It's like a switch went off last week just before she turned a month old and the pained crying just...stopped. Maybe it's the dairy that is now out of my diet. Maybe her digestive system is getting the hang of things. I don't know. But now she looks around with wide eyes, sits contentedly, and falls asleep with ease (meaning - without those trying crying jags) and we are all breathing a wonderful sigh of relief. Now that I am not so tense over all the crying, I can better appreciate the little things... like these cute little feet. The only thing that would make them cuter is admiring them whilst I guzzle a big glass of cold milk. Alas, I will settle for a happy baby instead.
I just learned how simple it is to compress pictures into smaller files, so this is my test run with my newly acquired skill. :)
Take a look at Noah's halloween costume. Technically, he is a triceratops, but if you ask him, well, he is a "rawr." It even has a roar button in the hand. As cute as this is though, I think the hot dog costume that was plan A was cuter. But, by the time I got around to buying it online, it was sold out. Shame on me. But all's well that ends well...the kiddo is still pretty darn cute in green. :) I don't know who gives Anna more kisses in a day, me or Noah. I think Noah has me by a nose - which is funny, because every time he kisses her he stands up, covers his nose, giggles, and says 'Nose' just like he has seen his cousin Brooklyn do in a video that I wish we had never shown him. I am worn out by the nose routine. He expects an audience and an applause for it every time. Yes, he is beating me by and with a nose. :)
Isn't Noah looking so grown up...for a little boy that is?
And look who has grown even more (although people still stop me in stores to exclaim how small she is - to which I smile and agree but really just think "aren't all newborns small?"). She turned one month today. Happy b'day, Anna - Now go to sleep, Anna.
We are really appreciating some of the new stuff we have in the new house and a couple new things we got to go with the new house.
1. Remote Control Fan: Love the remote feature and also how it is docked on the light switch if we want it there too. Only spooky thing is that the fan will just click on all by itself at various times of the day and night. Creepy. I am sure it is just interference with all the monitors and remote controlled things we have. Josh suspects that we are turning our neighbors fans on and off and vice versa. :)
2. DVR and HD: With the new TV we got a month ago we also signed ourselves up for a long awaited DVR which Josh adores...I have yet to make use of it. Plus, I really prefer watching prime time shows and football live anyway. And the high definition channels are, of course, so great. But my sister and I agree that sometimes the picture is so clear, so crisp that it hurts your eyes.
3. Recliner: We waffled on whether or not to get one of these for my entire pregnancy. We opted to wait though since our house was on the market...too much furniture does not help sell a space you know. So when I got home from the hospital with the promised painful recovery for my C-section - well, a recliner quickly became a must if I was going to be any help feeding Anna and also because it was so painful trying to get in and out of bed. Josh and his dad jetted to LaZBoy and got us one the very first day we were home and delivered it right upstairs beside the bed. But, now it is in the living room and Noah is all about it.
4. Flat-top Cooking Surface: Just love it. That's all.
5. In-the-door Ice Maker: We have not had this convenience for our entire marriage. Just never worked out with whatever fridge we aquired whenever we moved. To make matters worse, our last house didn't even have an ice maker AT ALL! So you can call me fat, dumb, and happy to have an ice maker now, and in the door to boot!
6. Deck: I didn't realize when we picked this house how nice the back deck would be. We really like being able to step into the back yard but not have to step around dirt, leaves, sand, etc. Just a nice, clean, protected space outside for the table, chairs, grill, us, etc.
7. Playroom: Yes, yes I knew how important this sort of space would be to us. We had one upstairs in the last house and Noah really broke it in. But now, we have this space on the main floor, just across from the living room and down the hall from the kitchen. So much more convenient!
8. Cul-de-Sac Living: Loving how kid-friendly it is (meaning safer than a regular street with typical thru traffic) and also how much quieter as a result.
9. Noah's new Allergist: Dr. Kenneth Babe. That makes him Dr. Babe. Seriously - how does one say this with a straight face? It's like something right out of Grey's Anatomy with their whole Dr. McDreamy/McSteamy collection. Anyway, Dr. Babe has been very thorough and helpful with new questions/concerns we have had and he has also given us new hope that Noah's peanut allergy might not be as severe as we worry it could be, if it even exists at all. But we still have to give it time before the next test.
10. Vietnam Veteran's Blvd: Just so new and nice to drive on. New development will change that I am sure...but there is still time to enjoy the peaceful drive and view and convenient trips to all the places I need to get to.
11. John Deere Mower: After Josh parted with his giant devil mower, we had to quickly replace it with something more fitting the house/yard we moved to. So this is it. And Noah just adores being pulled behind it in the cart.
I can't tell who is enjoying themselves more - the kids or the daddies. :)
Noah sharing his sad face with the world when it is time to get out of the mower cart.
Noah is keeping busy with his daddy, his mommy (once again), his sister, his park, his new shopping cart of goodies, his potty (yes, that's right - we are flirting with the idea of potty training), his pumpkin, his pond, his whatever is in front of him. And where there is no shortage of things to amuse him, Noah has no shortage of energy to match. Rambunctious is the word of the day. :) And hungry, too. The boy has turned into a bottomless pit!
So let me reintroduce you to our Anna. There is a learning curve to what makes that girl happy and what makes that girl tick. And we are just now getting over that hump apparently. :)
- Say Hello to 8 lbs of misleadingly adorable baby girl. We call her butthead only sometimes...usually when she is earning the name. You know...all that crying and crying. Oh Lord, the crying.
- She needs to be burped...more than twice during a feeding. Forget to burp her and you WILL be sorry.
- She got her grumpy genes from her momma...she can even furrow her eyebrows real good like me.
- She seems to fare better (and us as well) being fed by bottle...so pump, pump, pump it is and it suits me just fine. Less moodiness and short tempers for us both.
- Finally, we figured out that she is soothed (USUALLY) by rocking and/or music. This can only mean one of two things...she will be a rocker one day, or a rockette. And while we are on the topic, can we please give a gigantic shout out to whoever invented the PLUG IN baby swings?! Where was that fantastic feature when Noah was a baby? Seriously...seems like a no brainer.
- She made the seamless transition to sleeping in her own room, own bed last week. Loving that, because Josh and I can take shifts much better that way, not to mention how the bottle feedings add to the ease. We are all finally hitting our groove I think.
- She continues to be her big brother's pride and joy - in stores he tells EVERYONE, "twooo, baby nanna" and then Josh has to translate that yes, he is 2 and he has a new baby sister at home named Anna. So cute.
- She sure has that sweet baby smell (too bad blogger doesn't have a scratch and sniff feature or I would so share it with you) and she doesn't mind getting a bath. She clearly did not get that from me, because I hate taking a shower...such a boring, waste of time, every day routine.
Take a peek at baby girl...not doing a whole lot, but these days if there is no crying involved...that IS a whole lot. :)
And is it just me or does she look more like a Lori? Sadly, Josh tells me it is too late to change her name.
I thought I had finally settled on a lullaby for Anna a week or so ago. But, I know I really forced the decision, just to have it done – although I really did/do like the tune just the same. It is called, “I See the Moon.” When I start to sing it to her, Anna locks eyes with me and seems mesmerized. It took awhile to choose even that lullaby for her because she didn’t really need one at first…she was always already asleep. But now, a lullaby sometimes wards off those crying spells I am so anxious about. The only drawback is that I was hoping for something more along the lines of Noah’s lullaby, which was technically not a lullaby. It was the hymn - Be Thou My Vision and I posted about it here. And "I See the Moon" is not a hymn.
Then this week, two friends – one old, one new – both posted recommendations for the same song (My Jesus, I Love Thee) … and when I hummed it to myself, it was an immediate fit! How could it not be? The melody is sweet and soothing, the words are exactly the mantra you would want to sing over you baby (let alone, remind yourself when you are going mad/crazy over her crying fits), and it just feels right. This comes as a relief, because I never could come up with much more than the aforementioned literal lullaby and a certain worship song that I have loved during our past two years at our church in AL: Wonderful Maker. Love it. But it still didn’t roll off my tongue when I looked at my new baby. “I See the Moon” did/does, but now, even better, My Jesus I Love Thee does even more and it fits better with Noah’s lullaby hymn motif!
Anyway, I just wanted to share the words to Anna’s lullaby/hymn: My Jesus I Love Thee. They certainly bear repeating. (Thanks Elizabeth, Thanks Emma). What the heck, I’ll do Noah’s lullaby/hymn, too.
My Jesus, I Love Thee
My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
William Ralph Featherston, 1864
Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Dallan Forgaill (translated from the Irish by Mary E. Byrne, Versified by Eleanor H. Hull)
I remember now why I am NOT a baby person, why Joshua and I set out (and will immediately return) to adopt older children, and why we are NOT having any more babies in our family: They cry!And oftentimes they cry for seemingly no reason at all, except gas, which apparently our Anna has a lot of. She keeps me pretty frazzled with her inconsolable 2 hour crying jags a day...usually at night, mind you. She and I are both very lucky to have Josh - so available, so patient, so NOT flustered by all the crying or my overly anxious responses to all of said crying. He never fails to soothe her some way or another that I couldn't. I am so afraid her pediatrician will say that dreaded word at her 2 week appt. on Tuesday - Colic. Then the story will really be "Woe is Me."
We have had a busy week with Emily and her two babies, Brooklyn and Natalie, here keeping us company and helping out. Noah and Brooklyn really love playing together...when they are not irritating the mess out of each other. This has been a new and trying development in the way these two interact.
We are trying to just chalk it up to the terrible two's when we aren't already blaming the other kid for whatever incident has just transpired. :) Seriously though...it WAS Brooklyn's fault, whatever it was. :) We have figured out, though, that they get along ten times better when there are not toys around that fit into their hands. They play better outside, or with big, climbable equipment, or Josh...whichever is more readily available. That is why you would see a slide, fort, and tunnel all crowding our living room right now. Lee getting here Friday night was another welcome toddler resource after a full week of kid-style sparring. :)
For the record, Noah has learned some new words that I love to hear him say: Mine (ok, so I don't care so much for this word), dideo (video), chi (chip), punkee (pumpkin), and ahta (outside). It is a real treat to watch him learning so fast right now. Not so much of a treat was last Sunday night when Noah was throwing up all night. Poor baby. We figured out the following morning that it was some questionable milk...we think. At any rate, no one else got sick. And Josh was super-daddy holding him all night and sleeping next to Noah's bed on the floor waiting for the next sicky spell.
And here are some odd and ends I have been keeping in mind to share...
1. Our next door neighbor is an Elvis impersonator. He is also a published author, which is cool, but the Elvis thing is more interesting to tell. His business magnet on his car actually says "Elvis for Hire." I forget what his day job is, but I am sure it doesn't make you grin like hearing Elvis impersonator. :)
2. I used that formidable breast pump and it is not bad at all...and Anna took to the first couple Playtex bottles real easy...the drop ins kind. SO that is a relief to have on hand when I am desperate for an uninterrupted nap or when we need to head out with her and plan to feed her as well.
3. How odd is this?? Anna has a blonde patch of hair on top of her head. And the more I see it, the cooler it is to me.
4. Is anyone else tired of hearing about and seeing Hannah Montana's face on everything in stores and on TV? Is it just me? And I know I have gotten grumpy over the last two weeks, but still, if I have to hear the word/words "bailout package" one more time, I think I might actually breakdown and cry out of frustration.
5. What the heck is wrong with Auburn?! It is a good thing I am too tired to really be disappointed with how the season is turning out.
6. Everyone should move to the Nashville area - we are loving it more and more every day.
7. By now you should have received the moving/birth announcements we sent out. If not, it is possible I don't have your address, so let me know and I will fix that. They turned out so beautiful - thanks to my sweetheart of a friend, Shannon. She gifted me with designing them and I love, love, love how they turned out. Check out Shannon's stuff online at www.bluebirdgreetings.com. Thanks, Shannon!
Emily made us get a good family picture yesterday while out. This is the ONE shot out of a ton that actually has all our eyes open and facing the camera. This picture taking got real difficult, real quick! Anna looks more and more like Josh every day, don't you think?
Seriously, does it get any sweeter than this? I love that boy.
But tell me - Did he always talk as loud as he does now? He is quite the noisy thing these days. And why does he suddenly seem so much bigger and heavier to me and Josh? You should hear him chatter lately too ... He says new words every day it seems, which never fails to fully impress Josh and me. His newest vocabulary additions are tall, hot dog, pray, park, and doctor. And, heaven help us, he is singing and murmuring to every song he can and it is the most precious thing to hear. And no, he has not displayed any jealous behavior toward or about Anna. Right now, he is her biggest fan when he is even paying her any attention. She is easy to miss in the room because she sleeps so much. :)
It is surprising to me how much I miss him at the end of the day because I have not been able to interact with him much for having been attending to Anna all day or needing to catch up on rest. Thank goodness he has his daddy's undivided attention right now, which to be honest, is what really floats his boat anyway. That is my saving grace...knowing he is happy when he goes to bed at night and does not feel slighted by my otherwise occupied status.
Gotta give the boy some credit. He has been quite the trooper through all the changes we have had over the past month. New home, new room, new faces, new school, new baby, new routines. He has tackled his new days so well and we are so proud of him. I just love that boy.
