Noodles and Milk

Hi peeps. One of my BFF's, Sabrina, has an awesome Etsy shop called Noodles and Milk. She recently made a little outfit and a lovie for Annabeth and I was blown away by not only the cuteness, but also the quality of it all. I sat there holding it, going "Sabrina made this?" I'm so proud of my friend! She believed God to provide for her to stay home with her daughter when she was born and He's been doing that through her Etsy shop. Our friend Bethany (we all went to high school together) is hosting a Noodles and Milk giveaway right now. Hop over and see. The first picture listed is something she made for Annabeth. Bethany has a super cute Etsy shop called Love September. Right now she has a onesie that says "Blog This." So fun.

Okay, I realized that I can't wait for Curtis to get home every day and then I spend a lot of the evening messing around on the computer instead of enjoying him. So this week I'm going to turn off my computer when he gets home and hopefully keep it off. I might even go to bed before midnight. Shocker! By the way, Annabeth Ellen Jones, one day shy of 8 weeks old, slept 8 hours straight last night. Woo hoo!

People You've Prayed For

I feel like I'm swimming in grace this week. Curt went to California for a couple of days to speak at California Baptist University's chapel services and I never lost my mind or even came close. That was only the Lord. Also, guess who got to pick a Hot Wheel out of the treasure box at school today? Mr. Jackson Jones. And I just happened to be the one picking him up today. Sweet redemption.

I've had a link on this blog for a long time that says Pray for Coy. Coy was born at just 23 weeks gestation...and at this moment he is a happy and thriving one year old boy. He is an absolute miracle in every sense of the word. I grew up with Coy's Aunt Jenny and they have one of the neatest extended families I've ever seen. I never knew his sweet mommy until last summer when we got to do the No Other Gods Bible study together. Ann Marie is precious. She's also 18 weeks pregnant with a baby girl and already having some worrisome symptoms of pre-term labor. I wanted to let you know about this because many of you prayed for Coy while he was in the hospital. (He has been home exactly one year.) I thought you might also like to pray for his sister.

Also, little baby Cole Cattan, whom I mentioned here and here, is doing really well. Praise the Lord! His parents set up a Caring Bridge page and I also have a link to that in case you want to keep up with and pray for him. His parents are friends of ours from Sunday school. On the day the Cattan twins were born, we were at church. We had some major prayer needs in our class at that time, so we spent that morning in prayer for two couples. During that time we got word that Ali and Cy's babies had been born. I absolutely lost it, y'all. I was sitting there with my huge belly at 37 weeks pregnant and I was perfectly fine. And my sweet friend, whose tummy had not even had time to get big yet even though she was carrying twins, had given birth. It was too much. So today I'm beyond thankful that God has been letting little Cole thrive and live up to his name, which means "Victorious." I can't wait to meet that little one! One day when he is big and strong, he and Annabeth will get to play in the church nursery together.

Annabeth is getting her 8 week shots on Tuesday, so we're really close to getting to take her to church. I realize not everyone waits that long, but that's how I roll. I can't wait to get back to it! Also, we looked down at her in her bouncy seat today and she was hanging on to one of the toys attached to it. She also grabbed on to my hair just now. It was the first of many times, I'm sure! Sister wanted to play from 4-5 a.m. last night, so I feel like a zombie right now. I've nixed every plan I had for tonight and I'm going to chill on the couch until after ER. Only 2 episodes left! Get 'em while you can!

Update on Crises Past

I have some incredible news, people. I think it's officially safe to say THE MISTER IS POTTY TRAINED. If you've been thinking all along that we'd already reached this point, you've been sorely mistaken. It got so bad after Annabeth was born. Curt and I were fighting anger every time we had to change him. We'd been working on it for so long. And changing a three-year-old is just wrong. I will refrain from writing a descriptive paragraph on that. You're welcome. Suffice it to say that the comparison between my preschooler's pull-ups and my newborn's diapers just magnified the problem.

After six and a half months of trying everything under the sun, here's what finally did it. Jackson had gotten the tee-teeing thing down pretty quick. It was the other that gave us so much grief. Ever since the beginning of the year, Jacks had a very regular pattern of going during his nap. (This was one of the major factors causing The Nap Crisis of 2009.) One day Curtis got really brave and put Jackson down for his rest time without a pull up on. So he'd have to come out of his room and go on the potty or else do his business in the bed. Curt really got lucky because it worked! That's all it took! Of course, now it takes him 20 minutes to go down for a nap because he gets up over and over to go, but at least we aren't changing any more enormous diapers. Today he only got up once, so maybe we're making progress.

It's been about two weeks since we've had him in underwear except for during his nap and at night. He's been to church, to the rodeo, to the mall, to MDO, and everywhere else in his unders and he's done great. I think he's had maybe 3 accidents and they've been at home. I have to give huge props to Curtis because he's worked so hard with him these past few months. I also have to give credit to my amazing co-workers because they have prayed really hard for us about it lately. Thank you, sweet sisters!

Also, remember The Sharing Crisis of 2008? Well, honestly, it was so miserable that I can count on one hand how many playdates we've hosted at our house since then. I think the last one was in November. It took my friends calling me and saying, "Hey, can we come over this week?" for it to happen. It just wasn't worth it to have anyone over when Jackson spent most of the time in trouble. He simply couldn't handle other kids playing with his toys without having tantrums. But today my friend Michelle came over with her two boys to meet Annabeth and have a playdate. Keegan is 2.5 and Jack is 1. I was kind of nervous, but Jackson showed me that he has really grown up. Even though he had a few time outs, he impressed me big time by how well he played with Keegan and shared with both of them. It was a monumental improvement. I think maybe we can get back into the swing of playdates again.

And in case I haven't mentioned it, The Nap Crisis of 2009 was solved by changing the name of nap time to "rest time." We remind Jackson that he doesn't have to sleep, but he does have to stay in his bed and be quiet. And every day he actually sleeps. I am deeply indebted to whoever it was that suggested that to me. Taking the pressure off was like magic. He went back to sleeping every day for two hours, just in time for the baby to come.

I'm super thankful to God for this big, timely reminder that these things we work so hard on really will bear fruit in time.

Shamu in the Gulf?

This kind of thing thrills me.

'Boaters shocked to find orcas in Gulf of Mexico'

Can you imagine seeing killer whales in Texas? Holy cow! If I hadn't wanted to go to Texas A&M in College Station so bad, I promise I would have gone to A&M Galveston and studied to be a marine biologist. I guess it's kind of pathetic that I picked my school before I picked my major. Oh well. I loved it!

Three things I want to do before I die:
1) Go whale watching.
2) See the Northern Lights.
3) Go back to England for another short season.

What about you?

Time is Marching On

Annabeth will be seven weeks old tomorrow.

Sister is getting too long for her gowns. Luckily, Curtis brought home a ton of sweet baby gifts from the office and I found all kinds of super long gowns from the Southern Siestas. Thanks, y'all! She's so sweet in them!

I'm also having to turn her sideways in her crib because her feet and head both touch the bumper if I don't. (Scratch that. I just put her down and she has several inches before that's true.)

She's sleeping five and a half hour stretches for me. And she's starting to fall into a somewhat predictable pattern in her days and nights.

The pedicure I got before Annabeth was born finally had to come off. It was replaced with some summery hot pink polish.

My huge bottle of cocoa butter from the Body Shop has been retired. I kept using it simply because I didn't have anything else, but on Saturday I treated myself to a new bottle of lavender lotion from Bath and Body Works. I started to throw the cocoa butter away and say, "Good riddance!" But I paused and savored one last smell before tossing it. It will always remind me of my babies. And junior high.

I also got some new soaps from B&BW for all my sinks. (I'm loving the pineapple and the peach.) I'm so relieved to have these new scents. The old ones made me queasy every time I washed my hands because I got them when I had morning sickness. It's funny how morning sickness can ruin so many good things. Like pasta milano from Macaroni Grill. What a shame.

I'm not seeing the numbers drop like I want to, but my waist is making a comeback. Thank you, aerobics. I got another pair of old jeans buttoned today. Not that they're presentable yet.

I think the post-partum extravaganza of shedding is about to start. I'm already noticing it around my forehead.

Annabeth is starting to lose her hair too. The headbands are not helping her cause.

I've already had to go through her drawers and take out things that don't fit. I also tried her in some 3-6 month onesies and they weren't that big on her.

Her Trumpette Mary Jane socks fit. You have no idea how much joy they give me.

I'll leave you with a couple Jackson stories. Today I caught him trying to pry open Annabeth's little fist so he could give her one of his Hot Wheels. He is suddenly so eager to share! Later he got his little toy stethoscope and put it on her head like he was a doctor. I was cracking up. He is really sweet with her. When she's eating he likes to snuggle up next to us sometimes.

The most surprising moment of our day occurred when he got up to poop for the third time during his rest time. I let him close the door for some privacy. When he was done, I saw that he had thrown one of his toys into the potty and it was swimming in poo. I promise you he will never do it again because I did indeed make him fish it out with his bare hand. I thought that was my best move all day, but Curt was horrified. This from a man who puts underwear on his infant daughter's head.

On Being Real

When I was a teenager, I would look at the other kids at church and think I had absolutely nothing in common with them. They must all love being there every Sunday and Wednesday and never fight their parents about going. They must never wish they could do all the things their friends at school were doing. They must never sit on the row and be insecure because they weren't sure if their church friends were going to talk to them that day. They must have it all together.

There was even one day in Sunday school in 10th grade when we divided into stations to talk about issues teenagers faced. I went to the station on peer pressure and to my absolute shock, I was the only one! That further reinforced my belief that I alone was being pulled in by the undertow. Over time, with no one I felt I could relate to on the shore, I gave in to the strong current.

What grieves me now is that other kids were going through some of the same stuff I was, at least to an extent, but no one was talking about it. I didn't know. Many of us felt isolated in our secret struggles, whatever they might have been. Late in my senior year (which was the low point for me), I was at a party with some friends and a girl from my church was there. I didn't know her very well at the time. She told my boyfriend to spill some dirt on me because it was killing her to think I could be so perfect. Are you kidding me? Partly because of who my mom was, and partly because it's in our nature to think everyone else has it altogether but us, she had this very, very false perception that I didn't struggle.

Some comments on my blog have mentioned something about me being "real." Perhaps this explains why I value authenticity. It does me no good to surround myself with pretenders and it does others no good for me to be a pretender.

Two weeks ago Curtis and I were at a very low place in our parenting experience. Jackson's behavior had brought us to our knees and we felt hopeless. Annabeth was at my parents' house and we were driving in the car with him to Wednesday night church. Both of us were in tears because we were so frustrated. I asked Curt if this is how it was going to be for the next 15 years - us hating ourselves because we feel like failures and not even recognizing who we'd become. Neither one of us wakes up in the morning hoping we can spend the whole day disciplining our three-year-old, you know? We were seriously at our wits end.

Curt, trying to console me a bit, told me that his best friend had recently asked him how things were going with our two. Curt had told him that things were fine. His friend's reply was, "Thank God. If you'd told me things were good, I don't know what I would have done." Our friends are also in the trenches with their newborn and their two-year-old son. What if Curt had told him everything was great even though it wasn't? All four of us would have felt alone and like failures.

That night after Bible study, our Sunday school teacher and his wife summoned all the couples from our class over to a table. In tears, he shared a struggle they were having with their three-year-old daughter. They were at their wits end. They felt hopeless. Like failures. He literally said they wondered if this is how it was going to be for the next 15 years.

So we're not the only ones? We're not the only ones!

Curt raised his hand and said, "Us too!"

We were able to spend some time praying for one another. I can't tell you how encouraged Curtis and I felt. We had walked into church that night in despair and we left with hope.

You know what's crazy? That very night we saw a change in our son. And since then, his heart has been a little softer and a little quicker to respond to discipline. We saw the hand of God move in our situation - from our friends' vulnerability that let us know we weren't alone to our kid's softened heart.

People need us to be real. Of course, I don't mean "real" to the point that we're trying to shock others with our sin nature. We don't need to let it all hang out. I have struck out many times on this. We must be Spirit-filled to walk the fine line.

When we're authentic, two things happen. One, we encourage others who are struggling in the same way. And two, we allow ourselves to be encouraged by others who have been there.

So if I can encourage you by not pretending that life with my dearly loved three-year-old strong willed child is a bowl full of cherries, so be it. If I can encourage you by saying that my clothes still don't fit right and I desperately need to work out, awesome. If I can encourage you that I was addicted to celebrity news/gossip, which was embarrassing for me to admit, then I'm glad to do it.

I was once an incredibly self-righteous person. I was proud of being good. Then God let me eat it and I saw what was really in my heart. There was nothing good there. I learned to surrender my weak self to Jesus every single day and let Him change my heart. If I stopped doing that, I'd turn right back into my old self. That is the scariest thought ever. The stakes are especially high now that I'm a wife and a mother. So I no longer care to portray a false sense of goodness or perfection. I want to show you that He is good and He has is all together. He can take a heart that craves sin and make it thirst for righteousness. He can take a Failure and make her a Victor. He can take our struggles and turn them into strengths. That's what He's done for me, what He's doing for me, and what He'll keep doing for me until He takes me home.

For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:5-7)

Little House on Jefferson Street

One year ago yesterday, it was monsooning in Dallas/Fort Worth and a huge moving truck was packing up our little house on Jefferson Street. It had to have been the worst possible day to move. Jackson was in child care at our church, I was holed up in the neighborhood McDonald's doing some work, and Curtis was overseeing the packing process. I had never seen it rain like that. Of all days!

There was too much flooding around town and between Irving and Houston to make the drive out of town. All the hotels were booked up because of cancelled flights at DFW airport. We said emotional goodbyes to Janelle and everyone in the church offices that day and headed for Sunni's house. They were sweet to take in our little displaced family on an emotional, stressful, and wet day. She would have been justified in never talking to me again after we brought our nasty, wet dog into their house who had literally been sitting in the downpour for twelve hours.

We spent the night there and the next morning, Jackson, Beckham and I set out for Houston. Curtis stayed behind so oversee phase two of the move. It was a gorgeous, blue day if I remember correctly. Hours later, we met up with him a mile from the house and then pulled up in our new driveway together. It was the end of one wonderful chapter and the beginning of another.

Today I feel grateful and sad. I'm grateful for the life we have here and the incredible things God has done for us in the last 12 months. But I'm sad too. I miss my North Texas friends so much. It's been October since we visited and that was really, really brief. We are planning on visiting in April, but I would need a week to get to see everyone long enough to feel like I was all caught up. I'm not sure what the point of this is. I'm just feeling sentimental today. And I guess I want to say to my friends in DFW, I miss y'all so much! Every single day.

*I detailed the reasons for our move in this post last year if anyone wasn't around back then and is curious.

Here are some pictures of our house on Jefferson Street. This was the first home we owned. It was where we brought our first child home from the hospital. It's what we poured our blood, sweat, tears, and money into for 6 months before we ever moved in. We had a nice little life there, just one block away from our church. God has been so gracious to us.

The Sister at Six Weeks

Daddies are so tacky when they put undies on their little girls' heads!







Miss Annabeth, at six weeks old...

You weigh somewhere between nine and ten pounds. You've definitely outgrown your newborn clothes.

You go to bed around midnight, wake up around 4 to eat, and then you're up around 7 to eat again. You sleep most of the morning after that. We're starting to work on an earlier bedtime - 11 last night and 10 tonight.

You sleep while Jackson and I eat lunch and then you're up and ready to play when he goes down for his nap. We're making strides toward getting you both to sleep at the same time.

You like to be in your swing. You somewhat like your bouncy seat. You don't like your playmat, but I have hope that you might change your mind soon.

You tolerate your baths, but if the water isn't hot you get very mad. I don't blame you!

You have big, blue, wide eyes just like your brother. You look so much like him when I compare you to his baby pictures at each week.

Jackson loves you in his three-year-old way. He shows it by laying his "soft blanket" over you whenever I'm feeding you. He also tries to share his race cars with you. Recently you were in your swing and he offered one to you with his arm outstretched. Of course, you didn't reach out and grab it, so he laid it on the tray in front of you. It was so sweet. He loves to give you kisses on your head. He hasn't held you very much, but he always grins and laughs when he does.

You are such a good baby. I once heard that babies peak in fussiness at 6 weeks, so I've been bracing myself for your fussy stage. You still haven't had it. Every time we've had a truly fussy day, it's been because I ate something that didn't agree with you. Now that you are 6 weeks old, I think it's safe to say that your personality as a baby is very pleasant and laid back. Your daddy and I are so thankful.

You're smiling more every day. This started last week when I ran my finger over your top lip. You smiled a great, big, gummy smile. It was so cute and it made Mommy very happy. I got a glimpse of what you were going to look like so soon! I thought I was going to have to wait for it, but every day since then you've smiled more. I love seeing these happy expressions on your face. You are the most adorable baby girl I've ever seen. And you're mine!

Daddy and I are eaten up with love for you. You have added so much joy to our home. Every day I have to pinch myself that I actually have a daughter - and that I have one as sweet as you!

Today Mommy and her friend Missy went to have lunch at a tea room. When we walked in, a little girl and her mommy were just leaving. The little girl had her American Girl doll in her arm and they had on matching dresses. I can't wait to take you to a tea room, to shop for your first American Girl doll (we'll have to take Bibby with us), and to see you become a little lady. We have fun days ahead my dear!



But there's no rush. You are perfectly delightful at 6 weeks old.

Trying to Catch Up

I will now attempt to catch you up on the last week of Jones family happenings. Two big things happened this week. One, we had company. And two, we really started to get out of the house with Annabeth. (Although I'm still keeping her covered up since she hasn't had her shots yet.) She slept through every single one of our outings.

Monday:
As you know, I made my big return to step aerobics with my friend Missy. We both survived, although poor Missy had a morning sickness attack during class and had to excuse herself. Bless her heart! And then she came back and kept stepping! She's every woman! I took it easy since it was quickly apparent that I did not have enough support for the girls. Also, we had a substitute teacher who played the most uninspiring music of all time. I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow and having the regular Monday teacher who is AWESOME.

That night my college friend Michelle came in town and we got to have dinner and hang out. She ended up staying with us for two nights, which was super fun. She got to witness Annabeth's elephant noises in person and quickly claimed her as the Republican party's newest Pink Elephant. (Michelle is fresh from DC after having worked for the Bush administration since graduation.)

Tuesday:
I bought a new sling for Annabeth and a new Bravado nursing bra at a crunchy little boutique close to our house. I hate the sling. I can't figure it out and it's too poofy. But I love the nursing bra. This is my third Bravado bra to buy this time around and I'm so mad at myself that I didn't get these before! They're really great.

That night, Annabeth and I snuck into the last night of Bible study so that my mom could introduce her on camera. Annabeth was in her cute little feathery pink outfit with her "Future Heiress" socks from Aunt Lindsay. She was painfully cute, if I do say so myself!

Wednesday:
Curt's mom and Dad arrived to spend the rest of the week with us. Yeah!

Thursday:
A rainy cold front blew through Houston and since it was supposed to last through the weekend, we went ahead with our plans to go to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Big mistake. The weather was miserable! It was so disappointing! I ruined my black flats and had to throw them away the next day. Serves me right for not wearing my boots. But at least I got my annual rodeo meal, which is a BBQ chicken breast sandwich and potato salad from the Goode Company stand. Yum! (You can only get it at the rodeo, not at the restaurant.) The best part was seeing Jackson do the pony ride. The next best part was stopping at Doodles baby boutique on the way home and buying some new bows for Annabeth.

That evening I attempted another step class. This time I was properly bound and had a much better workout. The teacher was great and there were at least 5 JT songs on the mixed tape. You can't go wrong there.

Friday:
The weather was awful again. We enjoyed breakfast at La Madeleine and then went shopping at Memorial City Mall. I found some jeans that fit and a few tops that will get me through the next couple of months. Thank the Lord! I've been in a much better mood since then. When we were at Baby Gap I ran into Annalee, who has an adorable blog that you should check out.

Saturday:
Still raining. Still cold. I took a mid-morning nap. Loved it. Then we had lunch at PF Chang's. So good. After that we headed to Target to get Jackson some new underwear because we are officially done with pull-ups during the day. Thank You, God, my son is finally pooping on the potty on a regular basis. (We've gotten close but reverted every time.) Then I took an afternoon nap. Best day ever.

Sunday:
The baby and I went to my parents' house for a brief visit while everyone else went to church. My parents left for the ranch today, so it was my only chance to see them for a while. Curt's parents left this afternoon. We had a wonderful time with them and we are so thankful for their love for us and especially for our kids! Jackson is going to be so sad when he wakes up in the morning and they're not in the next room.

*I anticipate a busy work week and since Jackson's MDO is on spring break, I might be scarce for the next few days. Have a great week, everyone!

Tiny Prints Giveaway

Yeah! It's time for the giveaway! It's been so much fun reading your comments.

Drum roll please...



(Oh, Lord, help me count it right. You know math makes me nervous.)

And the winner of the $50 gift certificate to Tiny Prints is Sharon NC!

(If I counted wrong, it's too late.)

Sharon said...
Happy Anniversary on your blog. I always enjoy reading it. What a huge blessing. I cannot end without saying PICK ME!! :-)

Much love,
Sharon NC

Yeah, Sharon! I know you will pick out something really cute! I will email you to get your address.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated. Y'all bless me to no end!

Quiz

Today is:
A) The second Friday the 13th this year.
B) The day I officially gave up on the bedspread we bought last spring.
C) My three year blogaversary.
D) All of the above.

Did you answer D? That is correct!

A) It's Friday the 13th...again! I was really hoping I wouldn't give birth to Annabeth on Friday, February 13th. Praise the Lord - for so many reasons - that I didn't even get close! Not that I think it would have truly been ominous, but I wouldn't have wanted to tell her she was born on that day. Just like I wouldn't have wanted to tell her that I went into labor at Monster Jam. Can you imagine?

B) We've had this bedding since last spring.


It's neat and all, but it's a duvet and the comforter is always bunched up on one side. Usually one of us is sweating at night and the other one is cold. Is there some kind of trick to this that I don't know about? Also, the color, which is somewhere between blue and gray, is not really us. In almost a year, I've not hung one thing on the walls, bought one decorative accessory, or made any progress on finding new curtains. So we have this rain colored bedspread with red drapes. Red drapes that do not match. Red, unmatching drapes that are so long that it will cost more to replace them than to replace the bedspread. So this morning I made the bold announcement to Curtis that I would be spending my Christmas gift cards to Pottery Barn on new bedding. He was pumped. I was shocked. Now I have something else to amuse me online besides reading blogs and trying to type emails with one finger while I nurse the baby.

C) Happy blogaversary to me! I started this blog on March 13, 2006, with the announcement of Jackson's grand entrance. I've loved having this outlet to record everything from my children's births and milestones to where I've just eaten or shopped. I enjoy writing for writing's sake (although most of my posts don't deserve to be called writing) but it definitely would not be as fun without you! Thanks for reading and thanks for all the encouraging, supportive, and fun comments.

To celebrate my blog's third birthday and the readers who have blessed me so much along the way, I'm doing my first real giveaway! I'm giving away one $50 gift certificate to Tiny Prints, which is my favorite web site for ordering stationery. They have baby announcements, Christmas cards, and all kinds of fun invitations. It makes me all kinds of happy to have a reason to order something from Tiny Prints, so I'm excited to do this little giveaway.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post and make sure I have a way to get in touch with you. There's no need to post anything on your blog about it. I'm not looking for new readers as much as I want to tell you how much I appreciate you. I will do the drawing on *Sunday evening and announce the winner then. I wish I could give away more than one gift certificate, but when I told the Hubs that I was doing this giveaway, he suggested I just give away some advice. So here's your advice: don't ask your hubby what he thinks about giving something away to The Invisible Internet Peeps.

*Originally I put Monday, but that's because I thought today was Saturday. Ironic, isn't it, since I just talked about it being Friday the 13th? I need more sleep!

My Workout Break is Over

If you're a man, you might want to stop here.

I am in the second circle of fashion hades. I passed through the first circle about 6 weeks ago, but the second is not much better. Ugh! Nothing fits me. My maternity clothes, thankfully, are too big and ridiculous. I have one pair of jeans that can work but the seat is all saggy. But my regular clothes look awful. The things I can squeeze into just look wrong. And I made the mistake of entering a dressing room in which I saw myself from the back and realized how horrible my proportions are. Don't look at it - still! Yeah, so I went shopping on Saturday to find some things for this in between stage. I don't even know how many pairs of jeans I put on. They were either too big or too small. Nothing was right. Oh well. So I guess I will keep wearing my same two outfits that I feel presentable in over and over again until I have a breakthrough.

I will leave in an hour to go to my first step aerobics class since August. Since the dressing room incident, I am now a desperate enough to go. Luckily my friend Missy is going to be there. She is 7 months pregnant, so we'll have each other's backs if it gets ugly. She asked me not to leak milk all over the floor so that she doesn't slip. And I will pray that she doesn't have a bladder incident. Otherwise, Pregnant Girl and Postpartum Girl are gonna rock it hard core! And by hard core I mean low impact. We'll see how many layers of bras I end up wearing.

Also? I discovered why I was mysteriously calm the first two weeks with Annnabeth. The other day I burned the crud out of my hand on the plug of my hair dryer. Is that not ridiculous? It hurt really bad, so I got out my Dermoplast spray to see if it would help. Dermoplast is this spray you get at the hospital after giving birth to help you not hurt so much. I'll leave it at that. Anyway, I used it every couple hours for two weeks. I got to where I enjoyed the smell of it. So when I sprayed it on my hand the other day, I relished the fumes. And I felt happy. Almost euphoric. And I realized that for two weeks I had been high on Dermoplast. That would explain why I hit a wall after two weeks.

I'm only half serious of course.

Okay, I need to go find my huge hospital cup to fill with ice water for my class. I'm hoping it will clue everyone in to the fact that I've just had a baby and that is why I am wearing my husband's t-shirt and using a bench without any risers. Please pray for me while I'm at class. It's highly possible that, after so many months, I might pass out or trip on the step and bust it. At least I have some extra padding back there. And if you want to pray for my vanity, that'd probably be good too.

What's Old is New Again

Either Annabeth's legs have grown at an alarming rate...


...Or someone's trying to reclaim his old car seat.


The car seat he hated with a fiery passion, I might add.

As it Turns Out...

...Two kids are twice as much work.

I hate that I've neglected to blog, but I've been too busy doing the things I want to talk about. That's a good problem to have as far as problems go. The blog has fallen a few rungs on the priority ladder. There is always something else I need to be doing. Right now what I should be doing is showering or napping since The Mister is in la la land. But alas, my daughter does not want to sleep unless she is within 12 inches of my person. Pretty sure the shower water would wake her right up. Oh, and have I mentioned that she loves to party while her big bro is napping?

Here are some things that went on this week:

-I felt so bad that all of your comments on my last post were longer than the post itself.

-We decided to do Disney! Curt's mom is coming with us. I am really excited and Curt is SUPER EXCITED. We are going in the beginning of May. I know it will be hot, but Orlando and Houston have similar climates, so we won't be in shock over it. Also, Jackson only got harder to take places the older he got, so we feel like we have a small window of opportunity with Annabeth unless we wait quite a while. Next summer is not an option because I AM GETTING AWAY WITH MY MAN AND THE CHILDREN ARE NOT COMING. Not that I have strong feelings about that or anything.

-I've tried really hard to catch up on my personal emails. Speaking of that, I finally got a new cell phone number. If we're homies, please email me if you don't have it yet. What? Are you making fun of me for saying homies? I will not apologize for being a child of the nineties.

-We had "Backwoods Bunco" on Monday night at Christine's parents house. Christine and her hubby recently moved into the depths of East Texas, which should explain our theme. We played in honor of Kristi Walker, who was dearly loved by everyone in our group. In fact, she had lived in the home we played in for a season. Instead of buying bunco gifts with our monthly dues, the money will be sent to Chuck and his family. I'm sure it will just be a drop in the bucket, but hopefully a lot of drops are coming into the bucket! There were lots of sweet memories shared about Kristi and a stack of pictures that were very bittersweet to look at.

-Thankfully, there's been no more school drama for Jackson.

-My parents kept Annabeth so I could attend Wednesday night church with the boys. That was an awesome night that needs its own post. We enjoyed getting to focus on just the Mister for a while. He has been uncharacteristically snuggly with me since then. I'll take it!

-Kay and Judah came over yesterday while the big brothers were at school. We had such a great visit and even finished our conversations. Imagine that!

-Annabeth went with me to the grocery store for the first time. I covered her carrier with a blanket and stuck it in the basket. But then I had almost zero room for the food! My list was dramatically shortened.

-She's also been doing five and a half hour stretches at night. Praise the Lord. I am still really tired though. I've never appreciated my morning tea more than I do now. When Jackson wakes up, he is 100% full on, so caffeine is a must.

-Melissa and Colin are in town this weekend. Yeah!

That's all for now. Happy Friday, peeps!

One Month Ago

One month ago, right now, I was holding Annabeth for the first time.

Bye Bye, February

The Magical Month is gone. The month that I have spent two pregnancies longing for...it's past until 2010. 2010? Is it even possible that such a year is approaching? When we look back on this decade, what are we going to call it? And the next decade, for that matter?

Curt has been speaking at our church's singles retreat this weekend. That would have been such a fun thing to join him at, but right now this is my part of the partnership. My mom was speaking in Colorado yesterday, but as soon as she got home she came straight over and spent the night with us. It was so nice to have the company and the help by the evening hours. The kids and I did pretty well yesterday, minus Jackson's first-ever bath tub poop incident and then another poop-escaping-the-pull-up incident in the game room. But overall, the day was not bad.

This morning Mom took Jackson to play at her house until rest time. So it's just us girls here at home.

Now, to honor the passing of the Magical Month into March, I feel compelled to share several things about each of my February babies. This would have been more appropriate yesterday, but I was nearly in a catatonic state by the time I could have done it. On the days I don't take naps, I get so tired by evening that I always wonder if I'm getting sick. No, you idiot! You're tired!

The Mister...

...Is eating us out of house and home. He cannot get enough food in his belly. All day long he asks me for "snacks," even 20 minutes after his last meal. Also, for breakfast this morning my mom let him have a cheese stick, cheetoes, and a bowl of Captain Crunch. I did not know about this until I woke up a little while later and saw the telltale orange crumbs on the table. I hope he enjoyed his break from toast because we'll be back to his regularly scheduled breakfast tomorrow.

...Discovered the joys of the old Tom and Jerry cartoons and quickly decided he would have nothing to do with Jack's Big Music Show, Yo Gabba Gabba, or Wow Wow Wubzy. All day long it was, "I wanna watch Tom and Jeeeerrrry!" It got a little out of hand. Once we told him he could only watch it if he pooped on the potty, that solved our problem.

...Never stops moving. Even if he's watching said cartoons, he stands in front of the TV and hops up and down.

...Lives to wrestle with his daddy. They use his old crib mattress as a wrestling mat. Let me tell you how much I love seeing that ratty old thing hanging out in the game room. The seams are now busted and it's leaking its innards. But he loves to "westle."

...Recently told his daddy that he wanted Jesus to come live in his stomach with race cars.

...Loves having his back tickled.


The Sister...

...Is sleeping longer stretches at night. There have been several nights recently when I've only gotten up with her once. PTL!

...So far, is a pretty easy baby. She's not really fussy and if she does fuss, it can usually be solved easily by feeding, changing, holding, or giving her a paci. Thank You, Lord! I have noticed that she gets fussy after I eat Chinese food. I think I have to give that up for a while. My local place delivers it to me within 15 minutes of my call and it's hot and good. Sad, sad, sad.

...Spits up immediately after I dress her. Every single time.

...Is becoming a little more coordinated. Her limbs no longer look like they're moving independently from one another.

...Has rolled over twice while laying next to me on the couch. It doesn't really count since it's not a hard, flat surface, but it sure was crazy to see!

...Likes to take her nap mat to Luby's. Eat a while, sleep a while, eat a while, sleep a while. She will have a snack, conk out, and then want to eat again 20 minutes later. If Curt's home, he'll help me wake her up by giving her kisses on the face. She hates his goatee and always makes the bitter beer face.


Goodbye, February. You've given me two wonderful, beautiful babies.

Welcome, March. I'd say "Spring is here!" but we both know it arrived on January 1. At least now I can officially not feel dumb wearing my flip flops.