What’s a 6 letter word that no one likes..

CHORES!


Well, friends, Evie Black is up for an Oscar for her DRAMATIC performance last night while I did some routine chores. Keep in mind, the vacuum and hairdryer used to lull her into a deep, peaceful sleep. UM..something happened and has drastically changed her stance on those “white” noises. The sound of the vacuum last night-while she played and squealed, mind you- sent her into HYSTERICS….sheer hysteria. I mean, I don’t like the vacuum either, but you gotta do, whatcha gotta do. So, I quieted her, got her back to her “squealing with delight” mode and thought, “let me try this one more time..”

Not again..... (excuse the blur I was consoling and laughing taking her pic up close)

W.R.O.N.G.

SC-RE-AMING escalated to all new decibels and Gus Black ran to hide. I really feel bad now (especially since I’m about to post pictures that could be used in ‘how not to parent 101’) because when I picked her up her heart was racing and she was truly terrified. Go ahead and nominate me for “Mom of the Year!” So, let me see if I understand this, if I start throwing fits every time the vacuum is turned on, would that result in Jason doing that chore? Dream on (ha).

Don't worry! She was scooped up and loved on for a LONG time.

Being outside is like medicine for us… So, out we went to dry the tears. It was so peaceful out there. We ended up enjoying a good time with the neighbors, EB fell asleep and the world returned to bunnies and rainbows. Whew. It was touch and go there for a minute.

AND…the vacuuming commenced when I was assured she was off frolicking with sugarplum fairies.

Huck “EVIE” Finn

Who doesn’t love a baby girl in pink overalls?! Something about that belly poking out just wins my heart over. Pink seersucker overalls + happy baby = photo shoot.

Hasta Luego!

Hot off the press...

So, I’ve been playing around with this free editing program today (yes, please hold back- you editors- on your REAL fancy programs. I know they are like 12 times better). I was quite proud of what I had accomplished with some pics I took of the babe last night- more to come on that later. UNTIL… I sent the photos to my fancy-schmancier, more artistic friend, Ashley. This is what I got back…back to the drawing editing boards, folks.

She's mine and I'm NUTS about her!

32+OLs (cont.)

Jason turned 32 (wow!) on Saturday, but it just so happened to be the annual dinner with the OLs (Orientation Leaders). So, needless to say, JB had a fun birthday with that group. They are too fun and I love having them around. They will work S-O hard all summer and will ultimately have a huge impact on SU’s incoming freshman while putting up with Jason’s insanities. We love the OLs and look very forward to being with them a lot this summer (although every time the girls broke out into laughter EB would start crying. MAN UP, sister).

2009 OLs. WOO HOO (right after they found out)

Back to 32. We celebrated the week before and went to the Comedy Club- something different for us. On his actual birthday he woke up at the crack of dawn, worked in the yard enduring the scorching sun and then my parents treated us to a YUM-MY lunch. I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!

JB didn't know we were going to the Comedy Club. When you get home from work do you like presents and diet coke too?

Drum roll... (for some reason he doens't get into my picture taking).

How do we look so rough...oh yeah, because fast forward a few hours and we were both sick as dogs that's how.

I was hoping to get some fun pictures, but the students are so hard at work on finals this week (we’ve been praying for ya’ll). SO, my awful pics will have to do. Of course, a birthday can’t go down in our house without a caramel cake from Edgars. Of course, one must be sung to. OF COURSE, one must be given presents…just so happened that the OLs win the prize for the best present this year!

This is so hard to see, but the quote is, "While we teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." So sweet (I cired). Thanks guys!

Happy 32nd JB! We love you and hope you had a great day.

32-1sts- OLS

There. That describes the weekend, not the code to my alarm system. For today we’ll just cover one of the topics (I’m lacking pictures for the others)… Firsts (1sts).

It was my first Mother’s Day (I guess last year was, really, but this year I had tangible evidence to prove it along with those pesky extra pounds)!! OH MY WORD! I was going to post about the upcoming day last week, but I couldn’t get my thoughts together. I found myself at a loss for words…. and I kinda still do.

When I picked EB up on Friday, she had made me a handprint bouquet. If you remember, her hands are my MOST favorite thing.... I cried. Look at those little chubby hands!

MD 2009

You know I love to reflect back and as we got geared up for MD at our house (we had the whole family over. Fun times) I couldn’t help but think back on last year- the mood, the mindset, the “news”, the whole “if I knew then what I know now” thing, etc. I was SO emotional last week. Interesting. Last year for MD we told my VERY impatient grandparents that they were FINALLY gonna be great grands and it was a fun announcement. It was nuts to fast forward a WHOLE year and look at my sweet baby… just crazy how time flies. So, as the week went on, I dwelled on the whole idea of a “mother” and how terrifying it can be. I became SO appreciative and a bit in awe of my own mom. All this resulted in a great sense of honor, humility and pride (I guess they can all be lumped together- kinda ironic, I suppose). I am so honored to have joined the elite club of motherhood, and yet a year ago I couldn’t fathom a little EB and what she would mean to us. Amazing. I was chosen, designed and built to be Evie’s mom…gulp… The Lord-Jason and I LOVE discussing this- felt that we were ready and capable of being parents to this precious baby girl?!?! Does He know us?!?! Is He sure?!?! Hee hee. Proverbs 22:6 is my prayer on a daily basis- “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” As you can see, I ran the gamut of emotions. NOTHING makes me happier than looking into EB’s eyes and seeing her big ol’ gummy smile…it’s truly an amazing thing. I love it. I treasure it. I enjoy EVERY waking second. I embrace it. I am a mom and wear my new title with unbelievable pride.

This time last year, I never would have thought:
-I would get out of the bed to go check on a sleeping baby a MILLION times.
-I would get to work and LOVE to smell baby lotion still lingering on my hands.
-A gummy smile could make this world fade away.
-slobber and spit up wouldn’t faze me AT ALL.
-I could function without sleeping until 10 on Saturdays.
-my car rides, walks and every movement would be made into a sing songy song and dance.
-Spit up stains EVERYthing and I’ve become numb to the smell.
-if I don’t Velcro EB’s bibs in the dryer, the Velcro will TEAR up her clothes.
-the smell of soy formula would become normal.
-I could care so much whether someone has a rash on their booty or not.
-I could give so many kisses in one day and the receiver not think I was nuts.
-be so obsessed with snot, coughs and fevers.
-while lathering and attempting to cure EB’s eczema, my hands are the softest they’ve ever been without a trip to the nail salon.
-squash and green beans when turned to mush are THRILLING.
-that I could be so excitable.
-you just want to cry when you have to wake up at all hours…until you see that little face and you are the only one that can fix it. DONE.
-I could take so many pictures and have to charge my camera so much.
-to go out to dinner we have to have an extra outfit, burpcloth, diapers, wipes, an extra bottle (big eater), mylicon, paci+ extra paci, toys, blanket, baby and infant carrier.

That’s enough…just a funny glimpse into life.

Yet, while we laugh, love on our sweet baby and enjoy these days, we have SO many friends and loved ones that would give anything to have a portion of our happiness. So, my heart ached for them last week. I will never know that ache, but I’m sure it is deep, insatiable at times, their arms crave a baby to hold and they would love the opportunity to make up silly songs that you don’t even want your dog to hear. I just can’t imagine. However, we trust the Lord’s work in their lives and His timing is perfect…always perfect.

So, this weekend was wonderful! WOW, what can happen in a year is amazing and time is flying away…..

My workout.

Moms are amazing- we love you, mom, and appreciate you more than you'll EVER know.

4 generations.

All the women in my family on my side. They have had such a huge impact on my life.

And well.... he came in for the day and EB was elated.

5 months (+ some days)

Here we are… the big EB is a big 5 months. Last week, pre-5 month mark, I was putting her to bed and started crying… Why do these times go so quickly? I try SO hard to take every second in and not take one tiny moment-even the miserable ones- for granted, but they just seem to slip through my hands. Anyway, this post won’t be sappy b/c I have some funny pictures, or so I think, of our 5 month chair pic experience.

Get ready for a picture montage at the end, it’s the only way to accurately display her mood, behavior and humor that is Evie Black:

1. (in no particular order) Girlfriend loves her stroller. All of the problems are solved when her rear hits the stroller. YES! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (for now)!! We can walk a country mile in the afternoons because she’s in her happy place- well, which ultimately means so are the rest of us. 2. She has successfully (are you at all shocked?) accomplished green beans and is in the process of INHALING squash. SHE LOVES SQUASH. It is SO funny watching her eat. She’s always been a bit demanding, but she’ll start banging her hands on her tray-- true lady-like behavior exemplified during meal time. Yes, we did start with veggies first, which I thought was FABULOUS guidance from our ped and therefore I followed along. Again, as stated many times, she is an eater and girl doesn’t miss a meal. 3. She is SO active. She is always reaching, grabbing, pulling, yanking, touching ANYTHING within grasp. I love it. One of the many things I love about her since birth is her hands. They have always been so miraculous to me and I LOVE to watch them wander and explore. Have you ever sat and watched a baby hands? I may be dull, but they amaze me. 4. Heavy Evie is not rolling over just yet, but we are OH.SO.CLOSE. She can even throw those big ol’ thighs around.

5. Speaking of, she’s really strong. She will stand in my lap FOREVER if I let her. I will just barely support her and she’ll stand forever…yet, we can’t roll over. GO FIGURE.

6. She is getting closer and closer to sitting up. She can sit alone for a few seconds, but then tumbles over.

7. I have to cut her nails every couple of days. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but when she gets sleepy she does the universal sign of rubbing her eyes, but you better pay attention b/c if not the next step is scratching her head. She puts herself to sleep that way and if those nails have the SLIGHTEST length to them…. she looks abused the next morning. It’s really awful. Of course, I think she gets that from Jason (ha).

8. 99% of the time Evie is SO happy and smiles non-stop. If Jason Black walks into the room…she LIGHTS up. Sure, I get a little jealous, but it is the cutest thing. Their smiles are identical and it cracks me up even more.

9. Daycare is an adjustment because we are forever sick (in case you haven’t caught on through EVERY single blog post), but we have been blessed with sweet teachers and she enjoys being there. She is always so happy and loves the organized chaos.

10. I think her eyes are slowly changing from real blue to a blue-ish green. I would love for them to be the color of my dad’s eyes, but we’ll see.

11. While Jason thought she would be bald until she was 13, her hair is slowly growing back. Sure, why wouldn’t it be thick and course like Jason’s (I thought I carried her for 9+ months, but I’m starting to question it), yet strawberry blond?

12. GIRL CAN DROOL! She’s always been a drooler, but it has only heightened with the teeth that are surely looming down below.

Enough of that (gotta write down this stuff for future reference), here is a glimpse of our photo shoot attempt (these could go without words and tell the story perfectly, but I may need to interrupt):

Wow! 5 Months and growing up so quickly. "Ta Da."

This is about par for the course last night!

"Really, this is exhausting, mom. Let me rest.."

"We have to have a picture with Spice..."

"Please refrain from all wrestling moves with Spice...Just love him"

"or eat him"

"Or let him eat you.."

"Maybe a teething ring will curb your appetite for stuffed bunny."

"Please hold on one minute..this is fabulous."

.."really really good."

Yeah, I'm worn out too by this point, EB

Really?!? I just wanted a sweet, decent 5 month chair picture to show your growth

Big brothers always come to the rescue and make things ok, huh?!

G.U.I.L.T.Y

This little Petri dish (this is her new nickname since we never know what she's growing and getting ready to pass out to the masses) has given us a run for our money since this time last week. GOOD NIGHT! After the doc appt on Thurs. when they told us she had a double ear infection and then a choking spell in the car resulting in her not breathing and me having to HAUL IT across 31 to pull over and cause a commotion to get JB to pull over to (b/c he is all educated and what not in life saving skills… I say that being funny, but it was NOT a funny situation) assist me…. sigh… resulted in her giving us a nasty stomach flu-virus Sat-Mon. I TELL YOU WHAT! She is breaking us in well…really well. I guess it’s like a badge of honor, I don’t feel the honor just yet, but allow me to fully recover and I’ll wear it with pride.

*** let me add, EB was fine, but she had choked on her PROJECTILE spit up and truly was not breathing. The minute I pulled her out of her car seat and jolted her, I guess, it made her spit up and she took a big ol' gasp of air. "Terrifying" isn't quite strong enough to descibe the moment***

So, I was sick of looking at Roger and thought I would say hey quickly, catch my faithful 5 readers up and be done. We don’t feel great at our house just yet, but we are getting there. There’s LOTS going on this week and lots to catch up on from last week (CLEARLY). I’ll be back in FULL swing real soon.

Ciao.

** Because I've lived in a cave, I don't have a ton of details, but I wanted to say CONGRATS to the Cooks on a BEAUTIFUL baby boy (not that I've gotten to love on him AT ALL). He was a healthy lad and came into this world Friday, May 1. Can't wait to meet you, little James!!**