Sunday, April 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
16 Weeks
How far along 16 weeks today
Total weight gain 3 pounds
Maternity clothes have arrived from PA...Thank goodness!
Sleep is still being interrupted by trips to the bathroom, also some nights I feel uncomfortable lying on my stomach (which is how I always sleep) therefore having difficulty finding a comfortable position. Besides those two issues, I struggle to stay awake during Titus' nap time but then am tossing and turning trying to fall asleep at night.
Best moment this week Overhearing Steve talking to Titus about the baby coming and starting to feel a firm rounded bump.
Movement had a few moments when I thought I felt something...not sure yet.
Food cravings none lately.
Gender starting to go back and forth with what I think...and starting to think maybe we will find out.
Labor signs none.
Belly button in or out in.
What I miss not needing to take prenatal vitamins...I always forget.
What I am looking forward to feeling movement.
Milestones 16 weeks!
Total weight gain 3 pounds
Maternity clothes have arrived from PA...Thank goodness!
Sleep is still being interrupted by trips to the bathroom, also some nights I feel uncomfortable lying on my stomach (which is how I always sleep) therefore having difficulty finding a comfortable position. Besides those two issues, I struggle to stay awake during Titus' nap time but then am tossing and turning trying to fall asleep at night.
Best moment this week Overhearing Steve talking to Titus about the baby coming and starting to feel a firm rounded bump.
Movement had a few moments when I thought I felt something...not sure yet.
Food cravings none lately.
Gender starting to go back and forth with what I think...and starting to think maybe we will find out.
Labor signs none.
Belly button in or out in.
What I miss not needing to take prenatal vitamins...I always forget.
What I am looking forward to feeling movement.
Milestones 16 weeks!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Just Titus
I always forget to write things down as they happen...usually they come back to me and I eventually remember to write them down. This "conversation" took place on Saturday.
When my mom and aunt were here, we were sitting at the table eating lunch together before they had to leave for their flight home. Titus was lining his food up neatly...
My mom said, "Are you going to be an interior decorator?"
Titus shook his head no.
She then asked, "Are you going to work in construction?"
Titus shook his head and said, "No."
Trying again, she asked, "Are you going to be a school teacher?"
Titus said, "Yes" with a big smile.
Last night Steve went to a men's bible study so I was doing Titus' bedtime alone. When I told him it was time to go to bed he ran into his room and tried to hide beside the queen bed that's in his room (it doubles as a guest room). I put him up on the bed and went to get his stuffed animals that he sleeps with. When I came back he was lying on the bed and said, "Night night." So, I told him good night and closed the door, leaving him on the bed. I really expected to hear him climb down from the bed and come knocking on the door...he didn't. It was quiet for about ten minutes and when I went in to check on him he was just sitting on the bed. The next time I checked, he was fast asleep. I arranged some pillows around the bed and on the floor just in case he fell off. I heard him cry out once early in the morning and went to check on him thinking he may have fallen off...he didn't. I woke him when I went in as he must have cried in his sleep. I laid on the bed with him and he looked over and said, "Hi Mommy." Then he said, "Daddy work" and went back to sleep. He woke up an hour earlier than normal, but otherwise had a great first night sleeping in a big bed. Tonight, however, he said he wanted to sleep in his crib. So, I guess he's not ready to transition yet, which is fine. He does great in his crib so if that's where he wants to stay for now, he can. We'll work on the transition later.
Today Ben & Jerry's ice cream had free cone day. After dinner we went out to the location near the beach and we each got a free cone. Titus loved his but had trouble keeping it under control. As we were leaving he had a litle bit of cone left and as he was walking down a couple of steps he turned it sideways and the melted ice cream poured out. His little lip came out and he said, "Oh no" in such a sad little voice.
When my mom and aunt were here, we were sitting at the table eating lunch together before they had to leave for their flight home. Titus was lining his food up neatly...
My mom said, "Are you going to be an interior decorator?"
Titus shook his head no.
She then asked, "Are you going to work in construction?"
Titus shook his head and said, "No."
Trying again, she asked, "Are you going to be a school teacher?"
Titus said, "Yes" with a big smile.
Last night Steve went to a men's bible study so I was doing Titus' bedtime alone. When I told him it was time to go to bed he ran into his room and tried to hide beside the queen bed that's in his room (it doubles as a guest room). I put him up on the bed and went to get his stuffed animals that he sleeps with. When I came back he was lying on the bed and said, "Night night." So, I told him good night and closed the door, leaving him on the bed. I really expected to hear him climb down from the bed and come knocking on the door...he didn't. It was quiet for about ten minutes and when I went in to check on him he was just sitting on the bed. The next time I checked, he was fast asleep. I arranged some pillows around the bed and on the floor just in case he fell off. I heard him cry out once early in the morning and went to check on him thinking he may have fallen off...he didn't. I woke him when I went in as he must have cried in his sleep. I laid on the bed with him and he looked over and said, "Hi Mommy." Then he said, "Daddy work" and went back to sleep. He woke up an hour earlier than normal, but otherwise had a great first night sleeping in a big bed. Tonight, however, he said he wanted to sleep in his crib. So, I guess he's not ready to transition yet, which is fine. He does great in his crib so if that's where he wants to stay for now, he can. We'll work on the transition later.
Today Ben & Jerry's ice cream had free cone day. After dinner we went out to the location near the beach and we each got a free cone. Titus loved his but had trouble keeping it under control. As we were leaving he had a litle bit of cone left and as he was walking down a couple of steps he turned it sideways and the melted ice cream poured out. His little lip came out and he said, "Oh no" in such a sad little voice.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Another Family Visit and Easter Comes Early
My mom and my aunt Sandy (my dad's sister) were just here for 4 days...and it went much too quickly. They left yesterday afternoon...and I am left with a throbbing headache from crying after their departure. Their trip was wonderful for me, and hopefully for them too. :) Lots of lying on the beach, taking walks, and lots of laughter. From the moment they pulled up to our house, I could hear laughter. The two of them are so funny together. Titus loved them and all the extra attention. I loved seeing more family enjoy him. It just was so sweet to see him being fussed over by family. And, as with Steve's mom, they noticed things in him that Steve and I don't see. Like the fact that right now he repeats the last word of every sentence he hears. Or that he grunts and groans whenever he does anything...picking something up, standing up, moving something around. It is quite funny and I don't know how Steve and I never picked up on it. Since they've left, he's no saying "Oh no" constantly. Before it was "Uh oh." Now when something goes wrong, it's "Oh no"...I think he got that one from my mom.
It was so refreshing to be surrounded by family and now so difficult to adjust to life without them again. Sometimes the pain of living away from those we love the most is almost too much to bear. We are getting through it...growing and learning, but the pain is still there. I long for a day when we all live in the same state again...although that might not be in the plans for us. When we moved here, I never thought through this part of it all. Maybe because it all happened so fast. We got the call about an opening when Titus was two weeks old and moved when he was a month and a half. If we'd ever had the time to process what this would all be like, I don't think we would have made the move...and if we'd never made the move, I would never have the memories that were created this past week.
My mom came bearing (MANY) gifts and Titus LOVES all of his. I'll have to post more about the treasures that she brought along later. One thing she thought of was the fact that we won't be home for Easter...so she brought an Easter egg hunt with her.
So here is Titus' first Easter egg hunt...
It was so funny...well, actually we were quite annoyed, that there was a man standing RIGHT in the middle of us when Titus was getting his eggs. My mom hid them all and Titus was just starting to hunt them when a man came over planning to lay right where we were. And he didn't stop once he saw what we were doing. Instead he put his shoes down on one of the rocks (I had to crop them out of a couple of pictures) and stood there in the middle of us. And if that wasn't bed enough, he then started to point out the eggs to Titus. In the moment I was so shocked that anyone would do such an odd thing, but afterwards I was really annoyed that he "ruined" Titus' first ever Easter egg hunt. Although since Titus didn't even notice the man, I guess it wasn't all that bad after all.
It was so refreshing to be surrounded by family and now so difficult to adjust to life without them again. Sometimes the pain of living away from those we love the most is almost too much to bear. We are getting through it...growing and learning, but the pain is still there. I long for a day when we all live in the same state again...although that might not be in the plans for us. When we moved here, I never thought through this part of it all. Maybe because it all happened so fast. We got the call about an opening when Titus was two weeks old and moved when he was a month and a half. If we'd ever had the time to process what this would all be like, I don't think we would have made the move...and if we'd never made the move, I would never have the memories that were created this past week.
My mom came bearing (MANY) gifts and Titus LOVES all of his. I'll have to post more about the treasures that she brought along later. One thing she thought of was the fact that we won't be home for Easter...so she brought an Easter egg hunt with her.
So here is Titus' first Easter egg hunt...
It was so funny...well, actually we were quite annoyed, that there was a man standing RIGHT in the middle of us when Titus was getting his eggs. My mom hid them all and Titus was just starting to hunt them when a man came over planning to lay right where we were. And he didn't stop once he saw what we were doing. Instead he put his shoes down on one of the rocks (I had to crop them out of a couple of pictures) and stood there in the middle of us. And if that wasn't bed enough, he then started to point out the eggs to Titus. In the moment I was so shocked that anyone would do such an odd thing, but afterwards I was really annoyed that he "ruined" Titus' first ever Easter egg hunt. Although since Titus didn't even notice the man, I guess it wasn't all that bad after all.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Chapter Three
From Raising Your Children With No Regrets...
You Can Live Peacefully in the Teenage Years
Principle Three: Be Intentional about Being a Vision Keeper
If you dread something long enough, it becomes as bad as you imagined.
If you define your children or teens by a moment in time or by a series of events, you tell them they are defined by what they do and not who they are. In an age that saturates our youth with superficial definitions of value, we must speak the voice of truth to our kids' hearts and minds.
Remember when your kids were born? Your children planted hopes and dreams in your heart-a vision for their lives that brought meaning and excitement to your life. You believed the best for them and imagined them to be the best at whatever they chose to do. You had a vision for them that was fresh, filled with hope and confidence.
Crises show us-and our teens-our true opinion of them. In other words, if your vision for their future is still as meaningful as when they were born, they'll see that in you, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Yet the opposite is also true: they'll notice if your vision for them is now tarnished.
It is easy to be at your best when things are going well and life is sweet. However, teens need you to be your best when they are at their worst. At those moments you must be the keeper of the vision God gave you when your teenager was a newborn baby.
Your job as a mom is critical to your teens in the challenging moments of life because they will look to you to see what you truly believe about them. They need to see confidence and hope when no one else sees it for them-perhaps not even themselves.
At some point, no matter how encouraging and affirming you've been to your kids, when they become teens they will try their wings and test the boundaries. At this point, their choices and mistakes will challenge you to keep alive the big picture-the vision-for their lives.
Mothers are responsible to hold out hope for their children when everyone else has lost it.
When our children make mistakes, and they will, we have an opportunity to help them become wiser. The issue isn't what they did but who they can become as a result of the experience.
Our children must be defined by God's definition of them and love for them, not by their behavior or our fears. It is simply unfair to allow a season of development-adolescence-to frame their entire value, especially at a time when they are so desperately trying to figure out who they are and where they are headed.
We can't teach our children principles and values that we haven't learned ourselves.
Motherhood is God's way of showing us how inadequate we are and how much we truly need him.
When a mother begins to see that her faith is in Christ, and not her children or herself, the tension eases. This allows both mother and child to feel valued, and to focus on their own journey. Instilling this sense of value in your children frees them to learn the life lessons Gods needs them to grasp before they move to the next stage in life.
If we stand strong and firm while being kind and supportive, it will give them strength, security, and hope as they discover who they are and how to make decisions in life.
Peace can be your when you walk through the deep waters, because you will know that this is a journey for your children, not their definition.
You Can Live Peacefully in the Teenage Years
Principle Three: Be Intentional about Being a Vision Keeper
If you dread something long enough, it becomes as bad as you imagined.
If you define your children or teens by a moment in time or by a series of events, you tell them they are defined by what they do and not who they are. In an age that saturates our youth with superficial definitions of value, we must speak the voice of truth to our kids' hearts and minds.
Remember when your kids were born? Your children planted hopes and dreams in your heart-a vision for their lives that brought meaning and excitement to your life. You believed the best for them and imagined them to be the best at whatever they chose to do. You had a vision for them that was fresh, filled with hope and confidence.
Crises show us-and our teens-our true opinion of them. In other words, if your vision for their future is still as meaningful as when they were born, they'll see that in you, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Yet the opposite is also true: they'll notice if your vision for them is now tarnished.
It is easy to be at your best when things are going well and life is sweet. However, teens need you to be your best when they are at their worst. At those moments you must be the keeper of the vision God gave you when your teenager was a newborn baby.
Your job as a mom is critical to your teens in the challenging moments of life because they will look to you to see what you truly believe about them. They need to see confidence and hope when no one else sees it for them-perhaps not even themselves.
At some point, no matter how encouraging and affirming you've been to your kids, when they become teens they will try their wings and test the boundaries. At this point, their choices and mistakes will challenge you to keep alive the big picture-the vision-for their lives.
Mothers are responsible to hold out hope for their children when everyone else has lost it.
When our children make mistakes, and they will, we have an opportunity to help them become wiser. The issue isn't what they did but who they can become as a result of the experience.
Our children must be defined by God's definition of them and love for them, not by their behavior or our fears. It is simply unfair to allow a season of development-adolescence-to frame their entire value, especially at a time when they are so desperately trying to figure out who they are and where they are headed.
We can't teach our children principles and values that we haven't learned ourselves.
Motherhood is God's way of showing us how inadequate we are and how much we truly need him.
When a mother begins to see that her faith is in Christ, and not her children or herself, the tension eases. This allows both mother and child to feel valued, and to focus on their own journey. Instilling this sense of value in your children frees them to learn the life lessons Gods needs them to grasp before they move to the next stage in life.
If we stand strong and firm while being kind and supportive, it will give them strength, security, and hope as they discover who they are and how to make decisions in life.
Peace can be your when you walk through the deep waters, because you will know that this is a journey for your children, not their definition.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Family Time on a Tuesday
We just got Titus settled in for the night after the most wonderful Tuesday afternoon spent on the beach. Steve was able to come home today at 2:30 since he was done teaching for the day. This happens occasionally and is such a treat for me and Titus. The weather has been cooler still, but today warmed up to 80 degrees. It rained for an hour or so in the middle of the day but then turned sunny and...perfect! We haven't been to the beach for the longest time...well, probably a month or just over. The last time we were there it was chilly and windy and I was in sweats. We joke that one of my perks of living here was that I'd be tan year round...not the case. It felt great to get the sun on our skin again.
Each time we go I am amazed at how well Titus does on the beach. He is so content.
We brought his wagon along and he filled it with sand and a coconut that had washed up on shore.
He still loves to explore by the rock formations and dig with his little fingers at the shells that are stuck to them.
I think he could wander all day if we let him...the entire length of the beach.
And because I hear too often that I don't ever have pictures of myself...
here's a couple of self-portraits, playing with the sun
Lately I've been wondering how on earth we can ever have two children here without our families and best friends...but then we will have a day like today. A day where we are together as a "little family" and enjoying the moments of being together and knowing that we are doing it on our own. And we're becoming stronger because of it. We're not sure what our future here will be...but we are enjoying the simple pleasures that it brings in the midst of the rough patches.
Each time we go I am amazed at how well Titus does on the beach. He is so content.
We brought his wagon along and he filled it with sand and a coconut that had washed up on shore.
He still loves to explore by the rock formations and dig with his little fingers at the shells that are stuck to them.
I think he could wander all day if we let him...the entire length of the beach.
And because I hear too often that I don't ever have pictures of myself...
here's a couple of self-portraits, playing with the sun
Lately I've been wondering how on earth we can ever have two children here without our families and best friends...but then we will have a day like today. A day where we are together as a "little family" and enjoying the moments of being together and knowing that we are doing it on our own. And we're becoming stronger because of it. We're not sure what our future here will be...but we are enjoying the simple pleasures that it brings in the midst of the rough patches.
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