Four for Four!

100%. Guaranteed. Absolutely certain.

WILL KEEP YOU REGULAR.

That's got to be a record, folks. And I'm not talking about fiber, bran, or any sort of chemical laxative.

It's the poop suit, People.

It promises to be a blow-out. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

(You think I'm kidding. I'm not. I can't make this stuff up.

Maybe I should have taken a picture of the back.)

Wordless Wednesday

Remembering

Some days just stick out in your mind. They aren't necessarily memories that will last forever, like anniversaries or birthdays, but they linger for a while. February 20, 2009, was not a good day for me.
I kept a page in the front of my DayTimer last year, dated 2/20/09. On it: several scriptures, written out-- John 14:1, John 14:13-14, John 14:27, Matthew 7:7-12, Luke 12:31-32, Luke 17:6. As I read back over these verses that I recorded a year ago, the memory of all these emotions came flooding back... fear, anxiety, lack of faith. I was in the middle of a personal crisis.
I had been desperately wanting a baby. Rob and I had found out a few weeks prior that I was having some "female trouble", and I felt like God had been ignoring me. I didn't believe that God was hearing my prayers. I think my biggest struggle at that time was that I was afraid to pray, afraid to tell God what was in my heart (as if He didn't know), and afraid to ask Him for what I wanted- out of fear that His answer would be "No." I was afraid of being rejected {again} by God. Rob was praying daily that God would heal my body, take away the bad, and replace it with a tiny baby. I listened to him pray every morning with envy, wishing that I shared his faith. It wasn't that I didn't believe God COULD answer, but I didn't think He WOULD, not for me. Why should He answer my prayers? Somehow, I convinced myself that if I didn't ask, He couldn't say no.
I knew that this was a lie, that God desired to hear from me. I vividly remember getting up from my desk and shutting the door to my office before I broke down in tears, frantically searching for these verses because I didn't know what else to do. I was consumed by these terrible thoughts and I didn't want to be. As I wrote down these promises of Jesus, I begged God to give me the strength to believe they were for me.
I'm not sure I ever fully came around to faith even the size of a mustard seed. You know how the story ends though- my house is now happily cluttered with all things soft and pink, and my heart melts daily when I see a huge, gummy grin.
I'm glad I held on to this piece of paper. Today, it is a reminder that God's faithfulness doesn't depend on me. The faith journey is not a straight path; it is marked by mountain peaks and deep valleys and surprise turns. I'm still learning to be consistent when the road is not. But God is good, no matter what. Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. Psalm 117

February 17 - Three Months!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl! You are three months old today! You are so much fun, and we're having the best time with you. You went on your first plane ride AND your first big road trip this month and you did awesome. I'm so happy you're a good traveler- Mommy & Daddy love to be on the go, so we're glad you're falling right in step with us. You woke up with your first runny nose today. I hope that doesn't make you feel too bad.
- You're becoming more of a morning person and are at your happiest right after you eat breakfast. You are still pretty serious when you first wake up from your naps, but you're generally happy most of the time.
- You've been sleeping through the night consistently for a month (you started as soon as you turned 9 weeks old). You usually sleep about ten hours, but it's been as long as 11.5! Even though you sleep good at night, you still need your naps and go down easily. You are not a fan of being woken up too early!
- You are teetering on the verge of laughing. A couple of times you've kind of grunted at us. It's so cute when you try, and we love trying to make you laugh. Peek-a-boo isn't as funny to you as it used to be, but you love it when we make funny faces and stick out our tongues at you.
- You're still on the petite side. You mostly wear 0-3 month clothes, and you've even got one or two newborn outfits that still fit!
- You're very social and don't get overwhelmed by lots of people, although I think it tires you out faster than normal. You're thoughtful, and you tend to just observe quietly and take it all in.

You are a sweet, sweet girl, and your daddy and I could not love you more!

Catching up

I've got several posts in my "drafts" folder that I started and never finished (and hence, never posted). And now they're too old to post so I'm starting over. Again.
Sydney is growing way too fast! She's twelve weeks old now. Seriously! I took a picture last week (that never got posted), and this week we left town on Monday and I completely forgot to take her picture with her lamb before we left. I know, I'm bummed too. But there will be plenty of other pictures to document her twelfth week, so I'm not totally devastated.
Before we left, Syd got together with her cousin, Annabelle, several times. They're so sweet now that they're finally starting to notice each other. Sydney also got to meet Chloe and Olivia this week- the daughters of my cousin and one of my college friends. She's getting more comfortable around other babies, and is definitely curious about them. And these "big girls" have definitely been interested in her too! Annabelle (4 mos) tried to taste her fingers and Chloe (10 mos) just wanted to grab her face!
Sydney's first plane ride was a success! I was really nervous, especially since I was traveling with her by myself, but she did great. She fussed the whole time we were in the tunnel walking onto the plane, and all I could think was, "Oh no- we're going to be THOSE people with the annoying baby" but she settled down before we ever pulled away from the gate and slept the whole way to New Orleans! We talked to several people who were on their way home from the Superbowl, and they all loved her little black bow and Saints onesie.We've had a good time visiting family this week, and she's still got more relatives to meet this weekend.
Ironically enough, the snow followed us to Louisiana! I expect to see snow in Tennessee, but not here- I didn't even bring a coat with me! Maybe Sydney and I should go to Vancouver and bring them some snow too...

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, two words...

GEAUX SAINTS!