Funny Girls

The other night at CFA, Lorelai was fussing so Maelie put her pretend baby bottle in her mouth. She must have been hungry because she started to suck on it. Yeah, go ahead and cast those mother-of-the-year votes now...

These are Maelie at her first big girl movie trip. I took her on a Mommy-date to see "Up." That night before she went to bed she said she hoped she dreamed about that movie. I was so touched that she liked the movie (I loved it) until she said "yeah, especially that part where we drinked the Coke!"

Silly Lorelai! She loves to grab things (her dress, her lovie, the towel) and pull them to her mouth to gum on and then she just smiles. She is the happiest baby ever!

Whew!

That's what I say to this whirlwind week! Monday was graduation for our Pre Kers at school, Thursday we had a tea and small performance with our Toddlers and a tea in the afternoon with the babies in the nursery. That would have been plenty to keep me hopping, but Sunday night Maelie ran a fever and threw up in the night several times. By noon she felt fine and was demanding pizza. Kyle had to work, so I strapped Lorelai in her Bjorn and she and Maelie helped with graduation. I had a lot of help from Aunt Kasey and Barbara, but I still felt like super mom and learned that super mom is a very tired mom :) Wednesday Maelie started complaining of a headache, which had never happened before, then late in the afternoon it made her throw up. By 9 I was on the phone with the nurse and by 11:30 we were in the car on the way to the ER because she was screaming about her head and even crying about it in her sleep. They did a CT and decided they think she had a migrain - crazy! The next night Lorelai had a rough night, which is weird for her and was very ill-timed because I hadn't slept much the night before at Cook's. The highlights have been that sweet Baby James is finally here and I got to spend some time loving on him - he is so precious!!!

Also, Lorelai turned 2 months old which is blowing my mind. She is such a sweet, laid back baby and I have loved having her in my life and in my arms these past two months. I think right now my favorite thing about her is her blue blue eyes. They have so much expression and she will look at you with such concentration and then smile the sweetest little smile that always starts out on just one side and then spreads to the rest of her face.

Showing off her smile in the swing, which is unusual because she doesn't like our swing.

Wearing on of Mommy's old dresses

This is what happens everytime we try to have tummy time!

She might not ever learn to roll over!

Two month picture with her Lamby. She was talking to me while I was taking it - too cute!

Close up with Lamby

First time in the Bumbo! She seemed to like it. I don't leave her in it for very long because I don't want her to get tired, but she is getting really good at holding her head up and loves to be upright so I thought this would be right up her alley.

So, at two months she can:

hold her head up to about 90 degrees and support herself on her elbows for short periods

the smiles come a lot more often and with very little work - she smiles the most at the fan and all it does is turn around!

track things with her eyes

turn her head to look for things - most often her Daddy, she loves the sound of his voice

coo and talk

sleep for 6 hours at a stretch in her own bed

she weighs 11ibs. 14 oz - oh, my goodness! (75%)

she's 23 1/4 inches long (75%)

She likes:

obviously to eat, she's almost 12 lbs!

sitting upright

being held

the swing in Mommy's office

sleeping on her tummy (only during tummy time!)

being sang to

She doesn't like:

the swing at home or the papasan chair - basically anything that reclines

when the car stops

having her diaper/clothes changed

Commotion in the Ocean

The big YCW Spring Show was Monday and it was so much fun! It is a lot of work (mainly for Shei) but it is so worth it to see those sweet kids show off what they've been working on. Maelie did a pretty good job (except for picking her nose through the first song) and left us with lots of good Maelie memories.

Papa brought her flowers. When she saw them she buried her face in them and said in her most dramatic voice "Oh, sweet Papa!" Then she saw the balloon he brought her and said "Papa brought that for me? I'm so impressed!" We all cracked up!

Mommy and Daddy with the starlet.

Henry came to join Maelie's cheering section.

This is Barbara's daughter, Tatum. Maelie loves her and thinks anything Tatum does is so cool!

Singing the sailor song

Singing "So Glad that God Made Me" - yes, we are!!

Smile!

Lorelai started smiling right about a week ago, but it's been pretty infrequent and hard to catch. However, today=success! Hope you love it as much as I do!

Oh, my word! She is such a happy girl!

Who wouldn't be happy? She spent the day with Ms. Jayne getting loved on by a pro!

Etc.

I still feel like a slacker for the lack of Easter pictures, but all of my favorite ones are on Kasey's camera. Here are a few random ones from the past week or so that I love. On a side note, this has been an eventful week for Ms. Lorelai. She went on her first girls' weekend with the ladies from YCW and had a blast. Who wouldn't love having 7 doting women at their beck and call? I think she spent about 20 minutes not in someone's arms. Over the weekend she started coughing and sneezing up some yuck, so we got to visit our favorite pediatrician Monday who decided it would be best to stick a q-tip on a wire half way to Lorelai's brain to make sure she doesn't have anything serious. Luckily, we really love her :) She was such a good girl. She always is! Even when she's upset she settles down instantly when she gets her bottle, diaper changed, q-tip out of her nose, etc. I may not have anymore out of fear that they will not be nearly as good as her! Just kidding, I thought I shouldn't have any more after Maelie because they could not possibly be as fabulous as she is and here Lorelai is, amazing in her own right!

Gotta love all that pink-ness with sweet sisters

I just fall in more in love with that sweet face everyday!

She is smiling now which makes my day and makes it feel like 5 minutes of goofy baby talk is worth it when she finally grins

She is getting so strong!

How can you not love that face?

Back to the Grind!

Well, I started easing back into work last week, and this week have been a little more. I really thought that it would be harder to go back this time, but I think that since I took it so easy for the first month it was actually easier. I was ready to see my friends and be back in my office. It really made me realize all over again how much I LOVE my job and what a blessing it is. Being able to take my girls there and spend the day multitasking as director and mommy with Lorelai right in my office is the greatest thing ever. Plus, I have the greatest friends - it was a great mix of working/being with my baby and working/having people I love love on my baby! I have missed those ladies, those sweet kiddos, and all of my responsibilities as well. I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to put me in this place where I can (hopefully) use my gifts to His glory in the midst of my church family.

I also have to give a "shout out" to the amazing staff that I work with. They all worked extra hours and really stepped up so that I could be gone and not worry. They encouraged me to take the time I needed to be with my baby girl and I knew that everything was in good hands. They are so talented and I am so blessed to be a part of this team! They are also such a gift in their sweet friendship as well as the examples they give me of different types of great moms.

I Love This Kid!

Okay, this is not on the bloggy to do list, but I had to write it down so I won't forget it. tonight when I got home from Bible study we had the following conversation:

Me: Tomorrow we are going somewhere really fun with someone we really love

Mae: Who?

Me: Guess.

Mae: God.

Me: (loving this kid): Well, He's always with us. Someone else we love is going, too.

Mae: Kasey (yes)

Part II

Me: Now, guess where we're going - it's somewhere really fun.

Mae: Sam's? (the real answer was the zoo, but, hey, who doesn't love Sam's?)

Maelie Turns 3

I know that every mother says this, but I truly cannot believe it has been three years since Maelie came into the world and changed my life. Some of it has been harder than I thought, some has been so much better than I could have ever imagined, it has all been funnier and more fun than I thought it would be, and all of being her Mommy is something I would never give up for anything.

Her birthday - so sweet! She and that binky have been friends from day one.

Her first birthday - spontaneously moved to RHCC due to the weather, but we still had fun.

I remember thinking 1 wasn't so bad, she still felt like a baby to me.

Her second birthday - Mickey at the park!

I honestly didn't have the chance to get to sentimental at this one because she was such a stinker that day. (that's also why this is the best picture I got!)

This year's 3rd birthday girl!

We had such a great day at the zoo with "everyone we love!"

The rest of the weekend, anywhere we went she asked if "everyone we love is going to be there?"

This is just a shameliess plug because Aunt Kasey and I made the hippo cake and we were very proud of it :)

A Few Things she does at Three:

(Really, I almost feel like what doesn't she do?!)
She's been potty trained since September

She can "read" (recite from memory) entire 5 or 6 page Bible stories from her children's Bible

She's known all of her letters and their sounds for a long time now, but lately she asks me to spell things a lot.

She can spell her name

She has three Bible verses memorized - John 3:16, Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 6:1 and we're working on Psalm 23:6

She can remember anything - long songs, small details - it's amazing!

She can dress herself with very little assistance

She just started playing games and she loves them - Candy Land was her first and we play it almost every night before bedtime.

She is the BEST big sister! Every morning when she wakes up she asks where Lorelai is, then goes to her and kisses her and talks to her in this sweet little "baby voice" that cracks me up. She has been so gentle (mostly) and sweet with her. When she cries she runs to tell me "sister's fussin'!" and loves to sing ger songs. She has done better than I ever expected - it is such an answer to so many prayers!

She weighs 31 lbs and is 38 inches tall

There are so many more things she does that I am so proud of and amazed at! I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

She likes:

anything princess

she's very into "girl things" if it's a "boy thing" she won't touch it, wear it, etc.

coloring and "snipping" with her scissors

baths

almost any food, but especially pizza, burritos, blueberries, cheese

her favorite places to eat are Jason's Deli, Pei Wei and "poach-lei" (chipotle)

singing - she sings all the time!

reading

Imagination Movers - favorite TV show

Tinker Bell and Robin Hood - favorite movies

Grammy's - favorite place to go

She doesn't like:

Not getting her way

waiting, especially waiting to say something

heights

loud noises (still)

having that crazy hair brushed

My Blogg-y To Do

Some things I need to blog about soon:

Maelie's 3rd birthday
Lorelai's 1st and Maelie's 4th Easter
My first day back at work

Check back soon and keep me accountable!!

TWO funnies for the day!

First one - Maelie was talking and singing in the bathtub and I said "What are you doing?" She looked at me and said "Just praising God in the bathtub." I LOVE it and said who told you you could praise God in the bathtub? She said "Oh, Jesus did." and kept singing. I am in love with her!

Second one - on the way home from the big Birthday party at the Zoo I asked her what she thought about her birthday party. She said, "Oh, Mom, it was totally perfeck!"

Too Good to be True?

Seriously, I'm wondering when the other shoe is going to drop - this baby is so good! She eats, she sleeps, she LOVES the car, the only thing she doesn't do perfectly is poop, which she doesn't do enough, but hey, as long as the dr says it's cool, so isn't that a good thing, too? It has been such a great three weeks of loving on my sweet girls. Here's some pics!

She started sleeping in her bassinet two nights ago -

honestly, it's great, but I miss her sweet sleepy sounds right

next to me!

Her first date - lunch with the Camster!

Her first bath - not sure who was more upset, her or Maelie! Maelie does not like it when she cries.

The three kids on a trip to Target - aren't we brave?!

Sweet Days

I can't believe how much time has passed and I haven't posted about sweet Lorelai! Things have been pretty hectic between the hospital, her being sick and my being sick, but I think (knock on wood) we are finally on the road to our new normal. Here's my attempt to catch up with pictures and thoughts on the whole experience.

P.S. If you don't want to read all of this novella, just read the first and last parts - they're my favorite!

THE HOSPITAL

One of the things I love the most about our God is how he always surprises me. I cried so many times in the hospital (and since!) at his goodness. I think I was so focused on the practical aspects of having Lorelai, bringing her home, preparing myself for increased work and decreased sleep that I kind of forgot about all the sweetness that comes with all of it. The days we spent in the hospital were so precious - so filled with His peace and joy it was tangible to me. We were so blessed with a perfect combination of our room being filled with people we loved celebrating our precious daughter with us and some quiet time for Kyle and I to love on her and revel in the miracle that she is. I truly thought that nothing could ever compare to the birth of Maelie - everything new, everything a first - that I was overwhelmed by all the blessing that come with the second child. The peace, the fun, the confidence and laid-backness that was present in a new way. I remember looking at Kyle at one point and saying "Isn't it fun to feel like we kind of know what we're doing?" I also know this time around how precious time is. Things that were important to me with Maelie as an infant - not "spoiling" her to being held or sleeping with her, were non-existant. I held her all night everynight knowing that it won't be this way forever and one day she'll be to big to lay on my chest and doze off with.

Truly love at first sight - first sound really...















My sweet girls







THE BIG SISTER
I was so nervous about how Maelie would handle her new role, but it seems that many prayers have been answered on this front, too. She has done better than I ever expected - she loves Lorelai so much and has been so sweet to her. She always wants to see her and give her hugs and kisses. So far, she has yet to get upset when her needs have to wait a minute to feed sister, etc. She loves to help burp her, change her, anything she can do. Her behavior has been pretty consistant other than that, too - just the normal everyday ups and downs, maybe even a little more up than usual. I am just praying that it stays this way and these girls grow up to be good friends.






































THE JAUNDICE
Okay, we have the very best doctor in the world. I do not know many doctors as thorough and as truly concerned with children's health than her. I do not know many doctors who will call you at home at 9:00 to check on your baby and make sure home health brought the right equipment to your house that day. And then, she called back 30 minutes later to see if she had pottied and tell me the things that we should be looking for in case we needed to go to the ER that night. She also called me into the office when the lab results came back for the better to do another type of test just to verify that it wasn't lab error and make sure our baby was safe. I think she was just as relieved as I was when the tests were all good. I got choked up when I left and told her thank you for always taking such good care of my babies. This may sound melodramatic, but I truly don't ever remember being so scared (when someone tells you that the result of too much bilirubin is a break in the blood-brain barrier i.e. brain damage, it's truly chilling) but I knew that we were in good hands and that if anyone could make Lorelai better it was Dr. Saksena.


Our little Gloworm - the picture doesn't do the glow that the biliblanket gave her justice. I had to wrap her up at night so that the light didn't keep her awake.












THE ICK
Right about the time we got over the jaundice, I started feeling pretty pitiful. Very weak and shaky, no appetite and nausiated. I dropped a little over 3o pounds in slightly over a week and was at the doctor's office every morning by 9 the first 3 days at home, so I'm sure that all of that had something to do with it, but Friday night in the middle of the night I felt too shaky to pick up the baby and just felt like something was considerably not right. I talked to the oncall doctor and he said it sounded like anemia and to take it easy for a few days. Luckily we have an amazing family who stepped in to help with the girls and the house. Thankfully, today I have gotten a little bit of energy back and have been able to eat a little bit and feel like we might just be on the upswing.


NO pictures here - they would not have been pretty :)





THE GREATEST FAMILY EVER
Wow! We could not have survived these past few crazy weeks without an overwhelmingly loving and helpful family. Of course, my mom came over and loved on both girls and got the house in shape - she is the world's best Grammy. She also kept Maelie each time I had to take Lorelai to the doctor and kept her little world normal during the days in the hospital. Aunt Melisa came over Saturday night to help me with Lorelai and used her magical organizational skills on my kitchen, fridge and pantry. Aunt Kasey has gone above and beyond - you name it, she's done it. Helped with Maelie, helped with Lore, brought us dinner, she even made us steaks (my favorite!) last night which I credit to the turn around in my appetite :) Everyone has been so helpful - I truly don't know what we'd do without our family.


















































THE GREATEST HUSBAND EVER
I have never been more impressed or blessed by my husband. Kyle has been amazing. I can't even put into words how much it has meant to me to have him by my side. On top of just being a precious Daddy and loving on my girls, he walked in the door working - working on keeping the house up, working on spending extra time with Maelie, working on making me feel like a good Mommy and a good wife. It almost makes me feel a little guilty that even since he has had to go back to work, he works all day and then comes home to help with dinner, mow the lawn, clean the kitchen, get Maelie ready for bed, etc. You name it, he has done it. Not just in acts of service, but in words of affirmation, a well-timed hug, a sweet smile as he rocks my sweet baby, a precious prayer over our family, a million other ways. I knew from the moment I met him that he would be a great Daddy, and it seems like he has really come into his own. I wouldn't be the same without him.

Grammy's Wedding

Maelie got to be a flower girl for the second time this past Friday at Grammy and Papaw Wayne's wedding. It was such a fun night and we are so lucky to have Wayne as part of our family!

Kissing her "new" Papaw Wayne, though I don't think she's ever not thought of him in that way.

The whole fam

Just the grandkids!

The first "legitimate" grandchild - well, at least the first one born after Grammy's wedding :)

By the way, please don't ask me when I'm going to have this baby - if it were up to me it would've been on Sunday!!

Surprise!

Baby Lorelai and I got the best surprise yesterday! I thought our Children's Ministry team was going to lunch, but we ended up at my sweet friend Jayne's house. Inside were so many of my YCW friends waiting to throw us a surprise shower. I was truly shocked!! I am constantly blessed by the women that I'm surrounded by. I think the time to sit together and visit away from work was even more precious than all of the sweet things they spoiled Lorelai (and Maelie!) with.

Sweet friends! I was a little overwhelmed to walk in and see all these faces, but it makes you realize how blessed you are to have so many ladies in your life!!

Jayne and Sally - these ladies are the poster children for hospitality! Seriously, I have learned more from Jayne about being a Christian women, friend, mother and wife from her than anyone else. There is no one like her!

Me and Barbara - I am so blessed to share an office and big part of my life with this precious woman! She is a woman after God's heart and it is contagious when you're around her.

The gifted and talented Shei! She is one of those people who I just hit it off with immediately. We talked over email for our first few "conversations" and I felt like I already had a new friend. I was right! Now she's an old friend I wouldn't trade for the world.

Okay, so this one is not shower-related at all, but on our Valentines' Day party for school I got Maelie dressed and she said "I'm so beautiful!" I said yes, you are!! Can I take your picture and she ran to the red curtain and smiled so big! I loved it and haven't posted any pics of her in awhile :)

Funny for the Day

For Valentine's Day, we bought Maelie "Mickey's Sweetheart Stories" and one of the clips has Mortimer Mouse in it. Around the same time she got interested in the story of Esther in the Bible and wants to read it each night. I guess all those names are a little confusing, because she keeps telling me she wants to watch the Mickey with Mordecai in it - it cracks me up!

Life Lessons from a Two Year Old

Wow! Yesterday was a rough, and I mean ROUGH day for Maelie. I was crying by the time we got in the car, had already spanked her 3 times and was crying out to God "Why? What am I doing wrong?" Things did not improve throughout the entire day (though her teachers swear she was good in class - not quite sure I believe them!) Anway, after tiredly and admittedly somewhat joyfully putting her to bed, I started talking to God about it again and was literally brought to tears. He really put it on my heart that I am His "Maelie on a really bad day" quite often. How often must he think "I gave you that brain, why can't you make good decisions? You're a smart girl, why can't you just obey me?" The one that came to mind the strongest was a different interpretation of the thought I had had all day - "I love you so much and would LAVISH good things upon you, but I can't when you act that way." These thoughts and the other similiarities between my two year old and myself that presented themselves to me were not easy on a tired, weary Momma late at night, but then I really feel like he put it on my heart that no matter what I loved Maelie and would scoop her into my arms in a heartbeat if she fell, or cried, or needed me. What a comfort to know that He feels the same way about me. So I guess, at the end of the day, thanks Maelie for bringing me closer to the Lord the times I look at you with amazement at your beauty, your intellegence, at the miracle that you are and that you are mine and can do nothing but thank the Lord for you. And thank you Lord that you are so tender hearted that even on really bad days you show me your unconditional love and gently teach me.

I do hope, though, that today is a day that we grow closer to God because it's so good :)