Things I want to remember from May...
I obviously haven't been posting regularly (mostly due to adjusting to having two and feeling a lack of motivation about blogging in general) and so this is a good opportunity to recap/journal/chronicle random thoughts and what's been happening for both you and me... It's going to be long since it's a lot for my record. So here goes in no particular order.
We seem to have melded as a family of four fairly seamlessly... Not without some adjustmentof course, but a LOT easier than I was preparing myself for... This is largely due to the fact that Sarah
still hasn't had problems with jealousy - not that it won't/can't happen in the future - but I was expecting it to happen much earlier and to a great degree. Praise God - much answered prayer!
We've been so well taken care of. Mom and Dad came to take care of Sarah from the day before Keeley came, to when we got home. Mom stayed on for a number of days, then we were on our own with Todd home for a week, and she came back when Todd went back to work until Lynn (Todd's mom) came for ten days. I didn't have to worry about cooking/cleaning for practically three weeks. Many yummy meals came in, and I am so thankful for those I still have in the freezer!
Like before, I've healed really quickly from the c-section, but now am in "in-betweenville" as far as clothes go... not back to "normal" yet, and not wanting to go out and buy clothes that will fit now, but not when more weight comes off... Will probably go thrift shopping soon! Otherwise I have no shorts that fit! UPDATE: Went thrift store shopping and got some really cute/inexpensive "tide-me-over" summer items... some will hopefully be able to be worn after a few more pounds come off...
So far I haven't had the arthritis symptoms I had with Sarah where my joints ached in my fingers/hands/wrists/elbows/shoulders... Not sure why, but I'm thankful!
Breast-feeding while trying to help zip up and button a 3 year old's pants isn't easy.
I am SO thankful that breastfeeding is going so well, but still need to rev up my supply. Right now I'm supplementing with formula. Guess I better pump... bleh.
Keeley is an amazing cuddler...much to our delight, however it does pose a challenge when juggling a very active 3 year old too... We're soaking it in as much as possible.
Sarah got her first tricycle and loves it! It is a snazzy Schwinn that Nana and Papa got her (my mom is QUEEN of finding great deals at consignment stores) and Sarah really loves her helmet and knee pads too...
Aren't the azaleas amazing?
Lynn came for 10 days and her husband Bobby came for five from Clovis, NM. What a blessing it has been to have our family showered with so much love! I'm so blessed that I get to have great in-laws... Bobby helped Todd get our deck prepped and scouted out the best stain for our part of the country/our deck wood etc. so that we don't have to strip the deck every time we need to re-stain it... Lynn was so helpful in getting Sarah to the bathroom and giving me the peace of mind that comes from having the girls taken care of so I could sneak in a nap... sigh... I love family!
I know I've already said it, but Sarah has really amazed me with how much she has taken to Keeley. She never skipped a beat in including her when she talks about our family, making up endearments/nick names for her, taking pride in being a "Big Sister", wanting to be a good helper, wanting to take care of Keeley and mimicking me as I change Keeley's diaper or feed her.
Quotes from Sarah lately...
"There's the Eiffel Tower!" (in reference to Power line towers - she has two books that had the Eiffel Tower in them lately, so obviously, we must be living in Paris!)
"Mommy, what does 'encouragement' mean?"
"Mommy, what does 'spirit inside me' mean?" Not an easy one to explain to a three year old, but she's getting it...
"He washed Larry's (Larry the cucumber) sins away!" Um, sure?
"Jesus is coming back!"
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I've taken to blow drying Keeley's bottom after changing her to hopefully help with getting her diaper rash to heal faster... Lots of Boudreaux's and baby powder alternately per doctor's instructions... UPDATE: it's getting much better...thankfully. Never had to deal with that much with Sarah so this is new territory...
It's AMAZING how comfortable our bed is now that I'm not uncomfortably pregnant and definitely sleepy at bedtime...
I've recently "gone off" sugar for the most part... Trying to choose something to cut out without really "dieting" which could affect my milk supply. So far it's not been too hard except for ice cream.
I'm enjoying doing some moderate exercise now that I've passed the 6 week mark. Arms and abs are where I'm starting. Surprisingly, I was able to do 50 crunches without much strain, but V-ups are somewhere in the future for sure... Now to increase the reps....
Keeley is now in the 75th percentile! Crazy! I love that I get to have a bit of baby chub this time around too. =)
Keeley is also smiling a bit now, along with some cooing... I LOVE this stage! She also has had amazing head/neck control and that, along with her being a good 2 lbs. heavier than Sarah at this point, makes her seem older to me...
Nursing in hot weather is definitely a challenge...I'm hot, which makes her hot, which makes me hot...yada yada yada...
Our pastor, Scott, spoke last week on I Tim. 2 where it talks about women and, among other things, how they are "saved by having babies." I'd never heard any pastor tackle this one (but it's the great thing about expository teaching that if you go systematically through a book of the Bible, you can't just "skip" the "difficult/controversial" passages like in topical teaching) and I was so glad he did... Something that spoke to me, was that he explained the the "saved" was better connected with the process of sanctification. As we live out our salvation, we are made holy -sanctified - by working out our faith in Christ - and a huge part of that, traditionally, for women is through raising our children... Man, that was EXACTLY what I was trying to explain to Todd the other night... God has been gently impressing on me what He wants me to put into practice through how I instruct/train/discipline Sarah... Phrases like: "Obey means 'listen and do', or "Obey me in little things so you'll be able to obey me when 'big' things come", or "When you get frustrated, use your words and tell me what's bothering you..." practically scream, "Um, Abbey, are you listening to yourself? Put those things in practice with
ME..." from the Holy Spirit's point of view... Truly humbly walking now days...
I love that I've been getting to read a lot during the middle of the night feedings. I'm on a Chaim Potok kick right now... Reread one book, The Chosen, and read The Promise, and am now on to The Book of Lights... Somehow reading about World War II era Orthodox Judiasm in New York is capturing my attention... THAT's how amazing his writing is... Not sure what's next, but the book has to be able to be held in one hand... =)
Okay, that's about it for now... I've got to get some of the pictures up and posted next!
