So I have a Reflux Princess. Like, I'm pretty sure her picture accompanies the word reflux in the dictionary. ..Well..that may be a slight exaggeration, but we change a lot of bibs/clothes, and we go through a million burp rags.
We just took our little Reflux Princess (RP) in for her latest well-check this past week. The doctor that I had actually scheduled the appointment with is not who we saw...which confused me, but I have no problems with any of the doctors in this practice. I was going to ask Dr. H if we could discuss coming off the Nutramigen, the depressingly expensive formula she was put on for the reflux. Originally, after we'd upped her meds dosage and switched her to this, he told us that if she was doing well, she might could come off it at 4 months. The doctor we ended up seeing said 6 months. Bummer.
Of course you want to do whatever is necessary to keep your Little Ones healthy and happy, but you do hope and pray that it comes at the least possible expense. I was ready to tough it out another two months when I ran into a friend of mine at church, whose Little One is the same age as our RP and has had similar issues. My friend told me that she and her husband had decided, on their own, to take their son off of Nutramigen since they really didn't notice a difference. They recommended the Target brand of Similac's formula for fussiness and gas...aka "The Pink Can".
I actually feel like we did notice a difference on the Nutramigen, but since we had switched formulas and upped her meds dosage all at the same time, I have often wondered if both changes were controlling her reflux, or if maybe it was just one or the other. What if it was just the $10/month reflux meds that is controlling the reflux? What if we don't have to pay $35/week for the stinkiest formula (that STAINS!) known to man? Hey...I was willing to give it a shot. Worst case scenario? She pukes like she hasn't puked in months and we resignedly go back to the Nutramigen.
So, with my new strategy in place, I picked up my RP from daycare and promptly headed to our nearest Target. This is a theory worth testing. Admittedly, I entered into my new gameplan with trepidation. I mean...if I'm wrong about this, it means a VERY fussy exorcist baby. Nevertheless, I figured this was the perfect time to try it out. I had about a day's worth of Nutramigen left. So, if this theory fails, I've got enough for a round of back up bottles. And if not, if she seems to do okay on this, I can say adios to the money pit that is Nutramigen. I can say goodbye to the nasty protein stains that may or may not come out of my already limited wardrobe. I can say au revoir to the nasty stink of the fluffy, powdery, yet somehow sticky, formula.
It is now 8:45 pm, and we are almost 2 hours, post Target formula. So far, the only puke to speak of came up with her burps, which is normal. Better yet, she's relaxed and asleep in her bouncy seat. So far, so good. I'm hoping that this works. I'm praying that this works. In fact, I did lift Layla and the new formula up to God before I fed her. I know that when you switch to a new formula, seeking results of some kind, it takes a few/several days to see results. And so it was when we started the Nutramigen. I'm hoping and praying that the same is not true for coming off of it. If this isn't going to work, I want to know as soon as possible. I'm desperately praying that God will show me as quickly as possible if she can tolerate this new formula or if we need to head back to the Nutramigen.
Formula stories aside, today L's daycare director told me that she's never met such a vain baby; of course she wasn't being serious. But she said she's never noticed a baby so enamored with their own reflection, and she did not recall Big Sister being so fascinated with her own reflection. The daycare recently donated their cribs to an orphanage in Mexico, since they were getting new ones. These new ones are very nice, and one whole end of them has a mirror on it. Marcia told me that she was rocking a baby while L was hanging out in her crib, and she happened to look up and notice L just staring at herself in her mirror and just smiling and beaming. ...Totally taken with herself. lol I'm glad to know my sweet girl has such high self-esteem. I can't remember the last time I looked into a mirror and couldn't take my eyes off myself. ....Usually I can't take them off me fast enough! lol Always something to critique. Of course, I don't want L to actually be vain and self-concerned, but I would very much like it if she were happy about who she is.
...Looks like the end of this post is calling. Someone is trying to squirm out of their bouncy seat. Prayers that this is just someone deciding that she's ready for a new pastime and not someone's tummy deciding it's not happy.
Hope your Monday went well. Mondays, it seems, have a terrible rap for being sucky. So if your day fell into that category...hey. Tomorrow's Tuesday. :)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Teaching
I am currently in my sixth year of teaching. I have now taught grades 6, 7, and 8, my classes including language arts, writing, and history. I do not consider myself a veteran teacher. ...I'm not even sure if I'd consider myself a seasoned teacher. But I'm definitely marinating.
If you look up the definition of teacher in the dictionary, it is as follows:
I, as it applies to my profession, like to add a secret addendum to the definition of 'teacher':
Plain and simple, if you cannot, as a teacher, learn and adapt, you will not last in this profession. In the words of country singer Jo Dee Messina, you gotta roll with the punches. I still have much ground to cover as I make my way through my career, so much still to learn. But, I'm making ground. Sometimes new school years yield new revelations based on reflections of the previous year. Sometimes it's literally changing the make up of your lesson midday. ...Did that on Wednesday, actually! And for me, today, it's learning how to let go of that "Quiet Learning Enviornment".
Yes. Quiet has its place. But Quiet does not own all of School-dom, and sometimes you just have to let your hair down, brace yourself for crowd control, and let the kids have at it. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for a quiet learning environment. When I'm giving direct instructions. During testing. During announcements...God willing... lol But I have finally come to terms with Talking. It's not so bad.
Plus, the benefits of talking are two-fold.
1. When the activities include student discussions and/or collaboration, classroom management is a much less-menacing beast. When you're not having to fight tooth and nail to keep your kids' attention focused soley on you, they are much more engaged and awake.
2. It doesn't matter how much of an expert I am. The kids are going to learn so much more from working with each other than I can teach them directly. It's just the truth. Plus, then I'm free to walk around and monitor the kids, and monitor for understanding..something which is much more difficult when you try to make middle school look like a community college lecture hall.
Ooh! ...That brought me to a third reason. ...The benefits are THREE-fold!
3. When I can walk around, monitor, and see what the kids are doing and talking about, I can re-teach, right there on the spot. And kids are so much more likely to ask questions when the room's abuzz, and no one but their group will know. ..And even that's okay, because if they're asking me, the entire group clearly needs some extra instruction, too.
So today, had you walked into my classses, it would have been crazy busy, and probably pretty loud. But my kids were awake, alert, and they got the job done. And I am no longer afraid of Talking. ...Except when I have a headache. Then I have to grab a Dr. Pepper, pop some Advil, and just hang on for the ride.
That's, I think, one of the most fun parts of teaching. ...I love it. I always have. I always will. It's what I was Called to do. But when I grow and learn as a teacher, it makes teaching an entirely new game. ...And new games are ALWAYS fun to figure out. ...This year I tackled tables. ...It's a good thing I've made my peace with Talking. ;-)
Love my job. ...And now off to my most important job. My littlest lady is sounding like she might be hungry. :)
If you look up the definition of teacher in the dictionary, it is as follows:
noun: a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession; instructor
I, as it applies to my profession, like to add a secret addendum to the definition of 'teacher':
noun: a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession; instructor; one who is constantly learning and adapting
Plain and simple, if you cannot, as a teacher, learn and adapt, you will not last in this profession. In the words of country singer Jo Dee Messina, you gotta roll with the punches. I still have much ground to cover as I make my way through my career, so much still to learn. But, I'm making ground. Sometimes new school years yield new revelations based on reflections of the previous year. Sometimes it's literally changing the make up of your lesson midday. ...Did that on Wednesday, actually! And for me, today, it's learning how to let go of that "Quiet Learning Enviornment".
Yes. Quiet has its place. But Quiet does not own all of School-dom, and sometimes you just have to let your hair down, brace yourself for crowd control, and let the kids have at it. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for a quiet learning environment. When I'm giving direct instructions. During testing. During announcements...God willing... lol But I have finally come to terms with Talking. It's not so bad.
Plus, the benefits of talking are two-fold.
1. When the activities include student discussions and/or collaboration, classroom management is a much less-menacing beast. When you're not having to fight tooth and nail to keep your kids' attention focused soley on you, they are much more engaged and awake.
2. It doesn't matter how much of an expert I am. The kids are going to learn so much more from working with each other than I can teach them directly. It's just the truth. Plus, then I'm free to walk around and monitor the kids, and monitor for understanding..something which is much more difficult when you try to make middle school look like a community college lecture hall.
Ooh! ...That brought me to a third reason. ...The benefits are THREE-fold!
3. When I can walk around, monitor, and see what the kids are doing and talking about, I can re-teach, right there on the spot. And kids are so much more likely to ask questions when the room's abuzz, and no one but their group will know. ..And even that's okay, because if they're asking me, the entire group clearly needs some extra instruction, too.
So today, had you walked into my classses, it would have been crazy busy, and probably pretty loud. But my kids were awake, alert, and they got the job done. And I am no longer afraid of Talking. ...Except when I have a headache. Then I have to grab a Dr. Pepper, pop some Advil, and just hang on for the ride.
That's, I think, one of the most fun parts of teaching. ...I love it. I always have. I always will. It's what I was Called to do. But when I grow and learn as a teacher, it makes teaching an entirely new game. ...And new games are ALWAYS fun to figure out. ...This year I tackled tables. ...It's a good thing I've made my peace with Talking. ;-)
Love my job. ...And now off to my most important job. My littlest lady is sounding like she might be hungry. :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Everything I Learned as a Mommy...
....I stumbled upon.
Okay. So I mentioned in my last post that I am a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. And that is no lie. I thought that once you became a parent, you just automatically become selfless, at least where your kids are involved. Man. That would have been nice. But, it didn't happen. But when I am called on to perform my Mommy Duties in the middle of the night, I do so grudingly. It's true. It's something I have to work on every time. ...I would imagine it would make for one pretty hilarious sit-com scene. ...
...I lay there. At first in denial, hoping that maybe the noises I'm hearing are a fluke or just a crazy dream, but deep down, I know my number's up. As I continue to lay there, I hope that maybe my husband will hear the noise and decide to investigate. I know that this hope is futile, though, as I'm pretty sure my husband could sleep through a nuclear explostion and not budge. So instead, I begin my "fake sleep squirm". You know. Every mom knows. You start fidgeting around, hoping to "accidentally" nudge your husband awake. ...That doesn't work, either. I know it won't, but hey..at least I tried?
My last attempt to wake my husband usually goes something like this: After the noises persist, and all previous attempts have failed, I roll over to face the edge of the bed with every ounce of indignance I can muster, sigh the sigh of a mother scorned, and sit up in bed, pausing to to sigh one more time and rub my eyes awake. ...This also never works.
So I throw back the covers. Not enough to throw them off my husband, but enough that I hope that he notices. He doesn't. Get up. And go investigate the noise. And then take care of whatever the issue is in the most un-cheeriest of manners.
It should be noted that I have gotten better about this, but I'm still a pretty sucky night Mommy. Especially with newborns who are up consantly.
Luckily, God, who has always provided exactly what I need and blessed me beyond belief, is aware of this short-coming. And He loves me. Which is why I believe the following statement is no accident. And it sure as heck is not due to anything that I have done. Both of my girls have slept through the night since they were betwen 8 and 12 weeks old. I also believe that God chose this specific blessing for having to put up with their own unique quirks. My four year old was clingy since the day she was born, and you couldn't EVER put her down. Even if she'd been alseep for an hour, any attempt to lay her down would result in a screaming protest from her. And my youngest is my Reflux Princess. And while I know there are most certainly worse cases out there, and I am so aware of how blessed I am that we finally have it "under control", it was a pain in the butt to deal with during the "figuring out" process. Anyway...kinda got off a tangent of sorts...
Back to my story...so my girls have slept through the night. It's WONDERFUL. Sure, the little one has sleep regressions (which I HATE), and the big one occasionally gets sick in the middle of the night or has an accident in bed, but for the most part, I do get to sleep all night.
Except that for the past couple months, the little one, who is in a rocking bassinet by my bedside, has developed the habit of not quite being awake at 4:30am, but also not being quite asleep...at least not quietly. And so I am faced with the following decision, which is, by the way, Lose-Lose. I can either choose to:
a) get up with her for the day and feed her and/or change her diaper-which will, inevitably, ruin her entire daily schedule
or
b) lay face down in bed, eyes closed, arm out, rocking her bassinet to lull her back into a couple more of interrupted sleep, intermittently fumbling around her her pacifier..and then trying to blindly return it to her mouth.
I opt for Choice B. This works, but, while I am still laying in bed, I'm not really asleep...
Until. Last. Night. .../This. Morning.
Imagine my surprise when the first sound I heard this morning was actuallly my alarm clock going off at 6:05am ...and not my Noisy Squirmer at 4:30am! Imagine my utter shock when, at 7:20am (I was running late today), I had to go and WAKE up my baby. Can you believe it?! I almost cannot, and I was there! Oh, it was so pleasant! ...Except for the part that we decided to also make a dirty diaper at some point during the wee hours that I was only just now discovering. ...That part was probably not the highlight of my morning. But the gummy smile, with the big bright eyes staring up at me... That was heart-meltingly amazing!
Only problem was I couldn't locate her pacifier ANYWHERE! Getting her all tucked away and ready to head off to daycare, I found her pacifier in her bouncy seat, which is actually where she initially fell asleep last night, and I stumbled on this little gem of an epiphany:
Huh. ....I wonder if...I bet that's the reason she starts getting fussy and squirming at 4:30am!
When I have to play Pin the Pacifier on the Baby in the wee hours of the morning, I have to first find the pacifier. Sometimes it's lodged behind her neck. And once she managed to get it under her butt! And I thought, "Gee, I might get fussy if I was laying on a pokey-rounded piece of plastic, too!"
So tonight, after my Little falls asleep, I will be removing the pacifer from her person, hoping for an encore of "Sleeping All Night and REALLY Meaning It".
Previous Mommy Truths I've stumbled onto include:
-Placing a shirt that smells like me into a swing with a sleeping baby who is SUPER clingly, will afford me at least enough time to shower in peace.
-Swaddling a baby will guarantee that Baby sleeps longer, and more soundly.
-Offering "structured choices" to a strong-willed child is just asking for boundary testing. Telling it like it is and will be is much easier...at least in the long run.
-Allowing preschoolers to dress themselves may not always yield "fashionable" results, but it will assure that you get out the door on time with no tears shed by either party. (Plus, it'll make for GREAT stories for future boyfriends. And then you can repeat to your child what your dad told you about the glasses you wish your parents had not let you choose: "We liked to let you kids choose your own." ...Thanks, for that Mom and Dad. lol)
..Behold the child wearing black flats, heart socks, striped pants, a tshirt dress, a Hello Kitty jacket, gloves, and a (gotta say it) poorly placed head band. But she WAS dressed! ...And smiling. :) ...At least she kind of matches. If you could have seen what she wore to school yesterday! lol
Okay. So I mentioned in my last post that I am a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. And that is no lie. I thought that once you became a parent, you just automatically become selfless, at least where your kids are involved. Man. That would have been nice. But, it didn't happen. But when I am called on to perform my Mommy Duties in the middle of the night, I do so grudingly. It's true. It's something I have to work on every time. ...I would imagine it would make for one pretty hilarious sit-com scene. ...
...I lay there. At first in denial, hoping that maybe the noises I'm hearing are a fluke or just a crazy dream, but deep down, I know my number's up. As I continue to lay there, I hope that maybe my husband will hear the noise and decide to investigate. I know that this hope is futile, though, as I'm pretty sure my husband could sleep through a nuclear explostion and not budge. So instead, I begin my "fake sleep squirm". You know. Every mom knows. You start fidgeting around, hoping to "accidentally" nudge your husband awake. ...That doesn't work, either. I know it won't, but hey..at least I tried?
My last attempt to wake my husband usually goes something like this: After the noises persist, and all previous attempts have failed, I roll over to face the edge of the bed with every ounce of indignance I can muster, sigh the sigh of a mother scorned, and sit up in bed, pausing to to sigh one more time and rub my eyes awake. ...This also never works.
So I throw back the covers. Not enough to throw them off my husband, but enough that I hope that he notices. He doesn't. Get up. And go investigate the noise. And then take care of whatever the issue is in the most un-cheeriest of manners.
It should be noted that I have gotten better about this, but I'm still a pretty sucky night Mommy. Especially with newborns who are up consantly.
Luckily, God, who has always provided exactly what I need and blessed me beyond belief, is aware of this short-coming. And He loves me. Which is why I believe the following statement is no accident. And it sure as heck is not due to anything that I have done. Both of my girls have slept through the night since they were betwen 8 and 12 weeks old. I also believe that God chose this specific blessing for having to put up with their own unique quirks. My four year old was clingy since the day she was born, and you couldn't EVER put her down. Even if she'd been alseep for an hour, any attempt to lay her down would result in a screaming protest from her. And my youngest is my Reflux Princess. And while I know there are most certainly worse cases out there, and I am so aware of how blessed I am that we finally have it "under control", it was a pain in the butt to deal with during the "figuring out" process. Anyway...kinda got off a tangent of sorts...
Back to my story...so my girls have slept through the night. It's WONDERFUL. Sure, the little one has sleep regressions (which I HATE), and the big one occasionally gets sick in the middle of the night or has an accident in bed, but for the most part, I do get to sleep all night.
Except that for the past couple months, the little one, who is in a rocking bassinet by my bedside, has developed the habit of not quite being awake at 4:30am, but also not being quite asleep...at least not quietly. And so I am faced with the following decision, which is, by the way, Lose-Lose. I can either choose to:
a) get up with her for the day and feed her and/or change her diaper-which will, inevitably, ruin her entire daily schedule
or
b) lay face down in bed, eyes closed, arm out, rocking her bassinet to lull her back into a couple more of interrupted sleep, intermittently fumbling around her her pacifier..and then trying to blindly return it to her mouth.
I opt for Choice B. This works, but, while I am still laying in bed, I'm not really asleep...
Until. Last. Night. .../This. Morning.
Imagine my surprise when the first sound I heard this morning was actuallly my alarm clock going off at 6:05am ...and not my Noisy Squirmer at 4:30am! Imagine my utter shock when, at 7:20am (I was running late today), I had to go and WAKE up my baby. Can you believe it?! I almost cannot, and I was there! Oh, it was so pleasant! ...Except for the part that we decided to also make a dirty diaper at some point during the wee hours that I was only just now discovering. ...That part was probably not the highlight of my morning. But the gummy smile, with the big bright eyes staring up at me... That was heart-meltingly amazing!
Only problem was I couldn't locate her pacifier ANYWHERE! Getting her all tucked away and ready to head off to daycare, I found her pacifier in her bouncy seat, which is actually where she initially fell asleep last night, and I stumbled on this little gem of an epiphany:
Huh. ....I wonder if...I bet that's the reason she starts getting fussy and squirming at 4:30am!
When I have to play Pin the Pacifier on the Baby in the wee hours of the morning, I have to first find the pacifier. Sometimes it's lodged behind her neck. And once she managed to get it under her butt! And I thought, "Gee, I might get fussy if I was laying on a pokey-rounded piece of plastic, too!"
So tonight, after my Little falls asleep, I will be removing the pacifer from her person, hoping for an encore of "Sleeping All Night and REALLY Meaning It".
Previous Mommy Truths I've stumbled onto include:
-Placing a shirt that smells like me into a swing with a sleeping baby who is SUPER clingly, will afford me at least enough time to shower in peace.
-Swaddling a baby will guarantee that Baby sleeps longer, and more soundly.
-Offering "structured choices" to a strong-willed child is just asking for boundary testing. Telling it like it is and will be is much easier...at least in the long run.
-Allowing preschoolers to dress themselves may not always yield "fashionable" results, but it will assure that you get out the door on time with no tears shed by either party. (Plus, it'll make for GREAT stories for future boyfriends. And then you can repeat to your child what your dad told you about the glasses you wish your parents had not let you choose: "We liked to let you kids choose your own." ...Thanks, for that Mom and Dad. lol)
..Behold the child wearing black flats, heart socks, striped pants, a tshirt dress, a Hello Kitty jacket, gloves, and a (gotta say it) poorly placed head band. But she WAS dressed! ...And smiling. :) ...At least she kind of matches. If you could have seen what she wore to school yesterday! lol
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
I Love You This Much...
Being a parent is one of those things no one can adequately prepare you for. ...Actually...eerily similar to how women try to describe the sensation of giving birth, but there have really been no words that have been spoken that can really come close to being wholly accurate.
They tell you that you'll never sleep again. ...They tell you lots of things, but I think most "words of preparation" circle around the unfathomable truth that you will Never. Sleep. Again. ...And it's kind of true.
They also tell you there's no love like a parent's love. And that's true, too.
....To not yell at you, and only be slightly grouchy, in the middle of the night when you wake up for a feeding. (...I can't sugarcoat this. I'm a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. I can't even lie about it! lol)
They tell you that you'll never sleep again. ...They tell you lots of things, but I think most "words of preparation" circle around the unfathomable truth that you will Never. Sleep. Again. ...And it's kind of true.
They also tell you there's no love like a parent's love. And that's true, too.
I Love You This Much...
(This list includes both my 4 year old and my 3 month old, so if it sounds off...that's why. :) )
(This list includes both my 4 year old and my 3 month old, so if it sounds off...that's why. :) )
....To not yell at you, and only be slightly grouchy, in the middle of the night when you wake up for a feeding. (...I can't sugarcoat this. I'm a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. I can't even lie about it! lol)
...To follow you around with a puke bucket when you're too little to give warning...and then not be upset when I totally miss your line of fire.
...to not even be phased by the baby puke that totally missed the burp rag and made it DOWN MY SHIRT.
...to look past the budget of "Now I have to pay for Nutramigen, too?!", knowing that anything for you is worth it, and God will provide the way.
...to let you boss me around when you're playing teacher in your room. ...And you're a bossy teacher!
...to praise you for writing your "letters", even when it looks like an alien language.
...to get excited when you learn to use the big girl potty.
...to tell you just how proud I am of you that you're becoming such a big girl, even when I miss the sweet little baby you used to be.
...to not tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him...in front of you.
...to tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him, because it brings a smile to his face.
...to smile instead of cringe when I walk past the minefield of pink blankets dotting my living room floor, which is where all your babies are "napping".
...to take time for myself, because it makes me a better, more attentive Mommy for you.
...to have dates with Daddy, because it makes us better parents for you.
...to let my knowledge of art and the color wheel sit by the wayside, instead letting you happily turn your Hobby Lobby birdhouse into nasty shades of brown.
...to tell you just how beautiful your birdhouse is.
...to sing whatever song you've decided is your favorite for the umpteenth time today.
...to let you help me sweep the floors, because you love to help Mommy, even though it actually just creates more work for Mommy in the end.
...to eat the burnt meatballs that look like little fat worms, just because you made them.
...to check on you every night, just to make sure you're okay, even though you're (thankfully) long past the scary age of SIDS.
...to give you the last packet of Blueberry oatmeal, just because it's your favorite.
...to hold you and rock you when you cry.
...to leave you crying in your carseat when we're driving with nowhere to stop.
...to tell you "no" and discipline you when you don't listen.
...to drag you kicking and screaming out of Target when you don't want to listen and throw a fit.
...to teach you how to be respectful
...pick you up and hug you when you hurt yourself when you do something I asked you not to do.
...to teach you how disobedience can have negative consequences.
...to talk with you when you make poor decisions and teach you how to make them right.
...to teach you, once you're a little older, how those acts of disobedience are called sin.
...to teach you about Jesus, and about how he came to save us from sin.
...to teach you just how much I love you, and that Jesus loves you CRAZY more!
...to look past the budget of "Now I have to pay for Nutramigen, too?!", knowing that anything for you is worth it, and God will provide the way.
...to let you boss me around when you're playing teacher in your room. ...And you're a bossy teacher!
...to praise you for writing your "letters", even when it looks like an alien language.
...to get excited when you learn to use the big girl potty.
...to tell you just how proud I am of you that you're becoming such a big girl, even when I miss the sweet little baby you used to be.
...to not tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him...in front of you.
...to tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him, because it brings a smile to his face.
...to smile instead of cringe when I walk past the minefield of pink blankets dotting my living room floor, which is where all your babies are "napping".
...to take time for myself, because it makes me a better, more attentive Mommy for you.
...to have dates with Daddy, because it makes us better parents for you.
...to let my knowledge of art and the color wheel sit by the wayside, instead letting you happily turn your Hobby Lobby birdhouse into nasty shades of brown.
...to tell you just how beautiful your birdhouse is.
...to sing whatever song you've decided is your favorite for the umpteenth time today.
...to let you help me sweep the floors, because you love to help Mommy, even though it actually just creates more work for Mommy in the end.
...to eat the burnt meatballs that look like little fat worms, just because you made them.
...to check on you every night, just to make sure you're okay, even though you're (thankfully) long past the scary age of SIDS.
...to give you the last packet of Blueberry oatmeal, just because it's your favorite.
...to hold you and rock you when you cry.
...to leave you crying in your carseat when we're driving with nowhere to stop.
...to tell you "no" and discipline you when you don't listen.
...to drag you kicking and screaming out of Target when you don't want to listen and throw a fit.
...to teach you how to be respectful
...pick you up and hug you when you hurt yourself when you do something I asked you not to do.
...to teach you how disobedience can have negative consequences.
...to talk with you when you make poor decisions and teach you how to make them right.
...to teach you, once you're a little older, how those acts of disobedience are called sin.
...to teach you about Jesus, and about how he came to save us from sin.
...to teach you just how much I love you, and that Jesus loves you CRAZY more!
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011 Sum-Up and on to 2012
So it has occured to me that I haven't posted since November. Bad blogger! To say that much has happened since then would be a gross understatement. To give you an example of just what I mean by that, I returned to work today from my two week Christmas break. Hey...teaching has its perks. I could not remember my login password to the district server for a good minute or two. My team gave me a hard time, but I simply explained that being a mother of two and traversing the state of Texas (basically) twice during the break renders it necessary to eradicate any unnecessary information from my brain. ...Apparently district logins that are going unused qualify for just such action. Luckily, I was able to wade through the cob-webby corners of my mind to locate the no longer obselete information.
So...November, huh? When I made my OH-so-delicious chicken spaghetti. Tried it? You should. It was DELISH! Well, since then I have tried two more dishes, both of which I found at Pennies on a Platter. Oh. My. Gosh. You have got to check this site out! Lots of great and easy recipes. These were the two I tried:
Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets
-Okay, so the blogger admits that it's not exact, and it's not. BUT, it was still ridiculously tasty-and pretty easy.
Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
-I tried this, because my husband loves Chicago deep dish pizza. It was pretty good, and the from-scratch sauce was actually a lot easier to make than I thought at first.
I'm looking forward to trying more of her recipes, since they tend to be fairly easy to make and not so bad on the wallet; lots of the recipes I browsed included stuff I already had in my pantry. ...Nothing worse than finding a mouth-watering recipe only to discover you don't have a handful of the ingredients.
I've also been busy at my sewing machine. I have tons of sewing projects pinned on Pinterest, which is entirely too addicting, but so far, all I've had time for are my bibs, burp cloths, and paci clips. I made a really cute set for my sweet little nephew, Luke, using Cars fabric and a waterproof backing, but I forgot to take pictures! Grrr!! Here are some of the projects I've completed recently...ALL baby related except for two Christmas ornament projects.
And, it probably wouldn't be a blog if I didn't mention my girls. B is getting bigger every day, and I can't believe half the stuff that comes out of mouth. Not because it's inappropriate, but because she sounds like a kid going on 30 most of the time, complete with voice intonations and hand gestures. What can I say? She's her mother's daughter? lol Her vocabulary seems to grow or improve every day, but she still pronounces "dessert" as "bazzert", and that's okay with me. :)
L (our reflux princess) is still puking, mostly on me, which I'm assuming means I'm her favorite? It is getting better, though. And maybe when we go for her next check up, the pedi will say we can try soy formula and leave the Nutramigen behind. It smells bad. The puke version stains. And it's expensive. All of this is, of course, outweighed by the fact that it seems to be helping (along with the Prevacid) to control her reflux, but if L is ready for the next step, I, for one, will not be throwing a going away party for this formula.
L coos and babbles now, but mostly at her daddy. Such a flirt. And heaven help us when the girls hit high school, as I'm pretty sure that spreading the rumor that the girls have cooties will only work until like the 3rd grade. Our latest little edition has these big 'ol brown eyes and lashes that go on for miles.
..Well...if I dig down deep enough, I probably have more to share, but the girls are both asleep, the house needs a quick clean, it would be nice to talk to my husband for a few minutes (finally!), and I have work tomorrow. So, at least for now, this will have to suffice.
So...November, huh? When I made my OH-so-delicious chicken spaghetti. Tried it? You should. It was DELISH! Well, since then I have tried two more dishes, both of which I found at Pennies on a Platter. Oh. My. Gosh. You have got to check this site out! Lots of great and easy recipes. These were the two I tried:
Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets
-Okay, so the blogger admits that it's not exact, and it's not. BUT, it was still ridiculously tasty-and pretty easy.
Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
-I tried this, because my husband loves Chicago deep dish pizza. It was pretty good, and the from-scratch sauce was actually a lot easier to make than I thought at first.
I'm looking forward to trying more of her recipes, since they tend to be fairly easy to make and not so bad on the wallet; lots of the recipes I browsed included stuff I already had in my pantry. ...Nothing worse than finding a mouth-watering recipe only to discover you don't have a handful of the ingredients.
I've also been busy at my sewing machine. I have tons of sewing projects pinned on Pinterest, which is entirely too addicting, but so far, all I've had time for are my bibs, burp cloths, and paci clips. I made a really cute set for my sweet little nephew, Luke, using Cars fabric and a waterproof backing, but I forgot to take pictures! Grrr!! Here are some of the projects I've completed recently...ALL baby related except for two Christmas ornament projects.
And, it probably wouldn't be a blog if I didn't mention my girls. B is getting bigger every day, and I can't believe half the stuff that comes out of mouth. Not because it's inappropriate, but because she sounds like a kid going on 30 most of the time, complete with voice intonations and hand gestures. What can I say? She's her mother's daughter? lol Her vocabulary seems to grow or improve every day, but she still pronounces "dessert" as "bazzert", and that's okay with me. :)
L (our reflux princess) is still puking, mostly on me, which I'm assuming means I'm her favorite? It is getting better, though. And maybe when we go for her next check up, the pedi will say we can try soy formula and leave the Nutramigen behind. It smells bad. The puke version stains. And it's expensive. All of this is, of course, outweighed by the fact that it seems to be helping (along with the Prevacid) to control her reflux, but if L is ready for the next step, I, for one, will not be throwing a going away party for this formula.
L coos and babbles now, but mostly at her daddy. Such a flirt. And heaven help us when the girls hit high school, as I'm pretty sure that spreading the rumor that the girls have cooties will only work until like the 3rd grade. Our latest little edition has these big 'ol brown eyes and lashes that go on for miles.
..Well...if I dig down deep enough, I probably have more to share, but the girls are both asleep, the house needs a quick clean, it would be nice to talk to my husband for a few minutes (finally!), and I have work tomorrow. So, at least for now, this will have to suffice.
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