Quick Before I Get Sidetrack'd

It was one of those days -

the baby cried inconsolably,

the older children fought,

we had somewhere to be,

no one got naps.

It was one of those days.

It was one of those days –

where the best I can do is make sure everyone is fed and unharmed,

where the thought of turning in my “Mommy” title crosses my mind,

where I ask God if he really thinks I can parent these three little people.

It was one of those days.

But it was one of those days –

that ended with baby smiles,

with a giggly game of ride-a-little-horsey,

with Daddy coming home and taking the reigns,

with Mommy-time spent with a group of grown up girls.

It was one of those days.

It was one of those days –

that in the midst you want to end,

but then you would miss the blessings of an end that was so much better than the beginning.

It was just one of those days.

Baby Girl has started smiling (relationally as opposed to randomly) and especially likes to lavish her smiles on her doting big sister.

Sunday morning as I got ready for church Baby Girl sat in her comfy chair happily looking around. Little came up and started chatting with Baby Girl, and, of course, Baby Girl smiled and smiled at her.

After a few minutes Little told me that Baby Girl was giving her all the smiles. And then she told her daddy: “I’m all filled up with smiles because Baby Girl keeps giving me all her smiles.”

And my heart melted at the sweet sisterly-ness of it all.

If only they would still be this sweet to each other in the years to come.

I’m one month old now, and…

…I nurse like a champ.
…sometimes I go four hours between feedings & sometimes just an hour & a half.
…I alternate between good and bad nights (good night/bad night, rinse, repeat).
…mommy and daddy wish I’d get a little more consistent at night.
…I like to hang out in the swing and my new Rock ‘n Play Sleeper.
…my big sister and big brother love me very much.
…sometimes my brother loves me a little too much…and a little too aggressively.
…I love being worn – in either the ring sling or wrap.
…I’m very alert when I’m awake and usually pretty content (if I’m being held).
…my mommy and daddy love me very, very much!

Here are some recent conversational funnies from chez sidetrack’d…

Talking to Little:

Little: Question number one…Mommy. Who makes toes? (this is a little game she’s been playing lately. the answer is always Jesus.)
Me: Jesus
Little (deadpan): Jesus and God. There are a lot of toes.

Then there was this one:

Me (to Matt): Little told me today that I am a princess.
Little: I was just pretending!

Ouch!

And, filed under statements you never thought you would have to make:

“Boo, don’t put your bacon in your ear!”

which ranks right up there with the admonition we had to give Little when she was about 15 months old: “Don’t lick the toilet!”

Yep, never a dull moment around here.

I know there are a few of you anxiously (or not) awaiting an update post on baby girl. Sorry, but you’re going to have to wait a bit longer for a couple of reasons: 1) I want to post this first, and 2) we have to take some pictures of the baby. Poor thing is seriously going to have third child syndrome; she’ll be a month old tomorrow and the only pictures we have of her are the ones we took in the hospital. Yes, I do feel Mommy guilt, so let’s move on.

Little is all about snow this winter. She talks about snow, asks when it is going to snow, and plots the things she will do when she finally gets to play in the snow.

Imagine her disappointment when our first snow of the winter left us with barley a 1/2 inch dusting (in fact, I think the layer of dust in my house is deeper than the snow was on the ground). When she looked out and saw the “snow” the following conversation ensued:

Little: Mom, can I play in the snow?
Me: Little, there really isn’t enough snow to play in.
Little: Can I make a snowman?
Me: No, baby, there isn’t enough snow.
Little: Can I make a snow angel?
Me: Sorry, sweetheart, there isn’t enough snow.
Little: Well, can I at least make a footprint?

Fortunately, there was enough snow for her to make some footprints.

So, that was our first encounter with snow this year. Then, a couple of weeks ago, the weather people started forecasting a big snow headed our way. We were supposed to get 6-8 inches, and everyone was very excited (and very anxious to get to the grocery for bread and milk). This is the South, people!

There was enough for the little people to go out and play, which they loved.

check out the tiny snowman; that’s all the snowman they could build

And the next day the ice made it perfect for sledding. They loved this too!

Little was much more impressed with this snow, but since it was mostly ice it posed challenges of its own.

She couldn’t make a snow angel because she couldn’t push her arms down hard enough to break through the ice crust.

And poor Boo had trouble walking in it. Just about every time he took a step he lost his balance as his foot broke through the ice crust and fell on his bucket. I so wish I had been filming him when he first went out; he stepped over the transition point between our concrete patio and the grass, lost his balance, and went sprawling face forward into the snow. It was hilarious!

That was the first of our two snows in a week and a half span. I’ll post about this week’s snow soon.