Why (part 2)

do I bother spending a lot of money on plants when after a long hard day of digging and planting, I find them shredded on my patio courtesy of one horrible golden lab?

Dear Bennett

I love you for so many reasons that I can't begin to write them down. Therefore I will just write one particular reason that I am especially loving you this weekend. I love that you stare at my face and mimic my expressions. So, when I had to have blood drawn on Friday and you were just a few feet away in your car seat staring at me, you grimaced and squirmed when I grimaced and squirmed as the needle went in. All the nurses were floored and went on and on about how sweet it was that my baby didn't like seeing her Mom in pain. Between you and me, I know it was gas and the timing was just great, but I didn't tell them that. I let them think I had the sweetest baby who felt such sympathy for her Mom. And that's just another reason why I love you.

Why

do I bother getting my carpets cleaned when all it does it make the stains that were already there look even dirtier next to the fresh clean carpet?

What a big world out there

So, when are we putting the pool in?

The days of crying during bath time are long over. This little one is a girl who loves her baths, just like her Mom. She could chill out in her tub all day long. If you know of a infant tub that has jet streams, let us know.

Ode to Meg

So, I have decided to blog about my forgotten child, Meg. Ever since Bennett came home from the hospital, Meg has sadly been neglected. Once a happy and sunny dog, the below picture captures her mood as of late.

So, in order to relieve my guilty conscience, I have decided to post pictures of our darling Meg. Maybe this will atone for the past 5 weeks. I know Meg doesn't understand why her leash remains hanging on a fence post day after day. Or why she is forbidden in the new pink and green room in the house even though everyone else is in there. I know she can't comprehend why her food bowl that was always filled right when she woke up now remains empty until sometimes after dinner. I know she can't grasp why her chew toy isn't being thrown to her, despite the fact that she places it on our legs every time we sit down. And I know for certain that this post will in no way make her feel better about her new position in the home, but somehow I feel a little bit better just by writing. So, below are pictures of Meg in happier times and all I can do is promise her is that those days will return again one day. And for those of you that may be wondering about our other "child", Kirby? Well, he's perfectly content just sleeping and staring at you, so I feel no need to relieve a guilty conscience there.

Back when Meg was allowed on the bed


Back when Meg was the "child" we stared at for hours


Back when all was right with the world. One day soon Meg, one day soon.

Why I love my husband- except at 3:00am

So, the good news is that Bennett is now on a regular schedule. Hooray! It really helps us know when we can go out, what we can do, and when she needs to eat. We have it worked out to where she has a late evening feeding, a middle of the night feeding, and an early morning feeding. Rob and I thought this would be the perfect system. I can do the late evening and early morning and Rob would take the middle of the night. That way I could get 8 hours of sleep, Rob would only be up for 30 minutes in the middle of the night, and all would be well.

However....my husband has seemed to misunderstand that the point of the 3am feeding is to let me sleep. The past few nights have gone like this. It's 3 am and Bennett is crying. Surely Rob will hear her. I will wait a few more minutes and let my selfless husband spring from his nocturnal slumber to feed the crying child. 2 minutes pass... Rob is still snoring. 2 more minutes. Bennett is now wailing as if all food sources are purposely ignoring her. Which, may I add, they are. Well one is, and one is still snoring. Now that I am fully awake, I wake up Rob and ask him to please give her the bottle I have pumped earlier in the day. He is still snoring. I shake him until one eye half opens and he finally comprehends the situation. He dutifully gets up and goes to warm up the bottle. So now I am left listening to her cry for 5 more minutes while I await his return. Will he ever come back? She's still crying. What is he doing in there? Fixing himself a BLT while he's at it? Okay, never mind. I'm up. I'll quiet my poor crying child until the bearer of food returns. I should have just fed her myself.

So, my question is- does he not get the point that the 3am feeding is so I can sleep? Should I do this to him as payback at 6:30am? Tomorrow night should I just put her on his chest and then go sleep in the guest room for good measure? Should I sabotage his coffee in the morning so he will know what no sleep feels like?

But then, as I am laying awake at 3am I think about my sweet husband who has to work the next day and still gets up as soon as he can to help. I think about how I love listening to him take his time warming her bottle because he wants to get it just right and not harm her. I think about the fact that instead of being sound asleep, I get to listen to him sing softly to her and I get to hear her coo happily as she recognizes her daddy's arms. I even prop myself up in my bed and realize I get to watch this beautiful moment as my husband tries so hard to let his wife sleep and take care of his daughter even though he has a long day of meetings ahead of him. I also realize that she will be grown in a blink of an eye and that I have the rest of my life to sleep at night and such a brief window to experience such love between a father and his little girl. And I realize what an amazing husband I have.

So maybe I should change this post to- "Why I love my husband-especially at 3:00am."

Bennett's First Easter

We had a wonderful Easter this year. I was able to get out of the house with Bennett for a little bit this weekend. I think I had forgotten what fresh air and sunshine felt like. She handled it like a pro and it made me realize that there is a world out there apart from feedings, dirty diapers, spit-up, and nap time. Below are a few shots from our big weekend.

Dreaming of Chocolate

Family photo

Even my incredibly awesome bunny outfit couldn't keep me awake

I'm really a hip hop girl at heart

Easter was great- but can I please take a nap now?

Happy Easter

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade— kept in heaven for you."
-1 Peter 1:3-4

First Bath

Well, this isn't technically her first bath. We have given her a few sponge baths since she came home, but we were told that we couldn't give her a tub bath until the umbilical cord fell off. Well, that big day arrived, hence the arrival of the pink bathtub courtesy of Mommy Suttle and Nana. She was a trooper considering she was stripped naked, exposed to frigid air, scrubbed within an inch of her life, and then rubbed down with lotion. I would be pretty ticked as well. Wouldn't you?

What did I ever do to you guys? Is this revenge for the all nighter last night?


Thank goodness! You do still love me.

A Star is Born

Bennett made her theatrical debut Sunday night in a skit at our church. To be honest- I was a nervous wreck beforehand. Would she cry? Would the bright lights hurt her eyes? What if she got onstage and had a melt down? What if I couldn't remember any lines because I was so worried about her? Fortunately, none of that happened and she was a pro. She just sat there like an angel and charmed the audience with her spit bubbles. However, I think I am keeping her off the stage for awhile, due solely to keeping me sane.

It did really make me think about how much our life has changed. Rob and I are both very spontaneous and care free. We are not scheduled people at all. We eat whenever we feel like it, which may be 11:00 at night. We will decide to go see a movie 10 minutes before it starts. We like to spend Saturday afternoons rambling around with no agenda. We may end up downtown or in Tallasee. Who knows? But with Bennett, I have become a slave to the clock. The main reason the skit stressed me out so much was that I didn't want to get her off track. I know precisely when she eats, when she's awake, and when she sleeps. Now, how does getting a baby in a car seat, driving her to the church, waiting backstage, doing the skit, and then getting her home again, fit into her schedule? It doesn't. So either I am going to need to relax on that a little bit, or have the happiest, most well adjusted home bound hermit for the next year.

Jailbird Webster

Don't Shoot!! I surrender!

So, what kind of food do they serve in this joint?

Our cousin Elliot gave us this outfit and hat and we tried them out on her today. We couldn't help but notice that she looked as if she was serving time. I can't really imagine what her crime would be. Maybe interrupting her Mom from a much needed nap with cries of hunger?

For those of you who attend Frazer, Bennett will be making her theatrical debut tomorrow night at the Summits meeting. And NO- I am not a stage Mom already. It was actually her Dad who volunteered her to be in a skit at only 12 days old. What can I say? She's a natural and to quote Mel Brooks, "When you've got it, flaunt it."