Our House is Divided

(linking up to Kelly's Korner)

There are many things in my life that I have been very sure of.  I think God has blessed me with the gift of certainty. (And trust me, I am everso thankful for it!)  I knew from a young age that I would be a teacher.  And, I knew for almost as long that I wanted to go to Baylor.  Actually, it's the only university to which I applied.  (Fortunately for me, I also was accepted!)  I come from a long line of Baylor women.  That fact alone is exciting to me because my predecessors were able to further their education in a time where not all women were expected to attend college.  I can say with full transparency that my experience there was one of the best times of my life.  I loved that it was a large 'small' school.  I loved that the vast majority of my classes were 30 people or less.  I loved the beauty of the campus. I love how Baylor prepared me for my career in teaching.  I hope that one or both of my girls will love Baylor like I do.

Some lesser known facts about Baylor:

• Dr. Pepper is part of our history!  Since 1953 the university has hosted Dr. Pepper hour every Tuesday from 3 to 4 pm.  You can stop by the Student Union to get free Dr. Pepper floats.
• We do Homecoming right!  Watch the oldest and largest Homecoming Parade.  Catch our Broadway revue style Pigskin Revue (put on almost entirely by students).  Enjoy the bonfire and pep rally, not to mention tailgating and the football game.
• We have our own holiday, Diadeloso, every spring.  Who wouldn't want a school sanctioned day to goof off and have fun with your friends?
• We are the oldest continuously operated university in the state of Texas.  Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas.
• Famous Baylor Alumni include:  Jeff Dunham (comedian and ventriloquist), Angela Kinsey (actress, The Office), Michael Johnson (4 time Olympic Gold Medalist), the members of The David Crowder Band, and Ann Richards (former governor of Texas)

We're starting Cora off right!

Of course, I did mention that we are a house divided.  Baylor is a very traditional university, but so, my friends, is Texas A & M.  And, one of their long-standing traditions dates back to when A & M was an all male military college.  Those crafty guys would travel up Highway 6 to Baylor to steal the hearts of the Baylor women.  And, that's how I ended up married to an Aggie!  We met on neutral ground in another part of central Texas and managed to put our Big 12 differences aside to form a family!

(See!  I can be somewhat unbiased!)

Texas A&M is a great school.  I have a new appreciation for it after hearing John talk about it so fondly.  I would love to explain some of the traditions, but I'm fairly certain I would just mess them up.  I will say that Texas A & M has one of the best (if not the best) marching bands in the nation.  I absolutely love watching them march.  A little known fact (correct me if I mess this up, John), the directors attempted to plot the marching routines (?) with a computer program that most universities use.  The computer program basically told them that it was impossible to march that way because 2 people would have to be in the same place at the same time!  That's how intricate and amazing their band is!

And, because I like to pour salt on NCAA wounds, here is one of my favorite pictures!

Victory!  Baylor beats Texas A&M.  (I had to include this because it is not often that the Bears get the better of the Aggies.)  But, who am I kidding, our girls will experience all of our Baylor/Texas A & M brainwashing, but will probably choose a totally different school than either of those.

Like maybe Angelo State?! (Hi Mema and P-pa!)

Irony Should Be a Four Letter Word

Cora has an ear infection.  I took her to the doctor on Wednesday to confirm my suspicions.  It's always fun taking her to the doctor.  In case I haven't mentioned before, Cora has a flair for dramatics.  I'm not sure what has triggered this, but she is terrified of anything and everything the doctor does.  This was especially challenging during this visit because I had to, in effect, pin Cora down so the doctor could attempt to examine her ears and mouth while trying to keep Carys happy in the sling.  It was fun times for the Kemp ladies!  Fortunately, we got our diagnosis quickly, so we could be off to Target for our medicine and some chickadees.

Lest you think her dramatics are limited to the public domain *blush*, allow me to assure you that she does save some of her drama for her mama!  As we attempted to give her medicine last night, she almost went into conniptions.  I can hardly blame her.  The medicine smells really gross.  However, if she would just swallow it! . . Anywhooo, she ended up getting so upset that she puked up most of the medicine - complete with authentic puking sound effects.  If you know me, you know that I have a huge vomit phobia.  If I see or even hear someone else throw up, I will start gagging and could possibly throw up myself.  I don't even watch myself throw up.  I keep my eyes screwed tightly shut until the horror is over.  Surprisingly, though, I managed to maintain my calm and cool during Cora's episode.  I even shoved my hands under her mouth to catch it.  Who woulda thunk it?  After we got Cora calmed and to bed, John commented on how well he thought I did with the whole chunky episode.  I casually mentioned that I thought I would do even better with it when she was actually sick and not just protesting taking the medicines.  And, God laughed. . .

At 2:30, John wakes me up asking if we have other sheets for Cora's bed.  It turns out that now she is throwing up for real.  When I went into her room, she looked so small and sad sitting on the floor next to the bucket.  She got sick 6 or 7 times last night, bless her little heart!  Fortunately for me, John happens to have today off.  I know I wouldn't be able to handle both girls waking up in the middle of the night.  So, he voluntarily handled puke watch '11.  Bless his heart, too!  He mentioned this morning that all night he kept feeling like he was getting sick, too.  (Heavens to murgatroid, I hope not!)  Cora's on the BRAT diet today, and with the help of some juice and a continuous stream of Bubble Guppies, she seems to be doing better.  Now, how to keep her from loving on baby sister until this passes. . .

I Wear My (Dad's) Sunglasses at Night

I found this little nugget tucked away among my picture files.  I had to share.  I can't remember where we were going, but she *needed* her giraffe, baby monkey, necklace, and sunglasses.  Funny girl!

Ahh, Love!

So, Monday was Valentine's Day.  And, since Mondays are John's day off, he got to spend the day with all of his Valentines.  I told him earlier in the month that I did not want anything for Valentine's Day.  (I'm not a huge fan of the holiday.  I would rather have flowers or surprises on a day that is not sanctioned by the greeting card company.  And, John is really good about little random surprises throughout the year!)  But, I mentioned to him that it would be so nice if the girls' first Valentine's this year came from their first best guy, aka Daddy.  And, of course, John did it up right.  He got Cora's favorite party stuffs: balloons, crazy straws, and chocolate!  When he went in to get her in the morning, she got a little bouquet of Valentine balloons.  Then, at breakfast she got her card, chocolate and juice with the crazy straw.  (My contribution as the homemade waffles - yum!)

Carys also got a card from Daddy.  She wasn't much interested in any of the other stuff! hah!  

We spent the rest of the day stroller shopping.  Then, as a special treat, we lunched at one of our favorite 'fast' food restaurants, Maki.  After nap time, we took Cora to a new park to run off some of her chocolate fueled energy.  

And, finally, lest you think I was woefully neglected on Valentine's Day, don't you worry.  John gave me the best gift an infant's mommy could ever hope for - the gift of a long nap!  I hope all of you enjoyed your Valentine's Day, too!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope you are embraced by love on this special day!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Camera Fun

Confession:  Currently, my camera is not living up to its potential.  This is not the camera's fault.  Its operator is having id-10t issues.  I need to get a good manual to help me, but the thought of reading a somewhat technical piece of literature is scary.  But, if there's one thing I've learned from the big wide blog-o-sphere, it's that there is a tutorial out there for just about everything.  And, since I've spent many hours with only one free hand (the other being filled with the wee babe), I've had some time to seek out such tutorials.  And, then, the stars aligned today for me to use my new found knowledge.  May I please present Portraits in Black and White.

I have to point out that I took these pictures without my flash.  I'm working on using as much natural light as possible.  And, clearly, I edited these photos.  But, all I did was crop them and use the filtered black and white effect.  (Although, the mustard yellow sheets and pink pajamas do make a very eye-watering combination, hah!)  I know they are in no way professional, but  for someone with a complete lack of technical/scientific prowess, I think I did pretty well.  (Okay, I'll stop tooting my own horn now!)

The Crud

The crud came to our house last week.  It started with Cora's allergies which naturally found her sinuses to be a cozy place to camp out rendering her grumpy and stuffy all week.  But, being the great big sister that she is, she shared her crud with Carys who has also been a little stuffy for the past few days.  And, being the great parents that we are, we decided it would not be fair for the kids to suffer alone, so we both decided to get the crud as well.  John has been much sicker than I have.  My crud was mainly throat irritation that went away after a couple of days.  John however sounds like he's recently had his nose removed (even though he has to blow his nose every few minutes).  We are the total picture of health and wellness!

So sad!  I guess misery does love company!

 We decided to try giving Cora a breathing treatment on a tip from my sister-in-law, Celeste.  The breathing treatments seem to help her sleep a little better.  (Thank goodness!!  Between an infant waking up for comfort and to nurse and a two year old waking up in the night because she can't breathe, it was looking a little bleak for the momma to get some sleep!)  We hadn't given her a treatment since she was about 7 months old.  It was not a fun experience back then.  Truthfully, the first time we gave her the treatment this go around (we being John), it was not fun either.  But, look at my big girl!

Doesn't she look so old and mature in these pictures?  I can't believe how far we've come!  Of course the bribery positive reinforcers (thanks, Kelli!) help.  (Chocolate chips. . .not money!!)  And, Dino Dan may have happened to be on as well.  (Did I mention how much I love dvr?!)  It seems like everyone may be on the mend. . .at least until the next round!

Some Random Thoughts From This Week

First and foremost, it's cold here!  Right now it is the same temperature here as it is in Anchorage, Alaska.  Y'all, I'm a native Texan.  My poor southern behind can't take it!  And, coincidentally, I've had appointments scheduled every day this week that I had to take care of, so I didn't get the luxury of hibernating next to the fire with a bowl of warm soup.  Cora, Carys and I got to experience the fuh-reezing cold first hand.  I think God is trying to teach me something. . .probably, not to schedule appointments during the coldest week of the year, hah!

Today, we ventured out to see my doctor.  I got to put on a lovely hospital gown for all the fun.  You know the kind, blue-gray with some random geometric pattern and the hospital name stamped across it.  So stylish!  Cora happened to peak up from the portable dvd player to see me in my haute couture.  With total sincerity in her eyes, she told me "Momma, you wook so pwetty in you dwess!"  What a sweetheart!  (What a weird sense of fashion!  But, a sweetheart nonetheless!)

Thirdly (or letter c, depending on your denotation method of choice), Cora and I have been having lovely duets in the car when we listen to KLOVE.  This morning we belted Chris Tomlin's 'I Will Follow' (or as Cora has dubbed it 'Go, I Go.')  Chris Tomlin seems to be a fave for her (and her mommy).  Her other favorites include 'Jesus Saves,' 'Light Up the Sky,' and 'Come Home' though she knows a bunch more of the songs than I even realized.  It makes this momma's heart smile!

And, finally (iv for those who prefer Roman numerals), I'm sad to report that the living room has lost its battle with the kids' toys.  It waged a valiant effort, but in the end, the bouncy chair, swing, play gym and soft blocks were just too much for the room to overcome.  It was a lovely living room.  It served our family well.  Goodbye, living room!  You will be missed!

Oh, the Momma Guilt

I should know better, I really should.  I'm not even a first time mom. . .sheesh!  So remember last week when I told you that sweet baby Carys was possibly allergic to pineapple.  Naturally I came to this conclusion after seeking out the expertise of the very knowledgeable Dr. Google.  After my extensive quick minute of research, I felt pretty confident in pronouncing this allergy. . .I mean, I did work in a medical school for 5 years!  According to my research, the offending material should be out of my milk in about 3 days.  So, when her face didn't clear up after a week, naturally, I again consulted with Dr. Google.  This time, I was certain that it was just a case of baby acne which would go away in a few weeks or worst case scenario, a couple of months.  Awesome!  I attacked the remaining pineapple in the fridge like I hadn't eaten in a year.  (Oh, sweet, sweet pineapple, how I missed your citrus-y deliciousness in my self-imposed pineapple fast!)  Well, that little bit of tasty indiscretion turned nasty pretty quick.  Of course, a few hours letter, sweet (innocent) Carys was covered with hives. . .this time not only on her face, but also on her chest and back.  (For shame, mommy!)

Look at that poor baby's face.  (Sidenote:  Isn't she adorable!  She's the cutest little hive covered baby I've ever seen!)  So, I can now say with a great degree of certainty that sweet baby girl is definitely allergic to pineapple.  Fortunately for this mommy's conscience, hives and gassiness are the main symptoms.  I am pretty sure I'm not going to make that mistake again!!

Extolling the Virtues of Bribery

Guess where we went today!  Usually Thursday is our library day.  They have a fun little story time for the toddlers with books and songs and puppets.  We try to go every week, but when Cora woke up early and was pretty whiny and upset, I decided not to chance it.  I think the other moms will appreciate me not (potentially) exposing their children to some sort of virus or bacteria!  Nevertheless, we needed to get out of the house.  And, what is the next best thing to story time at the library?  Uh, Target, of course!

So, as I wandered aimlessly around Target (♥Target♥), I was thinking how lovely this little time was.  I had two kids with me and neither was crying or whining.  I knew Carys would be fine.  She is content to be snuggled up in the sling.  And, with the help of my dirty little mom secret, Cora was content, too. What's my little secret? {glances furtively around} It's bribery!  Shhhh!  In fact, Cora is so accustomed to this uber helpful parenting strategy that she can tell you exactly what she's getting depending on the store that we are in.  You see, the way to Cora's heart is through her cute little flat belly.  (I'm only a little jealous of said belly. . .okay a lot jealous!)  Here's the rundown of snacks by store:

Target:  chickadees

HEB: cheese crackers 

WalMart:  goldfish (rainbow colored, natch!) or teddy (grahams) bears

Do I feel bad?  Absolutely not!  I love how much less stressful it makes shopping.  (I do get a twinge of guilt when I realize that so far today she's had a waffle, a nutrigrain bar, a pear, and a bag of chickadees.  Not exactly the well rounded diet we would all strive for.  Thank goodness for the pear!! hah!)  So, what's your dirty little mom secret?

Sisters

Last week, my photographer friend Jenny graciously offered to take some photos for us.  She had some ideas she wanted to try out, so I thought I would give my girls the chance to model for her.  It was a case of famous last words, though.  She wanted to do some of those cute little scrunched up newborn pictures.  And, I told her it would be absolutely no problem because Carys sleeps most of the morning.  Turns out, Carys sleeps most of the morning as long as she is not getting her picture taken!  She was wide awake and pretty vocal about being naked as a jaybird.  But, Jenny still managed to get some great pictures.  

Look at that chunky monkey!  (And, yes, I kiss those chubby cheeks about 100 times a day!)

And, a big dose of sleepy sweetness!

Cora (famously) hates getting professional pictures taken.  Fortunately, Jenny is well aware of this.  I dressed Cora up just in case she decided to cooperate.  She did (sort of) cooperate with the help of some chocolate coins. 

I love this pic even though you can tell she's been fussing.

But, hands down those two pics are the best!  Did your heart not melt!  I only wish I had brought an actual outfit for Carys.  The sisters shots were very spur of the moment.  

May they always love each other like this!

And, Speaking of Carys

You would think there would be a lot more information about the wee babe in ye olde blog!  But, let's be realistic.  Newborns don't do too much.  It's pretty much eat, sleep, poop and repeat.  I can tell you that Carys appears to have mastered the stunning digestive pyrotechnics that Cora made famous.  We are on our third set of pajamas today.  One incident warranted an immediate bath. (P-pa, you came to mind although I don't think Carys has quite achieved the same prowess as Miriam!)  Clearly, our weekends are full of madcap fun and excitement!

I am excited to say that Carys has started smiling purposefully.  She has one teeny dimple on her right side, and it is so sweet when it makes its appearance.  It takes me a few minutes, but I can usually get her to smile at me.  You can be certain that mommy likes that!  She has also started sleeping a little longer through the night.  For the past several nights, we have gone to bed around 10 and only gotten up at 2, 5:30, and 7:45.  This is much better than the night of 9 feedings!!  As of yet, the only unexpected difficulty has been discovering that sweet baby girl is likely allergic to pineapple.  Her sweet little face is covered in hives that get bright red after eating.  It's been about 24 hours since I've had some, so hopefully, everything will start clearing up soon.  Pity!  I still have half a pineapple in the fridge beckoning to me.  Goodbye my citrus friend!  We will meet again in about a year!

So that's all the excitement for now. . .my goal for the next post will be pictures!!

Cora's Kidisms

I thought I'd share a couple of things my little chatterbox has said lately.  One of her favorite phrases lately is 'are you sure?' So, here is an example of a conversation that seems to take place about 10 times a day.

C:  Can I have a nutrigrain bar?
M:  No, baby, we're about to eat dinner.
C:  How 'bout some fruit snacks?
M:  No, baby.
C:  Are you sure?! (said in her sing-songy mischievous voice)

She continues to love all things involving Penny.  And, being that she is very verbally astute, she picked up on the fact that I say 'Oy, Penny!' when Penny is underfoot or does something naughty.  So, naturally, my little copycat would walk around the house and randomly exclaim 'Oy, Penny!' to my poor unsuspecting pooch.  I didn't think she really understood what it meant and why I said it until the other evening.  John walked through the kitchen and happened to knock the iron off of the counter.  Cora looked up at him with a critical expression and exclaimed 'Oy, Daddy!'

And, maybe my all time favorite thing I've heard Cora say. . .drum roll please!  As she was gazing down at baby Carys, she smiled and softly said, "That's my sister!"  My heart almost couldn't take it!  I think she's a keeper!

500th Post!

Holy cannoli!  It's my 500th post!  It's hard to believe I've posted so much insanely fascinating information about our little lives.  It's even harder to believe that you all have stuck around to read it!! So, let's see; what has changed?

• We have gone from a family of 3 to a family of 4.
• Little Miss Carys showed up just in time for Christmas!
• Cora has celebrated 2 birthdays. 
• Cora is now a walking, talking, dancing, singing, running, jumping, climbing, laughing, 'reading,' pretending, imagining, playing, dino loving big sister.  (My word, how fast the time has gone!)
• We took 2 major trips - one road trip to Virginia to visit John's family, and one plane ride to Alaska to visit my family.
• Cora moved out of her crib and into a big girl bed.  She moved into the larger bedroom that she and Carys will eventually share.
• Cora and Carys have gained two more cousins (both girls) - one on each side of the family.  (And, they are getting another cousin later this year!)

I'm sure there are  lots of other things I can list, but sleep deprivation affects my functioning.  ; )  Here's to 500 more!

Our Delicate Flower

Y'all, I am a girly-girl.  I am not particularly athletic, and furthermore, I am usually not interested in sports - save one particularly spectacular victory in selecting college bowl game winners, hee hee hee!  I like pink and princesses; I like ruffles and flowers; I like cooking and sewing.  Naturally, when I found out 3 years ago that Cora was Cora and not Jackson, I assumed that she would be my frilly little princess. Boy was I wrong!  As Auntie Linda says, she may be all girl on the outside, but she's definitely got some boy on the inside!

On Monday, John was in charge of Cora so I could try to get some more sleep.  Imagine my surprise when I finally emerged from my slumber, I found John and Cora equally engrossed in American Ninja Warrior.  Not only did Cora watch the show, but she then found ways to turn our living room into her very own obstacle course.  So funny!  At least I can dress her girly. . .at least for now!

Wordless Wednesday

Today is the First Day. . .

by myself with two kiddos.  I hate to even type this next sentence as the day is only about half-way over.  But. . . So far, so good!  I have had help non-stop since Carys was born.  Between my parents, my in-laws, and John, I have not had to manage the house on my own until today.  I was a little worried about how it would go because Carys acted like she was going through another growth spurt Sunday and Monday.  However, last night, she let me sleep for a couple of hours at a time.  We only got up thrice in the night.  I even managed to take the girls grocery shopping (on what is apparently the coldest day in about a year!!) with the help of my brand new, handy dandy sling (tutorial here and here).

John took this picture for me, and blessedly, he cut off my head.  I can't vouch for my hair and makeup for these past few weeks!!  Let's just say my hamper is 90% pajama bottoms and t-shirts right now.  No need to accessorize that fancy wardrobe with mousse or mascara!  It's a miracle that I was able to break that rut before heading out to the store today - you're welcome, general public!  

Both girls are starting to stir from their afternoon siestas.  It's too bad it is so wickedly cold outside (don't laugh those of you from up north!).  It's bright and sunny outside.  Under normal circumstances, I would attempt to take the girlies on a walk.  But, my wimpy southern patootie can't handle the low temps.  I'm thinking we'll have popcorn and watch a movie instead.  Checkmark for day 1!

It's Not Going Well

Potty training, that is! (Yes, she's wearing panties on her head.)

Cora is not interested at all in using 'the big girl potty.'  She'll sit on it, but we haven't had any luck getting her to use it.  Pretty soon, we're going to try the more drastic route of putting her in panties during the day.  I just have to get myself all psyched up for all the clean-up that's inevitable with this particular strategy.  It should be pretty exciting juggling this with a newborn at the house!

She is, however, very interested in her dolls' and dinosaurs' potty habits.  She has a doll that came with a little potty, and lately, she has been helping dolly use the potty.  And then, just this afternoon, she had T Rex change Pachycephalosaurus' diaper.  I guess T Rex is the mommy of the dinosaur herd, hah!  I just hope that this is a sign of interest in potty training and not just some random pretend game she is playing.

After this, it's paci boot camp!  Pray for us!!

Happy Due Date!

Today is Carys' due date.  I kind of had a suspicion that she would come a little early, but I never imagined she would be here before Christmas!  Cora came on the day that I predicted she would come, so I feel like I've been in uncharted territory when it comes to these past two weeks.  But, the more I think about it, I am so thankful for God's plan for Carys' birth.  I was so anxious about the birth experience since we had such a difficult time with Cora.  But, being in San Antonio rather than at home, I just had to trust that everything was going to be okay.  With the exception of preferring to have my doctor (though the doctor that I had was perfectly fine), I would actually rate this hospital experience higher than my last experience.  What's really strange is adjusting to the idea that we are a family of 4 now.  I feel kind of like we are the American dream/cliche now - 2 kids and a dog.  There's no way that I can be old enough or mature enough to be the mom of 2!  John and I both remember wondering why they ever let us leave the hospital with Cora after she was born.  Someone must be crazy to let us parent 2 kids, hah!  So, happy due date to you, Carys.  As your big sis always says, "I'm so glad you're here!"

I'm A Little Tired

So, turns out that newborns like to wake up at all hours of the night.  Carys does not disappoint in that aspect.  On Tuesday night, we were up at 9, 10, and 11 pm then at 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 am.  I was hoping this meant growth spurt and not that she just likes to be up all night!  The jury is still out on whether or not she's a night owl, but she is definitely in a growth spurt.  At our 2 week appointment today, Carys was up to 7 pounds, 9 ounces.  That means she's up 13 ounces since her last appointment a week and a half ago.  Go Carys!  Dr. Mitchell also rechecked her little hips for any possible dislocation and found no issues there either.  Yay!  So, we are in the clear until our next appointment at 2 months.