The Past 2 Months

A sampling of photos from the past couple of months. We have more on the big camera, which I don't have at the moment, so more will make their way on here over time.

checking out Eleanor's tummy time - back in November maybe?

always with her accessories

a favorite past-time is lining up collections of objects

it was a long night...she took a break from the wedding festivities

dancing with Daddy at Aunt Lela's wedding

Uncle Aaron and cousin Sidney at Aunt Lela's wedding

she was just resting here for a few minutes while I did something else...I can back and she was sound asleep

trying out the chopsticks

Aves is a big fan of chopsticks - here is her first attempt. She simply speared her sweet potato fries.

first bumbo time! Sometime around 3.5 months

Aves is always patting her head, saying "She's so soft."

Aunt Brittany reading to Avery at Great-Gramma's house

Christmas Day, trying to fall asleep but not looking so sleepy

she spent most of Christmas swaddled

hanging with great-gramma - it was hard to get Eleanor back from her!

Check out that belly! My two girls relaxing together today.

One Little Word 2012

It's taken much thought and prayer to find this year's new word. I feel like it should be "One Little Sentence", or a word for each month. I went through so many that would be applicable for 2012. Hope, peace, engage, enough, gratitude, thanksgiving, joy...the list goes on. I really wanted an action word. As I sat reading and praying, I asked that the LORD would reveal it to me yesterday. It felt silly to ask Him for that, to show me a simple word to cling to for the year. Yet, even the smallest of prayers are answered, for a word came to me as I was driving in the afternoon.

RENEW.

The verse that first popped into mind with this was Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."


Then I found this later: "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18


So much has happened this past year that has made me fight to control my thoughts, my feelings, my reactions. I've had to learn to hold my thoughts captive, a battle I lose daily it seems. When so many trials come your way all at once, it becomes easy to have a victim mentality. 


Therefore, I'm hoping to spend 2012 working on holding my thoughts captive, on guarding my heart and mind, on renewing my mind, my faith, my relationships, my hobbies, my attitude...renewing all aspects of my life.

What's your word?

Christmas 2011

Some highlights of our Christmas celebration, just so I don't forget them. 

Christmas Eve service at my mom's church. Avery went right into childcare with no problems and had fun, which is always a relief. Eleanor made it through half the service before Luke took her out to walk, since it was during her cranky hour. 

Group grand-kids pictures done Christmas Eve morning amidst the chaos of last-minute shoppers at the mall. 

Avery's excitement over opening presents. She had hot chocolate while we waited for the rest of the family to get home from dinner (we left the restaurant early so we could get Eleanor down for the night). We always open one present on Christmas Eve, and it's always new pajamas so everyone looks good on Christmas morning for pictures.

Avery's multiple meltdowns over not being able to open presents when she wanted. All my efforts at focusing the season on Christ and celebrating Advent this year seemed lost in the light of presents. Four Christmases didn't help either. 2 is a difficult age sometimes. 

Avery LOVED the train set we got her. It's now set up in our tiny hallway, thanks to Luke, who stayed up last night to build it for her so she could play with it today. 

Christmas morning brunch at my grandparents, a tradition. Christmas dinner at my Great-Aunt Mary's, in which Avery exclaimed, "Oh, I can't believe it!" when she opened a present of a book from Aunt Mary and Uncle Dan. 

Avery, at opening a doll set from Aunt Lela, "The mommy doll is a little bit scary." There was a doll nearly as tall as Avery and then a standard size baby doll. She played with the baby, but would keep checking on the larger doll to see if it was still scary. The verdict = yes. 

Eleanor slept most of Christmas morning, hanging out in the swing while we opened presents. She didn't seem too interested in what was going on. 

The girls also had colds this past weekend, which made for a cranky Eleanor at times, though she's generally happier than I would expect, quick to offer anyone smiles when they look her way. Some of her crankiness stemmed from shots last week. 

We had originally planned on traveling to Louisiana to visit Luke's grandparents, but by Monday, the girls had reached the end of their limits for traveling and being off schedule, and I have reached my limit for 2011. It was simply time to go home and rest and just be alone for a few days before Luke has to go back to work next week. Christmas was harder than I thought it would be, in missing Dave. It's good to be home.

We took pictures, I promise, lots of them, but they're all on my mom's camera and I forgot to upload them to my computer before we left. 

2 and 3 Months

Dear Eleanor,

One day I'll explain why there were no formal pictures taken of you at 2 and 3 months old. We have snapshots, but the monthly photo-in-the-chair just didn't work out. Mommy kind of gave up on 2011. At your 2 month check-up you were 12 lbs 1 oz (75th percentile) and 23.5" (85th percentile)! Today we went for just a couple shots and your new weight (with clothes and a full diaper on) was 14 lbs 1 oz at nearly 3 1/2 months. That's quite the weight gain in a month!

In the past two months, you have:

• started to giggle, though it's more like "heh, heh", and only when we tickle you under the neck
• gained amazing head control - you are much more advanced at this than your sister was
• started sitting in the Bumbo this past week
• become more entranced by your big sister, who devotes a good portion of her attention to you all.day.long
• woken up happy every single day. You whimper until you see my face, and then it's all grins from there
• busted out of your swaddle way too many times, but you won't sleep without it
• begun drooling like crazy, though you still aren't a big spitter (yay!)
• started sleeping through the night in the past couple of weeks - we can get a good 10 hours straight most nights, but the past couple nights you've woken up due to that darn habit of popping out of the swaddle, and you decide that since you're up you might as well eat
• taken a couple bottles in the past 2 weeks, but they aren't your favorite by any means
• gained a new cousin, baby Grayson, a week ago
• taken a 3 hour nap every afternoon on the couch, at the same time as Avery's nap
• proven how inflexible you are with your schedule. Easy baby, yes, but you like your afternoon naptime and your bedtime. Avery was the MOST flexible baby ever and slept anywhere and went everywhere
• had a bad case of skin stuff - you have such sensitive skin and it's always flaring up
• grown more hair and it sticks up all over the place. It's so soft and fuzzy. 
• attended your first wedding, that of Aunt Lela and Uncle Josh (well, second, but you were about the size of a sunflower seed back in January)

I pray that 2012 brings a little more motivation to take pictures and keep up with your developments. I'm sorry that I haven't been documenting all of this for you, but I'm enjoying everything as it comes and marveling at everything you do. 

One Little Word

The time is quickly approaching for One Little Word. My word for 2011 was simplify. I completely forgot that this was my word by February, possibly March. By the end of this year, I thought that I had picked the word rejoice. Why? Probably because it was part of my blog header. I certainly didn't simplify much of anything in my life, though I had all intentions to do so. Did I rejoice either? Not really sure. This has been THE HARDEST year of my life, for many reasons never covered here on the blog. I have learned to rejoice in the good - that's always easy, and I've tried my darndest to rejoice in the bad, which has been a daily struggle the past few months. How does one rejoice over bad? Or, are we simply to learn that no matter what the bad is, God is constant, and we are to rejoice in HIM always. Not the situation, but in the God who controls it? So, we still grieve for the loss of a loved one, but not because the loved one is worse off. The loved one is in a far better place, sitting with his Savior. We grieve because we are sad, because we miss him. So, we still grieve for the trials and tribulations that come our way, but not because we are victims and how dare God allow this to happen to us? We grieve, yes, but we rest in the peace and comfort of the God who carries us through those trials and tribulations. I've learned that I am not alone in any of this. I have felt more alone than ever this year in many ways, at least in the moment, but looking back I can see God's provision throughout it all. The support for my family through the loss of my father. The support of me and my family through bedrest and birth. The support continues, on and on and on. Prayers and meals and friends willing to step in at a moment's notice for everything that seems to keep pouring on us.

While I have lived through the hardest moments of my life this year, I have also lived through some of the most joyous. God has been gracious and sandwiched the pain within some of my happiest moments - we started the year with joy, with an answered prayer of pregnancy discovered literally on day one of 2011, and we end this year with joy, in the birth of my nephew just a few days ago. I may not have finished my year's original word - life might still be cluttered and messy and anything but simple, but I've worked hard to adapt to my adopted word, rejoicing in all. I fail daily. Grace prevails.

I challenge you to pick a word for 2012. I'm pondering my own. Think hard, but if it just doesn't seem to fit what the year brings you, change it, and watch it change you.

A Season of Advent

A lot has happened since Halloween (my last post), including another entire holiday, but I'm going to skip over all of that for now. I'll go back and highlight Thanksgiving and Eleanor's 2 month check-up, but I'm just not ready to share my feelings about everything else just yet on here, so thank you for understanding.

Christmas this year just isn't at the top of the list for our family, but I was thinking about how to make this a special season for Avery. Last year she was a little too young to understand anything about Christmas, so I didn't start any traditions with her apart from our annual Christmas Eve pajamas. So, this year, we're starting a Jesse Tree. This is a new-to-me concept, having heard about it only in the past couple of years. I didn't grow up with a Jesse Tree, but the idea definitely caught my attention and I mentally bookmarked it as something to start with our children.

The Jesse Tree devotion walks you through the season of Advent, telling of the entire story of Christ, beginning in Genesis and touching on "historical moments that lead to the birth of Christ" (Simple Mom). I'm using this devotional, from Ann Voskamp, but I'm finding it too advanced for a 2 year old. I think it's something we'll have to grow into as a family. I did print out her ornaments and decoupaged them onto inexpensive wooden tags found at Hobby Lobby. I still need to drill the holes in them to thread ribbon through so they become actual ornaments. Right now Avery just props them on the tree, and they move about through the day.

Eventually I'd love to curate a collection of real ornaments for this, built up over time. This is quickly becoming a learning year for us, and hopefully next year we'll have a real system down. I think tomorrow I'll switch to reading the scripture from Avery's storybook Bible, and I want to check out this site - it seems like the devotional is better geared towards children, but I have yet to read through it fully. And Sojourn Kids has adapted the RCA's devotional a bit further, making it ideal for toddlers!

If you want to make your own devotional, here is a listing of the scripture readings and corresponding symbols to put on your Jesse Tree.

I love that there is a practical activity that is to be done each day with Voskamp's devotional. It's a way to act out what we just learned and to help cement it in Avery's mind. I guess over time I'll pick and choose my favorite parts of each of these and formulate my own book to use every year.

How are you celebrating the season of Advent this year? Please share!

Happy Halloween!

We took the girls "trick-or-reading" last night. Avery did NOT want to get into her "scares-scrow" costume at all and fought us on it, but the family all managed to convince her to put it on while I was off feeding Eleanor. Avery was a scarecrow in a tulle dress I made that was inspired by a Pinterest find, and Eleanor was a crow. I also made both of the girls' hats, and Eleanor sported a black shirt and black leggings. Without the beak, she would have looked like a little robber.

Avery was unsure about this whole walking-around-to-meet-strangers thing, until she realized they were going to give her candy. Now we have to teach her that she shouldn't take candy from strangers as a general rule! She was so polite, telling everyone "thank you" or at least "bye!", and she'd patiently wait her turn to get some candy from the bowl. I was a little worried that she'd have a meltdown because of the crowds or strangers or being up past her normal bedtime, but she had so much fun, and then she gorged on chocolate and "wollipops" back at Aunt Shell's house. The candy has now disappeared, and I think she's actually forgotten about it.

a little crow and a pretty scarecrow

Eleanor = not so happy. I don't think she likes her costume.

whoa! flash!

cutie Aunt Shell and baby Hank and Daisy Dog

"trick-or-reading"

headed home with a bag full of candy

home base, helping hand out candy

She wasted no time shoving that in her mouth

all the girls

Eleanor showing off her standing skills for Nonnie

Ooh a wollipop!

Weeks of Pictures

3 weeks old, and loving pre-fold diapers the most these days! Also, those old people pads I used when I worried my water would break in bed make handy portable changing pads.

Hard to get either of them to smile.

Aves sporting the latest hair trend - the Back Bump

showing everything Avery has to sleep with...

besides the usual 7 pillows and dozen stuffed animals and 5 blankets, we also have a box of hair clips and a stack of flashcards...

as well as an assortment of books and a xylophone! The extra toys rotate and sometimes she wakes up with different toys than she went to sleep with.

1 month photo out-takes: yawn

"Whoa, Mom!"

"Do I look like a natural? How's this pose?"

"Aw, come on! Seriously?!"

breakfast at Nonnie's house - chocolate toast, with a Nutella booger and her homey stance. What up, G?

Eleanor meeting her great-grandparents

5 weeks and smiley

I think she was telling E she was ready to go to the store or to dinner.

big sis invading tummy time

6 Week Update

I'm trying to catch up on my posts here - we're at our 6 week mark with Eleanor. The time is flying by! I had a good check-up with my doctor, and I'm feeling more and more like myself each day. It feels amazing not to be pregnant anymore, to be able to breathe fully, to sleep on my back, to not get winded when walking to the mailbox.

She is settling into a better routine - she tends to nap when Avery does, finally, and she likes to sleep in the swing around 8 pm until I pick her up for a dream feed and put her to bed. She then sleeps for another 3-4 hours (4 is becoming more consistent), eats, and goes right back to sleep. We're generally up twice in the night, she sleeps for a bit while I fix Avery breakfast and spend some time with her, and then she's awake for a few hours (usually crying if I'm not holding her).

Eleanor had her first cold, or allergies, something. Having an over-attentive big sister who gives a lot of kisses isn't great for keeping illness away.

We are surviving still, though some days it feels like just barely. Survival. I feel like that's the theme these days. I am often overwhelmed. Our home is a disaster more often than not, and if you come over and see a clean living room, it's only because I threw everything into our bedroom ten minutes before you arrived. I am still processing hormones and can cry at the drop of a hat. My patience is thin and Avery pushes the boundaries more and more. When I told her that she was going to get a spanking because of her antics at the doctor's office, she just looked at me and said, "Okay." She is defiant and stares me down, daring me to discipline her. Without fail, Luke arrives home from work to a mess, Avery running wild, and a worn-out me with a baby attached to a body part. I'm not complaining, but wanting to be honest so I can look back and remember the craziness of this time. And, sometimes, all I can do is laugh through the tears.

Raising these two girls is proving to be quite the sanctifying act, but through all of this, I am thankful for these blessings that God has given our family.

A Month of You

It has been quite the adjustment: two children, two daughters, not enough hands, crying children at the same time, sweet cuddles and sharing and kisses. Two in diapers. Same schedules for a day, then completely opposite schedules. Not enough sleep but also not as hard as I remembered.

You, sweet Eleanor, have increased the joy in our home. You bless us with the biggest smiles. You are starting to coo, when you're well-fed and relaxed. You love to be held, and we love to accommodate that request. Bath time is a favorite of yours; you become so calm when you're sitting in that warm water. You are a champion eater - at just a month old, you are more than 2 pounds above birth weight, giving you squishy cheeks and little rolls on your thighs. 

Avery is quite the devoted big sister. She loves to share her lovey with you, she watches out for you and lets us know when you're crying and "need something to drink". She rocks you in your carseat if you're upset. She is always asking if you're having fun or if you like something that she shows you. The second you wake up, she rushes over to say hi.

You are tiny and precious and these days are going by too fast. Don't grow up too quickly.

Eleanor at 1 month: 9 lbs 10 oz, 21.5"

Newborn Photos

Eleanor's newborn photo shoot was fun - it took a little bit of coaxing to get her to sleep, plus a lot of nursing in between shots, but she was otherwise easy to work with and managed to avoid pooping all over the place like Avery did at her newborn shoot.

Oh, Baby

My friend Erin is wonderful - amazing mom, friend, and photographer. I'm blessed to have her in my life simply for who she is, but also for the sweet gift of capturing our family's memories time and again.

It's hard to believe that it's been 6 weeks since these photos were taken! I'm also the slowest at uploading pictures these days, but finally, some favorites from my maternity session. We didn't do this when I was pregnant with Avery, and I had always wished for some beautiful shots of me with a belly. Pregnancy is beautiful in and of itself, but it's nice to have these to look back on.