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.