Today was Isabelle's 4 month birthday. I think a lot about how quickly she is changing and growing. She weighs over 12 lbs now. Only two days ago we bought her a play mat that has toys hanging down for her to play with. As soon as we put her on it she started showing off her crazy rolling over skills and she hasn't stopped since. She is talking (babbling) all the time. This evening when Dave called from work I put the phone on speaker phone and told him to say "Hi" to the baby. I put the phone up near her face as she was sitting in my lap. She was facing the opposite direction until she heard Dave's voice; then her head swung around with lightening speed and she looked straight at it smiling and trying to reach for each time she heard his voice. She has never reacted like that before.
With all of the fun new things I see with her everyday, I realized tonight that each time I put Isabelle to bed for the night (and she does sleep through the night) I feel a twinge of sorrow. Each night brings a day to a close and it hits me that when she wakes up she will be a day older and it is one more day with her that I will never have back again.
Dave and I are looking forward to the holidays. We are excited to get her a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament (well I'm more excited about that than he is, it is a family tradition). We will be going to see the lights on Temple Square this weekend and we have been thinking about what kinds of family traditions we want to start.
I hope that, although Isabelle is still so young, she can feel the magic of Christmas and the special excited feeling Dave and I have to be able to spend with her for her very first year and many after that.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Fulfillment
I have heard many mothers say that having children has brought them so much joy and fulfillment. I always used to nod my head and say "I can imagine..." I can only say that experiencing this for myself is something that has lead to a greater understanding of that which previously had only been understood through the limited insight of my imagination.
I sat thinking this evening, as I played with Little Belle, about how happy I am to have her in my life. I looked at her toothless grin and her freshly washed hair sticking straight up; her skin smelling like baby oil and soft as velvet, I thought to myself as I stared at her that bringing her into this world is the single most incredible thing I have ever done. Knowing that I accomplished that feat and that now I get to teach her, love her and watch her grow brings me so much fulfillment and joy beyond measure.
I sat thinking this evening, as I played with Little Belle, about how happy I am to have her in my life. I looked at her toothless grin and her freshly washed hair sticking straight up; her skin smelling like baby oil and soft as velvet, I thought to myself as I stared at her that bringing her into this world is the single most incredible thing I have ever done. Knowing that I accomplished that feat and that now I get to teach her, love her and watch her grow brings me so much fulfillment and joy beyond measure.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Health and happiness
I wish that my family could all be healthy and happy. It seems like every two weeks someone is sick or injured or just plain unhappy with life. The challenge is that somebody has to help in some way and I just don't feel up to the task anymore. I am wearing down. Judge me poorly if you like, but honestly sometimes it makes me want to run screaming. I want to say " hey I've got my own life, leave me alone", but I think that if family can't rely on family who can they rely on... Well, enough of that tangent.
I was able to visit my family and friends in Portland, OR the past four days. Dave and Isabelle came along. This was my mother's first time meeting the baby. My little sis Sarah decided that ahe likes my husband so much, even more than she likes me, and that she was going to miss him a lot. That is sweet to hear because she was very afraid of him for a while even though she loved him the first time they met. Dave has been very cute; he has been going the extra mile trying to initiate a good relationship with Sarah. He has been working on this with my sister Charity's kids as well. They seem to get a long well with him too. My niece Alyssa calls him Davey Dave, a nickname that Sarah learned last time she visited Salt Lake.
We took Sarah to the river front where she chased the flock of geese until she couldn't rub anymore. She was trying to get them to fly away, but she only succeeded in herding them around the park. She slipped a few times and I am sure she walked away with a lot of goose droppings on her pants and shoes. Oh the joys of blissful ignorance of germs and disease.
Our dogs, Rain and Luke, were very excited to have us home again. They are a very noisy pair when the get hyper. Luke is a "Bagel Hound" half bassett/half Beagle; he barks and howls in that houndy way of his and spins in circle. Rain, a border collie/lab/kitchen sink mix has a very high pitch whine that trills. She sounds like a dying bird. Anyway, they were very noisy and very cute when we got home.
I was able to visit my family and friends in Portland, OR the past four days. Dave and Isabelle came along. This was my mother's first time meeting the baby. My little sis Sarah decided that ahe likes my husband so much, even more than she likes me, and that she was going to miss him a lot. That is sweet to hear because she was very afraid of him for a while even though she loved him the first time they met. Dave has been very cute; he has been going the extra mile trying to initiate a good relationship with Sarah. He has been working on this with my sister Charity's kids as well. They seem to get a long well with him too. My niece Alyssa calls him Davey Dave, a nickname that Sarah learned last time she visited Salt Lake.
We took Sarah to the river front where she chased the flock of geese until she couldn't rub anymore. She was trying to get them to fly away, but she only succeeded in herding them around the park. She slipped a few times and I am sure she walked away with a lot of goose droppings on her pants and shoes. Oh the joys of blissful ignorance of germs and disease.
Our dogs, Rain and Luke, were very excited to have us home again. They are a very noisy pair when the get hyper. Luke is a "Bagel Hound" half bassett/half Beagle; he barks and howls in that houndy way of his and spins in circle. Rain, a border collie/lab/kitchen sink mix has a very high pitch whine that trills. She sounds like a dying bird. Anyway, they were very noisy and very cute when we got home.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
A tidbit about me
I'm a blogger!
I can't believe I'm going to do this. I have never been a blogger. I tried a few times to get started, but never really made it past the first post. Recently, I have had so much on my mind that I think I can write at least twice. Hmmm... we'll see.
I study comparative literary and cultural studies. I'm also dabbling in Russian. Ugh!! That sounds so boring. My life sounds so boring when I tell it like it is. Even so, I am not interested in writing a work of fiction here so I'll keep it real.
Sarah
The Lord blessed me with a family full of girls in my childhood. I was number 4 of 5 until, 24 years after my birth, number 6 entered the scene. Ah sweet number six, Sarah is her name, beautiful blue eyes and glistening blond hair. The child was born so fair and lovely that no one would ever guess by looking at us that we were from the same planet much less the same parents. Sarah is 4 years old now, she has a sharp mind and a talent for singing (in both of those aspects we share some genes I'd like to think). Once on a trip to Oregon I turned on a Celine Dion greatest hits album and that child (three years old then) belted out the lyrics like the diva herself. I had never heard such vocals from a young child. Sarah can also throw a mighty fierce temper tantrum the likes of which you would never believe just by looking at her small fragile-ish exterior.
My Baby Girl
I love kids. I love them so much that I had one of my own... Actually she was more of a surprise rather than a conscious choice. Not like that show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant", but the sort of surprise that comes to some of us when we forget that sex is more than just recreational. Anyways, I will admit that the sentiment I have heard from so many others rings true for me, I wasn't trying to have a baby, but now that she is here I can't imagine my life without her.
From the moment she was born she has been gazing at me with her deep brown eyes and delighting the innermost depths of my spirit. Her smile is enchanting. And her laugh! Her first laugh two day ago touched my heart so much that I laughed and then cried with sheer joy. I always wondered if I would have enough patience and love to raise a child, but I find that I love her so deeply and my patience has grown exponentially (I admit I don't know how it happened or when).
Requests
I am convinced that I could blog about anything, so if anyone ever has a request, just say the topic. Of course, I will censor myself, there are some things that I just will not blog about, because they are things I just refuse to speak about. Other than that, I'd say that I could write on any subject because I know i won't get a grade for it and therefore I can ramble endlessly; a flaw of mine to which you just fell victim.
Weight-loss
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is weight-loss. The very idea of it makes women weep in there breakfast cereal. For me it is a topic that brings up so many memories of triumphs and failures. Last year I began running for my health and happiness. I enjoyed it very much and I discovered that I was good at it. That is not to say that I could win a race (even a five year old could run faster than me), but I had what it took to turn it into my favorite activity. Late last fall I discovered I was pregnant and this news took me through an assorted maze of emotions and ordeals. I quit running and waited for the day when I could again lace up my shoes and hit the road. Now that the baby is here I should be waking up early and running my tail off, but the sad truth is that I have only been out a handful of times in the past two months. "A good start". Yeah, perhaps. The only real issue is that I am in desperate need of weight-loss. I have been overweight ever since childhood and although I gained only 25 lbs during my pregnancy, I weigh more now than ever before. This is a big deal for me considering I had it all figured out last year and I was well on my way to being the active healthy beautiful person I know is inside. Now I am not sure I have it in me to start over again.
Wrap it up
I think I have written enough for today. I still have homework to do tonight and some packing to do; tomorrow we're off to Portland to visit my parents. My mother hasn't met bay Isabelle yet. Boy is she in for a treat.
I can't believe I'm going to do this. I have never been a blogger. I tried a few times to get started, but never really made it past the first post. Recently, I have had so much on my mind that I think I can write at least twice. Hmmm... we'll see.
I study comparative literary and cultural studies. I'm also dabbling in Russian. Ugh!! That sounds so boring. My life sounds so boring when I tell it like it is. Even so, I am not interested in writing a work of fiction here so I'll keep it real.
Sarah
The Lord blessed me with a family full of girls in my childhood. I was number 4 of 5 until, 24 years after my birth, number 6 entered the scene. Ah sweet number six, Sarah is her name, beautiful blue eyes and glistening blond hair. The child was born so fair and lovely that no one would ever guess by looking at us that we were from the same planet much less the same parents. Sarah is 4 years old now, she has a sharp mind and a talent for singing (in both of those aspects we share some genes I'd like to think). Once on a trip to Oregon I turned on a Celine Dion greatest hits album and that child (three years old then) belted out the lyrics like the diva herself. I had never heard such vocals from a young child. Sarah can also throw a mighty fierce temper tantrum the likes of which you would never believe just by looking at her small fragile-ish exterior.
My Baby Girl
I love kids. I love them so much that I had one of my own... Actually she was more of a surprise rather than a conscious choice. Not like that show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant", but the sort of surprise that comes to some of us when we forget that sex is more than just recreational. Anyways, I will admit that the sentiment I have heard from so many others rings true for me, I wasn't trying to have a baby, but now that she is here I can't imagine my life without her.
From the moment she was born she has been gazing at me with her deep brown eyes and delighting the innermost depths of my spirit. Her smile is enchanting. And her laugh! Her first laugh two day ago touched my heart so much that I laughed and then cried with sheer joy. I always wondered if I would have enough patience and love to raise a child, but I find that I love her so deeply and my patience has grown exponentially (I admit I don't know how it happened or when).
Requests
I am convinced that I could blog about anything, so if anyone ever has a request, just say the topic. Of course, I will censor myself, there are some things that I just will not blog about, because they are things I just refuse to speak about. Other than that, I'd say that I could write on any subject because I know i won't get a grade for it and therefore I can ramble endlessly; a flaw of mine to which you just fell victim.
Weight-loss
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is weight-loss. The very idea of it makes women weep in there breakfast cereal. For me it is a topic that brings up so many memories of triumphs and failures. Last year I began running for my health and happiness. I enjoyed it very much and I discovered that I was good at it. That is not to say that I could win a race (even a five year old could run faster than me), but I had what it took to turn it into my favorite activity. Late last fall I discovered I was pregnant and this news took me through an assorted maze of emotions and ordeals. I quit running and waited for the day when I could again lace up my shoes and hit the road. Now that the baby is here I should be waking up early and running my tail off, but the sad truth is that I have only been out a handful of times in the past two months. "A good start". Yeah, perhaps. The only real issue is that I am in desperate need of weight-loss. I have been overweight ever since childhood and although I gained only 25 lbs during my pregnancy, I weigh more now than ever before. This is a big deal for me considering I had it all figured out last year and I was well on my way to being the active healthy beautiful person I know is inside. Now I am not sure I have it in me to start over again.
Wrap it up
I think I have written enough for today. I still have homework to do tonight and some packing to do; tomorrow we're off to Portland to visit my parents. My mother hasn't met bay Isabelle yet. Boy is she in for a treat.
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