Oh man, I can't believe I'm doing this. I was inspired by Swistle. She encouraged us to try the Couch to 5K running program. I thought there was no way I could even talk myself into it. Then I read Swistle's post about her first time out. I was thinking maybe, just maybe I could give this a try. So, I did.
When I put Zachariah down for his morning nap, I figured it would be a great time to exercise. I knew there was no way I'd make it out of the house to walk/run, but I do have a Gazelle. I pulled it out and I did the 20 minute walk/run for day 1. I would love if I had a treadmill, or could get outside (when it's not so hot and humid), or a gym membership. That would be better, but since I don't, I'll do what I can. And that's how I started today.
The program calls for 3 days a week. I think I might be able to manage that. That is if I can keep talking myself into it. It really wasn't too hard. I worked up a little sweat without feeling exhausted. Go me! Oh, and I'm totally with Swistle on the fat jiggly thing. That stinks when you're running. It didn't used to bother me, but since having a baby I have a low belly roll. I always had a roll (or two), but now this one hangs awfully low. Guess that's what happens when you carry a baby around for 9 months (and it's a 10 pounder at that).
So, do you think if I keep this up I can lose that roll? I hope so. I started doing well exercising at the beginning of this month until my back starting acting up. Then I wasn't able to do anything until it started feeling better. Now I can, and I did. I'm just glad I started. I was to keep working out, whether it's this program or something else.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Anniversary fun
So Matt and I got away yesterday for our anniversary. Thank you all the for wonderful wishes. (Oh, and Matt did not like that first picture from our wedding I posted. I'll try to find a better one for him later. He thinks he looks drunk in that one, and he never had anything to drink that day. We didn't want alcohol there, plus neither of us were technically old enough for it.)
After church on Sunday, my parents came over to spend the afternoon with Zachariah. Then Matt and I headed out to a neighboring town for lunch. (Or as Matt called it lupper - lunch/supper.) We tried a new restaurant. It was pretty good. We brought at least half of our dinners home. Probably because we ordered an appetizer (which was super yummy crab stuffed mushrooms), then the bring hot rolls, then they bring a salad. That alone is more than I usually eat for lunch. I was getting full before our meals even came out. But I managed to eat about half of it. The rest will make great left-overs for dinner tonight.
Then we went miniature golfing. Matt and I are always competitive with that, but we have so much fun. And of course Matt beat me. It helps that he's a golfer and I'm not. It was fun, and I even had 3 holes-in-one. :D
After golfing we went to the mall there. I couldn't believe all the sales on clothes. Matt bought a pair of jeans for about $6. I saw lots of kids clothes on sale, but I have two problems with buying clothes for Zachariah. He doesn't need any more clothes for the summer, and I have no idea what size to buy him for next summer. Plus I don't want to blow the clothing budget on clothes for next year, when he will need clothes for this fall very soon. Plus he needs more pajamas, because he's too long for all his one-piece sets. Anyway, so I didn't buy anything.
Before we headed home, we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. I had the Birthday Cake Remix. That was the best ice cream I've ever had. I loved the cake batter ice cream. Mmmm. It was a good ending to a fun afternoon. We didn't do anything incredibly romantic, but we truly enjoyed just spending a little time to ourselves.
When we got home, we found that my parents and Zachariah had a great time. They took him out to lunch, and he got his own meal. We never do that, we just cut up things off our plates and give him that. Mom said that he ate more than half of his meal, so I was happy to hear that. They played with him and had so much fun. He took one short nap...in grandpa's lap in the recliner instead of in his bed. Geesh, they spoil this kid. Then my mom gave him oreos, while he was wearing a white shirt. What was she thinking??!! He of course stained it. Then she changed him out of it...into another white shirt! He has a whole closet full of clothes, and that's what she pulled out! I'm starting to think she's been away for this motherhood thing for too long. You wouldn't know she had 3 kids, plus babysat for years after that. A white shirt? Really Mom. Just makes me laugh...what else can I do? But anyway, I know he got lots of love and attention. He tried to leave with them even. Guess Matt and I will have to get away more often. I won't complain about that.
After church on Sunday, my parents came over to spend the afternoon with Zachariah. Then Matt and I headed out to a neighboring town for lunch. (Or as Matt called it lupper - lunch/supper.) We tried a new restaurant. It was pretty good. We brought at least half of our dinners home. Probably because we ordered an appetizer (which was super yummy crab stuffed mushrooms), then the bring hot rolls, then they bring a salad. That alone is more than I usually eat for lunch. I was getting full before our meals even came out. But I managed to eat about half of it. The rest will make great left-overs for dinner tonight.
Then we went miniature golfing. Matt and I are always competitive with that, but we have so much fun. And of course Matt beat me. It helps that he's a golfer and I'm not. It was fun, and I even had 3 holes-in-one. :D
After golfing we went to the mall there. I couldn't believe all the sales on clothes. Matt bought a pair of jeans for about $6. I saw lots of kids clothes on sale, but I have two problems with buying clothes for Zachariah. He doesn't need any more clothes for the summer, and I have no idea what size to buy him for next summer. Plus I don't want to blow the clothing budget on clothes for next year, when he will need clothes for this fall very soon. Plus he needs more pajamas, because he's too long for all his one-piece sets. Anyway, so I didn't buy anything.
Before we headed home, we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. I had the Birthday Cake Remix. That was the best ice cream I've ever had. I loved the cake batter ice cream. Mmmm. It was a good ending to a fun afternoon. We didn't do anything incredibly romantic, but we truly enjoyed just spending a little time to ourselves.
When we got home, we found that my parents and Zachariah had a great time. They took him out to lunch, and he got his own meal. We never do that, we just cut up things off our plates and give him that. Mom said that he ate more than half of his meal, so I was happy to hear that. They played with him and had so much fun. He took one short nap...in grandpa's lap in the recliner instead of in his bed. Geesh, they spoil this kid. Then my mom gave him oreos, while he was wearing a white shirt. What was she thinking??!! He of course stained it. Then she changed him out of it...into another white shirt! He has a whole closet full of clothes, and that's what she pulled out! I'm starting to think she's been away for this motherhood thing for too long. You wouldn't know she had 3 kids, plus babysat for years after that. A white shirt? Really Mom. Just makes me laugh...what else can I do? But anyway, I know he got lots of love and attention. He tried to leave with them even. Guess Matt and I will have to get away more often. I won't complain about that.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Happy Anniversary
I can't believe it's been 7 years now. In some ways it's flown by - I still love you and adore you. In other ways it's been forever - I can't remember what it was like not being married to you. My life has improved greatly in 7 years of marriage, and I have only you to thank, my sweet husband.
July 2002
This next photo was taken just before Matt proposed to me. Yep, he crawled out from under a rock and insisted I take a picture. It took some convincing on his part, because I thought he was hiding something like a bug to scare me. But no, instead, he surprised me with a beautiful ring and a promise to love me forever. And 9 months later we were united as one in marriage.
October 14, 1999
We have had so many fantastic years together. We've been through 3 college degrees, 5 jobs, 2 dogs, 1 kid, buying a house, deaths of 5 grandparents, marriages of 3 sisters, and so many other things. I can't imagine doing this without you by my side each step of the way.
I love you more each year. I learn more about you each week. I admire you each day. And I think about you all the time.
I thank you for giving me my beautiful son. He has made me love you even more. And I look forward to traveling this journey of parenthood with you. It won't be easy, but I know we can do it and do it well. We'll lean on each other and learn along the way. As long as we support each other and look to God, we will make it.
March 3, 2006
I knew our lives were taking a different turn when I saw the way you instantly fell in love with our son. You have been and always will be a fantastic father. I can be comforted in knowing that you will always take care of our family to the best of your abilities.
March 4, 2006 
Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on.
Thank you for holding my hand through the good and bad.
Thanks for listening to me and caring and valuing what I have to say.
July 8, 2006
Thank you for sacrificing many things for me.
Thank you for being so generous with me.
Thank you for having fun with me.
Winter 2006
Thank you for making me laugh.
Thank you for loving me.
Thanks for sticking by me for 7 wonderful years.
July 29, 2000.JPG)
I love you so much. I will love you forever. And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us together. Happy Anniversary Matt!
A guessing game
I decided to let Zachariah try something a little different for lunch today. I gave it to him, then went to make my lunch. When I checked on him this was what was left.
He devoured the thing. It was so funny. It was all over his face too. What a mess. Hilarious though. So, what did he eat for lunch? Any guesses? I made Matt play the game too. He did figure it out. It wasn't anything too strange. I'll tell you later what it was.
He devoured the thing. It was so funny. It was all over his face too. What a mess. Hilarious though. So, what did he eat for lunch? Any guesses? I made Matt play the game too. He did figure it out. It wasn't anything too strange. I'll tell you later what it was.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Package
The FedEx package came just a little bit ago.
It was a large box from Hallmark with Flowers & Gifts written on the side. Hmm, I wonder what it is. Plus it had my name on it, so I didn't hesitate to open it like I thought I might.
And when I opened it I found a beautiful bouquet of roses. There was also a large vase and a card in the box.
Matt sent me 2 dozen roses of assorted colors for our anniversary. What a sweetheart. After 7 years he still knows how to show me he loves me.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
What could it be?
Oh, I almost forgot. I'm wondering what my husband is up to. He kept asking me if I'd be home tomorrow to accept a FedEx delivery. I told him I should be home most of the day. (I had planned to run a few quick errands.) But last time FedEx just rang the doorbell and left it on the porch anyway. When I asked him what he was expecting, he would not tell me. Hmm. But he did say that I could open the package when it does arrive. Should I? Normally I wouldn't. I'm one of those who doesn't like to peek. I like waiting for surprises. I am thinking about opening this up. I guess I'll see if the package gives me any clues first. Our anniversary is this weekend, so it could have something to do with that. We shall see. Anyone want to take guesses?
It's not about me
When Matt comes home in the evening, I want very little from him. And I ask almost nothing from him. What I want the most is just for him to spend some time with Zachariah. The kid spends all day, every day with me. He sees his daddy less than 2 hours each night during the week. And that's not taking into account that there is something going on that particular evening that takes Daddy away.
Zachariah is too young to understand that Matt sometimes has other things to do. And somehow I find myself hating when I say the following things "Sweetie, Daddy's busy come play with Mommy for now", "Daddy has to do something right now, he'll play with you later", "Let Mommy do that for you, Daddy is busy".
The truth is that Matt has more time to spend with Zachariah then he does in my humble opinion. For instance he will go to the office to pay bills and keep up with the back account. I love that he's interested in takig care of the finances, and he does a great job with it. But, he could do this after Zachariah goes to bed. He likes to go to the garage to lift weights for 10-15 minutes, but this could wait. So many little things like this, he could wait to do.
He does spend time with Zachariah. He loves to take him outside for a little while each evening. He usually lets Zac help him water the garden and flowers.
But Matt will sit and use the computer while I take care of bath time. I do baths every. single. night. I don't mind too badly, but it's something Matt could pitch in and help with to spend a little more time with his kid. He has never offered to do baths. I don't mind taking care of that, but geesh, he could offer once in a while. I just feel like he's missing out on too many things.
Being a great father is good. Matt is a fantastic father. I guess being a mother is different. I don't understand why he just won't spend more time with Zachariah. After Zachariah goes to bed, Matt generally does nothing. He sits and watches TV or plays games online. So I know he has time to do all those other important things then. I suppose maybe it's enough just to be near Zachariah. Maybe that's different between us. I don't get it. Truly it's not about me, though, it's about our son.
***This is one of those posts that I used to vent. I'm not even sure I should post it. But it's my blog, and I can complain if I want to.
Zachariah is too young to understand that Matt sometimes has other things to do. And somehow I find myself hating when I say the following things "Sweetie, Daddy's busy come play with Mommy for now", "Daddy has to do something right now, he'll play with you later", "Let Mommy do that for you, Daddy is busy".
The truth is that Matt has more time to spend with Zachariah then he does in my humble opinion. For instance he will go to the office to pay bills and keep up with the back account. I love that he's interested in takig care of the finances, and he does a great job with it. But, he could do this after Zachariah goes to bed. He likes to go to the garage to lift weights for 10-15 minutes, but this could wait. So many little things like this, he could wait to do.
He does spend time with Zachariah. He loves to take him outside for a little while each evening. He usually lets Zac help him water the garden and flowers.
But Matt will sit and use the computer while I take care of bath time. I do baths every. single. night. I don't mind too badly, but it's something Matt could pitch in and help with to spend a little more time with his kid. He has never offered to do baths. I don't mind taking care of that, but geesh, he could offer once in a while. I just feel like he's missing out on too many things.
Being a great father is good. Matt is a fantastic father. I guess being a mother is different. I don't understand why he just won't spend more time with Zachariah. After Zachariah goes to bed, Matt generally does nothing. He sits and watches TV or plays games online. So I know he has time to do all those other important things then. I suppose maybe it's enough just to be near Zachariah. Maybe that's different between us. I don't get it. Truly it's not about me, though, it's about our son.
***This is one of those posts that I used to vent. I'm not even sure I should post it. But it's my blog, and I can complain if I want to.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Angelic
Who came and replaced my baby with this angelic being today? Come on, fess up, who did it?
Well, maybe he's just being nice since he kept me up for a while last night. And the night before that he was an absolute grump - almost inconsolable.
But I can't help wonder if this means tonight or tomorrow or next week he will turn on me. Am I in for a hellish weekend? I guess only time will tell.
This morning Zachariah slept in. He usually gets up between 7:00 and 7:30AM. I don't get up until he does most days, so I wait until his morning nap to get my shower. That's usually around 9:00 or sometimes a little earlier. Today I got up out of bed at 8:20. I didn't hear a peep coming from the nursery, so I got my shower. Still no peeping, and I got dressed, ate breakfast, and checked my e-mail and started reading my blog roll. About 9:15 I started hearing him make noises, and finally by 9:30 he was yelling for me. I got him up and dressed. Then I fed him breakfast. Usually that seems never-ending, because he has constant demands. He woke up happy this morning, didn't complain about diaper changes or getting dressed. After a happy breakfast, he happily played with his toys, ran around the room, and didn't get into trouble like he normally does. He read books with me and wanted to cuddle a few times. I could tell he was getting tired after a while. But he wanted to stay up, so I let him until he was pretty tired. He went down for a nap around 11:30-12:00. And get this...he just woke up at about 2:45PM. (He pretty much took his morning and afternoon nap all in one.) I almost had to wake him up, because he still hadn't eaten lunch and I go tutor in a little while.
He has been in a great mood since he got up from his nap, and I'm hoping that this will continue the rest of the day. Boy, what I wouldn't give for more days like this.
Well, maybe he's just being nice since he kept me up for a while last night. And the night before that he was an absolute grump - almost inconsolable.
But I can't help wonder if this means tonight or tomorrow or next week he will turn on me. Am I in for a hellish weekend? I guess only time will tell.
This morning Zachariah slept in. He usually gets up between 7:00 and 7:30AM. I don't get up until he does most days, so I wait until his morning nap to get my shower. That's usually around 9:00 or sometimes a little earlier. Today I got up out of bed at 8:20. I didn't hear a peep coming from the nursery, so I got my shower. Still no peeping, and I got dressed, ate breakfast, and checked my e-mail and started reading my blog roll. About 9:15 I started hearing him make noises, and finally by 9:30 he was yelling for me. I got him up and dressed. Then I fed him breakfast. Usually that seems never-ending, because he has constant demands. He woke up happy this morning, didn't complain about diaper changes or getting dressed. After a happy breakfast, he happily played with his toys, ran around the room, and didn't get into trouble like he normally does. He read books with me and wanted to cuddle a few times. I could tell he was getting tired after a while. But he wanted to stay up, so I let him until he was pretty tired. He went down for a nap around 11:30-12:00. And get this...he just woke up at about 2:45PM. (He pretty much took his morning and afternoon nap all in one.) I almost had to wake him up, because he still hadn't eaten lunch and I go tutor in a little while.
He has been in a great mood since he got up from his nap, and I'm hoping that this will continue the rest of the day. Boy, what I wouldn't give for more days like this.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Harry Who?
So, I got this idea after reading Kelsey's comment on my last post. Kelsey was interested in what I was reading. And she asked if it was Harry Potter.
The short answer is no, it was not. I was reading "Castles" by Tracie Peterson. I love Tracie Peterson, and I've been trying to read more of her books that I haven't yet. When I finished that I started "Kansas" that she co-authored. Peterson's books are all Christian historical fiction/romance. I have enjoyed every book of hers that I've read.
Anyway, onto Harry Potter. I guess I'm not on that band-wagon. It seems like I read the first book. How bad is it that I don't even know for sure? It was good, but I didn't get as into it as other people I know. I remember reading parts of the (maybe) 2nd or 3rd book to students when I did my student teaching. I think that's why I read the first book. I believe I read it after a friend recommended it in our Children's Literature class.
There is an issue in my house with the Harry Potter books. Matt does not like them. He's never read them and swears he never will (he's not much of a reader, so he most likely won't). He will not watch the movies. His opinion on the matter is that the books are about witchcraft which we don't believe in, so why would we want to read about things like that.
My argument is it's just a book. It's meant to be imaginative. It's fun and not real. I've actually thought about reading the whole series.
My understanding is I know where he's coming from. Witchcraft is a real and awful thing. We do not believe in it. Well, I take that back, we believe it is real and exists but it goes against what we believe. There are some personal issues that we've had to deal with pretty closely to this issue. I don't want to go into them here, but know that the spiritual world is real.
Anyway, where Matt stands he does not even want the books in his house. It upsets me that he can't see my side of the issue. It's not like I've been dying to read the books or watch the movies, so it doesn't bug me much. And where I come from Matt is the head of my household, so I am respecting his stand on this.
The short answer is no, it was not. I was reading "Castles" by Tracie Peterson. I love Tracie Peterson, and I've been trying to read more of her books that I haven't yet. When I finished that I started "Kansas" that she co-authored. Peterson's books are all Christian historical fiction/romance. I have enjoyed every book of hers that I've read.
Anyway, onto Harry Potter. I guess I'm not on that band-wagon. It seems like I read the first book. How bad is it that I don't even know for sure? It was good, but I didn't get as into it as other people I know. I remember reading parts of the (maybe) 2nd or 3rd book to students when I did my student teaching. I think that's why I read the first book. I believe I read it after a friend recommended it in our Children's Literature class.
There is an issue in my house with the Harry Potter books. Matt does not like them. He's never read them and swears he never will (he's not much of a reader, so he most likely won't). He will not watch the movies. His opinion on the matter is that the books are about witchcraft which we don't believe in, so why would we want to read about things like that.
My argument is it's just a book. It's meant to be imaginative. It's fun and not real. I've actually thought about reading the whole series.
My understanding is I know where he's coming from. Witchcraft is a real and awful thing. We do not believe in it. Well, I take that back, we believe it is real and exists but it goes against what we believe. There are some personal issues that we've had to deal with pretty closely to this issue. I don't want to go into them here, but know that the spiritual world is real.
Anyway, where Matt stands he does not even want the books in his house. It upsets me that he can't see my side of the issue. It's not like I've been dying to read the books or watch the movies, so it doesn't bug me much. And where I come from Matt is the head of my household, so I am respecting his stand on this.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Missing
I've been MIA this weekend. I haven't read blogs. I haven't written blogs. What did I do that was so time consuming and important? Nothing really.
I got wrapped up in a good book and finished it last night. Since I had read so much of that, I really didn't feel like reading online too. And Matt had been using my laptop most of the weekend.
I got wrapped up in a good book and finished it last night. Since I had read so much of that, I really didn't feel like reading online too. And Matt had been using my laptop most of the weekend.
Several of you wanted to know how Thursday night went. We went to the program at church with Zachariah. He seemed to enjoy watching it for a while. He would stand on the pew between us and "dance" to the music and watch all the lights and actors. But then...he was up...he was down...he was climbing on us and the pew. He was playing peek-a-boo with the friends behind us. It got exhausting. He wasn't being bad, but this kid has a lot of energy. And it was hard to keep all that energy contained to a 4 foot area. To be fair I thought he was doing pretty well. About 10 minutes before the intermission he started getting really anxious and LOUD. Matt quickly scooped him up and left the sanctuary. He walked around the lobby with him for a while, so I could watch the performance. So at intermission I packed up all the toys and snacks that we'd tried to keep Zachariah entertained with and headed out to the lobby. I told Matt we could leave. At this point it was already an hour and a half past his bedtime. Knowing there was at least another hour left of the performance, I knew there was no way we'd make it to the end unless Matt just stayed in the lobby the rest of the time with the kid. We left. And it was OK. I was glad we got away for a little while. And I do know how the show ended, because it was the same performance as last year only with a new twist.
For most of the weekend we just stayed at home. Boring. But I'm glad that I got to read my book and finish it. And Saturday morning Matt even took Zachariah out for a while, so I had some peace and quiet. I cleaned. Oh well. I hope you all had a great weekend. Welcome to Monday.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Animal sounds #1
Here is a short video of Zachariah's elephant noise. Someone once asked "What do you do for the elephant sound?" Well, it's like a tight-lipped raspberry noise. (Or if you played a trumpet like me, it's just that minus the trumpet.) He loves making this sound. We find it adorable. I taught him to do it and put his arm up like an elephant trunk, but that takes too much time so he usually skips that part.
I've been trying to get more animal noises from him to make a video, but this is as far as I've gotten. It's my first attempt at putting video online. I know it's short, but it's all I could get him to do for now. Enjoy.
I've been trying to get more animal noises from him to make a video, but this is as far as I've gotten. It's my first attempt at putting video online. I know it's short, but it's all I could get him to do for now. Enjoy.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
A night out?
Tonight was supposed to be a fun night out. But it's looking like maybe that won't be the case now. Only time will tell.
The plan was for Matt, Zachariah, and I to go to a church event at a local park. We went last year to this performance in the park, and it was so much fun. A group from a college comes and does a drama with singing and dancing. We loved it. Of course that's when Zachariah was only 4 months old. He was content to sit in his infant seat for a while, then he sat in our laps. He just enjoyed being outdoors.
We had it all thought out. We knew being outside we were more likely to keep Zachariah's attention. Plus there will be other people around for him to watch. Sounded like fun. We were going to head out there a little early and let him play on the playground. That might help get rid of some excess energy, especially since we'll be keeping him up past his bedtime.
The plans were good. Then....then it rained...off and on all day long. So, we've heard from the church recently that tonight's performance has been moved indoors to the church instead of the park. Oh no. That does not sound as easy to do. Zachariah cannot sit still very long in church.
Last Sunday I tried to leave him in the nursery. He usually will cry for a few minutes when I leave, but then he's OK and goes to play with all the fun toys. So, as hard as it is, I make myself leave him even if he's crying a bit. Otherwise I would never enjoy the service. I thank God that we have such a nice, caring nursery staff. They are wonderful people. But no, last week he cried and cried and cried. They had to page me from the service to come get him. They felt bad calling, but I'm glad they did. He was so mad and inconsolable by the time I got there. It even took me a few minutes to get him calmed down. And I spent the rest of the service in the nursery with him.
So, you see where this is going, right? I think Matt will get to sit and enjoy the performance while I'm out in the lobby with a squirmy toddler. To be fair Matt did mention that this would be harder to take Zachariah to. But I want to go so badly that I'd like to give it a try. Maybe he'll surprise us. HA! As long as Matt's open to the idea of leaving early if that's what's necessary, then I'd like to go. Otherwise, I'll be the one missing out again. Wish me luck!
The plan was for Matt, Zachariah, and I to go to a church event at a local park. We went last year to this performance in the park, and it was so much fun. A group from a college comes and does a drama with singing and dancing. We loved it. Of course that's when Zachariah was only 4 months old. He was content to sit in his infant seat for a while, then he sat in our laps. He just enjoyed being outdoors.
We had it all thought out. We knew being outside we were more likely to keep Zachariah's attention. Plus there will be other people around for him to watch. Sounded like fun. We were going to head out there a little early and let him play on the playground. That might help get rid of some excess energy, especially since we'll be keeping him up past his bedtime.
The plans were good. Then....then it rained...off and on all day long. So, we've heard from the church recently that tonight's performance has been moved indoors to the church instead of the park. Oh no. That does not sound as easy to do. Zachariah cannot sit still very long in church.
Last Sunday I tried to leave him in the nursery. He usually will cry for a few minutes when I leave, but then he's OK and goes to play with all the fun toys. So, as hard as it is, I make myself leave him even if he's crying a bit. Otherwise I would never enjoy the service. I thank God that we have such a nice, caring nursery staff. They are wonderful people. But no, last week he cried and cried and cried. They had to page me from the service to come get him. They felt bad calling, but I'm glad they did. He was so mad and inconsolable by the time I got there. It even took me a few minutes to get him calmed down. And I spent the rest of the service in the nursery with him.
So, you see where this is going, right? I think Matt will get to sit and enjoy the performance while I'm out in the lobby with a squirmy toddler. To be fair Matt did mention that this would be harder to take Zachariah to. But I want to go so badly that I'd like to give it a try. Maybe he'll surprise us. HA! As long as Matt's open to the idea of leaving early if that's what's necessary, then I'd like to go. Otherwise, I'll be the one missing out again. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Stages
Today as I enjoyed hearing my son's laughter in the room, I started thinking about how much fun this age is. I like where he's at right now.
Zachariah is 16 months old. He is not talking yet, but he tries to repeat certain things we tell him to say. Like "hallelujah" and he says "la la lu" or something like that. Adorable. Other than that he uses sign language to communicate what he wants. He knows "eat" VERY well. And now he's using that to let us know when he wants something (non-food related too). He wants to look at the picture you have, he signs "eat". Pretty funny, but also shows him trying to use what he knows to communicate.
I know he's absorbing words that I teach him. He obeys commands pretty well (as to be expected). I can tell him to go get his cup, and he'll go find it. He usually knows right where he left something. And he's a typical toddler that I can tell him not to do something and he won't listen, though.
I loved the newborn/baby stages, but I was so busy fulfilling needs that I felt like I had to put my own needs on the back burner. Now I can have fun with my child and have time for myself too. He's getting more independent each day. He's content to sit and play with toys or read books on the floor, so I can get my blogging fix or check my e-mail or maybe do a load of laundry. (I usually save that fun stuff for nap time.)
I can read him a book, and see that he's taking it all in. He loves to point out cars and any kind of animal. He recognizes elephants, dogs, and cows especially and will make the corresponding animal noise. Or I can show him how to stack blocks or put shapes in the right place or pedal his little tricycle. He is a sponge.
I crawl after him on the floor growling and "attack" his belly. He will fall over laughing hysterically. Or I tickle his little feet. Or "eat" his toes. All of these get laughter every time.
He likes to shout out "ahh" with bright eyes from whatever he's doing and finds it hilarious. He always looks at us to see if we respond. If we do, he laughs even more and does it again. He laughs any time he hears someone else. And it's not a real laugh, it's a totally fake "HA HA" kind of laugh. So funny to us though. Sometimes it just makes us laugh harder, then he laughs, then we laugh...you can see how that keeps going.
It's all these things together that make me want to hug him and kiss his soft little cheeks all day long...and I do...every chance I get. And today while I was sitting on the floor, because he wanted to rock in my chair (by himself, thank you very much), I realized how much I love this little boy. I started seeing him for the little person he's becomming. And it amazes me that I play such a big role in this.
I wonder "Will he remember these days?" "What will he think about my looking back on his youth when he's all grown up?" "Does it matter to him that I play and entertain him like I do?" And I think YES, yes it does. His face lights up when he plays with me on the floor. And I see the wonder and amazement when i show him something new. Or the happiness when I praise him for something well done.
For these reasons and so much more, I love this dear little (ornery) boy. God truly blessed my life when He gave him to me.
Zachariah is 16 months old. He is not talking yet, but he tries to repeat certain things we tell him to say. Like "hallelujah" and he says "la la lu" or something like that. Adorable. Other than that he uses sign language to communicate what he wants. He knows "eat" VERY well. And now he's using that to let us know when he wants something (non-food related too). He wants to look at the picture you have, he signs "eat". Pretty funny, but also shows him trying to use what he knows to communicate.
I know he's absorbing words that I teach him. He obeys commands pretty well (as to be expected). I can tell him to go get his cup, and he'll go find it. He usually knows right where he left something. And he's a typical toddler that I can tell him not to do something and he won't listen, though.
I loved the newborn/baby stages, but I was so busy fulfilling needs that I felt like I had to put my own needs on the back burner. Now I can have fun with my child and have time for myself too. He's getting more independent each day. He's content to sit and play with toys or read books on the floor, so I can get my blogging fix or check my e-mail or maybe do a load of laundry. (I usually save that fun stuff for nap time.)
I can read him a book, and see that he's taking it all in. He loves to point out cars and any kind of animal. He recognizes elephants, dogs, and cows especially and will make the corresponding animal noise. Or I can show him how to stack blocks or put shapes in the right place or pedal his little tricycle. He is a sponge.
I crawl after him on the floor growling and "attack" his belly. He will fall over laughing hysterically. Or I tickle his little feet. Or "eat" his toes. All of these get laughter every time.
He likes to shout out "ahh" with bright eyes from whatever he's doing and finds it hilarious. He always looks at us to see if we respond. If we do, he laughs even more and does it again. He laughs any time he hears someone else. And it's not a real laugh, it's a totally fake "HA HA" kind of laugh. So funny to us though. Sometimes it just makes us laugh harder, then he laughs, then we laugh...you can see how that keeps going.
It's all these things together that make me want to hug him and kiss his soft little cheeks all day long...and I do...every chance I get. And today while I was sitting on the floor, because he wanted to rock in my chair (by himself, thank you very much), I realized how much I love this little boy. I started seeing him for the little person he's becomming. And it amazes me that I play such a big role in this.
I wonder "Will he remember these days?" "What will he think about my looking back on his youth when he's all grown up?" "Does it matter to him that I play and entertain him like I do?" And I think YES, yes it does. His face lights up when he plays with me on the floor. And I see the wonder and amazement when i show him something new. Or the happiness when I praise him for something well done.
For these reasons and so much more, I love this dear little (ornery) boy. God truly blessed my life when He gave him to me.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
What a boy wants
Last week I took Zachariah to the local library. I needed some new books to read. And I've been doing plenty of reading since then. While we were there I went to the children's section to get a few board books for Zachariah. Oh course he pulled the first one he saw off the shelf.
This boy is a book lover. It's not unusual to find him sitting with a pile of books around him just looking at page after page. And if you can get him to sit still long enough, he'll let you read the same book to him 3 times in a row. I love that he loves books.
One of the books that I found for him at the library is quickly becoming a favorite. I think I'm going to have to give in and go buy one for him. It's "My First Tractor Board Book". He has had a fascination with cars, trucks, and anything with tires for a few months now. Then he rode with Matt on the lawn tractor. He loved it. Then Grandpa took him for a ride on his lawn tractor (around and around their yard just for the entertainment of the boy...spoiled...nooo!). About a month ago we went to watch a parade. Zachariah's favorite part was the tractors (mostly antique) that were in the parade. He stopped whatever he was doing and watched at them with wide eyes until they were out of sight. That's when I really saw his love for tractors.
He goes up to anything with tires and says "rmm rmm" - which translates to "vroom vroom". Cars, trucks, tractors, bicycles, anything with tires. So, this book for him was pure heaven. He looks at each page with awe and wonder. He especially loves the page that shows the colors of tractors. Every time I ask him which is his favorite color, he points to the green John Deere tractor. Every time! I didn't know he knew enough to pick one out like that, but he does. Our lawn mower is a John Deere, so that could be the reason. It's rather cute.
Last night he heard a noise in our neighborhood that was the sound of heavy machinery backing up. He stopped dead in his tracks (following his daddy, which he loves) and turned around to head towards the sound. A lot near us is clearing some dirt that they'd piled up. There was a skid-steer loader moving dirt. How do I know it was a skid-steer loader, from the tractor book, of course. He watched that thing for 15-20 minutes. This is the kid who won't stand still for 5 seconds normally. He was completely mesmerized.
Whether I am ready or not, I'm raising a boy. And he is 100% pure boy!
This boy is a book lover. It's not unusual to find him sitting with a pile of books around him just looking at page after page. And if you can get him to sit still long enough, he'll let you read the same book to him 3 times in a row. I love that he loves books.
One of the books that I found for him at the library is quickly becoming a favorite. I think I'm going to have to give in and go buy one for him. It's "My First Tractor Board Book". He has had a fascination with cars, trucks, and anything with tires for a few months now. Then he rode with Matt on the lawn tractor. He loved it. Then Grandpa took him for a ride on his lawn tractor (around and around their yard just for the entertainment of the boy...spoiled...nooo!). About a month ago we went to watch a parade. Zachariah's favorite part was the tractors (mostly antique) that were in the parade. He stopped whatever he was doing and watched at them with wide eyes until they were out of sight. That's when I really saw his love for tractors.
He goes up to anything with tires and says "rmm rmm" - which translates to "vroom vroom". Cars, trucks, tractors, bicycles, anything with tires. So, this book for him was pure heaven. He looks at each page with awe and wonder. He especially loves the page that shows the colors of tractors. Every time I ask him which is his favorite color, he points to the green John Deere tractor. Every time! I didn't know he knew enough to pick one out like that, but he does. Our lawn mower is a John Deere, so that could be the reason. It's rather cute.
Last night he heard a noise in our neighborhood that was the sound of heavy machinery backing up. He stopped dead in his tracks (following his daddy, which he loves) and turned around to head towards the sound. A lot near us is clearing some dirt that they'd piled up. There was a skid-steer loader moving dirt. How do I know it was a skid-steer loader, from the tractor book, of course. He watched that thing for 15-20 minutes. This is the kid who won't stand still for 5 seconds normally. He was completely mesmerized.
Whether I am ready or not, I'm raising a boy. And he is 100% pure boy!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Lost love
Do you have a long lost love from your past? I have to say Matt was my one and only love. We started dating so young. There was a moment when I thought I was falling for a friend of mine, but I quickly discovered he would never be anything more than a friend. Matt had the same experience with a friend of his. Once in a while I run into this guy that I was friends with. I will tell you a story.
But the whole reason I thought about this is that Matt recently "found" his old friend. He's been trying to find her for years now. Does it bother me that he was searching for her? No, not at all. I was friends with her too. She knew Matt first and was better friends with him, but I'm OK with that.
This friend, let's call her S, got married one week after us. We happened to see her the day after her wedding by pure coincidence. Matt and I had returned the night before from our honeymoon. Then we went to my parents to open gifts that next afternoon. We were loading all the gifts in our cars to take back home. S just happened to be driving by with her new husband and saw Matt outside my parents' house. She knew my parents lived near there, so they turned around to see if it was truly us. It was, and it was nice to see her and meet her new husband. After that we never heard from her. We knew where she had moved to with her husband, but they moved and we couldn't find a new address. Well, we found out now that she had two kids (starting right after they got married) with this husband. She at some point divorced him, had a child with another man, and just a few weeks ago married him. Seems funny to me that she's been through all of that in the same span of time that Matt and I have been married and had one kid. And we are still very happily married. I know stories like hers happen often though.
Matt met S while we were in high school (while we were dating actually). They were in a church youth group together. They hit it off right away and knew that they could be friends. He told me about her, and I eventually met her. She was a super nice, caring person. Very genuine. Through knowing S we found out that she had a very troubled life. Her mother tried to abort her. She was raised by her aunt and uncle, who were to her Mom and Dad. There was a past of sexual abuse, and she had a general mistrust towards men. (Who could blame her, really.) But she saw something different in Matt immediately. She knew he could be trusted. Matt was a great friend to S. I think that she secretly (or maybe not so secretly) starting liking him as more than a friend. I was slowly becoming aware of this, and I was slightly jealous. After all he was my boyfriend. I don't know how long he had known her before he started thinking he had feelings for her too. And I don't remember for sure, but I think he told one of our other mutual friends about his feelings. But he very much still liked me and didn't want that to change. Somehow he ended up talking to me about it. I told him how I honestly felt about it. I saw their relationship more as a friendship or a brother/sisterly love. They got along very well and were good for each other, but I don't think a relationship would have lasted. After telling him that, I let him know that he had a decision to make, and I would wait until he decided but I was not leaving him. I don't know what made him see the light, but something did. And he soon realized that he could only be her friend, and he wanted to keep me as a girlfriend.
I still wonder about things that happened between them. I know nothing physical ever happened, but something emotional definitely started to take place. But our relationship in high school was a completely different story too. We changed and grew to love each other and respect each other more and more the older we got. (Although we didn't get too much older...we got engaged while in college when I was barely 19 and he was barely 20. We got married 9 months later.)
So, I do honestly think in this case it is good for Matt to reconnect with this old friend. I hope that they can catch up on each other's lives a little more and maybe develop a new friendship. How do/would you feel about your spouse rekindling an old friendship like this?
***I was going to post about the *almost* relationship I had with another boy, but I think that's too much story telling for this post. So, I'll save that for another time. It's a long story in itself.
But the whole reason I thought about this is that Matt recently "found" his old friend. He's been trying to find her for years now. Does it bother me that he was searching for her? No, not at all. I was friends with her too. She knew Matt first and was better friends with him, but I'm OK with that.
This friend, let's call her S, got married one week after us. We happened to see her the day after her wedding by pure coincidence. Matt and I had returned the night before from our honeymoon. Then we went to my parents to open gifts that next afternoon. We were loading all the gifts in our cars to take back home. S just happened to be driving by with her new husband and saw Matt outside my parents' house. She knew my parents lived near there, so they turned around to see if it was truly us. It was, and it was nice to see her and meet her new husband. After that we never heard from her. We knew where she had moved to with her husband, but they moved and we couldn't find a new address. Well, we found out now that she had two kids (starting right after they got married) with this husband. She at some point divorced him, had a child with another man, and just a few weeks ago married him. Seems funny to me that she's been through all of that in the same span of time that Matt and I have been married and had one kid. And we are still very happily married. I know stories like hers happen often though.
Matt met S while we were in high school (while we were dating actually). They were in a church youth group together. They hit it off right away and knew that they could be friends. He told me about her, and I eventually met her. She was a super nice, caring person. Very genuine. Through knowing S we found out that she had a very troubled life. Her mother tried to abort her. She was raised by her aunt and uncle, who were to her Mom and Dad. There was a past of sexual abuse, and she had a general mistrust towards men. (Who could blame her, really.) But she saw something different in Matt immediately. She knew he could be trusted. Matt was a great friend to S. I think that she secretly (or maybe not so secretly) starting liking him as more than a friend. I was slowly becoming aware of this, and I was slightly jealous. After all he was my boyfriend. I don't know how long he had known her before he started thinking he had feelings for her too. And I don't remember for sure, but I think he told one of our other mutual friends about his feelings. But he very much still liked me and didn't want that to change. Somehow he ended up talking to me about it. I told him how I honestly felt about it. I saw their relationship more as a friendship or a brother/sisterly love. They got along very well and were good for each other, but I don't think a relationship would have lasted. After telling him that, I let him know that he had a decision to make, and I would wait until he decided but I was not leaving him. I don't know what made him see the light, but something did. And he soon realized that he could only be her friend, and he wanted to keep me as a girlfriend.
I still wonder about things that happened between them. I know nothing physical ever happened, but something emotional definitely started to take place. But our relationship in high school was a completely different story too. We changed and grew to love each other and respect each other more and more the older we got. (Although we didn't get too much older...we got engaged while in college when I was barely 19 and he was barely 20. We got married 9 months later.)
So, I do honestly think in this case it is good for Matt to reconnect with this old friend. I hope that they can catch up on each other's lives a little more and maybe develop a new friendship. How do/would you feel about your spouse rekindling an old friendship like this?
***I was going to post about the *almost* relationship I had with another boy, but I think that's too much story telling for this post. So, I'll save that for another time. It's a long story in itself.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
A real mommy
I love this Baby Blues cartoon that I saw in the paper a few weeks ago. Just in case you can't see it well enough there, here is the link for it.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The twin thing
Last weekend we had a get-together with Matt's family (extended family). We usually only see them at Christmas and a few at Thanksgiving. It was nice to get together in the summer. The kids went swimming in a little kiddie pool. I let Zachariah get in, but I held onto him the whole time. The minute I let go, he slipped and went straight under (luckily I was still sitting right there, I knew better than leave him). He sputtered and whined a bit, but then he wanted right back in. He just splashed around and played with the toys the other kids had brought in. He's so much younger than the others, so he just watched them mostly. Some of the older boys and adults went fishing in the pond. And the rest of us tried to stay in the shade (95 degrees that day) while catching up with our family. It was so nice to visit with everyone again.
When I was getting food for Zachariah, I heard my name being mentioned. Matt's cousin was talking to Matt's mom. She waited until I could come sit down before telling me what she was thinking. Cheryl (the cousin) is pregnant. It's the first for her. Her husband has 3 children from a previous marriage - 16 & 12 year old boys who live with their mom and a 7 year old girl who they have custody of. Anyway, she found out right away that she's having twins. (Twins run in Matt's family. This is the 3rd cousin who is pregnant with multiples.) She was telling Bev (Matt's mom) that she has been thinking about who will care for the twins when she has to go back to work (probably after the winter holidays). She said God told her that Matt will find a good job near them, and then I will be able to care for her kids. She laughed and said even if it wasn't God telling her, she'd like that a lot. We have been looking for a job closer to home. She is pretty close to where we'd like to be. Matt's had 2 interviews and one job offer up that way. Nothing has worked out so far, so we figured we'd probably stay here for a while.
The more I thought about it, the more I like the idea Cheryl had. I never thought I'd want to babysit, unless maybe it was my sister's kids. But I could see watching Cheryl's, especially since I'd be starting with them as infants. Cheryl has the same values, beliefs, and similar views to us. I like that. And she's family, so it wouldn't be like babysitting for a stranger. I think I would love having her little babies around. So, whether it's from God or not, I don't know yet. I told Cheryl that she should definitely pray about it if she feels that strongly. It was also quite an honor for her to tell me how much she would love to leave her children in my care. I can only imagine the joy and headaches double trouble will bring my house.
When I was getting food for Zachariah, I heard my name being mentioned. Matt's cousin was talking to Matt's mom. She waited until I could come sit down before telling me what she was thinking. Cheryl (the cousin) is pregnant. It's the first for her. Her husband has 3 children from a previous marriage - 16 & 12 year old boys who live with their mom and a 7 year old girl who they have custody of. Anyway, she found out right away that she's having twins. (Twins run in Matt's family. This is the 3rd cousin who is pregnant with multiples.) She was telling Bev (Matt's mom) that she has been thinking about who will care for the twins when she has to go back to work (probably after the winter holidays). She said God told her that Matt will find a good job near them, and then I will be able to care for her kids. She laughed and said even if it wasn't God telling her, she'd like that a lot. We have been looking for a job closer to home. She is pretty close to where we'd like to be. Matt's had 2 interviews and one job offer up that way. Nothing has worked out so far, so we figured we'd probably stay here for a while.
The more I thought about it, the more I like the idea Cheryl had. I never thought I'd want to babysit, unless maybe it was my sister's kids. But I could see watching Cheryl's, especially since I'd be starting with them as infants. Cheryl has the same values, beliefs, and similar views to us. I like that. And she's family, so it wouldn't be like babysitting for a stranger. I think I would love having her little babies around. So, whether it's from God or not, I don't know yet. I told Cheryl that she should definitely pray about it if she feels that strongly. It was also quite an honor for her to tell me how much she would love to leave her children in my care. I can only imagine the joy and headaches double trouble will bring my house.
Friday, July 13, 2007
It's back
Oh my aching back. I am having back pains again. I need to see the chiropractor. The problem is that I don't have anyone to watch Zachariah while I go. And taking him along with me would be more painful than the pain I'm in now. So, I'll bear it for a bit longer.
Matt has offered to take a little time off work to get me in next week. Which is great, but it's 3 days until next week. 3 whole days of not being able to move if I lay on my back. That completely immobilizes me. So, I'm better off sitting in a chair. And to sleep at night, I crawl into bed and go straight to my side. I can sleep like that, but apparently I'm wiggling a lot. Matt said it's bad when it's starting to affect his sleep.
For now I'm being lazy. I have sat in my comfy chair with a book and my laptop most of the day so far. Luckily Zachariah has been a good kid today, and he's wanted to nap a lot. For the most part he has played quietly with his toys. I feel guilty when he is sleeping that I'm not getting anything done.
While talking to Matt today, he told me I should be lazy today and do the least amount of things I have to. He said he would do anything I needed done when he got home from work tonight. Guess I don't have to mess with dragging that basket of laundry across the house and back. Although I'm not sure I can go all day without doing it. And I'd much rather do most things myself. But it's nice of him to offer, so I may just put him to work because I can.
My weekend plans consist of laying around doing as little as possible. Oh, and of course, ordering my husband around to do all my usual chores. ;) Luckily I went to the library before my back started hurting, so I have books to read besides the blogs and Internet surfing and Sudoku puzzling I like to do too. How about you? Tell me your plans, so I can live vicariously through you.
Matt has offered to take a little time off work to get me in next week. Which is great, but it's 3 days until next week. 3 whole days of not being able to move if I lay on my back. That completely immobilizes me. So, I'm better off sitting in a chair. And to sleep at night, I crawl into bed and go straight to my side. I can sleep like that, but apparently I'm wiggling a lot. Matt said it's bad when it's starting to affect his sleep.
For now I'm being lazy. I have sat in my comfy chair with a book and my laptop most of the day so far. Luckily Zachariah has been a good kid today, and he's wanted to nap a lot. For the most part he has played quietly with his toys. I feel guilty when he is sleeping that I'm not getting anything done.
While talking to Matt today, he told me I should be lazy today and do the least amount of things I have to. He said he would do anything I needed done when he got home from work tonight. Guess I don't have to mess with dragging that basket of laundry across the house and back. Although I'm not sure I can go all day without doing it. And I'd much rather do most things myself. But it's nice of him to offer, so I may just put him to work because I can.
My weekend plans consist of laying around doing as little as possible. Oh, and of course, ordering my husband around to do all my usual chores. ;) Luckily I went to the library before my back started hurting, so I have books to read besides the blogs and Internet surfing and Sudoku puzzling I like to do too. How about you? Tell me your plans, so I can live vicariously through you.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tacky
So, Swistle asked us to tell about tacky weddings. I have lots of stories of things I find tacky. Also behavior at the weddings (not necessarily the bride or groom) that was tacky. So, here is my list of tacky things, and a few good stories for your enjoyment.
****
Most recently my sister Rachel got married last summer. It was a beautiful wedding. Our other sister, Mary, was a bridesmaid. At the rehearsal Mary was there. But when we all got ready to head to the rehearsal dinner Mary broke down sobbing. Several of us went to her right away to see what was wrong. She gave us this big sob story about how her little nephew (her husband's brother's son) was sick and they didn't know what was wrong and she was sooo worried about him. Mary is a bit of a drama queen anyway...always has been. So she says that she doesn't think she and her husband will make it to the dinner, because they'd like to get home and see how baby Kaden was doing. Now, mind you, this was a really nice rehearsal dinner (complete with a privately hired magician for entertainment) that my sister's in-laws paid for in advance. And they'd paid for Mary and her husband, because they had previously said they were coming.
Then (oh, that's not all) Mary's husband did not make it to the wedding. We all stayed at my parents' house the night before, so there was no reason for him not to get up. Us girls left early to get our hair done, but Matt was the last to leave the house and he peeked in the bedroom and told Tony he was leaving for the wedding. Tony had PLENTY of time to make it. So after the ceremony, Mary is going crazy calling everyone she knows trying to find out why Tony wasn't there. (Because he's a stupid jerk you silly girl.) At this point she's worried and in tears. I was trying to keep her calm and helping organize pictures and other things. Finally someone called us (as we were on the way to the reception) and said Tony showed up there. He was there when we got there. He refused to go into the building, because he wasn't wearing something nice. He claims he didn't have anything nice to wear. Uhh, what were you thinking you were going to wear to the wedding that you promised your sister-in-law, the bride, that you'd be at?! He waited outside for Mary to go in with the wedding party. She stayed for about 5 minutes, then left because Tony didn't want to stay (this is typical behavior from them, but that's for another post). I thought Mary and Tony's behavior the whole weekend was TACKY!
****
Then there was their wedding (Mary & Tony's) the year before. Their behavior was tacky the entire time. Talk about wedding drama. First of all they got engaged the day the rest of the family was traveling to North Carolina on vacation. So, she had to call all of us and tell us about it...which is fine. But, Rachel's (now married) poor (then) boyfriend had planned to propose to her while we were on vacation. He felt bad that her younger sister got engaged before her, so he proposed the next day on the beach right after we arrived. It was sweet.
As soon as we got back from vacation, Mary informed us all that they want to get married right away...how's July for you? It was about 4 weeks away. None of us understood their rush (still don't, other than she didn't want Rachel getting married before her perhaps). My mom talked them into have a church wedding and nice reception (what was she thinking). My mom did a great job planning it. Unfortunately Mary never really appreciate everything that my mom and everyone else did for her. She could have really cared less, and sometimes that showed.
OK, on to the truly tacky...the morning of the wedding the 3 of us girls had hair appointments. Mary had the first appointment, and Rachel's and mine were 1/2 hour later. So we were just going to see her at the beauty shop. Mary called us 10 minutes before her appointment saying she'd just woken up and could one of us go take her appointment. OK, sure, since I just got out of bed too, and it's 10 minutes to the hair salon. I hurriedly got around and went in just in the nick of time. When Mary got there she started arguing with Rachel. Before we left Mary got a little *ahem* mean spirited (sorry, I don't cuss). So bad that the poor girl doing her hair was giving us these uh-oh-what-is-she-thinking looks behind Mary's back. Rachel, being tired of the attitude from Mary, finally said her piece and we left. Exhausting! Our dad had to keep telling us to let it go, and let's just get through the day. What a way to feel at a wedding where we're supposed to be celebrating Mary, and she's the one causing all the drama.
The wedding went on...not to badly. Mary was very mean whenever I offered ideas for pictures. So, she didn't get that many pictures (and was rude to my father-in-law who was the photographer). At the reception they just kept to themselves. Aren't you supposed to mingle with your guests at the reception? Isn't that the point? To go around and thank people for coming? Not at theirs. They stayed at the reception long enough to eat, cut the cake, dance once, and then load up their friends' cars with the gifts and leave. That was the shortest reception I have ever been at. They were entirely selfish and rude. And from what I hear they then went back to their place for a beer bash/bonfire with their other "friends". Rachel was invited, I was not. I didn't even care. She knows I would not have gone, and I probably would have given her a lecture about it.
I almost forgot. Up until the day of the wedding, we did not know if Tony's (the groom) parents were even coming to the wedding. So, my parents graciously offered to host the rehearsal dinner. They invited everyone out to a nice Mexican restaurant. Mary and Tony ignored almost everyone but Tony's two buddies. (BTW, this was on my birthday. I was a little upset that I was being forgotten. Thank you Matt for at least taking me out for lunch.) After everyone ate Mary and Tony were ready to leave. Everyone else was having fun relaxing and talking. Dad mentioned something to them about dessert they'd ordered for everyone. So, they begrudgingly stayed put for a little longer. Come to find out, my sweet father had ordered a special birthday dessert for me and something for everyone else too. He wanted to celebrate my birthday. Before everyone was done with dessert, Mary and Tony left. Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me, HA.
I'm sure I could tell you about the other horrible things that happened there, but I'll stop there. The wedding/reception itself was not too bad, only because my mother would not allow that. She always puts on a beautiful wedding. ;) As you can see, I had some serious issues with this wedding even happening in the first place. I had a bad attitude the whole time. A week later, I found out I was pregnant. Maybe that's why the horrible attitude. I suppose not entirely, because everyone else had it too.
****
Last summer my sister-in-law, Carol had quite a wedding. To start with it was outdoors with the mayor of a small town who married them. The reason for this: they couldn't agree on a church or person to do the ceremony. Matt's dad is a Methodist pastor, but Luke's family is Catholic. Matt's family wanted her to get married in a church, even if her dad didn't do the ceremony (we had him do a small part of ours). Luke's family wanted him to have a big Catholic wedding. Carol was completely against a big Catholic wedding, because she is not Catholic. I'm not against an outdoor wedding, but it was done in this case only because they couldn't agree on anything so they settled for nothing.
The rehearsal was horrible. The mayor could not be there. Carol and Luke did not know the order or service or what they even wanted. I ended up coordinating the whole wedding that night.
Carol was strange at the wedding. After the ceremony she was acting really different. She was outgoing and talkative and completely not herself. She's usually very quiet and shy. She was outgoing and friendly to the point of annoyance. She was either high on something or drunk. I'm guessing high. She kept gushing over and over how great it was that everyone was there. And she kept oogling over my baby. (I just kept thinking stay away from him.)
On to the reception. Matt's/Carol's parents refused to buy alcohol for the reception, but Luke's family insisted on it being there. So his parents bought all the alcohol...and plenty of it. I'm not opposed to drinking, I just don't like to be around a bunch of drunks. And that's exactly what the bride and groom were half-way through the reception. Carol was so bad that she kept falling on her butt. I mean feet out in front of her and flat on her bottom. Again and again. She did it during the bouquet toss right on the dance floor. Then did it several other times. Well, the DJ starting poking fun at her. Then about 10 minutes later she was at the bridal party table crying, because the DJ was embarrassing her. Her mom came over and told her she'd had more than enough to drink and should back off. Oh boy, it was interesting.
Drunk bride/groom TOTALLY TACKY! Why ruin your wedding night like that? I don't get it.
****
My cousin and her new husband held up the reception because they were "smooching" in a room somewhere. (Just an FYI, they were virgins before they got married, so I don't know what was happening but I suspect just kissing because they were probably saving the rest for that night. I could be wrong though.)
****
When the pastor asked my cousin's bride if she'd take this man..., she shouted "You betcha".
****
The dollar dance at almost every wedding I've been at. And once I saw them do an "auction" dance. Almost the same as dollar dance, except only 2 people actually got to dance. You purchased a ticket for the chance.
****
Pregnant brides. Especially once they are showing.
****
Flower girls/ring bears that are too young to be forced to stand in the front for the whole ceremony. (At least have someone near the front who can come get them.)
****
Fake flowers that aren't done well.
****
Long, gross, make-out kissing.
****
Cake smashing in the face. Rude, mean, and tacky.
****
I was once at a wedding where the bride (who was pregnant and showing) smashed cake in the groom's face and ran. When they did the garter toss, he took a can of silly string up in her dress with him and paid her back that way. Eww.
****
Oh, I almost forgot...not sending thank you cards! That's the worst one to me. These people care about you enough to come and spend this special day with you AND shower you with gifts, at least send a thank you note. Doesn't have to be fancy. A quick personal note will do.
****
I'm sure there are many more things that I find tacky at weddings, but I think I've told enough stories for one day.
****
Most recently my sister Rachel got married last summer. It was a beautiful wedding. Our other sister, Mary, was a bridesmaid. At the rehearsal Mary was there. But when we all got ready to head to the rehearsal dinner Mary broke down sobbing. Several of us went to her right away to see what was wrong. She gave us this big sob story about how her little nephew (her husband's brother's son) was sick and they didn't know what was wrong and she was sooo worried about him. Mary is a bit of a drama queen anyway...always has been. So she says that she doesn't think she and her husband will make it to the dinner, because they'd like to get home and see how baby Kaden was doing. Now, mind you, this was a really nice rehearsal dinner (complete with a privately hired magician for entertainment) that my sister's in-laws paid for in advance. And they'd paid for Mary and her husband, because they had previously said they were coming.
Then (oh, that's not all) Mary's husband did not make it to the wedding. We all stayed at my parents' house the night before, so there was no reason for him not to get up. Us girls left early to get our hair done, but Matt was the last to leave the house and he peeked in the bedroom and told Tony he was leaving for the wedding. Tony had PLENTY of time to make it. So after the ceremony, Mary is going crazy calling everyone she knows trying to find out why Tony wasn't there. (Because he's a stupid jerk you silly girl.) At this point she's worried and in tears. I was trying to keep her calm and helping organize pictures and other things. Finally someone called us (as we were on the way to the reception) and said Tony showed up there. He was there when we got there. He refused to go into the building, because he wasn't wearing something nice. He claims he didn't have anything nice to wear. Uhh, what were you thinking you were going to wear to the wedding that you promised your sister-in-law, the bride, that you'd be at?! He waited outside for Mary to go in with the wedding party. She stayed for about 5 minutes, then left because Tony didn't want to stay (this is typical behavior from them, but that's for another post). I thought Mary and Tony's behavior the whole weekend was TACKY!
****
Then there was their wedding (Mary & Tony's) the year before. Their behavior was tacky the entire time. Talk about wedding drama. First of all they got engaged the day the rest of the family was traveling to North Carolina on vacation. So, she had to call all of us and tell us about it...which is fine. But, Rachel's (now married) poor (then) boyfriend had planned to propose to her while we were on vacation. He felt bad that her younger sister got engaged before her, so he proposed the next day on the beach right after we arrived. It was sweet.
As soon as we got back from vacation, Mary informed us all that they want to get married right away...how's July for you? It was about 4 weeks away. None of us understood their rush (still don't, other than she didn't want Rachel getting married before her perhaps). My mom talked them into have a church wedding and nice reception (what was she thinking). My mom did a great job planning it. Unfortunately Mary never really appreciate everything that my mom and everyone else did for her. She could have really cared less, and sometimes that showed.
OK, on to the truly tacky...the morning of the wedding the 3 of us girls had hair appointments. Mary had the first appointment, and Rachel's and mine were 1/2 hour later. So we were just going to see her at the beauty shop. Mary called us 10 minutes before her appointment saying she'd just woken up and could one of us go take her appointment. OK, sure, since I just got out of bed too, and it's 10 minutes to the hair salon. I hurriedly got around and went in just in the nick of time. When Mary got there she started arguing with Rachel. Before we left Mary got a little *ahem* mean spirited (sorry, I don't cuss). So bad that the poor girl doing her hair was giving us these uh-oh-what-is-she-thinking looks behind Mary's back. Rachel, being tired of the attitude from Mary, finally said her piece and we left. Exhausting! Our dad had to keep telling us to let it go, and let's just get through the day. What a way to feel at a wedding where we're supposed to be celebrating Mary, and she's the one causing all the drama.
The wedding went on...not to badly. Mary was very mean whenever I offered ideas for pictures. So, she didn't get that many pictures (and was rude to my father-in-law who was the photographer). At the reception they just kept to themselves. Aren't you supposed to mingle with your guests at the reception? Isn't that the point? To go around and thank people for coming? Not at theirs. They stayed at the reception long enough to eat, cut the cake, dance once, and then load up their friends' cars with the gifts and leave. That was the shortest reception I have ever been at. They were entirely selfish and rude. And from what I hear they then went back to their place for a beer bash/bonfire with their other "friends". Rachel was invited, I was not. I didn't even care. She knows I would not have gone, and I probably would have given her a lecture about it.
I almost forgot. Up until the day of the wedding, we did not know if Tony's (the groom) parents were even coming to the wedding. So, my parents graciously offered to host the rehearsal dinner. They invited everyone out to a nice Mexican restaurant. Mary and Tony ignored almost everyone but Tony's two buddies. (BTW, this was on my birthday. I was a little upset that I was being forgotten. Thank you Matt for at least taking me out for lunch.) After everyone ate Mary and Tony were ready to leave. Everyone else was having fun relaxing and talking. Dad mentioned something to them about dessert they'd ordered for everyone. So, they begrudgingly stayed put for a little longer. Come to find out, my sweet father had ordered a special birthday dessert for me and something for everyone else too. He wanted to celebrate my birthday. Before everyone was done with dessert, Mary and Tony left. Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me, HA.
I'm sure I could tell you about the other horrible things that happened there, but I'll stop there. The wedding/reception itself was not too bad, only because my mother would not allow that. She always puts on a beautiful wedding. ;) As you can see, I had some serious issues with this wedding even happening in the first place. I had a bad attitude the whole time. A week later, I found out I was pregnant. Maybe that's why the horrible attitude. I suppose not entirely, because everyone else had it too.
****
Last summer my sister-in-law, Carol had quite a wedding. To start with it was outdoors with the mayor of a small town who married them. The reason for this: they couldn't agree on a church or person to do the ceremony. Matt's dad is a Methodist pastor, but Luke's family is Catholic. Matt's family wanted her to get married in a church, even if her dad didn't do the ceremony (we had him do a small part of ours). Luke's family wanted him to have a big Catholic wedding. Carol was completely against a big Catholic wedding, because she is not Catholic. I'm not against an outdoor wedding, but it was done in this case only because they couldn't agree on anything so they settled for nothing.
The rehearsal was horrible. The mayor could not be there. Carol and Luke did not know the order or service or what they even wanted. I ended up coordinating the whole wedding that night.
Carol was strange at the wedding. After the ceremony she was acting really different. She was outgoing and talkative and completely not herself. She's usually very quiet and shy. She was outgoing and friendly to the point of annoyance. She was either high on something or drunk. I'm guessing high. She kept gushing over and over how great it was that everyone was there. And she kept oogling over my baby. (I just kept thinking stay away from him.)
On to the reception. Matt's/Carol's parents refused to buy alcohol for the reception, but Luke's family insisted on it being there. So his parents bought all the alcohol...and plenty of it. I'm not opposed to drinking, I just don't like to be around a bunch of drunks. And that's exactly what the bride and groom were half-way through the reception. Carol was so bad that she kept falling on her butt. I mean feet out in front of her and flat on her bottom. Again and again. She did it during the bouquet toss right on the dance floor. Then did it several other times. Well, the DJ starting poking fun at her. Then about 10 minutes later she was at the bridal party table crying, because the DJ was embarrassing her. Her mom came over and told her she'd had more than enough to drink and should back off. Oh boy, it was interesting.
Drunk bride/groom TOTALLY TACKY! Why ruin your wedding night like that? I don't get it.
****
My cousin and her new husband held up the reception because they were "smooching" in a room somewhere. (Just an FYI, they were virgins before they got married, so I don't know what was happening but I suspect just kissing because they were probably saving the rest for that night. I could be wrong though.)
****
When the pastor asked my cousin's bride if she'd take this man..., she shouted "You betcha".
****
The dollar dance at almost every wedding I've been at. And once I saw them do an "auction" dance. Almost the same as dollar dance, except only 2 people actually got to dance. You purchased a ticket for the chance.
****
Pregnant brides. Especially once they are showing.
****
Flower girls/ring bears that are too young to be forced to stand in the front for the whole ceremony. (At least have someone near the front who can come get them.)
****
Fake flowers that aren't done well.
****
Long, gross, make-out kissing.
****
Cake smashing in the face. Rude, mean, and tacky.
****
I was once at a wedding where the bride (who was pregnant and showing) smashed cake in the groom's face and ran. When they did the garter toss, he took a can of silly string up in her dress with him and paid her back that way. Eww.
****
Oh, I almost forgot...not sending thank you cards! That's the worst one to me. These people care about you enough to come and spend this special day with you AND shower you with gifts, at least send a thank you note. Doesn't have to be fancy. A quick personal note will do.
****
I'm sure there are many more things that I find tacky at weddings, but I think I've told enough stories for one day.
Back to the zoo
On Saturday we took Zachariah to the Toledo Zoo along with Matt's parents. It was a hot, Hot, HOT day, so a lot of the animals were resting and trying to stay cool. However, we did get a few neat pictures. Zachariah had a blast. This zoo is bigger than the last one we went to, and they had some animals the he didn't get to see before. He liked the polar bears, elephants, and of course petting (and hugging) all the goats he could get his hands on. In fact he tried to climb up on the poor goats who were trying to lay down. I'm not sure why my son is such an animal lover, but he is. It's neat to see him developing an interest in something like that already. We took several rides too. We all went on the train ride through the African safari, and then Grandpa Chuck bought Zachariah a ticket for the carousel so I could go with him. It took him a while to really have fun with that. He liked it, but about half-way through he really started enjoying it and waved at everyone all the way around and around. Then there was a duck who tried to bite Zachariah's hand off for a cookie. Zac is used to sharing with the dog, and he reached down towards the duck with the cookie still in his hand. I think he was trying to pet it, but we quickly shooed the duck away and bribed it with a cracker.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Don't know
I know I haven't posted in a few days. We were away for the weekend, and now I just don't feel much like blogging. I don't know why. Probably has something to do with it being my time of the month. And maybe a little sadness, because nothing happened last month and I was thinking surprise pregnancy. It was not to bed. I think that elevated my baby fever though. I'd like to write a post about that soon. I'd also like to tell you about our weekend fun. But I feel like it's a struggle to just post this. So, I suppose I'll wait. Maybe I'll feel a bit more chatty tomorrow or later this week. Maybe it will help when it's not 95 degrees outside too. Ha! I hope that the rest of you are having a cooler, nicer week.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Warning
If you watch my blog through a feed or reader, I just wanted you to know I changed things. I set it to only view part of the blog message instead of the whole thing. I hope that won't be an inconvenience to you. Thanks.
All the time in the world
Today while eating lunch with Zachariah, I realized (not for the first time) that he is on his own time. My son loves to eat, and usually he takes his sweet time doing it. For instance he usually is in his high chair for 45 minutes to an hour eating breakfast in the morning. That's why when he started liking cereal and milk, I was happy he could feed himself. While he's eating, I can eat my own breakfast, clean the kitchen, do dishes, vacuum the floors, exercise, or catch up on e-mail and blog posts. I'm not complaining. It's good having a few quiet moments to do things while he's content. For lunch and dinner, however, I like to eat with him so it can get annoying when he wants to take him time.
When he was eating his lunch today, he was watching everyone around us. And being the outgoing baby he is, he was trying to wave, point, "talk" to everyone around us. Then he'd turn back to me and flash me his aren't-I-just-the-most-adorable-baby-on-earth smile. So, what I thought was going to be a quick lunch today was not. Normally, by myself, I could have been in and out in 20 minutes. With Zachariah it took us almost an hour.
It's funny how much longer things take with a baby/toddler. A quick errand is no longer quick. By the time you get everything around to take that the kid could possibly need, then you have to talk him into coming outside with you, then you have to get him away from the plants and sticks that he wants to touch on the way to the car every time. And even after that you have to wrangle him into his car seat, and off we go. Getting him out of his car seat takes time once you get there. Even if you only needed a few things, you still need to put the child into a cart, because otherwise you will not get through the store. Then half-way through the store, the kid is tired of sitting in the cart, so you get him out and carry him. He squirms so much that you have to put him back in even though he is crying and screaming. So, if you finally manage to gather all the items you need in the store, you have to get them back to the car. Once back to the car, you fight the kid into his seat again. Then when you get home, you get him back out, try to keep him out of the plants again and into the house. Then, it never fails that you forget something off your list, which means you must make another errand sometime later in the week.
I actually think it was easier when he was an infant. I could leave him in his carrier/car seat and take him in and out quickly. He was normally content to site there and check everything out. When I got home, I just carried him back in and went about my day. And he slept in his seat easily, so that made my trips not so bad.
I'm sure with each kid the problems in this situation multiply by the number of kids. I can't say that's something I look forward to when thinking of having more children. I think I'll let my husband run more errands for me, or I will wait to go out after the kids are in bed.
When he was eating his lunch today, he was watching everyone around us. And being the outgoing baby he is, he was trying to wave, point, "talk" to everyone around us. Then he'd turn back to me and flash me his aren't-I-just-the-most-adorable-baby-on-earth smile. So, what I thought was going to be a quick lunch today was not. Normally, by myself, I could have been in and out in 20 minutes. With Zachariah it took us almost an hour.
It's funny how much longer things take with a baby/toddler. A quick errand is no longer quick. By the time you get everything around to take that the kid could possibly need, then you have to talk him into coming outside with you, then you have to get him away from the plants and sticks that he wants to touch on the way to the car every time. And even after that you have to wrangle him into his car seat, and off we go. Getting him out of his car seat takes time once you get there. Even if you only needed a few things, you still need to put the child into a cart, because otherwise you will not get through the store. Then half-way through the store, the kid is tired of sitting in the cart, so you get him out and carry him. He squirms so much that you have to put him back in even though he is crying and screaming. So, if you finally manage to gather all the items you need in the store, you have to get them back to the car. Once back to the car, you fight the kid into his seat again. Then when you get home, you get him back out, try to keep him out of the plants again and into the house. Then, it never fails that you forget something off your list, which means you must make another errand sometime later in the week.
I actually think it was easier when he was an infant. I could leave him in his carrier/car seat and take him in and out quickly. He was normally content to site there and check everything out. When I got home, I just carried him back in and went about my day. And he slept in his seat easily, so that made my trips not so bad.
I'm sure with each kid the problems in this situation multiply by the number of kids. I can't say that's something I look forward to when thinking of having more children. I think I'll let my husband run more errands for me, or I will wait to go out after the kids are in bed.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Dangers of being a mother
I wanted to talk about something I heard on the news the other day. It broke my heart, but I think that story could have been about me. Read the story, then I'll tell you my thoughts on it.
I have always been shocked when I hear about a young child or baby dying in a house fire or other similar situations when the parents got out safely. I just don't understand how you could leave your child in the house. I said this way before I even had a child of my own. Now that I am a parent, I tell my husband if my son died in that fire I probably would be there with him. I cannot picture any scenario where I wouldn't go after him.
So, Matt, playing the devil's advocate, says what if the fire is in the hallway right outside Zachariah's window. Then what? I say, I try going through first. If that's not looking possible, I go out my window (our room is right next to his) and come in Zachariah's room. I'm tell you, I'd get him out or die trying.
If my car was heading into the water with my baby inside, I would have gone after it. I would have drown trying too. I honestly am not sure how someone could NOT do that.
Here is part of a story about a young mother and her family. I know this family. They live 2 houses down from my friends. Our church rebuilt their home, and I helped host a party to stock her new kitchen when it was finished.
The part that the story doesn't tell is that this mom almost stopped fighting for a way out. The first thing she did was gather all her children together. She didn't think there was a way out. She said later that she sat there trying not to cry in front of her children and praying for their
lives. Then she did the hardest thing that any mother would ever be asked to do, she prayed that if they were to die in that fire there, that God would take her children first. You see, she didn't want them to see their mother die. Just thinking that brings tears to my eyes. What a horrible thing they went through. But as you saw they made it out miraculously, and everyone was completely safe. Thank God.
I think situations like these give us a little insight to what being a mother is really all about. It's sacrificing your own life for your kids. It's protecting your children from all the bad things in life. I just thank God that he has blessed my life with this precious little one to care for an protect.
3 Die After Van Rolls Into Pond
Police: Van Rolls Downhill, Killing Woman, 2 Children
POSTED: 11:01 pm EDT July 4, 2007
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. --
Connecticut authorities say a woman chased her minivan as it rolled down a steep hill and jumped in before it sank into a pond, killing her and two children. A third child was in critical condition.
The woman, who was the mother of at least one of the children, had gotten out of the van, then noticed it was rolling away and jumped back in before it went into the water.
Police said the van rolled about 60 or 70 yards into a pond at a park where many people had gathered to celebrate the holiday.
People nearby tried unsuccessfully to stop the van.
The victims were trapped inside in 15 to 20 feet of water for 20 to 25 minutes before members of the Bridgeport police scuba team were able to pull them out.
All three children were younger than 7 years old.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I have always been shocked when I hear about a young child or baby dying in a house fire or other similar situations when the parents got out safely. I just don't understand how you could leave your child in the house. I said this way before I even had a child of my own. Now that I am a parent, I tell my husband if my son died in that fire I probably would be there with him. I cannot picture any scenario where I wouldn't go after him.
So, Matt, playing the devil's advocate, says what if the fire is in the hallway right outside Zachariah's window. Then what? I say, I try going through first. If that's not looking possible, I go out my window (our room is right next to his) and come in Zachariah's room. I'm tell you, I'd get him out or die trying.
If my car was heading into the water with my baby inside, I would have gone after it. I would have drown trying too. I honestly am not sure how someone could NOT do that.
Here is part of a story about a young mother and her family. I know this family. They live 2 houses down from my friends. Our church rebuilt their home, and I helped host a party to stock her new kitchen when it was finished.
Kelly and the three youngest Coby children were sleeping in the bedrooms on the second floor when the fire started. Rich was at work, though usually he didn't work Fridays, and their oldest son, Tyler, was at school. By the time 4-year-old Kaeley tried to wake her mom, smoke was rolling through the hallway and rooms of the second floor. Three times Kaeley shook her mom and tried to tell her about the smoke. At last, groggy from smoke she'd already breathed while sleeping, Kelly opened her eyes and saw dark curls of smoke crawling across the ceiling.
Out in the hall, the smoke was so thick Kelly could hardly see enough to gather her other two children. Once she had them, she looked for a way out. A small ray of sunlight broke through the smoke to lead Kelly to a window at the end of the hall. The three children and their mother climbed through the window, and walked across a burning porch roof in bare feet to escape the inferno behind them.
The part that the story doesn't tell is that this mom almost stopped fighting for a way out. The first thing she did was gather all her children together. She didn't think there was a way out. She said later that she sat there trying not to cry in front of her children and praying for their
lives. Then she did the hardest thing that any mother would ever be asked to do, she prayed that if they were to die in that fire there, that God would take her children first. You see, she didn't want them to see their mother die. Just thinking that brings tears to my eyes. What a horrible thing they went through. But as you saw they made it out miraculously, and everyone was completely safe. Thank God.
I think situations like these give us a little insight to what being a mother is really all about. It's sacrificing your own life for your kids. It's protecting your children from all the bad things in life. I just thank God that he has blessed my life with this precious little one to care for an protect.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Mooching
I have been enjoying reading blogs lately. Here are a few things for your reading pleasure.
Every mom's dictionary here.
Then if you know what it's like to be overwhelmed and feel like a single parent, Jen said it all. I won't bore you with what I think, but you can read what I wrote in her comments.
And let me say, I'm happy that my day didn't go as bad as this or this. And that was just this morning.
But go wish Erica some congratulations at becoming a new SAHM. She'll love it. Every minute....or maybe not.
Every mom's dictionary here.
Then if you know what it's like to be overwhelmed and feel like a single parent, Jen said it all. I won't bore you with what I think, but you can read what I wrote in her comments.
And let me say, I'm happy that my day didn't go as bad as this or this. And that was just this morning.
But go wish Erica some congratulations at becoming a new SAHM. She'll love it. Every minute....or maybe not.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Breaking baby news
No, not from me. I'm wondering how you broke your pregnancy news to others. Was your husband with you when you found out? If not, how did you tell him? Did you just shout it out or try to hint at it? I suppose what also plays into this is whether or not you were trying to get pregnant. Then how long did you wait to break the news to family and friends? How did you tell them? What were their reactions?
I guess I'm just completely curious on how other people handled this matter. Also if you had to do this more than once, how was it different each time?
Let me tell you what I did. We had been trying to get pregnant for 1 1/2 years or so. This was almost exactly 2 years ago to the date. At the beginning of June Matt and I finally started talking about whether or not we should go see a specialist for testing. We had not done anything yet. I charted my body temperature off and on for a year, and then that got old. We were mostly of the mindset that God was in control and there wasn't much we could do to change it for now. Anyway, in early June we had considered buying a home ovulation predictor kit and trying that for a few months before going in for testing. We looked at several different brands, but I didn't want to buy one until after I had my period again. I told Matt that I'd been late. A few weeks went by, and I still didn't have it. It was probably mid-June when I took a home pregnancy test. It was negative, so I thought oh well. I would wait until my period started then use the ovulation tests. During this time we were busy helping my sister plan her wedding in a month. After her wedding on July 2, 2005, I figured I should probably see about another test. I called my family doctor's office to see about going for a blood test. She asked me how long since I last tested. It had been 2 weeks, so she recommended taking a home test again. Well, that Friday (was July 7) I took a home pregnancy test while Matt was at work. I made my friend chat with my online while I was waiting for the results, because I was so nervous. When I finally went a looked at the little stick, I couldn't see much. I thought I saw a faint line, but it was REALLY faint. I read the box again, and it said even a faint line is probably positive. I turned on my web cam, and I was having my friend look at the pregnancy test to see what she thought. I was so excited at the possibility at that point. She thought it was positive. I didn't want to get my hopes up and be wrong. So, I ran off to the store right away and bought 2 more pregnancy tests and a pack of baby bibs while I was there, because I was pretty sure I was finally pregnant. As soon as I got home I took the test. This one was for sure positive. And by then the first test was showing stronger.
I took both tests and put them in a plastic sandwich bag. I wanted Matt to see, but I knew he'd gross out if he had to touch them. I put the plastic bag and a bib that said I LOVE DADDY on it on top of his dresser in the bedroom. This was the first place he went when he got home from work. I wanted to see his reaction when he figured it all out. It was torture waiting for hours for him to come home from work. When he got home I greeted him at the door with a hug and a smile like usual. I was trying not to smile too much, or I'd give it away. I was sooo excited. He went to the bedroom and dresser to change his clothes. I didn't want to look too suspicious when he went in, so I quietly waited outside the door. He was quiet, but when he came out he took one look at me and the biggest smile spread across his face. He came and hugged and kissed me and said he couldn't believe it. He was thrilled. He said he was going to try to pretend like he didn't see the things on his dresser, but he took one look at me and knew he couldn't pretend. He took me out to dinner that night, and we talked about our future and all the fun things we would experience soon.
Now our parents knew that we wanted children and were trying to get pregnant. Matt wanted to tell them right away. My instinct was to wait at least until we knew my due date. The problem was that we were going to see my parents the next day. They were getting ready to sell their house, so we'd promised to come help with some things around there. Matt didn't think he could keep a secret being around them. Our agreement was to tell both sets of parents and my one sister and ask them to keep it quiet until I had my first doctor appointment. So, I took a bib for my parents and put it in a bag. It was easy to trick them, because they had just bought a new house. So, I handed my mom the bag when we got there and told her I found something she might like for her new house and I hoped she'd have room for it. She was so excited when she saw the teeny little bib. She knew right away and hugged us. Matt's mom on the other hand would not assume anything, even after seeing the bib, until we came out and told her we were pregnant. And of course my sister was thrilled when I broke the news to her.
Within a week my mom was begging to tell people, and we decided to let her. We didn't have a chance to break it to many of our friends, ,but they found out really soon. But, I think that's a story for another time. I look forward to seeing what you have to say. If you'd rather, just write a post about it and link it in the comments here. Or leave a comment. Thanks for participating.
I guess I'm just completely curious on how other people handled this matter. Also if you had to do this more than once, how was it different each time?
Let me tell you what I did. We had been trying to get pregnant for 1 1/2 years or so. This was almost exactly 2 years ago to the date. At the beginning of June Matt and I finally started talking about whether or not we should go see a specialist for testing. We had not done anything yet. I charted my body temperature off and on for a year, and then that got old. We were mostly of the mindset that God was in control and there wasn't much we could do to change it for now. Anyway, in early June we had considered buying a home ovulation predictor kit and trying that for a few months before going in for testing. We looked at several different brands, but I didn't want to buy one until after I had my period again. I told Matt that I'd been late. A few weeks went by, and I still didn't have it. It was probably mid-June when I took a home pregnancy test. It was negative, so I thought oh well. I would wait until my period started then use the ovulation tests. During this time we were busy helping my sister plan her wedding in a month. After her wedding on July 2, 2005, I figured I should probably see about another test. I called my family doctor's office to see about going for a blood test. She asked me how long since I last tested. It had been 2 weeks, so she recommended taking a home test again. Well, that Friday (was July 7) I took a home pregnancy test while Matt was at work. I made my friend chat with my online while I was waiting for the results, because I was so nervous. When I finally went a looked at the little stick, I couldn't see much. I thought I saw a faint line, but it was REALLY faint. I read the box again, and it said even a faint line is probably positive. I turned on my web cam, and I was having my friend look at the pregnancy test to see what she thought. I was so excited at the possibility at that point. She thought it was positive. I didn't want to get my hopes up and be wrong. So, I ran off to the store right away and bought 2 more pregnancy tests and a pack of baby bibs while I was there, because I was pretty sure I was finally pregnant. As soon as I got home I took the test. This one was for sure positive. And by then the first test was showing stronger.
I took both tests and put them in a plastic sandwich bag. I wanted Matt to see, but I knew he'd gross out if he had to touch them. I put the plastic bag and a bib that said I LOVE DADDY on it on top of his dresser in the bedroom. This was the first place he went when he got home from work. I wanted to see his reaction when he figured it all out. It was torture waiting for hours for him to come home from work. When he got home I greeted him at the door with a hug and a smile like usual. I was trying not to smile too much, or I'd give it away. I was sooo excited. He went to the bedroom and dresser to change his clothes. I didn't want to look too suspicious when he went in, so I quietly waited outside the door. He was quiet, but when he came out he took one look at me and the biggest smile spread across his face. He came and hugged and kissed me and said he couldn't believe it. He was thrilled. He said he was going to try to pretend like he didn't see the things on his dresser, but he took one look at me and knew he couldn't pretend. He took me out to dinner that night, and we talked about our future and all the fun things we would experience soon.
Now our parents knew that we wanted children and were trying to get pregnant. Matt wanted to tell them right away. My instinct was to wait at least until we knew my due date. The problem was that we were going to see my parents the next day. They were getting ready to sell their house, so we'd promised to come help with some things around there. Matt didn't think he could keep a secret being around them. Our agreement was to tell both sets of parents and my one sister and ask them to keep it quiet until I had my first doctor appointment. So, I took a bib for my parents and put it in a bag. It was easy to trick them, because they had just bought a new house. So, I handed my mom the bag when we got there and told her I found something she might like for her new house and I hoped she'd have room for it. She was so excited when she saw the teeny little bib. She knew right away and hugged us. Matt's mom on the other hand would not assume anything, even after seeing the bib, until we came out and told her we were pregnant. And of course my sister was thrilled when I broke the news to her.
Within a week my mom was begging to tell people, and we decided to let her. We didn't have a chance to break it to many of our friends, ,but they found out really soon. But, I think that's a story for another time. I look forward to seeing what you have to say. If you'd rather, just write a post about it and link it in the comments here. Or leave a comment. Thanks for participating.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Relaxation and satisfaction
This has been a good weekend. Today is my birthday. I feel old. I guess that's what life is all about...getting old. (Well, part of what life's about.)
Yesterday morning I got out of the house...ALONE...for about 1/2 hour. Not too long, but still it's nice to run a few errands without toting a toddler in and out of the car. Then Matt went to get my birthday present. I didn't have any idea what he was up to. He went to buy some products, so he could "detail clean" my car. It was sweet and thoughtful...not sure it was the best gift, but I appreciate it anyway. My car was a mess, not with lots of things in it, but just dusty and dirty floors etc. I don't like clutter in my car, but I haven't had time to vacuum it in a while or dust or shine it. He did all of that. It was nice. It looks great. Oh, I should add that he also got me some snack foods. :)
Last night we went to a parade. A friend of ours lives right along the parade route in her town. Zachariah loved it. He liked all the cars, firetrucks, bands, dancers, candy and especially the antique tractors. He would drop whatever he had every time one went by. He's getting into this loving cars, trucks, tractors phase. It was really funny to see him do that. My grandfather (who has been gone for 4 years now) had 2 antique tractors that he took great care of and rode in several parades, so I think that was special to me to see my son enjoy that. After the parade there was a cookout with lots of food and several kids for Zachariah to play with his age. Then when it got dark we watched the fireworks which get shot off right behind her house. I have never seen Zachariah so mesmerized by something. He just stared quietly for the first 5 minutes. Then the rest of the time (about 20 minutes) he pointed and ooh'd and ahh'd. To say he LOVED it is probably a gross understatement. I could not believe that he stayed awake that long. The other two kids his age sitting near us fell asleep during the fireworks. Zachariah doesn't usually sleep unless it's in his bed or in the car. And he did fall asleep before we left town. We took him straight from the car to bed. That's the first time he's been that tired. He even slept in! Did you read that? HE SLEPT IN! We loved it. It was such a fun day.
Today, we went to church, then my parents came over. They took us out for a yummy lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. And I had a delicious dessert of Chocolate Tallcake. You guys, it was so huge that I took almost all of it home, plus I took home half of my meal. We went shopping for a little while after that. I bought myself new sunglasses with the birthday money they gave me. We got Zachariah an umbrella stroller. Guess I was just lucky that we hadn't brought our stroller along. Then I happened to find this one that I loved, so it worked out nicely. I think after almost 16 months of being a 1 stroller household, it was time for a new one. Also, my parents got Zachariah a few things from Old Navy. My dad found a cute top that will go great with Zachariah's camo shorts that he previously have nothing to match. I may even go back sometime and buy the camo pants that were so cute. I'll try to remember to post a picture.
It was a nice weekend. And I still have money left over. It's hard to think about spending it just on me. I don't know what I'll do with it for sure. I'm tempted to buy things for Zachariah, but I know I should do something fun for myself.
Yesterday morning I got out of the house...ALONE...for about 1/2 hour. Not too long, but still it's nice to run a few errands without toting a toddler in and out of the car. Then Matt went to get my birthday present. I didn't have any idea what he was up to. He went to buy some products, so he could "detail clean" my car. It was sweet and thoughtful...not sure it was the best gift, but I appreciate it anyway. My car was a mess, not with lots of things in it, but just dusty and dirty floors etc. I don't like clutter in my car, but I haven't had time to vacuum it in a while or dust or shine it. He did all of that. It was nice. It looks great. Oh, I should add that he also got me some snack foods. :)
Last night we went to a parade. A friend of ours lives right along the parade route in her town. Zachariah loved it. He liked all the cars, firetrucks, bands, dancers, candy and especially the antique tractors. He would drop whatever he had every time one went by. He's getting into this loving cars, trucks, tractors phase. It was really funny to see him do that. My grandfather (who has been gone for 4 years now) had 2 antique tractors that he took great care of and rode in several parades, so I think that was special to me to see my son enjoy that. After the parade there was a cookout with lots of food and several kids for Zachariah to play with his age. Then when it got dark we watched the fireworks which get shot off right behind her house. I have never seen Zachariah so mesmerized by something. He just stared quietly for the first 5 minutes. Then the rest of the time (about 20 minutes) he pointed and ooh'd and ahh'd. To say he LOVED it is probably a gross understatement. I could not believe that he stayed awake that long. The other two kids his age sitting near us fell asleep during the fireworks. Zachariah doesn't usually sleep unless it's in his bed or in the car. And he did fall asleep before we left town. We took him straight from the car to bed. That's the first time he's been that tired. He even slept in! Did you read that? HE SLEPT IN! We loved it. It was such a fun day.
Today, we went to church, then my parents came over. They took us out for a yummy lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. And I had a delicious dessert of Chocolate Tallcake. You guys, it was so huge that I took almost all of it home, plus I took home half of my meal. We went shopping for a little while after that. I bought myself new sunglasses with the birthday money they gave me. We got Zachariah an umbrella stroller. Guess I was just lucky that we hadn't brought our stroller along. Then I happened to find this one that I loved, so it worked out nicely. I think after almost 16 months of being a 1 stroller household, it was time for a new one. Also, my parents got Zachariah a few things from Old Navy. My dad found a cute top that will go great with Zachariah's camo shorts that he previously have nothing to match. I may even go back sometime and buy the camo pants that were so cute. I'll try to remember to post a picture.
It was a nice weekend. And I still have money left over. It's hard to think about spending it just on me. I don't know what I'll do with it for sure. I'm tempted to buy things for Zachariah, but I know I should do something fun for myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
