Sunday, August 27, 2006

My wonderful hubby and my personal day away

I'll admit it--sometimes it's hard for me to feel feminine when doing the tasks of a wife and mother. Don't get me wrong...I don't think that there is anything more feminine than faithfully and joyfully fulfilling my God-given responsibilities, but the actions and the feelings don't always coexist. And I know that obedience to God is what is necessary so that will always take preeminence, but sometimes it's nice just to get away from it all...to have a personal day of refreshment and fun...and to remind myself that though I may be a mother...I'm still a girl! Yesterday, my wonderful and thoughtful Scott gave me this opportunity as he courageously offered to stay home with Jonah so I could have a day off.
I also have to admit--I didn't know what to do with myself. The only time that I have been away from home by myself since Jonah was born was to go to the grocery store. I think the endless possibilities of what I could do with a few hours on my own overwhelmed me to the point that I had no clue what I would do. In the end, as mentioned above, I wanted to do something that was both girly and refreshing. But before I explain what I did, let's rewind to the morning:
I woke up tired and grumpy. Jonah had been up a couple times the night before (he has a hard time when his schedule is off, and Scott and I had been on a date the night before so Jonah did not get to bed on time) and because he did not get a lot of sleep either, he was cranky too. I proceeded with his morning routine and then set him in his booster chair for some green beans. Jonah had never had them before. He did not like them. He frowned and shuddered at the first bite...and gagged and vomited with the second. So I promptly cleaned up the mess and drew him a bath. Within seconds of being in the bathwater, Jonah peed all over the place so I had to clean up that, too. All that and it wasn't even 8 a.m.! He did not go down well for his morning nap, but I was so overwhelmed at that point that I just left him crying in his crib and went into our bedroom and had a good cry of my own. I think the events of the morning just made me appreciate a day away all that much more.
So, after a pep talk from Scott (he's getting really good at those!) and a kiss goodbye, I headed out. My first stop was Target, where in addition to getting the boring practical stuff like batteries, I got two shades of the pinkest and sparkliest (sp?) nail polish a girl could want along with a pair of the softest socks ever! :) After a quick trip to the mall I came home for a lunch break (I had packed a lunch to eat at a park or something but left it at home in my hurriedness to get out). It was perfect timing for Jonah's lunch too so it was convenient that I was there. I went out again after lunch to the library for some quiet and uninterrupted time of reading and studying. I am going through the book of Joshua right now. It was great to have extended time in the Word as it is really hard to come by with a 6 month old.
After that I came home but my 'day off' was nowhere near over. While I was gone, Scott did a lot of cleaning, organizing, and even rearranging some furniture! Wow. And Jonah looked like he was grateful for some one on one time with his old man. I relaxed while Scott made me tasty dinner--and he even made enough so that I might not have to cook this week! Awww....how sweet! After dinner I put Jonah to bed and was able to take a bath and give myself a home pedi/mani (and slip into my new soft socks afterwards, of course!). I don't know how much more 'girly' I can take but I sure had fun! And the refreshment of my body and my soul was such a treat.
So, if you're reading this, Scott, Thank You so much. I could not ask for a sweeter and more loving and sacrificial husband than you. I am so thankful that you make it possible for me to be a stay-at-home Mom and look after our home, but I am also thankful that you recognize that it really is a lot of work and that I need a break now and again, too.
And, if you're reading this and you're not Scott, then I'd like to encourage you to think of a creative way to thank your spouse for what he/she does. And if you're not married, surely there is someone special in your life that deserves your thanks. It can be such a blessing and an encouragement to that person!

Saturday, August 26, 2006

That'll keep you humble


The story that follows demonstrates that no matter how smart you get in class you can still be an idiot in the rest of life. Events like these help remind me to keep humble because as soon as I think I know something I'm reminded I don't know noth'n.

Amy and I bought a water filter for our faucet about a year ago because our tap water tastes nasty. We use this thing for about 3 months enjoy the clean taste of filtered water when it crosses my mind that the filter is probably good for 3 months. I started looking for replacement filters but couldn't locate any. At about the 8 month point I'm starting to think of replacing our filter with a whole new unit. Something needed to be done because the filtered water was tasting just the same as plain tap water.
Well Amy was looking through out cavernous pantry one night and found this little foil wrapped package with the name of our water filter on it! Hurray a new filter, I take it and begin to dismantle the faucet unit. After I have it all apart something in the back of my brain clicks-- you idiot there never was a filter in the unit! For nearly a year we've been drinking water out of a faucet filter with NO FILTER! Whats better is we were both convinced that when we first put the filter on that the water ACTUALLY TASTED BETTER! What a powerful force the power of suggstion is.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

I couldn't believe my ears...

Someone tell me that Jonah didn't really say this...I know it's too early but...here's the story:
I just endured one of the loooongest and looouuuudest bouts of screaming that Jonah has had in his whole life. Poor little guy couldn't sleep after I put him down for bed, and he was doing his cry that he does when he's in pain--the loud shriek followed by silence while his body continues to convulse and his face turns bright red...then repeat the process. Well, I went in once to make sure that no appendages were stuck in between the bars of the crib and to pat his tummy and remind him that everything is okay. I left and the cries intensified. I decided that he was in enough pain to merit some Tylenol and I held him, walked with him, rocked him, sang to him, bounced him, kissed him, cuddled him, etc. etc. etc. Didn't work. The cries only got more mournful. About an hour into screaming with no sign of comfort in sight, I called Scott at work for some comfort (not for Jonah but for myself! It can really get to me after awhile). Jonah, wanting to be on his best behavior for his Daddy, let his cries die down to a wimper while I was on the phone. After I hung up with Scott, Jonah let out a few more good cries, then...
he lay his head on my shoulder...
and said...clear as day...

"Night night!"

I couldn't believe it and I thought for sure that the second I put him down in his crib again and started to leave his room that he would come unglued, but he smiled at me as I wound up Mr. Cuddles and I haven't heard a peep out of him since. That was a half an hour ago.

Maybe he just wasn't ready for bed?!?!? Crazy kid.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

First Foods-Veggies

Yams... are yummy!!
...but Peas...

are not!!

Doesn't look like Jonah will be opening up for peas again any time soon! Now I've got to try my skills as disguising them as something a little more palatable...Any suggestions?

Thursday, August 03, 2006

First Foods-Cereal

This is the first post in a series of many to come as we have started Jonah on solid foods. To our surprise, he warmed right up to the idea of cereal without making any funny 'first food' faces. Even more to our surprise, we didn't really see very much of the cereal after we put it in his mouth. He did a good job of swallowing without spitting it back out at us.






However, he did not think that the spoon was very efficient ....too slow and not enough food! So he took matters into his own hands and started slurping the cereal straight from the bowl.





A satisfied customer, for sure! Please check back every week or so to follow Jonah's discovery of new fruits and veggies!