Wordless Wednesday













Who Are You?

When I was pregnant with Pip, I knew who she was.  I mean, I knew her personality.   I felt very connected to her spirit in utero and knew that she was going to be happy, bright, and spunky.  I remember when we were deciding on her name and for a long time we thought she would be Lauren.  I kept thinking that Lauren was too serious of a name for her and that it wasn't who she was.  So when Bobby told me he liked Piper, I knew instantly that name fit her. And it does.  She is spunky, full of life, and has an overabundance of happiness.  When Bobby gave Pip her blessing at church, he blessed her with an extra portion of happiness.  Anyone who knows Pip, knows that she is a very happy child. 

On this note, (and it sounds silly and new-agey but) when Pip was a baby we would play a church CD while we were getting her dressed for bed.  It became part of her ritual.  One of the songs would especially touch both Bobby and I and we coincidentally coined it "Pip's Song".  She seemed to always calm alittle when this song was playing. The title of the song is: "Happy Still".  It was perfect and she'll even call it her song.

This brings me to sweet Baby Brynn.   During my pregnancy with her, I felt the same sort of connection with her as I did with Pip. For her, I felt a lot of love, kindness, and compassion mingled with seriousness.  I wrote in my journal of how felt that when people would meet her they would instantly love her and feel her love for them.  I wouldn't say I felt that she would be my peaceful one, but that she would be extremely kind.  There's no other way to put it.  Lately, I've been playing that same CD for B.  I started off by playing Pip's song to her and she didn't seem to enjoy it as much (probably because Pip would come running in the room with a "Hey, that's MY song!").  So I randomly started skipping around and stopped at track 6.  Instantly, B calmed enough to listen to it and as I was getting her ready for bed I felt that this could be her song.  So the ritual began, I started playing the song for her each night as I was readying her for bed.  Out of curiosity, I looked at the CD case to see what the title of the song was. 

The title is: "Benevolence".  How perfect.

Big Decisions are Looming on Our Horizon

A few weeks ago,  I posted this little number

Sad to say, but this will not be my house.  It's currently under contract by someone else who loved it.  However, my house is out there and we might be finding it a whole heck of a lot sooner than expected.

When Bobby and I moved into our apartment, we only signed a 6 month lease with hopes of finding a house by December.  After careful consideration and lack of funds (we have enough, but I want more money to feel really secure), we decided to go ahead and wait and just sign on to our lease for another 6 months if the rent stayed in my comfort zone- at or around our $1425 rate.  (apartments here are done by market value, rent is determined by supply and demand)

Well, we got our 60 day notice and we have to make a decision by the end of October if we plan on staying here or our rent defaults to month to month as of December.  The rent increase is about $100 if we sign on for a whopping 15 months!  15 months in  a 2 bedroom apartment with 4 people +dog, is not very appealing.  However, the rent is killer if we don't sign on for another 15 months.  To put it into perspective- sign on for 12months it's $1800, month to month it's $1900, and I haven't talked to them about another 6 months, but my guess is that it won't be pretty.

This leaves us with a BIG decision:  Do we buy our house now and stick to our original plan or do we live here for another 15 months?

If we decide to buy, we have 30 days to lock it in so in the event that we don't find our house, we can at least keep our rent in the $1500 range.   I am buggin'!  Like seriously freaking out about this.  Bob's been in touch with finding a realtor and he's contacted some lenders- things are springing into action.  It's exciting and scary and tense all wrapped up into one. 

Fingers crossed we find the house of our dreams and don't break the bank in the process!

Can I Have a Do-Over Please?

You know that feeling when you're changing the biggest poopsplosion diaper ever on the planet and you pull out a wipe only to realize it is your very LAST wipe?  That's how I feel about today. 

I am having an internal meltdown of epic proportions.  But to really understand why today stinks, I must start from the beginning:

I am slightly deaf in my right ear.  About 4 months ago, I noticed that my ears were really waxy.  My OBGYN chalked it up to a surge in hormones and that once I have the baby then my ears should return to normal.  They haven't.  In fact, the right ear has become progressively worse to the point where my hearing fades in and out.  A few days ago, my ear started draining stinky fluid and my entire jaw line throbbed.  I went to one of those Minute Clinics where I was prescribed with ear drops and told that my ear just had a lot of fluid in it.  Well, I used those drops and now I can't hear out of my right ear- like you have to talk to me either facing me so I can read your lips and facial expressions or stand on my left so I can hear you-other than that you are  muffled and I'll smile and nod.

Because my ear is messed up, sounds are one dimensional and I'm off kilter- balance, memory, attitude.  I'm just off.

Today I invited my friend and her daughter to go with us to the Children's Museum.   I should've stayed home.  First, we were running late.  Then I took Piper to use the potty.  While sitting on the toilet, she peed all over her underwear because I didn't push her far enough back on the potty because I was wearing Brynn and it's really hard to gage distance with a baby strapped to your chest.  I forgot to pack extra panties in my carry-on diaper pad changer thing, but I had a diaper.  So I wrestled with whether or not to put my fully potty trained child back in a diaper, go back to the car to get a new pair of underwear, or hand dry the wet underwear and put it back on her.  I opted for the diaper.

She played well and I had fun talking with my friend.  Then Brynn got hungry, so I nursed her but she gets so distracted that she only nursed a little and remained fussy.  My friend and I decided it was time to go home.  Unfortunately, Pip wasn't ready and I had to drag her kicking and screaming out of the play area while holding onto Brynn in the other arm.  After wrestling with Pip, she threw herself onto the floor.  I had to dead lift her one-handed and carry her out of the playarea.  I was so embarrassed.

At this moment, I had been doing a good job of maintaining my sanity and a pretty calm demeanor, but on the inside I wanted to scream.  I was having an inner meltdown.  I apologized repeatedly to my friend about being so off and that I'm normally not this way.  I blame my ear for all of this!

Editor's Note:  this post was written about Friday, Sept. 16.  Since then I had my ear irrigated and can hear like a normal person.  I didn't know how deaf I was!

The Negotiator

Failed Negotiations with a 2 1/2 year old

Negotiation attempt:  play with toys or watch TV

Pip- I want to watch something.  I want to watch TV.  pleeease
Me- No, we watched lots of TV already.  I want you to play with your trains or cars or toys.
Pip- No, I need to watch something.  pleeeeeeeeease.
Me- Okay, but I'm going to take all your toys away and you will never get to play with your toys and you can only watch TV, no more toys.  Do you want your toys or only watch TV?
Pip- (thinking) Okay, that sounds nice.  I want the TV.

I made her play trains

Negotiation attempt:  eat dinner or go to bed

Pip- (carrying a completely full plate of food back to the kitchen)  Okay, I done eating.
Dad- You didn't eat anything on your plate.  Not even your fruit or your tires (black olives)
Pip-  I not hungry.  I done.
Dad- Okay then if you're not going to eat then you have to go to bed.  Eat or go to bed.  What do you want to do?
Pip- Play!
Dad-  (mom stifling a giggle)  What do I say to that? (addressing me)
Mom- Tell her that wasn't one of the choices.
Dad- Piper "playing" wasn't one of the choices.  You can either eat or go to bed
Pip- Okay, I'll go to bed.

And she did.  It was 6:30.

Negotiating with a 2 1/2 year old is a misnomer.  It should be called:  Shooting yourself in the foot.  The girl calls our bluff- Everytime. 

I can't win.

First Day of School! First Day of School!





Last week, Piper started a Mother's Day Out Preschool at a church in our neighborhood and I couldn't have been more excited! We talked to her about preschool and how she would meet new friends.  She was excited about that since she misses her Indiana friends a lot.  I felt that this would be perfect for her to get out and socialize and for me to go out and enjoy some 1-on-1 time with Brynn.  At the Open House we got to meet her teachers and check out the classroom.  Pip found a toy pig to play with and for the entire week leading up to the first day of school, she talked non-stop about the piggy.  Thank goodness she had something to look forward to when I had to drop to her off at school for the first time.  I was a bit worried that she would cry or get upset since this would be the first time I've ever not been with her for a long period of time. 

So, the first day of school rolled around and I woke up super early to get her ready, make her lunch, and get Brynn ready to go.  Preschool didn't start until 9:30, but we were a little a lot early.  We took pics, met some moms, and walked around the playground.  Pip was one of the first kids to get dropped off.  I walked her to her classroom and she made a beeline for the pig and completely forgot I was even there.  I was the 2nd parent to hightail it out of there and Pip was none the wiser. 

I missed her the whole day.  Don't get me wrong-Brynn and I had a nice time together.  We went for a 3 mile walk and took a nap.  But I spent most of the day meandering around the house waiting for my Pip to come home.  Needless to say, Pip was the first kid to get picked up :)

She goes 2x a week right now, but if she really enjoys it, I might sign her up to go 3 days a week.  So far, it's been a good thing for me and for her. 

September 11, 2001

This whole week Bobby and I have been watching the 9/11 specials and rewatching the decade old newsfeed brings me back to that sunny Tuesday 10 years ago...

I woke up early to go up to the University of Alabama for reasons that I don't remember- could be a class or turning in an assignment.  The day was clear, sunny, and warm. I did whatever I needed to do and instead of staying up at the school and waiting until my 11 o'clock class, I headed back home.  I was driving through downtown Northport when I decided to turn on the radio to the local Top 40 station.  I was surprised because I heard Tom Brokaw's voice and he was talking very quickly and nervously about something- I remember there was a lot of panic and matter of fact to his voice, but I also remember thinking "Why is Tom Brokaw on my morning radio show?"  I actually thought it was a joke- you know how radio shows will sometimes call people and pretend to be Santa Claus or play random soundbites-so I turned that station to another radio station- the local rap station- that I knew, for sure, wouldn't have Tom Brokaw's voice on it.  I was wrong- Tom Brokaw was on every station.  So I listened.  And I heard that a plane had accidentally hit one of the World Trade towers.  At that moment it was ruled an accident and everything was under control, firefighters were responding and rescue efforts were underway. Everything was fine.  Not to worry.

I arrived home and immediately went to find my parents to tell them what I heard.  I found them with their eyes glued to the television with a look of pure shock.   No sooner could I get the words out of my mouth to ask what was going on- I saw it.  I saw the second plane hit the tower.  I remember thinking, "Was that just a plane that hit?"  I really thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. My dad muttered something.  My mom started crying.  At that point, it was clear that something was terribly wrong.   We watched the news. Beyond the 2 hijacked planes that struck theWorld Trade Towers, 2 other planes were hijacked and crashed: 1 into the Pentagon and another in rural Pennsylvania- rumored to have been headed to the White House.  I can't remember my exact feelings from that moment- just shock, worry, fear, mostly fear. I don't even remember if I cried. 

The remembrance of the rest of the day's events are shoddy at best.  I went back to school for my 11 o'clock class- we were doing something with computers and Lewis and Clark.  Everyone was talking about what happened that morning.  It was a blur.  At my evening class, I remember a girl getting up and walking out, cell phone in hand.  I remember the teacher saying something really terrible to us about focusing on her class instead of what happened in New York-we were in Alabama after all- and chastising the girl who left.  Turns out, she had family in New York City and had been unsuccessful in trying to reach them  until that moment.  I don't remember her ever coming back to school.

The next day I was beginning my teacher practicum at a local elementary school.   I remember going to the school and the teacher telling me to not mention the events of yesterday.  The children filed in and began their morning routine- which included saying The Pledge of Allegiance. 

I swear to this day:  The Pledge of Allegiance never sounded so sweet and bitter at the same time.  At that point, I remember my eyes filling with tears...

I pledge allegiance

to the flag

of the United States of America

and to the Republic

for which it stands

One Nation

Under God

Indivisible

With Liberty

and

Justice

For All

I don't think I can ever forget that day.  It took me a long time to think it was okay to laugh and feel unscathed.  There's always a lump in my throat when September 11th draws near.  My mind, even 10 years later, can't wrap around the magnitude of what happened on that day, the countless lives that were lost, and the bravery exhibited by many of the first responders.  I respect and honor the soldiers who have been fighting in the war that resulted from this event.  I am proud to be an American. 

Reflux, Growth Spurts, and Smiles. Oh My!

We had our 2 month check up today and can I just say- Holy moly, she's 2 months already?!? 

So what is Brynn up to now:

*For starters- Brynn is social smiling and I a got a few shots of her gummy grin.  So cute!  I was beginning to get discouraged that all I was going to see for the next few months was a grimace or a frown, but lo and behold she started to smile...at me!  Melts my heart~ there isn't anything sweeter than when they actually smile at you.   

Say Cheese!

*Brynn is starting to become more content.  She still cries a lot, but she's becoming more aware of her surroundings.  I can play with, sing, and read stories to her now without her getting irritated.  I took her to the doctor a few weeks ago because I suspected those crying spells were due to acid reflux.  We used Maalox and had her sleep more upright and it seemed to help, but she still had crying fits between 4-7pm.  During those hours, our entire house was crying and it was very difficult to get anything done (dinner and bathtime).  It's so strange because during the day, she's fine and content.  I've eliminated reflux as her problem and maybe it was colic or sheer boredom.  I also eliminated milk, but I still eat other dairy products.  The other thing we noticed is that she was especially irritable after I ate at Chick Fil A.  I guess it's those fried foods she doesn't like, so no more Chicky for me.  

Brynn and Daddy during the sleeper BYU vs Ole Miss football game.  I don't blame them.  It was a boring game. Actually, it was a boring football weekend for all our teams. (period)

*Brynn is on a "schedule" and has started sleeping through the night!  Currently, she'll take 2 naps from 11-2pm and 4-6pm (sometimes) and goes to bed around 9:30/10pm and will sleep until 6 or 7am.  When she wakes up at 6 or 7am, she'll nurse on one side and then go back to sleep until about 9:30am.  It's a pretty sweet deal.  We're still not on schedule with Piper, but that's okay.  I'm happy she's sleeping through the night.  I did an experiment where I had her sleep in her bouncy seat in the bathroom.  Worked like a charm.  However, I used it so much that the motor has burned out.  So, we bought her swing- she doesn't love it...as much as the bouncy seat.   Oh well.

STATS:

Height:  23.5 inches, 87 percentile for height when compared to her peers

Weight:  10 lbs 14 oz, 49 percentile for weight

Head:  15 inches, 31 percentile for head circumference

Eye color:  still blue

Hair color: dark brown

Exercises:  Tummy time- hates it!  Bobby calls it Face Planting time, Piper asks:  Why is Brynn eating the floor?  Needless to say, we do it for 5 minutes and then call it quits.  She'll lift her head up while she's on our chest.  She stands on her legs and can hold her head up pretty well.  I put her in the Bumbo seat a few days ago and she kept her head up, so she's getting her exercise. 

To our sweet Baby Brynn~ We love you.  We love how much you are growing and developing.  We love how you've blessed our lives with your spirit.  We love that you picked our family to join.  We love the happiness you bring to us.   We love you.

Smiles and Tears

This past Thursday- Sept 1, 2011- I took Pip and Brynn to an indoor playground.   The intense heat wave (100+ degree temps the entire month of August) kept us indoors quite a bit.  So I messaged my friend, Kelley R, and asked if she would like to join us.  Kelley R. is an IU MBA wife that I met in Bloomington.  She has a little boy, Sebastian, who is Pip's age.  Plus, we were also preggars together and our girls, Skylar and Brynn, are 6 weeks apart.  So our kids are destined to be pals.  Piper was super excited to hang out with Sebastian (or as she calls him Bastian).  I was super excited to chit chat with one of my favorite ladies.  Win-Win! 

Later, we joined them for lunch at 5 Guys.  The kids had fun having a little lunch date.  At first we weren't going to go, but Piper insisted that she wanted needed a  hot dog and that she had to eat it with Bastian.  Since Kelley is on maternity leave and it's obvious our kids enjoy each other's company, we plan on doing this more often. 

The SMILES...



Playing on the trampoline.  Piper doesn't get that you are supposed to jump on it.  She would get slightly annoyed at the children jumping around her and would just sit there. 



The MOST popular attraction at the playroom:  trains.  There were a few tears shed when she had to get off and let someone else have a turn. 

Enjoying a hot dog with Bastian.  She actually ate all her food.  But, you can't go wrong with hot dogs and fries.

 Bastian, Piper, Skylar, and Brynn.  The babies were DONE for the day.  I think they were jealous that they couldnt' eat french fries.  I love how Bastian is looking at Pip.  Methinks someone has a crush.

And the TEARS...

Awww, doesn't this break your heart? 



Not crying, but I get this face a lot from Pip when Brynn is crying.  She tries to console her baby sister and play with her, but gets frustrated that it doesn't help.  She's such a good big sister.



As for me, I haven't cried at all this week.  Yeah me!  I've determined that B is going to cry no matter what I do or don't do.  Today, I let her sleep in the bathroom with the exhaust fan on and she slept for 2 1/2 hours.  I also started tightly swaddling her again.  At first, we swaddled her completely.  But she seemed to like her arms out and would scream bloody murder if they were swaddled (such a departure from Pip who loved being swaddled).  We started swaddling her with her arms out, but then one night we didn't have her little swaddle blanket, so Bob used a receiving blanket and burrito rolled her. She slept so quiet and actually slept the entire night- as for me, I was awake the whole night waiting for her to wake up.  Bob had to go to Bloomington on Wednesday and I decided that if I was going to stay sane, I was going to burrito roll Brynn so tight she'd forget she even had arms.  And you know what...it worked!  She fell asleep at 9:30 and stayed asleep until 7.  Hallelujah, praise the Lord! 

As for today's little bathroom experiment, I got a nap in and naps make for happy mommas! 

Life in Pictures

I made it a goal (I like making little goals) to take more pictures of everyday things and journal those little daily events.  I didn't want my blog to turn into an "only big" events forum since it is my journal and, to me, there is beauty in the mundane, every day things.  I read a book, The Secret Life of Bees, it was really good.  But the point I took away from it was to write down your history, we all have a story to tell and it's most important to the one's we love.  So here's my everyday in pictures and captions-

 Bob snapped this picture this past Sunday- August 28, 2011.  Brynn is seriously too cute for words and I love it when babies wear those little beanie caps.  We were getting ready to go suburb shopping- our weekend excursion.  This was a moment of quiet at a time of chaos- getting 2 kids and myself ready in under 30 is no simple task.  



Brynn's stinky cheese face

Speaking of suburb shopping, so what is it?  Basically, Houston is like majorly big and choosing the right suburb basically seals your fate- it's where you'll shop, eat, recreate, and live...forever- you'll have no other reason to leave it or move and any friends you make have to live in that suburb, like, you can't have a friend in another suburb or in the city because it would be like them living in a completely different state because Houston is so big.  So, choosing the suburb has been a weekend event.  So far, we've narrowed it down to 3 and those are a soft 3 because you have to pick the right neighborhood within the suburb.  It's exhausting!  When we go suburb shopping, we make a list of houses/neighborhoods we think we can afford and do drive-bys- if there is an open house we'll stop, but mostly it's a lot of driving and slowing down.  On this particular trip, we took our camera so we could take pictures of "our" house.  This is "my" house.  Isn't it cute?  I want a house.  One day my house will come....

 

We got a new member of our family last week: Meet Dorothy...er...I mean Nemo.  Actually, we're not quite sure what the goldfish's name is.  Piper has been doing so A-MAZING with her potty training that we promised her a fish.  She got to pick out all the fishy essentials.  She was so happy carrying her little bag of fish stuff.  We've been watching Nemo A LOT and she's been wanting a fish, really bad.  After we got her a fish, all she wanted to do was play with it and feed it.  We had to explain to her that this was a real fish and that real fish don't really like to play, but...they like having their pictures taken.  So she spent the morning taking about 50 pictures of Dorothy or...Nemo. 

A few weekends ago, I decided that we needed to get out, explore nature, and discover something new!  So it was off to the Houston Arboretum- a little bit of nature tucked just inside the loop.  They had a delightful nature center where Pip got to touch a turtle shell and make leaf rubbings.   We also went on a "hike". There's not much elevation change in Houston unless you count an overpass as elevation change or going up to the 39th floor of an office building.  But, leave it up to us, to find the only trail with elevation.  We walked along the ravine which was nice and dry due to the drought, but we had fun and a nice uphill workout. 

We brought the wrong stroller, the trail was a mix of boardwalk and leaves. 

 On the hottest weekend to date in August- 109 degrees to be exact.  Piper decided she wanted to go to a park with no shade at noon.  What was she thinking?  What were we thinking?  We spent all of 5 minutes there before we decided that a playground in Hell is not appealing at all.  But I did manage to snap a few shots of her having fun with daddy!

Now on to the cuteness that is my family:  Piper and Brynn.  This week Piper decided that the my laundry basket was the ocean and she was a fish.  Typically, the laundry basket is a nest for her eggs or a boat, but today the ocean.  I love that she knows how to use her imagination, unfortunately, that imagination has been cultivated by watching copious amounts of TV due to my ever demanding eater:  Brynn.  Oh well, guess the TV's good for something.  She starts a mommy's day out preschool program next week and I couldn't be more excited!



And here's Brynn. Oh sweet  Baby B.  Man she's a cutie and so expressive.  She's starting to grin every so often, but not frequent enough like these pictures for example were supposed to capture the ever-elusive grin.  As you can see...I failed.  Still cute though!  She's going to be 2 months next week and I'm in shock at how fast time is flying.  As much as I love this newborn phase, I do find myself getting excited about feeding her french fries.  And it's no lie, but Brynn is very demanding and cries quite a bit.  If she isn't eating or sleeping, she's crying.  It's so sad for both of us, but I know she'll grow out of it with time.  So I've been looking forward to the magical age of 4 months or known to me as:  The END of the 4th trimester (if you haven't read The Happiest Baby on The Block, this phrase means nothing to you and you've never had a colicky baby and I hate you..just kidding).



I have more pictures, but no time to journal another lengthy post- our poor dog, Boo is ready to go potty.  *sigh* a mother's work is never done. 

Did I forget something?

 

NOPE!  -It's DATE NIGHT!

And as much as I love my darling Pip and my sweet Baby Brynn

I love it when it's just the 2 of us again!

After having a rough week full of crying and meltdowns- mostly my own meltdowns coupled with B's day long crying spells.  I suggested to Bob to ask our don't know what they're agreeing to very nice friends, the Hiatts, to babysit for us either Friday or Saturday night.  They happily agreed and we left both of the kids with them (originally we were going to take Brynn, but they didn't mind watching her too) and went to Fogo de Chao a delicious Brazilian place where they bring you an endless supply of meat on skewers until you tell them no.  YUMM-O (I had been craving Brazilian my entire pregnancy, but didn't indulge due to a bad memory of a birthday dinner at Tucanos when I was 8 months pregnant with Piper...it was a bad idea to eat that much meat 8 months pregnant.)  

We indulged and spent a small fortune, we talked to each other without having to divert our attention to one of the children, and stuffed our faces silly. We both know these date nights are few and far between (our last date was our anniversary...in April), but we appreciated our Bloomington turned Houston friends, the Hiatts, for helping us out.



Vegetarians avert your eyes on this one!  My favorite favorites were the bacon wrapped fillet, bacon wrapped chicken, sliced sirloin, ribs, garlic marinated hunk of meat, and another marinated hunk of meat.  Basically, everything meat and all medium done.  Oh so good!

And for dessert:  My Tres Leches cake.  The waiter said it was a slice big enough for 2.  Umm, not exactly.  I ate the entire thing.  I LOVE Tres Leches, but the best Tres Leches is still the cake my friend, Irasema, had at her wedding.  Oh well, it was still dang good as evidenced by the fact that none of it was left over for Bob to enjoy.  Don't worry about him, he ate a delicious Mango/papaya creme dessert.

In the Summertime

In Houston, the only thing to do in the summer is go swimming!  We've had over 19 consecutive days of 100+ temps with 0 rainfall.  To say it's been hot, would be an understatement.  Thank goodness the humidity's been low.  I know next summer might not be as pleasant, so I'm enjoying the heat minus the humidity.  I love summer, but I kinda feel like in Houston everyone hibernates in the summer.  I told Bobby that I feel like I've been in hibernation for 9 months- winter in Bloomington and summer in Houston.   Bummer!  Well, despite the heat, Pip and I have ventured out to the park and we've started going for evening strolls around our complex. 

Some other news to report, I had my 6 week check-up.  Hooray!  I'm down 26lbs with another 14lbs to go until I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I credit the rapid weight loss to never having time to eat anything, nursing, and not having a huge appetite.  I hope to be down at least 10 more pounds by the end of September when we visit Colorado.  I told Bob I have to be in my clothes by then or else... Plus, I would really like to go shopping for reals.