Getting ready for a Christmas party with a toddler...
...2:00 mommy makes the food to take to take to the party gives toddler a snack and packs bag for a sleepover with grandparents
3:00 mommy curls her hair with two curling irons out and blocked from tiny fingers. Toddler sitting on toilet destroying eveything he can get his hands on-candles, brushes, toilet paper. Toddler gets bored and starts screaming then decides to get out all of daddy's boots, plays with the plant, unpacks his sleepover bag and trys to grab curling iron. While mommy picks out clothes for party toddler spills oxiclean powder all over the bed room. Mommy has to vacuum for the second time today and dog freakes out while vacuum is running.
3:45 we clean up all of the toddler entertainment and mommy sits down for a drink.
In just days we will welcome a second baby into our lives. If it takes two hours to get ready with a toddler how long will take to get ready with two kids??

Guess I should catch up on blogging before the baby gets here...

Elias has developed quite a personality. Both good and bad. Not only is he opinionated but he also is listening really well right now. He will follow two step directions and is pretty good about puting things "bach" as he calls it when he's done. For example the other day he had my measuring cups out and I said "you need to put those back before your snack". When I turned back around he had picked them all up. 

Just as we get ready to welcome baby brother Elias came down with pneumonia. He is so sweet and cuddly when he is sick!  I love it but hate that he is sick. 

Elias is making sure to test all the baby gear as we get closer and closer. I am 38 weeks in the above picture. I'm getting very excited for baby boy #2. But I'm also sad to say goodbye to the precious time I've had with just Elias. 

First hot cocoa. Yum!!

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Another reason is we get too cook together. Yesterday it was bread. 

One reason I love staying home...dates with my son whenever I want. 

Hand is finally getting a scab!

Super awesome Michael Jackson glove to cover his burns!  Still feeling quilty. 

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Bugga's second Thanksgiving was spent with grandma and grandpa Evans and Uncle Nick and Aunt Brandi. He didn't want anything to do with me after his fun sleepover. I was replaced with "puppa Magnie", my brother's dog Maggie. We also had our first major injury involving the grill and a tiny hand which resulted in 2nd degree burns on 3 of Elias' fingers and one guilty momma. At the end of the day we all atento much and enjoyed time with eachother. Shopping tomorrow...yet to be decided.  

Oh and I almost forgot. Mom took Elias to lay down for his nap. 30 min later I hear him talking and walk into this.

Oh and i almost forget. Mom took Elias to lay down for his nap. 30 min later I hear him talking and walk into this.  

Today Elias learned how to say Uncle Nick and Aunt Brandi's names.  He also farted turned around and said "what was that". I also told him this morning he was having a sleep over tomorrow night at grandma and grandpa's and he went racing to the door yelling "Poopaw". He loves my dad!! It's so special watching him form a bond with "Poopaw". 

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

We love to play dress up. 

I love when Elias climbs in my lap with his "Bible" and wants to read stories and sing Bible songs!

His favorites right now are the Lord's prayer and Zacchaeus. He also started holding his hands out asking to pray at dinner and saying amen. 

Elias and I love doing crafts together. I'll ask him if he wants to do a craft and he'll exclaim "yeah". Here are a few pics. 

Today's craft was making a turkey with a fruit container, feathers, and cut out hand prints.  Process over product. 

Two big trucks in the driveway at 730am. A boys dream come true!

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Elias's favorite book right now is his Bible from Uncle Peter anf Aunt Kim. His favorite stories are the Lord's prayer and Zacchaeus. 

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Helping get baby brother's room ready. Daddy didn't appreciate the extra hands very much but he was a very good helper. He brought the nails to daddy and all the tools he could possibly need!  So precious to watch him!!!

"uh oh mommy". Elias discovered my jewlery draw and had chosen multiple necklaces to play with and tangle. Guess I left him alone a little to long!  

Colic??

I'm posting from my phone so please excuse my typing. As i put my restless and teething baby boy to bed tonight instead of kisses he bit me and instead of hugs he pinched me. As i fight with my baby for some reason my mind drifts back to this time a year ago. Elias was four months old and we had just returned from a GI specialist in Baltimore. Two tired and frustrated parents retuned with thier first born baby boy with a diagnosis of colic. As i sat rocking my baby i thought of how different life was a year ago or maybe how not so different it was. Besides the obvious, we moved, i stay home, adam became a turkey farmer, and we r two months from having another baby, we r different people and different parents. Elias still throws fits and acts like a fussy baby but he also brings so much joy. Im not sure where i'm going with this except to say yeah things r different but they're also the same.

Country Livin'

It's been over a month now since we moved.  It's been a while since I've blogged which is because we don't have internet.  That's right we live off the grid.  Map quest can't get you  here and internet can't find us.  We are getting settled in.  We have our good days and our bad days.  Adam is in the middle of transitioning to new birds which means long days and usually 6 day weeks which makes finding friends difficult.  He's supervising up to 10 other guys.  There are lots of frustrations but I think he will soon have the hang of it.  He seems to really enjoy riding the tractor all over the 40 acre farm. 

Elias and I are getting settled too. Adam's long days make for long days for us as well, filled often with frustration on mommy's part.  It's rough getting used to 12 hour days with a toddler.  I am really enjoying it much more than I thought I would.  I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to do it and that I wouldn't like it but with the responsibilities of work gone my new "job" is presenting with new and fun challenges of it's own.  It was just about this time last year when I had to go back to work after Elias was born.  It crushed my heart to leave my precious baby.  After being in the work force full time for a year I couldn't imagine not working and spending endless hours with a tiring baby that never runs out of energy.  I'm getting to cook a lot more, usually with a screaming toddler at my feet, and actually don't mind play "house wife" as much as I thought I would.  I never saw myself as taking on the role of good little house wife with dinner ready at 5 and the kids in bed by 7 but it's those things that now bring routine to my life.  I long for girlfriends and time of my own.  Thankfully my parents love having Elias for sleep overs which offers some sanity to my life.  Otherwise I am with him 24/7.  We eat together, pee together, play together, shop together, go to the Doctor together, etc.  After sharing with Adam about what grocery shopping is like with a 1 year old he kindly reminded me that I am now one of those moms I used to walk past and think "Can't they keep their kid under control".  Things like flying food from the cart and screaming down the aisle make shopping really fun.  The last month as brought more changes than I can share in one post.  All in all staying home fits my personality for the time being.  I'm a home body so I am getting plenty of "home" time and enjoy being out on the weekends with my family when it used to be very stressful to me.  I will however, go back to work someday. 

Adam and I try our best to spend time together at least once a week.  Usually it's to run the errands that are difficult to do with Elias.  Like picking out counter top or buying things for the house.   We have visited several churches and are really enjoying fall in the Shenandoah valley.  We are looking forward to several visitors in October.  We would love to see you so plan to stop if you are driving through. 

It has been a week since the moving truck unpacked all of our things so I thought I would do a top 10 list of likes and dislikes so far.

1. It's so nice to be near family
2. I love waking up to quiet mornings with a cool breeze
3. There is a really good ice cream shop in town that Baby #2 has convinced me stop at multiple times.
4. I love being able to rock my baby every day and meet his needs in a way no one else can. I love hearing his sweet little voice in the next room rabbering away. I was missing so much of him I didnt even realize.
5. I love not feeling rushed everyday. Getting to take care of my home and family and not feeling the pressure to meet anyone else's needs.
6. We are 20 min from the edge of town with a 1/2 mile long driveway with hills and gravel. A far cry from our previous drive that barley fit two car links and it took us about 5 min to get to almost anything we wanted.
7. There are a lot of bugs here!! I mean a lot and weird ones. I was sitting on the couch last light when I looked down to see a cricket on my leg. Really? In my house?? I never thought of myself as a city girl but the bugs and weird animals are a little much for me.
8. I dont have a diahwasher. Enough said.
9. I miss my friends (work friends included) Especially having really good ones two doors down. I needed brown sugar last night and there was no one to call. I also wanted to rip my hair out earlier which was able to be resolved with a text but still I miss u!!
10. I dont like boxes. Our upstairs is completly unpacked. Granted most of them are in the basement as planned to be out of the way. But I cant find what I need and being 22 weeks pregnant with a baby the size of a large squash in my belly limits what I can do. Plus I have the most amazing little helper that reorganizes my recipe box, puts tape in the toilet, gets splinters, hits the dog, empties the snack cabinet, and so much more for me. I love every second (ok not every second but must) of those little blue eyes and blond hair and that precious little voice.

Today has been difficult as the excitment of moving is wearing off and the reality of it sets in more deeply. Adam starts work tomorrow and I'll spend my first day alone at the house. Elias is overtired and grumpy as we shuffle back and forth between mom and dad's house and our new house. I feel guilty for the time I'm not spending with him and he demands. Soon enough we will be back into a routine and find familiar things in a place that seems so strange.

Events of the last week

Sunday Dad, Elias, Riley and I left for VA.  We arrived and settled in leaving Adam to take care of the movers.  We tried to avoid saying bye to people. This has been and will be a difficult transition.  Sunday night I woke up throwing up and continued to be sick for about 24 hours.  In addition I had an infection and no Doctor to treat me.  Thankfully my previous OB agreed to prescribe some antibiotics.  Monday the movers were at our house packing all of our belongings.  Tuesday was my first official day as a stay at home mom.  Granted we are staying at my parents.  Wednesday I woke up and mom and dad had been up all night throwing up.  They took two days off as they just returned from Honduras and finished recovering from the bug they got there.  The movers were at home loading all of our belongings into the truck and Adam's parents arrived to help in MD.  Thursday the movers arrived in VA to unload.  Why do we have enough stuff to fit into a semi?  We are gonna have to have a yard sale!  Adam's parents helped us all day Thursday and Friday unpacking boxes and cleaning.  My parents barley felt well enough to make it to work but manged to get back into the swing of things.  Friday night we took a break and enjoyed some fun at the County Fair.  We rode the Ferris wheel with Elias for the first time, played fair games, ate fried Twinkies, saw all the cows, sheep, pigs, goats, etc. and an acrobats show which Elias loved!  An introduction into the new life as farmers! 

Our house is 15 min from the edge of town 20 min from a grocery store, and 30 minutes from mom and dad's.  The property is beautiful and the house is coming together.  But for now we are still at mom and dad's while we unpack more and try to settle in.  Riley's not sure what to think of her new yard.  Elias seems to like playing amongst boxes and paper.  The whole upstairs is unboxed except for the new babies room and the guest room is coming together so plan a time to come visit.  I'll post some pictures in a few minutes.  It's been hard leaving behind all of friends and the familiarity of a town we've lived in for a long time.  But it's refreshing to feel the cool morning breeze and remember how perfectly this came together.

Moving

We are just days away from moving.  The movers will be arriving on Monday to pack us and will load transport and unload everything!  I have know idea how we would have ever done this on our own.  Moving is so stressful even when someone else is doing the work.  I can't imagine the wreck I would be if we were doing this ourselves.  Elias and I will head to VA with my dad on Monday.  Adam will stay behind an finish up with the movers and his parents will come over with him on Wednesday.  So excited about his adventure but nervous and sad to leave behind good friends and a job I have loved.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for safe travels and that this would be an easy transition for us.

Changes

My last post was about disappointment and not feeling sure of God's plan for your family.  In this post I will explain more about what has been happening over the last several months in our lives.  God is surely at work around us!

The beginning of April Adam I contacted a realtor who is also a family friend to discuss the possibilities of selling our home in the hopes of finding something outside the City limits.  We figured there was no better time as it is a buyers market and we have nothing to lose.  The only problem...selling our current house.  We started looking at options and discussing listing prices, of course disappointed with what our profits would be but hopefull we would make up for it when we bought.  The end of April we found out we were pregnant again and were still debating about selling our house. 

The beginning of June, after much prayer and consideration, our house went on the market June 3rd.  Adam also had a promising interview with the school system in Harrisonburg, VA, near my parents.  We also had a showing the first week our house was on the market and became very optimistic.  Unfortunately, Adam was passed over for the job and the buyer was so turned off by our neighborhood they didn't even bother to look at our house. 

 A month  goes by and we are loosing hope as the job market is dry and houses are not moving, no additional showings and our realtor assured us the market was slowing even more and our house was in one of the worst areas of town to sell. 




 The week before July Fourth Adam was turned down for a position at Cargill, where my dad works.  Not knowing he had been denied my dad went to check in HR about the status of his application.  It had been thrown out with no consideration along with many other able applicants.  Adam had an interview the next week.  A week goes by and Adam is offered the position for a lower salary than originally discussed and we turned the position down.  For a whole week we both second guessed the decision.  The position offered housing but with the lower salary I would have to find work until our house here sold.  (Little did we know we would have three showings scheduled in the week to come.)  Five days after Adam turned the position down the supervisor called to explain why the salary was lower than expected.  By the end of the conversation which happened on a Friday Adam would be reconsidered for the position with the new applicants the would interview the same day.  The day before, Thursday, our house showed and on Tuesday we had an offer.  Still not knowing about the job we counter offered and signed a contract on Thursday.  Friday morning Adam heard back that he got the job for a second time. 

What I must mention is that during the week of doubt and second guessing our prayer was that if this was meant to be God would bring it back to us or something similar.  God answered our prayer and the job was re-offered at the same exact salary.  Most people would think it's dumb to take a job you turned down for the same amount of pay.  But for us it was conformation that God would provide for your needs we need only to trust in Him.  The other cool part is the supervisor had approved new HVAC expecting we would take the position and the first time turned it down.  God was already working to care for us and we didn't recognize it. 

God is a God of all times, all people and all things.  He is working all around us we just have to open our eyes and look for Him. 

The plan is for me to stay home.  I recently posted that I could not be a stay at home mom so stay tuned for the adventures over the next several moths as we make major adjustments to our life.  We will be living on a 40 acre farm about 15 minutes from the town where my parents live.  Adam will be a Farm Supervisor for 17,000 turkeys.  Let the fun begin!! 

So we got very disappointing news today that I will not go into detail about but rather share my frustration. I have a hope for my family that we would have the best in life as most mothers do. Every person's "bests" are different. What i thought might be best for our family came crashing down on my soul today with the weight of disapointment. I'm confussed with why God puts us through things, gives us hope and then leaves us with disapointment. What lesson is to be learned from that? Was my "best" list wrong, my hopes for my family wrong? Am I failing to see God all together? Why give opportunities, keeping the door cracked just long enough to have hope amd trust, and then slam the door on ur toes?

I always wanted to be stay at home mom but after days like today with only one 30 min nap I realize one of us would not survive. Call it what you will, being insensative, a bad mom, not doing my job, but i know and trust that being apart from my child makes me the best mother I can be to him. And days like today remind me how hard of work it is to tend children all day.

Trouble maker

Our perfect little angle is starting to show some true colors. Two days ago when I picked him up from daycare Dianna, the daycare mom, told me he had gotten in trouble after being told three times to stop standing on a toy.  When she took it away he threw a fit, got himself together and very politely signed “please” to Dianna asking for the toy back. 

Yesterday when I picked him up he had gotten his first time out.  Dianna told him to stop throwing toys at the cat.  He apparently looked right at Dianna, smiled, and threw it again. 

This morning when I dropped him off Dianna fills me in that he can now open some of the child proof latches, tries to climb up and stand on the back of the sofa and climbs on a chair to get to and stand on the table. 

I’m not sure we know what we have gotten ourselves into.

I'm sure he didn't know what he was saying but i just had the following conversation with Elias plain as day
me: (as im handing elias to adam) good night Bugga (his nickname) Daddy's gonna put u to bed.
Elias:i dont like this
Me: u dont like this?
Elias: shakes his head no
Me: why dont u like this?
Elias: because
Me: because why
Elias: daddy doesnt put the blanket on

Real moms get $90 tickets for running a stop sign they didnt even see.

Real moms finally get their kid a real pair of shoes (you know the epensive ones where they measure their feet and watch them walk in the shoes) and they are a size and a half bigger then what you have been putting on your kid.

Mean Mom

(I am borrowing the words that follow, I did not write them and don't know who did)  Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: I loved you enough…to ask where you are going, with whom, and what time you would be home.  I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.  I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you h ad taken and tell the clerk, “I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it.”  I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.  I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes, Children must learn that their parents aren’t perfect.  I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.  But most of all, I loved you enough…to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.  Those were the most difficult battles of all.  I’m glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.  And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

I hope I’m a Mean Mom.

CHOO CHOO

I went to the Doctor yesterday and heard our little train chugging a long.  The sound of the miracle growing inside of me.  According to my calculations the heart rate was about 138.  The old wives tale says that over 140 is a girl and under is a boy.  Elias's was 160 at a visit and the Doctor told me it was a girl.  He is most certainly not a girl.  More on this in a  minute.  All of the babies systems are now formed and from this point on will mature and begin to function.  I've already been able to feel the active little thing flipping and kicking around.  The second pregnancy is taking it's tole much faster.  My hands swell when I get hot, I've had really bad round ligament pain (sharp pains in my belly) that come from nowhere,  I already feel like I can't breath and that I am a blimp which was just reinforced when someone told me that I'm eating every time they she sees me.  In four weeks we will have a sonogram and our next appointment.  Hopefully we will find out if we will have pink or more blue. 

Now back to Elias.  When we had our 18 week sonogram with him the stenographer said "it's a boy" and just in case we had any doubt Elias reached down to check for himself that he was in dead a boy.  Last night he again discovered that he is a boy while I was giving him a bath.  The only reason I'm even posting this is because it is quite funny to watch your 25 lb toddler try to move his rounded tummy out of the way to find his manhood, which he cannot normally see.  I'm not sure we can handle another boy...

We survived the first year!!

I've been meaning to blog about Elias turning one for well, three weeks now.  I feel like so much has happened and I have so much to write I just haven’t had the time to sit down and do it.  The pictures I posted from my phone.  The first and second ones are from Cove Rd. which is on the Nanticoke River.  Adam and I discovered this quaint little beach several years ago and love going there.  Elias loves it too and decided to relax in the cool water on a hot summer day.   The second and fourth are from a trip to the zoo yesterday in which Elias amazed me with his curiosity and how fast he has learned things I don’t feel like I’ve even taught him.  When we got to the monkeys he started saying “OOOAAA”. 

So where to even start.  As I look back over the last year I honestly hardly remember the first half of it.  It was a struggle to adjust to the changes a new baby brings especially one who was particularly needy and hard to deal with.  We spent endless hours walking, bouncing, swaddling, feeding, and comforting an inconsolable baby that only returned our efforts with screams. Through many tears, doctor’s appointments, tests and painful, heartbreaking moments our colicky, reflux baby has turned into the delight of our lives.  He has changed us as much has he has changed in the past year.  A year ago we had a baby who was helpless, who’s only communication was crying, needed to be fed, taught how to sleep, play, sit, walk, etc.  to a little boy how blows my mind every day.  One morning last week he took something out of my hand and said “give it”, he knows how to open the snack basket and find a treat, he’s communicating his wants and needs, telling us no, shaking his head yes,  says night-night, momma, dada, ball, book, and literally something new everyday.  He climbs off the sofa, runs, gives kisses, and barrels into you just to give you a hug.  That little boy has changed my life alright.  I’ve learned to love in a deeper way, a pain only a parent knows, patients to let him try him self, and a pride that can’t be described.  I’ve also learned to love my husband as a daddy.  Watching him read stories and play chase with Elias does something magical in the heart of a mother.  I could never do this without my partner and soul mate.  That little boy is the center of my world and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  So many times I wondered how can I do this and then I hear those words “yuv you” and my heart melts over and over again.

So 6 weeks ago at 10:00pm when I decided to take a pregnancy test just to confirm I wasn’t pregnant and that little darn stick said pregnant my mommy bear came out and wanted to protect the family I had already created.  It was an expected blessing for us that we struggled with for weeks.  We weren’t ready, can’t afford it, and it’s unfair to Elias.  I didn’t even want the new baby to play with Elias’s toys.  They are his toys, each one picked out just for him.  It’s not fair to divide my time between two babies.  Those feelings quickly turned to joy when I saw and felt that little peanut kicking around in my tummy for the first time.  New life is the most amazing miracle I can think of.  I never wanted my babies close together or around holidays but once again my plan is nothing compared to the plan of the Breather of life.  Around December 30^th we will welcome a new baby into our family just 18 months younger than Elias.  They will be in diapers at the same time, a year apart in school, and hopefully the best of friends.  Elias is already talking to the baby.  I think he’s ready to be a big brother.  Soon we will start the months of preparation of rearranging rooms washing bedding, clothes, bottles, and bibs and the ever so stressful job of selecting the perfect name.  Oh and don’t forget we are trying to sell our house.  My cranky Evans’ temperament seems to be staying under control with all these feel good pregnancy hormones.  At any moment that could change so if you have something bad to tell me just make sure you bring ice cream and chocolate. 


Any guesses on the sex of the baby…

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Prayers Please

 Our house will show for the first time this afternoon and is scheduled for the realtor tour tomorrow.  Our realtor is a little too efficient and this is moving a little (okay a lot) faster than Adam and I had anticipated.  Let’s just say we’re a little scared/nervous.  It’s weird for people to walk through your home and make a judgment on the life you’ve built. We are also standing face to face with the reality of such life changes as leaving our friends and the home we’ve built.  It will take a lot of faith to get through all these fears.  If nothing else it will bring our family closer together and teach us to trust God.  Ironically, or not so ironically, I recently  prayed for God to do whatever if takes to draw me closer to Him.  Had I known this is what He had in mind I might not have prayed that.  Funny how He answers us.  I'm also currently studying Hannah and her incredible faith in God and the sacrifice she gave back to Him.  I'm always amazed when I step back from my life's situation and see that God really is working, He always has, always will.  He never leaves us.  Though it's sometimes hard to see Him through our cloud of fears.

Life Changes

  Adam and I would like to share some exciting news with you.  We are pregnant!  Most of you already knew that though. So now we have some scary news to share.  For the last two months we have been seriously discussing the possibility of selling out house and have decided to move forward.  This was a challenging and difficult decision which became more complicated with the news that we will welcome another new baby just after Christmas (I’m tearing up as I write this because there are many emotions wrapped around this and I’m sure this will seem like a long, bumpy road).  I’m sure you are all thinking how crazy this is and believe me we do too but after much prayer, counsel and discussion we are putting our faith in God (Psalm 37) and have turned our desires, wants and needs over to Him to care for.  As for now we will be tucked up under His wings of protection (Psalm 91) waiting for doors to open and close as God sees best fit for us.  The house will be officially listed tomorrow and will be part of a realtor tour next Tuesday.  Our realtor is the best in town and feels that our house will move at the right price.  We appreciate all prayers for this as well as for the new baby who we will get our first glimpse of tomorrow at my Doctor’s appointment and sonogram. 

Real Mom

I've been thinking about doing this for a long time so I'm finally going to start it.  I'm going to post real life things that happen to me as a mom.  I will title each post 'real mom'.   I would love for you to post comments about your experiences being a mom or dad.  Real life situations only please.  I was inspired to do this after reading the book "House Rules" about a child with autism.  The mom is a journalist and in one of her columns she writes about what a real mom is.  After having a false pictures of what motherhood would be like I very much related to her thoughts.  I always thought a good mom had everything together all the time.  That she could do laundry in high heels  with a baby on her hip and have dinner ready at 5:00.  As much as I want to be that I am so totally not so here goes...my life as a real mom.

A real mom has spit up in her hair and on her face when she wakes up on Mother's day.

A real mom runs out of the church service when the childcare buzzer goes off only to realize it was buzzing to say the child was fine.

A real mom has gone to the bathroom while carrying a sleeping baby in the Baby Bjorn.

A real mom can walk through the mall with spit up in her hair because after three attempts of getting the baby in the back carrier he spits up and at this point you don't care anymore.

A real mom can smell a dirty diaper from across the street.

A real mom loves every slobbery wet kiss.

A real mom goes shopping for herself and comes back with only baby things.

A real mom doesn't wear high heels and mini skirts and keep a sparkling house.  A real mom has dirt on her jeans, play doh under her nails and toys in her bed.

Mother's Day

My first mother's day!  I'm still not really sure I enjoy celebrating a day about being a mom.  I mean what's there to celebrate?  That I'm tired, have skin I never had before and extra thickness I never had before.  Or the fact that I will never have alone time again and I wake up every morning and go to bed every night with spit up somewhere on my clothes and thoughts of everything else in my head except anything having to do with me.

We actually really celebrated yesterday and it turned out to be a perfect day!  Really, I couldn't have asked for anything better.  Elias had his first haircut which he did great for.  We then took our first trip of the season to the river and Elias loved it.  He was so much fun.  As I sat on the sand and watched my handsome husband playing with my very cute son I realized that I am living my dream life.  Almost this exact weekend last year I sat on the very same sand with Elias still in my tummy and looked forward to the day I was living.  It was exactly how I pictured it.  Not many things happen how you picture them but this day did.

 After coming home and having a nap we took a walk and then picked strawberries for the very first time with Elias.  Again, just about this time last year I was picking strawberries with Elias in my tummy.






After having dinner we met some great friends for Rita's to end the day.   We put Elias down and Adam and I watched a movie and decided to top the night with one of my old college favorites.  Black olive and green pepper pizza.  Of course Adam had plain ol' pepperoni.  My real mother's day started with baby puke in my hair and all over my face.  Yesterday was my dream today is my reality.

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions but I am going to make a Mother's day resolution.  In the year to come I want to love Elias and my family with intense passion.  I want to pour my life into my son, spending every minute that I can with him, cherishing each moment.  I want there to be few times of frustration and many times of patience, few times of yelling and many times of learning, few times of anger and many times of love and understanding.  I want Elias to see me reading my Bible and praying.  I want him to feel like he is the most important thing in my world.

"Every child needs one person to be crazy about him" and I am crazy about my son.