the wonderful world of Disney 2012

We had the privilege of traveling to Florida right after Christmas for a trip to Disney with the Douglass side of the family. It was a great time! We were all together in a rented house (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and it was a never-ending chorus of fun and excitement! 

Our first day took us to Universal, where we loved Seuss Landing. We took Rae on her first ride on The Cat in the Hat. She was definitely not sure about it when the seat we were in started whirling like the Tilt-a-Whirl, and it got all dark. Thing 1 and Thing 2 were too many Things, too. All in all, though, the carousel was a sure hit.  

And so was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where Phil and I rode the Dragon Challenge ride. The counter said 10 minutes' wait time, but really they meant it was a 10 minute walk, literally! We walked right on to the rollercoaster, but had to cover some serious ground beforehand. It was a blast, and I loved the whole set up for Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Call me a geek/nerd/dork, I love it. Every minute was super fun. We went from there into Jurassic Park, and that was great, especially Camp Jurassic. We were able to do some hands on climbing, strolling, and running around in there (it's kind of like a big jungle gym). We enjoyed the sweet food deal at Universal since you can purchase a wristband for $20 and eat-all-you-can all day. And everyone else with you. We ended up feeding 13 people (+2 babies) for $60. Not a bad deal at all! We went back to Seuss Landing toward the end of the day where our daughter sat down in the water in the little "If I Ran the Zoo" park, she loved it so much. 

We met our friends at SeaWorld the next day. If it weren't so cold, that would have been super fun, although the company you keep makes everything bearable (or not). We have some great friends: Bryan, September, and Nola were in from Missouri, and Ryan, Sara, Sadie and Paul are Florida natives that we are blessed to know. We stayed with the Baumans before we left on our cruise in September, and we had known them literally seven hours previous to that. Good friends introduce you to other good friends. It's a fact. 

SeaWorld was, of course, full of sea creatures, which Rae found very exciting. She was out of sorts most of the day, but found some smiles for the dolphins (and her mom cried during the dolphin show) and she definitely loved the fish (popping lips). Not at all related, we ate at Texas de Brazil that night, and I've never had a garlic sirloin like that, ever. It was the stuff of dreams. 

We took on the Magic Kingdom on Sunday, after a day of shopping for warmer clothes. Thankfully, the weather reconsidered and it was much warmer the rest of the week. We enjoyed going to Magic Kingdom, but like I said, Rae was still out of sorts (maybe from teething, traveling, lack of naps, parenting?..) so the highlight of her little day was the balloon we got her. I should have followed my gut and bought the crazy thing hours beforehand, but it did the trick regardless. She did like the parades and shows we stopped to see, and it was fun to see all the sights. It seemed that the tough thing was keeping our little traveler in her stroller since there really isn't a good space to play (like at Seuss Landing or Camp Jurassic). I also managed to lose her shoes twice, and my ticket once, but happily everything worked out fine in the end. Just a scatterbrained mommy.
One of our favorites, though, was Epcot, which we saw the next day. It was beautiful and pretty quiet, and we walked straight up to Rae's favorite character, Marie (in France, of course). She loved seeing the "Kiiieee".

 We also saw Aurora, Aladdin and Jasmine, and Pooh, Goofy, Mickey, Chip and Dale, and Pluto because we happened to catch the characters before they left on a break, and were told when they would be back, so we waited for them. We were first in line.

I have to say, that was a highlight. I look more excited to see Mickey than my baby, although now "Miii Mi" on tv is pretty exciting to her, and she wants to watch these videos on my phone over and over. 

Our three-way tie for first place in favorite parks included the last one: Animal Kingdom. Rae did great watching the Lion King show and we had a blast going on the safari! The Expedition Everest ride was fun, so fun that our niece Lily rode it three times. Dinoland was fun, and Rae really liked the Triceratops Spin ride. We made it to another parade, and back into some of the wildlife areas to see the gorillas, hippos, monkeys, and other animals. 

We were so blessed to spend time with family and great friends in our nine days in Florida. It was a great time and we count ourselves so lucky! Hopefully, we've documented it well enough for Rae to appreciate her first visit to "where dreams come true".

christmas past

I did a terrible job doing anything with Christmas pictures and posts, so here is a quick attempt to make up for it. We had a terrific photo shoot with a home-for-the-holidays best friend, and her camera magic was as-always a sure hit. We sent off a lighted {biodegradable} lantern, and it was a hit with our 15 month old. and me. {just being honest!}

We also took some pretty, informal pictures of Rae, but just trying to get her to stay where I put her is a tremendous challenge. In short, these are the best of the bunch.

Thanks JSS!! You're the best. 

Merry post-Christmas and happy new year!

fav at 17. months, that is.

Rae is officially 17 months old. How did that happen? It’s amazing because life seems to be just that much more wonderful and complex since adding her to the mix. I loved life before, and now I love my life even more. It has taken on new meaning and delights. Just think: your life changes when you have a baby, but no one mentions that it doesn’t have to be a bad change. You instantly think selfishly: “I’ll not have time for myself anymore” or “we will have to stop doing fun things” but really that’s not what you find yourself thinking once it’s happened. You drive home from a long day at work excited to see a tiny person say “MOOOm, momomom!” {or daaaaDEEEE!} It is the feeling of being an immediate comfort and a delight to something else, and the best part is, it’s yours. Rae has been the best, and most fun we could ever have hoped for; we are grateful we have her each minute. Praise God.

Here’s a list of our 17 favorites, current trends, quirks….

1.       Crossed ankles. Still.

2.       Her delight in an old photo album. She carries around a light, random album of photos from about the time when Phil first joined the Air Force. It is her favorite thing to flip through all the pages.

3.       Jewels. She wears no less than at least 4 necklaces. Heaven forbid if mommy has one on and she does not.

4.       The Kitty. (KEEE-eee!!!) the highest pitch you can imagine. Good thing Luna is a good sport.

5.        Pasta. The girl can eat.

6.       Books. If You Give A Pig A Pancake. Not sure how I feel about the greedy pig, but she loves it.

7.       Animal sounds. Just ask her what a cow says. MMMMMMMMO. Heavy on the M-oh.  Or the lion {my personal favorite}.

8.       Mirrors. Circles. Dancing. She’s got skillz. Shout-out to Miss Dana in the clip :) 

9.       Reading in the car. She just needs a few to look through, and she always holds it the right way and thumbs from page to page, left to right, just the way it’s supposed to be done. (don’t worry, I took this picture using the backwards camera feature on my phone and the rearview mirror—I’m a safe driver, even at stop lights).

10.   Pulling the towels off the rack. Just because it’s fun. I think it’s because she likes to see what’s cooking in the oven.

11.   Ponytails.

12.   Cooking. {i.e. big messes} She likes to have a little menagerie of rice, cheerios, water, and mini utensils to “cook” while I’m cooking at the stove. It’s fun and it’s messy.

13.   Words & Copying. She is saying So. Many. Words.  Kitty {her first}. Cheerios, blueberries, love you, mommy, daddy, Ky, car, upstairs, outside, pasta, Papa, Gigi, hi, book, “A, E” {the alphabet song}, lion, cow, pig, sheep, doggie {she barks} and fish {she pops her mouth like a fish}.

 And it changes daily.

14.   Tip Toes. She’s just discovered her feet can lift her higher. She’s trying to get the gist of jumping next.

15.   The swing, and loving to be outside. WHEEE WHeee!

16.   Kisses. Open mouthed or blowing kisses.

17.   Being friendly with others i.e. I can still drop her off at the nursery and she doesn’t like it, but she’s brave and will get report cards that say: “Played, Interacted with the Other Children”.

Best thing ever. 

ten months

Our favorite things at 10 months:
1. Crossed ankles {everywhere, including in the high chair and stroller}
2. Curling hair {at the nape of your neck and over your ears}
3. Your noises {gully-gully, liel-liel-liel} and your tongue-in-and-out all the time and your singing {you sing whenever you hear music and always in the stroller}
4. Crawling {you just started last week and now you’re getting smoother and more confident every minute}
5. Tootsie roll legs {daddy says that they look like the rolls you get when you shmoosh a tootsie roll together}
6. Fast and slow speeds at walking {depending on whether someone is chasing you}
7. Reaching for us when you’re scared or tired or upset
8. Funny dancer – leaning back and forth to the music
9. Insatiable appetite {you make us proud}
10. Belly laugh and quick grin {you smile at everyone, and love to give us sugar, but you love your own picture and mirrors and other little people the best}

we heart you.
I took some pictures of you with 10 blueberries, because it's what you love at the moment.
You ate them before I could take the picture.

why craigslist is awesome

So, I admit I was a skeptic at first. My interest in craigslist.org started when I realized that I had a baby on deck, and had expensive taste in baby paraphernalia. So, I started “trolling” craigslist, looking for those lofty brands that I couldn’t quite afford new. The beauty of buying a Bugaboo stroller used is that someone else might have used it for a bit already, but they [or someone at their shower] bought them ALL the accessories that go with it. I scored a Bugaboo stroller [in green, for both genders] complete with bassinet, toddler seat, rain cover, wind cover, sun shade, cup holder, lower basket, and the frame and maintenance kit. All those extras are, of course, sold separately when you buy the thing new. It took a few months of “watching” to find the right one, but in the end I got a steal at a third of the price for new. We also got our lawnmower for $50, along with all the accessories. I got a 4 foot standing deep freezer for $25, for all that breastmilk coming, you know . I got my $300 video monitor system via a shady deal {$200} in some farmer’s market in Berlin, New Jersey. I contacted some lovely girl in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, sent her money via PayPal, and she mailed me her AngelCare monitor for $40. The latest one was the highchair I’ve had my eye on for months now. To buy new, the Boon Flair Pneumatic highchair is $175+. I found one for $75, and just went and picked it up. I’d say it fits. And that, folks, is why craigslist is awesome. Next target: a baby grand piano.

Happy Family – (what exactly is that on a Chinese menu?!)

Oh dear. Oh dear, dear. We are SORELY in need of an update, as I look at pictures of the nursery for the then-unnamed baby from my last post. How much has changed and become better in the time since, in every area of our lives! We have Raegan around now, and she’s truly the delight of our existence. We’re such a happy family.

I’m back to work, my first week back, and it’s been rough. I’m trying to gain approval for some extra work from home time, but so far have met with opposition. I get to stay home on Thursdays. We have a nanny, Dana, taking great care of Raegan during the day, and then Phil gets to spend a full day at home with her on Fridays.

Our weekends are our favorites: we make a big family breakfast (for the adults, anyway) watch college football, work on the house, and just enjoy being together. We’re really seeing personality come through for Rae; she is smiling and making cute noises and likes to stick her tongue out at us. She’s 8 and a half weeks old now.

Her whole birth and the subsequent weeks I wrote and noted in a journal for her sake and mine. We had quite a time getting her to sleep, so up until 5 weeks, we just survived day by day. Thankfully, she is a good baby, and really went with the flow, even if she is the most alert baby in the entire universe. We started Babywise with her then, and since we’ve steadily gotten better with routines and sleep. She’s slept through the night a few times, and generally does really well with her nighttime sleep. It’s the daily naps that she doesn’t like!

This week is a wonder week, where her little system is growing and developing by leaps and bounds. She is even less inclined to sleep right now, so her poor daddy is trying all he can to keep her happy while they’re home together today. It’s just a phase, so hopefully next week will be a new leaf. She’s due for her two month check up on Monday, so we’ll keep notes on how much she’s grown! She’s a tall little thing, already.
I promise to keep this source updated much more frequently!

what do you think?

How about taking a poll of when everyone thinks the baby will come?

Leave your comments below stating your guess of date, time, weight, height, hair color, whether she'll have hair, if it's really a girl, initial of her first name.... anything!

have fun, let's hear what you're thinking!

 

we're ready!

 

lists

 

I have always been a list-maker. I have lists of lists. I find it very soothing and visually organized to cross things off my lists, making that requirement obsolete and no long worthy of my remembrance. It is a relief to me to get things on my list, done. I have lists of ideas, lists of chores, things to buy, and all kinds of different accomplishments. However, they are not the orderly, clean lines that you would expect; they’re mainly so I don’t forget something, and they’re everywhere. I currently am working on a list for Target, Joanne’s, SAM’s, baby gift thank yous, the grocery store, Lowe’s, Ikea, and the list of things we still need before the baby gets there. That last list is the nerve-wracking one.
There are a few important things we still need to get before we’re “ready” for the baby to arrive. Last night, I asked Phil if I were making the belief that “women in their last month before giving birth are grumpy and sassy” true. His reaction was not to the thought that I’ve been difficult (or not difficult, he never said), it was: “that’s all the time we have left?”

Um, yes.
4 weeks.
30 days.
1 month from yesterday, until my due date.

I had to have my maternity leave paperwork signed at work, and surprised my boss with the proximity of the date. Yes, it’s not that far off!
I’m off to make another list of things we still need to do before she arrives. OH my.

Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Abigail Douglass, homeowner.

 

It’s been all of about 100 hours now, but things are in full swing at the new abode. I have to say that I’m SO tired, but every minute is a fulfillment of something deep inside me that’s been waiting in the wings for years now. I’ve scrubbed, swept, unscrewed, wiped, carried, folded, packed, watched, helped, picked up, stretched, envisioned, and generally just got in the way for every task you could imagine. We’re slowly getting into shape. I like to tell people that the best thing so far has been that we started at zero, not in the negatives, so everything we do is an improvement. The new paint job in the Master bedroom, the cleaned carpets, the wiped down bathroom and cloroxed kitchen are infinitely better than they were just those 100 hours previously. The appliances that were never cleaned (not once) are now shining and sparkling their presence in our roomy kitchen. Progress is sweet. We have one more load of mismatched furniture lingering at the one-bedroom apartment to pick up, and then we’re completely moved in. Surrounded by things in boxes and bags, but moved. It’s a dream!

 

The upstairs is coming along really well, now that the carpets are all cleaned, and the rooms are just waiting for their coat of paint. The laundry room is almost complete, too, with the washer fully operational and the new Kelly Ripa dryer just about hooked up! The next step is to continue unpacking and finding places for our things, and to get all this painting done! Phil’s main objective after today is to rip out a large section of drywall in the basement and replace it with new so that we can start using the storage in our basement as well. We have room to put things!! The baby’s been most helpful in keeping me motivated to get this stuff done. I’ve been really impressed with my own stamina and am pretty pleased that we’ve managed a lot of this alone. Shoutouts to Ken, Jenn, Nate, Tim, Chris, and Kylee—who were our big helpers.

 

So, for a rundown:
Nights slept in new house: 2
Trips to Home Depot: 4
Pieces of real mail at new address: 1 (thanks, Callie!)
Buckets of bleach used: 11
Rooms painted: 2
Carpets cleaned: 4
Pieces of furniture actually unpacked: 3 (bed, dresser, armoire)
Hours slept: 30 in five days. Definitely not enough.

relief

My blood pressure today was 104/62.

“Pretty good, right?” I asked the nurse.
“Yes, that’s great”, she replied, entering the data into my health records on the computer.

That blood pressure screening always makes me so relieved because of the stress on me and Phil right now; I’m concerned for the baby.

However, I was having a great morning: I woke up early, got to work early, it’s a quiet Thursday morning, the best day of my work week. England and the USA had won yesterday, Phil was coming home tonight, and I was in a happy mood, despite the [house] difficulties that we have going on in our lives.

I opened my email and saw that the fare for a flight from Atlanta was on sale. SO, I bought my ticket to go to Callie’s baby shower! (and bought a few things on Etsy for said baby shower)

It was going to be a good morning.

I had my bi-monthly doctor’s checkup later this morning. It went great, we’ve not gained any weight in the last two weeks (we’re healthy!) and her heartbeat sounds loud and strong.

Then, miracle of miracles, as I’m driving back to work from the doctor’s, Phil calls to tell me that the one bedroom apartment we’re hoping to rent will only be needed for one month.

Because we got approval on the house.

Praise God, through Whom we have all things! We’re so relieved and happy and excited!

We’ll move in sometime in July, after closing goes through.

Give God some praise!

 

lament

I have a few pieces of favorite clothing items: things that the second I put them on, I feel poised and confident. Comfort clothing, and I don’t mean sweats, although those work at times, too. I have a lovely purple dress from Proenza Schouler that is one of those pieces. If I’m feeling kind of hefty or just need a pick-me-up, that dress does it for me. I pair it with purple heels and a breezy Proenza Schouler shirt underneath and I’m ready to take on the world.

Today was the day of choice to wear the dress. I shaved my legs, slathered on some pomegranate body butter, put on the blouse, let the silk slip over my head, and asked Phil to zip me up.

It wouldn’t zip.

I seriously contemplated crying for a few minutes. I stood there with my dress half on, just waiting for the joke to end.

Over the weekend, I had removed items from my closet that had numbered days, and put in some summer favorites that were destined to be my stand-bys for the months to come.
This lovely, empire-waisted number was one I was counting on!

It is not my belly.

Let’s suffice it to say, I will not be wearing my favorite dress for quite a few months because some other, ahem, areas have grown exponentially, and of my 10 pounds of weight gain, half of it is in my bra.

I’m crying inside.

she

She’s on her way. It’s official, the newest baby Douglass is a girl. To most, that is old news, but to her daddy and I, we’re slowly digesting this. We had such a great weekend, and every bit of the planning and figuring out how to make the babycake happen was worth it. I have to thank my mom and mother-in-law and sister-in-law for making quite an effort to make the event so much fun! Everyone contributed an item reflecting what gender they guessed. We got some adorable things, and even the boy items will just wait (alongside a few other things) in the Armoire Drawer. The “girl guessers” were right, though.



The instant we cut the cake (complete with wedding-cake-united-hand-pose) the entire collective audience “leaned in” because at first the icing looked white! (can we say "pregnant pause"?) The pale pink was enough though and somebody said “GIRL!”



Such a great moment. Me and the daddy had to hold each other for just a minute because it was precious and so real now.



There’s a “she” in my belly and it’s been really fun to be able to talk about her. Out of the six of us due in September, five of us are having girls (and one is having boy/girl twins). It was the best thing to all be pregnant at the same time, but now to be having girls all together, well, that’s just phenomenal. It makes me really happy. (the only downside is that none of our kids can marry each other, though *wink*)

Many happy pink thoughts! I reiterate:

the best name

A good friend of mine is pregnant and due about two weeks after me. It was super exciting to find out that they will be undertaking the same journey we are. It’s not quite “misery loves company” but new parents will love someone close by going through the same thing… Anyway, we both are finding out the gender of our respective babies this weekend and next week, but she mentioned that they’re having issues agreeing on names. Her husband is deployed in Iraq (thank you, Sal!) but they are going through baby name books and copious phone calls to figure out what they’re going to call their little bean. (As previously mentioned, we have ours picked out—since last year. It only took 6 years.) Well, she mentioned to me that Sal likes the name Abigail. And one of his boy names was Philip. After they laughed and laughed at the idea of naming their child after their friends, they really did have good reason—family ties, name meanings and the like.

I must add that I think they’re perfectly great names.

So, in honor of Kristin and Sal, I have a list of my favorite Abigails in blogland and elsewhere.


a gorgeous photographer and all around sweet person...
Abi Q photography


an amazing woman with crazy similarities to another Abi we know...
Through Abby’s Lens


the fabulous editor of Style Me Pretty...
Abby Larson



a fantastic designer...
Abbey Goes Design Scouting

one of the coolest women in ancient history...
Abigail from the Bible

and of course, the Abigail I'm named for...
Abigail Adams

photo credits to: Abi Q Photography, Stacy Reeves, and Cunningham Photo Artists

pure bliss

Inspired by this site, I wanted to write a quick thought on what makes me blissful. There was plenty of it today, so sharing is no difficult feat.

1. I love this chair
I have a very deep love for all things British, from Beckham to buttered scones.



2. I love this wedding idea

It makes me want to get married all over again; I even proposed to my sweet husband on Facebook today. Isn’t that nice?

3. I love that my haircut is being redeemed. See this link

4. I love, love, love my family.



5. I love the funny little pokes I’m feeling in the belly region and I love the names we’ve picked out. And no. We’re not telling. Anyone. Don’t even bother asking. :)

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day. Psalm 139.16

What’s your bliss today?

dilemma

I’m having a dilemma.

We decided to do a baby gender cake way back when to find out “all together” what we’re having. This is a great idea and could be potentially a great moment in our family history, however I find myself with a case of the snobby-tastebud.

Unsure as to what that is?

Well, call us—the man and me—food snobs. Blame it on the fact that we both had moms who were and are ridiculous cooks and bakers. (It even goes back further to other generations!) The pressure was on when we got married, and I’m happy to say that I’m not too shabby in the kitchen now.
However, because of our over-developed palate, we know a good cake versus a bad one. This ordering business is creating quite a problem. I feel the need to sample every bakery’s offerings before deeming it worthy to create something as important as my baby’s gender-revealing cake (I mean that in a strictly platonic way, certainly not literal. In that case, it would be a diaper—wait, that’s a funny idea.)

In any case, I really just want our traditional family chocolate cake with a line of blue or pink icing in the center. However, nobody can know (i.e. make the cake!) within the realm of the family, and family is who makes the best cakes! Such a to-do.
All searches have so far turned up the underqualified (i.e. grocery) the overpriced (philadelphia area custom cakes) and the unknown (the corner bakery, named for someone who may or may not own the shop…)

Any suggestions? I’m begging for crumbs!

photo credit to the Tillman baby cake unveiling!

Update: we've got a solution and a third party cake decorator to fix all of this for us. So, thanks to some creative finagling by Grandma Gaunt and Mom, we're set for the baby cake!

Gigi

Mom did Easter baskets for us this weekend, just like she’s done every Easter since I can remember. I love when my mom buys me presents. She puts a lot of thought into each one, thinking “would she like that?” or “would she wear it?” And every time she presents us with our gifts, she has to disclaim it, saying “if you don’t like it, or won’t wear it, I don’t mind”. She even leaves the price tags right on there if she isn’t sure we’ll love it. We all laugh because our sense of style and our opinions may vary, but ultimately we all got them from the same place—her.
Let me just say it’s a huge bummer that her shoes are 3 sizes too small for me.

She’s the sweetest thing, buying me baby gifts for the last 7 years we’ve been married. I have a collection I mentioned before in the Armoire Drawer—err, well, right now it’s in a suitcase. Every Christmas she overdoes it and we end up with a mountain of gifts to give and to get, and it’s so exciting! I might be 26, but I’m never too old to love getting presents from mom. Dad lovingly tolerates her holiday mayhem, and we all absorb every bit of it. We all went searching for our respective baskets on Sunday; then she had two egg hunts for us.

Yes, we’re all the ages of 13, 20, 23, and 26, but don’t hate.

She got me a ring the size of a pecan, green like my eyes, and from Israel because she knew I’d love it. I’ve worn it ever since. The funniest thing was that when she picked it out, she knew it was totally me, but had to “make sure” by asking my opinion on it in the catalogue, what I thought about the one she picked for Kylee, and so on and so forth. She second-guesses her fabulous intuition probably because there were a few ungrateful teen incidences, but for those we take full credit. We’re better off for it, “no-thank-you-helpings” = case in point (more on that in another post).

I know she’s just been waiting for a grandbaby for a long time, so she can spoil him or her. We’ve decided to go with “Gigi” for the abbreviated “Grandma Gaunt” since that one’s already taken! She isn’t the typical grandma type, so something different and spunky suits her best, anyway.
I’m pretty sure the baby just poked me in agreement, or maybe it’s just because he or she really likes malted milk Robin’s Eggs, like me. And like Gigi.

Expectantly Waiting

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD. 2 Chronicles 20:12 & 13

The pastor at the church we visited this weekend used Scripture from 2 Chronicles to illustrate the need for us to pray for our nation and to seek God for direction on the healthcare issue. While I may be shortsighted, this verse leapt out and grabbed me, for me.

“But our eyes are on You” is exactly the attitude and feeling I have.

Peace. [Yoga breath: deeply through pursed lips]

Then Monday morning, I opened my daily Bible verse from Sunday’s emails and:
bLAM! How about 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat seeking the Lord?!
The call was quite clear and we’re praying and fasting today.

I know that there will be an answer on the house; how could it be any different when so many people are praying, fasting, and hoping on it?

But, first and foremost, “our eyes are on You”. And in that, I find rest.

We’re moved out of our apartment, nearly completely, and on to the next phase.

It’s shown me some interesting aspects of my character—the need for a “home” and a secure place to live. While I thought I was up for the adventure of living on the fly, it’s harder than I thought, especially since I feel like I need to be painting something, or refinishing things I need for the new baby, and becoming acquainted with our new home!

Being grounded and reminded that the Lord is meeting our needs through those tangible attention-grabbers really was perfect timing.

It always is. Expectantly waiting.

What are you waiting for? Are your eyes on Him?

Gutted

It started as a bummer of a week; gutted being the word of choice I'd use to describe it.

I remember a Far Side Cartoon I saw at my grandparents' house when I was little: the animation was of two deer, standing next to each other and the one said to the other: “Bummer of a birthmark, Hal”. “Hal” had a red, target bullseye on his belly: perfect aim for the attentive hunter.

Yep, a bummer.

I was seriously gutted when my favorite soccer player, David Beckham, tore his Achilles tendon this week, effectively ruling him out of competing in his fourth World Cup later this year. I love that family—a post for another day—but I was honestly gutted. Love how that applies.

It would have been the perfect week—if I think I know more than God—to find out that we finally, finally got the house we’re waiting for.

But, thankfully, I am not God. I do have a plug, though, for which I’m grateful, but the timing is still “not yet”.

Bummers are things that happen just because they can. They don’t change your life in a tangible or unretractable way, but they hurt nonetheless.

They are the mechanic bill to fix a problem that’s supposedly been fixed three times.

They’re the disappointment of missing an Irish dinner on Saint Patty’s Day because you weren’t on the list at the restaurant because you didn't know.

They’re being in transition and not having all your utensils available to make cupcakes because you already packed them.

They’re missing being home with beloved siblings visiting over spring break.

They’re seeing the last vestiges of life slip out of your pants because your waistline is getting too big to fit anymore.

Wait—that’s not a bummer—

Especially when it’s due to the fact that it means your baby is growing. . .

Then the Lord sent me this in my email inbox. “When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work -- this is a gift of God.” Eccl. 5:19.

Yes, He said, this has been a bummer week, but you’ve almost gotten through it! And it’s 70 degrees out! And you did make cupcakes! And you have an amazing family and friends who all really like you! It’s only money, time, and convenience that you’re sad over, and all those things belong to Me anyway.

Oh.
I was really thankful for that reminder. I wasn’t bummed at all that He got me on that one.
To really push the point home, He sent this for me to read. Be warned, you will cry: once again, I was gutted. The pictures say 1000 words and the writing is divinely inspired. I’m not bummed; I’m thankful.

What are you thankful or grateful for this week?

The Armoire Drawer

We did a major, overhaul cleaning yesterday since we’re getting ready to leave the apartment in Tuckerton. Not really sad, only a bit, since we’re so used to moving around. We’re just on the fringe of understanding what having a “place of our own” will be like. We did clean out a lot of stuff though. I threw out old clothes, paraphernalia, and lots of sentimental items that didn’t turn out to be so sentimental. The ones that got saved though were a card for my wedding from my Grandma and Grandpa Peake, newspaper clippings on the Olympics from my Grandma Gaunt, letters from Phil in bootcamp, pictures Haylynn drew for me when she was little, and invitations to every niece’s birthday party. I love to look through things that have had time to be “dated.” It’s really neat to see the stack of cards from your wedding, and while you may not be able to keep them all, it’s a reassuring pile of love and affirmation.
One of my favorite things I went through yesterday was the bottom drawer of my armoire. This little space has been saving the important baby-related items I have had and hoarded for quite a while. There’s a pair of star-covered shoes that I bought for $3.97 from Gap when I was about 13. There’s a few bird-related onesies that I HAD to have when Old Navy had a sale. There’s an Ed Hardy onesie that is Phil’s favorite. My mom and family have been giving me “incentive” gifts for the future grandbaby/niece/nephew for years! Looking through that drawer as we were organizing our place to pack up was really exciting. That little onesie will have a tiny pair of biscuits in it in a few months! It’s amazing how things all really do have a time and a season.

Hot Carbs

So I told Elliot the other day that this blog wasn’t going to turn into a baby-gushing blog because that’s just annoying. Ha ha, however, he told me that he needed somewhere to get updates on the “little guy”. Apparently, the men of the family are rooting for another, but I can’t blame them. I honestly don’t care either way, but if pressed, I would have to say that it’s a girl. ONLY because I have a desire to eat HOT CARBS all the time. Oh mac and cheese, noodles of any kind, potatoes, BAGELS. I’m trying to be reasonable, like opting for a multigrain bagel from the superior bagel shop only a floor below my desk, but at the same time, carbs have always been my favorite. Meat, not so much, unless it’s Kobe beef from Yoshino’s or my mother-in-law’s roast beef, my mom's grilled chicken or my husband’s grilled salmon, or my chicken salad…well. Safe to say, I still like it. But what I would do for a New York bagel! Oh well, I guess I’ll have to wait until we go up there tomorrow. NEARLY instant gratification. Yes, I’m a brat.

Updates on the pregnancy: we are officially 12 weeks (3 months!) today. First trimester over. Now I start to get chubby (ier). :) Ultrasound in the next 2 weeks, our first! Really looking forward to seeing the little “guy-irl”.