Ok, so as with most blog series, I am losing momentum and updates are coming less and less frequently again. SO...here's the rest of the questions answered in the "getting to know myself" series. Enjoy! I'll try not to make them too long but no promises!
15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
I think I would be a cat. They can sit in the sun happily for hours and hours but still have the energy and agility to climb trees and hunt and pounce on each other. They do whatever they feel like and can be both lazy and active. In that way, I would say that if I were an animal, I would be a cat :) Oh, and our one cat can go DAYS without seeing a human and I think that applies too ;)
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments? (in no particular order)
- I got married
- I brought my kids into the world
- I completed a seminary-level counseling course with flying colours. I felt pretty good about it at the time. I still feel pretty good about it... ;)
- we bought an acreage, something we didn't think we'd accomplish until much later in life.
- I've managed to be a stay-at-home mom for 3.5 years now without ever throwing my hands up and walking away for good. I've wanted to. I've been tempted. But I never have. At least no further than the driveway...
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
I wish I were great at talking to people. I wish I were great at mingling and small talk. I feel like it would be easier to make friends if I felt like I had stuff to talk to people about. I feel like it would be less awkward to hang around the church foyer every week if I could easily strike up a conversation with absolutely anyone. I wish I were great at conversation.
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
- I remember once when I was probably 6-7 years old and I was in the middle of a water fight in my yard, probably with my siblings, maybe some friends too. I was standing on the outside of the 2 foot fence and laughing so hard. I remember thinking, "This is the best day of my life! This is a perfect day! I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life!" And I remember that moment exactly. So I would call that a significant memory from my childhood, whether or not it had any meaning or weight to it :)
- I remember shucking corn at my grandparents' farm when I was probably 8 years old and loving how soft the corn silk was! While Mom and Grandma kept talking and working, I went to the treeline and made a little "log cabin" out of branches and twigs and carefully filled it with corn silk. Then I put 1-2 baby kittens in there and added a roof so they would stay nice and cozy in their new little house. I went back after supper/right before we were going to leave and the kittens were gone. I was so worried that they would be lost because they were so little. As an adult, I remember how close the treeline was to the house and they would never have been lost. But I was so worried for them.
- I remember that my family used to have family nights where we would spend the evening once a week playing games together. We would either play board games together or "find the stuffed animal by lantern-light" or whatever we felt like that evening. One evening, we were playing sardines (basically a version of hide-and-seek where one person hides and everyone looks. When someone finds you, they hide with you until everyone is there). I remember climbing carefully behind Dad's guitar case that was propped against the wall beside their dresser. I was tiny so I could fit into spaces nobody ever even thought to look. I hid there a LONG time and remember needing to pee so bad but I couldn't leave my PERFECT hiding spot! Finally I think I made noise - a lot of noise! - and people started finding me but yeah, I always remember that. I remember it especially much these days as Levi has discovered hiding behind HIS daddy's guitar case and hides there on a daily basis when we play hide-and-seek.
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
5 years
I see myself hopefully still living here, Nathan working at the church. I'm still a stay-at-home mom, most likely. I don't see much being different except our kids would be older...Levi would be 8 and Kayden would be 4. Crazy. Perhaps more kids, and perhaps done growing our family. Who knows.
10 years
I see myself hopefully still living here, Nathan working at the church. At this point we might start asking ourselves if God is calling us somewhere else or to something else, though I'm hoping we can stay here a long time! I see us being done growing our family, unless adoption is something we feel God is calling us to. Levi would be 13 and Kayden would be 11. Yikes. I suddenly see myself having lots more time for drinking tea and reading books. Haha. I might start working part time at this point because kids would likely all be in school during the day.
15 years
This one is hard! I've always found 5 years to be hard, never mind 15 years! Let's see. Levi would be 18 and graduated. Kayden would be 16 and driving. Whew. I would be looking ahead at us being empty nesters. I might be thinking about what I might want to do once the kids are out of the house. Might go back to school or start working towards goals that I would hope to have accomplished once the kids are all away from home (perhaps running a small business or something of that nature). Again, I still hope that we will be here with Nathan working at the church or somewhere else in the area.
23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
- crocheting - I like it because I can take it out if I don't like it or change my mind and I haven't lost anything but time. I also like it because it involves just enough concentration to keep me interested but not so much that I can't do other things like watch tv at the same time. I also like that it can make me money ;) But that is more of a bonus than a reason why I like it.
- reading - while I was getting up during the night - every night - with the kids, I couldn't read because I had no concentration whatsoever. Years of interrupted sleep impacts so much more than your typical sleepiness/dragging feeling. I couldn't concentrate so I couldn't read books. I thought I had lost my love for reading but now that I'm sleeping so much better, I've been able to read again and I find that I still really enjoy it! I love that I can escape everything that is going on in my mind and just be somewhere else. I love that I can travel - both distance and time - just by opening a book. I love that it's portable and that I can read anywhere.
- playing with finances/numbers. It's not unusual that I spend an evening working on the "numbers"...bank accounts, excel documents, etc. I love it because it gives me a sense of satisfaction to see everything line up and balance. I love it because I can see exactly how long it will take us to reach financial goals. I like it because I can plan and put things neatly into slots and it's all organized and it's one part of my life that nobody else can touch/mess up! I'm just kidding about that last one. Mostly.
- gardening - I always forget this one because it's so new! As a kid, I hated everything to do with gardening. I thought it was the most boring thing ever. But now that I have my own gardens, it's all different. I enjoy planting things and watching them grow. House plants? Yes please. I love to just wander around the house and look at how the different plants I have are growing and changing. Unless, of course, the change is that they're dying. Then it bugs me until I can figure out what's wrong and turn it around. Most of the time I can't...
- cleaning - I love it because it needs to be done so I may as well enjoy it. Right?? I also like the immediate results that come with a good cleaning. There's nothing so calming as a freshly cleaned house. That said, I find it futile as ever to clean with two young kids underfoot, so if you come into my house and it's untidy or a bit dirty...just know that I've let myself be ok with a little clutter and mess for this season of my life. There will come a day when I'll have everything as clean as I like it again but for now, it's not happening. I would drive myself nuts. And hobby #6 is doing whatever I can to keep myself from going nuts. ;)
24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
I would say it is fairly similar. Very warm home. Kids know that parents love them unconditionally. Lots of laughter. Lots of play. We pray together. We work together. We eat meals together. It's a calm home without yelling/violence. Dad works out of the home (also in a church, no less!) and Mom stays home. If I had to come up with some differences...I'd say spanking is one. I was spanked as a kid and we have chosen not to spank. I am not necessarily against spanking, but with there being so many Christian homes who are "for" spanking, we didn't want others to see that and associate Christians with child-abusers. At least that's one of my reasons. We also see how Levi looks at us with fear when we discipline him physically (pinch/flick) and I can only imagine what a spank would do. But I'm not getting into the whole spanking/not spanking debate. I think both can be done well and both can be done poorly. Another difference between my childhood family dynamic vs my family dynamic now...I don't know! It's probably hardest for a stay-at-home mom to come up with differences unless she is trying to intentionally do things differently than her parents! I just do what comes naturally as I make this home and a lot of that comes from what I was raised with. Therefore, I think the family dynamics are fairly similar.
28. What is your love language?
My top love language... ... ... let me just go quickly find online quiz... ... ...
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/#discovery-whom
QUALITY TIME! I probably didn't need a quiz to tell me that. It came out WAY ahead! It's always been like that. It was fun to try to explain that one to Nathan when we were dating because it was close to the bottom of his list.
Me - "Yes, Nathan, if you make eye contact with me from across the Ad, I feel VERY loved!"
Nathan - "But...we're not even touching...?"
Acts of service was a not-so-close second (but still there!). This one has come up on the list since having kids. I used to not mind doing things on my own but now that there are kids to take care of in addition to getting things done, I feel VERY loved when Nathan serves me by either taking the kids or getting things around the house done when he can see that I've had a long day. :)
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.
- that I loved my family
- that I cared for people
- that I fed people well (I'm serious! haha)
- that the home I made was welcoming for everyone who entered
- that I knew how to laugh
- that I was easy-going
- that I was good with kids and loved babies (???) - this is getting hard!
- that I was generous
- that I put others ahead of myself - need to work on this one!
- that I was present with people
Well, that's the last question! It feels good to be done. I have tons of stuff floating around in my head these days but I'm just not sure how much of it I want to share here. Perhaps my days of blogging my deepest, darkest secrets are behind me. It was freeing and wonderful in its season - and I think God used my willingness to share - but I think now it's time to pull the curtains a little tighter and ponder more than share. Maybe it will be time to share again one day. Until then...this blog will be more of a surface update on family and life. That is, if I ever find the time! Thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Pictures, anyone?
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| Levi loves to help vacuum. I'm not complaining! |
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| Enjoying the dog :) |
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| Love these two and their special connection :) |
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| Bath night! |
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| I love that just-woke-up look... |
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| Sleeping girl...perfection. |
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| She's learned the wrinkled nose look from the best...her brother. She pulls it off pretty well and has made it her own too :) |
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| There's the boy's version of the wrinkled nose smile :) |
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| Cutie. |
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| hehe. This happens so much. |
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| Marble maze made from lego. Turned out to be more frustrating than fun...but I'll store this idea in my back pocket for another rainy day when Levi's a little older. With a little more coordination, I think it could be a good time! |
Thursday, November 21, 2013
quiet, but not gone.
This blog is sadly neglected. It's not that I don't have anything to write. I do think of things. It's just that, when I sit down to write it, it's all gone. Like, completely not there anymore. I open up good 'ol blogger and it's just gone. I guess that's what long days with kids (and long nights with kids) will do to you. I find that my memory is just not there anymore. I chalk it up to sleep-deprivation but I hear it never comes back once you're a mom so who knows. Maybe it's gone for good.
I do notice that alot of the things that I think of during the day are just not enough for a complete blog post. I think of plenty of things that I think I should blog about but then realize that I've got about a facebook status worth of words about that topic. So it either goes on fb or just doesn't get said. Usually the later.
For example:
Levi calls coyotes "kye-roots". It's super cute. Cute that he talks about "kye-roots" at all but extra cute that he says it like he does. I've stopped correcting his pronunciation on these sorts of words. It is just too fun to listen to him talk and once he realizes the real way to say it, he will never say it the cute way again. For example, the word "music" used to be "moogit." Adorable. Simply adorable. But now, if I say "moogit" to him, he just looks at me funny. *sigh* My boy is growing up. So I'll soak up all the "kye-root" talk while I have it :)
Next random thought I had: As I was driving home from visiting my parents today, I was thinking about parenting (surprise!). Specifically, how there's a difference between how I thought I would be as a parent vs. how I actually am. Or maybe more how I thought parenting would be vs. how it actually is. Before I was a parent, I would sometimes see how other people would parent their kids and I would mentally make note of whether I would be "that type" of parent or not. I would see how parents reacted to their kids and either think "that's how I would like to react to my kids one day" or "I would do that so differently." Everyone does it. It's not necessarily good but, as long as you're not running the parent down in your mind because of what they're doing, it's not necessarily bad either. As someone who wants to be a parent ever-so-badly, you are just always taking notes. But anyway, I'm not justifying it, just saying that's what I did. I would spend lots of time thinking about what kind of mom I wanted to be and what kinds of things I would do as a mom...and just thinking about what parenting would be like. And when I did that, in my mind I was a pretty good mom! Well, potential mom. And then parenting hit. And in the first few weeks/months, I felt like I was running off of pure adrenaline. I'd wanted to be a mom SO bad that I had "years of desire" fueling my every action, my every moment. I had patience coming out the wazoo. I had motivation and ideas and went the extra mile for everything. And then I got tired. So.very.tired. Sleepless nights. Long days full of tantrums. Lots of beautiful moments, but lots of bleary-eyed, less-than-perfect moments too. And I suddenly understood why those moms who I watched back in the day did what they did. Why they sounded the way they sounded. Why they didn't go the extra mile every time. Why they reacted the way they reacted (and didn't necessarily have the patient answer that I would certainly have had in that situation). When you're thinking about being a mom, you see everything through rose-coloured glasses. But when you get there and you're knee-deep in dirty diapers (literally) and haven't slept in who knows how long and have one kid crying on the kitchen floor because his lunch is being served ON the table and not UNDER the table (yes, actually) and another one crying on your hip...things just look different. That adrenaline and idealism wears off and you find out exactly what it's like to be there. And you make choices from that place. Now, the reason I've never written this before is because it's hard to put into words. What am I talking about, really? It's a bunch of mumble-jumble, most likely. I'm not saying that I hate being a mom. I'm not saying that I'm a bad mom or that I'm making decisions that I'll regret. I'm just saying that I now understand where those moms were at. They were acting from a place of having spent years in the "trenches." Sure I would have handled some of those situations differently at the time, but I would have also been coming in fresh...having had a full night's sleep and with a clear mind, not one smeared with peanut butter and kid-snot. I thought I would be one of those moms who was so very polished. Who had a weekly menu posted in her kitchen, crafts and quiet-time activities planned long in advance for the kid who no longer thinks he needs naps, clothes folded and put away at the end of every laundry day. And in reality, alot of the time I actually feel a bit like a chicken with my head cut off. I feel like I'm playing catch-up instead of anticipating and being ready for things. I forget every little thing (even though I used to have a memory like a vault, people). I'm scrambling to come up with supper at 4pm each day. And sometimes I have a preschooler who is freaking out and I just have to sit back because I have no clue as to what I should be doing or how I should "gently guide him out of his frustration." I'm not the mom I thought I would be. But you know what? That's ok. Because I love my kids. And I love their daddy. I make sure they're fed and clothed and taught and happy. I may not have the perfectly clean, perfectly organized home that I always thought I'd have, but you know what? Kids don't need polish. They don't need to know that their mom has everything planned and scheduled and organized. They need to know that they are safe. And loved. And no matter how tired I am, how impatient or forgetful I am, or how worn down I sometimes feel...my kids have that. They feel safe and secure and loved and THAT is what matters. So I guess I had a round-about way of saying that. Sorry. That's what happens when I sit down and don't know what to type.
I think I'll leave it at that for tonight. That got a lot longer than I thought it would. Apparently I do have more than fb status-length thoughts. Huh. Who knew? Now the real test will be whether the thoughts are coherent enough for anyone to follow what I just wrote...?
I do notice that alot of the things that I think of during the day are just not enough for a complete blog post. I think of plenty of things that I think I should blog about but then realize that I've got about a facebook status worth of words about that topic. So it either goes on fb or just doesn't get said. Usually the later.
For example:
Levi calls coyotes "kye-roots". It's super cute. Cute that he talks about "kye-roots" at all but extra cute that he says it like he does. I've stopped correcting his pronunciation on these sorts of words. It is just too fun to listen to him talk and once he realizes the real way to say it, he will never say it the cute way again. For example, the word "music" used to be "moogit." Adorable. Simply adorable. But now, if I say "moogit" to him, he just looks at me funny. *sigh* My boy is growing up. So I'll soak up all the "kye-root" talk while I have it :)
Next random thought I had: As I was driving home from visiting my parents today, I was thinking about parenting (surprise!). Specifically, how there's a difference between how I thought I would be as a parent vs. how I actually am. Or maybe more how I thought parenting would be vs. how it actually is. Before I was a parent, I would sometimes see how other people would parent their kids and I would mentally make note of whether I would be "that type" of parent or not. I would see how parents reacted to their kids and either think "that's how I would like to react to my kids one day" or "I would do that so differently." Everyone does it. It's not necessarily good but, as long as you're not running the parent down in your mind because of what they're doing, it's not necessarily bad either. As someone who wants to be a parent ever-so-badly, you are just always taking notes. But anyway, I'm not justifying it, just saying that's what I did. I would spend lots of time thinking about what kind of mom I wanted to be and what kinds of things I would do as a mom...and just thinking about what parenting would be like. And when I did that, in my mind I was a pretty good mom! Well, potential mom. And then parenting hit. And in the first few weeks/months, I felt like I was running off of pure adrenaline. I'd wanted to be a mom SO bad that I had "years of desire" fueling my every action, my every moment. I had patience coming out the wazoo. I had motivation and ideas and went the extra mile for everything. And then I got tired. So.very.tired. Sleepless nights. Long days full of tantrums. Lots of beautiful moments, but lots of bleary-eyed, less-than-perfect moments too. And I suddenly understood why those moms who I watched back in the day did what they did. Why they sounded the way they sounded. Why they didn't go the extra mile every time. Why they reacted the way they reacted (and didn't necessarily have the patient answer that I would certainly have had in that situation). When you're thinking about being a mom, you see everything through rose-coloured glasses. But when you get there and you're knee-deep in dirty diapers (literally) and haven't slept in who knows how long and have one kid crying on the kitchen floor because his lunch is being served ON the table and not UNDER the table (yes, actually) and another one crying on your hip...things just look different. That adrenaline and idealism wears off and you find out exactly what it's like to be there. And you make choices from that place. Now, the reason I've never written this before is because it's hard to put into words. What am I talking about, really? It's a bunch of mumble-jumble, most likely. I'm not saying that I hate being a mom. I'm not saying that I'm a bad mom or that I'm making decisions that I'll regret. I'm just saying that I now understand where those moms were at. They were acting from a place of having spent years in the "trenches." Sure I would have handled some of those situations differently at the time, but I would have also been coming in fresh...having had a full night's sleep and with a clear mind, not one smeared with peanut butter and kid-snot. I thought I would be one of those moms who was so very polished. Who had a weekly menu posted in her kitchen, crafts and quiet-time activities planned long in advance for the kid who no longer thinks he needs naps, clothes folded and put away at the end of every laundry day. And in reality, alot of the time I actually feel a bit like a chicken with my head cut off. I feel like I'm playing catch-up instead of anticipating and being ready for things. I forget every little thing (even though I used to have a memory like a vault, people). I'm scrambling to come up with supper at 4pm each day. And sometimes I have a preschooler who is freaking out and I just have to sit back because I have no clue as to what I should be doing or how I should "gently guide him out of his frustration." I'm not the mom I thought I would be. But you know what? That's ok. Because I love my kids. And I love their daddy. I make sure they're fed and clothed and taught and happy. I may not have the perfectly clean, perfectly organized home that I always thought I'd have, but you know what? Kids don't need polish. They don't need to know that their mom has everything planned and scheduled and organized. They need to know that they are safe. And loved. And no matter how tired I am, how impatient or forgetful I am, or how worn down I sometimes feel...my kids have that. They feel safe and secure and loved and THAT is what matters. So I guess I had a round-about way of saying that. Sorry. That's what happens when I sit down and don't know what to type.
I think I'll leave it at that for tonight. That got a lot longer than I thought it would. Apparently I do have more than fb status-length thoughts. Huh. Who knew? Now the real test will be whether the thoughts are coherent enough for anyone to follow what I just wrote...?
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Two and a half
Levi is just 4 days away from being 2.5 years old!
He is such a character. He loves to make us laugh.
He loves to serve.
"I make cookies for you, Daddy!"
"I help set the table!"
"I get a diaper and wipe for you, Mommy!"
He is also very two and we've had our battles of the will (and more to come, I'm sure). From who fills up the water jug to what cd he listens to at night...anything and everything is grounds for a meltdown. But we're dealing with it in the best way we can and the tantrums seem to go in stages which says to me that he's testing the waters, seeing what it means to be more independent and trying to make decisions for himself (though not quite knowing how to communicate when something doesn't go the way he thinks it should).
Children aren't born knowing how to communicate. It is our job as parents to help them understand how to do that. And it is our job to be patient as they begin to exert their independence. (Yup, still working on this).
Levi loves puppies. Levi loves cooking. Levi loves trucks and machines. Levi loves to count. Levi loves letters. Levi loves puzzles. Levi loves slides. Levi loves tents. Levi loves animals. Levi loves taking people to his room, closing the door and enjoying some quality time playing together. Levi loves stories. Levi loves playing piano. Levi loves music. Levi loves helping me transplant my houseplants.
Levi "no like" broccoli (too yucky). Levi "no like" touching sticky things. Levi "no like" having his hair washed. Levi "no like" carbonation. Levi "no like" socks with holes. Levi "no like" daddy shows (sports).
Levi, like every two year old, says the most interesting and hilarious things.
"Garburate" as in "Here, Kayden, I garburate you!" (vibrating chair)
"I love you, Buddy." - said to Kayden just this morning
"Puppy LOVE me!" - while he holds Lennox in aheadlock hug.
"Lettuce" as in "Lettuce, go get your ball!"
"Oh well" when he is not allowed to do something or when we are out of his favourite cereal.
"Buy more" when we are out of his favourite cereal.
"Oh well, buy a new one" when Mommy gets the van stuck in the snow bank.
I love our boy so much. He is a perfect fit in our family (interesting how we always get the perfect ones for us, right?). He is obviously still adjusting to having a sibling, but he is doing so so well. We are incredibly proud of him for all the ways he is growing and learning every day. There are many days when Nathan comes home from work and asks how Levi has been and I can honestly say that "he is an absolute delight!"
He is such a character. He loves to make us laugh.
He loves to serve.
"I make cookies for you, Daddy!"
"I help set the table!"
"I get a diaper and wipe for you, Mommy!"
He is also very two and we've had our battles of the will (and more to come, I'm sure). From who fills up the water jug to what cd he listens to at night...anything and everything is grounds for a meltdown. But we're dealing with it in the best way we can and the tantrums seem to go in stages which says to me that he's testing the waters, seeing what it means to be more independent and trying to make decisions for himself (though not quite knowing how to communicate when something doesn't go the way he thinks it should).
Children aren't born knowing how to communicate. It is our job as parents to help them understand how to do that. And it is our job to be patient as they begin to exert their independence. (Yup, still working on this).
Levi loves puppies. Levi loves cooking. Levi loves trucks and machines. Levi loves to count. Levi loves letters. Levi loves puzzles. Levi loves slides. Levi loves tents. Levi loves animals. Levi loves taking people to his room, closing the door and enjoying some quality time playing together. Levi loves stories. Levi loves playing piano. Levi loves music. Levi loves helping me transplant my houseplants.
Levi "no like" broccoli (too yucky). Levi "no like" touching sticky things. Levi "no like" having his hair washed. Levi "no like" carbonation. Levi "no like" socks with holes. Levi "no like" daddy shows (sports).
Levi, like every two year old, says the most interesting and hilarious things.
"Garburate" as in "Here, Kayden, I garburate you!" (vibrating chair)
"I love you, Buddy." - said to Kayden just this morning
"Puppy LOVE me!" - while he holds Lennox in a
"Lettuce" as in "Lettuce, go get your ball!"
"Oh well" when he is not allowed to do something or when we are out of his favourite cereal.
"Buy more" when we are out of his favourite cereal.
"Oh well, buy a new one" when Mommy gets the van stuck in the snow bank.
I love our boy so much. He is a perfect fit in our family (interesting how we always get the perfect ones for us, right?). He is obviously still adjusting to having a sibling, but he is doing so so well. We are incredibly proud of him for all the ways he is growing and learning every day. There are many days when Nathan comes home from work and asks how Levi has been and I can honestly say that "he is an absolute delight!"
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Reflections on Motherhood
Tonight as I sat on the edge of Levi's bed, one hand being held by a sleepy Levi and the other wrapped around a sleeping Kayden, both children silent and still with me in the same moment, I felt such an unexpected rush of gratitude. I've known for my entire life that I wanted to be a mom. That this is what I was created to be. And yet, in those 25 years of being preparing, nothing could have fully prepared me for the amount of love that is bursting forth for these two children today.
Levi is a handful these days. He is feeling the loss of having mommy and daddy all to himself and it is often coming out in testing ways. And yet, tonight after supper, he and I spent 15 minutes just laughing together. Sitting at the table and looking at each other and laughing uncontrollably with each other for no reason other than being happy to be together.
Kayden is so sweet. She does cry, occasionally, and sometimes it's for no apparent reason at all, but my heart is so full when I look into her eyes and she looks into mine! My love for her just grows every day as I get to know her more and as our connection deepens.
I am incredibly blessed to be able to call these two children mine. They are indeed gifts from God and I will never take them for granted. Having three years to ponder what life might look like without children has landed me in a place now of being humbled and grateful, a place unlike any I would have been in without that period of waiting.
When we named our children, we took into consideration the meanings of their names, middle names especially. We gave Levi the name "Jonathan" because it means "God has given." We gave Kayden the name "Grace" because it is by God's grace that we are fully healed and that Nathan and I have not one but two beautiful children.
So tonight I am feeling extra thankful for these two wonders who share life with us. And thankful that I am called their mother. All praise to HIM...forever and ever.
Levi is a handful these days. He is feeling the loss of having mommy and daddy all to himself and it is often coming out in testing ways. And yet, tonight after supper, he and I spent 15 minutes just laughing together. Sitting at the table and looking at each other and laughing uncontrollably with each other for no reason other than being happy to be together.
Kayden is so sweet. She does cry, occasionally, and sometimes it's for no apparent reason at all, but my heart is so full when I look into her eyes and she looks into mine! My love for her just grows every day as I get to know her more and as our connection deepens.
I am incredibly blessed to be able to call these two children mine. They are indeed gifts from God and I will never take them for granted. Having three years to ponder what life might look like without children has landed me in a place now of being humbled and grateful, a place unlike any I would have been in without that period of waiting.
When we named our children, we took into consideration the meanings of their names, middle names especially. We gave Levi the name "Jonathan" because it means "God has given." We gave Kayden the name "Grace" because it is by God's grace that we are fully healed and that Nathan and I have not one but two beautiful children.
So tonight I am feeling extra thankful for these two wonders who share life with us. And thankful that I am called their mother. All praise to HIM...forever and ever.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Introducing...
Kayden Grace
February 4, 2013
2:11pm
6lbs 7oz, 19 3/4"
Kayden's birth was quite a bit different from Levi's. With Levi, we waited and waited and waited. He was late and born at 41w2d. Kayden was a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks. While I was uncomfortable for the last trimester this time, I never did get that truly FULL feeling that I got when we were waiting for Levi. (Apparently 2 lbs and 2" of baby makes a big difference on the inside!) And with Levi, we were guessing the gender right to the end, whereas this time we've known about our little GIRL since September. Both experiences were good...I'd probably choose to repeat this most recent experience next time, though, if given the choice!
I wasn't sure how going in for a scheduled section would be. It's kinda weird knowing exactly what day and time to expect your little one to arrive. There was some excitement last time in wondering day by day if I would have a baby that day (then extremely discouraging when I never did go into labour on my own). On the morning of Feb 4, we had a regular morning, packed up the last of our things, and headed off to the city. We only had to be at the hospital at 11:30 so there was no rush. We met Nathan's parents in the city, had a relaxed coffee with them at Starbucks, said "see ya later!" to Levi and drove to the hospital.
In the first waiting room, there were half a dozen pregnant women waiting (in a 200 square foot closet of a waiting room). At one point everyone was sharing how far along they were. 40 weeks...41 weeks...44 weeks... Most of the women there were waiting for inductions! I didn't dare open my mouth and say that I was still at a comfy 38 weeks and would likely be holding my baby before any of them! We were quickly moved to another waiting room where we ended up waiting for an hour with no contact with anyone and no one else in the room with us. We felt quite forgotten. After an hour, I was starting to wonder if we'd been forgotten. Why, afterall, would they have us come in 2 hours before the scheduled c-section time if we were going to spend over an hour just sitting and waiting? I went and found a nurse and within 15 minutes, we were in the pre-op room in gown/scrubs and being prepped for surgery.
Around 1:30 I was taken to the OR and given a spinal then prepped for surgery. It all went pretty fast from there. The anesthesiologist gave my doctor the ok to start and Nathan was brought in. Within minutes, Kayden was here! She spent the first 5 minutes SCREAMING! She has the most high-pitched shrill scream I've ever heard. Well, not quite, but it really is quite different from Levi's cry! I was able to have her on my chest in the OR as the doctor finished up and was able to feed her in recovery within about an hour. What a blessing. I feel like it went so much more smoothly than it did with Levi. Scheduled c-sections are much easier on the body than last minute c-sections after 12 hours of labour. Just saying...
We were able to come home on day 2 after surgery, exactly 48 hours after her birth I was walking in the front door at home. SO NICE that they let us come home earlier this time! Nursing has gone smoothly. Healing has gone smoothly. I'm almost back to my pre-pregnancy self. Except, of course, for some tenderness in certain places and having a newborn around the house again. Everything has come back as far as what to do with a newborn (whew!). The transition has been nothing but smooth. Nathan was home for the first week and now my mom will be here for a few days, followed by my sister. Levi is loving all the extra play-time! And I'm appreciating being able to take it easy and have afternoon naps. Every little bit helps with the healing and adjusting process!
Levi has adjusted to being a big brother wonderfully. He was a bit unsure at first and didn't want to touch her, but within a couple days at home he was wanting to hold her and go get diapers for me and lay on the floor beside her. He has been so good...
Sunday, January 13, 2013
It's beginning to look alot like baby...
I mentioned in my last post that we put up the crib the other day. I thought I'd share some pictures from that because hey...what's more adorable than a boy helping his daddy?
It's especially adorable when it's YOUR boy and the daddy is YOUR husband :)
Also, don't forget to leave your baby guesses here on the blog (boy/girl, size, date)! I've made a handy-dandy poll so it's easy to vote, but if you're SURE that you'll be right, leave your guess in the comments (I've made it so that anyone can vote, even without signing in) so you get due credit for your prediction :D
Also, don't forget to leave your baby guesses here on the blog (boy/girl, size, date)! I've made a handy-dandy poll so it's easy to vote, but if you're SURE that you'll be right, leave your guess in the comments (I've made it so that anyone can vote, even without signing in) so you get due credit for your prediction :D
Saturday, January 12, 2013
belly pic...8 months.
- there is a baby in mommy's tummy
- mommy's tummy is going to be owie after baby comes out
- baby is going to sleep in mommy and daddy's room and also in Levi's room
- mommy is going to feed baby (no hot dogs and noodles for the baby)
- Levi will get to sit on mommy's lap again when baby comes (when mommy's tummy isn't owie anymore)
- little brother or sister
We've also done some shopping for things that we know we'll need like diapers (newborn size, for before cloth fit), wipes, infant Tylenol, etc. It's made it all feel so much closer to see baby stuff re-entering the house. Since Levi was potty trained back in summer, we really haven't had much evidence of a baby living here. There is PLENTY of evidence of a toddler (toys, books, shoes, pots/pans all over the floor, potty seat in bathroom) but that is very different than a baby! I'm starting to second-guess how much I actually remember about newborns. I'm sure I know about as much as I knew when we had Levi and maybe even a little more this time around so we should be fine.
Since we're getting so close, anyone care to guess baby gender, birth date, and baby size? Feel free to leave your comments! I'm curious what people are expecting us to have! (I've also created a poll on the right hand side of the screen so you can easily log your guess, though it is anonymous so if you want credit for being right, leave your guess in comments too)
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Christmas...and life
Christmas was fun this year. It usually is. :) We were able to spend time with both of our parents/siblings which was so nice. After a few years of either not being able to go "home" for Christmas or else splitting a short visit between the two families (often driving on Christmas day), it is SO nice to be within easy driving distance of both parents. We don't take that for granted!
Levi loved all his time with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. He does so well when we're out. Aside from a little grumpiness at supper one night (easily solved by some quiet family-of-3 time away from the chaos after supper), he was a happy boy the entire time. We sometimes have to pay for visits and lack of sleep once we get home, but mostly we just have such a happy and easy going boy. LOVE HIM!
Nathan was back to work today (worked from home yesterday). It's a bit weird to have him gone for so many hours after a couple weeks basically off. I'm doing pretty good. This third trimester is SO different than the end with Levi. With Levi, I was mostly comfortable except for some backaches and swollen feet and just feeling heavy. This time around I have toothaches (apparently they're normal?), hip aches, belly aches, back aches, shortness of breath, low blood pressure (which is better than high). I don't have every symptom in the book, but alot more than last time. Yesterday I was wondering if I would actually need my mom to come for a bit before the baby arrives because just carrying Levi or walking across the room is sometimes a challenge. BUT...this is so worth it! To know that we'll be having a new little person joining our family in just a matter of weeks...aah. I can take a little pain and discomfort! That said, if anyone has any good remedies for intense pain from lower belly to upper thighs (and everywhere in between), feel free to share! haha. I'm open to suggestions :)
I'm not sure what else is new. (Do I write that in every post or just think it?) Beside getting ready for the baby and having tons of fun with my two men, there's not much on the calendar for this month. Just relax and enjoy the last few weeks of being a family of 3.
Happy new year to you all! If anyone has post ideas or questions or whatever...any ideas for what I should write about, let me know! I'm a little stuck! :D
Levi loved all his time with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. He does so well when we're out. Aside from a little grumpiness at supper one night (easily solved by some quiet family-of-3 time away from the chaos after supper), he was a happy boy the entire time. We sometimes have to pay for visits and lack of sleep once we get home, but mostly we just have such a happy and easy going boy. LOVE HIM!
Nathan was back to work today (worked from home yesterday). It's a bit weird to have him gone for so many hours after a couple weeks basically off. I'm doing pretty good. This third trimester is SO different than the end with Levi. With Levi, I was mostly comfortable except for some backaches and swollen feet and just feeling heavy. This time around I have toothaches (apparently they're normal?), hip aches, belly aches, back aches, shortness of breath, low blood pressure (which is better than high). I don't have every symptom in the book, but alot more than last time. Yesterday I was wondering if I would actually need my mom to come for a bit before the baby arrives because just carrying Levi or walking across the room is sometimes a challenge. BUT...this is so worth it! To know that we'll be having a new little person joining our family in just a matter of weeks...aah. I can take a little pain and discomfort! That said, if anyone has any good remedies for intense pain from lower belly to upper thighs (and everywhere in between), feel free to share! haha. I'm open to suggestions :)
I'm not sure what else is new. (Do I write that in every post or just think it?) Beside getting ready for the baby and having tons of fun with my two men, there's not much on the calendar for this month. Just relax and enjoy the last few weeks of being a family of 3.
Happy new year to you all! If anyone has post ideas or questions or whatever...any ideas for what I should write about, let me know! I'm a little stuck! :D
Friday, December 28, 2012
nesting...and other pregnancy and life updates
I've been nesting lately. This time around it is more in the form of "let's get rid of some STUFF" rather than "let's make sure everything is CLEAN." Cleaning just seems so futile these days. But if you purge some stuff, it's gone and it's not coming back the moment Levi wakes up :) I can't help but think, too, that being 7-8 months pregnant over Christmas this year is a good thing! As much as I don't love bundling up for the cold (huffing and puffing just from putting on my boots), the desire to keep clutter to a minimum has proven helpful in keeping the Christmas extras from taking over the house. Out with the old, in with the new!
In other pregnancy "news"... ... ...this time around has been so different than when I was expecting Levi. In the first trimester, I started showing earlier this time. I was WAY more tired this time (likely thanks to not being on bed rest and not being able to have a nap whenever I felt like it). Morning sickness was less this time, not that it was bad last time either. In the second trimester this time, I barely felt pregnant. I didn't notice my growing belly unless I looked in the mirror. I was perfectly comfortable. I got some energy back and didn't feel sick in the slightest. Last time I think I felt decent too, but with a threatened miscarriage, I was taking every precaution and noticing every little feeling that was different from the norm, wondering if it was normal or something I should be worried about. The third trimester in this pregnancy has been harder than the last. I have been much more sore (again, probably thanks to not having been on bed rest and not taking it as easy as last time with a 2 year old to chase around). I think walking on ice also doesn't help as one little slip on the ice has muscles stretched that I didn't even know I had! I've also been feeling more of the "normal" pregnancy symptoms like heartburn and low blood pressure that I didn't really have to deal with much last time. Third trimester is definitely my least favourite but I really can't complain. I hear about people who are sick the full 9 months (or longer) and am just glad that I made it through the first 28-30 weeks in relative comfort! I also can't complain because I know how much I begged and prayed for children and how much some of my friends are hurting to hold children of their own in their arms and I remember that this is really a small price to pay for the miracle that is motherhood. It is not something to be taken lightly...each and every child that enters a family is a miracle, no matter how they got there.
Of course, I should probably throw in a little Levi-update! Levi is growing up SO much! He knows most of his letters. He can count almost to 10 (1-2-3-7-8-9), usually in the right order. We've been diaper-free for 5.5 months now, both daytime and nights (just HAVE to brag about that one!). He is talking more all the time. He loves to use phrases that he hears Nathan and I using:
- "of course"
- "much better"
- "stay puppy! good dog."
- "no puppy! bad dog. stay!"
- "oh no! big mess!"
- "alright."
He has started singing in the last couple weeks which is so cute! Before he would sing E-I-E-I-O, but now he is starting to sing songs on his own like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Clean Up Song (clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere), Wonder Pets theme song, etc. He also loves when we sing songs with/to him...they can even replace a bedtime story for him if it's a late night because he loves it so much. Speaking of stories, he has discovered the fun of made-up stories. He often asks for "car story" at bedtime, which means that I am supposed to make up and tell him a story about a car. Sometimes I get him to tell me a story too. I tell most of the story, asking him to fill in details like colours and activities. It can get quite interesting to see his little imagination at work! Levi loves all things animals, especially if they're living and breathing and happen to be puppies (or kitties). Lennox is finally starting to tolerate Levi's affection...after 2 years of Levi chasing him, it is about time he just accepted that the boy isn't leaving.
Nathan is still enjoying his work after almost 1.5 years at the church. We really appreciate the way this church gives the pastors time with their families and also time for self-care. Not all churches do that, often leaning more to the side of overworking their pastors (usually unintentional, I'm sure). To be at a church where we feel appreciated and cared for is certainly a blessing and answer to prayer!
Not much else is happening. We're right in the middle of Christmas celebrations, having just spent a couple days with Nathan's family and looking forward to time with my family. And soon it will be the new year! The year that we welcome another little person into our family. It feels so surreal. How did this happen so easily this time after so many years of waiting and praying last time? I can't even describe how many times during this pregnancy I actually had to check the mirror to make sure that I wasn't dreaming it all. But that's a side note. Hope you all have a good start to the new year!
In other pregnancy "news"... ... ...this time around has been so different than when I was expecting Levi. In the first trimester, I started showing earlier this time. I was WAY more tired this time (likely thanks to not being on bed rest and not being able to have a nap whenever I felt like it). Morning sickness was less this time, not that it was bad last time either. In the second trimester this time, I barely felt pregnant. I didn't notice my growing belly unless I looked in the mirror. I was perfectly comfortable. I got some energy back and didn't feel sick in the slightest. Last time I think I felt decent too, but with a threatened miscarriage, I was taking every precaution and noticing every little feeling that was different from the norm, wondering if it was normal or something I should be worried about. The third trimester in this pregnancy has been harder than the last. I have been much more sore (again, probably thanks to not having been on bed rest and not taking it as easy as last time with a 2 year old to chase around). I think walking on ice also doesn't help as one little slip on the ice has muscles stretched that I didn't even know I had! I've also been feeling more of the "normal" pregnancy symptoms like heartburn and low blood pressure that I didn't really have to deal with much last time. Third trimester is definitely my least favourite but I really can't complain. I hear about people who are sick the full 9 months (or longer) and am just glad that I made it through the first 28-30 weeks in relative comfort! I also can't complain because I know how much I begged and prayed for children and how much some of my friends are hurting to hold children of their own in their arms and I remember that this is really a small price to pay for the miracle that is motherhood. It is not something to be taken lightly...each and every child that enters a family is a miracle, no matter how they got there.
Of course, I should probably throw in a little Levi-update! Levi is growing up SO much! He knows most of his letters. He can count almost to 10 (1-2-3-7-8-9), usually in the right order. We've been diaper-free for 5.5 months now, both daytime and nights (just HAVE to brag about that one!). He is talking more all the time. He loves to use phrases that he hears Nathan and I using:
- "of course"
- "much better"
- "stay puppy! good dog."
- "no puppy! bad dog. stay!"
- "oh no! big mess!"
- "alright."
He has started singing in the last couple weeks which is so cute! Before he would sing E-I-E-I-O, but now he is starting to sing songs on his own like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Clean Up Song (clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere), Wonder Pets theme song, etc. He also loves when we sing songs with/to him...they can even replace a bedtime story for him if it's a late night because he loves it so much. Speaking of stories, he has discovered the fun of made-up stories. He often asks for "car story" at bedtime, which means that I am supposed to make up and tell him a story about a car. Sometimes I get him to tell me a story too. I tell most of the story, asking him to fill in details like colours and activities. It can get quite interesting to see his little imagination at work! Levi loves all things animals, especially if they're living and breathing and happen to be puppies (or kitties). Lennox is finally starting to tolerate Levi's affection...after 2 years of Levi chasing him, it is about time he just accepted that the boy isn't leaving.
Nathan is still enjoying his work after almost 1.5 years at the church. We really appreciate the way this church gives the pastors time with their families and also time for self-care. Not all churches do that, often leaning more to the side of overworking their pastors (usually unintentional, I'm sure). To be at a church where we feel appreciated and cared for is certainly a blessing and answer to prayer!
Not much else is happening. We're right in the middle of Christmas celebrations, having just spent a couple days with Nathan's family and looking forward to time with my family. And soon it will be the new year! The year that we welcome another little person into our family. It feels so surreal. How did this happen so easily this time after so many years of waiting and praying last time? I can't even describe how many times during this pregnancy I actually had to check the mirror to make sure that I wasn't dreaming it all. But that's a side note. Hope you all have a good start to the new year!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Sleep
I've been struggling with sleep lately. Lately being the past two years. I remember Levi being 5 weeks old and wondering what in the world I was doing wrong because he wouldn't sleep more than a few hours at a time. I was reminded by someone that he was only 5 weeks old and that it would come. At the time I consoled myself with the thought that surely by the time he was 6 months old, he would be sleeping through the night. Here we are, 2 years later, and he has never slept through the night more than 50% of the time. In October? Levi slept through the night 6 times. That means he was up in the night 25 times. And when he was up, it was up to 3-4 times a night. Pee. Teething. Wanting a cuddle. You name it, he was up for it.
Some nights I get downright frustrated. I climb back into bed with a huff after being up with a crying boy for 30-45 minutes (especially when he's crying for no apparent reason) and struggle to fall asleep again (often to be awakened again just as I'm drifting off to sleep 45 minutes later). Some nights I feel like I will never sleep through the night again.
Then today I had a reminder about how precious and fragile life is. A Bible college friend of Nathan's lost his 8 month old boy this morning. He and his wife woke up to find that their baby boy was with Jesus. I saw a picture of a healthy, smiling baby dressed up for Halloween and sitting on his daddy's lap taken just last night. And this morning it was but a dream, a lifetime ago.
When Levi would cry out in the night in the first few weeks/months, my breath would sometimes catch in my throat because I was just so thankful that there was a cry. That he was alive. That he was breathing and awake and needing me. Somewhere in the past two years, I have lost that sense of relief when he calls out for me in the night. I have instead been feeling frustrated, annoyed, like burying my head under my pillow and ignoring him. And yet how very thankful I should be! First, that I have a son at all! I prayed for years for a baby who would wake me up at night. I longed for sleepless nights and my prayers have been answered! Second, that he has breath in his lungs to be able to cry. That he's healthy and alive. That he's in his room at home, just across the hall, and not in the hospital somewhere. That I CAN go to him and make it all better.
I've been holding my boy a whole lot tighter today and telling him over and over again just how much I love him. Every day with him is such a gift. And when he cries for me tonight, I'll go into his room with just a bit more patience and love and tenderness than I have been lately...
Some nights I get downright frustrated. I climb back into bed with a huff after being up with a crying boy for 30-45 minutes (especially when he's crying for no apparent reason) and struggle to fall asleep again (often to be awakened again just as I'm drifting off to sleep 45 minutes later). Some nights I feel like I will never sleep through the night again.
Then today I had a reminder about how precious and fragile life is. A Bible college friend of Nathan's lost his 8 month old boy this morning. He and his wife woke up to find that their baby boy was with Jesus. I saw a picture of a healthy, smiling baby dressed up for Halloween and sitting on his daddy's lap taken just last night. And this morning it was but a dream, a lifetime ago.
When Levi would cry out in the night in the first few weeks/months, my breath would sometimes catch in my throat because I was just so thankful that there was a cry. That he was alive. That he was breathing and awake and needing me. Somewhere in the past two years, I have lost that sense of relief when he calls out for me in the night. I have instead been feeling frustrated, annoyed, like burying my head under my pillow and ignoring him. And yet how very thankful I should be! First, that I have a son at all! I prayed for years for a baby who would wake me up at night. I longed for sleepless nights and my prayers have been answered! Second, that he has breath in his lungs to be able to cry. That he's healthy and alive. That he's in his room at home, just across the hall, and not in the hospital somewhere. That I CAN go to him and make it all better.
I've been holding my boy a whole lot tighter today and telling him over and over again just how much I love him. Every day with him is such a gift. And when he cries for me tonight, I'll go into his room with just a bit more patience and love and tenderness than I have been lately...
Monday, October 22, 2012
Pictures from the Past
My mom sent a package of pictures to me this summer as I was collecting pictures for a slideshow for my brother's wedding. I always love to see pictures from my childhood, especially ones that didn't make it into my personal childhood album. Since I scanned them all, I thought I would share a few of me and my siblings. I'm the middle child, the girl in the pictures who is the same size as her brother who's two years younger. (we were often mistaken for twins in these years) My sister is only 13.5 months older than me, but there is a much bigger size difference between the two of us! Now that we've all reached our full heights, my sister and I are closer (my sister still being a few inches taller than me) and my brother is 6'. Crazy how that works. I still think it should have been evened out a little more. Nothing wrong with splitting the height genes and each being 5'6", right? Or give my brother an extra couple inches and split the difference with my sister? No? Oh well. I guess I"ll take all 4'10" that I have and wear heels when I must. Anyway, enjoy! Aren't we CUTE?!
Monday, October 8, 2012
A crazy week.
This past week has been completely, 100% out of the ordinary. It has been good, but I always come back from adventures ready to get back into my blessed routine again :)
It all started with a pastor's retreat that started last Sunday evening at a camp near here. Nathan and I both went and it was our first time leaving Levi overnight. My mom came out and my grandma with her to stay with Levi for the two nights we were gone. If this retreat had been even as little as 6 months ago, I don't know how it would have gone to have left Levi overnight. But he has grown up so much over the summer and much of his shyness is gone, at least with people he knows and remembers from one visit to the next. He did wonderfully (I had no doubts that he would) and it was such a wonderful break to not wake up to crying through the night and first thing in the morning. It was equally as nice to only have myself to look after throughout the day. It's amazing how even just going to the bathroom alone, feeding myself with no interruption, or going to bed without fighting to put someone else to bed first felt like a bit of a luxury while we were away. It felt lik ea rejuvenating break from motherhood and also felt surprisingly natural. I didn't even end up having any contact with my mom for a full day while we were gone and had no temptation to call home. How's that for letting go of control and "retreating"?? It was amazingly good to be alone with just Nathan for that amount of time too. I'm pretty sure the last time we've had that amount of time alone together was about 2 years ago before Levi joined us. But as wonderful as this retreat was, I was very ready to see my boy again when we got home!
When we got home from the retreat last Tuesday afternoon, I had about half an hour to unpack and repack before Levi and I got in the car with my mom and grandma to visit for a few days. It felt a bit like whiplash to change pace so quickly but I'm very glad for the visit I was able to have with my parents at their house.
We had a few adventures while we were visiting:
It is so much fun to hang out with my family. We are blessed to be a family who enjoys being together and who laughs together. It was so good to be all together for a couple days and to celebrate thanksgiving and Levi's birthday together. It is definitely something I don't take for granted!
So that has been my past week. Crazy. No two days have been the same. But it has been great. And in celebration of Levi's second birthday, which is today (October 8), Nathan and I bought him a play kitchen. As we susptected, he LOVES it. It's a bit of an unconventional toy to buy for a boy, but as he was begging to "cook" until well past his bedtime tonight, I knew that it was the right decision! Here he is filling up his cup with water from the fridge door water dispenser. Man, play kitchens have changed since the last time I played with one as a kid! Fridge water dispenser?! Built in microwave?
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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
It all started with a pastor's retreat that started last Sunday evening at a camp near here. Nathan and I both went and it was our first time leaving Levi overnight. My mom came out and my grandma with her to stay with Levi for the two nights we were gone. If this retreat had been even as little as 6 months ago, I don't know how it would have gone to have left Levi overnight. But he has grown up so much over the summer and much of his shyness is gone, at least with people he knows and remembers from one visit to the next. He did wonderfully (I had no doubts that he would) and it was such a wonderful break to not wake up to crying through the night and first thing in the morning. It was equally as nice to only have myself to look after throughout the day. It's amazing how even just going to the bathroom alone, feeding myself with no interruption, or going to bed without fighting to put someone else to bed first felt like a bit of a luxury while we were away. It felt lik ea rejuvenating break from motherhood and also felt surprisingly natural. I didn't even end up having any contact with my mom for a full day while we were gone and had no temptation to call home. How's that for letting go of control and "retreating"?? It was amazingly good to be alone with just Nathan for that amount of time too. I'm pretty sure the last time we've had that amount of time alone together was about 2 years ago before Levi joined us. But as wonderful as this retreat was, I was very ready to see my boy again when we got home!
When we got home from the retreat last Tuesday afternoon, I had about half an hour to unpack and repack before Levi and I got in the car with my mom and grandma to visit for a few days. It felt a bit like whiplash to change pace so quickly but I'm very glad for the visit I was able to have with my parents at their house.
We had a few adventures while we were visiting:
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| Levi raked leaves with Grandma |
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| We made playdough and did lots of playing with it |
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| Levi got to see goats and chickens and ducks and a goose and a kitty and two puppies at a farm we visited. He even got to hold a baby goat that was only a week old! Too bad none of the pictures of that worked out :( |
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| Lots of quality time with Grandma |
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| Evidence of leaf raking...might have to frame this one! |
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| Birthday cake baking |
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| Birthday cake decorating...it didn't turn out quite how I was picturing but Levi didn't seem to mind! |
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| Hanging out with Auntie Alicia, having fun with Mommy's iPhone camera |
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| Hanging out with Uncle Andrew and Auntie Pearl (the newlyweds)...photo courtesy of Levi - as you can tell by the tiny foot in the foreground |
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| Playing K'Nex with Grandpa |
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| Having a pastoral coffee break with someone who stopped by the house to see my dad one day |
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| Trying out his birthday present from Grandpa and Grandma, a hand-crafted rocking horse made by my very talented pops |
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| More quality time with Alicia this morning before we all hit the road |
So that has been my past week. Crazy. No two days have been the same. But it has been great. And in celebration of Levi's second birthday, which is today (October 8), Nathan and I bought him a play kitchen. As we susptected, he LOVES it. It's a bit of an unconventional toy to buy for a boy, but as he was begging to "cook" until well past his bedtime tonight, I knew that it was the right decision! Here he is filling up his cup with water from the fridge door water dispenser. Man, play kitchens have changed since the last time I played with one as a kid! Fridge water dispenser?! Built in microwave?
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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Colouring in the Tub
I like to do fun, unexpected things with Levi. Sometimes I find ideas on Pinterest, and sometimes I just think of them randomly when I'm laying in bed at night or working on Uniquely Me Design orders during naptime. I think I get more excited about these things than Levi does at this point, but he seems to have fun with them just the same!
Today we did tub colouring! I was going to wait until Levi had a bit of a meltdown (not that he has those...) so that I could pull this out of my bag of tricks and distract him from being grumpy...but I couldn't wait. He didn't even get dressed before I said, "Levi, would you like to colour in the tub this morning?!" We took his Crayola washable crayons (brilliant invention, especially when he was learning to keep his crayons on the paper! - http://www.crayola.com/browse-products/16-ct-crayola-washable-crayons.aspx), dried out the tub after our morning showers, and went to work! Levi had a blast. The first few marks were cautious. Levi knows very well that he's not supposed to colour anywhere except paper so he would hold a crayon over a part of the tub and look at me with question in his eyes. I just smiled and said "yup!" and he drew. Then he moved to another piece of tub and looked up at me again, making sure it was ok. Before too long, he was just scribbling happily away. I haven't tested how well it comes off the tub yet...I'm assuming since it comes off everything else with water, that it will just wipe right off...but it might leave some colourful marks for a couple weeks. I'll let you know.
Levi's colour of choice this morning was orange, as you can see. He really seems to like it ever since I told him that orange has yellow in it (yellow is his #1 favourite colour right now...but orange will do in a pinch. Unless there is green...GREEN GO!)
I'm so thankful that I have a little almost-2 year old to do these things with. It just wasn't quite the same before we had kids when I had to do them by myself...
*Not even 5 minutes later, the tub is perfectly clean. I used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser since I was cleaning the entire tub while I was at it and it wiped off easily, with zero scrubbing and zero colour left behind! I'm sure they would have come off just as easily with a damp cloth.
Today we did tub colouring! I was going to wait until Levi had a bit of a meltdown (not that he has those...) so that I could pull this out of my bag of tricks and distract him from being grumpy...but I couldn't wait. He didn't even get dressed before I said, "Levi, would you like to colour in the tub this morning?!" We took his Crayola washable crayons (brilliant invention, especially when he was learning to keep his crayons on the paper! - http://www.crayola.com/browse-products/16-ct-crayola-washable-crayons.aspx), dried out the tub after our morning showers, and went to work! Levi had a blast. The first few marks were cautious. Levi knows very well that he's not supposed to colour anywhere except paper so he would hold a crayon over a part of the tub and look at me with question in his eyes. I just smiled and said "yup!" and he drew. Then he moved to another piece of tub and looked up at me again, making sure it was ok. Before too long, he was just scribbling happily away. I haven't tested how well it comes off the tub yet...I'm assuming since it comes off everything else with water, that it will just wipe right off...but it might leave some colourful marks for a couple weeks. I'll let you know.
Levi's colour of choice this morning was orange, as you can see. He really seems to like it ever since I told him that orange has yellow in it (yellow is his #1 favourite colour right now...but orange will do in a pinch. Unless there is green...GREEN GO!)
I'm so thankful that I have a little almost-2 year old to do these things with. It just wasn't quite the same before we had kids when I had to do them by myself...
*Not even 5 minutes later, the tub is perfectly clean. I used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser since I was cleaning the entire tub while I was at it and it wiped off easily, with zero scrubbing and zero colour left behind! I'm sure they would have come off just as easily with a damp cloth.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
turning corners
Levi has been sick this week. It seems that every time he hangs out with his little buddies who have even a hint of sickness or a cold, he gets it. This is quite the opposite of his first year of life as he wasn't sick at all. I guess the antibodies that come from a mother's milk really do make a difference!
Speaking of sickness, the other night Levi was up coughing and crying. I offered him water and he refused. I tried snuggling and rocking him. He just arched his back and screamed louder. He kept reaching for the door (which he always does when he doesn't want to sleep) so finally I just went with it, like I have before, and left his room. He kept crying and reaching so I just kept following where he led. Once we reached the fridge, he reached for it and I opened it and gave him his milk. He GUZZLED. Like, the world is ending, guzzled. And stopped crying. And then, once he was finished chugging back his milk, he snuggled into my chest and reached the other direction. Seeing as he had led me to what he wanted in the first place, I thought I would just follow his lead again. He led me to our bedroom (the only light on in the house at this point) and I lay down in our bed with him. He just lay there on my chest, perfectly calm and happy (though still the occasional cough). Three minutes earlier he had been a screaming, inconsolable mess and now he was laying on me as though nothing was wrong. I still needed to do a few things before coming to bed so I asked Levi if he could snuggle with Daddy for a few minutes. He shook his head, but he often shakes his head when he hears the "question" tone. He shakes his head 'no' to everything. So I handed him over to Nathan while I went and got ready for bed. He screamed the.entire.time. Apparently he meant what he said when he shook his head 'no' to Daddy. I got back and he calmed down as soon as he was in my arms.
Now, this whole scenario isn't so much about the details of what happened, as about turning a corner in communication! For months, Levi has been whining and having melt-down after melt-down because he couldn't communicate. He would try and I would try to understand and help him, but often the melt-down would come before he really got across what he was trying to say. But since that night, it has been a complete turn-around! I think I might actually enjoy being a mother of a toddler now! (not that I didn't enjoy most of it already, but it certainly wasn't shaping up to be my favourite of life stages...those tantrums are something else!) Now, even if Levi is in melt-down mode, I can ask him calmly to show me what he wants, and he'll make a honest effort, and most of the time he feels understood! And when he feels understood, even if I say 'no' to him because he can't have what he's asking for, the tears are fewer and he moves on to something else more quickly. Aah. We turned a corner with that one! Whoo-hoo!
In other news, I got a huge stack of crochet magazines this week from one of the women who works at the local post office. She has seen my packages of yarn coming in and my scads of product going out and thought I might be interested in these. The magazines are from the years 1988-1993 and I must say, I had some good laughs. There are a TON of patterns that I want to try (at least a variation of), but some of them...well, why don't I just show you?
And that is that. What an interesting day I had yesterday looking through all these magazines, marking all the patterns that may be of interest. And with that, I'll leave you to carry on your day! Have a good one!
Speaking of sickness, the other night Levi was up coughing and crying. I offered him water and he refused. I tried snuggling and rocking him. He just arched his back and screamed louder. He kept reaching for the door (which he always does when he doesn't want to sleep) so finally I just went with it, like I have before, and left his room. He kept crying and reaching so I just kept following where he led. Once we reached the fridge, he reached for it and I opened it and gave him his milk. He GUZZLED. Like, the world is ending, guzzled. And stopped crying. And then, once he was finished chugging back his milk, he snuggled into my chest and reached the other direction. Seeing as he had led me to what he wanted in the first place, I thought I would just follow his lead again. He led me to our bedroom (the only light on in the house at this point) and I lay down in our bed with him. He just lay there on my chest, perfectly calm and happy (though still the occasional cough). Three minutes earlier he had been a screaming, inconsolable mess and now he was laying on me as though nothing was wrong. I still needed to do a few things before coming to bed so I asked Levi if he could snuggle with Daddy for a few minutes. He shook his head, but he often shakes his head when he hears the "question" tone. He shakes his head 'no' to everything. So I handed him over to Nathan while I went and got ready for bed. He screamed the.entire.time. Apparently he meant what he said when he shook his head 'no' to Daddy. I got back and he calmed down as soon as he was in my arms.
Now, this whole scenario isn't so much about the details of what happened, as about turning a corner in communication! For months, Levi has been whining and having melt-down after melt-down because he couldn't communicate. He would try and I would try to understand and help him, but often the melt-down would come before he really got across what he was trying to say. But since that night, it has been a complete turn-around! I think I might actually enjoy being a mother of a toddler now! (not that I didn't enjoy most of it already, but it certainly wasn't shaping up to be my favourite of life stages...those tantrums are something else!) Now, even if Levi is in melt-down mode, I can ask him calmly to show me what he wants, and he'll make a honest effort, and most of the time he feels understood! And when he feels understood, even if I say 'no' to him because he can't have what he's asking for, the tears are fewer and he moves on to something else more quickly. Aah. We turned a corner with that one! Whoo-hoo!
In other news, I got a huge stack of crochet magazines this week from one of the women who works at the local post office. She has seen my packages of yarn coming in and my scads of product going out and thought I might be interested in these. The magazines are from the years 1988-1993 and I must say, I had some good laughs. There are a TON of patterns that I want to try (at least a variation of), but some of them...well, why don't I just show you?
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| I offered to make this for Nathan (so he could wear it in case his body was cold but arms were not). He's considering it. |
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| Full crochet suit, complete with hat? Yes, please. |
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| Aren't we all hoity-toity, reading a book with perfect posture and shawl tied just so? *hem hem hem* |
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| Ugly Christmas sweater!!! I might just have to make this one...you'll notice that I have it "marked" for future consideration. |
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| Stylish blazer...and bun netting thing...*shudder* |
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| And last but not least...the old becoming new again! Doesn't this vignette look quite "now"? Aside from hanging an afghan on the wall (today it would be wall-paper, another nod back to the 90's). But couldn't that be an Ikea lack table there in front? I may very well make this one. It wouldn't be for our house, but is anyone else interested? As a side-note, I'm pretty sure my dad has those very same book ends... |
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