Just an Ordinary Day

...if "ordinary" is even a word anymore. :-)

Judah smacked the bridge of my nose with his head this morning. It hurt so bad that I got an adrenaline rush all the way down through my legs. It's not bad, but I do have a dull resonating headache tonight as well as a discolored bump. Let's hope it doesn't look worse tomorrow morning!

We found Elijah's coming home outfit at Kohl's. Isn't it so cute? :-) It also has a little blue cotton "baseball" hat to match the shorts. And no worries if it's cool the day we bring him home -- that's what blankets are for!



Matt included me in his Sbux Thesis Run tonight. Decaf ligh hazelnut frap. Good stuff! And he has taken to always using "Boston" when asked for his name. One girl said in confusion, "As in the city?" Tonight, the guy called Matt "Boston" about 6 times. Anytime he could say "Boston," he did. I must admit, I'm not as opposed to the name as I used to be -- when Matt kept saying he wanted to name his son that. HA!

I made Judah a travel blanket because I don't want to drag his whole blankie through the airport. We're working on getting him to like it as much as the regular one, but I'm not sure how quick that process is going. In order to save money, I used stuff I already had. Maybe he'd take it to better if it was the same color/feel as his normal blankie? Thanks for the lion blanket, Jaclyn! Who knew it'd become the "travel blankie!"



As I mentioned in a previous post, Judah is getting his top two first year molars. We actually managed to get a picture of one of them! Look closely at the left top gum. Now imagine the same thing on the other side -- 'cause we weren't about to try to get a pic of both!



My sweet boys!



Start praying with us that God will provide a rental HOUSE instead of an apartment in Maryland. We'd really like to quit apartment life if possible...but we are confident God will provide a good place no matter where it is!

TTFN!

Other Blogs

Two new recipes are up on Savary Sensations.

I've put an update on how I'M doing on Sanctifying Truth.

In answer to my mom's question about our door...I forgot to mention Judah can open our door now. The handle is somehow attached to the dead bolt, so the door unlocks when you push the handle from the inside. The fire marshall doesn't allow extra locks on the door (like a chain or slide lock) because if there's a fire, a kid can't get out by himself. Now what kind of logic is that? A 1 year old escapes fire by himself by going out the door...and then tumbles down a long flight of cement stairs because he can't maneuver them by himself yet?? Riiiight. The apt manager said we can buy/install an extra lock ourselves...but then she added there's no point to do it now because the fire marshall is coming around to inspect every apt's sprinkler system within the next 60 days (probably in response to a fire/flood that just happened in the apt across the way from us). So if he saw the extra lock, we'd have to take it down. Our solution? We just put his activity center in front of the door. He doesn't even really mess with the door anymore.

In answer to Jason & Jodee's question about Pirates...it was good! WAY better than Spiderman III. Waaaaay better. Definitely darker in character and a little more grusome than the first two, but still good. It totally didn't turn out the way I thought it would. It's nice to watch a movie and not have any intuition as to how it will end!

Ok. I have GOT to go to bed now. Happy reading on the other blogs!

Judah Stats

Words he understands: eat, hungry, drink, breakfast, lunch, dinner, milk, snack; bath, bathtime, water; diaper (I think); Momma, Dadda, Judah; belly, belly button, eyes, ears, mouth, teeth, feet, hair, hairbrush, toothbrush, kiss, sweets (another word for kiss), blow a kiss; go, outside, walk, shoes, turn around, hold my hand; toys, books, drawer; watch, Veggie (and even some songs/lines from Veggie Tales); let's pray, one at a time, yes, no

Words he can say: Dadda, Judah, All done, where's Judah, hat, light, door, bye

What he can communicate with gestures/sounds: hungry, more, finished, pick me up, I want to go on a walk, I'm mad because I'm not getting my way ;-), love and comfort (he's a snuggler!)

Favorite outfit: Tigger shirt and Tigger pants -- he searches for them in his drawers and laundry hamper every morning to find them. If he does find them, he brings them to me to dress him. If he can't, he'll pick out something else that is orange and blue. It's funny and strange to see him be so specific, throwing what he doesn't want on the floor.

Current favorite toys: Little People trains without the people/animals on them. And the newest favorite is a 99cent truck I bought him today from Target. Blue and orange, of course. He loves wheels and buttons on anything!

Favorite item, period: The blue fleece blanket with satin trim. And don't you forget it.

Favorite activity: walking outside.

Favorite book: The Ear Book by Dr. Seuss.

Attached to: Momma.

Latest personality development: LOUD talker and screecher. Not necessarily out of anger or anything...just to hear himself and be a ham.

Latest physical developments: Trying to walk faster/run. And today I noticed he's about to get his first two top molars!!! THAT explains why he's been a drool machine lately.

First bloody boo-boo: Yesterday. I was sitting in the glider right next to his window. He had quickly climbed onto a toy and had his hands on the window sill. My hands were just about to grab his torso when he slipped a little. He proceeded to cry without sound for a few seconds and I had no idea what he had hurt -- until I saw bloody front teeth. Talk about scaring a new momma! It's the very first time I've seen "unnecessary blood" on my son. Thankfully, as soon as I sat him on the kitchen counter to figure out how best to clean-up/stop the bleeding, Matt walked in the door. Judah didn't cry very long at all, which surprised me. He had stopped before I even carried him out of his room. It took a few minutes to get the bleeding to stop, and I think Judah had fun chewing on the rag and drinking water from a running faucet. I have concluded that he cut that flap of skin connecting the upper lip to the gum. We've been planning to ask Dr. C about it at his next appointment anyway because I'm not sure it is "normal" in length. We'll see. But all is fine -- his lip never even got swollen! Thank you, Lord!

First long-evening babysitters: Last night. We went on a double date with another couple from church to Olive Garden and Pirates III. A sweet couple from church came to Salinas to watch Judah. They are the first people to have ever put Judah down for the night. His bedtime is at 7:30. He fought sleep until 9:15. :-P They say he did fine though and didn't cry at all. He just didn't want to go to sleep until we got home (he didn't make it). When we did finally get home around 10:15, we had to maneuver into our parking spot because there was a tow truck towing a car. We got up to our apartment and mentioned it in passing, and the B's remarked that they hoped it wasn't Mike's car. So Matt and Mike went to check just to be sure. It was. They towed our babysitter's car. So Matt and Mike hopped in our car to go chase down the truck that had just left. Thankfully they weren't even a block away, and $100 got the car back. If they hadn't caught the truck, it would have been $250. Note to visitors: Any uncovered parking is for guests EXCEPT that one silly spot by the pool that says "210" on it that NOBODY ever parks in. Makes for an interesting story, no? The evening did end well (and late) over conversation, coffee, and a new dessert I made (Apple Crisp Cake, to be posted soon on Savary Sensations). Delicious!

Hope that satisfies any Judah-bugs out there that want to get a piece of the cuteness! Here's a little cherry on top...

This was a toy given to us by a downstairs neighbor. It's a car/boat/plane depending on which page of the "book" is showing and makes noises appropriate for each. This is what he tried to climb on before gettin' a bloody lip.



This is his new blue and orange truck...to match his blue and orange outfit.



Daddy plugging away at homework/thesis.



A moment where he was being a loud talker while playing with his truck.



My belly has been so uncomfortable this week. Elijah is all up in my ribs now. The feeling is best described as having a literal basketball in my torso reaching from hips to rib cage. It's hard to breath 100% normally unless I'm laying flat. When I look down, this is what I see. What makes it hard to tie my shoes or paint my toe nails. What makes it hard to get the clothes out of the washer, lay Judah down in his crib, sit down, stand up, reach over the sink to wash the window or grab a glass. I long for the day I'll have my body back. I am thankful I have great pregnancies compared to most women -- but I am physically weary of being pregnant! Two more months. Only two more months. And I try to remember what Matt once said. This could be my last pregnancy as far as our human minds can know, so I still need to cherish the moments!



But I know the end blessing is WAAAAAAAY worth the momentary discomfort!!!





Isn't his smile so endearing? Now go have a sunshiny day!

Family Blessings

We love our little family. It'll be even more awesome when we have a second little guy in the mix! We have so much fun just goofing off and playing with Judah -- those times in the day are such a refreshing break. Judah is turning into quite the little ham (surprise, surprise...thanks, MATT). Here are some snapshots of our playtime the other day. It also shows one of Judah's new shirts. Click on the pic of Judah close-up...his eyes are such a dark green when he wears this shirt. Proof that they are really hazel and not brown like so many people assume!



This is another of Judah's new shirts. And I found a great deal on a VERY comfy maternity skirt and was blessed with some new gray sparkly flip-flops (thanks, Momma!). I got a steal of a deal on the pink shirt and LOVE it. It's so soft and comfortable and makes me feel feminine and ballerina-ish. Don't make fun; just be happy for me. ;-) I also thought some of you might want to have a belly update. I think my weight gain leveled off quite a bit. I've started being a little more conscious of the choices I make every day, which is helping. And it was about time for it to level off anyway. My belly feels quite manageable now rather than feeling so big it's going to pop! I'm 7 months now. Third trimester. My, how time flies!



We had dinner with a group of people from church last Saturday night in the country. It was so gorgeous...the smooth hills of Hollister are so unique and awesome against the bright blue sky. Joy, the hostess, had tri-tip, salad, garlic bread, and chili -- a typical meal here in California that Matt and I agree we need to learn how to make so we can take it with us! So tasty! And for dessert, she got a birthday cake for Matt. Chocolate. Also tasty! Judah got to see adult and baby horses, strange flowers, a hummingbird, and for the first time ever in person...a CAT. I wasn't there when the cat first approached him (three of the men were entertaining Judah). They said his eyes were just wide as ever. I watched from afar once I realized the encounter was happening. That cat kept nudging and nuzzling. One time he nudged Judah's rear with his head so hard that he nearly knocked Judah over! It was so adorable to watch! No adverse reactions were spotted to nature, the cat, the chili, or the chocolate -- he loved them all!

happy birthday, MATT!

Finally. My husband joins me in the "new age bracket," as he calls it, of 25. And FINALLY I got to give him his gift! Thanks to all of you for making it such a shocking, wonderful gift! For those who were unaware, I got some people together to chip in for a Starbucks gift card for Matt. He works best at Starbucks and loves the coffee, so I thought it'd be a perfect gift to help him get his thesis finished before Elijah arrives (73 days!). I expected a nice $50 card. People...it was $150!!! So he's got over a month of Starbucks study sessions he can have! Praise God for His blessings on the small details of life! I made a card to hold the gift card and put it inside a new CD holder to 1) throw Matt off 2) give him another gift he's been wanting. He was glad to have the CD holder...confused when he read the front of the card and asked "So am I 15? or 150?"...and shocked into a falsetto "Woooooah!" when he saw the amount on the gift card. Needless to say, we'll be finishing up a current Sbux card today to celebrate, and then the real Sbux Study Sessions will start!

Here's the card I made (click to enlarge)...




And here are some fun pictures from yesterday. I love his new shirt! And Matt's shirt is the one the Chews got him while they were in Hawaii for Joseph's return. The pic of Judah being held up is Matt holding him on the ceiling -- they both get a kick out of it!

The Gift of Art

This past week, Judah got the chance to expand his artistic ability. At Titus Tuesday, I peeked in on him to see if he was ok since he doesn't really do well in nursery. There he was sitting at a little table in a little chair with all the other kids...playing with playdough! Cindy indicated to me that he was just sitting there poking at it, and boy did he looked focused. It was precious to see!

He also got a chance to paint for the first time! For Mother's Day, Matt helped him make a very unique card for me of four different paintings. Then Matt used his creative writing skills to make a little poem to go with the card to reveal what my gift was to be. Matt told me the fun they had, and I so wish I could have secretly watched father and son playing with paint...and then washing up and scrubbing the tub before I got home from shopping! ;-) This was the poem and the pictures (think abstractly when viewing):

For a mother who deserves way more than flowers...
(looks like a yellow bunch tied with a red ribbon)



Or a big family hug for hours and hours...
(a family huddle)



We could have gotten some chocolate, but no that just won't do...
(notice the little M's Matt put to make M&M's)



What about the massage you've always wanted from Deja Vu?
(the green spot is the person laying on a massage table)



That's right. Not only did I receive my first official "kid art" from my son, but I am also having a "before I die..." dream fulfilled! So sometime at the beginning of June (hopefully), I'll take a day to get a haircut and a massage at Deja Vu! Thank you, Matt and Judah!

It'll be a nice end to this nasty cold I've gotten that I am sure is turning into a cough that will linger...this is only the second cold I've ever gotten. They aren't fun. I'd take allergies over this. They do say it is worse during pregnancy, and the only two I've gotten have been while pregnant. I say who cares who it's worse for...just let me get some restful sleep!

Thank You, Lord, for Mother's Day

I thought when I married that I finally knew the depths of love.
Then I thought I had reached the limits when I had a husband and son to love.
And now I wonder but trust that my heart must be able to hold more love for a husband and TWO sons.



I never knew the heart's capacity for love until I became a mother.
I never knew how much my own mother and grandmother loved me until I had my own children to love.
I never knew the many sacrifices of love until I was placed on the altar of motherhood.
I never knew how ferocious love could be until I had a son in my care.
I never fully understood a person's need for Christ until I stood gazing at my sleeping son and felt the ache for his soul.



Becoming a mother has changed me. Physically, my body is permanently different with stretch marks, extra belly skin (currently pulled taught!), and a big cesarean scar. Emotinoally, my heart feels joy and pain more deeply. Mentally, my mind processes much more as I go throughout my day. Spiritually, my heart sins are more readily exposed and my responsibility for training in righteousness is ever increasing. Every area of my life has a new depth and breadth to it. Each moment counts more...and each moment flies by at a faster pace.



Being a mom is tough work. But rewarding work.



Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
~Psalm 127:3

Detailed Family Update

Just thought I'd give you some details of the happenings around here. :-)

This will be my second Mother's Day as a mother. I never thought I'd have twice the reason to celebrate this holiday before my 3rd anniversary. :-P My mom sent me flowers and chocolates to celebrate. It was in the moment that I saw the small box of chocolates and felt a surge in my body that I realized -- I have truly become a Chocoholic. ::averts eyes::

I had a check-up yesterday, and all is well. I passed my gestational diabetes labs which I was pessimistic about since I've NOT been doing well with diet/exercise this time around. But Dr. G gave me an explanation that it's not WHAT you eat but how your body processes it. I think what happened with Judah is that I was very good about diet/exercise, but then followed Dr. G's advice to eat a candy bar each day the three days before my test to get used to the sweetness. So I think maybe my body was in sugar shock that time; but since I've had sweets just about every day this time around, when I drank the stuff my body said "More sugar? No problem!" :-P I was a little shocked by the 9 lbs I had put on since my last appointment (considering at THAT appt I had gained 7 lbs!), but Dr. G said it was no big deal. When I got home and calculated, I realized that total I've only gained 21 lbs which is right on track. Whew! I gained 32 total with Judah, so that's probably what I'll do again. But I really should start eating better and exercising -- Matt and I are gonna try to encourage each other in that. The c-section is officially Tues, July 31st at 9:00 am. Yeah! Now my mom can get her tickets, and I think my grandmother is coming too!

Matt's birthday is coming up on Friday! Number 25 is gonna bring a great surprise! And yes, I will for sure be waiting until that day to give him his gift...I can't wait to tell you all the outcome. I may just video it to get his reaction! ;-)

Judah is definitely walking now. He is also really starting to communicate more -- which is what I've been "patiently" (?) waiting for. I've noticed lately that he recognizes particular words like hungry, eat, milk, drink, watch (as in a video), bathtime, nap, finished/done, books, clap, and go for a walk. He is learning body parts, blowing kisses, and blinking, too. We are now certain that he can really say the phrases "where's Judah" and "I'm done," though I think we'd have to interpret if someone else heard it. He's taken to showing preference for certain clothes like his Tigger shirt and a palm tree shirt we just bought, both are blue/orange. He's also a Linus now with his blue blanket...the one with the satin edge though, not the plain one (don't get that wrong!). :-P Judah goes through distinct phases of obedience for a few days then testing for a few days. Praise God it's not constant testing -- I don't think I'd handle that too well! It's nice to see that the advice my mom gives really is true and what she suggests really does work. :-) In summary, it is fascinating to watch how a human being grows from newborn-bump-on-a-log to toddler-sucking-in-the-world-around-him! God's handiwork never ceases to amaze me!

It's done! We have our tickets, hotel, and car rental for our house hunting trip in June. And we got the extra blessing of not having to pay for the tickets like we thought we'd have to. We were just resigned to having credit card debt for a while (like when we moved out here) until the government reimbursed us. So now it will just be the hotel and car rental which is much more manageable than those plus $1000 in plane tickets! And while not set in hard stone, I'm pretty sure we'll be flying out of CA for good on Sept. 22nd. A bittersweet date that will be. :-\

Anyway, I should get going. I've got some chores to do and Matt is still at the men's breakfast. We're going to Olive Garden (my favorite!) later today for Mother's Day, so that will be nice not to cook. Especially since I just cooked a Southern Brunch dinner for Mike and Debbie Badger last night...and they stayed to visit until 11:00! Speaking of, we'd like to have your family over for dinner sometime. Are there any days in the near future that would be good?

Beach Fun

Yesterday was a mega-busy day for us...but part of it was spent in the warm sun at Carmel! Judah really doesn't like to have his hands dirty, nor is he fond of the big cold ocean. Especially after an accidental butt-plant in the water! :-P I also was able to teach Matt the fine art of applying sunscreen on someone else's back -- always go a little under the shirt/bathing suit line! Thankfully, his lesson learned is not painful to me. ;-)

The other day, Judah tried my chili -- no go. He also tried some poop. Yep, that's right. It's been warm here, and since the fruits and nuts want to conserve energy, most homes and apartments here have no A/C. So I laid Judah down for his afternoon nap in just his diaper -- completely forgetting that he knows how to undo the tabs. So he woke up from his nap and was crying. I went in there, shocked to see him standing up diaper-less. And even more shocked when I found his diaper on the other end of his crib...full of poop with a scattered "piece" next to it and smears all over his sheets and crib slats. THEN I noticed he was making an aweful face and gumming at something. Needless to say he went straight to the tub, the bed clothes went straight to the washer, and the toothbrush went straight to his mouth. I'd cry too if I tasted poo! So, for yesterday's afternoon nap, I laid him down in a diaper and SHORTS. Solved the problem! :-)

I really think we're out of the walking/crawling phase. It seems like he walks more than crawls now which is so fun to see. He chooses to walk alot and is very brave now, surprising us at the longer distances each day. This morning, he opened a dresser drawer and took out two shirts and threw them on the ground. The third shirt was apparently the one he was looking for because he held it out to me as if to say "I want to wear this today!" It was his Tigger shirt from Mamaw and Pappy -- he really likes that shirt!

I'm doing ok except for allergies. We learned today that Tylenol Multi-Symptom Allergy does indeed make me drowsy. I've always taken it before bed, but needed relief this morning. Twenty minutes later I was loopy and even fell asleep on Judah's floor with his blankie as my pillow. Matt compassionately told me to go nap, and boy was it a deep sleep. I felt so refreshed that I cleaned both bathrooms after Matt left! And it's been almost three weeks since that has happend -- which for those who know my cleaning habits KNOW that I must be more tired if I've let it go three weeks...

Matt's doing great -- progress is being made on the thesis front, which is excellent. He also got our official travel orders and is working with the travel agent to secure plane tickets and such! So exciting!

Gotta get lunch for JuJuBean and me! Enjoy the pics!

Third Time was NOT the Charm

Soooooo...

Nu-uh.

We laughed ALOT throughout Spiderman III. The recurring description seems to be "ridiculous." We sat in front of a group of teenagers who had a keen ability to make the ridiculousness hilarious rather than annoying. The romance storyline definitely felt like we were watching a soap opera, as one youth verbally pointed out. You know me. I can get quite sappy and involved in the love stories of movies. But even I laughed out loud (and loudly) several times during parts of the romantic development. The battle scenes were horribly interrupted by "relief" performed by aweful actors. Cheese was melted throughout the movie. And how do they end the great Spiderman Trilogy? Let's just say it's not with Spiderman majestically flying through the air landing on top of a really tall building with the setting sun behind him........... Matt said it felt like we had just watched a joke and were ready to see the real thing. You definitely are NOT left with that same feeling you had after Star Wars III or Return of the King -- that mind-numbing, speechless, breathless feeling you get when you've just been awed to pieces and the story is now over. Nope. Ya don't get that with this one. Wanna know my first thought when the screen went black?

"Are you KIDDING me???"

My favorite part of the whole movie was watching Harry's character development. It was actually very well done...unlike the rest of the movie.

Spend your money if you will. Fulfill your duty to finish the trilogy. But don't expect to get your Spidey fill.

Enough about that. We did get some belly pics as requested. We also tried to get a pic of the two of us -- sorta worked. :-P Thanks for the dress, Aut! It was fun to wear...though I did wear a long black sweater over it. I'm not THAT brave! ;-)

Thanks to Kim and Moses for watching Judah! It was so nice to be out as a couple!