Sunday, October 3, 2010

3 is a Fun Age!

Hey guys! I'm hoping to get some new pictures posted this week. For right now, though, I wanted to tell you about a couple of cute things that Christa has done/said lately. It is so easy for me to quickly post this stuff on Facebook, but I want a record of it here, too, since I plan to print this blog out as a keepsake one day.

Christa's First Prayer Requests
Fall is Football Season for our family! We didn't get to enjoy the season by actually going to football games last year, because Abby Kate was just a newborn, and we were adjusting to life with 2 kids. This year, however, we are making up for lost time. Both of my girls enjoy the football games (Darlington and the GA Bulldogs). Christa is quite the enthusiastic fan, excitedly yelling, "GO! GO!! GO!! GO!!" whenever a team is running down the field. She sometimes cheers for the wrong team, but cheers at the appropriate times, nonetheless :) Anyway, we were at a football game several weeks ago, and one of the players got injured during the game. Everyone got very quiet as we waited for the player to get up. As time passed by, Christa started asking questions about the player. "Is he hurt?" We explained that he was hurt and that we had to wait to see what happened. Eventually, the player got up and returned to his team. That night, as we were saying our bedtime prayers, Christa said, "talk about... I want you to talk about the football." Cline started off a little confused, but after talking to Christa for a minute more, she said she wanted Cline to pray for the injured football player. She requested this prayer the next night as well. Such a compassionate child!
Last week, we got out the Fall decorations. Christa is fascinated with pumpkins this year, so we have been talking about going to the pumpkin patch. One night, as we were saying our bedtime prayers, Christa also requested special prayers for the pumpkins. "I want you to talk about the pumpkins." We're almost getting the concept :)

Opposites
About a week ago, Cline and Christa somehow got into a discussion about opposites. Cline explained what opposites were, and Christa very quickly caught on to the idea. She can plainly tell you that the opposite of "hot" is "cold." The opposite of "boy" is "girl." The opposite of "big" is "little," etc. Lately, due to my frequent vomiting with the ingestion of meat, we have not been going through very many fast food drive-thrus. Last week, however, I was in a bit of a time crunch, trying to get to church on Sunday evening after waking the girls up from their naps. I had to feed them somehow, so we went to Wendy's, and I told Christa that she could get a happy meal. Christa replied very seriously, "I want a happy meal and a sad meal." I cracked up laughing, and she repeated this request several times. When we got her food, I said, "here's your happy meal." She said, "where's my sad meal?'' :) (I told her I had the sad meal, since I didn't get anything!)

Missing: Yellow Blankie
We found out I was pregnant with Christa in the Fall of 2006. Cline's twin brother and sister-in-law were due with their first child (and the first grandchild) in December of 2006. Trying to be considerate, and not steal any attention away from them, we waited until their baby was born to announce our happy news. We told my parents right before they left on a December trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. While they were there, my mother purchased a precious, yellow, Little Giraffe silk and velvet blankie for our new child. Breaking a few of the SIDS rules, I placed the blankie with Christa while she was sleeping, along with a now-much-loved yellow duck that she was also given before her birth. I quickly bought an identical duck, once I realized she was going to be so attached to it, so that we would have a spare. Despite several attempts, I have never been able to find an identical blankie, so we made do with the one. The rule has always been that she can sleep with duck and blankie in her bed, but she can only have them in her bed. Our second duck lives in the car, and can leave the car only when Christa is being left in a nursery or going to school. This arrangement has worked out wonderfully.
The night before last, Cline and I went out on a date and left the girls with a wonderful babysitter. Christa was napping when we left, but was awake when we returned home. We noticed that she had Abby Kate's pink blankies, but not her yellow one. We searched her bed, and then looked in every drawer, cubby, trash can, and behind every piece of furniture, as well as every other location that could possibly hide a small, silky blankie. After a solid hour of searching, and a couple of late-night phone calls to everyone who had seen Christa that day, we decided that we had looked everywhere we could. Christa fell asleep with Cline snuggling next to her. I frantically searched the internet for a replacement (and a spare this time), and I think I found them. We'll see if they arrive this week.
When blankie still didn't turn up yesterday, I decided to take Christa to a local boutique to see if we could find an acceptable "new" blankie to love. (I'm still hoping the original turns up somewhere - I have sentimental attachment to it!) After looking at several pink, blue, and green silky blankies, the nice lady at the store showed us a soft, cream colored (yellow :) blankie. Christa immediately grabbed the "yellow" blankie, and said she wanted that one. I showed her the other choices to make sure that was the one she wanted, and she curled up the end of the "yellow" blankie in her fist, letting the rest hang down, and said, "look, we can stick our thumb in our mouth like this," demonstrating that this new blankie worked just as well as the old one! It was pretty hilarious, and the nice ladies at the store laughed along with me. She has been very satisfied with her new yellow blankie, so far, and I am one relieved mommy!

Alright, I'm off to church for the evening. Have a great week, and check back for pictures in the next few days!


Monday, September 20, 2010

Eat For A Cause!

Hey guys! My Childhood Cancer Awareness post is a bit late this year, and I apologize. For those of you who don't know, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I have had the privilege of knowing and loving several children who have been affected by this terrible disease, and I continue to keep up with the blogs and websites of even more children and families who I have never met. Most years, these websites have a lot of information about Chili's (restaurant) fundraising efforts and other organizations who are actively raising money for better treatments and cures. This year, however, I am seeing less information about these great organizations and more information about the surprising numbers of children and families who are affected by childhood cancer. Did you know:

*46 kids are diagnosed every day with cancer.
*9 kids die every day from cancer or complications from treatment.
* Only 3% of government funded cancer research goes to pediatrics.
(taken from www.victoryforvictoria.blogspot.com)

I keep a year-round list on the sidebar of worthy charities that you could get involved in, if you are moved to do so. If you're short on time and/or money these days, there is one simple thing you can do to raise awareness AND money to battle this horrible illness. Take your family out to eat next Monday night!! That's right - on Monday, September 27, Chili's will be donating ALL of its profits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Your children will have a chance to color a chili pepper, and for a donation as small as $1, Chili's will proudly display your child's artwork in the restaurant. We colored a pepper tonight in memory of our sweet friend, Victoria, who died of brain cancer at age 8.
As I do every year, I invite anyone who is local (or willing to travel :) to eat dinner with our family at Chili's next Monday. E-mail or Facebook me for more details!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Abby Kate is One!

Hello all! We are doing well over here, and I thought I'd take a few minutes to update this blog. I am officially 12 weeks into the pregnancy, and had a great doctor's appointment on Tuesday. After one final sonogram (until the 20 week one) to follow up on our earlier complications, my doctor has "cleared" me of those complications, and we have every reason to expect that this pregnancy will continue normally until delivery. Praise God! I did not love those early scary moments, but it has been fun to get the frequent ultrasounds. We got to see our little gummy bear jumping around this last time, which was pretty cute!

Abby Kate turned one last Thursday, September 2!! We had a small, family party which was just right! I'm a little partied out for the summer - Cline, Christa, Abby Kate, and I all have summer birthdays, so I'm very happy the new baby is due in March! I don't think I could handle one more party to plan during the summer months! Here are some pictures from the party.

Happy Birthday Girl!

I found this outfit at a local store, and almost didn't get it because I already had a shirt for her. Then, I thought about what cute professional cake pictures that outfit would make, so I rushed back out and bought it. We'll see how those professional pictures turn out!

Getting ready to party!

Christa and I made the cake together. We have always done large parties for Christa, so I have always ordered a cake from a grocery store or baker. This time, I decided to try and make one myself, since we were having a small party. Christa loves to help me bake, so I thought it would be a fun mother-daughter activity. I was right! I didn't save any money, by the time I purchased all of the frosting, ingredients, cake pan, etc., but we had fun making it!

Abby Kate devoured an entire cupcake... and started in on a second one!

Christa had her first ballet practice on Tuesday. She is so excited to be a ballerina, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that a good friend of ours is in her class!

Have a great week!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Happy 1st Birthday Abby Kate!!

Dear Abber-Dabbers,

One year ago today, I had not gotten much sleep the night before! Despite our attempts to meet you on September 1, you decided to do your own thing and entered the world at 5:12 am on September 2. That extra 5 hours and 12 minutes will delay Kindergarten for you one whole year!!! (I'm really happy that you'll get to be home an extra year!!) As with your big sister, I had a great delivery with you (after a bit of a rocky start) and a great doctor who took amazing care of both of us!
Our first days home were a little rough. You wanted to nurse constantly, and wouldn't sleep at all unless someone was holding you. We found out after almost a week that my milk supply hadn't come in, and so you were not getting what you needed! You were so sweet and good-natured about the whole thing. You didn't cry a lot, as long as you were being held. I'd always been told that a baby will not let him/herself starve. That statement wasn't true for you, my dear, and it took me several long months, and a couple of stressful doctor's visits to figure out that I should just feed you often because you don't cry when you're hungry!
You were sooooo snuggly for the first few months. You and I spent many sweet hours rocking in the rocking chair and snuggling in bed. A few days after you came home, I was so tired, so I got in bed and snuggled you right next to my face. You looked so incredibly peaceful and content to be so close to me. That is one of my favorite memories! You ended up sleeping just like that for about 6 months, once I learned that was the only way I was going to get any sleep. You liked to grab and touch my right hand while I was holding you with my left, and it comforted you so easily during those early days
Your big sister loved (loves) you sooooo much, and was so fascinated by everything you did. I learned quickly that I had to watch her constantly when you were in a place where she could get to you. She thought it was perfectly fine to sit on top of you or poke you in they eye. She also liked to bring you toys and bounce you, sometimes a little too roughly, in your bouncer. She loved it when you sneezed and would laugh and say "more please sneeze."
You learned how to smile very quickly - around 5 weeks. You haven't stopped smiling since! Getting great pictures of you has been so easy. You have a huge smile, just like your daddy, and some of the people who help in the church nurseries called you "the happiest baby in the world."
You started rolling over around 3 1/2 months. It was a happy, happy day when you could roll over to your tummy. I tried hard to follow the SIDS guidelines and make you sleep on your back, but you would have none of that. As soon as you go into the crib, you immediately turn to your stomach.
You started crawling and sitting up between 6 1/2 and 7 months. I was afraid you would start walking shortly after that, as quickly as you caught onto moving around. You didn't, though, and now I think I'm ready for you to. It's getting hard to take Christa outside, because you want to get down on the ground! You got a little less snuggly after you could move around and are a lot more active! You don't sit still for a second now, which makes diaper/clothes changes a back-breaking and exhausting job! You smile so much, though, that it makes it hard to get frustrated with you for being so squirmy.
You try hard to keep up with your big sister, and would much rather play with her toys than your baby toys. You're not walking yet, but you can stand for a few seconds by yourself. You climb the stairs in no time at all if I forget to close the gate, and if I catch you in the act, you laugh and climb faster. You eat "big-people food," and like to feed yourself, which is such a mess. You can say a few words: "Daddy," "Ma-ma," "Boo," "Go," and "Ba-Ba" (whatever that means)! Daddy recently taught you how to bark like a dog, and you are so cute mimicking him. Christa is still crazy about you, and often claps and says, "Good job, Abby Kate," when you do something well. Last week, Daddy and I thought you were happily playing together on the kitchen floor. When we took a closer look, we realized that you and Christa were having a ball spreading a can of powdered formula around the floor, and you were eating it by the fist-full with a huge smile on your face. It was really hilarious, but I chose not to grab the camera, because I was afraid it would contradict Daddy's effort at discipline:)
You and I just started taking Kindermusik classes together. I love this time to give you my undivided attention for a little while - it's not something that happens often. At our first class, I wondered if I should switch you to gymnastics because all you wanted to do was crawl around and do your own thing. You did really well at your second class, though, and smiled through the songs and activities.
You have added so much joy to our family! We definitely wouldn't be complete without you. It hasn't been the easiest year ever, and I don't think I fully understood true exhaustion until I began parenting two children. But I know that these sweet days will not last forever, and I am treasuring every moment that I get to attempt to keep up with you, even if I'm a tired mess at the end of the day! I love that you and your sister are both girls, and the 26 month age difference has been wonderful. I am having a great time dressing you in matching dresses and cute, girly outfits and watching you play together. Your sweet smile has lifted my spirits on many occasions, and still can't believe how laid back you are. You definitely didn't get that trait from me, but I'm trying to learn from it.

I love you, sweet angel.

Mommy

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

A Few Quick Pictures

Hey guys! Just a few quick pictures to catch up. I'm working on getting ready for Abby Kate's birthday tomorrow, so not much time. I'll have a post on that tomorrow!

Ready for Ballet - this was the day we bought her leotard and ballet slippers. She wouldn't wear anything else for at least a week, and insisted on being referred to as "Ballerina."


1st Day of School


Abby Kate had a few moments to play with the toys by herself the other day while Christa was at school. She was so sweet, putting the baby doll up to her chest and hugging it. She is getting so big!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Hello Again, Porcelain Throne

After a couple of weeks of surprising comfort, I'm getting to know the local toilets quite well these days. I'm thinking that maybe I shouldn't have been bragging about this being "the best pregnancy yet" so much! The weird thing is that I have an appetite. With my past pregnancies, weeks 6-10 were filled with toast, cheese, chips, Ginger Ale, and not much else. This time, almost everything still sounds good, and tastes good..... for a little while.
This leads me to two possible conclusions:

1. This baby is another girl.
2. This baby is a boy, and I have no hope of ever having a nice, easy, comfortable pregnancy!

I'm so glad I have a helpful husband who doesn't mind me indulging in extra rest time these days!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Happy 30th Birthday Cline!!

Cline turned the big 3-0 on July 23!! We celebrated for a whole weekend in Blue Ridge, complete with sorority-style T-shirts! Cline's mother arranged for the whole family, including brothers, brothers' families/girlfriends, parents, and grandparents to stay in a cozy cabin. It was great to have one whole side of the family together for such a long time. Christa had a blast with her cousins, and Abby Kate had a blast figuring out various ways to climb up the gateless stairs! The young adults had a great time tubing down the river and watching the kids play together. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Cline and Chas celebrating their 30th birthday with their favorite - Coca-Cola cake. Can you tell which one is Cline?

Helping Daddy open presents!

Christa and the newest baby cousin with Uncle Cleve, Angel, and Laura!

Abby Kate was 11 months old on August 2!