First...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my second munchkin! It's hard to believe my little man is an entire year old today. This time last year, our little family of three was in a tiny cabin behind the birth center, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a baby who had already caused our faith and trust in God to be challenged and brought to an entirely new level. This year, I am thankful for that wonderful day and his perfect birth. I'm thankful for the countless grins and giggles we've experienced through the year and for the fact that, a year after he was born, I am still able to nurse him to sleep.When I look at my little man's life and birth, I am overwhelmed by God's grace and the emotional and physical healing He has given through his life. Happy birthday, Bubba!
Today also marks one week since I quit my job and became a stay-at-home mom. I have absolutely LOVED spending this week at home with my little ones. Getting up, making breakfast, sitting at the table and eating it, wiping down the table and the baby, washing the dishes... I am enjoying finally doing all the mundane things I've wanted to do for so long. Our entire family's stress level is noticeably lower since I've been home. We've been eating real food instead of take-out. The kids are bathed and our clothes are washed. And this mama is SO HAPPY to be able to focus on serving her husband and kids in the capacity she's always dreamed of.
And now, we're off to celebrate Brother's birthday at Braum's (which happens to be where we went when we determined I was in labor, then were told to go relax and eat lunch).
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
May.
How do people with kids find time to post on blogs? You people amaze me.
A lot has happened in the last four months. Ellie has become quite the little chatterbox, asking all sorts of questions and pointing out everything from school buses to bugs to airplanes. Her very favorite thing to do is tell stories. A few weeks ago, she stepped on a tiny shard of glass in Granna's kitchen. 'Glass on the floor! Ellie stepped on it! Hurt Ellie's foot! Granna put a band-aid on it! Eat happy cake!' Happy cake is Ellie's term for everything involving chocolate ('chock-kick') - most often Nutella. We heard this story every day for at least a week. A couple days ago, I said something to Joel about the glass on his windshield, which made Ellie immediately light up and tell the whole story again. 'Glass? I have a story about glass!' I LOVE this kid.
In other news, she's also pretty excited that she's going to be a big sister in January! She's convinced it's a 'boy baby, like Connor'. She loves playing the 'where's baby?' game. 'Is the baby in Ellie's chin? No! Is the baby in daddy's elbow? No! Is the baby in Pop's foot? No! Is the baby on Granna's eye? No! Is the baby in mommy's tummy? YES!'
I'm loving this phase. She's learning so much, and she loves being a little helper. I'm so thankful for her cheerful personality and her sparking smile.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A new phase of life: potty training and big girl beds
Last week, I decided it was high time Ellie learned to use the potty. She used to love going potty (we did a little bit of elimination communication way back in the day), but recently she'd been throwing fits whenever I tried to let her sit on the potty. Naturally, I was worried the kid was going to hate the potty all her life (cue visions of my 45 year old daughter still wearing cloth diapers). So last Friday evening, I tested the waters a bit and tried sitting her on the potty and she LOVED it. I decided to start potty training the next day.
...two hours, three accidents and two screaming fits later, I gave up.
So, being the stubborn person I am, I decided to try again yesterday. Determined,I faithfully took Ellie to the potty every 25 minutes. Did she ever go in the potty? No. But at least, by the end of the day, she was having fun sitting there and didn't fight me at all when I told her it was time to go potty.
This morning, I took her right away when she got up (from her big girl bed! More on that later). She hasn't whined or fussed about it once today! In fact, as I was in the middle of typing my first paragraph, I saw her take that about-to-start-teeteeing stance. I said 'wait!', leapt to my feet, swept her up in my arms and took her to the potty. Then, to my great excitement and pride, SHE WENT POTTY!
We celebrated, we clapped, we laughed, we jumped up and down, we blew into little party whistles. VICTORY!
In other news, last night was Ellie's first night in her big girl bed. I'd found a bed frame on Craigslist that was just perfect, so my dad and I headed out to the lady's house to pick it up yesterday. After an hour and a lot of headache putting it together, I brought Ellie in to see the finished product. She LOVED it. She spent the whole afternoon reading her books and playing with her stuffed animals on it. When bedtime arrived, I just didn't have the heart to drag her away from it and put her in her crib. So we moved her mattress over to the bed and laid her down and hoped for the best.
She woke up once during the night, but only because she'd lost her paci. As soon as I gave it back, she fell right back asleep. When Joel got up this morning, he found her sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet dangling off the side.
I'm so proud of this kid. I love watching her learn and grow - and she's so proud of herself, too.
...two hours, three accidents and two screaming fits later, I gave up.
So, being the stubborn person I am, I decided to try again yesterday. Determined,I faithfully took Ellie to the potty every 25 minutes. Did she ever go in the potty? No. But at least, by the end of the day, she was having fun sitting there and didn't fight me at all when I told her it was time to go potty.
This morning, I took her right away when she got up (from her big girl bed! More on that later). She hasn't whined or fussed about it once today! In fact, as I was in the middle of typing my first paragraph, I saw her take that about-to-start-teeteeing stance. I said 'wait!', leapt to my feet, swept her up in my arms and took her to the potty. Then, to my great excitement and pride, SHE WENT POTTY!
We celebrated, we clapped, we laughed, we jumped up and down, we blew into little party whistles. VICTORY!
In other news, last night was Ellie's first night in her big girl bed. I'd found a bed frame on Craigslist that was just perfect, so my dad and I headed out to the lady's house to pick it up yesterday. After an hour and a lot of headache putting it together, I brought Ellie in to see the finished product. She LOVED it. She spent the whole afternoon reading her books and playing with her stuffed animals on it. When bedtime arrived, I just didn't have the heart to drag her away from it and put her in her crib. So we moved her mattress over to the bed and laid her down and hoped for the best.
She woke up once during the night, but only because she'd lost her paci. As soon as I gave it back, she fell right back asleep. When Joel got up this morning, he found her sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet dangling off the side.
I'm so proud of this kid. I love watching her learn and grow - and she's so proud of herself, too.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Growing up.
I love the way I never quite know what's going on in Ellie's head. Friday, she seemed genuinely ready to potty train - sitting on the potty for extended periods of time, singing all her 'potty songs'. Saturday, she wanted NOTHING to do with it. This morning, the first thing she asked for was to listen to her potty songs. I do not understand.
Oh well. In other news, I've finally started working on Ellie's big girl room! I can't wait to start ordering fabrics and making sheets, pillowcases, bunting, accessories... I'm also hoping to make some fabric wall decorations (trees, maybe?) since we can't paint the walls. I found a tutorial a while back about using fusible web to iron fabric onto the wall.... and it WORKS!
When did your kids potty train? Do you have any tips?
What are your favorite things to incorporate into a child's room?
Oh well. In other news, I've finally started working on Ellie's big girl room! I can't wait to start ordering fabrics and making sheets, pillowcases, bunting, accessories... I'm also hoping to make some fabric wall decorations (trees, maybe?) since we can't paint the walls. I found a tutorial a while back about using fusible web to iron fabric onto the wall.... and it WORKS!
When did your kids potty train? Do you have any tips?
What are your favorite things to incorporate into a child's room?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
In the beginning.
After many months of contemplating, planning, procrastinating and wishing I'd done it months before, I've finally done it. I've started a blog.
My primary purpose in blogging is not to share my thoughts or activities with the world. I'm really more of a private person, although I do enjoy stating my opinions (perhaps a little too much, at times). Instead, I simply want a place to document our little family's life together; a place to direct friends and family when they ask what we've been up to; a place to document what activities we did when our kids were different ages (and remember what worked and what turned out to be a disaster); and, most importantly, a place to look back and relive all these precious moments when, all too soon, our little babies aren't little babies anymore.
I want to remember these years - everything from the excitement in Ellie's voice every time we pass Christmas lights - 'pretty 'ights!' - to the corny jokes Joel makes when we go on our (few and far between) date nights. The time passes so quickly.
A little about us:
We are the C family. Joel and I both grew up in the great state of Texas, and got married almost three years ago. Ten months later, our sweet little girl, Ellie, was born with sparkling blue eyes and a charming personality. We spend most of our days hanging out with our nephew, who is one day younger than Ellie. Joel loves taking pictures, and I enjoy sewing all sorts of adorable outfits for Ellie in my spare time. I also like to read, on those rare occasions when the world slows down enough for me to do so. I don't like to be confined by convention and tend to find my own way to do just about everything.
Ellie loves choo-choo trains, painting her toenails and trying to repeat every word she hears in her cute little raspy voice. She's fascinated by books and likes to sit on the bottom step of our staircase and compose music on her little piano. Pushing her doll stroller around the house is also high on her list of favorite activities.
Really, we're just an ordinary family, living in an ordinary house and making ordinary memories - and someday, I hope to look back on these pages and relive every one of them.
My primary purpose in blogging is not to share my thoughts or activities with the world. I'm really more of a private person, although I do enjoy stating my opinions (perhaps a little too much, at times). Instead, I simply want a place to document our little family's life together; a place to direct friends and family when they ask what we've been up to; a place to document what activities we did when our kids were different ages (and remember what worked and what turned out to be a disaster); and, most importantly, a place to look back and relive all these precious moments when, all too soon, our little babies aren't little babies anymore.
I want to remember these years - everything from the excitement in Ellie's voice every time we pass Christmas lights - 'pretty 'ights!' - to the corny jokes Joel makes when we go on our (few and far between) date nights. The time passes so quickly.
A little about us:
We are the C family. Joel and I both grew up in the great state of Texas, and got married almost three years ago. Ten months later, our sweet little girl, Ellie, was born with sparkling blue eyes and a charming personality. We spend most of our days hanging out with our nephew, who is one day younger than Ellie. Joel loves taking pictures, and I enjoy sewing all sorts of adorable outfits for Ellie in my spare time. I also like to read, on those rare occasions when the world slows down enough for me to do so. I don't like to be confined by convention and tend to find my own way to do just about everything.
Ellie loves choo-choo trains, painting her toenails and trying to repeat every word she hears in her cute little raspy voice. She's fascinated by books and likes to sit on the bottom step of our staircase and compose music on her little piano. Pushing her doll stroller around the house is also high on her list of favorite activities.
Really, we're just an ordinary family, living in an ordinary house and making ordinary memories - and someday, I hope to look back on these pages and relive every one of them.
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