And again with the time going by all too fast...7 Quick Takes

I confess this is not an original idea. I have seen it on other blogs, but saw it for the first time on http://www.billandameliamayer.blogspot.com/, of whose blog I am a loyal "lurker" (to use a blogger term) So, here is our 7 quick takes debut:


1. We have survived the first bout of sickness to hit all of us. I can't remember the last time I had to take antibiotics, but I am grateful that Amy and I had a pretty healthy winter until now.


2. Amy got to go outside in the snow for the first time the other day. She was totally fascinated by the HUGE flakes that were coming down.

3. Yesterday, we took Amy to the park. It was a little chilly, but much nicer than it has been for a long time, so we decided to let her try out a swing! At first, she seriously doubted our capabilities as parents, but after a little while (and finding the right position for her to sit) she started to enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to the summer and all the outdoor things we'll be able to do!

4. Amy has been very slow to put on weight the last few months, and so she was scheduled for a weight check a month following her 6 month appt. When she saw the doctor when she was sick (which was two weeks after her 6 month check), she had put on 7 ounces! The doctor was really pleased with that, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that at her next weight check on the 17th she gets another good report.

5. I've been doing some extra office work for a family I used to nanny for - the dad has his own accounting business. It's been such a blessing to have a little extra income, and I can take Amy with me during her naptime. Fortunately she sleeps well in her carseat, so I can get some work done while she sleeps. Who knows how long she'll be so cooperative! :)

6. We have been doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace program for three years now. There have definitely been some bumps in the road, but this Lent, I am making a sincere effort to be even more dedicated to our efforts in our debt snowball, and a better steward of the gifts God has given us.

And I saved the very best for last!

7. On Valentine's Day, my mom, my brother Josh, my sisters Mary and Sarah, and George's family joined us as George became a member of the Catholic Church! It was such a special day for us, and I am so grateful that our little family is now all of one faith! I am mostly so glad for Amy (and any other children God blesses us with), that we will be unified as a family in our faith, and that George and I will be able to lead our family together.

And now, some pictures for your enjoyment, because I know that's what you're really here for!

Six Months

I really have no words. She is getting so big, and I am quite thrown by the whole My Baby Is Starting To Look Like A Little Girl business. So here. I appease you with pictures of the last 6 months. Nom Nom Nom.

In the blink of an eye...

Suddenly my girl is Oh So Grown Up. It seems like only yesterday we were waiting in breathless anticipation for these milestones, and now I feel like I can barely keep up with each new skill. She sits up all the time, all on her own. She doesn't really need the pillow I set behind her, she almost never topples over anymore. She can pick up cups, pick up a ball with one hand, and drink from a sippy cup.

I feel tears come to my eyes a dozen times a day

as I try to take a mental snapshot of these moments when I see her learn something new and I feel so acutely how quickly she is growing up. There are brief moments when she rests her head on my shoulder, thumb in mouth, only to pick it back up again and screech in my face, waiting with a smile for me to mimic her.

She knows how to feel the textures in the touch-and-feel books, loves when we pat our hands over her mouth as she makes one long sustained sound. She reaches out with her little hands to explore my face, and we nuzzle our noses together in the quiet sleepy moments. I am trying to relish even the challenging moments when she is whiny or clingy, knowing the time is just around the corner when she'll be off and running and not need me so much anymore.

She amazes me every day, and I feel so, so blessed.

In Which We Take Pictures Of Our Child In Various Hats For Our Own Amusement

Hi Momma! Hi Daddy!

Wait a minute...what are you guys up to?

I'm not participating in this. You guys are on your own.

What are you laughing at?

Daddy's hat.

Indiana Jones has nothin' on me.

Salud Chivas!

OK, guys. You've had your fun. How about I take my bath now?.

Don't even think about putting that tupperware container on my head. Yeah. I know you thought about it.

Ode to sweet potatoes

Mmmm...appetizing, yes?

The part where she practically grabs my hand to get the food to her mouth because Oh My Lord, woman, you are not moving fast enough!!!

Finally.



Must lick all remnants off face...

"I honestly don't know WHY it takes you so long between bites mother. I'd do it myself if my fine motor skills were better. "



It's hard work being such a big girl.

Ask and you shall receive...

Oh my girl. My Amy. My heart. At once one of the greatest joys of my life and one of the greatest challenges. But the love...oh, the love I feel for her. I waited and waited for it.

This love, this expansion of my heart almost until it hurts, wasn't instantaneous for me. Of course I loved her...she is my daughter. But there were days I asked myself why I didn't feel the storied "gush" of love for my child. Those first few weeks when I more often dreaded her than adored her made me question my value as a mother, and as a person. Why on earth didn't I feel like I loved her?

And it was slow and gradual, and by the time it was in full force almost caught me by surprise! It helped so much to hear other mothers tell me that it would come...they promised it would come. I held onto that promise like a lifeline, all the while asking God to help me to love her more, to be the best mother I could be.

And then, just as acutely as I felt it was missing, it was there. It wasn't the first smile, it wasn't in the bonding of nursing, it wasn't even in her "mommy-only" phase. It was in one small moment last week when I looked at her playing in her crib...the same exact way I had looked at her playing in her crib dozens of times before. But this time I had to look away...it sounds silly, but it almost hurt, how much I loved her in that moment, and I had to look away because it felt like my heart might burst with joy. Tears came to my eyes, and I knew then that it had come.

Giving Thanks

This time last year, we were in South Carolina with my family, and I was just pregnant with our Amy. I look back and I feel so amazed at how our lives have changed over the course of one year, and how much God has directed and provided for our little family.

When I lost my job last October, we knew it would be tough. But I've learned a big lesson in doing what we can to be good stewards of our income. And God has always provided a means to extra income, seemingly just when we needed it, be it extra subbing this summer or nannying for Will and Piper over spring break.

He brought us through obstacles in the pregnancy, and now we have our beautiful Amy. And despite a difficult labor, and a c-section to recover from, God provided the means to avoid a second surgery through the c-section. So, I'm grateful for all He has brought us through this year. I'm grateful my family could be with us for Amy's baptism, and for George's family being here, always willing to lend us a hand should we need it. I'm grateful for George's job, in a not-so-secure economy. I'm especially grateful that I get to be with my Amy every day, and that I'm with her for all of her "firsts". I'm grateful for the spit-up, and the hair-pulling, and the frustrating days. I'm grateful for the man I get to walk through life with, and for a God who is in control, even when I feel like I can't get a hold on things.

There is truly much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving.