Pig Tails - Baltimore, MD. - October 2011

We've been a wandering family for the last couple of months, so the next few posts I'm going to work my way through our late summer and early fall travels, but for now, Here's a quick post of something that makes me smile every time I see them.

About the middle of August her hair was finally long enough to do something with.  I was so excited! 

 I LOVE her pig tails!

Even though she isn't always happy about the process ...

 (Her tears have gotten significantly less since this first tearful event.  SOMETIMES there's no crying at all!)

 There is much dancing after they're up!

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

A Blog Wworth Sharing - Baltimore, MD - October 2011

A friend of ours linked me to this blog, 3 Kids, a Mini-Van, & a Mortgage, about 9 months ago.  Reading this mother's unedited account of her family's walk through their daughter Lucy's battle with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, Medulloblastoma, has become a regular part of my week.

I don't know her, but every time I reconnect with their story I find myself in uncontrolled tears.  Her writing is eloquent, heartfelt, and straight from her soul.  it isn't odd to find the time stamps on her posts at 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning.  Her ability to capture their experience, not only in words, but also in pictures is breathtaking.  I'm sure she has become immune to these images of 

smooth hairless heads,

the healing power of sleep,

little ones asleep in red Radial flyer wagons,

and the masks, tubes and wires,

...but I still get knots in my throat knowing the underlying cause of each of these things that have become so routine in her world.   Her blog is followed by just under 1500 followers and she posts several times a week. Their story has touched so many people.

There is nothing I can do for their sweet family except pray and share her blog and their story in hopes that you will, regardless of your faith, find a moment to fall to your knees and pray for them and thank God for your healthy children knowing that each day with them is a gift.

This is her post from February 24 2011 (the first post doccumenting Lucy's illness):

"Life can change. In the blink of an eye. It happens. You are never prepared for it. And when it does you just try to survive. And that's what we are doing right now. Surviing. I am going to use this blog to update Lucy's status and track her recovery so that one day she can look back at what she went through and know how much her mommy loves her. Tomorrow morning at 7:00am the staff at LeBonheur Children's Hospital will come get my baby girl for the biggest event of her life. 4-6 hours of a grueling surgical procedure to remove 3 brain tumors and 1 tumor from her back. Every time I allow myself to think about it I want to vomit. It doesn't seem real. Last night when I went to sleep I prayed that when I woke up this would all be a bad dream. Funny thing is, I never slept. So I feel as if I have been in a walking nightmare for 2 days. Tomorrow is going to be hard for us all. I don't think any of us are really prepared for the rollercoaster we are about to ride. I just don't understand why it had to be Lucy. I could understand why God would want to put this disease on me. I have had 33 years to live a sinful life. I DESERVE to suffer. But not Lucy. She's only 5. But that's not how God works. I know that. There's a reason for all of this. I will NEVER understand it, but that's not my job. My job is to remain faithful and trust that God will heal my sweet girl. Medulloblastoma is no match for my Father. I will praise Him in this storm while I cling to the hope that He will extend his hand of mercy and grace to Lucy in the days, weeks and months to come."

Her honesty, faith, and strength have made me a stronger believer, and a better wife and mother.  Thank you Kate!

Till Next Time,

Bon Voyage!

I Crave Movies - Baltimore, MD - October 2011

So although I absolutly crave different sorts of foods while I'm pregnant, what I crave most of all is MOVIES!!!  While pregnant with The Monkey I think I watched Julie and Julia at least 40 times and Juno... Well that number is pretty obscene and probably realistically falls somewhere in the 60's.  I know it sounds bad, but don't forget I was on Bedrest for 7 weeks.

This time around I find myself drawn to older movies that hold some sort of scentimental significance.  Old baseball movies like Field of Dreams,  For the Love of the Game, The Sandlot, Rookie of the Year, and Eight Men Out.  They aren't all fantastic movies, but they remind me of my dad and watching them on Sunday afternoon was one of our favorite pass times.

I also have had a hankering for The Sound of Music.  Little known fact, my older sister and I can sing EVERY song in this movie pretty much by heart.

In my DVD player, as we speek is one of my all time favorites which I believe I'll watch again tonight (4 time) before I send it back to NetFlix, is the 1994 version of Little Women that has be in tears within the first 5 minutes. I just can't stop myself!

I still make a regular go at Juno, but my copy of Julie and Julia is missing in action (maybe it ran away with my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred that the Hub says I conveniently lost).  Thank goodness I've been able to get my Meryl Streep fix from weekly submersion into The Devil Wears Prada while folding towels durring the Monkey's nap.  The only problem is that watching it has got me  wishing for more Anne Hathaway, which could go a great many dirrections... SIGH!!!

My one complaint is Instant Queue. Although NetFlix has been a big help durring all of my late night needs for the silver screen, the amount of material on "Instant Queue" is pretty disapointing.  Of the movies I've listed, only 2 are available instantly.  The others I've had to wait a couple of days for.  I have been able to get my Friday Night Lights fix instantly as all five seasons are now at my fingertips via Instant Queue, so this is a big plus, but still, I want more!

Pregnant or not, what movies to you crave?

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Being One is FUN... And Long Over Due - Baltimore, MD - May 2011

Note To Reader: This post is about 4 months over due so as far as milestones go she's way further along now than she was at a year.  Please forgive me for being so late with this post!

***

I seriously can't believe it's been a year! It's amazing to me how much she's grown and changed in this first year. I mean a year ago she was less than 5 lbs and just under 17 inches long. She couldn't do anything for herself and the Hub and I were just learning how to do things for her. She took a bath in our kitchen sink, she was too little to go in the Baby Bejorn, She was swimming in premee sleep and plays, and she slept less that 10 feet from us.

Although sometimes I still sneak into her room to listen to her breath while she's sleeping, she has gotten so big. She's almost 19 lbs and well over 2 feet tall. She's wearing size 12 month in everything but swim suits. She takes baths in the big tub without any sort of baby seat. Although it's very messy, she can feed herself and she drinks from a cup. She's walking while holding onto things. She's generally a very happy baby, loves being social, and loves music and dancing. Her favorite time of the day is when Daddy comes home from work.  She is still learning the importance of sharing but I'm confident she'll get it eventually.

She still has just a few words in her little vocabulary, but is starting to mimic sounds we make, like when the phone rings or someone walks into a room she says "ah oh". In the last week or so she has started to make kissing sounds and was a very quick study when learning to blow kisses.

Here are her official 1 year stats:

Weight: 17lbs and 3 ozs (3rd%)

Length: 28 inches (15th %)

Head circumference: 43 centimeters (4th%)

And finally her last set of Butterfly Pictures.  

 El Brand New

 El 1 Month

 El 2 Months

 El 3 Months

 El 4 Months

 El 5 Months

***6 Month Picture MIA***

 El 7 Months

 El 8 Months

El 9 Months

El 10 Months

 El 11 Months

El 12 Months

it's safe to say that she has officially grown too big for the butterfly blanket Oh and she was not in a smiling mood the day I took her pictures.  She was cutting her first two molars, need I say more.  There were a couple of good ones this month, but I chose this one because she was in the same position, with her knees drawn up, as she was in her first "brand new" picture. What a difference a year makes.

THE PARTY

The birthday celabrations started when her God Parents sent her a special birthday package that included som fancy new clothes and  a fabulous lady bug book.

 Her favorite parts though were the stuffed lady bug and the card

Mmmmmm!!!  Tasty!!!

 There were also a few special treats from her Granny that she got a little early so she could wear the outfit on her big day.

For the actual day we invited our good friends Megan and Nathan to spend the weekend with us at my Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Jack's home on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The birthday girl and her daddy

Our little family

Practicing for blowing out the candles

"Mommy did you see all the presents behind me? Are they all for me!?"

The Birthday spread: Burgers with all the dixings and lots of extras

Me and my sweet girl!

She LOVED her birthday cake!

Getting ready to take a birthday boat ride with Megan and Nathan.

She was not a fan of the life jacket, but finally tolerated it.

We had so much fun sharing this big day with friends and family.  It's amazing how much we love this little lady and it's so wonderful for us to see how much others love her too.  She is a special little girl and we are so lucky and blessed to be her parents.

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

I'm A PREGOSAURUS!!! - Baltimore, MD - Sept 2011

I've been trying to think of a cute way to announce this news, but in the midst of packing for our trip to Florida, trying to talk the Monkey into keeping her shoes on while riding in the car, and embarking on a house cleaning and organization project, I'm really at a loss, so I'll just tell it like it is.

I'M KNOCKED UP!!!

EXPECTING!!!

A PREGOSAURUS!!!

WITH CHILD!!!

A BUN IN THE OVEN!!!

WORKING ON THE ULTIMATE DIY PROJECT!!!

and just in case none of those were clear, We're having another baby!!! Somewhere around the 27th of February we'll become a family of 4! We are super excited and can't wait to meet this little one, who we are affectionately calling....

"LITTLE STICKS"

And just in case you're wondering, much to the disappointment of some of our friends, we're not going to find out the gender of this little one. I know it may be hard to believe, but it adds a whole new level of excitement to the day of delivery.

I'm 16 weeks along and am pretty much out of the "morning sickness" phase and am entering the "listing" and "sleeping" phase. All in all it's been a super smooth ride so far and pretty much a carbon copy of my pregnancy with the Monkey.

Many more posts to come on the listing and nesting, but in the mean time, I'll use my friend Amy's list to keep track of our progress.

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: -2 lbs (could only stomach liquids in the first trimester)

Maternity clothes? Nope

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Last night I slept like a ROCK, but before that not so great.  My dreams are NUTS!!!

Best moment this week: When El gave her baby a bottle for the first time.  She's going to be a great big sister (even if she put it in the baby's eye)!

Movement: I think I feel little bump bump bumps, but the Hub thinks it may be too early.

Food cravings: Taco Bell and Root Beer Floats

Gender: Not finding out!!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Innie

What I miss: Sushi

What I am looking forward to: Seeing Robyn and Sarah next week!

Weekly Wisdom: Shine my sink! "FlyLady"

Milestones: Not being sick!

Til Next Time,

Bon Voyage!

Calvary, The World's Greatest Trade Center - Baltimore, MD - September 2011

 Yesterday morning I, along with so many other Americans, reflected on where we were 10 years ago when the New York City sky Line was forever altered by American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175,, The Pentagon was made the target of American Airlines Flight 77, and Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, near Shanksville became the final resting place for United Airlines, flight 93 and its 44 passengers.

I was in my junior year at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and was on the rowing team. I'd gone to practice early that morning. I returned to my on campus apartment, took a power nap, and had just gotten out of the shower and flipped on the Today Show shortly after the first plane hit the first tower. I can remember being propped with my back against our couch, hair still in a towel with my knees drawn to my chest as the second plane swung into the television frame and in what felt like slow motion, it penetrated the second tower. The campus stopped, as we sat and watched in fear as the rest of that day unfolded.

The question I remember everyone asking that day and in the aftermath is "how could something like this happen?" and “where was God in all of this?” Yesterday morning when I read in our church’s order of service that the sermon would be based on Job 1, I didn't expect that after 10 years of wondering that I would walk away from the sanctuary feeling that I understood, even just a little bit better, 'how something like this could happen’.

NOTE TO READER: I don't claim to be any sort of religious authority so please read this with that understanding. I am only a child of God seeking to do His Will and know him better each day.

Before yesterday I'd only known of the "Will of God", which always begged the question, "How could God's Will allow something this awful to happen?" I'd never heard of God's Will divided into two parts.

First, there is the Perceptive Will of God, which is the fact that God's desire for us, above all, is to live sinless lives. Just as any parent wishes the best for their child, he only wants the best for us, His children. Second there is the Decretive Will of God. This part of God's Will I believe is where free will lies. To tie it back to the Perceptive Will of God, every parent desires the best for their child. We want to give them the world and then we want them to take what we've given them and become good, positive, God fearing, productive parts of the world. However, we live in a fallen, world that is full of sin, and our Heavenly Father has given us the choice. His Will for us is to choose a path without sin, but He knows us and has known us since before we were born.

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matthew 10:30

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13.

As much as he loves us and wants us to cast off our sinful ways and follow Him, that love for us does not trump his holiness. It is his Decretive Will that ensures that even as Gods creation our sins will not go unpunished. Our repentance is necessary for our eternal salvation. We must never forget that salvation is God’s greatest hope for his children.

I’ll close with this, as we reflect on September 11, 2001. We are still, 10 years later, searching for reason and meaning in such violence, devastation, and loss at the World Trade Center. We question where God is when we lose loved ones, and when bad things happen. We wonder how a loving God could allow this to happen. In this time of reflection, let us not forget that there was an even greater sacrifice given at an even greater “World Trade Center”.



Calvary is the world’s greatest “trade center’. It is the place where God traded his only son, sinless and pure, so that our lives could be saved in eternal salvation. He has endured loss and tragedy and He understands our pain but he also knows that it is for good, even if we can’t see or even fathom that good. God is in control!

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” -Job 1:20-22

Now that is POWERFUL STUFF!!!

Till next time,
Bon Voyage!

Monkey Dancing - Baltimore, MD - September 2011

Monkey's favorite activity would have to be DANCING!  We're expecting a casting call for the next season of Dancing with the Stars any day now.

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!