Mother's Day

If you had told me on my wedding day that, before our fifth anniversary, I would have three little girls... well, I would have thrown my blue wedding flip-flops at you. I still can hardly believe it when I look in the rearview mirror and see three little car seats. When I check on them before heading to bed and I see those sweaty little curls and hear the deep nighttime breathing, I can't help but praise God for his abundant blessings and thank Him for not giving me what I thought I wanted.


This Mother's Day, it was a delight to braid hair, change diapers, rock babies, and sterilize bottles. It wasn't a particularly extraordinary day (although Michael made certain to make me feel adored), but my heart rejoiced in the everyday tasks of motherhood. I am so thankful for the contentment God has placed in my heart as a mommy. This job is unbelievably hard, but the benefits are incredible!

Nora is 19 Months Old

When every waking moment of our days is packed to the brim, it feels nearly impossible to jot down a few thoughts here and there. I've taken to keeping a book open on my counter where I record some of the minutia of our days, as it's easier to scribble down thoughts than to boot up the computer and peck out real, complete sentences. Uploading pictures is another thing entirely. (My most recent upload included eight hundred pictures. Seriously.) My days are full of hard work, and sometimes it's just hard. Yet it's a delight to come back here and see what we've been up to, so peck out the sentences I must -- even if it's only every now and again.


Our sweet, passionate little Nora is now nineteen months old. I'm constantly amazed at her uniqueness, and at how she is a perfect fit for our little family. God knows our needs and desires so intimately! She is a delight and a blessing. At nineteen months, Nora...

• weighs 23 pounds, 7 ounces (30%ile) and is 32.5 inches tall (90%ile)
  
• is finally cutting those molars. And is she ever! Three are coming in at once, and they're giving her - and us - all sorts of grief. This all happened just in time for a Tylenol and Motrin recall, but Daddy came to the rescue with Walgreen's brand. She's pretty miserable, but I'm encouraged just knowing that teething eventually ends.
• istalking all the time, of course, and now stringing many two and three word phrases together. We hear "hold you me" pretty often, but she'll also make requests followed by "please" (as in "bunny please"). I'm also sad to report that she's calling her bunny "bunny" (instead of "nimee"). She also jabber-reads books aloud, and sings along to many of our favorite songs.
• Speaking of songs, Nora loves to request "Howy Howy Howy", which is the overwhelming bedtime favorite. She also loves 5 Little Speckled Frogs, the ABC song, and the Miss PattyCake Hullabaloo Song. But she'll pretty much sing anything!
• ends books with a hearty "Amen".
• now requests tutus when she hears music, and loves to dance and twirl in the kitchen. (I'm pretty sure this is old news.)
• is a hearty eater, and is my partner in crime for weird food. Today, Nora sat on the counter while I prepared a greek pasta salad and I had to cut her off the olives and tomatoes. She was also sad to discover that the noodles were noodles, and not beans. She also licks hummus right out of the bowl.
• can identify some of her letters accurately, and she always surprises me when she does. I can take zero credit for this; I'm pretty sure everything she knows, she's learned from Phoebe or Fridge Phonics.
• identifies every color as blue, unless she's talking about pink... her sister has schooled her in pink!
  
• is intensely passionate, and we're working with her on not thrashing. It's amazing how different children require such vastly different things in terms of discipline and training! Nora is also really sensitive, and her feelings are easily hurt.
  
• is a Daddy's girl. She loves her mommy when it's just mommy...but once Daddy gets home, it's all over. She LOVES to be with her daddy, and can't stand to have him out of her sight!

Oh, how we love our little Norabelle! Happy 19 Months, Belly!

Ruthie is 2 Months Old

Two months have come and gone with our little Ruthie! Sometimes I forget that she's only two months old... and sometimes, I can't believe that she's already two months old. Our days are a whirlwind, and we're busy right now with spring planting. We've also had a touch of a tummy bug in the house, Nora's cutting teeth, and I'm in the process of renewing my teaching certificate, so I'm squeezing this in so my very forgetful brain can hang onto what it's like to have a sweet little two-month-old Ruthie in the house.


At two months old, Ruthie...

• Weighs 9 pounds, 5.5 ounces and is 23 inches long. (This was at her eight week checkup on April 27.)
  
• Eats every three hours during the day, usually taking between two and four ounces at a meal. We have recently transitioned to faster flow nipples for her bottles, and we're hoping she'll start taking a little more at her meals. At night, Ruthie usually wakes once to eat between four and five, and then goes back to sleep. [At around six weeks, she was sleeping through the night, going from 10-6. She kept this up for about a week and a half, but she has started needing to eat again. Growth spurt, maybe?]
• Takes a nap after each meal that lasts anywhere from an hour to two hours. It generally takes a fair amount of grumping to settle herself down, but she does settle herself for her naps.
• Enjoys being swaddled, but is perhaps getting a little irritated with the Miracle Blanket. She seems to prefer a less restrictive - but still tight - swaddle when she sleeps.
  
• Smiles oh-so-sweetly! It started as a small grin, but it's getting a little bigger and easier to coax out.
• Coos when she is very, very happy.
  
• Loves her bath! Our bathroom has become a little bit of a spa retreat, with all three girls getting sudsed up on a nearly-nightly basis. I can't wait until she's big enough to sit in the tub with her big sisters!
• Is content just about anywhere! She's been an easy-going little sister, and she loves to just be where we are. She particularly loves to lay on her back and watch a fan; this usually gets her kicking and smiling. She also loves the swing, the Moby, and her bouncy seat. Her sisters provide plenty of stimulation; consequently, she spends very little time on the floor!

I was so fearful about the transition to three, and yet, God has allowed us to have a smooth and easy transition in which I feel like I'm really delighting in all three of these sweet little girls. The days are flying by, and before we know it, Ruthie will be running around wild with her big sisters. It's so hard to believe!