Cause and Effect?

When I was expecting Little Guy, I tried to follow all the “rules” listed in the maternity books. I will admit to you that I’m not doing so well this time around. Here’s a comparison:

What I did during Pregnancy 1 (Little Guy)

• Ate lots of fruit and veggies
• Worked out
• Listened to calming classical music
• Relaxed & napped as needed
• Sang songs and read stories to my belly every day
• Made an effort to talk quietly and keep calm

What I’m doing during Pregnancy 2 (New Baby)

• Eating some fruits and veggies, but more interested in ice cream
• Unless chasing Little Guy counts as ‘working out’, I’m missing the boat on this one
• Listens to Veggie Tales, Railroad music & a roaring toddler who thinks he’s a T Rex
• Relaxes (briefly) between dropping Little Guy at daycare, and arriving at the office
• Reads bedtime stories about trains, dinosaurs and construction sites
• Is known to loudly say things like, “Get down this instant!” and “No, you cannot have chocolate cake for breakfast!” and “If you do that one more time, you’re going to be in big trouble Young Man!” etc.

Our Little Guy is a firecracker lit at both ends. He doesn’t slow down or rest or stay out of trouble for even a minute. You certainly wouldn’t know he listened to a lot of Mozart in utero. But, honestly I don’t mind. He keeps us on our toes, and fills our hearts with joy. There is never a dull moment in our little house.

Maybe New Baby will be quiet and relaxed. Maybe not. I’m beginning to think that what I eat and listen to doesn’t matter much (within reason of course). It’s all about the love. And THAT is something that is just the same with this pregnancy as it was with the first one. Though I may not have the time to relax like I’d like to, I still love the tiny life growing in my belly with a fierce and loyal intensity that is hard to explain. I’ll love him or her if they are loud and boisterous like Little Guy. I’ll love him or her if they are quiet and gentle and do what they’re told (assuming a child such as that actually exists). I’ll love him or her no matter what happens or who they turn out to be.

And since it’s the love that matters (and I know I’ve got that covered), pass the chocolate ice cream please!

Little Blessings

I am daily reminded of the big blessings in my life: loving family, a cozy home, good health, gainful employment and wonderful friends. Sometimes the little blessings sneak up on me, and catch me off guard. This shouldn’t be the case. By now, I should be used to all the ways in which God has blessed us – both big and small.

Recently, we did a bit of inventory of the baby items in our storage room. We saved everything from when Little Guy was an infant. Almost everything can be used for New Baby. One thing we never had with LG, but want to try this time around…is a bassinet. Because Hubby and I are both bargain shoppers, we’ve been looking at auctions and eBay and children’s consignment stores. We had found a few that would work, but we weren’t terribly thrilled with any of the options. I had mentioned our little search to the babysitter one morning. I promise I wasn’t hinting around, it was just a matter of casual conversation. The next day she said that our talk reminded her she had a bassinet in storage, and if we wanted it… it was ours.

Well, I’ve never been one to pass up a chance at a good deal, so without even seeing it, we said “sure!”

We weren’t sure what to expect, but were very pleasantly surprised when we saw it. The attached picture isn’t of our actual bassinet (I’ve not taken the time to snap pics yet), but it looks just like this, right down to the creamy colored bedding. It’s just lovely. And at a price of nada, you will get no complaints from me.

Our babysitter (who honestly is like family anyway) said that her grandchildren had all used it and that it had worked wonderfully for them. It’s been in storage since her youngest grandchild grew out of it, and is in pristine condition.

I’m thrilled and thankful – even for a little blessing such as this one.

Photo via Bing! Images

Three More Minutes, Please?

My Little Guy is two and a half, and with that age comes a new discovery every day. A new topic to be interested in, a new scary monster to slay, a new phrase to repeat incessantly.

This week we’re hearing a lot of “Three more minutes, Please?” We hear it when bath time is almost over, when it’s time to turn out the lights at night, when his favorite book has been read, when the credits roll on his train movie, when his nose is red and we need to get out of the snow, etc. His goal is to draw as much enjoyment from every activity as he possibly can.

We don’t give in, at least not often (I have been known to read an extra bedtime story once in a while, but most of the time we stand firm). We’re not sure where he picked up his new favorite saying, but we do understand his desire.

The truth is that I’m wishing for a few more minutes myself. I already can’t believe how quickly my tiny boy is growing up. The chubby cheeks of infancy are now lean, and show the promise of the handsome young man he’ll grow to be. He is learning more every day, and leaning on us a little less. Now that he’s capable of expressing himself, he’s shown us that he’s happy to do so – constantly, and loudly and with vigor.

He’s such a joy. He makes us laugh and sometimes he makes us frown, but mostly he just makes us love him more every day. I have relished every phase of his life, each more than the last, and I hate knowing that the old saying is true. Time does fly when you are having fun. And fun (boatloads and truckloads of the stuff) is exactly what we’re having.

So, it’s not just my Little Guy who would like to stretch these wonderful days a little bit. It’s me too! I want to eke out extra minutes and hours of time with my darling little boy. I want to hug him and kiss him (for those few moments he’ll let me before wriggling away). I want to read him stories and sing him songs and listen to him telling me his silly stories in return.

But time flies.

This summer our family will be growing, and we’ll find ourselves starting this crazy fun all over again with our second child. We are incredibly excited (and admittedly a little nervous) to soon be juggling two little sweeties, and helping them to grow and learn and love. It’s going to be a rollercoaster ride of a lifetime, and I will love every minute of it – even if I occasionally have to grip my seat in white-knuckled panic as the scenery starts to go by at warp speed.

Please don’t misunderstand. I don’t want time to stop. I just don't want to miss anything.  I want to watch every phase of their development carefully, soaking up all the happy times and storing the memories away for my golden years. I want our children to know they are loved, and supported and so very important to us. I want them to grow up and enjoy life for themselves and be happy. I hope that they too can discover the sheer joy of parenthood and a wonderful marriage. I want it all.

But for now, I just want a few more minutes. Please?

February 14

Wishing you all a very happy Valentines Day. Sending an extra special wish to my awesome Hubby, and sweet Little Guy! You two mean the world to me and I’m so very glad you are mine.

Falling Snow

When I look out our window, I see that we have magically been moved into the depths of a snow globe. It’s pretty, but at the same time, is also stark and fierce. Seeing the blowing snow and hearing the howling wind makes me very glad that I have a warm and cozy home filled with my little family, and all of life’s true necessities.

Little Guy loves the snow. He loves watching it and feeling it on his face. He loves to stick out his tongue to catch wandering flakes. He is a typical child when it comes to enjoying this weather.

We haven’t been able to play in the snow much this year, unfortunately. Every time the snow has been perfect, the temp has been too cold or Little Guy has been sick. We are crossing our fingers that we will get a chance this weekend to dig out the sled and maybe make some snow angels. I would hate for him to miss out on something that will bring him so much joy.

I think Hubby still has a little bit of that child-like love of the snow too.  Just yesterday he went and bought new coveralls and heavy gloves.  He tries to hide it, but I can tell the forecast excites him some.  He'll have several excuses over the next few days to make good use of his new snow gear.

Honestly, my idea of a good time in winter doesn’t usually include tromping through the snow in any manner, but when Little Guy is smiling at me through the floating white stuff, it definitely makes the numb fingers and red toes worth it. And of course when we come back into the house, we can make mugs of hot cocoa, wear warm socks and snuggle up under heavy quilts. Now that is my idea of a fun winter’s day.

I hope that you are braving the weather, wherever you are. Be safe and stay warm.