I have recently realized that I sound like a broken record. “I’ve been so busy,” “Life is chaotic,” “It’s crazy right now,” and so on. I’ve been saying this since … well, Aubri was born! Apparently these are adjectives that are expected to define the life of a family with young children. Therefore, I have accepted “wild,” “hectic”, “dizzying” and “delirious” as my new normal.
So, having said that, I have not had time to keep this blog updated as I would like. I am all about some Facebook, however, because of it’s microblogging format. It’s easy to jot a sentence down mid-PB&J clean-up, simple to upload a photo with a baby climbing on my head, and speedy to write down memorable moments between removing golf balls and glitter pens from my baby’s mouth. In my spare time, I dream of a way to funnel my Facebook to my blog. So all of my thoughts are in one place and those of you weirdos boycotting Facebook can still keep up with my nutty family.
OK, I digress. Minutes remaining in naptime are quickly dwindling.
Here’s what’s been happening in the Bradystead since May-ish:
Sickness strikes Nugget Sr.: Taylor aquired a nasty case of strep throat followed by what was diagnosed as a recurring sinus infection, which has yet to resolve. She is now on allergy spray to keep her constant snorting at bay.
Nugget Jr. lost her dentures during her attempt to crawl. They have yet to be found. Still toothless.
Aubri has started eating solid foods, one of the first was Papa Johns pizza. And another first, avocado. As with most foods that she tries, it was a love-hate relationship.
Taylor had Dress Like Your Favorite Insect Day at school. She went with a Memorial Day themed butterfly in case you couldn’t decipher my 30 second face painting job.
The girls started bathing together. We quickly transitioned to a Bumbo-in-the-bath strategy after Aubri took a face plant moments after this picture was taken, attempting to swim at the early age of 9 months.
The girls have really started connecting, which is really sweet.
Awww, sisterly sweetness.
However, sometimes (OK, many times) are sweeter than others.
Taylor had a photo shoot with a fabulous local photographer. Here’s one of my favorites, you can see a few more here.
We’ve been spending a lot of time at the pool, which is no surprise. Aubri had one experience that she hopes does not happen again. She spotted another baby doing the unthinkable …
“No she DEH-EEENT wear my same tankini. Makes me SO MAD!”
Jimmy won a kayak, which has been thoroughly enjoyed by both daddy and daughter.
Taylor did NOT win the Great Christian Character award at pre-school graduation. Her sucker punching a classmate on stage in front of hundreds of parents had nothing to do with it …
Cayman had surgery to remove what we thought were cancerous masses. Tests came back clear and all is well. His surgery door prize was a large cone, which we thought was more appropriate for Taylor.
Taylor and Aubri have been joining me at Stroller Strides several times a week. It’s a kick-butt workout for me. And of course I’m taking advantage of wearing Taylor out, as well.
Aubri discovered the dogs. She loves them.
A 14-year old diva inhabited my 4-year old’s body one morning and has yet to depart. Here are a few examples of her new “tude.”
::driving down the road::
Tay: “Look, Chuckie Cheese!”
Me: “Yep.”
Tay: “Why do you always say ‘yep’?”
Me: “What should I say?”
Tay: “Well, I prefer you say nothing at all.”
Me: “Taylor, PLEASE go change your clothes.”
Tay: “Relax, Mommy!”
Me, with unhappy stare: “Taylooooorrrr.”
Tay: “Listen, let’s just not talk about it. It’s not useful.”
After an attitude-filled morning Jimmy says to Taylor: “This is what’s going to happen. You are going to stop the sass and the rude attitude and the interrupting and you are going to start acting right, RIGHT NOW.”
Taylor, stares at him with a blank, unfazed face and says, “I want you to say all that in Spanish.”
::sigh::
Aubri enjoyed her first doughnut on Father’s Day.
And Taylor reminded me over and over again that she and sugar do. not. mix.
We’ve spent the early summer months outside. Like at the Splash Pad with friends.
And at the park where Aubri had her first swinging experience. Look at that fro flying in the wind.
We learned that Aubri is no different than most adults. Mexican food goes right through her. Like immediately. After just a few bites of refried beans, she started “working them out” right there at the table.
We also learned that Aubri has inherited the couponing gene from her mama. She’s one serious shopper.
My sweet mom came into town to help me out while Jimmy was away at a work conference.
We did a few impromptu photo shoots.
Wait!
She ate a pine needle.
Aubri scared the snot out of us by going on a hunger strike. She basically stopped eating for a week. My milk had dried up (due to stress, we think) and she refused to eat anything that was not “mommy.”
See, her lips were sealed.
So we were forced to create a feeding tube of sorts. We were able to sneak milk and formula in through her paci. Enough to keep her hydrated and out of the hospital.
The whole dilemma, which lasted a little more than a week, landed us in the doctor’s office almost every day. The aforementioned diva tagged along.
Thank God, though, my milk came back. After several days of weight loss, non-stop doctor’s appointments, discussions with NICU and lactation nurses, gadgets to feed her and get my milk back, we cleared the hurdle and all resolved itself. Now, she’s back to a fat and happy nugget.
Aubri’s issues have resolved. But diva’s “issues” are still in effect. Noise-canceling headphones during breakfast — it’s her way to NOT hear mommy and daddy.
Girls will be girls, though, and I love ‘em. I am relying on Aubri to put Taylor in her place. Just this morning, she straddled her, yanked her hair and used it as a handle to stand. ‘Atta girl.
As you can see, Aubri is mobile. She started “rocking” at the end of June.
And just a few weeks later, in mid-July, she started crawling. Slowly, but surely.
We went on vacation to Kure Beach with Jimmy’s family and initiated what we hope will become an annual tradition. That’s a whole ‘nother post though, which is coming soon. Or so I plan.
So, my days now consist of Stroller Striding as much as possible, working during naptimes and after bedtimes, cleaning the floors and picking up small objects for our cute crawler, attempting to exorcise the 14-year old from my 4-year old, and, between all of this, watching these two tiny miracles play.
It’s a crazy busy life, but it’s a crazy blessed life.
Filed under: FaithFULL
Jimmy and I have been working very diligently with Taylor on prayer. Months ago, we were having a hard time getting her to sit still and act respectful during our nightly prayers. We tried several different “techniques” and explanations as to what it means to pray. She’s really made huge progress on praying prayers now that actually make sense, that seem like they are truly coming from her heart. Don’t get me wrong, she has her moments where she prays for things that may seem silly to us. But, more often than not, her prayers are amazing. So simple, yet so powerful. She’s getting it. She identifies opportunities to pray (other than at nighttime), people to pray for, and things to give thanks for. It’s so refreshing to see this little heart understand a Man that took me 30 years to “get”. Prayer answered for me, for sure.
So for the past few nights, she has been saying something during her prayers that has resonated with me and Jimmy. She’s said, every night, something to the effect of “God, I don’t know what to pray for tonight but I know that I love you and I want to be in your heart and in the angels heart and in the hearts of everybody.” She says it with such passion, I wish you could hear it. It’s precious, convincing. So, tonight, Jimmy said that it wouldn’t hurt to give her words to think about, words that say what we think she is trying to say. We feel that you can never be too young to ask Jesus into your heart. And so she did.
Whoops. Has it really been six weeks since I last updated this thing? Goodness gracious.
OK, this blog was created to journal our lives, to act as a virtual scrapbook. Because Lord knows I don’t own — or have any intention of owning — scalloped scissors, bubbly borders or polka dot pages. So blog it is. Only problem with this is … it takes time. Time. What’s that, you ask? I dunno either.
Life is caa-razy busy right now. Two little nuggets running around, one rolling her eyes and the other rolling off beds. A part-time-ish work-from-home job. Bills to negotiate. A house to clean. Coupons to clip. Play dates to plan and doctor’s appointments to attend. I haven’t even had time to watch my beloved Real Housewives; I’m a whole stinkin’ season behind on both New York and Orange County, if that tells you how absolutely hectic life is at the moment.
Now, these are not complaints in any shape or form. I am so blessed. So so stinkin’ blessed. I have two healthy little girls that we (and you) prayed over for a very long time; one that continues to illustrate an ever-evolving side-splitting sense of humor and another that squeals like a banshee and flashes smiles that don’t even compete with the stars. I have a job. That, in itself, is a huge blessing in an economy like this. But, it gets better. I work for myself. From my home. And the people that I work for, and that I work with? They’re downright awesome. I love what I do, I love the people that surround me in my work, and I love that I get to do it from the comfort of my snugly slippers and poofy ponytail in between diaper changes and chicken nugget clean-up. I have an awesome husband that loves his family to pieces and absolutely busts his tail to provide for us so that we can afford said house and said doctor’s appointments; not to mention the occasional Andy’s cheeseburger and extra-chocolatey malt.
God is so good y’all. I couldn’t have ever even dreamed that I’d have a life like this. I am overwhelmed with that feeling every morning when I wake up. I am bubbling with blessings. Busy with life and strapped for time, but bubbling with blessings.
And so I am trying to soak in and savor every single second that seems to whip by. Because I know that, in 20 years from now, I will want to look back and remember every single moment of this super slammed, yet sweet and special, season that they call early motherhood.
So, in order to memorialize this time before we find ourselves looking at prom dresses for Aubri and college campuses for Taylor, let’s gets these memories on (virtual, non-polka-dot) paper. Here’s a snapshot of the past six weeks.
Taylor loves her little sister. Loves using her as a canvas. First it was a ballpoint pen to the cheek, now her sweet forehead serves as a sticker book.
Aubri started eating solid foods a few weeks ago (March 27 to be exact, 5 months adjusted age). Banana was the first attempted.
Before:
And after. Clearly, she’s not a monkey. The girl hated the banana.
One thing she does love, however, is the “Johnny Jumper.” In fact, the last two times that I have put her in it, she has bounced until she passed out — mid-hop, face down on the plastic tray, snoozin’.
I have attempted a few impromptu and informal photo shoots in our house. Shoved Aubri in a basket once and made both girls lay amongst prickly shrubs. All in an effort to get just one good shot of the two of them. All attempts ended in tears and no good photos. Except this one. This is one from the dreaded shove-me-in-a-basket-while-Taylor-holds-up-her-pink-blankie-as-a-backdrop shoot.
I’ve embraced my inner-Martha and have been making homemade baby food. It’s not too bad. And Aubri seems to dig it.
“Whoooooo’s hungry????”
Daddy had a birthday. Last year’s red velvet fault cake was a failure, but this year’s ended in sweet success. And, as you can see from the photo, Tay had consumed a good bit of frosting during the baking process. She’s a sugar-fueled nut. And Aubri knows it.
My parents came into town for Easter, which meant morning egg hunts, brunch on the water, afternoons at the pool and yummy dinners instead of my usual banana protein shakes. I love them. (My parents. Not the shakes.)
Because Aubri is itching to move, yet is not quite mobile, it’s a constant game of “where does Aubri want to play now” in our house. Johnny Jumper, activity mat, walker and in your arms. Those are the current “hot spots” for this active nugget.
No matter where she is, Tay is not far behind. Running circles in the living room, body slamming herself on furniture or whipping toys past Aubri’s noggin. See? She’s just a blur.
But she loves her little sister so so much.
And her little sister loves her. I think Tay gets more smiles than I do.
On a bittersweet note, we’re still healing from losing my grandma. It’s a daily struggle, but we remind ourselves and eachother than our grandma is now His most beautiful angel. One of the things that we did was plant flowers in her memory. As Tay was laying the seed-infused invitations to her memorial service under a layer of soil, the weather was doing amazing things. The sun was shining, then we’d feel a gust of wind and a sprinkle of rain, only to be followed by warm sunshine returning to our skin. Taylor said, and still tells people, that Great Nana was blowing her kisses and crying “happy tears” as she watched down on her plant the flowers.
At the end of April, we walked in the March for Babies, a benefit for the March of Dimes. Thanks to my generous friends, we raised $250 for the organization. It was really special to join so many NICU graduates in walking for such a great cause. We also got to hug on one of Aubri’s sweet NICU nurses, who couldn’t believe the size of her … you guessed it … cheeks. All in all, it was a fun event for the whole family.
Of course, now that it’s officially spring, you KNOW we’re spending lots of time at the pool. Here’s the bikini-clad sisters snuggling poolside.
We have also been strawberry picking not once, but twice. Which has resulted in four loaves of strawberry bread, two strawberry cakes, too many muffins to count and approximately 10 leftover pounds of fresh and now-frozen strawberries. Taylor, who is a passionate and aggresive berry picker (as you can see below), is also quite good at finding the perfect berry. It’s actually a lot of fun. And what was just as fun was getting an assignment to write about the experience in one of the magazines that I work for. You can read that here (click on Let’s Go Berry Picking).
We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with good friends at a local Mexican restaurant where the kids ate nothing but chips. OK, me too. I love chips.
And we celebrated Mother’s Day where I was treated to a full day of Daddy on diaper duty, time at the pool and, my most favorite, morning snuggles with my little nuggles.
Taylor had her second successful dentist appointment. (This was actually her third visit, but I wouldn’t exactly call her first appointment a treat by any means.) She got her first round of x-rays, which will likely not be her last seeing as though she comes from a set of dentally-challenged parents.
We celebrated my sweet grandpa’s birthday. Because Aubri is named after him (Aubri Lee), I thought that, naturally, the best gift would be, well, her. Only problem is that she wouldn’t stay in the box long enough for me to ship her off.
We also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Jimmy’s parents came to town and watched the girls while Jimmy and I went out for cheese and chocolate fondue. It’s was quiet, which was weird. A good weird.
And the next day, we celebrated our niece’s birthday. Tay ate mass amounts of sugar and ran like a wild woman through the park while Aubri and I hung out at the shelter and ate mass amounts of cake. Well, I did. I guess I can’t get away with blaming her for that … yet.
So there you have it! Lots of stuff going on in just six weeks, right? Now you see why I haven’t been sitting still long enough to write a blog post! Caaa-raziness! I do believe that Aubri says it best though:
“Sometimes, we just have to slow down, take a break from jumping all around the house. And pass out in a tray of toys.”
“Spit the paci out and pass out. Savor the season, Mommy. We’ll get our stuff done later.”
Filed under: Family Fun
I love my family. I love that I have my mom, dad and brother; that Taylor and Aubri are the center of attention on our side of the family. That time spent with them is intimate and low key, that the girls get utterly spoiled with attention by Nana, Grandpa and Uncle Matt. I love that.
I also adore being a Brady. The family that I married into is so different than who I thought I was. But, as it turns out, the longer I am married, the more I like this side of me.
I love that, at all times, there are a half dozen people in the kitchen drinking coffee and talking while there are several others outside shooting shotguns and riding dirt bikes. I love that we stay up late with a room full of long-time family friends, laughing about memories of a young Jimmy being tortured by his older sister’s boyfriends/now husbands. I love that tattling and screaming is constant, that masses of cousins trample through the house nonstop. I smile when I think about how, when we’re all together, we keep Yoo-Hoo and Bugles in business, as if Memaw’s constant home cooking doesn’t stuff our stomachs enough.
Time with the Bradys is loud and full of activity, yet I always leave with a sense of relaxation and soul satisfaction. They’ve showed me a side of myself that I didn’t know existed: the Southern food eatin’, family room loungin’, four-wheel ridin’, gun shootin’ Carolina girl.
Spring break 2011 events and activities included my first experience with a four wheeler and a pistol, Aubri’s first out-loud laughter and her first time rolling over, Taylor’s first time getting car sick as we drove through torturous mountains, a lunch with Mawmaw and what Tay calls “the sale” where Mawmaw gave several of her belongings to the children and grandchildren. Kids danced with the Wii, adults talked, I ate my weight in biscuits, Aubri got spoiled with snuggles and Taylor convinced even her 13-year old cousin to play tea party with her. Eight days of family, food and fun. Bliss.
At the moment, we get about two times a year with the entire Brady family: spring break at Memaw and Papaw’s house and summer vacation at the beach. Spring break just concluded two weeks ago and we are already itching for July to get here so we can reconvene at the beach house.
Enough talking. Time for the visuals. Here’s a quick video offering you a taste of Spring Break 2011 with the Brady family.
And you know a vacation wouldn’t be a vacation without me bringing my camera. Here’s some stills, narrowed from 300 pictures to 25. Enjoy. And happy spring ya’ll!
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Filed under: A Day in the Life
When Aubri and I left Michigan, it was negative 4 degrees and at least a foot of snow covered the ground. When we landed back home in NC, it was 64 and new flowers were poking through the piles of frost-killed groundcover that I have yet to clear. The weather is making slow but steady progress back to where I like it: sweaty, sticky and classically coastal. And we have been enjoying every moment of it.
Last weekend, our neighbors hosted an oyster roast. I have mentioned this in the past, but I can’t say it enough: I love my neighborhood. I think it’s so precious that we all have kids around the same age, that they get along so well, and the parents really enjoy eachother too.
So, on a warm Saturday afternoon, we all gathered in our neighbor’s backyard, the husbands breaking into oysters, the kids playing tag and singing karaoke, and the mommas talking with babies on our laps. We all watched as the kids tried and played with the slimy boogers that some call oysters. Taylor even tasted one, munched for a few seconds before dramatically dry-heaving and spitting oyster snot. After we all stuffed our faces with shelled creatures and all sorts of succulent sides, from a key lime dip appetizer to rice and sausage casserole, and make-your-pants-pop desserts like homemade brownies and banana pudding, we all watched on as the kids roasted marshmallows over fire pits. Tiny tiny marshmallows on long sharp sticks, which quickly became torches once the kids saw how cool it was to light these little sugar nuggets on fire.
On Sunday, the warm weather pattern continued, reaching the mid 70′s. Hello beach weather. Well, almost. So we spent our day doing everything possible outside. Washing cars, riding bikes and playing at the playground.
Welcome, spring. We’ve missed you.
Filed under: Storms
On Saturday, as you may recall from my post, I knew that my grandma was sick. I was anxious, scared, sad and so many other emotions that don’t even have words assigned to them. I felt uneasy, restless. And so I kept myself busy by cleaning, writing, playing.
Our mailbox on Saturday was an interesting sight. It was empty, except one small magazine. A magazine that my grandma had subscribed me to a year or more ago. I hadn’t seen an issue in months. But, Saturday, it was there. “Angels on Earth” it’s called. When I saw the magazine laying there, I felt a strange tingling in my heart.
On Sunday, Jimmy and I sat in the back row of church with Aubri in our arms, laughing at the pastor’s talk about Disney movies. That’s all I remember. I wish I could say it was an insightful sermon that offered advice on what was to come. But I can’t. Because it’s a blur.
My phone rang. I grabbed it from Jimmy, ran for the exit and answered. It was the call that I had subconsciously expected but consciously dreaded.
“Bad news,” said Dad. “Grandma is not getting better.”
“OK, I’m going to look for a ticket right now to get on a plane,” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks as I knelt in the church atrium near a large wall of windows, staring into the parking lot. A little girl toddled towards me with a smile, I wiped the tears from my eyes and ran back into the church. Jimmy looked over his shoulder at me as I approached, I shook my head, my chin trembled.
“We have to go,” I said.
Jimmy grabbed Taylor from her classroom, we rushed home, I booked a flight while Jimmy and Taylor threw clothes into a suitcase for me and Aubri.
We took off for the airport, me with a pounding heart and a nervous stomach. I didn’t know much about Grandma’s current condition, but I had an urgency to get there. And get there fast. I was so scared that I wouldn’t make it in time to say “goodbye”. If it was even at that point, I didn’t know. But I wanted to get to her side. Quickly.
Aubri and I flew to Detroit and were among the last flights allowed in due to a near-blizzard that had just struck the city. I rushed through the airport, frantically looking for my Uncle Jim at arrivals and pick-ups. The snow was blinding. People were rushing through the terminals and out the doors, frustrated that their flights had been canceled. I have never seen such white-out conditions. There is no logical explanation as to how my flight made it to Detroit. The flight before mine and after mine was canceled. Mine made it.
I found Uncle Jim, we loaded into his van and headed to the hospital. It was the longest drive of my life.
We left my house at noon and I arrived by Grandma’s side at 9pm.
I walked into her hospital room, Aubri in my arms. Grandma perked up, looked at Aubri and flashed a huge grin visible through her oxygen mask. Her eyes lit up like stars and her cheeks immediately flushed with color. She didn’t take her eyes off of Aubri for what seemed like hours. She couldn’t keep her hands off of Aubri’s feet, tickling her toes non-stop. And when Aubri pulled her feet away, Grandma just held onto her sweet chubby calves.
I found out later that Grandma asked her caretaker to “fix her hair” before Aubri got there. She always wanted to look her best for people. Particularly her hair. Precious.
At one point that evening in between napping, rubbing Aubri’s feet, and holding Grandpa’s hand, Grandma looked to me. She lowered her mask, lifted her head, looked into my eyes and mouthed “I love you.” She replaced her mask, laid her head back down and went back to sleep.
We sat by her side that night until about 10:30. Rubbing my grandpa’s arms, hugging on my mom and kissing my grandma’s forehead. As we were leaving, Grandma waved for me to come near. She wanted a kiss from Aubri. We leaned Aubri close to Grandma and they kissed, Aubri’s pursed lips to Grandma’s oxygen mask. I then led Aubri’s lips to Grandma’s forehead for several extra smooches.
We went back to the hotel room, which was connected to the hospital so our “commute” was short. Mom and I sat up for more than an hour just talking. About what was happening, what could happen, and how we were handling all of this emotionally. We went to “sleep” but neither of us rested at all.
We “woke up” (i.e. stopped pretending to sleep) at 6am and headed to see Grandma shortly after that.
I walked in Grandma’s room, greeted her with kisses and hand holding, then sat in a short spinning stool intended for the doctors. We sat there for hours. Deep in thought, repeating prayers, rubbing backs, crying, talking, reminiscing, talking about God’s promise for eternity, hoping for miracles while also understanding the inevitable.
At noon, there was a noticeable difference in Grandma. And in me. My eyes were glued to her chest, watching it rise and fall. Watching her face, her lips, her eyes. I don’t know why I felt compelled to keep such a close eye on her, but I did. Deep in thought, everything in the room except for Grandma was a blur from noon until 3:50pm. That’s when I watched my sweet grandma’s chest rise for the last time.
There are no words to express the gut-wrenching emotion that I endured this week as I watched my grandma pass and my grandpa’s heart break. As much as me and my grandpa talk about eternity, Grandma’s new beautiful angel wings and the blessing in living a pain-free life with our Savior, it still hurts. It hurts not to see her earthly face and run my fingers through her sweet white hair. But, when I find myself missing these earthly abilities, I force myself to focus on Grandma’s new life instead. To give hope to Grandpa that his mourning of loss will soon turn to celebration of life. That his tears of sorrow will soon turn to smiles from precious memories.
Grandma, I love you. I miss you. I celebrate your new beautiful wings that Jesus himself placed upon your back in a ceremony so amazing that I can only dream about. Your new health, your perfect hearing. Your ability to smile as you watch down over your husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I long for Grandpa to hold you once again, to dance with you forever. But not just yet, OK? As you know, God has him on this earth still for a reason. Please remind Grandpa that you want him to take care of himself. For you. For Jesus. For God’s perfect plan.
Grandpa, I love you. My heart breaks for yours. I cherish you and am not ready for you to leave. Please take care of yourself for me, for Grandma. For the great grandkids that, thank God, Grandma got to meet. Please rest in knowing that you have a beautiful guardian angel in Grandma. An angel that wants you to complete this beautiful story that God wrote for you, our family, our world. Live longer, stronger, with smiles and laughter.
God, please hug Grandma for me. Please be sure that her dancing shoes are nothing short of exquisite, her dancing dress fit for a princess. Please mend my grandpa’s heart, help him to celebrate Grandma’s new life with you, to rejoice in the memories that they created here on earth. Heal him from cancer. Give him new health, and renewed hope. God, I praise you for miraculously delivering me and Aubri to Grandma’s bedside before she joined you in Heaven, that she got to meet Aubri and give her kisses. I thank you for the last “I love you” that I received, but more importantly, the 31 years of memories that I have with her spunky self. I praise you for the special moments that I shared with Grandpa and my mom before and after Grandma’s passing. Comforting, praying and weeping. More than anything, Lord, I thank you for what you did in me during this week. You showed me love. You showed me love in the midst of life’s most tender moment. Intense, sincere, selfless love. Although I have witnessed Grandma and Grandpa’s love for one another over my 31 years of life, there’s something about the 19 hours that I spent with them this week that will change me forever. I will love differently, live differently. In ways that I can’t put into words just yet. Something amazing happened in me after witnessing love during its last earthly hours. Although it sounds strange to say, I thank you God for this experience. For the tears, the hugs, the kisses, the prayers, the perspective, the hope. And I thank you God for my grandma’s new shimmering wings, and sparkling slippers (you know Grandma loves her some shoes) that she will surely use to dance all over Heaven’s floor.
Grandpa, I pray that you heal. I pray that you feel Grandma’s spirit within your heart, and that you see her legacy in your great-granddaughters’ eyes. I love you Grandpa.
My grandma is very sick. She’s in the hospital, grandpa by her side. Mom by her side.
I’m scared. I’m sad. And my heart aches for my sweet grandparents.
I can’t cry anymore.
And so, as I wait for updates or a call to get on a plane, I have kept my mind busy.
I have washed and folded five loads of laundry.
Folded all piles of week-old laundry that have been consuming floor space.
Attempted to teach Aubri that tummy time is fun.
Fed my child a well-balanced meal for the first time in who knows how long.
Tried to keep Taylor from scaring her sister too badly.
Painted my fingernails.
Asked Taylor to stop standing on the counter numerous times despite her sweet attempt to “paint the kitchen” with a Play-Doh roller.
Photographed the nursery like I have been meaning to do for six months.
Vacuumed a house that didn’t need to be vacuumed.
Shop-vac’d all outdoor living areas.
Photographed kisses.
Purged Aubri’s closet of all too-small clothing.
Worked a bit.
Tended to more hair-pulling drama.
Fed my baby three times and changed six diapers.
Read Facebook 900 times.
Stared into these baby blues.
Written this blog post.
And in between all attempts at distraction, I still:
Looked for flights to Michigan.
Cried for my grandma.
Cried for my grandpa.
Cried for my mom.
Prayed to God that He would provide peace and comfort to my family.
Realized that I should be putting down the laundry and picking up the Bible.
But I’m human. And I didn’t stop long enough to think about that.
Until now.
Filed under: Holidays
Because we are all about frugality in this house, Taylor made valentines this year for her friends and teachers. Thanks to the internet for inspiring ideas, and thanks for a toddler that didn’t succumb to the elaborate/costly cards and candy that she shoulda/coulda/woulda had.
Her valentine to her teachers:
And to her friends:
Total cost for all gifts/cards combined: $1.60.
Sweet! Cheap! Happy Valentine’s Day!
This is going to be one of those all-over-the-place posts because, honestly, it’s been one of those all-over-the-place days. Well, weeks. Okay, months.
Here’s a fly-on-the-wall view of our hectic household over the past few weeks:
My hair has been a total of six different colors in less than two weeks, thanks to an itch to regain my childhood blonde-ness. From boring brown (natural color) to orange (thank you, Feria) to yellow ($150 hair color stripping later) to white (dyed in attempt to reach the initially-desired blonde result) to copper (trying to natural-ize the blonde to a dirty blonde but purchased the wrong shade) to brownish reddish goldish (after going back and purchasing the correct color of blonde.) That was fun.
It’s cold here. And wet. We’re ready for Spring.
We’ve celebrated lots of birthdays, including cousin Gus’ 10th and Memaw’s 70th. A local skating rink was the location of the festivities.
While Jimmy’s parents were in town, we enjoyed our first family bowling experience. All-you-can-bowl Sundays might become a regular activity in our household.
Taylor has a nasty cold. Aubri has been placed in a bubble.
Work is keeping me ultra-busy.
Post-pregnancy hormones are keeping me ultra-weepy.
Our preemie is no longer teeny, weighing in at a whopping 13.4 pounds. Approximately 13 of the 13.4 pounds resides in her cheeks.
There is at least one pile of unfolded laundry on the floor of one room at all times. I can’t catch up.
I created and launched a website for my freelance work. CSS is not my best friend.
Taylor calls the yellow cartoon creature commonly found on Nickelodeon, “Sponge Bob Squirt Pants.” Which I find hilarious.
Aubri’s current nicknames include: “Nugget” and “Suga Booga.” Taylor calls her “Nuggy Nugs,” which I find both hilarious and adorably gangsta.
Taylor is still a silly diva that considers me an annoying member of the paparazzi.
Aubri is sleeping seven hours at night, praise God. Jimmy has been enjoying this extra sleep, but still continues to pass out mid-conversation due to his backlog of missed zzzz’s.
Aubri is working on holding her head up and has absolutely no interest in rolling over. I’ve tried to delicately shove her to her tummy. She makes it clear that this is not OK.
But she still loves me. Regardless of what her eyebrows tell you.
No matter how hectic life seems, I am loving every second of it. I love love love my girls.
But my hair? Not so much.
So there you have it. That’s been our life over the past few weeks. And that’s the longest I have sat still in months. So with that, I must depart to glue Aubri’s paci to her lips and velcro Tay’s bottom to the floor. Until next time, folks…I leave you with a few quotables from Taylor.
Taylor: “Mommy, today at school, me and my friend played mommy and daddy. We went to bed and, when we woke up, I had a baby in my tummy … but don’t worry mommy, it was just a bean bag.”
Tay: “Mommeeeeeeee, Aubri just said ‘buuuuuuutttttt.’” Me: “Tay, I’m pretty sure that was ‘booyiooooiooooo bababa’ but thanks for your concern.”
Aubri was CIO (crying it out) for less that one minute. I then hear this stern voice from a short girl around the corner: “Mommy! Aubri is cryin’. You got cot-ton in your ears?!”
During Tay’s prayers: “God, please make all the sick boys and girls well. And please tell the other boys and girls to ask their mommies if they can come to my house and play.”
Me, on Christmas Eve: “Tay! Guess who’s coming tonight?!” Tay: “Nana? Uncle Matt? Aunt Robin?” Me: “No… he’s got a big belly… and he wears red… and wears a red hat… and he fliiiiiiiies throuuuuuuugh the sky…” Tay; ::gasp:: “A superhero???!!!”
Taylor, talking to herself following an extra long and loud buuuuuuurp: “wow, that was extraooordinary!”
Me: “Shew, what stinks?” Tay: “Me. I tooted. Twice. No, three times.” ::I look over to see her spinning on her naked tummy on the floor:: Tay: “Daddy, I’m going to go potty. And when I go, please don’t ask me if I’m done yet. It makes me bananas.”
Taylor: “Mommy, can I have chewing gum?” Me: “Taylor, how many times have I told you ‘no’?” Taylor: “Well, let me try again.”
Taylor, when asked why we don’t put our fingers in electrical outlets, “because they send energy in you. And I already have enough of that.”
Jimmy, when talking to Taylor “…dang!” Taylor: “No, daddy, it’s damn!”
