A random list of items I want to blog about

1.  The Moore's had a sad experience yesterday.  Have I mentioned that I like diet coke? ;)  Have I mentioned that I like Sonic diet coke?  As in every single morning, I like Sonic diet coke? 

Well yesterday on our way home from church we ran by Sonic to get our usual large diet coke.  They brought it to me, and I took the first sip.  I immediately looked at Scott and said, "go back, it's real coke.  It is definitely not diet."  So, we turned the car around, and our waitress saw us and came to our car.  Scott said, "I think this is real coke, and not diet."  And she said, are you ready?.... she said, "We don't have diet coke anymore, we have coke zero."  Scott and I both looked at her in complete distress, and Scott said, "as in, forever?  You will permanently not have diet coke?"  And she said, "yeah, we got new machines."

I am sure this seems like a minor thing to most people, but it is rather life-altering for me.  We are in disbelief.  I mean, it occupied much of our conversation yesterday.  Why would they do this?   Don't they know that people want diet coke, not coke zero? 

Obviously, there are other places to get fountain diet coke, but Sonic's tastes the best, and Sonic has much better deals than anywhere else.  Plus, almost every time that I ordered a diet coke, my receipt came with a coupon for a free diet coke on my next visit...so, really, I can't justify going to another place every morning and paying almost 2.00 for a diet coke.  This will probably really help me to cut down on the diet coke drinking.  (I knew you would be glad to hear that, Tutti).

2.  Next item on my blogging list--  John is wearing a size three diaper now.  A size three!!!!   He always wakes up at night soaking wet from a leaky diaper, so yesterday, thinking it would surely be too big, I put a size three diaper on him, and it fit just fine.  I came downstairs and said to Scott, "Do you know that our little baby is wearing a size three diaper?"  I can't believe how fast these months are going by. 

Speaking of John, his nights are absolutely worse than ever.  Last night, he woke up less than every two hours.  There was maybe an hour and half between each feeding.  It all blended together for me.  I even tried to just let him cry one time, but I was so tired, and it felt easier to just feed him.  I am thinking this around the clock eating might somehow be related to his need for a size three diaper.  What do you think?

Tonight, I am "buckling down" and letting him cry if he wakes up with less than three hours between feedings.  It's just not necessary to eat that much.  We have to "nip this in the bud," don't you agree?

3.  I finally, finally, finally bought a pair of non-maternity jeans.  I was in a terrible mood yesterday trying to find something to wear to church, which basically just revealed sin in my heart, but it also revealed to Scott my need for a few new clothing items.  So...he went over the budget, and told me I could find a pair of jeans.  Woo-hoo...to say the least.  I ended up finding a pair at the J. Crew outlet for 18.00!!!!  They were having huge Memorial Day sales.  I couldn't bear to actually buy skinny jeans, but they are straight leg and a very dark wash, so I don't feel as hopelessly out of style as I did before yesterday;)  Because I only spent 18.00, I am going to try to buy a few more things to update the clothing that I already have--a new pair of sandals or a belt, perhaps?  I am trying to be very strategic and make the most of what I already have.

4.  I just finished reading Little Women.  Great book.  Easy read.  What are your favorites of the classics?  I would love some suggestions.

5. This is a big one...I am going back to tutoring this week, and I am fairly nervous about it.  I will only be gone for about an hour and a half on Tues. and Thurs. afternoons (and soon on Mondays and Wednesdays as well), but I am nervous about the nursing situation.  John does not take a bottle, and I plan to feed him right before I go.  Worst case scenario, he refuses to eat right before I go, and Scott has to deal with a crying, hungry baby for an hour. 

I am excited to get back to it, though.  I think it's good for my sanity, and we have lofty goals to get rid of debt this year, and the tutoring helps a bit with that goal.

And, I think that's it.  Happy Memorial Day!!! 

A little bit of Truth on this Friday morning

I thought this was so good, and it is probably something I need to read every single day (every minute, maybe?).  Oh, I am so self-centered and self-righteous and everything else that begins with self.

“Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’ Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.”



—John Stott, The Message of Galatians (London: IVP, 1968), 179

As with most quotes that I post on my blog, this came from here.

Killing Time

Here is what is going on in our house right now...

John has not had a quality nap all day long.  I am a big believer in babies' needing good, quality sleep.  John sleeps on his stomach, which I have never mentioned on the blog because of its controversial nature.  I know what the doctors say, but I also know what so many moms say, and the result--John sleeps on his stomach, and he has loved this until now.  Now, he is flipping to his back, every single time we put him down.  Normally, I go upstairs and flip him back over, but that is not working today, so now I am letting him "cry it out" on his back.  He is so mad.  So, so mad, and it is against my nature as a mom to listen to him cry without doing anything about it.  I hate it.  But I also know that he really needs to sleep.  I think eventually he will sleep.  I think.

So, I blog, just to get my mind on something else.

By the way, he might have had a quality nap this morning while I was showering, but I turned the shower off only to hear both of my children crying very hard.  I found Ada in the pack-n-play with John.  When I got in the shower, Ada was playing downstairs, and John was sound asleep upstairs in the master bedroom closet.  After my shower--the closet light was on, Ada was in the pack-n-play with John, and both children were crying very hard.  I think Ada was crying because she couldn't get out of the pack-n-play and she realized that she probably shouldn't have gotten in there in the first place.  I was so frustrated, to say the least. 

Anyway...he is still crying.  I hate this.

Update:  John is asleep!!!  And he only cried for maybe 15 minutes. 

More Conversations with Ada

Me:  "Ada, did you know that I used to be a teacher?"

Ada:  "A teacher?"

Me:  "Yes, I used to get up and go to work every morning just like Daddy does.  I taught about good books."

Ada:  "You used to be a man?"

so, now I am trying to explain that women work too, not just men ;)

And this morning in the car we passed a fire truck with the sirens blaring.

Ada:  "look mommy, a firetruck!!  Where is it going?"

Me:  "probably to help someone."

Ada:  "a man or a mommy?"

Me:  "what do you think?"

Ada:  "a mommy"

Me:  "maybe so"

Ada:  "will they check her belly button or her ears?"

hmmm...good question, Ada. 

Okay, have to come back and add this one

Ada:  "Mama, are you going to be an Ada some time?"

Me:  "What do you mean?"

Ada:  "When I'm a mom, will you be an Ada?"

Me:  "No, when you're a mom, I'll be a 'Near' "

Ada:  "Oh..."

My Little Stinkers and the Haircut

First of all, stinker one and stinker two (as I like to call them) this morning, fresh from the bed.

And then later, cleaned up and ready for Church.

I am very pleased with the haircut, which, don't laugh, but I prayed that I would be.  You know carrying around a few extra pounds and still wearing maternity jeans (though I mostly opt to not wear jeans) I really didn't want to add a bad hair cut to the mix.  And when I prayed about, I told the Lord that I knew that my hair doesn't matter that much in the whole span of eternity and in light of His kingdom coming and things like that.  But I also believe that he is an intimate Savior.  My mom had given me this gift card, and it was my one opportunity to get a good hair cut, so I humbly asked for Him to make it a good one.  

I loved, loved, loved the girl who cut my hair.  If you are in the Auburn area, call AP Pearson salon and make an appointment with Ashley--it is worth every penny.  Thanks for the recommendation, Sarah (and so many other people).  She talked to me for a while before she even washed my hair--discussing face shape, hair texture, and time I can spend on my hair each day.  I was so impressed with her, and I totally felt safe saying, do whatever you think is best.  Then, we proceeded to talk and talk and talk for the entire hour that she cut my hair, and we could have kept going.  She was great. 

It was quite a bit of hair that she cut off, and I assured her that I normally have short hair, not long.  I think she was nervous that I didn't realize how short it would be.  I will say that Scott had a funny look on his face when he first saw me, simply because he prefers that I keep my hair long always, but I think he is now used to it and likes it. 

The entire day was lots of fun, as John made his first trip to Auburn and, equally important, Big Blue Bagel.  He did sleep through Big Blue Bagel, which tells me that he loved it!!  And I got to hang out with two dear college friends, both due to have babies in the next few weeks.  We talked labor, nursing, motherhood, marriage after babies, and the list could go on and on.  It was such a refreshing thing to be with friends who have known me for so long!! 

But now I must go, as John is "freshly" fed, and I need to hurry to the grocery store before he gets hungry again. 

Ants and other ways this day went sour

Today Ada, John, and I met some friends at a local neighborhood park for a picnic and some outdoor play time.  Everything was going well until I noticed Ada crying and slapping her foot.  I went to check out the situation, and I found red fire ants crawling all over her little legs, arms, and even her face.  I started brushing them off as quickly as I could, but I ended up having to strip her down until she was standing there with nothing on but her tinkerbell panties.  Bless her heart.  The ants brought our afternoon at the park to an abrupt end.

John was even peacefully sleeping on a couch under a pavilion, but I had to scoop him up and quickly head out.

I knew that the ant bites would drive Ada (and myself) crazy if I didn't find some sort of medicine, so we stopped at Publix on the way home.  Can I just say that I love Publix.  Their customer service is so far above any other grocery store.  Today was no exception.  I had John in his car seat in the back of the buggy, screaming, Ada in the front on the buggy, barefoot and covered in swelling ant bites, and I stopped to ask the pharmacist what I should do for the ant bites.  She was so kind.  She looked at me and said, "you have your hands full, let me help you!"  And she walked over to the medicine aisle, and handed me some children's claritin and hydrocortisone cream (is that what you would recommend, Sarah, my Publix pharmacist friend?). 

The day continued to get even better at that point.  (Warning:  breastfeeding talk ahead) John continued to scream--loud enough that lots of people were starting to look, and I began to feel my shirt getting wet.  You understand, right?  John was signaling to me that it was time to eat, and the milk started flowing.  To top it all off I was wearing a black shirt, and the milk began to dry in white circles on my shirt.  It was lovely.  The line was so long, the milk continued to flow, and John continued to scream.

We finally, finally made it out of Publix and back to our house.  I fed and bathed John (he was a sweaty mess from screaming in his car seat), and I bathed Ada and put the cream on all seventeen of her ant bites. (Scott and Ada counted them tonight, just for fun), and all three of us went down for a nap.

Ada seems to be feeling better, but her little feet and ankles are so swollen as a result. 

Now, I must quickly close this post because Lost is coming on.  Can you believe only two more episodes?!!!!!

This past weekend

I haven't yet blogged about this past weekend, but I do feel like it's worth a post.

For one thing, I was able to catch up with some college friends on Friday night.  They were kind enough to drive to Scottsboro from Huntsville and have dinner with us.  My children didn't really cooperate, but I did get in some good conversation once we left the restaurant.  Ada was going without a nap, and she was spent by the time we were seated and ready to eat.  Thanks for being patient with us, Taylor and Amanda!!

Plus, I went to that wonderful, wonderful wedding.  It truly was incredible, but I hate to post about it because all of my family have already said so much.  So instead I will steal a picture or two, and then I will direct you here to find out the details.

(that's John in the background.  Can you see him?)

John was a trooper, and Scott and I made it through course one and two of dinner, but just as the main course arrived, John reached the end of his rope, and we were out of there.  The curtains that would open to the dance tent had not even opened yet, and I also wanted to see the bride's second dress, the one for the dancing portion of the reception, but John wasn't having it.  He said, "Mom, I have been patient, I have held it together, but it's late, and I want my bed."  So, as the golf cart drove Scott, John, and me back to our car, I stared behind me watching the gorgeous scene unfold without me.  But it's just the way it goes in this season of parenting a newborn.  Every parent has been there.  And my feet were hurting.  So...anyway, it was fun, and John made it longer than I expected, so I count it a success. 

We are back home now.  John cried the entire six hours (round trip) that we were in the car, making it clear that he does not care for his car seat ;)  At one point I squeezed myself and my big post-baby rear end in between the two car seats in the back just to see if I could get him calmed down, which he did eventually calm down, but oh the screaming.  It was stressful.

We are home now, though, and John stuck to a great schedule today, nursing every three hours and taking a good morning and afternoon nap, followed by a short evening nap.  We have been working on that schedule for a while, so I am thrilled.  We'll see if it helps with his nighttime sleep.  I'm crossing my fingers. 

I'll let you know.

Another Monday, Another Week of Meals

This is the nitty gritty of motherhood. 

The scouring the pantry and the fridge to see what I have on hand.  The lists of items needed, and the flipping of cook book pages and internet searches to see what I can do with what I have.  These people need to eat, and I would like for them to eat well. 

To top it all off, there is that boring little thing we call the budget.  Always the budget.  So, I pour over my favorite websites.  What is on sale this week?  What coupons do I have?  How can I make it all come together to feed my family, provide nutrition and comfort all at the same time?  And how can I stay sane in the process. 

There is much to think about, you see.  Scott will have bible study on Tuesday night, so I need something simple.  He won't be around to help with baths or cleaning up the kitchen.  Frozen pizza it is.  And if we do frozen pizza on Tuesday, well I would like something good and homey for Wednesday to make up for it.  So here we go.  This is what I came up with.

Tonight--pork roast, oven roasted potatoes, green beans  (potatoes on sale, pork roast on sale, green beans in the freezer)
Tuesday--frozen pizza, salad (pizza in the freezer, salad on sale)
Wednesday--chicken fried steak (cubed steak in the freezer), mashed potatoes, lima beans
Thursday--AUBURN!!!  Hopefully we will be eating Big Blue Bagel or something equally wonderful
Friday--chicken tetrazzini, salad, bread (chicken in the freezer, other ingredients in the pantry)

and then I will start the process all over again.  You see, when I gave up teaching for this new job of motherhood, cook was in the job description.  Along with dishwasher and toilet scrubber.  It's not always glamorous folks, but somebody has to take care of these little chickadees, and I am it. 

And of course, we will eat eggs for breakfast with whole grain toast and butter.  We like to eat real butter around here.  And probably peanut butter and jelly for lunch.  Or a turkey sandwich with a side of strawberries.  And to break it up, maybe a black bean quesadilla in the middle of the week.  I can only eat so much peanut butter, you know.  What will be on your table this week?

Need some inspiration?  Head over here for lots and lots and lots of meal ideas.

headed home

we are headed to Alabama today for the wedding of a dear family friend.  I had high hopes of being back to my pre-pregnancy self for this wedding.  Laugh with me, folks.  It just isn't happening right now.  I am working on it, but I am also working on making milk and getting sufficient amounts of sleep and changing diapers and well, the list is long.  Good thing this wedding has nothing to do with how I look ;)  And I guarantee that the bride will be stunning.  No worries there.

Ada will be staying with Mae-Mae and Pop during the wedding, and this boy of mine, who is attached to me every single second, will be tagging along to the wedding, of course.  I am his sole provider of nutrition, after all.  I am praying that he doesn't decide to cry out in the middle of the ceremony or something equally embarassing (sp?). 

And next week, my little family is packing up and traveling to Auburn, all so that I can finally get my hair cut.  I am so very excited.  I love Auburn, I love a fresh hair cut, and I love that I will get to see my very pregnant best friend.

So there is much excitement on the horizon.  Talk to you soon!

Three Months

In the midst of the potty training hoopla, John's three month birthday passed us by.  But I think three months is a bit of a big deal, so I felt the need to post a little something.

At three months, we are still getting our footing as a family of four.  Just when I think a new normal has been established, John goes and changes it up a bit.  I would like to tell you about our wonderful nursing schedule and all the hours of sleep we are getting at night, but that just wouldn't be accurate. 

Here is reality.  Everyday my goal is to nurse every three hours.  Sometimes that happens, sometimes he wants to eat every two or every four. 

Every once in a while, for no rhyme or reason, John decides to sleep for seven or even nine hours at night, and then other nights, he eats every two hours.  I never know what it will be when my head hits the pillow.  The suspense, you know;)  More often than not, he eats every three hours at night, which makes for a tired mama every morning.

He is still my cuddle bug.  Much more so than Ada.  He loves to cuddle up to me after nursing, and his favorite place in the world is tucked into the moby wrap, right next to me, like he's still in the womb.  He loves to ride through the grocery store, all snug and attached to me, staring at the world around him.

He is quite the efficient nurser, sometimes only 7 minutes on one side and he is done.  I was concerned about this, but I have talked to other moms and based on weight gain and wet diapers, I think he is getting plenty of milk.  He refuses to take a bottle, which secretly makes me proud.  I prayed for a nurser, and the Lord said yes!!

I was talking to Ann the other day about our lack of sleep or schedule, and I said, the thing is, my major goal for this year is to nurse for the whole year, and I think we will accomplish that.  Our one constant is that I strictly follow the sleep, eat, wake schedule.  He always puts himself to sleep.  I lay him down, he fusses for a minute or two, and then he sleeps.

We still have no definite nap schedule, though he takes at least three good naps a day, sometimes even more than that.  He doesn't have very happy wake times, but I can occasionally get a smile or even a coo. 

He is a little chunky, monkey, with a triple chin and fat rolls galore.  And I can't resist those cheeks.  I kiss them constantly.

He is my precious little booger boo, and I am very thankful that I get to be his mama.  What a gift.  What a gift.  At times an exhausting gift, but a gift none the less.  

And below you will see how he mostly spends his days, putting up with his big sister.  Bless his heart.  He is definitely the second child.

Failed attempt at a Mother's Day Picture. And a poem.

You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I cannot buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky"

--Anne Campbell, "To My Child"

Thank you over and over, Lord, for letting me be a mother to these precious kiddos.  They are my treasures.

And success continues

Today marks day two of potty training success.  Without being reminded, Ada is sitting on the potty any time she feels the urge to tee-tee.  Yea, yea, and yea again.

Now, I have two questions for all you who have walked this potty training road ahead of me.

Today, Scott suprised me with lunch out--you know, because tomorrow is Mother's Day.  So, there we sat at a local Mexican restaurant, John all wrapped up, attached to me, and asleep, and Ada announces that she needs to go to the bathroom.  Scott looks at me, and I said that he would have to take her.  So they went, it was a success, and we went on with our lunch.  However, the thought of taking Ada to public restrooms sort of grosses me out.  You know what I mean?

So...how do ya'll deal with the public restroom situation?  Is there a good solution for using the potty outside of the home?

Second question.

Ada now expects to receive a "surprise" each time she uses the potty.  She is going to the potty regularly enough, that it's time to "wean" her off the surprise.  No preschooler needs that much chocolate, you know?  Of course the band-aids and the color wonder markers are okay, I suppose.  Anyway...how do I go from receiving prizes for using the potty to it just being an expected thing? 

Okay, I actually have a third question.  When do I begin letting her sleep in panties? 

This is all so unknown to me, and though it may sound crazy, I keep thinking about how it's our first big milestone.  I mean, of course there was walking and sleeping through the night and table food and things like that, but this has been the first thing that Ada has had to face, to conquer.  She has been afraid because she hates change, and there have been many tears and many prayers as she walked her way through the past two days.  What a huge thing for a two year old, you know?  And then, each time she experienced success, she was on top of the world.  Such confidence.  Such excitement.  Such a preview of all that is to come in her life.

Last night we were walking through Target, and Scott commented on what a great mood she was in.  And I said that I knew exactly how she felt.  Don't you?  That feeling when you dreaded something and then accomplished it--like my first day of teaching or presenting a seminar paper or even labor.  That is how she seemed last night.  Relieved and excited and proud.

Anyway...I know I sound crazy and sentimental, but I would love some feedback on the questions;)  Thanks!!

Success

Today lunch consisted of buttered noodles with parmesan cheese, all while sitting on the potty and watching Caillou on the computer.

Whatever it takes to get the tee-tee off my carpet and into the toilet.

"It's too hard, mom," she says.

And then, success!!!!

After that, it was one big chocolate, color wonder party around here.

Not to mention, Dora band-aids.

But you should have seen her face when she found out it's not a one time deal.  "Again?!!!" she exclaimed with dismay.

Just another day

The scene in my car this morning.

John in his car seat, screaming, at the top of his lungs.

Ada in her car seat, singing, at the top of her lungs....

"Old MacDonald Had a Farm.  E-I-E-I-0.
And on that farm he had a John, E-I-E-I-0.
With a waaa here, and a waaaa there
Here a waaa, there a waaa,
everywhere a waaaa, waaaa."

The noise, the chaos, the craziness

The tee-tee on my carpet before 9 am.

So tired, because John decided to eat every two hours last night.  The stinker.

The thing is, I love them so much I can hardly stand it. 

Things to say

There are several things that I am feeling really excited about these days.

First things first, look what showed up at my house this week...

Okay, it didn't just show up, Scott's parents were oh-so-generous, and they bought it for us as an anniversary gift.  I was giddy with excitement.  Our vacuum hasn't worked for a while, and that is just not okay.  I would use the vacuum every once in a while, just to go through the motions, but I basically just pushed dirt around.  Well, I first read about this vacuum over here at this wonderful blog, I then researchd it on Amazon, and it was even on sale at Target.  The stars really aligned on this one.  Anyway...it truly lives up to the hype.  I love it.  I can't thank Scott's parents enough!!

Thanks to Mary, I just finished reading the above book yesterday.  Warning:  it will make you want to do nothing but sit around all day reading quality literature to your children.

And during John's NICU stay, I read the above book.  The Well-Trained Mind is a must read if you plan to homeschool using the classical method.  It is an incredibly practical book that walks you through each step of the classical homeschooling process.  Love it.

And I am in the process of reading The Case for Classical Christian Education.  Because Ada is only 2 1/2, I am trying to read all I can before her schooling years sneak up on me.

And thanks to the above books and wonderful, wonderful swagbucks, Ada will soon be reading these; they are in the mail as I type this.  I just keep checking them off the list as I earn more swagbucks.

In addition, we are checking out stacks of books every week at the library.  Ada picks her own books, so they aren't always my first choice, but that's okay.  I try to sneak in a few of my own choices every once in a while.

And finally, I am loving this blog--Uber Chic for Cheap.  I don't even know how I stumbled upon it, but I love it, love it.  It really speaks to my need to stick to a budget and possess a decent wardrobe.  Check it out!!

I would tell you that I am excited that Ada is potty trained and that John is sleeping through the night, but none of these things is actually happening.

I thought Ada was potty trained.  All signs pointed to her being potty trained, and then we had a major set back day, which involved lots of urine on the floor.  I then put things on hold while Scott's parents were here, but it's back to the grind tomorrow.

And based on the last two nights, John is back to eating every three to four hours during the night.  Last night I was so tired in the middle of the night, that I woke Scott up and asked him to go get the pan, but I meant to ask him to go get John.  He, of course, said, "What?!!!" and I told myself to concentrate really hard, and that time I said, "will you go get the soap?"  For some reason my brain and my mouth were not cooperating.  I don't even know why I woke him up because I was perfectly capable of getting John myself.  And then today, while Ada napped and I was lying in the bed nursing John, I fell asleep and woke up 30 minutes later, and he was still nursing on the same side.  Not good, ya'll, not good.

But we'll get there.  Sleep will come.  Ada won't start kindergarten in diapers.  It's all a process, right?  One day at a time.  One foot in front of the other.

p.s Happy Cinco De Mayo.  We had guacamole for dinner to celebrate.

Checking In

We're alive and kicking over here; there just hasn't been much time for blogging.

Scott's parents arrived Saturday morning, and since then we have

1.  Been to Outback for an anniversary date on Saturday night, thanks to a gift card from John and Jessica.  (thanks, guys!!)
2.  Then quickly came home as soon as we were done eating because John decided he did not want to take the bottle
3.  I slept for 7 hours straight the past two nights--thank you, John!! 
4.  I napped today
5.  And there is talk of a new vacuum cleaner purchase tonight.

So...much is happening, and I will be back later with a more detailed post.  Happy Monday!!