Putt-ering around

I picked up a set of toy golf clubs for Liesl at a Mom2Mom sale a few weeks ago. Best $1.50 I ever spent. I've never golfed anything tougher than the pinwheel hole at Putt Putt, but Liesl is showing a knack for it. My father loves to golf, as do many of his brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces. I'm told the golf goofiness skips a generation. I lucked out. Liesl did not.

Alright, who swiped my 9 iron?

Hurry up and take the dang picture, woman, you're messing up my game.

The caddy is fired, I'm not waiting for him anymore. Meet me on the green.

Boy, when you love golf...

...you really LOVE golf.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

My dearest and oldest friend, Amy, turns 33 today. On her birthday, she received the most amazing gift: A teaching job. She finished her student teaching in a high school biology class last Friday, and returned to the same high school today, this time as a long-term substitute biology teacher. The teacher she is replacing for the rest of the year is leaving at the end of the summer, creating an opening for next year. This means Amy's chances of landing that job permanently are higher. Teaching jobs in Michigan are coveted by many, so having her foot in the door makes her chances that much better.

For those who don't know Amy personally, her life has been pretty chaotic these last 7 or 8 months. During the fall term she was in college full-time and working full-time, 2nd shift, for the USDA, with a nasty commute as well. She almost never saw her husband for about 4 months except when he was sleeping. She did not have one day off all week, she was either working all day (sometimes with overtime) or she was in class all day, combined with doing homework and labs. She ran herself ragged but she came out of it completely victorious. She deserves every ounce of happiness she can get!

Congratulations, Amy, and good luck! You deserve it, and those kids are lucky to have you. You are an inspiration to me!

Amy at my house playing cards with me and and petting my cat, Whinnie

It should be noted that a) Amy is very allergic to cats, which is why Whinnie loves her, b) Amy is still very kind and loving to my cat even though she is so highly allergic, c) Whinnie was helping me cheat at cards when I took this picture, and d) Whinnie is almost 19; Amy and I have been friends for 18 years. I have had Whinnie only 4 months longer than I have, well, had Amy; so Whinnie trumps Amy. Naturally.

Just thought I'd set all that info straight.

Have a raspberry

Charlie's Soap

The Farmington Area Mom's Club general meeting this month was centered around "green" and how we can be kinder to our environment. Turns out that my county, Oakland County, Michigan, has one of the worst pollution records in the country. :-( Tom and I do our best to lessen our footprints on the environment by doing heavy recycling, using more cloth rags and bags instead of paper towels and plastic bags, composting 100% of our yard waste and kitchen scraps, buying clothes and toys from garage sales and Mom 2 Mom sales as often as possible, and, of course, by diapering with cloth diapers.

Charlie's Soap makes a terrific laundry powder that cleans efficiency and is 100% biodegradable--much more friendly for the environment. It is also cheaper than the dye-free and scent-free laundry detergents I have been using for years now. Plus, they shipped it to me for free. One Tablespoon cleans an entire washload of diapers--that's 2 days' worth of poopie, soaked diapers from a newborn AND a toddler. I still do a pre-rinse cycle of cold water with about 1/4 cup of white vinegar in my diaper washes, then I switch to a hot water/cold rinse cycle with only a Tablespoon of this stuff. Many cloth diaper websites and retailers recommend it, especially the businesses that sell only organic diapers and supplies, such as Green Mountain Diapers.

It really works! I do all of our laundry with it, it is supposed to be safe for all fabrics, even silk (though I admit, I haven't worn a silk blouse for a while now, what with maternity clothes and now baby spit-up to deal with. When I wear my silk blouses again, I will wash them in Charlie's Soap and let you all know how it went...but I'm a mother of two small munchkins, don't hold your breath, it'll be a while.)

Do consider giving Charlie's Soap a shot, even if you don't use cloth diapers. You really have nothing to loose, and the environment will be all the better for it.

Mission: Possible

While we three girls have visited with many friends and family together (not to mention doctors and my midwife), I have been terrified of taking both kids into crowded, busy public places alone, especially in the cold winter. In five months (and one day), I have only taken both girls by myself to places like Bible study, to the library, and to the theater where I work. These places are kid-friendly, contained, and there are plenty of "contingency" mothers around to lend a hand if needed. Until now, major trips with both children have been accompanied by Tom, my mother, or even when Liesl's godmother Amy uses her day off to give us a hand. I have needed to go to stores and busy places many times when I am alone with both kids, but I am always concerned that Liesl will freak, Ava will start to scream, and that the planning, packing, and execution of such a mission in cold weather would rival that of any NASA project engineer's docket.

Now Ava is falling into something of a predictable routine with naps and nursing, and the weather is warming up a bit. We really needed a few new crib mattress pads, and I needed a few greeting cards for friends and family. So after Ava's morning nap and before Liesl's lunch, I loaded up both girls and went to Target. In the store, Ava rode in her baby car seat/carrier (I'm still terrified of putting her in a sling outdoors in this cold weather), and Liesl rode--illegally--in the basket of the cart. We did a return at the customer service desk and went about with our short shopping list.

Ava was in a perfect mood, having just had a nap and some nursing, and Liesl was very well-behaved--a relief to me, as her moods can and do change as fast as those of any normal 2 year-old. I was so happy with them both that I actually relaxed and enjoyed the errand. To celebrate, we had a sort of impulse buy, something that both girls would need eventually but I did not plan on buying today: white sandals for spring and summer church and dress-up. After picking up the mattress pad and greeting card, Liesl was just thrilled to tour the shoe aisle and comment on the many new spring fashions. Colorful shoes are fodder for very interesting chat with a toddler who now talks incessantly.

It's still a lot tougher than bringing only one child on errands. I'm not brave enough to drag them both on a huge Costco trip yet, but I daresay I've become far less chicken about taking both girls into stores and such. I am thankful, however, for warmer weather and conviences like the "baby bucket" car seat and huge grocery carts (whose child safety warnings that I, along with most other mothers with more than one child, will blatantly ignore.)

New shoes are terribly exciting when you're two.
(Their mother, not your typical shoe-shopping-happy woman, couldn't
care less about shoes for herself--and now I find buying shoes for little girls extremely fun.)

My Little Linguist

Liesl has been singing her ABC's for about a month, but I have had a hard time capturing it on video. She doesn't like to "perform" like a trained monkey, and I don't blame her. So it took quite a bit of convincing to get her to sing the whole thing without cutting out. (She also really likes to watch herself on videos, so it's difficult to catch anything on camera these days...the moment it comes out, she wants to see what's in it. Mommy and Daddy didn't have that luxury before the days of digital cameras. With all the begging to see herself immediately after a shot is taken, our cheap little point-and-shoot is something of a mixed blessing!)

Anyway, here it is...the fruit of our efforts. Liesl's effort was learning and singing the song; my effort was getting her to do the whole thing completely before asking to "See. See. See." It took quite a few shoots to get her to do the whole thing without her disappearing from the frame, but you could still hear "See....see....see...." as she came around to the back of the camera.

BABIES!

I just delivered a meal to a member of my Mom's club. She has a 2 year-old daughter and a brand-new, 3 week-old baby boy. She brought him to the door when I dropped off her meal so I could meet him.

Oh...my...gosh. Someone stop me. It is WAY too soon for another baby. We don't even know if we're going to have another one...now is NOT the time to decide! But he was so sweet, soft, and innocent...asleep in her arms...and she looked wonderful. The new mother glow was all about her. Oh, how I wanted to cuddle that new little baby boy.

Here's a peek at what really makes MY baby happy. I don't know if it's her father's genes (what is it with men loving bodily functions?), or if it is just a really enjoyable activity, or if she's just an all-around, happy baby--but nothing fires this kid up like a good poopie and (multiple) diaper changes. Thank goodness for cloth diapers....I do diaper changes on this kid about 12 times in a 24-hour period. They have been a savings not only to the environment, but to our budget as well. Momma's milk has great throughput. I absolutly love to change diapers, on my kids and on anyone else's. I know I am not the only mother that feels that way, too. :-)

A Mom's Prayer

We usually say a "freestyle" prayer before every nap and bedtime with both Liesl and Ava. Our nap and bedtime prayers usually include thanksgiving for the blessings we have received: for our family that loves each other, for the food in our tummies and the roof over our heads, for our wonderful friends, for the freedom in our country. Prayers can also include requests and wishes, such as safe travel for our friends and family, or the wisdom to do the right things. And lastly, prayers can include apologies and repentance for things we did or thought during the day: for loosing tempers, for thinking mean thoughts, or for becoming exasperated and sarcastic throughout the day.

Today's naptime prayer, however, was not nearly as serene. It was, "Dear God, please let Liesl and Ava take a good nap together today so Mommy doesn't lose it. Amen."

That's all she wrote. Yep, it was that kind of day.

But the kids are still very cute, and they are blessings. Challenging blessings, but nothing worth doing is ever easy, right? Here are pictures. It's a good thing they're so cute...it keeps them alive.

Liesl and the sprouts...facinating stuff, really. I've heard the word "seeds" about

10,000 times these last 5 days.

She chose the outfit herself...I swear.

Too cute to have ever given Mom a moment's trouble.
(Who does she think she's fooling?)

Both of my girls just LOVE to be naked.

Please God, don't let anyone I know see me in this outfit.

Good intentions are not enough

A member of our Mom's club was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease this past December. She has two small children, ages 2 and 4. Our Mom's club is a pretty amazing group of women, and upon learning about it, plans were made to help her and her family out. Delivery of home-cooked meals were organized, fundraisers were held, hints and ideas on how to help the family were constantly offered to the membership.

The life expectancy of someone with an ALS diagnosis is between 2 to 5 years. However, she died this morning, just a few months after being diagnosed.

I had good intentions to help...and then I have some pretty pitiful excuses. I planned to cook a meal or two and have them delivered; but my excuse was that the family lived too far away. A fundraiser was held a few weeks ago at the restaurant of one of our other club members; but it was too cold for me to take the girls out by myself, and Tom had to work overtime that day. A group of ladies recently went to her home to give it a good cleaning within the last week, and one member even offered to watch other members' children so we could clean without interruptions; but I couldn't leave my nursing baby with someone and besides, that was Liesl's naptime, it was not convenient for me. I meant to go visit the family, as it was brought up many times that she would appreciate company and visitors; but I was too busy in my own life, wrapped up in my own "problems," dealing with the time constraints that I had really put upon myself and my family. I kept putting helping off: I'm really busy working on a show right now, or everybody in my family is sick and I don't want to spread the germs to her kids, or nobody has slept well and we wouldn't be good company anyway, or it's too cold to go out with a baby. So I have been telling myself these last few months that I'll go and visit this mom when I have time. But my time and opportunities to serve and spread the blessings I have been given have run out.

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
Proverbs 3:9

This is not the first time I have been reminded strongly that Time and Money are both gifts from God. If we honor God with the firstfruits of our labor--by seeing as giving the best of our Time and Money to Him, and not "what's left over" or what we think we can afford to give after we're done spending our time and money on our own selfish pursuits--then God will reward us with more than we could ever give. As a woman in my Bible study has said several times over the last few years, "You can't outgive God." And you can't...if you give up everything you have and do it with a kind and giving heart, God will bless you with more then you were ever able to give. After all, look what happened to Job.

From now on, I hope I will remember that if I give up the best of my time and money, God will make sure I have time and money to take care of everything else that is "important" to my life and my family. My two children still have their mother; her two children will grow up without one. Surely that was worth an hour or two out of my busy week.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
Mark 12:41-44

Only Child for a Day

Tom and I were quite sick with the flu yesterday. He took a sick day, which is very unusual for him. My parents came to take Liesl home with them at 11:00 a.m. yesterday and returned her to us this afternoon, giddy and giggly from spending a day and night at Grammie and Papa's house.

After they left with Liesl, the house was relatively quiet. One small baby. Few pressures other than to drink fluids, rest, and get well. Frankly, I have forgotten how easy it is to have one child. Babies, compared to toddlers, are EASY. They eat, sleep, cry a bit, poop, play, cuddle and laugh. There are no time-outs, no overseeing of toddler chores, no discipline/consequences to dole out, no doors and gates to stairwells to be kept closed, no additional food to prepare (and indeed, to clean up after.) You put the baby down, walk away for a moment, come back...and she's still where you put her! Amazing. Compared to caring for two very small children together, one small baby is easy to care for...even with the flu.

And that one small baby is 4 months old today! Ava is getting so big--she giggles, plays, and talks a LOT. She rolled over for the first time yesterday, just one day shy of her 4 month "birthday." She has some rare difficult moments, as all babies do, but she is an absolute joy. I am so in love with this precious, perfect baby. We are so blessed.

She loves her cloth undies

And she loves tummy time!

Daddy and Ava had a bit of a nap together today.
Shhh...don't tell Tom I took (and published) this photo!

Snuggles and cuddles with Ava will cure all that ails you

Bright days

I've lived in Michigan my entire life and I can honestly say I've always enjoyed winter...until I had two small children. It is very hard to be cooped up indoors for weeks and months with two little kids. Even going out to Bible study or the library doesn't really make me feel like we've "gotten out." It is also much harder to winter indoors with two kids than it is with one; there is a huge change in our mobility and "bundle-up-ability" between now and last year when there was only Liesl. So this weekend's (slightly) warmer weather and sunny skies were a welcome sight. We all bundled up--including Ava--and went out for a much-needed breath of fresh air both Saturday and Sunday.

Liesl just loves to bundle up and go outside.

The lack of fashion knowledge in this house is truly embarrassing

My thumbs! They've stolen my thumbs!

Liesl and our neighbor's dog, Shiloh, a Hungarian Vizsla
They are buds, they just love to "visit" each time we run
into them during walks

Liesl and Mama--warmth from coats and hugs

Ava's Baptism

Ava was baptised into our church family on Sunday, February 17, at the 11:00 a.m. service. It was a lovely ceremony. Afterwards we had a brunch at our home for 26 people, including the guest of honor.

The family at the church

Ava and her godmother, Julie. I am so disappointed that I didn't think to get a more

"formal" picture of Ava and Julie.

Ava and her godfather, Uncle Robert (we think she's smitten)

Ava and Sarah, the daughter of my friend Carrie.
Sarah also helps the babysitter take care of Liesl during my Thursday morning Bible study.
She and her two younger brothers are homeschooled.

Ava and Papa C.

Liesl and Uncle Robert (who is also the girls' godfather)

Smiling for Uncle Robert

We think someone got into the cake!

A nice soft place to nap after all the hullabaloo of the party. :-)

The Business of Being Born

Ava's birth started it; this movie cinched it for me. I just have to be part of this. I do not know if I will have any more babies, but if I don't, I will find a way to make this whole natural birthing experience part of my life.

The movie completely BLEW ME AWAY. The movie discussed a lot of the different paradigms that birthing practices have gone through in the United States over the last 100 years, and how it has lead us to where we are today. Contrary to what many may think, it was not a bash against C-section births or against women who don't choose to have a home birth for whatever reason; they did show several circumstances where hospital intervention and/or a Cesarean were absolutely vital. I was startled to see some of the statistics. There were many births on the movie and each one was amazing. It was extraordinary. I cried several times during the movie; many tears of joy but some of sorrow as well. We, as women, have such an amazing potential. We have just been lead to believe otherwise. I am not now nor will I ever be a feminist, but I am amazed at the hold that this natural birthing philosophy has taken on me, and is still within me 3 months after my own experience.

About 150 people came to the movie and about 75 of them stayed for the panel discussion afterwards, amongst them my friend Christine who also took some pictures for me (thank you, Christine!) The panel discussion was fantastic. There were some incredible people on that panel and I was honored to be amongst them. I did get to talk a bit and answer some questions from the audience, and commented from a “consumer’s” perspective on some issues that the other panelists brought up. Before the movie, I spoke at length with one of the panelists who is a doula educator about my births and my career plans for when my children are older and in school...I'm seriously considering becoming a birth and postpartum doula.

Ava was such a perfect little baby during the entire evening. She hung out in my Maya Wrap and socialized well during the silent auction before the movie, and when the movie got started, the two of us settled in and she nursed to sleep like she does every night. She slept through the entire movie in the sling, and then stayed asleep during the panel discussion in the sling, even with all the bright lights on the stage and loud noises around her. She was amazing, such a tribute to naturally birthed babies! Tom did not get to go because our babysitter for Liesl had to cancel last-minute. To be honest, I wound up enjoying a “girl’s night out” kind of time with Christine and a few other friends who arrived at the movie. I could have stayed all night!

When I got home at 10:30 (at least an hour and a half past my normal bedtime), I was on such an adrenaline high from the entire evening that I found it hard to sleep.

I just have to be a part of this. We women have been given such an amazing gift.

Just when you think you're gonna lose it....

....your friend swoops in and saves the day. We've had

one heck of a week. I thought I was gonna crack, then I

read my email. Here's a picture that Cortney sent me....

After I laughed my arse off, I spent a few minutes perusing the site.
Trust Cortney--another lactating cat lover--to save the day.

Here's a few more hilarious ones...

moar funny pictures

This'll knock the smug right outta you

I had just replied to an email to a woman in my mom's club. She had just had her 2nd baby, another girl, and I was wondering how she had been doing. She was one of the group of ladies who had brought me a meal after my baby was born, so I returned the favor when her baby was born a few weeks ago. I had just sat at my computer, smugly mentioning that we had settled into something of a routine, and having two small children was entirely manageable. And that I loved having two little girls. Sugar 'n spice and everything nice, and all that trite stuff.

HA! Me and my big fat mouth. As soon as I shot that email off, chaos erupts. Ava, normally a fairly decent napper, would not go to sleep for her morning nap. She then crossed into that crazy, overtired, stressed mode that comes from not getting enough sleep...and no matter what I tried, this poor child would NOT nap. So finally I got her to sleep with nursing--which I know is a no-no because they're suppose to "learn" on their own, but it just wasn't going to happen this time--and then Liesl, who is supposed to be playing in her room and is not to come out without permission (and she KNOWS it), comes tearing into Ava's bedroom and yells, cheerfully, "HI! HI! BABY! BABY! OUT COLD! MAMA?!? BABY!" (Have I mentioned that I miss the times when she signed more than she spoke?) Ava's exhausted eyes fly open and she immediately launches into another huge crying jag--stiff, red-faced, eyes screwed tightly shut and WAILING. This is a baby who normally does not cry very much, but the kid had been up for three whole hours and was struggling to comprehend. So I tell Liesl very sternly, over the baby who is now screaming into my left ear, "Liesl, go to your bedroom RIGHT NOW!" Liesl, having just turned 2, runs into her room--SCREAMING--and proceeds to dump or overturn every toy, book, and small piece of furniture she has in her room, allthewhile yelling her fool head off. It took a full 20 minutes to clean her room up, while trying to keep my cool and not be the fourth and final female in this house to completely lose it. Did I say "fourth" female? No, you didn't miscount. In the midst of all this, my poor 19 year-old cat who has gone deaf and partially blind has started pacing the house, caterwauling, because nobody is downstairs with her and she can't "find" us. (It's surprising, really, the noise an elderly, 8-pound cat can make--her ears and eyes are shot but her lungs are just FINE, thank you.)

This, folks, is not my "normal" morning. Ava's naps are fairly routine and while Liesl is prone to having a "normal" 2 year-old crying tantrum here and there, she has never had a super-destructive one like she exhibited this morning. I'd like to say that the day got better--that Liesl returned to the angelic creature she usually is and Ava went back to snoozing peacefully and gurgling happily during her awake times...but alas, it was not the case. Thank You, God, for early bedtimes.

In the middle of this calamity, I thought wanly of the email I had just fired off boastfully to this other new 2nd-time mom...yep, confident new mother of two here has it alllllllll together. NOT!

Is it Friday yet?