Strong Girl

Lauren is really strong for such a young baby (I think). She has been able to hold up her head since birth and just continues to progress in this. She can bear her weight on both legs as long as someone keeps her steady. She likes to sit up in your lap and I just got the Bumbo back and she even enjoyed that for a time. Today I found her on her back in her crib. She had rolled over! I have discovered her like this several times, but this is the first time she managed this feat while in a calm state! Previously she was really upset and I think all the squirming sort of resulted in her rolling over. Oh - and this afternoon while in the crib, she squirmed out of her little pants! When I went to get her she was at one end of the crib and the pants were about a foot behind her little feet.

Yummy Sandwhich

You'll need:

deli sliced roast beef
avocado, sliced
red onion, sliced
lettuce
pita bread
cream cheese
prepared horseradish

I made these for a church reception last night but didn't get to try one. I had some left-over stuff so I made this for lunch. Really good!! I made a half sandwhich but it was so tasty that I made another half right away. =)
I mixed 8oz of cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish. Obviously that makes quite a lot. I think you would get a similar taste using a spicy mustard if you don't want to go the other route. And I didn't have any more pita bread, so I just used regular bread and I toasted it.
I'll definitely make this again. It would be a really fast dinner and it was yummy and filling. (And I wouldn't have to turn on the oven!!!)

Life

is just flying by it seems. It is hard to believe we are halfway through the month of September. The weather is finally beginning to get a little cooler and I can't wait for real fall weather to arrive.

I'm continuing to adjust to being a mother to two. Having a toddler and an infant has definitely impacted our "on-the-go" lifestyle! Sometimes I miss getting out for fun activities, lunch with Daddy or even just spur of the moment errands. We'll get back to that point someday, but for now it is easier just to stay home! In the beginning I was really hesitant to go out with both girls, but I have done it and I survived =) Lydia doesn't like to ride in carts or strollers (although she does seem to like our new Sit-N-Stand fairly well) and Lauren hates being in her carseat --even riding in the car, forget the stroller! So the combination makes it somewhat less desirable to go out a lot and has made me really think more about consolidating errands. When we go out now we only have a certain length of time to get stuff done. (Besides the nursing schedule, I can only carry an infant strapped on for so long!) And forget browsing; I am armed with a list and on a mission!
Lauren is developing good night-time sleep habits. I am very thankful. This is definitely a blessing that my second child is sleeping so well. (I'm a little afraid to type this as if mentioning it might change the situation!) We really have done nothing differently to bring about this change. It is just another reminder that all children are unique in their personalities and dispositions and you can't really make any predictions. Uninterrupted sleep makes such a difference in my ability to function as mommy -- greater patience, gentleness, kindness, self-control (I guess I could just type out all of the fruits of the Spirit as that seems to be what I'm getting at!). With your first child you can sort of adapt your schedule to theirs. Not so with #2 and following! It is great to be able to wake up before both girls (and feel rested!) with time for a shower, clothes, quiet time and the beginnings of breakfast. I am also less prone to dawdle around when I know I only have a short time to get myself in gear and ready for the day.
I am striving to "play" more with Lydia while Lauren naps. It is tempting to use all of that time for household chores etc., but I'm trying to remind myself that she needs my focus and attention too. The house can wait, even if it is less convenient for me. Like me, she is used to the busy lifestyle that we had before Lauren came. It has been an adjustment for Lydia to realize we don't go "bye-bye" as much as we used to! Now that we're staying in more I do have more time just to play, and I'm enjoying that.
Lydia soaks up everything she sees and hears these days. She loves to mimic my conversations with others. I especially notice this when I am talking to Lauren. It is quite funny to hear my terms of endearment coming out of Lydia's mouth, especially if I am not in the room when she does it. I think I have already mentioned that Lydia likes to report on Lauren's every mood and behavior before I even have a chance to react. When she hears her little sister crying, Lydia rushes to her side bringing blankies, a paci if she can get her hands on it, and a lovey of some sort. Then she starts talking to her in her special high-pitched baby voice, "It's okay sweetie. Don't cry my sister. It's O-kay my gail (girl). It's O-kay." However, she is not always so sweet. Lauren usually cries in the car and most of the time Lydia just ignores her. But sometimes it really starts to bother her and Lydia tells me, "She needs you mom. You can hold her? Lauren's cryin'. She's sad mom! She needs her paci." etc. The other day we were leaving my parent's house and Lauren had already started crying in the driveway. As I was buckling Lydia in, she sort of huffed and said in a pitiful voice, "Noise Mom!".
I already mentioned Lauren's greatest achievement to date -- sleeping through the night!!! She is learning to interact a little more and it is so sweet when she smiles at us. Lauren has discovered her thumb and is sometimes able to soothe herself with it. Although we have paci's, she really doesn't like them too much. She has started making the little baby cooing sounds which are so sweet to hear. Her first few weeks were tough (for her and us), but things have settled down and she seems much more happy and content -- which makes the rest of us happy too. =)
I took Lauren for her follow-up ultrasound on Tuesday. The results came back today showing no change in the gallbladder. In other words, it still appears to have "sludge" in it. This is a little discouraging and slightly mystifying. She was on medicine for a month to help clear it out and it would seem that it didn't do its job. However, the reasons for the testing in the first place were the marks on her tummy and her extreme fussiness. Those marks are barely visible now and her demeanor is so much more peaceful. This is a blessing. For now we will proceed as normal. Our pediatrician may refer us to a GI specialist in the next month in case there is some treatment we need to pursue.
Well, it has taken me nearly a week to type this in the midst of life's happenings here. I will go ahead and post before I'm interrupted again!

Photos

We have so many pictures and it is impossible to put all or even a good many of them up on my blog. So I've decided to give dropshots a try - mostly for the sake of our out of town family who do not get to see the girls very often. http://www.dropshots.com/jenviolin

Password: bailey

If you have used a nursing bra that you really love (or one you hate!), please post!! I thought I was making an investment when I bought some after Lydia was born. Unfortunately, I'm not the same size this time! (Has anyone else experienced this?) My size is not available in stores so I am left to search/order/return online. This also means paying big bucks. Fun.

My Girls

Today it has just been "us girls" here at home. Since Lauren's birth there have been various people here helping with the girls. Ben's mom came for a visit and just left on Saturday. She was a great help- especially with entertaining and caring for Lydia these past couple of weeks. I know it was a luxury not to have to get Lydia up and fed in the mornings and to be able to catch an extra hour or so of sleep. Besides playing with Lydia and taking her to the playground or the pool, Kathy also taught Lydia plenty of "useless" (her words!) words and phrases.
Uh-oh Spaghetti-O's (this began at Christmas)
silly nilly patilly
zippydee doo da
rats!
crikey!
Let's go, Joe
oopsie doodles
exactly! (ezaklee)

Oh yes, and instead of calling Ben's mom Grandma or even Grandma Kathy, Lydia very quickly abandoned the "Gwamma" and just called her "Kaffee." In the afternoons when Lydia felt she'd "served enough time" in her bedroom, she would get down on the floor with her mouth pressed to the crack at the bottom of the door and begin calling, "Kaffee! I'm all done. Come get me! I want out!" (Naps are pretty much a thing of the past -although she happens to be taking one right now - but at least she can still spend time alone and plays up there for a couple of hours each day.)
For those who asked, Lauren's tests have all come back negative, so to my understanding all "serious" potential problems have been ruled out. She continues on the gall bladder medicine for at least another week and then will have an ultrasound to see if the medicine has been effective to clear out that "sludge."
I'm sort of afraid to say it for fear that it isn't true, but we think Lauren may be feeling somewhat better. She doesn't scream and cry as much as she did in those first few weeks. She also seems to be nursing much more contentedly - which was definitely a problem before (and sometimes still is). Another blessing is the couple of nights of good sleep we've had recently! She managed to go about 5-6 hours, wake up to nurse, and then immediately down for 3-4 hours more. These nights (3 so far and not consecutive) are wonderful and I feel SO much more rested in the morning. A more typical night would be 3 or maybe 4 hours between feedings. I sincerely hope she will learn to sleep longer at night sooner than her big sister who was closer to 8 months old before she was sleeping all night without waking. (Yes it was horrible and I hope we never repeat that again!)

And now for the pictures...

One week old

Pink cheeks and homegrown tomatoes from Auntie Liz's house

with Aunt Becky and Kate

Uncle Elias loves babies

Matching outfits

Lydia calls this dress her "ice-cream dress" as there are little ice cream cones on it. She has worn it a few times, but was thrilled to find out that "baby Wah-yen" has one to match!! Knowing my penchant for clothes, it is probably the first of many little matching outfits!

Update #2

We are very thankful to report that the pediatrician has received results from most of the blood tests, and, so far, they have all come back normal. We are still waiting to hear back on 2 of the tests that have not returned. The pediatrician called me on Tuesday about the tests and I have not heard back (and forgot to call before the office closed on Friday) about the other tests. I'm trying to think positively and take this as a good sign! The tests that came back were the more serious ones, so the ones we're still waiting on are "less serious."
For now, the plan remains to treat and monitor the gall-bladder issue. They'll perform another ultrasound next week to check on progress.
Lauren is still one very fussy baby. Fussy may not even be the right term. I am fairly certain she cries because she is hurting...not for other reasons. I am also starting to wonder if she is allergic to something I am eating. I may begin a food diary for a few days and write down her reactions. Then, perhaps, I will eliminate some things from my diet to see how it goes. The pediatrician said I don't need to do this at this point...but I feel like we're getting a bit desperate here!!! I'm willing to give most anything a try!

We thank God for his mercy, and you for your prayers.

Update on Lauren

A lot has been going on in our little household for the past week. Since quite a few of you live far away (and don't attend our church!) I thought I'd post a brief update on what we're going through with Lauren.
This Tuesday I took her back to the pediatrician because I just felt things were not all "okay." Lauren has had a lot of gas problems and is a pretty fussy baby -- but I know that is not abnormal for a newborn. She also has two largish light red marks on her tummy on either side of her belly button. There is a chance they are nothing more than birthmarks, but the doctor was concerned enough given the combination of things I mentioned, that she ordered first an x-ray and then an ultrasound after that.
Here is the church-wide email Ben sent out this week:

First, I'd like to thank everyone for your prayers, e-mails, and calls. We appreciate it very much and have confidence that God hears and answers the prayers of his people.

We spoke to the doctor this evening after she had reviewed the results of the ultrasound with the radiologist, and with a GI specialist from Scottish Rite. To make a long story short, it appears her gall-bladder has a build-up of "sludge". They're not sure if they're gallstones, or other matter, but that appears to be the main cause for concern based on the imaging procedures. Apparently, this is not terribly unusual in infants, but they would like to take some more blood tests in order to rule out liver problems or other GI issues. Also, they'll give her some medicine to try to clear out the buildup. In two weeks, they'll do another ultrasound to determine if any progress has been made. Assuming the blood tests come out okay, that'll probably be the extent of it. Otherwise, we may be referred to either a pediatric GI specialist, or to a pediatric surgeon (possibly for the removal of the gallbladder) - but that is mainly speculation at this time.
We are very grateful that it doesn't appear to be anything more acute at this time, but would still desire your prayers on her behalf that the blood tests would reveal nothing else wrong, and that the treatment would be effective.

Thursday I took her and she had blood drawn. I hope to know the results by the middle of next week. She also got a prescription for the medicine to help clear out her gallbladder. Apparently it can take at least a week to notice any kind of difference.
I know all our church family has been praying for us and we appreciate that so much. We know God has Lauren in His hands and we are trusting in Him.
I'll update when we know something new...

Pictures from the last week...

The two midwives, Jill and Stephanie, who helped deliver Lauren. When Stephanie broke my water at 11am none of us thought Lauren would arrive before their shift ended - at 6pm!

Apparently Lydia "chose" this gift for her little sis. Aunt Liz gave her a few options and this is what she picked. As she handed me the little gift bag she kept saying, " I want it...I want it!" Needless to say "little Pup" spends more time with Lydia than Lauren!

Heading home...couldn't come soon enough for Dad who was going stir-crazy!

Look how strong! She pushes up on me and tries to look at my face. Her little legs are also quite strong - but I knew that already from her late night gymnastics in the womb!

Lydia seems to be doing as well as we could hope in her new role as big sister. She loves to talk to Lauren whenever she notices that her eyes are open. She gives lots of kisses to Lauren and wants to hold her frequently. In those first couple of days, Lydia became distressed whenever Lauren was crying. Now when Lauren cries, Lydia will say "Baby Wah-yen's okay Mommy," since we had to remind her of that so many times!

Lauren Olivia

Baby Lauren is here! She made her grand entrance at 5:11 PM after less than 6 hours of labor. She weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and measured 19.25 inches long.

Jen was a trooper again, going without pain medication for the duration. We arrived at the hospital around 10. The labor started in earnest around 2:30, when they hooked her up with Pitocin, to get the contractions going faster. A bit before 5, they announced to our amazement that it was time to push. Soon, our newest little one was with us. She gave one cry, then was quiet for almost 10 minutes until they gave her a Vitamin K shot.

We are so amazed and thankful for this wonderful child, and the relative ease with which she came into the world. God is very good.

Lydia and the family all have been by to visit. Lydia brought a "little" pup for Lauren, which she gracefully played with. She got to hold baby Lauren and was very sweet and gentle, though she returned to her rambunctious ways after she got off the bed.

Unfortunately, we forgot the cable for the camera, so we can't upload our pictures yet, but we should have some tomorrow.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Ben (for Jen)

41 Weeks, 3 Days

It would seem that little Lauren is perfectly content in the womb and would rather stay there than come out and meet us! Apparently a little extra time inside has not encouraged her to make her entrance. Unless the Lord intervenes in the next 12 hours, I am scheduled for the induction tomorrow morning. I was told to call ahead to make sure there were empty beds before we arrive!! I suppose it's better that way than to arrive only to wait, but...I sure hope we can get this going in the morning rather than the afternoon or evening!
We'll have internet access at the hospital so I'm sure there will be email or blog announcements to come!

The Waiting Game

I fear I'm not so good at this game, but we're playing it anyway! Today's visit to the midwife was frustrating because it took forever. Why don't doctor's offices pay their clients the courtesy of explaining reasons behind long waits in the office? The 45 minutes I waited for my NST (non-stress test) would have been much less painful had I known that only one of their machines was working, and thus the reason behind my long wait. Anyway, I ended up being there for 2 hours for something that should have taken an hour or less. The NST showed that the baby is doing just fine. My check with the midwife did show some progress - yay!!! She was very encouraging and told me I had made "good progress" since my visit last Thursday. I was dilated a little bit more and more importantly I am about 70% effaced. Sooooo...I left feeling a little more positive. I have to go again on Friday to do the same things all over again and if I make it to that appointment =) they will go ahead and schedule my induction for Monday the 23rd. One additional bit of "good news" is that my midwife won't necessarily begin my induction, if it comes to that, with pitocin. She said she thought I was probably at the point where simply breaking my water and doing lots of walking would get the contractions going. I was very pleased to hear that and I would be much happier to be induced in that way.
So there is my update for those of you who were wondering!

40 weeks

Due Date

Well, the EDD is here and so far...no baby! Truthfully, I'm not expecting her this weekend since I wasn't dilated any more than 1cm at the appointment yesterday. (That is no change from the last visit 9 days previous.) Also, I haven't been having any contractions either. The midwife did go ahead and strip my membranes yesterday and that was PLEASANT let me tell you. For those of you wondering, it just separates the amniotic sac from the cervix and in the process releases prostaglandins -- hormones that soften and dilate the cervix. The thought is that if your body is ready, having this done can kind of jump start labor...sometimes within 24-48 hours.
I am so ready to be done with pregnancy! I really want to go into labor on my own without having to be induced, but I am starting to lose heart! I have 10 days left for something to happen naturally, otherwise the midwives will induce.
I know people say that near the end they sometimes lose their appetites and actually lose weight. Ha - if only that would happen to me! While I'm certainly not ravenous and the idea of cooking is NOT appealing, I'm still eating and that means still gaining!!! I weigh a few pounds more than I did when Lydia is born and the prospect of 10 more days means that number is just going to rise!! Besides concern over my own weight, I really don't want to birth a 9 pound child!! (My friend Rachel just had a 10lb 9oz little boy --- WOW!)
Another "disheartening" tidbit to add to my own scenario is that quite a few of my friends from church are(I think I'll have to change that to were) pregnant at the same time as me. It has been lots of fun going through things together, but that "fun factor" is beginning to wear off now that I (whose due date was the first of five) am now at least third in the delivery order!!! As exciting as these calling posts and emails of births are, it is just a constant reminder that I am still pregnant!!Five of us were/are due in 5 consecutive weeks. Chris went 1 week early last weekend and Amy (due 2 weeks after me) is scheduled for induction tomorrow. This leaves only Stephanie and Michelle (both due in August) for me to "beat" to delivery. *sigh* (And with Stephanie's track record, I really wouldn't be that shocked if she went into labor before me too -- right Steph?!!)
Unfortunately my thoughts are starting to turn from a natural onset of labor and all of the options I should have for labor and delivery to how I will handle induction and all the interventions (I interpret that as "restrictions") that can and usually do accompany the procedures. So -- send me your tips on natural things to do to get labor started! I think I tried them all two years ago with Lydia, but a reminder or some new idea can't hurt. I am off to the health food store in search of magic pills or potions =)

p.s. Ben just walked by Lydia's room where she is supposed to be napping. He told me he heard her talking and stopped to listen. He caught her saying the ABC's...apparently from M-Z. I'm impressed. I haven't heard her do that and didn't know she could!

2nd Birthday Slideshow

Here is a slideshow Ben and I put together for Lydia's birthday. Stephanie does it for her girls and I thought it was such a great idea that I borrowed it for our family!! For me, having a digital camera means lots of pictures get taken and rarely any get printed. I think this is a nice way to make a collection of favorite pictures during a year's time. I hope this will be a tradition that we can keep up for all of our children.

Lydia Turns 2

Well, we've been busy over here during the last couple of weeks. Lydia turned two on June 20th. Here is a picture of the cake we made together! I went round and round trying to decide about how to decorate the cake. She loves Dora but I am not really into creating masterpieces out of icing. So I found an easier way...


We grilled hamburgers and had a family party by the pool at my parent's house. Here she is tasting her "chocick" cake and ice cream. She was pretty excited about the Dora themed cake. And sometime over the course of the weekend she stopped calling Dora "Dadoo"and now pronounces it correctly.

These three girls, although closer in age to Lydia, are my cousins.

I think this might be Lydia's favorite gift -- from Aunt Liz and Uncle Josh. Lydia thinks Kate's car seat is for Pup, so Liz decided to get her her own.

"Bitny" helped my Mom decorate with crepe paper and best of all - bee-woons!!! Lydia loves balloons and notices them everywhere we go - from the grocery store to car dealerships as we drive by.
On her actual birthday, J,L and K came over and we had one of Lydia's favorite meals...becksis - blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon. She ate about as much as any of us did! We ended the evening with cupcakes and she even managed to blow out her candles all by herself! (She preferred the M&Ms and the cream cheese icing --which she called "butter"-- to the cake part!)
(In the last week Lydia has been saying "Happy Birthday cake...to you!" in a little sing-song voice. It is so cute!) I can't believe my little girl is already two years old. In many ways it does not seem like very long ago when she was just a few days old. I keep trying to talk up being a "big girl" as I remind Lydia that Lauren will be coming soon and she'll be a baby kind of like Kate is. It's hard to say if she "gets" any of this or not, but I'm hoping she will be as interested and in love with her little sister as she is with cousin Kate. Kate seems to have a very easygoing and happy personality. I can't wait to see what Lauren's personality will be like. I have no doubt that Lydia will fall quite easily into the leader/organizer/boss role among the girls! Hopefully that will be balanced by kindness, gentleness and compassion for the younger ones as she grows.

Here we are before church this past Sunday. I am 37+ a few days in this picture.
As I wrote earlier, Lydia loves having a carseat just for Pup. Here she is ready to get in the car to run errands. I thought it would be challenging to fit two carseats into our car...apparently the number is now three!
And finally, my little helper. She always wants to help with the sweeping - indoors or outside. The problem with indoor is that she practically attacks the floor with the broom and thus the long handle is flying all over the place threatening to knock things off the counters or hit me! Several months ago I found this little "mommy's helper" kit with various child-sized cleaning paraphernalia. I decided it was time to bring it out this weekend! She even takes her little dustpan to the trash can to empty her dirt!

This past Saturday I played my last wedding of the summer before Lauren's birth. I subbed with another quartet and it was SO nice not to be in charge of any of the details. All I had to do was show up and play what they told me. I didn't even have to drive there! A nice change.

I'm working on getting the nursery in order. I did buy some diapers and have washed all(and even ironed a few!) of the newborn clothes. I also went ahead and washed all the bedding and all the seat covers for things like bouncy seats, carseat, swing etc. It adds up! It is so nice to have all these baby items already in my possession -- the clothes especially. Yet, knowing I have those baby necessities on hand has kind of made me forget to go through and make sure I actually DO have all the things we'll need. It seems like everyday I think of at least one thing I still need to purchase - mostly just the small stuff though (like the diapers). I also "forgot" how many diapers a newborn goes through in a day!! When you have a toddler who is potty training, those diapers and pull-ups can go even farther! I realized the bag of 40 newborn diapers wasn't even going to last a week!! HA! And they're so much more expensive. I kind of got sticker shock all over again buying the newborn ones. We have used generic ones for Lydia for so long that I forgot Pampers were so pricey!!
I have started wondering what I'll do if the baby comes early! I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for labor and birth and since Lydia was late, it just doesn't really enter my mind that it could be different this time around! So many people I know loved their epidurals (I've even talked to several women who have done it both ways) and I just wonder if I'll have the strength and determination to do it "natural" again this time! I guess we'll see! I ought to read the literature again and remind myself why I chose to do it that way the first time! Since I'm using a midwife this time, things have been somewhat different than they were with the doctor. We're not having those same "discussions" about labor and delivery and that has been nice. I don't feel like I'm always arguing for the other options out there.
Well, I think I'm starting to wander here and I could ramble on and on. Maybe another day... =)

Little Helper

Lydia loves to "help" in the kitchen. Anything from loading/unloading the dishwasher to being involved in making a meal. I have to remind myself to be patient and to include her when possible. Sometimes I don't always appreciate the "help" as it takes more time, makes a bigger mess etc.

We had a Mexican meal this week and Aunt Liz took it to another level by making us homemade tortillas! Lydia LOVED helping her.

Today I baked Lydia's chocolate birthday cake for the family party on Saturday. She really enjoyed stirring and pouring cupfuls of the flour into the batter. As soon as I began creaming the butter she was asking for a taste! Wonder where she got that idea?

The best part =)

She loves to go on bike rides with Daddy. Notice that Pup must go too!

Notice anything similar? We picked up Megan this morning and she watched Lydia while I taught lessons. Lydia chose her own outfit this morning (yes -she had an opinion about her shirt color. I didn't realize we matched until she said, "I wear boo like Mommy!".) Then I laughed when I saw that Megan matched us as well!

Clothing....optional?

I think I've mentioned that Lydia has been in her new room with the twin size bed for several weeks now. The transition was actually painless and quite smooth. She has had no problems sleeping at night and always stays in her bed. Naptime is another matter. She actually sleeps about half the time and I consider this sucessful since even in her crib she would play for sometimes 2 hours before she finally gave up and fell asleep. So somedays she goes up there and just has "quiet time" which I should probably re-name "private play time" since quiet doesn't exactly describe it!! The good thing is that she is happy in this routine and whether she sleeps or not I have the opportunity to get some things done (or maybe get some rest) without interruption.

Yesterday afternoon there was no nap. After a couple of hours, I went in to get her. I wish I had had the camera. She had opened up the rubbermaid box that currently serves as her step up into bed and she was sitting inside it ---shirtless--- playing with Pup and a few other things. As I walked in she grinned at me saying, " I get in Mommy, I get in!". (I didn't know she knew how to get a shirt off...I puzzled about how she managed it until I saw her try it later.)

This morning, I heard her wake up but didn't get her right away. She is usually happy to play for a little while and doesn't get fussy if I don't come in immediately. Well, I guess I waited a little too long today. When I went in I found her sitting at her table in her room ---wearing only her p.j. t-shirt --- having "becksis" (breakfast) with Pup. She was in one chair and Pup was in the other. The wet diaper (thankfully only wet and there were no accidents that I could find in the room) was discarded on the floor by the bed along with the p.j. shorts. She had also gotten into her closet and pulled out an assortment of items and diapers that were within reach. (Unfortunately the closet door doesn't close tightly so now we are going to have to figure out how to keep it shut!) Again, I thought of my camera this morning. I was a bit exasperated but Ben and I had to laugh. She looked so hilarious sitting bare-buns at the table pretending to sip from a cup and eating a plastic hamburger and apple from a frying pan, telling me: "I have becksis and Pup!!"

Discoveries

Lydia absolutely adores her cousin Kate. She talks about her every day and whenever Kate arrives for a visit Lydia practically squirms with delight. It is cute to see. Generally Lydia is very gentle with Kate, but sometimes her "play" gets a little too rough and she has to have some stern reminders about being loving and gentle. She also loves Kate's baby toys and wants to grab them away from Kate at any given moment....and then when she gives them back she sometimes tosses them or shoves them in Kate's face. Thankfully Kate has never been hurt and now that she likes to grab hair - she can inflict a little of her own type of pain on cousin Lydia!
We ventured to the Zoo last week and I think Lydia enjoyed that. She loves animals (in books and on dvds) and thus knows a lot of them by name and sight, but it was kind of hard to point some of them out when they were so far away. It was hard to tell how much she enjoyed the trip while we were there, but during the days following our trip she did ask several times if we could go to the Zoo again. (Yesterday for fun I asked her what she wanted to do that day. Her response - "go to beach" and "go to zoo"!)



The petting zoo was a nice opportunity to get up close to some of the animals. Lydia was tentative at first, but she did get close enough to touch a couple of the goats and sheep...while clutching Liz's hand!

Thankfully there were many helping hands on our trip to the Zoo because she did not want to be in the stroller very long at all! She loves strollers and talks about them every time she sees ours in the garage or anyone using one when we go out. However, she wants to push Pup in the stroller -- not ride in it herself! (The same is true of other baby paraphernalia -- infant carseat, swing, bouncy seat, exersaucer -- in her mind these are things to be used for Kate.... and Pup, of course!)
Lydia is getting very good at recognizing her colors. At first she always answered "yewoh" or "boo" regardless of the color. Now she can recognize red, green, blue, yellow, orange, pink, purple, black, brown and white. As I was dressing her the other morning she pointed out my attire "Mommy wear boo shirt and back pants!" She was particularly delighted when I grabbed her blue shirt and said "I wear boo shirt like Mommy!". And speaking of clothes, she has recently become enamored with dresses and skirts - to her they are all the same. She asks to wear a dress more than one time during the day and always notices if I happen to have on a skirt. Unfortunately none of her play clothes are dresses so she is stuck with shorts! (Sundays are beginning to stand out as special days for all the wrong reasons - she gets to wear her special bracelet AND a dress!!)
Today as she was playing with some sidewalk chalk on the patio in the back, it began to rain. (Thank the Lord - we needed it even if only for 10 minutes!) We went to the front where we could sit outside and watch and still be under the covered porch area. She was totally fascinated and delighted. I guess this was the first time where we have actually been outside when it was raining. There was some very loud thunder ("under" as she was calling it) and although she was startled she didn't get too scared. I took the opportunity to talk about how God sends us the rain from up in the sky and how he makes the thunder very loud and that we need the rain for the trees and grass etc. etc.
Seeing her interest made me realize that I should talk to her more about God's creation and that I should seek out opportunities to do so. Sometimes I feel like I am lapsing into "boring" or "lazy Mommy" mode where I don't take advantage of chances to teach her or to capture her attention and point out new things to her. Even in her play time at home I think I am too often caught up in my own "to-do" lists rather than being available to play with her and stimulate her mind. Personally I find it difficult at times to balance getting things done around the house or accomplishing "my" daily tasks with being available to play with and teach and share in my child's new discoveries.
Ok -enough time spent blogging. Time to get some things done while she is napping!

I karate chopped a fork because I'm cool like that...

My sister-in-law-to-be posted this on her blog and it made me laugh. (Yes friends, you read correctly. My youngest brother Jake proposed to Brittny this weeked!) A lot more could be said but I'll leave you with this for now...

Pick the month you were born:
January------I kicked
February-----I loved
March---------I karate chopped
April---- -------I licked
May-----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August-------I had lunch with
September---I danced with
October------I sang to
November----I yelled at
December----I ran over

Pick the # of the day you were born on:
1 -------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my cell phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbor
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18---- ---a spoon
19------- a smurf
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------an ipod
29-------a surfer
30-------a llama
31-------A homeless guy

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White--------because I'm cool like that
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red----------because the voices told me to ..
Blue----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green---------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple--------because I'm AWESOME
Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow-----because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange-------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown--------because I can.
Other---------because I'm a Ninja !
None----------because I can't control myself.

The Van-Car

As if last weekend was not already busy enough, we got the call from our mechanic saying our car wasn't really ready to be picked up. Ooookaaayy.They had the car this time in order to check on the "check engine" light that they had supposedly fixed twice already in the last 2 weeks. So the auto shop owner calls Ben Saturday morning and relays the information to him. I was showering and getting ready for the wedding in which I was to play that afternoon(first time in 7 consecutive weeks that I have personally known the bride -a girl from church). We had just mapped out our plans for the morning trying to decide how much we could get done before we needed to leave for the wedding. When I came downstairs I got the news: Upon returing from a short test drive, the mechanic in our car was careless and drove right into another customer's car. WHAT!So we decided to head to the auto
shop to inspect the damage and get some "evidence" on camera. I was irate. ( Ben is naturally more laid back and he was very calm and polite when talking to the shop's owner.) I, however, had to refrain from much talking at all. Not only was the front all smashed up, but it looked like someone had keyed both doors on the passenger side! It didn't compute with the rest of the damage. AND the idiot mechanic was drinking what would appear to be some soft drink while driving our car and it was spilled all over the console on the inside. Papers and other little things I had in the compartment were totally drenched. I was pulling out soaked stuff and just throwing it on the ground by the car. With the front end damage plus the gouges on the doors, I would imagine they would have to have the whole car repainted. It is not a new car so they won't be able to get away with just "matching" the paint. (Even the retelling of this story is making me irritated again!!) I just hope the car comes back to us in the same or better condition. I'm a little worried about that part of it. The ever optimistic shop owner told us just to rent a car through this past Tuesday and see where things stood. HA.

In the meantime, this is what I'm driving. Lydia was scared to get into it that first morning. She still won't get in or out of the van on the opposite side of her car-seat, but she has since made her peace with the "van-car" as she calls it. I know God purposes all things and that this little incident happened for a reason, but it sure has been a cause for extra stress.
Positive things: This van has allowed us to pick up some large items (like Lydia's twin size mattress and boxspring) without borrowing a vehicle. I can be thankful for that! Oh and it is a "free" opportunity to have a long-term test drive of another vehicle. While I wouldn't want this particular van, I can see why people go for these. Oh yes, and I'm enjoying the factory tinted windows and the icy-cold A/C!!! So there you go - my entire post was not spent whining about the car situation!
When Ben talked to the insurance adjuster a day ago, they had yet to even look at the car. So, I fully expect to be driving around in the van-car for at least another week.