about many things, some of which puzzle me. For example, the moon. If she's in the car at night, we hear, "Where's the moon, Mommy? Where's the moon, Daddy?" what seems like a million times. And I wonder how she even knows about the moon. I know I haven't told her.

Well, I have our two neighbors with giant, illuminated, inflatable turkeys to thank for her intrigue with Ben Franklin's favorite bird. The first night she saw them, our entire dinner was filled with turkey (when she says it, it sounds like kee-kee) talk. Specifically her questions centered around when we would go to see them next. And all I could think was 'Who invented those stupid inflatables, anyway?' I'm not a fan.

Because of her love for turkeys, my mom started singing "Down by the turkey house . . ." to A, and A LOVED it. Thanksgiving morning A insisted on holding a wooden turkey I had on the table, which she promptly put into a clothes basket and announced, "Turkey (kee-kee) house, Mommy." I guess that turkey needed a home.

Geese

I'm from ND, as you know. Not everyone from ND hunts, but many people do. It's just part of the culture. If you mention hunting here in WA/OR, people usually gasp and call PETA on their speed dials. Okay, it's not quite that bad, but you know what I mean. Animals, especially dogs and cats, get the red carpet treatment around here. I like animals, but I don't regard them quite that highly. I do, however, go crazy over deer sightings. There's just something about those four legged creatures that gets me every time. J claims that I have an eye for them when I spot them on our long road trips to ND. I secretely smile and feel very proud inside.

I don't necessarily feel the same excitement about geese as I do about deer. But, I do like them. I think it's because I love fall and winter, and when you see geese, you know fall is here and winter is coming. I don't know much about them, but I am intruigued by what I've heard. They fly in the V formation, for instance. How does that happen? Who decides who gets to be the lead? Or is that the worst place to be, because wouldn't he/she get the most wind resistance? I know these aren't deep thoughts, but their mine.

I also like geese, because my dad likes them. I don't think I've ever heard him say why, but if he paid attention to them, so did I. When Dad was out to visit us a few weeks ago, the geese were out in the farmer's field across from our house. He took A out to see them a few times, and I found that precious.

So, when I saw them out again today, as J was hanging Christmas lights, I had to take a picture. Not because there's anything so profound about them. But it was a sweet memory for me, of Dad and A, hand-in-hand, looking through the fence at those geese. Maybe she'll grow up to like them too.

Chevy Chase

Perhaps you remember that we moved at the end of May into a different home. Our first home was one story, and J did a wonderful job putting Christmas lights on the house each year. It was a couple hour job at most.

Well, now we own a two-story home. And, my dedicated decorator braved the heights to tackle our steep roof on Tuesday . . . and part of Wednesday. It's always hard to know how many strings of lights you'll need the first time. But it was all worth it. I think he did his best job yet!

What does this have to do with Chevy Chase, you may ask? Our next door neighbor, Wayne, after seeing J up on the roof for hours, making sure that everything was perfect, called J "Chevy Chase." Now, I'm sure there are a few dedicated Chevy Chase fans out there, but I'm not one of them. I am, however, unfortunately aware of what Wayne was referring to. Just in case you're one of the lucky few who haven't seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, let's just say Chevy Chase REALLY likes to decorate with Christmas lights. And it's not the tasteful kind of decorating. It's the let's-see-how-many-neighbors-can-loose-power-because-of-all-of-my-tacky-lights kind of decorating.

So, let me be clear. J is no Chevy Chase. You did a beautiful job!

Two Weeks Old

This week, we were delighted to hear that J D's weight was increasing, so we are no longer going to the doctor every other day for weight-ins. Hurray! Today, he was at a whopping 7 lbs. 14 oz., and we were thrilled. Our life hasn't totally revolved around his weight this week. But, honestly, I don't know where the time goes. I want to say I'm out of the new mom fog, but I think that would be too generous. I'm not sure that I've accomplished anything at all, which is a bit wierd to me. But I can say this: J D's feedings are improving, I'm getting slightly more sleep, I've relaxed a ton now that he's gaining weight, and I've given him two baths. I guess that's something!

Yes, that IS a Winnie-the-Pooh towel he is wrapped in. And, NO, I haven't out-grown that huggable old bear.
Here he is on his two week birthday. He's filled out quite a bit, don't you think? He looks like he's pondering something very deep -- perhaps when he should eat next?

Just a Rockin'

1 Week Old

This is a pretty typical view of J D. It's a highlight each day when he can stay awake for a few minutes and show us his bright eyes. We've had several trips to the doctor this week, because he's not gaining weight and having adequate output. So, I've been diligently filling out the chart from the hospital, so I can keep track of his eating and diaper changes. I remember doing this for a few weeks when A was born, because I just couldn't trust myself to remember. J pointed out that this is the one time in life when we are actually excited to see and change bowel movements. J also mentioned, perhaps in one of his more sleep deprived moments, that he might start recording his own b.m.s. You know. "Just for fun." I'm glad he can find humor, even with this!

My dear brother, A J, requested a sighting of our parents on the blog -- so here's to you, A J! Pictures of mom are few and far between, but here's one of Dad and J D.

A has continued to be incredibly sweet with her new baby brother. She asks for "my turn" to hold the bottle, she pats his back when I'm burping him, and she insists on putting his hat back on when it falls off. J found an old Golden book from the 50s called My Baby Brother that she pretends is about her and J D. I find it amazing that a two year old can suddenly take on the role of mothering. It's pretty precious.

A glimpse from into our world

Well, after a bit of an impatient confession in my last entry, I was humored with the very punctual appearance of our son, John David, on his due date, Nov. 1st, at 10:04 a.m. We are home now, and I am again reminded of how good God is to give us such a precious little boy, how much patience I need with all of the adjustments that come with a growing family, and how much I need His help. Thankfully, I believe His help came in the form of my parents, who arrived late last night from ND, and we are all making these adjustments together.

I hope you enjoy a glimpse into our world.

8 lbs. 1 oz., 19 1/2 inches long

When A came to visit, she said, "Hello Baby!"

J D 's proud dad

Precious footprints

J D's first trip in the car was a success. He slept the whole way home, while A announced from the back seat, "We're home baby brother, we're home!"