Foto Friday–Pattern

It’s here again!  Foto Friday.  This week went by pretty quickly around here.  Not much to tell…except that my son is POTTY TRAINING!  And he’s doing a great job.  I can’t wait to tell you about it.  I’m a proud mama.

I couldn’t get a good “pattern” picture to save my life, so I went into the archives.  And these are OLD archives.  3 years old to be exact.  My mom, Rick, and I went to Alaska before Jack was born (I was 14 weeks pregnant at the time).  It was the best vacation.  I’ve been a lot of places, and besides Wales, Alaska is my number 1 spot to visit in the world.  I have two number 1’s.  It’s my blog, I can do that.

A few friends of mine have recently been to Alaska and they’ve been sharing their pictures.  It makes me want to go back!! So, I did…via my picture files.  It was a lot less expensive this way.

Here are the three pictures I found that I felt fit the “pattern” theme for this week.  I should put a disclaimer on here that I’m pretty sure my mother took these pictures.  Not me.  But I came from her womb, (and they’re on my computer) so I say that’s allowed. Enjoy!

(Skagway, AK) (Those were my initials before I was married)

(Fairbanks, AK)

(Talkeetna, AK)

Obviously, this doesn’t show you Alaska at all, but they’re cute pictures.  I wish my Alaska pictures had turned out better.  My camera at the time was unknowingly set on ‘email quality’ pictures, and the date was stamped on them all.  I blame that on being pregnant at the time.  I had already started losing brain cells by then.  Thank goodness my mom was camera-happy that trip!

Let’s Talk About Nail Polish

I do not wear nail polish as a general rule.  It's not because I don’t like it. It’s because I’m too lazy to work on the upkeep.  Actually, I used to be too lazy – now I have a toddler.  I also don’t do my nails often (more than 2 or 3 times a year) because Rick doesn’t like polished nails.  He likes natural hair and nails.  I think he just likes that they don’t cost any money for upkeep.

Before I met my husband, I got my nails done regularly for about 2 years.  I LOVE how manicured nails don’t chip, how my cuticles look beautiful, and I never have to do a thing with them to keep them looking nice (except pay money to get them done again). I would go back and forth between a nice French manicure air brush and a pupley-mauve polish.  For Christmas one year I did RED.  I loved it, but never did it again.  Red just isn’t my style. 

Lately, I’ve found a neat product that I may spend the money on every once in a while because it lasted 10 days without chipping.  It makes your nails stronger, and the subtle blush color is more my style now than anything.  The only bad part is that if you don’t take it off correctly – like me – you may peel off a layer of your actual nail when you go to take off the polish.  And it takes a lot of work to get it off.  That’s why I like that it lasts so long.

When it comes to my nail polish collection, it’s sparse.  And it’s all very similar in the color selection.  I’m not very brave and I don’t try new polishes often.  *See first paragraph for why I don’t*

This weekend, while I was at my mom’s I was browsing through her Avon catalog.  I glanced down at nails that were painted a chocolatey-mauve and I fell in love.  I immediately asked if I could paint my nails with something she had in her collection.  Turns out, this apple doesn’t fall far from the mauve tree.  Her collection did not include this new color I had just become a fan of.  It looked just as mauve and just as sparse as mine did.

I love my mom.  You want to know why?  Because my mom is ordering this Avon nail polish just because I loved it.  I can’t wait to get it! She spoils me.

 

Growth Chart Moments

My little Jack is growing up.  I haven’t done one of these posts in a long time.  Way too long.  Jack is just growing way too fast, and saying and doing things new every day that I can’t keep up! 

At 25 months, he has the vocabulary of a 5 year old.  Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I’ve met 3 year olds who don’t speak as clearly and with as many words as Jack does.  He really is ahead of his age on language.  When his doctor asked if he's saying small sentences now that he’s 2, I said, “He’s talking in paragraphs!”

Here are a few things that have come out of my adorable, yet very ornery son lately.

Actually- He uses this correctly!  “Actually, this is blue, not green." I think I say this a lot, but I never thought he’d pick up on it and use it correctly like he does.

Not quite- He get’s a cute little thinker’s face going when he’s trying to get something to line up or to complete a task.  His head is cocked to one side, his eyebrows are frowning, and he says “Not quite…..There!  I did it!!”

Nice to see you today, Heather – When Heather, who had come over to work on a project the other day, was getting ready to leave, he said (with no prompting whatsoever), “Nice to see you today, Heather!”  Really!  It floored us.  Heather especially.  She also commented that day about how well he said her name.  Most kids say “Header” but Jack actually gets the ‘th’ blend in there.

They’re very similar- Daddy was working with him one night a while ago on using the word similar.  He just happened to have two red trucks out and Rick pointed out how they were very similar, but not exactly alike.  They pointed out what was similar and what was different.  Now, Jack will take two of his toys, look at them, and say ‘they’re verwee simiwar.’  Also with the same thinker’s face he has when he says “not quite.”

Counts objects up to 3- One day a while go, he dropped 3 paper bowls on the floor.  I just left them there (like I do with most things dropped on my floor), and just a few minutes later he counted them correctly.  That was awesome!

counts to 10, kind of- Every once in a while, while we’re driving in the van, he’ll count.  He usually says “one, two, sthree, five, four, five, FOUR!!!”  But every once in a while, when you can get him to say ‘six”, he will continue all the way to ten.  The last time he counted to thirteen, but he skipped twelve.

Mom and Dad –This one makes me sad.  He went straight from calling me Mama, to MOM.  Right around the same time he switched to mom, he switched to Dad.  No Daddy anymore.  I’m not sure where he picked this up, since we refer to each other as Mommy and Daddy.  The funniest though, is when he calls me Mother.  “Can you pick me up, Muzzer?”   That one came out of the blue too.

Oh my goshess! – This last one make me laugh every time.  I often say “Oh my gosh!” and “oh my goodness!”   He has taken the two and mixed them up to form “Oh my GOSHESS!” 

Oh, and he also likes to eat lemons.  Just like his mommy mom Mother.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Every so often, the reality that I’m turning into my mother hits me.  I saw it in the way I managed my 6th graders, I see it in the way I raise my son, and I even see it in the mirror sometimes.  There isn’t a week that goes by that my husband doesn’t say (or want to say), “Okay, DONNA!”  It doesn’t always have a negative connotation of course.   We say the same quirky words or phrases, and we respond to situations similarly.  I have always looked like my mother.  One time, at my grandparents’ 50th anniversary celebration, some of their ‘older’ friends came up to me at the guest book and said, “Oh, Donna, it’s been so long!"  Ummmm, I was 12 and my mother was NOT 12 at the time.  I guess I REALLY looked like her! 

My mother has always been an avid reader.  She LOVES to read.  She loves romance, mystery, and who-done-its especially.  She loves big name authors like Nora Roberts and John Grisham.  As far back as I can remember, she has always had numerous books on her nightstand.  I remember as a young girl going in and kissing her goodnight - she was always sitting up in her bed against her headboard reading a book.  I’d go in, sit on her bed and wait for her to finish the sentence or paragraph she was on.  We’d talk for a little bit, I’d kiss her goodnight, and she’d go back to reading.

I have found that I am becoming an avid reader as well. My favorites are Christian romance and mysteries.  When Jack was just a few weeks old, I started reading books while I nursed him.  Since I nursed him a lot, I read through books very quickly.  I still read when I put him down for a nap or bedtime, which sometimes takes more than an hour.  I then go to bed and read while Rick watches TV.  During Jack’s nap, sometimes I’ll pick up a book I’m in the middle of and just sit and read for the two hours.  (yes, my house is a  bit neglected).   Just last night I stayed up past midnight finishing my latest book.  Sometimes, I just can’t put the books down!  I will have two or three books going at once now, too.  One in Jack’s room, one in my room, and then maybe another one downstairs.  It’s crazy!

 

This stack of books was read in three weeks!  (Plus there are two upstairs that I’m in the middle of right now.)  I’m in the middle of four series.  I love it!  I can’t get enough of these stories and characters. 

If you’re interested, here are some authors I’m enjoying right now:

Robin Jones Gunn, Lori Wick , Debra White Smith, James Scott Bell.

Well, I’m off to read!  Just call me Donna!

Happy Mother’s Day

I hope you had a wonderful day today.  I spent today with my mother and sister and her family.  It was a beautiful, sunny, chilly day.  We went to the park to get some family photos.

Last year on Mother’s Day, we dedicated Jack at our church.  He was 4 months old at the time.

This year, we tried to get another family shot.  Jack was not going for it at all!  He wanted to run around, not be held captive for a picture.

 

This was the best we ended up with today.  It’s not horrible, but you can see the frustration in Jack’s face. 

Motherhood

This post isn’t a long dissertation on what it’s like being a mother.  I just read over at We Are THAT Family about Kristen’s definition of Motherhood.  She said '”…it’s about the impromptu kisses and hugs.”  I can only add one more thing to that short list.  Laughter.  Kisses, hugs, and laughter is what Motherhood is about.  Well, it’s what the good stuff is about.  I know it’s about the tears, fears, and spills too, but let’s focus on the happy times for now.

This made me think of these three pictures.  They are the definition of Motherhood.  One of the pictures is Jack with his Grandma, and it’s fuzzy, but it captures the best moment.  I have to imagine that the only thing better than Motherhood is Grand-Motherhood!

I love being a mom!!!

You're a First Time Mother, Aren't You?

I can hear it now.  The shaking of heads, and the "Awww, you're a first time mother, aren't you dear?" I can almost feel the patting of my shoulder from the mom's in my world.  But in an effort to be honest, I'm laying it out there.

Jack doesn't sleep through the night yet.  He's 12 and a half months old now, and hasn't slept through the night ever.  Maybe it's because I breast feed him.  Maybe it's because I let him fall asleep while nursing.  Maybe it's because I never let him cry it out.  Maybe it's because he just doesn't want to sleep through the night!  I'm sure someone could run down the list of what I do wrong, but as a mom, I just simply do what I think is best for our family.  By the way, I've written of my frustrations before here, here, and here. 


So, what's new you ask? Well, let me show you.

Here's the story:

I recently began to realize that Jack doesn't necessarily need to nurse every time he wakes up through the night - he just wants to know I am there.  And now, since he's drinking whole milk during the day, I don't find it as necessary to nurse him each time he cries out at night.   I knew that Jack hasn't needed to nurse two to three times a night for a few months now.  And part of why I was still nursing him is that I knew it would be a quick and easy way for me to get back to my own bed.  He'd fall asleep nursing, I'd transfer him to his crib, and I'd crawl under my warm electric blanket in 10 minutes tops. (otherwise he might scream for an hour and a half- trust me, I know) But something changed recently.  I grew weary.  I just didn't want to continue the painful nursing through the night (teeth and clogged ducts), and I REALLY want him to learn to sleep through the night. So I decided to change the way we handle night time wakings. 

Now when Jack wakes up, I hug him, lay him back down on his pillow, and then sit down in the glider and wait a few minutes for him to fall back to sleep.  That works about half the time.  Sometimes he pops his head up to see if I'm still there.  If I'm not, he will wail.  I have fallen asleep sitting in that glider more times than I can count.  Since I'm already visiting the Chiropractor once a month, and I don't feel like shelling out more money to him, I had to come up with some other sleeping arrangement.  I don't want to sleep on the floor, and I don't want to take Jack to the guest bed to sleep with me as I'd been doing before.  The goal is for him to sleep the whole night in his own bed.  So, a friend suggested an air mattress.  YES!!!  I'll lie down on the air mattress for a while until he falls asleep!  If he needs to see me, I'm right there, and if I happen to fall asleep, it's more comfortable than the floor or glider. 



How's it working, you ask?  Pretty good actually.  Most nights, I don't have to nurse him until the morning.  Some nights he needs a little nursing time.  He is still teething after all.  Sometimes I end up just laying down for a few minutes, while other nights I end up sleeping on the air mattress for a few hours.  Last night I ended up sleeping in the glider for an hour and a half. 

Jack will eventually sleep through the night.  I will eventually take the air mattress out of the nursery.  I will get to snuggle in with my husband and stay there the entire night.  We will eventually have another child.  I won't always do this for my children.  I'm praying for good sleepers with the rest of my children!

But for now, this is what is working for me and my family.  If you'd like to leave a comment about what you've had to do, are doing, or would never do in a million years, feel free!  I'd love to hear them.

Not-So-Much

I love being a mom.  I love being a wife.  I love cooking.  I love baking.  These things were not always loves of mine.  The first two obviously came with certain life changing events.  The last two have grown over time.  I love finding recipes and creating delicious meals for my husband and I to enjoy when he comes home from work.  I love baking cakes, brownies, and cookies to have on hand for dessert.  Perhaps this is why I'm not losing any weight.  That's another topic for another day.

With all of these loves come 'not-so-much' moments.  For example, when Jack throws his food off of his high chair, refuses to sleep in his crib by himself, or removes every last item from the lower kitchen drawers, I think "not-so-much!"  When my husband wants to work on the computer in the evenings, watch some weird PBS show, or go to bed right after dinner, I think "not-so-much!"  *For the record, I do enjoy PBS*

It's the not-so-much moments of cooking that have me down recently.  I meal plan, grocery shop every week, and plan yummy -and sometimes healthy- dinners for us throughout the week.  But you know what comes along with the fun cooking?  A crabby baby who doesn't want you to do anything but hold and play with him when you need to get dinner ready.  A kitchen sink that is overflowing with dirty dishes on one side and clean dishes on the other.  A dishwasher that can't be emptied unless the boy is strapped in his high chair, thus keeping his hands out of the clean/dirty/sharp dishes.  Plates, cups and napkins from lunch that haven't been red up (I've got PA in my blood, sorry), because running after Jack is more demanding than those dishes. 

Sometimes, when I look around the kitchen, I feel very defeated.  It is never ending.  A wife and mother's job literally never ends.  I try to think what it would have been like to live in the early 1900's as a wife and mother.  Then I become very thankful for my dishwasher, paper towels, and dish soap.  I do love my life, but sometimes....Not-So-Much!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday again! It may be a little late in the day, but I'm still thankful, none the less. If you weren't here last Thursday, let me invite you to check out last week's post. I am posting a Thankful Thursday each Thursday of this month, and you're welcome to link your post to my blog. You can even post it late! Lord knows I'm rarely on time anymore!

I'm thankful for my friends. That's a huge thing for me. I am an extrovert by nature, so I love to be around people. But I don't love to be around a LOT of people, just special people. And by special, I don't mean 'short-bus-special!' (Though, we've often left people wondering...)

I have friends who keep me accountable, encourage me when I'm down, are a shoulder for me to cry on, a listening ear for my venting, a partner in crime, a role model for me, as well as someone for whom I can be a role model. God has put exactly who I need in my life, when I needed them. I've often looked at my life and friends as God's tapestry. Friends are weaving in and out of my life to make a beautiful piece of artwork, but I can't zoom out to see the whole thing right now. I have (mostly) learned to look at the place where I am now and see it's beauty alone. I believe that God will continue to add friends to my life, and, sadly, He will take friends away. If I trust that it is His timing and will, I will be able to appreciate both of those times.

I am thankful for my family. I have a very supportive family.

I grew up always knowing that I was loved. I never questioned my value, because my mother drilled it into my head that I am valuable. I always felt beautiful, because, again, my mother drilled it into my head that I am a beautiful girl - inside and out. She was my constant supporter in everything and my biggest fan.

My sister and I haven't always gotten along. I remember a time when all I did was pester her and all she did was close her door in my face. I can't blame her. I was a bratty little sister. But since we've grown older (her MUCH older than me), we've become much closer. 700 miles separated us for quite a few years, and I believe that helped our relationship. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Now that we're only 50 miles apart, it's even better. But what has really brought our relationship to a better place is the birth of my son. We have that ultimate connection now - we both have sons.

Even if you're not a blogger, or if you don't want to link up to my (late posting) Thankful Thursdays, please take some time to think about what you are thankful for this month. If a person pops into your mind, TELL THEM that you're thankful for them. Who wouldn't want to hear that? Have a great week!