First Family Photos

(I hope you appreciate the alliterative effect of the title - you know who you are!!)

Last month, my side of the family got together at my brother's house in Houston to get some family portraits done on account of they are moving to Alaska next month. (Could that be a longer sentence?! Seriously!!) So, I made a cute dress for Cora, and shopped until I found John and me outfits to match. Yesterday, the lovely finished products arrived in my mailbox. Here we are in all our bluebonnet sitting glory. ***Small disclaimer: I took a picture of the pictures which is probably all kinds of illegal. I couldn't use the flash without having all of the paranormal experts of the world flocking to my blog to discuss the mysterious orb that appeared floating beside Cora. All that to say the pictures are not actually blurry in person.***

I had no idea how difficult it would be to get a shot of a 9 month old and a 3 year old looking into the camera and smiling in addition to the 6 adults! I picked the bottom shot because I thought all the adults looked lovely. . .despite the fact that I have my hand up Cora's dress - nice! - and she is looking down while playing with a pink and orange cow.

Here is a little snippet of what went on behind the scenes to try to coax good pictures out of the little girls.
I am jumping up and down and snapping while calling out Cora's name. John is working the dog puppet that barks when you open his mouth. Yes, we were the crazies in the public park! But, I must say that the process worked because we had over 200 photos to look at. And, it was near impossible not to just order them all. So, when it was time for school portraits the following week, I thought I would not feel the need to buy any. But, geez, they were just too darn cute, too! (Is it just me, or do we have a pretty, stinkin' cute kid?!) So, to those of you who have commented on the amount of pictures in our house of Penny vs. Cora, and you know who you are (ha ha!!), consider the problem remedied!

It Counts in My Book

On Friday as I was nursing Cora, I leaned down to stroke her hair. She looked up at me with those beautiful green eyes and said in the sweetest little voice I've ever heard, "Mama." We had a little special moment! She immediately followed it up with "Mamamamamamama." But, I have to tell you, I think it counts in my book!

Please Let It Be a Growth Spurt

Cora's schedule has been a little off these past two days. (And, you know we are nothing if not scheduled over at Cora's house!) She usually sleeps a little later on Saturdays because we have a Bible study that keeps her up a little later on Friday nights. I put her down for her morning nap yesterday as usual expecting her to sleep for 30 or 45 minutes. She slept for over 2 hours! Then, in the afternoon, she slept for another 2 and a half hours with a 12 hour rest last night. Today she is down for a second nap already. (This not being one of her regular nap times.) I know that she lost weight when she got sick a few weeks ago. Hopefully, this will make up the difference and blessedly, "then some!"

Correction

No, Cora is not getting 4 teeth right now. Sorry for the mistake. She is actually getting 6 teeth right now! I am just as shocked as you are! Today, during a rousing game of tickle belly, she had a huge open-mouthed laugh, and I saw the other two top teeth poking through the gums. No wonder she'd been swimming in drool! So, in a few weeks when they are all more visible, she will have 8 teeth in that tiny mouth. Oh, bless her!

And a Short-Lived Victory It Was

Teething ring - check!

Water bottle - check!

Pacifier - check!

Alternate pacifier - check!

Nap for Friday - ???

Curls!

Y'all, I am thrilled beyond measure! When Cora woke up from her nap the other day, look what I found on the back of her head.
Yes, sir, that is a real live curl back there. Here's to hoping to see more!

Birthing Class Reunion

I'm ashamed to admit it. I'm a drop-out. John and I dropped out of our birthing class after four weeks. We still had two more weeks to go. It really wasn't our fault. Circumstances just got in the way. You're probably thinking that those are pretty pathetic excuses. What kind of person has to drop out of birthing class?! Well, the kind of person that has to drop out of birthing class is the kind of person who has her baby two weeks before the classes are over! When they say sign up early for classes, they mean it!

A few weeks ago, one of the wonderful couples from the class e mailed everyone about a class reunion. We got together this past weekend to meet the babies. There were four couples who were available to come. We met Auriane and Xander. We also got to play with Abby again. (She goes to church with us.) Cora was the oldest, but the smallest - not that it is ever a surprise. Here are the girls playing together.

Xander was way too smart to get caught up with the women. Every time Hope tried to put him down with the girls, he would fuss. It was like he already knew what trouble women are! Too funny!

Her Cleverness Startles Me

First of all, is cleverness a word?! Cleverity?! Cleverism?!

You know we've been battling at nap time with Cora throwing her pacis out of the crib. She has even started throwing toys and her water bottle out. I think she finds the thud as they hit the wood floor just HI-larious. However, when she's ready to sleep, she has nothing to pacify her. The result of that is an hour of crying until she wears herself out and goes to sleep. This is extremely stressful on the mommy. I hate to listen to her cry, but I don't want to foster this bad habit. I do go and pat her on the back to soothe her every so often, but I've learned that she just has to wear herself out before she's ready to nap.

Miraculously, today she went down for her nap pretty easily. I went to check on her after a few minutes. When I pushed open the door, notice what I found.


And, notice what I saw in her mouth. (Sweet baby girl is getting 4 teeth right now. She drools while she sleeps. Bless her little heart!)

I declare the mommy victorious. . . for today. . .

It's Like My Own Little Parade Route

People, Cora is going to be 10 months old on Friday. I AM NOT going to have any more of those pesky baby pounds lingering on her first birthday. People, I intend to prance around her birthday party in my bikini so that you can all clap and tell me how great I look. (Okay, okay, I won't wear my bikini at her birthday party, but you get my drift!) All that being said, John's and my mid-April resolution is to lose 15 pounds each. Yesterday, John started the day by taking Cora for a nice long walk. I spent the morning driving around Austin visiting my interns using my new GPS system. Oh, how I love TomTom and my new best friend, Tim the automated Brit. Alas, the story of my new GPS will have to wait for another day. Since I missed out on the morning walk, I took Cora for an afternoon walk after her nap. We did a little circuit involving all the cul-de-sacs on my street and the street behind me. I don't like to walk too far away from the house by myself anymore on account of the coyotes AND rattlesnakes and lack of taser on my part! (See previous posts.) My little circuit takes around 30 minutes, so despite the fact that I have six swollen fire ant bites on my right foot where the socks gently rub them into a fiery torrent that makes you want to stop and gnaw your leg off at the ankle, deep breath, I decided to walk it twice. Let me tell you, it was great! Every time I passed by someone for the second time, they would have some sort of encouraging comment about me being back for round 2. Fab-u-lous! This must be what it feels like when you are the Tournament of Roses queen except there was no crown or fancy princess gown. . .and there were no roses. . .and I was pushing my "float". . .Maybe next time, I'll wear my tiara. That'll really class it up. I'm sure the neighbors will be impressed!
(This picture is not from yesterday, but it's just too cute to waste away in Picasa!)

How Do I Not Notice These Things?!

Cora and I have a carseat tradition. Not sure how it started. Whenever we get to our destination and I get her out of her carseat, I always lean over the seat and say "Hey, baby!" with a big smile. I guess that's not much of a tradition. . .more of a habit. . .or really, just a statement. . .anyway, she always gets that big open-mouthed grin on her face when she sees and hears me. Yesterday when we got home, we went through the regular procedure when I noticed 2 MORE teeth! How I didn't see them before, I do not know. But, there they are. . .her two top teeth. For those of you keeping track, your tally should read 5 - two on top, three on the bottom. I think she's just about ready to break in those chompers with a nice juicy steak!

Fair is the Rose

Man's Best Friend No Longer Includes Babies

Tonight as Cora and I were munching on our dinner (crackers, cheese, and mango for Cora/leftover brisket for me), Penny, as usual was hovering and praying for one of us to drop a tasty morsel. Penny has not forgotten her heritage as a huntress, and she knows exactly where to stalk her prey. Cora was holding her cracker in her sweet little hand when she heard the jingling of Penny's collar. As she turned to look down at puppy girl, she happened to be holding the cracker (or the prey) over the edge of the side of the high chair. Penny being the scavenger swooped in for the kill. The cracker was gone before sweet baby Cora even realized what was happening. Oh, but when she did realize it. . . I so wish I had my video camera within reach. The little lips quivered and formed a frown. The mouth slowly came open, and the wailing began. She was utterly heartbroken. Even the offer of another cracker didn't quell the flood of emotion. Penny, however, sat happily on her haunches crunching her spoils. I think it's a good thing that Cora's memory is about 23 1/2 seconds. Later tonight, Cora was giggling and crawling after her best friend as usual. I just think she'll be a little more careful with her food from now on.

It Just Keeps Getting Wilder!

Penny is a bit of a trickster. She'll sit at the door and whine to go out. When one of us gets up (off of our lazy bee-hineys) to let her out, she'll run to the kitchen and sit by the cookie jar waiting for a treat. It's almost like she's saying, "Well, as long as you're up, I wouldn't mind a tasty meat flavored snack!" (Yes, we do keep our dog treats in the cookie jar. Beware should you try to sneak a snack when you are here!)

Penny was up to her usual tricks today. I had already attempted to let her out once, so I was not optimistic that she would actually go outside this time either. However, as soon as I let her out the door, she streaked across the yard toward some imaginary foe. . .or so I thought. I happened to peak outside just to make sure my vicious watch dachshund didn't plow through the fence in all her enthusiasm. That's when I noticed the cat. This cat was speckled black, white and gray. This cat was also very slow and virtually unresponsive to the barking, excited, red mass running toward it. Very unusual for a cat, no?! Then, I realized it was not a cat. Rather, it was a momma opossum with about 6 babies on its back. Immediately, ten thousand thoughts flash across my mind. . . words such as rabies, emergency vet and roadkill. At this point, it is impossible to get Penny away from the trespasser. And, unfortunately for the momma-possum, there is nowhere for her to go. Thankfully, John proves once again to be the more level-headed of the two of us. He manages to get Penny far enough away from the critter by using the water hose. Momma-possum scampers up a tree and onto our fence. Amazingly, my dog who cowers in fear at the mention of the word b-a-t-h, was willing to run through the high-powered stream of water to jump up and bark at the possum on the fence. The critter finally scampers down to the safety of a neighbor's dogless yard. Our tiny faithful sentinel stood guard for about half an hour just to make sure the unlucky visitor did not come back.

As I have mentioned before, the internet is a wonderful, dangerous thing. But, in this case, it was quite useful. According to the Opossum Society of the United States (No, I did not make that up!), possums rarely carry rabies. And, though they are nocturnal, mommas will come out during the day to forage for food. And, not only do possums roll over and play dead, they also have special glands to emit the stench of a dead animal. Umm, gross! Like I said, the internet is a dangerous thing! I should stick to enjoying the wilderness all around me!

I Didn't Really Mean it That Way

I have found over the past few years that God has a sense of humor. Just ask me what happened the year that I prayed for patience! I find it to be really exciting to have inside jokes in my relationship with the creator of the universe. After the other night, I really felt the need to speak my heart about a tender moment between Cora and me. God put a prayer on my heart that I wanted to share, and then, God chuckled a little on his throne. You may recall that I prayed to enjoy all the moments, good and bad, happy and sad. Now, I imagine God saying under his breath, "Just wait, beloved! Just wait!"

So last night, John woke up out of the blue feeling the need to take Cora's temperature. The magic number turned out to be 103.7. This is when John decides to ask me if I thought the thermometer was accurate. In my groggy state, the best I can do is shrug my shoulders and try to think of a way to determine its accuracy. We decided that the best thing to do was to take my temperature. Ahh, but here's the rub. . .where do you take a baby's temperature? This leaves me with two very unappealing options. I'm not going to reveal how I figured out my temperature as I just don't want our relationship to have to change because of some unfortunate image you cannot get out of your head! Anywho, we determined that the thermometer was pretty darn accurate. At 2:00 in the morning, the only viable option for babies with high fevers is the emergency room. Yea, a field trip?!

Fortunately for us, there is a new hospital very near to us that is in the same family of hospitals as the one where we delivered. Being that it is so new and in a less densely populated area, the waiting room was vacant. We were seen immediately. The doctor ordered a breathing treatment and a chest X-ray as well as a dose of baby Motrin. The breathing treatment helped some, and the chest X-ray revealed nothing more than we already knew. But, as a precaution, he prescribed an antibiotic just in case this isn't viral. We are to continue breathing treatments, administer tylenol and motrin every 4 and 6 hours, and give the antibiotic twice a day. So, a mere 2 hours later, we are back on our way home. . . Just in time for John's alarm clock to go off for him to get up for work!

I would say that this whole experience falls under the bad/sad category (although as far as bad/sad goes, this one was admittedly very minor.) Thankfully, between all the drugs/treatments, little missy has not run a fever all day. She is much happier today, and her appetite is slowly coming back. Hopefully, she is truly on the mend. But, if not, I now know some really great doctors just a few minutes away!

Privileged

Last night I got the privilege of rocking my little one to sleep. I say it is a privilege because we all know little missy is pretty set in her ways. She is not a cuddler, and ever since she was a wee little thing, she has insisted on being put to bed while still awake. Don't get me wrong, she's very affectionate. She loves to be held and will give you the most fabulous slobbery kisses, but she just has better things to do than to sit still and rock.

When her fever spiked again yesterday evening and her appetite dramatically decreased, I knew we were in for a long night. At about 10:30, when she woke up crying, I went in to find her sitting at the end of the crib reaching up for me. She had that glassy-eyed, sick look to her, so I scooped her up and took her to my beloved rocking chair. Little missy never let go of me for a moment. She clung to my chest and rested her head on my shoulder while her poor little body tried to relax. Soon her breathing became slower and more rhythmic, and I could tell she was ready to give in to sleep.

I'm selfish, though. I wanted to hold her while she slept not only because she hardly allows me the opportunity, but also because she is growing up so quickly. It seems strange to say that about a 9 month old, but scarcely a year ago, we were barely making progress on preparing for her. Now, she is a living, breathing, smiling, standing, laughing, crawling, babbling, playing, climbing, eating, kissing, mischief-making person. So, we rocked.

As I listened to her breathe, I am suddenly struck by the magnitude of the miracle of life. Science tries to prove how simple it all is, but I am marveling at the complexity of this little being that came from one cell of me and one cell of John. Each cell in her little body has its own purpose. And, without each cell operating according to its purpose, she would not be. How could I possibly entertain the notion that this complex being originated from some primordial sludge? It seems like that takes much more faith than to know that the God of the universe created Cora according to His purpose. Innevitably, the question that comes to mind is why. Not why did God create Cora. As her mom, I know how much I love her and can't imagine being without her. The Bible teaches that God loves His children more than we can ever imagine. So, undoubtably, God loves this precious creature in ways that I can't even comprehend. My question is why did God choose to bless ME with her. I know I haven't proven myself worthy, nor will I ever be able to prove that I deserve this gift. But, fortunately, my God does not operate on some sort of heavenly reward system. He does not keep points, nor do we have an account for deposits and withdrawals. I will never know why we didn't struggle with fertility like so many couples that I know. All I can do is thank God for the privilege of rocking this sweet baby.

Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to be a part of this lovely creature's life.
Thank you for each moment good and bad, happy and sad.
May I continue to see each moment as a moment to be cherished.
Lord, please give me the wisdom to raise this child to be an example of your word.
Amen

How Could I Not?

I love this picture. And, I LOVE this little girl!

'Nuff Said

And, By the Way. . .

We have one more tooth. . .another bottom one. This brings our count up to 3 little chompers.

Ohh, the Crud!

It hit us pretty fast this time. Last night Cora was acting a little wacky and running a low grade fever. She had a bit of a cough, but after downing an entire 4 ounce bottle of water, she seemed better. We thought maybe she just got dehydrated. Then, at 1:30 in the morning with a temperature of 101.4, we were pretty sure she wasn't just dehydrated. She had a horrible time sleeping. Good thing daddy rocked her and held her while she slept for a couple of hours. We got in to see Dr. Mitchell this morning, and Cora has that cruddy virus going around. We're back to doing breathing treatments every few hours. Thankfully, unlike with RSV, the breathing treatments are actually helping her for a little while. She's crunching on some crackers right now with a much bigger appetite than she has had since yesterday. I'm hoping this means she's on the upswing. It's so hard to listen to sweet baby cough and then cry. Get well, baby girl!

In the Wilds of Suburbia

This morning, our little family took a nice walk through our neighborhood down to the trail by the creek. I metioned to John how I never walk this way by myself anymore on account of the coyotes. Yes, folks, that's right, coyotes. Apparently there aren't enough cute woodland creatures to go around because the coyotes have taken to wandering around my neighborhood in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY!! I know that if I encountered a coyote, I would have to sacrifice Penny to it, take Cora and high-tail it out of there. Frankly, I just don't really want to do that! John's casual suggestion was that I could just get a taser. Okay, sure, I'll get close enough to the hungry, diseased beast to taser it! Knowing me, I'd probably forget to turn my taser on. Then, I'd be on the news. . . and in People magazine. . .and, I wouldn't even get the free clothes and photo shoot for it.

So, as we are walking today, I'm feeling even less secure. We all know John can run faster than me. For that matter, Penny can, too. If you do the math, this leaves me to get eaten by wild dogs. . .with no taser! Like I was saying, as I was enjoying (?) the leisurely (?) walk, I happen to look at the stump of the tree with a nice, large hole in it. I'm thinking what a wonderful home it would be for a squirrel or lizard when I notice a small head slowly ducking down into the safety of the tree trunk. At this point, I am giddy with excitement because I thought I had found a sweet little garden snake. (For those of you who are wondering, I'm not afraid of snakes. Why be afraid of snakes when you can be afraid of far scarier things like crickets and butterflies!) Like a small child, I am begging John to let me go look at it. John, apparently the only adult present, is a little more wary. So, he goes over to check out the stump first. That's when he discovers (from a safe distance) that I have not found your sweet little innocent garden snake, but rather a real live Texas rattle snake. And, I can admit that upon its identification, my toes curled up just a little bit inside my sneakers. John did allow me to get a good look at it so I would not make the same mistake in the future. At this point, the snake, tired of our prying eyes ducks farther down into the tree where he is no longer visible to us. John turns to me and casually says "We better get going 'cuz I don't know where he's going to pop up." In my head, the next few seconds of our walk play out a bit like a cartoon. By the time John turned around to leave, there was only a Melissa shaped cloud of dust with a stroller and Penny being dragged behind. Guess I won't need me a taser after all!