Weekend Review

We've had a good weekend and got to soak up some wonderful time with family and friends.  David and I even went out on a lunch date just the two of us as a belated birthday celebration for him.  Given our recent loss, the time spent with loved ones was just what we needed.  We packed the three days as full as we could, but had to miss a farewell cookout for sweet friends that are moving.  So sorry SR and CS!  I hope it was a wonderful day for y'all!

Please continue to pray for us this week as we make arrangements for my grandmother's funeral that is set for next weekend.  Pray that we stay strong, healthy, and safe as we travel around town and work out the details.  

On a lighter note, I'll leave you with some of my favorite quotes from this weekend:

David (who was trying to get me to quit obsessing about something for Audrey's birthday party):  "Better is the enemy of good enough."  

Me:  "Um, no.  The saying is 'Good is the enemy of great.'"  Sometimes I don't think our personalities could be more opposite.

~~~~~~~

Me, as David was cutting up watermelon for Audrey:  "That'll be good.  She needs some more water.  And I'm pretty sure watermelon is like 80% water.  Or maybe that's the human body.  Or maybe it's the earth.  One of the three is definitely 80% water."

~~~~~~~

Audrey, who was sitting in a buggy while she and David waited on me to make a return.  She yelled across the store to get my attention:  "Momma!"  Be still my heart. 

New pictures are up in the gallery.  There is a May 2010 album and an Audrey's Eleventh Month album.  Enjoy!

Thankful Thursday

After taking a turn for the worst on Monday, my grandmother was sent to the ER and then spent two days in ICU.  Slowly, her kidneys started to fail and she became septic.  Yesterday, she went home.  Not to her earthly home, but to heaven.  There she has no more pain, no more dementia, and no more broken-down body.  She went home to her Lord and her husband and dozens more family and friends that went before her.  We are grieving our loss, but we are celebrating her victory.  We are thankful for the life she lived and the time she had with us - the time she had with all three great grandchildren.  We will never fully comprehend the impact she had on our lives.  Her fierce love will be felt for generations to come.

In addition to being thankful for her life, I am also so grateful for my husband today.  He is celebrating his 29th birthday!  I couldn't ask for a better person to have in my corner.  Happy Birthday, babe!

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord."  Job 1:21  

God's grace is abundant. 

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  Ephesians 3:20-21

Thankful Thursday

1.  A new phone!  After my three year old Motorola Razor died, I decided to upgrade to something a bit more modern.  And, because I feel that if you're going to do something you should do it right, I went with an iPhone.  It's nice to be a part of 2010.

2. Entertaining.  Today my house was full of women and infants/toddlers and I couldn't have been happier.  I love to play hostess, though I don't get to do it as often as I would like.

3.  Warnings and second chances.  I may or may not have been pulled over for speeding yesterday.  Let's just say I was.  Then let's just say I'm thankful for a certain police officer who decided to let me off with a warning.  (And no, I didn't cry, beg, or lie.  He was just that nice.)  Hypothetically speaking, of course.

4.  New brakes.  I'm not thankful for the amount of money we had to shell out for the work, but I am grateful for the job they'll do.  Especially given #3 above.

5.  Nose prints on the glass.  Last night David was cutting the grass and Audrey was mesmerized watching him out the window.  She would wave and squeal every time he passed.  I was in the kitchen cooking dinner and realized he had moved on to the backyard but she had been patiently waiting at the front for him to come back.  For about 5 minutes.  Melt my heart.  I moved her to the back door to continue watching.  She loved it.

Thankful Thursday

I'm a little late, but I wanted to share what an awesome first Mother's Day I had.  I got to spend some time by myself on Saturday, which was very much needed.  (I enjoyed it so much, I think I'm going to instate a "day-off" each year on the day before Mother's Day.)  

On Saturday night, David's parents came over for dinner and spent some time hanging out.  On Sunday, David went out and got me an Einstein Brothers bagel and coffee for breakfast, which was delicious.  Then he Audrey gave me a sweet card, a gorgeous locket, and an "I love you Mom" mug.  We spent time relaxing together, went to the park, and ended the day with David grilling us hamburgers.  Perfection.

On another note, thank you for your thoughts and prayers about my grandmother.  She was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday and is settling in to a short-term rehab facility.  She is making good progress, so keep lifting her up!

In addition to a wonderful Mother's Day and my grandmother's recovery, here are a few other things I'm thankful for this week:

1.  Family.  I know they've made the list quite a few times, but they're just that awesome.  Both sides.  Whether it's binding together over a tough situation or helping each other out, our families show up when it counts.  I have no doubt that they'd show up with a kidney or bail money if I needed it and that means a lot. 

2.  Baby doll hugs.  David's mom taught Audrey to give her baby doll a hug and it is the cutest thing ever.  Sometimes the hugs are a little violent, but it's the thought that counts, right?

3.  David getting to play golf.  He got in a round with his grandfather one afternoon this week and I'm happy for him.  He enjoys it a lot, but rarely gets the chance to go these days.  It was a beautiful afternoon, and I'm glad he and his grandfather got to spend the time together.  It was also wonderful to see his grandparents soak up some time with AJ.  I'm sure it won't be long before they have her out there on the golf course with them.

4. Pizza Hut pepperoni pan pizza.  Yum-o.  Not so much on the diet plan, but it's a great treat.

5.  Weatherchannel.com.  Especially now that I've got a Little One to dress appropriately!

Have a great weekend!

The News at 10.5 Months

As usual, I'm long overdue for updating everyone on what's been up with AJ lately.  At ten and half months, she is learning so much so quickly that I don't even know where to begin!  She understands and recognizes quite a few words now:  ball, train, toes, duck, outside, truck, cheese, cheerios....I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting.  "No" is of course a big one, though she's already not a fan of hearing it.  She's got a little temper in her for sure.  Apparently, in addition to large thighs, I passed that onto her as well.  Poor baby.

She says "Momma" and "Da-da", though still not necessarily at us.  However, while David was out of town last week, she pointed to his side of the bed, looked at me, and said "Da-da?"  Broke my heart.

She also says "B" when she sees her ball, but she says it a lot of other times, too.  It won't be long before she's talking up a storm (in coherent language, that is.  There is no shortage of "talking!")

We're trying to teach her to follow simple statements such as "Roll the ball" or "Brush Mommy's hair" or "Wave" (she definitely has that one down.  She waves at everything!).  If we say "Go get your truck" or "Go get your ball", she'll crawl over to it and hold it.  She is a professional crawler now and can get to where she wants to be almost faster than I can catch her.  She still loves pulling up on everything, with little regard to whether it's stable enough.  She has had a few bumps and bruises, which I'm sure will be the norm for awhile.  

The other day I was getting her dressed and she actually held her arms up and ducked her head down for me to put her shirt on.  I know that sounds like such a simple thing, but it's a big deal to see how much they take in!

She still loves peek-a-boo and looking at herself in mirrors.  Her favorite toys are now a little baby doll her Great-Grandma gave her, her ball, a toy phone, and certain books.  We have worn a path in the carpet from her pushing her little shopping cart walker.  She gets so excited and almost starts running with her little head in the lead.

She doesn't have a "lovey" yet that she can't live without, and frankly, I'm not trying to introduce one.  If she develops an attachment on her own, that's fine, but I don't want to have to begin tearing the house apart looking for a certain stuffed animal every time we leave.

She is a trooper on long walks or jogs and loves the breeze blowing in her face.  She tolerates my errands pretty well and is such a people-watcher and so observant.  Of course, everywhere we go takes extra time now because everyone wants to stop and talk to her.  I can't say I blame them...she is so darn cute. 


She is getting frustrated with being spoon fed, so I know our days are numbered before I'll have to start preparing more of her food instead of just popping open jars.  Rats.  It won't be long after that, though, that she'll be able to eat whatever we eat.  Of course, that will also require more work on my part to cook more often!

Other stories of late:

• We were having a particularly rough afternoon while David was gone.  She was throwing a fit because I wouldn't walk her around or pick her up.  I just let her lay on the floor and cry while I finished folding the laundry.  When she'd stopped crying, I picked her up and said "Okay, let's go downstairs and play with some toys.  Before we do, let's find Mommy's cell phone so I can call 9-1-1 after I kill you."  I kid you not, she started laughing.  God's grace, right?!

• After I fed her dinner one night I was cleaning off her highchair tray over the sink.  It was quiet on the other side of the bar, but since there was no crying, I decided to take 20 seconds and finish what I was doing.  I walked around the corner and saw her sitting there eating from the pile in the floor I'd swept up but hadn't put in the dustpan yet.  It was mostly her food, but still...ick.

•  She has chewed the heck out of her crib rails.  I remember registering for the guard, but we didn't get it and I didn't think about it again.  Until, that is, I turned on the light in her room one day (it mostly stays dark in there) and saw the damage she'd done.  It looks like a beaver got loose!  Since it's a convertible crib that will eventually become her head and foot boards, we really should have taken better precautions.  As one friend put it, it'll make for fond memories later.  Sure, a couple of memories would have been nice, but this is more like structural damage.  I just hope the stain is non-toxic.  I'll post pics in the next album.

I think that's all the update I've got for now.  Stay tuned for more and the latest pictures.  

We are just loving watching her change and grow everyday and there is never a dull moment in our house (no matter how much we long for one!)  

Thankful Thursday

This week has had some real highs and lows and I must admit I'm glad that it's almost over.  Last Saturday night, my grandmother fell and broke her hip.  They finally got her levels where they needed to be and operated on her yesterday.  To prepare for her discharge, we've been researching and touring rehab/assisted living facilities and are overwhelmed at this new uncharted territory.  Please keep her in your thoughts in the coming days and weeks.  The road to recovery is going to be tough and full of difficult decisions for our family. 

The upside was that David got back in town on Tuesday after a two week business trip in Israel.  It was such a relief to have my partner and main support system home!  During the time he was gone, I had a grand total of four hours of help - once for a trip to the doctor, then an afternoon at the dentist and Babies' R Us.  (For which I'm very grateful to my mother for!)  Needless to say, though, it was an intense two weeks solo-parenting.  The grace of God, and His continuous outpouring of patience into me, brought us through.

With all that's going on with my family, we haven't had much time to catch up as a couple or a family.  I'm hoping that this weekend will allow us a chance to do that.  Not to mention my first official Mother's Day! 

Here is this week's list:

1.  My grandmother's progress thus far...and so many other things about this tough situation.  The fall could have been worse.  She could have taken longer to stabilize.  She could have had a doctor who rushed her into surgery or made a mistake in the OR.  She could have had terrible nurses.  Instead, God has watched over her and, albeit slowly, she is moving in the right direction.
 

2.  David's support.  Once again, he amazes me with his quiet strength.  He walked in the door on Tuesday after a red-eye international flight and with major jet lag and took over as Mr. Mom.   The past few days he has really stepped up to the plate for us and taken care of Audrey so I could step up for my family.  

3. Chocolate chip cookies.  I'm quite the connoisseur of the selection at fast food restaurants and have made the rounds of my favorites this past week.  Can you say emotional eating?! 

4.  Being a mommy to the best kid in the world.  Really, she is amazing.  There is no better feeling than watching her face light up when I walk in a room - even if I've only been gone for a minute or two.  I know I'm overdue for an update and I hope to have a moment to write one soon.  She just gets cuter with each passing day and I'm so blessed to have such a healthy, sweet baby girl.

5.  My mom, mother-in-law, grandmothers, grandmothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and all the other mommies out there who have done or are doing the hardest job on earth:  Motherhood!  Enjoy your special day, ladies!