Sweet Surprises

Before I get to the heart of today's post, I'd like to apologize for the following recent transgressions on my part:

1. Writing this in my May 30th post:

"Apparently, I am in the middle of a new wave of everyone I know having babies at one time! It's such a pity that my children will not have any kids their own age to play with, as I will not be joining any of you any time soon."

2. Signing up for insurance that mandates a 12 month waiting period for maternity coverage, in a futile effort to save a few bucks.

3. Smugly making this comment to a highly fertile friend:

"I don't know if I'd risk going without maternity coverage on your insurance if I were you. I mean, that sort of thing would work fine for Cline and I, but *you're* taking quite a risk."

4. Doubting the commonly held sentiment: "When God closes a door, He opens a womb." Oh wait... it's "window." Hmmm... what's that condition some females have that can cause memory problems and clumsiness (not a good combination when you're trying to pack a house - I'm just saying)... think it lasts about 9 months??

5. Painting the closest room to our bedroom bright pink, thinking Christa would be the only one using it for a while.

6. Wondering how in the world my sister-in-law was going to take care of a newborn and a toddler all the time, and thinking she'd never be able to leave the house with her hair still intact.

7. Telling Cline that I've gotten used to driving a baby around in a sedan, so maybe we should hold off on the minivan for a couple of years, until some new technology improves the fuel efficiency.

8. Recently telling a pregnant friend who has a 4 year old, "I like your style. I think I'll space my kids out, too. Three to four years sounds like the way to go for me!"

9. Applying to go on an intense 6-day mission trip this fall, thinking that this might be a good year to guarantee that I would be neither pregnant nor breastfeeding.

10. FINALLY dropping 5 pounds of post-pregnancy weight after months and months of trying.

So, just in case you haven't figured it out, already (or you're pretty oblivious like I am and like to have things spelled out for you), Christa is going to be a big sister soon! We received this sweet news Father's Day weekend. We are thrilled - shocked and thrilled! We are extremely thankful that God has chosen to bless us with such a wonderful gift in his perfect timing. We can't wait to meet "Teeny-Bear" as we affectionately call him or her. I haven't been to the doctor, yet, but we think the due date is around February 22. We announced the happy news at Christa's party on her birthday video. The video showed clips of her first year, set to music, and "credits" scrolled through at the end - i.e. dates and ages she hit various milestones. The final credit read "You're going to make a GREAT big sister!!!"

So... I guess... Shout-out to ME!!

I'll post party pictures soon. A great time was had by all, and Christa did incredibly well, considering she refused her afternoon nap due to all the excitement with the packing. Gotta run - lots of unpacking to do.

Happy 1st Birthday, "Gusta-Bear"!!!

Dear Gusta-Bear (our nickname for Christa),

I waited a long time to meet you. I am one of those girls who has wanted to be a mom since I was literally 5 years old. One year ago today, I finally got to hold you in my arms.

Our first day together was perfect. The hospital you were born at was wonderful with excellent doctors, nurses, and even food. Nothing hurt - not the IV, or the contractions, or even the epidural. I had been so scared leading up to your birthday, but when it finally arrived, the only thing I felt was excitement and joy. Pure joy. You were beautiful the moment you were born, even with the red forceps line across your eye. You were so tiny and cuddly, and easily soothed with some tender holding. I wanted you to stay like that forever.

Then I blinked, and you were two weeks old. I'd broken most of the rules I'd set for myself before becoming a parent. You slept in our bed a few nights, even though I said I'd never do that. I freaked out every time someone tried to give you a pacifier, even though I thought I'd want you to have one. Your favorite place to sleep was on Mommy or Daddy's tummy. And I wanted you to stay like that forever.

I blinked again, and you were 7 weeks old. You started sleeping through the night, which only increased my love for you :). Your smile was beautiful. You had "milk teeth" - little indentations in your gums that looked like teeth imprints. It was so funny to see you smile at us. I wanted to keep you like that forever.

Then you were 4 months old. Looking back, that was one of my favorite ages for you so far. We had our eating and sleeping routine down pat, and I was feeling more comfortable in my role as a mom. I was able to cut my daily phone calls to your doctor down to every other day, and felt free to make plans without obsessing over your nap schedule. You laughed the hardest at Daddy, but seemed to appreciate Mommy's efforts at entertaining you. You had your bouncer friends who you kicked and looked at for hours. I wanted you to stay that way forever.

All of a sudden, you were 8 months old. You'd learned to roll across the room, sit up, and jump around in your jumper. You started to babble, saying "ba-ba" and "da-da." I wondered if you'd ever grow any hair, and gave up temporarily, on my efforts to make you wear bows. You were a little less cuddly, and would only sleep by yourself in a crib, but we could occasionally wrangle a sweet kiss from you. I wanted to keep you that way forever.

I blinked and you were 10 months old. You had a mouth full of real teeth and a huge toothy grin. You started crawling, saying "ma-ma", and pulling yourself up on things. You developed a little attitude, and would quickly let us know if we stopped reading to you before you were ready to be done or tried to cut a song short. You started rejecting all baby food, insisted on feeding yourself and examining each bite carefully, before accepting it into your mouth. You finally started growing some blond hair, which still shocks Mommy, since my hair has always been so dark. Your hair was beautiful, and you were beautiful. Strangers would come up to us and say how gorgeous you were. I wanted you to stay that way forever.

Today, you're one year old. You love to clap your hands and stick out your tongue. I call you my little lizard because you're always sticking your tongue out back and forth, like a lizard does. You're still a great sleeper. You love the song "If You're Happy and You Know It" and the book "Baby Einstein's Mirror Me." You pretend to be bashful with strangers, snuggling into Mommy or Daddy and laughing when they come up to you. Then you look up at them and do it all over again, like a fun game. You don't walk yet, but you cruise and crawl all over the place. You're a pretty picky eater, but will eat anything off of the floor that isn't supposed to be edible. When I get on to you, you laugh and rush to put more in your mouth. I can't help but laugh at you. I wish I could keep you this way forever. But so far you just keep getting better and better. And since I don't have a choice in the matter anyhow, I guess I'll just look forward to knowing you at age 2, and 5, and 16, and 21, and 50.

Happy birthday, my sweet little angel.

I love you,

Mommy

What's that Glimmer??

If I squint really hard, and ignore the sea of boxes flooding my carpet, I can see the faintest bit of light at the end of this long moving tunnel! I'm starting to think I just might make it to the other side of this state with all of our junk in tow as a sane and capable adult instead of the crabby, exhausted, whiny lady I was starting to become. I'm starting to think that if the stars line up properly, I might not have to go find any more moving boxes, and I might not smash our phone to bits in a fit of frustration while trying to tell a thousand "automated systems" our new contact information.
We have a busy couple of days still ahead of us with one year pictures scheduled for tomorrow, putting the finishing touches on the packing and party-planning on Friday, loading the truck and actually having Christa's party on Saturday, and driving and unloading the truck on Sunday. If I play my remaining cards right, we just might get through the weekend without the superhuman strength and energy that I was sure would be required.
Those of you who can come to the party, we can't wait to see you! Those of you who have better things to do that day, well, I'm not bitter, but I'm not happy with you, either :) Just kidding. Love to you all!!

Shout-Out to Cline (and all the other 2008 graduates)!!

Hello all! Yes, I know I just posted yesterday, but I wanted to go ahead and share some pictures from Cline's residency graduation last night. It was very nice, held downtown at the City Club. The food was delicious, and Cline's whole family was able to come down and celebrate with us, making the evening extra special!

With 3 babies in the family now, it's nearly impossible to catch a picture with all 3 of them looking at the camera... especially when it's past bedtime!

Cline was honored and surprised to receive 2 awards - a Professionalism award, and the nurse's pick for Outstanding Resident honor. (Aunt Patti, the dress you got for Christa looked really cute - thanks!)

After the dinner and ceremony, Cline was ecstatic to open his joint gift from both our parents - a new Weber grill! It was a little hard to transport, so he had to settle for a picture. Thank you, so much, parents - he's been talking about having a grill non-stop for 3 years!! (They aren't allowed at our apartment complex). Thank you again to everyone who made this event so special!

Off to pack more boxes!

Cheap and Wimpy...

...the perfect combination when planning a move!

Christa got her daddy a special grilling apron and a gift certificate to Allen Brothers Steaks. Cline's hoping to get a new grill for graduation - for some reason, he thinks 9 years of schooling warrants a nice gift - go figure!

Hello all! Here are a couple of belated Father's Day pictures that I finally got to download. I just noticed that in the bottom picture, especially, Christa doesn't even look like a baby anymore. Wow. Everyone is right - the time goes by fast! She's been in quite the mood the past couple of days - very fussy and clingy. To make matters worse, I am one of *those* parents who can't discipline her child because she thinks every single thing her kid does is the most adorable thing ever accomplished. I try to be firm, and Christa laughs at me, so I can't resist smiling back at her. I'm in trouble!

We are winding things down here. I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Ten days from now, somehow, my house will be packed, the truck will be loaded, Christa's birthday will be taken care of, and Cline will be an official residency graduate. I'm trying so hard not to rush through it all, but I am sooooo tired. I took two naps today, and it didn't make a dent in my energy level. I especially tried to remind myself that this move will be over soon when I had this conversation with the Kroger staff:

Me: Hi nice Kroger man. Since you throw away a thousand great moving boxes a day, and I am in need of a thousand great moving boxes, I was wondering how I might go about getting my hands on some of those bad boys.

Him: Call back after 10 p.m. Ask the night manager to save some for you.

Me: OK, will do. Thanks for your help.... (I purposely stay up past 11 for good measure) Hi nice night manager person. Could you save some good moving boxes for me? I can come anytime you tell me tomorrow to pick them up.

Him: Call back between 5am and 6am, and they will hold some boxes for you.

Me: You realize that is going to shave at least a good hour or to of precious, needed sleep for me, don't you?? But if that's what I need to do to get some free boxes, I am that cheap.... (I set my alarm and drag my exhausted behind to over to the phone.) Hi nice morning Kroger person, please tell me you have the greatest moving boxes ever known waiting for me to pick up.

Him: Hmmm.. I think they've all been crushed. Let me check, hold on... Um, yeah, that memo didn't get passed onto us. Call back tonight, and we'll be sure to save some for you tomorrow.

Me: You're telling me that I've called 3 times, stayed up late, and woken up early, and none of you saved my boxes for me???

And then I had this exact same conversation with the nice people at Publix. At which point, I hit the liquor stores.... and scored 3 boxes... 3 small boxes. I need a new strategy. I think it involves a credit card and a moving company.

On the bright side, my mother-in-law so kindly went to the house and checked out the new paint. She said it looks fabulous, which was a relief. When I drove to Rome to pick the color last week, the samples on the walls did not look good at all. But 3 professionals assured me that the final color would be a good one, so I trusted them. It sounds like that was a good choice!

It's Father's Day, and I'm Tired of Packing

Good evening all! Hope all the dad's had a good Father's Day today. I'd like a moment to say a special Happy Father's Day to my own father, since I didn't call him today. I thought about calling him, but I was given strict instructions to only call if there was an emergency. He and my mom are living the high life on an Alaskan cruise this week in celebration of their 35th wedding anniversary. So, I decided to be a terrible, but obedient daughter by not making him pay $9.00 a minute to talk to me.
We had a fantastic Father's Day here. We went to church, ate lunch at P.F. Chang's, took an afternoon nap (I'm not sure what it is about Sundays, but those are the best naps), and swam with Christa for a little while. I packed more boxes, and the more I packed, the more I realized how much I have to do in the next 2 weeks. I think it's taking me so long because I am a bit OCD, and I have to re-pack each box about 3 times before I decide that I have sufficiently maximized my space and simultaneously guaranteed that if the box were dropped off of the Empire State Building, its contents would remain intact. It's kind of like doing that middle school egg project about 500 times. That one where you have to put an egg in a decorated shoebox and drop it off the roof. If the egg breaks, you fail and if not, you pass.
Well, I'm off to bed to rest for another day of packing and chasing Christa around, whose new favorite past time is eating the cardboard boxes all over the apartment. She knows she's being bad, because when I look at her, she gives me a guilty smile and rushes to cram more cardboard in before I take it away. It's pretty funny. I tried to download some new pictures to no avail, so I'll try again later. Have a great day!

Pasta and Pool Time

My girl's a pasta lover, just like her mom. She ate and ate and ate the lasagna, but good grief, it took forever to clean up!

We took her out to the pool for the first time today. The water felt great - very refreshing, since we've been having temperatures in the 100s lately.

Just a few quick pictures this post. The link I posted in the previous post is no longer working for some reason. I'll re-post it again, if it becomes available. Off to pack more boxes - yes it is nearly 10 pm. No, I did not get that nap today. (Although I did have great play time with my family at the pool, so I guess I can't say too much).

Shout-out to Uncle Jack!

Hello all! No, my Uncle Jack is not expecting a baby, although that would be blog-worthy news at the very least, wouldn't it? Rather, we would like to officially congratulate him on being a published author! Uncle Jack (my uncle) is a Lutheran pastor, and wrote an article about their family's experience with my cousin's brain tumor several years ago. The piece has been published in a Christian magazine and can be viewed here: http://www.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?ContentID=333&IssueID=23.
We have been running like crazy people the last week. I suppose it will be that way until we get moved and settled. I have a 2 page typed list of things that need to be done and places I need to call around the time of the move. I learned yesterday that we're probably going to have to go ahead and paint the whole interior of the house. We had originally planned to leave what the previous owners had, and paint in a few years once we had the funds and a better sense of our decor style. My painter, who painted Christa's nursery and bathroom (and did a beautiful job from the pictures I've seen), attempted to touch up some rough areas on a few of the walls. As it turns out, the previous owners had repainted a wall here and there, and failed to get an exact match on the color and finish. So the house is full of varying shades and types of paint - almost impossible to match. This caused a bit of stress for me, yesterday, as this is a project and expense that I wasn't counting on, and I don't have the first clue what color to paint the downstairs. It's a pretty open floor plan, so I'm stuck with a lot of ugly color if I get it wrong. The bright side, though, is that the green color that's on the walls now, doesn't really match our stuff. So, I've asked my very generous friend who has redecorated a couple of her homes over the years, and whose style I very much like, to go over to the house, pick a color that will go with anything and look good covering a lot of wall space, and I'll be surprised on moving day! After a de-stressing Mexican lunch yesterday, I'm really excited to decorate the house, now that I'm not limited by the trendy, but not 100% our style green walls. And I can't complain at all - this is the first hang-up we've had during this whole house buying process. (Well, that and my parents discovered yesterday that the house has a different lock for each door, and we only have keys to 2 of them! Not sure how we're going to fix that one yet - change all the locks to match??)
At any rate, we're still having a blast, but I could use a nap :) Gotta go get ready for church. I'll try to post some new pictures in the next few days.

If A=B and B=C...

... then are we the most beautiful people in the world??

Hello all! So, we were in a mattress store today, exploring the possibility of upgrading our sleeping arrangements, when the sales associate commented that Christa looks a lot like the famous Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. (Shiloh is the 2 year old daughter of the tabloid-proclaimed most gorgeous couple ever, Brangelina). I must confess that I have mentally noted a resemblance between our two kiddos, myself. In fact I almost posted a blurb on this blog with side-by-side photos a few weeks ago, comparing the two babies. However, not wanting to be bragadocious, and humbly realizing I'm a biased mother, so of course my I think my child is the most beautiful baby in the world, I decided to keep that thought to myself. Now that a perfect stranger has pointed it out, though, I think that gives me full liberty to repeat HER observation. If you want to decide for yourself, here's what Christa looks like:


And click http://mykiru.blogspot.com/2007/05/shiloh-jolie-pitts-1st-birthday.html (and scroll down a little) to see pictures of little Shiloh. (I don't know how to do that handy hyperlink override thingy, and I think it's illegal to post other people's pictures of famous tots. Since I don't personally know Shiloh and don't live in Zimbabwe or wherever, I don't think I'll be snapping any of my own anytime soon). If the link doesn't work for some reason, then Google "Shiloh's first birthday" or check out the celebrity magazines at your local grocery store, and you'll easily find lots of pictures.

So then, if Christa looks like the "most genetically blessed baby on the planet" (can't remember where I read that), then does that mean her mother looks like Angelina Jolie and her father looks like Brad Pitt?? I'm just saying.

Is Anybody Out There Still Reading This Thing?

Hello all! OK, so I know it's the summertime and y'all are all probably out there with your busy busy lives enjoying your own families and all, but I've noticed my comments have dropped off recently. And, at the risk of sounding desperate and needy, I have to ask, "don't you like me anymore?" There - I did it. I begged for comments. End pathetic moment.

Ah-hem... cool, secure Jessica here saying that Christa has learned some new tricks over the weekend, despite her ongoing fever. It got up to 103.7 on Saturday, so I made Cline call his friends in the pediatric ER, and they said that there is a bug going around that causes pretty high fevers so we should just watch her. Yesterday, she seemed better. I didn't really take her temperature, because she acted more like herself and didn't feel warm to touch. But today, it's 101.4 - better, but the 4th day of being sick, so we'll be seeing her pediatrician in about an hour.

I did manage to snap some cute pictures of her new tricks last night, so here they are for your viewing pleasure. And, you know, if you feel like it, drop a comment... or not... whatever... it's cool.

She's waving bye-bye:

And she's clapping her hands:

And she's analyzing her food very carefully:

"Which cheerio do I eat next? Ahhhhh - the pressure!!"