Lorelei,

You are 2 years and 9 months old.  You’ve mastered the fine art of dressing yourself (except for shirts, they’re pretty confusing).  You adore watching shows and have somehow developed a little smarty pants attitude.  And then, there’s the whining.  Somehow, you instinctively know that if you repeat the same word in the same whiny voice, it’ll drive anyone near you CRAZY.  You adore playing dress up and shopping and girly things like: new clothes, lip balm, fingernail polish, and shoes.  You still like taking showers and baths and look forward to bedtime stories (even if you do try to get out of the bedtime part of it).  You have a new obsession with gum and have started eating normally again.  You went from eating very little to continuously saying, “Mom, I hungry!”  Things you’ll eat right now are:  yogurt, fresh fruits (pineapple and blueberries and mandarin oranges are your favorites), pasta, pizza, and the like.  We’re trying to keep things healthy for you – little or no chips, soda and candy.  You don’t seem to mind too much, except for when you see someone else eating them.  Potty training is kind of…not really happening.  Which, has more to do with me than you, I think.  We did the big kid panties one day and you peed 6 times in 2 hours, and I realized I’d have to attach a potty to you to keep up with you.  You love playing outside in your little cars and love playing inside with your barnyard uno and candyland games.  And, then…there’s your sister, whom you adore.

Aurora,

You are 8 months old now.  You eat “solids” (2nd stage) and have started to crawl.  I started feeding you solids later than I could have because I ‘m a little reluctant for some reason.  Your favorite thing EVER is your sister.  You now hate the bumbo or anything else that keeps you from roaming around.  You throw major tantrums when we lay you down for a diaper change, and sometimes holding you is all that makes you happy.  With that said, you’re still a happy baby.  You are now sleeping the majority of the night in a swing.  You wake up to eat and we let the batteries run down so it only swings you at first.  Soon, you’ll be practicing spending the night in your crib, after we move it to your sister’s room.

Girls,   I love being your mommy and feel so blessed day in and day out…even through the tantrums (yours and mine) and meltdowns.  I love listening to you, Lorelei, as you try to express your thoughts with words, and how you try to incorporate things you’ve heard us say (even when it’s not the best word usage on our part).  As I watch the changes in each of you, as you morph into two distinct personalities, I wonder what’s in store for us.  And, I hope you always remember this feeling…

Of sisterly love…

Welcome back!

Remember that list of things you love about your spouse you wrote?  Re-write each one on a sticky note, saying ” I love…. (you fill in the blank)”  and stick them up for your spouse to find.  Then, take the original list and put it somewhere you will see it often to remind you.

Pray for your spouse today.  If you aren’t used to praying for your spouse, try it.  Start small if you need to.  You don’t need eloquent words and you don’t need an audience, just talk to God in your own way.  You’ll be amazed at what prayer can do.  Trust me on this one.

(PS – This is not one of those things you rub in someone’s face during a fight.  “Oh yeh, well I can’t believe I prayed for you today!  GAH!”)

Make two lists.  Make one list of at least 10 things you adore about your spouse.  Make another list of things you wish were different about your spouse.

Rip the second list up.  (Save the first for later)

You see, when you married your spouse, you CHOSE to love them.  THEM.  Not someone perfect, not someone flawless, THEM.  There will be bad times, there will be great times – and regardless which of those you are in right now, you can CHOOSE to love your spouse.  It doesn’t mean you have to like everything they do sometimes, but it does mean that you accept them and love them despite all of that…just like God chooses to love us with each of our flaws.  Recognize your spouse is human and practice loving them today!

Take a walk with your spouse.

Fresh air.  Increased circulation.  A common goal.  Quality time together.  Improved mood.  Exercise.  Yeh…I’m not really seeing any negatives to this.  You might even want to make it a common thing…

Today’s challenge was to share breakfast with your spouse.  I prepared you for that challenge yesterday afternoon, but if you didn’t get to do it…it’s not too late!  Pick a different meal to prepare for them and then share it with them and have some good conversation time.  Remember, it can be simple or complex, it’s up to you!  But, taking your spouse coffee or dessert or a snack counts too!  It’s the THOUGHT!

Today, your challenge is two parts:

One:  Send your spouse a note/letter/e-card to let them know you love them and are thinking about them.  It can be sexy, romantic…whatever you choose.  Take whatever you are easily comfortable with and stretch yourself just a little bit – if you’re comfortable with teddy bears dancing over a page, kick it up with a sweet romantic note.  If you’re already comfortable with that, try sexy.  I recommend this site if you want to send a quick e-card.  Also, post-it notes work great, too.  It doesn’t have to take 3 hours, just let them know you are thinking about them!

Two:  Plan to prepare and eat a breakfast with your spouse tomorrow.  This may take some creativity, so if your spouse is usually still in bed when you leave, you may need to allow extra room in your schedule to get up and dressed and bring breakfast to bed where the two of you can eat side by side.  Or, if your spouse leaves earlier than you, you may need to get up early to prepare something.  It doesn’t have to be gourmet, just thoughtful.  It could be as simple as granola bars and grapefruit (other ideas: yogurt, oranges, mixed fruit, bagels, pastries, donuts, etc) or as complex as bacon, eggs, biscuits, and the whole spread.  If your spouse is away, consider visiting them at work to have breakfast with them.  Breakfast is the first meal of the day (even if you don’t normally eat it), and as small as it may SEEM, it’s a great gesture to show you’re thinking about THEM.

In honor of my husband, I’m going to post 30 days worth of tips for a better marriage.  I know Valentine’s Day is LESS than 30 days away, but why stop at the holiday?  Why not keep going.  I challenge you to try these out and let me know what you think…if you believe your marriage couldn’t use any improvement, you’re probably either delusional or an incredibly selfish spouse.  So…try it…for experiment’s sake

Day One -

Check out THIS BOOK.  You won’t be sorry.  Even my husband swears by it.  And…if you’ve already read it, then you should check out and sign up for one of their conferences.  Let’s just say that even if you don’t think you have an issue in this department, this book will STILL bless you.  It’ll be the best $16.99 you ever spent.  I promise.

1.  Regardless that you never stuffed your bra in highschool, you might suddenly find yourself doing so.  You may even want to buy stock in nursing pads, I’m just sayin’…

2.  My number one requested item on my baby shower list POST-BABY?  Fitted sheets…because um, yeah.

3.  Right after that?  Towels.

4.  Cabbage leaves?  Don’t work.  Unless you WANTED to smell like rotten yuck, then of course, by all means…

5.  The La Leche League leader was quite possibly born with no feeling in certain areas of her body.  Or, it’s a man.  Because, I can think of no other logical reason they would tell you that it won’t hurt at all…unless you’re doing it wrong.  Because it will.  Badly (if it’s your first).  But, it DOES go away in a couple of weeks.

6.  They sell books on positions…for nursing.  Most of which, might be dangerous with a newborn – and a very sleep deprived mama.  (Plus, I found it hard to do some of them just because of logistics…until she was a little older…so don’t feel bad if you have a little trouble.  It’s not just you.  It could quite possibly be just me, though.)

7.  A sexy nursing bra?  HAHAHAHAHA.

8.  By the way, you’ll have to replace those suckers (nursing bras) quite a lot if you get one that’s more substantial than a bit of cloth – which I suggest you buy unless you just love wet spots (which are apparently not sexy to most men.)

9.  You don’t have to buy the specialty nursing tops…but it sure makes things easier at first when you’re learning how to be discreet and not show everyone your stuff.

10.  Pretty evening wear doesn’t usually equal nursing friendly.  Actually, it makes things kind of difficult.  It may end up resembling something like a chunky cloth necklace in a locked backroom before the evening is over.

11.  Some people are stupid and think it’s okay to suggest you should feed your baby in the bathroom.  It is 100% fine to tell them that you will feed your child in the bathroom after you see THEM eat their meal from on the toilet.

12.  Although your husband might have faked remorse over not being able to share the nightly feedings with you, he may not actually jump in when it finally comes time for solids.  Occasionally, it is normal for a man to forget how to do things…you know, like hold a baby spoon.

13.  There is a fine line between nourishing your sweet child and becoming a human pacifier.  It’s up to you where you stand on that one, and you may find yourself weakening your resolve.  Like, in order to get some peace and quiet before your head explodes, for example.

As part of my 2010 Resolutions, I promised MYSELF to paint more.  I have so many hobbies, so many things that I enjoy, so I promise myself to spend more of my time doing those things and less time doing things that make me anxious and unhappy.

With that in mind, I’d like to present to you my new portfolio/”gallery”:  http://bosssanders.blogspot.com

Check in often for updates, and watch for special art appearances from Lorelei (she’s found a new love for painting, also!)

Please feel free to leave comments, too.  Everybody loves getting comments on their blog…unless it’s mean, then keep it to yourself