Sarah is interacting more and more each day with us and with the world around her. I’ve been reading her the occasional book ever since she was born, but of couse she didn’t really look at them… until lately. Now she has her attention on the book as we read to her. It’s pretty cool, and I try to make sure she gets read to every day. Anna loves to help too!
Anna does! Anna has been learning how to button her own PJs (these happen to have nice big buttons on them). She’s been trying for a while, but a few days ago she got it. There she was… quiet, serious, putting every ounce of concentration into getting that button through that hole… and when it went through, I think she surprised herself, then the surprised look turned into joy and then pride. I praised her as she held up her hand for a high-five. :)
She’s getting quite independent these days. She can actually get herself dressed and undressed for the most part, go potty and wash hands pretty well by herself, get her coat and mittens on and off, and of course, get us things we ask for or put things away. It’s kind of nice, actually. (Except when we’re in a hurry and I need to help her, and it’s “No Mommy I do it myself!”)
Sarah turned 3 months old today!
Here is the sleeping beauty waking up:
Reading a book with Mommy:
Just a swingin’:
And rockin’:
Tummy time:
Isn’t she a beauty?
2009 was kind of a bad year. We were looking forward to 2010 with all the new and good things it would bring. It brought new and good things all right, but at the same time we found ourselves constantly stressed, on edge, exhausted, exasperated, and spread thin. I’ve felt generally unsettled; I have this sense of “temporaryness,” as if just around the bend lies the peaceful, orderly lifestyle that will allow me to relax and enjoy my family, friends, hobbies, etc.
I know you’re laughing at the term “orderly” used in reference to a household with two small children. I don’t mean that I expect every little thing to be in its place all the time, or that I plan to adhere to a strict schedule. That’s absurd. But still, I feel like I need a bit of routine to function at my best. Routine isn’t hindering; it’s freeing. It allows you to get done what you need to get done so you can get on with life.
I was most of the way through the year before I realized that every single month brought some reason why I couldn’t get into the groove of homemaking:
So there you have it. An excuse for every month.
These are all (well, maybe except for the ailments) good things. David started a new job last January which has been very good for him and our family. Our new house is wonderful, absolutely perfect for us and something that will meet our needs for years to come. The kitchen is (almost) done and is so nice for a family who loves to cook. We are blessed to have our rescue dogs, Sydney and Lexi, even though they are a handful sometimes. And then our favorite little disruption of all—Sarah—just takes our breath away with how amazing she is.
So I’m hoping that 2011 will be a year of settling in, relaxing, enjoying the abundant blessings we’ve been given, enhancing relationships, opening our home to others, giving more, serving more, learning more, taking great pictures, trying new recipes, reading lots of children’s books, going to the park, playing music, and getting enough sleep. :)
I am the Gingerbread Baby,
Fresh from the pan.
If you want me,
Catch me if you can.
I love this book! We checked it out of the library, and when it was due back, I decided to just order it for the girls and pull it out every year with their Christmas books and bake gingerbread cookies.
It is Jan Brett’s version of the classic Gingerbread Boy tale, but with a much happier ending, one in which the Gingerbread Baby doesn’t get eaten up.
Our cookies, however, do. :)
Anna is quite the little baker! She loves to help I mean do it herself.
Mmmm… she likes to smell the spices: (more…)
Sarah is 2 months old today! It was very cold today… a great day for a warm fleece snowman dress. Isn’t she cute? She’s been giving us lots of great smiles lately, but not usually when I have the camera out. Maybe I’ll capture some of them soon.
She is starting to get a lot more fun. She still mostly eats and sleeps and just lies there, but she is getting more responsive to us. She likes to lie on her back and kick her legs, and she’ll look us in the eyes and smile when we talk to her and play with her. She also reaches for things and grasps them whenever her hand happens to land in the right spot.
So how’s she sleeping? That’s a question people love to ask about newborns. She seems to be the opposite of Anna. Anna was a good daytime napper, but she remained a horrible nighttime sleeper until about 6 months of age. (Fortunately, she’s been great since then.) Sarah, on the other hand, does not nap well during the day, but at least she sleeps well at night! She’ll usually go to bed and sleep until her middle-of-the-night feeding (which is around 4:00 these days), then go back to sleep until morning, usually not requiring any intervention from us in between. So if I had to take my pick, I’d much prefer her to sleep well at night!
We finally got our cork floor installed! Back when Sarah’s birth was quickly approaching, we decided to get the kitchen to a point where it was usable, then put it on hold until after she was born. So we’re trying to get it finished now.
Now we just need quarter round, paint touch-ups, and eventually a row of tiles for the backsplash. I think that’s all.
I want to blog more often, really I do! It’s so hard to make it a priority right now. But here’s a picture; maybe it will get things rolling. Here are my girls with their blankets that my OB clinic gives to all the babies they deliver:
It was not a Southern Living Thanksgiving. We sat around our small kitchen table atop our bare, concrete floor in our unfinished kitchen, eating off of scratched, chipped everyday dishes because our nice china is still packed, pouring tea from a cheap plastic pitcher, and admiring the only Thanksgiving decorations to be found—a pine cone turkey and a paper plate turkey made by Anna. :)
But we had bountiful blessings, including plenty of good food to eat, a warm cozy house, clean water, family, health, the grace of God, and three new friends.
A few weeks ago we decided to invite some international students to have Thanksgiving dinner with us. Did you know that 75% of international students never enter an American home? We have some friends who are part of an outreach to international students here in Conway, and one of the things they do is match students with American families so they can experience a Thanksgiving meal. This year we were honored to have Joanna from China and Ghadeer and Bassam from Saudi Arabia at our table.
David smoked a turkey and it was delicious! We also had dressing, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and cranberry-apple pie. Ghadeer brought Basbousa, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert. My mom made about half of the other dishes, so I really didn’t have that much to cook.
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