WOMEN

This e-mail was sent to me by a dear friend...it is so post worthy of how GREAT women are. For all you wonderful women and moms out there...this is for you!

By the time the Lord made woman,He was into his sixth day of working overtime.An angel appeared and said,"Why are you spending so much time on this one?"And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her?She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,have over 200 movable parts, all replaceableand able to run on diet coke and leftovers,have a lap that can hold four children at one time,have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart--and she will do everything with only two hands." The angel was astounded at the requirements."Only two hands!? No way!And that's just on the standard model?That's too much work for one day.Wait until tomorrow to finish.""But I won't, " the Lord protested."I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart.She already heals herself when she is sickAND can work 18-hour days."The angel moved closer and touched the woman."But you have made her so soft, Lord.""She is soft," the Lord agreed,"but I have also made her tough.You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.""Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.The Lord replied,"Not only will she be able to think,she will be able to reason and negotiate."The angel then noticed something,and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek."Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.""That's not a leak,"the Lord corrected,"that's a tear!""What's the tear for?" the angel asked.The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy,her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love,her loneliness, her grief and her pride."The angel was impressed."You are a genius, Lord.You thought of everything!Woman is truly amazing."And she is!Women have strengths that amaze men.They bear hardships and they carry burdens,but they hold happiness,love and joy.They smile when they want to scream.They sing when they want to cry.They cry when they are happyand laugh when they are nervous.They fight for what they believe in.They stand up to injustice.They don't take "no" for an answerwhen they believe there is a better solution.They go without so their family can have.They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.They love unconditionally.They cry when their children exceland cheer when their friends get awards.They are happy when they hear abouta birth or a wedding.Their hearts break when a friend dies.They grieve at the loss of a family member,yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.They know that a hug and a kisscan heal a broken heart.Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail youto show how much they care about you.The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.They bring joy, hope and love.They have compassion and ideals.They give moral support to their family and friends.Women have vital things to say and everything to give HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE TINY FLAW IN WOMEN,IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Moving On Up

Today baby C had her 1 month Dr. visit. I was reassured of what I already knew...she is growing up so fast already. In addition to her moving to her room (instead of sleeping in our room) in the last 2 weeks, eating more at feedings (can tell when I use a bottle), and growing out of newborn clothes, below are her stats. Once again I am reminded of how quickly time flies and little ones change. As happy as I am about her progress, I can't help but be a little saddened well that she is changing so rapidly since she will be my last newborn.

Weight: 8 lbs. 2 oz. (25 percentile)
Height: 20 1/4 in. (25th percentile)
Head circumference: 37 1/2 (50 percentile)

New Love

As a mom for the second time, I really know things that I must have in order to survive and things are not quite as necessary for babies. However, a veteran mom of 3 and dear friend of mine, enlightened me on a new must have this go round...a Moby Wrap (see link below). I must say that it is a new fave...it makes my life so much easier. I was a little skeptical at first, as I had a hard time figuring out all the holds, but now that I was shown how to do it...I LOVE IT! I am able to "hold" baby C in some of her fave positions while I play with CR, get things done, or while she just needs some "snuggle time". IT IS AWESOME and I am so excited that I will be able to use it for MANY MANY pounds to come with her. Thanks Amy S. for the enlightenment and wonderful gift!

http://www.mobywrap.com/

A Great Excuse

I am not fond of Valentine's Day, since I don't think one day should be deemed as a day to shower the ones you love with time, gifts, cards, etc. to let them know that you love them. However, this year, I was very eager to use it as an excuse to have some much needed alone time with my husband. My brother and sister-in-law volunteered to come over to watch the kids while K and I went to dinner. We went to one of my favorite local places...Michael's Cafe where we enjoyed a yummy dinner in the secluded window seat of the restaurant. It was so nice for us to unwind with the Caribbean music (that reminds us of all the cruises we have been on..although it makes us long to be on a ship) and have time to talk (besides how was your day) which is about all we have been able to get in the last few weeks. They even did a special treat for all their customers that night...instead of an after dinner mint, they had chocolate covered strawberries...a favorite of mine. It was a great Valentine's...nice alone time with my family, then that night alone time with my husband, and my sister-in-law made chocolate covered strawberries for us too (she knows they are a fave of mine). Thanks Uncle J and Aunt Melissa for watching the kids and for the yummy chocolate covered strawberries you made for us too!

I also had to reminisce about our first Valentine's Day...it was my first year of teaching and K made a surprise visit during lunch. He got someone to open my classroom and he filled the room with red and white balloons and left rose petals all over my desk and floor. Then on my desk, he left a dozen red roses. How romantic...that was the most romantic Valentine's Day I had ever had or had since. We jokingly compared Valentine's Day then and now...now we left in our mini-van (instead of his red sports car) and had an early bird dinner so we could come home and put our kids to bed. My my how things change! I would not trade it for the world! My cards, dinner, love, new PJ's, and sweet Valentine's Day wishes from CR, baby C, and K fill my heart with so much overflowing joy! I AM SO BLESSED!

"Photo Shoot"

A professional photographer I am not, but last Thursday I did manage to get a few good shots of CR and baby C. Seeing that she is almost a month old and I don't have birth announcements out yet, and the fact that it was our last "pretty day" weather wise for a while, I dressed the kids up and with the help of my mom, attempted to get a few shots that I may use for announcements. I was pretty pleased with how well they turned out! Below are a few of my favorites!

Capturing the Moments

How quickly baby C is changing...she is filling out so much and it seems her looks are changing daily. How quickly time is passing too (it seems like yesterday she was born, but it is almost 3 weeks ago). Below are some captured moments...I hope to be able to capture so many of the moments because time does fly so quickly (especially with 2 kids) that I don't want to forget about each special moment.

One of her favorite spots to lay and look...on her changing table...probably because it is one of the warmest spots in the house

All is well in her jammies after her 1st bath

She didn't like her first "real" bath so well...although she is coming around more to it now. Saturday was the first time we were able to give her a "real" bath...it took until then for her cord to fall off...I was beginning to wonder if it were ever going to fall off.

Saturday we took our first "real outing" as a family and boy was it an experience. Call me crazy, but I was going stir crazy in the house all week so I jumped on the nice weather opportunity and headed to the boat show with K, CR, Nana, Pop, and some friends of ours from the neighborhood. After we finally got everyone ready and all needed items gathered K and I were exhausted. We quickly realized that jumping in the car and going somewhere doesn't exist anymore...you have to take 1/2 the house and be prepared. We ended up having a great time...baby C did great on her first time "out" (and mommy did too).

One of CR's friends from the neighborhood at the boat show...they were "racing" in boats beside each other. CR and his friend get along so well. It is so fun to watch them play with each other (which is something relatively new..playing with a friend instead of just in the same room). I am so blessed to live in such a great neighborhood for kids...CR has someone to play with all the time with friends and loves meeting them at the field for a day of fun. We actually did that the rest of the weekend since the weather was beautiful...spent time at the field letting the kids play (baby C loved the sunshine as well). Sunday we even met up with some friends from the neighborhood at the field and did a picnic lunch. We really enjoyed getting to hang out with everyone that we haven't seen in a while after being cooped up due to the weather or "about to hatch syndrome".

Baby C chilling in the stroller...thank goodness we were able to "retire" this stroller after this outing (it has enough miles on it). This was CR's stroller and it didn't work out well with 2 kids...either CR wanted to ride or I was afraid of germs for baby C since we can no longer find the car seat bar that allows the car seat to sit in it. Thanks Nana and Pop for coming to the rescue...we now have a WONDERFUL sit and stand stroller. It has already made my life SO much easier!

Brother and sister love...yes CR is still in LOVE with her. He can't get enough of her!

I hope she always holds on to her mommy for support and love

These Days...

These days we are getting settled and trying new things...
"Baby sister" tries out the swing for the first time yesterday...not too fond of it yet.

We are already working on tummy time...go girl go!

Mommy and her 2 munchkins...I love these days.

How precious are these little feet and how quickly do I forget just how little they are. I love to just sit and marvel at all the little things about her that I somehow forgot existed with little ones (little feet, little hands, cute facial features and precious noises they make)

Her favorite foot position...even inside the womb

Happy Birthday Daddy

Last Thursday, K celebrated his 32nd birthday! CR was so excited about his daddy's birthday and his planned party to the "wing store" (Wild Wing Cafe). However, "baby sister" decided to change plans and come before the party, so we had to cancel. Poor K...I feel so bad for him. The birth of his daughter and getting settled trumped his birthday this year. Instead of a party, we spent the week of his birthday celebrating the birth of our daughter...happy birthday daddy!

Hopefully we will reschedule soon...CR and K are looking forward to it. We did have a little celebration with a steak dinner at our house with his parents on his birthday and the Sunday before, my family showered him with gifts and a wonderful home cooked meal and desserts!

At least we had a balloon and cake!

"Baby sister" sleeps through the party

I'm growing up on you Mommy!

CR has finally taken the plunge...he uses the potty for pooping now too. As many of you know, he has been "partially potty trained" for a long time (a few months before he turned 3). However, he would have nothing to do with pooping in the potty. He knew when he had to and would even go upstairs to get a diaper for me to put on him and tell me when he was done, but he would not go to the potty.

Finally a few weeks (maybe 2) before "baby sister" was born, I was out of pullups (well I may have had one stashed away but I wanted to save that one til night time and didn't want to make a trip to the store). I urged, begged, and pleaded with him to go to the potty. He screamed and cried and would not go. However, I didn't let in. Instead, I reminded him that he wanted another piece to his GeoTrax set and the only way he would get it was to use the potty like a big boy consecutively. That was all that it took...from then on...he has. Needless to say, after a couple poops in the potty I took the trip to Toys R Us to get his new piece (the best $10 I have ever spent). He is so proud of himself for his accomplishments! Mommy is glad that we don't have diapers anymore (well for him at least), but I miss my baby boy. Everyday he gets a little bigger and reminds me often with the words: "I'm growing up on you Mommy!" Boy does time fly!