Wordless Wednesday: Miss Mouse (Who Is Getting So Big Sob Sob Sob)

Yes! Our country Internet is FINALLY working again!

(It enjoys stressing me out by giving me only a few hours a week to squeeze in ALL OF MY POSTING.)

(HALLELUJAH SCHEDULED POSTS.)

So! In these few, precious, rare moments of connectivity to the world that I have, please skip on over to my bestie's blog and check out her awesome giveaway! An Anthro apron? Yes, please!

Have a lovely day!

Shakey-Shake.

I realize I am a little out of it when I feed Lydia in the middle of the night. In the wee hours this morning, I stumbled to her pack 'n play, yawned as I settled into the glider, and lazily checked my phone. 2:30am. My glazed-over eyes kept dozing and my head started leaning...

...and the room shook.

I jolted awake and looked around...and all was still. I chalked it up to a weird dream. Crazy.

And then saw this morning that yet ANOTHER earthquake hit our area...at 2:33am. Crazy Oklahoma earthquakes, making me feel even crazier!

Have a lovely day.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone...a la country Internet!

Breathing Deeply.

When I was in labor with Lydia, I took breaths so deeply that I imagined I was drawing in breath all the way down to my belly button, before releasing it as slowly as possible to manage the pain of each contraction. Long breath in, long breath out.

On the mornings I train, I puff a breath with every lunge, squat, bicep curl, and plank. Ohh, it hurts, but oh, the breathing keeps me going until the set is finally over. Curl, puff. Lunge, puff. In, out, in, out.

In the middle of the night, after I feed Lydia, I hold her close and draw in deep breaths. Her nuzzling and squirming slow and I breath deeply and intentionally until her heartbeat matches mine, and she calms into sleep. Deep breath in, deep breath out, in the quiet of the night.

Driving down the road, with the kids talking and the baby crying and the kids' music blaring on the radio, I grit my teeth and attempt to relax my shoulders and take some good breaths. Our destination is close, the crying will end, the big kids will be okay, the singing caterpillar bursting through my speakers (and appeasing the children) will soon be turned off. Just a few more minutes. Breathe in, breathe out.

At the end of the day, when the toys are picked up, the dishwasher is humming, and I turn out the last light, I heave a heavy sigh. A moment of peace, at last. A gentle inhale, a big sigh.

I just keep breathing. In and out, and in and out. In the chaos ... in and out, in and out. In the quiet ... in and out, in and out.

Because all too soon I will take a breath and these moments will be gone.

So I will breathe through them, and savor them, and yes, sometimes endure them.

Deep breaths. Deep, cleansing breaths.

Have a lovely day.

Two Months: A Letter.

*Written March 25th.

My Dearest Lydia Jane,

Today you are TWO MONTHS OLD! This month flew by. I feel like I just signed the "Love, Mama" on your One Month letter and here we are writing the letter for Month Number Two. I just can't believe it. Cliche as it sounds, time is flying.

What a fun month this has been! Firstly, you are smiling. It's wonderful.

You are smiling more easily every day and your smiles are typically accompanied by coos, which is all kinds of awesome. We now have little chats where you coo very intentionally and I respond with, "Why yes, certainly, of course" and the like. I know that all too soon those coos will be words and I'm soaking up these sweet moments.

One big thing that happened this month is that Dadda turned THIRTY! Wow! We tried to take a family picture to commemorate this monumental day. Naturally, the camera had a tricky time keeping up with moving children. We had a good laugh!

(Note: The "Hustler" logo on my husband's shirt is that of a tractor company. He got it for free when he bought our riding lawn mower. He's worn it absentmindedly until we pointed it out to him. It was pretty funny!)

You are still a sweet, snuggly baby. You eat every three hours during the day and wake up once at night. You've given yourself a bedtime and prefer to be in bed at 8:00, with your last feeding falling around 7:30 or so. You wake up at 2:00am to eat and then sleep until 6:00 or so. It's a nice little routine and I'm glad you've found such an agreeable bedtime--it's when your siblings go to bed, so we appreciate it!

You prefer to be swaddled when you sleep and you are typically swaddled in the afghan your G-Ma crocheted for you (you can catch a glimpse of it behind your head in this picture).

You're hilarious. We love your "poop face". :)

You like to stick your fingers through the holes in the afghan when you sleep, which is something your older sister does with her blanket. It's so sweet. It makes for one huge swaddle, but we get it nice and tight and you like it!

You've always been a big spitter-upper, but we realized that you were spitting up a LOT over the past few weeks. Miss Erin suggested that I feed you on one side per feeding rather than trying to feed you from both sides. I was worried you wouldn't get enough to eat, since we've always done both sides per feeding, but wow! It worked like a charm! You eat on one side for about ten minutes now and that's it. And you still go three hours between feedings. The only change has been less spit-up and less fussiness. High-five to Miss Erin for suggesting it!

You weigh 10.67 pounds (37th percentile) and are 23.58 inches long (93rd percentile). You are a long little lady! You wear 0-3 month clothing and some 3-6 months, thanks to your long body! You still take a pacifier but are beginning to prefer your hand and your fingers more. We'll see if you give up the paci. For now, you'll take it when you're really tired. You love to lay on your play mat (especially with your friend Delia), lay on our bed and watch the ceiling fan, and smile at your sister. You are kicking more now, too. It's so fun to see you grow more each day.

We love you, Lydia Jane. Thank you for shining in our lives. What a fun month this has been.

Love,

Mama