Serious Coffee Drinker and Other Quandries

Does anyone know when it's safe to start giving infants coffee?

Dragons and suns and globes...oh my! Lula is starting to enjoy her new Baby Einstein for big girls. It took her a few days to contemplate her new toys, but she's now interacting with all of them and getting the hang of turning herself around. Thanks, Nana and Papa Jack!

And finally...my new haircut...almost! I took the picture myself which is why my head is slightly cut off. I didn't have the patience to fix it...which is also why I chopped my hair off. While I've been wanting to grow my hair out for a long time, it wasn't practical with a baby and getting ready for Cider Days (2 more weeks!!!). I don't want to take the time to wash and fix it. I'd like to never have to wash my hair...but that would be gross...even considered dreads before! So I chopped it off instead. I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself! Bonus: Jay likes my hair short. Works for me!

Finally, finally, I received the business license for Lula in London yesterday. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see this simple blue piece of paper. It's temporary, yes, but it's a beginning. It's a sign of what's to come and a step in the right direction. Jay said, "well, you started a business before me." That has been one of his ambitions in life to start a business. Hopefully, we can continue it and it can become his too. That's the hope anyway. So exciting to fulfill a dream and make it a reality.

Card Junkie

So I'm kind of a card junkie. I takes me forever to choose a card for any occasion and I typically have to read a great number of them before choosing. I often even choose more than one...a serious one and a funny one...I've even been known to choose three for one person, one occasion! So today as I was browsing the aisles for a baby shower card, I stumbled upon a section at Walmart called "Saturdays." There was an entire section of cards for moms about moms...and they were pretty funny! Even though they weren't for the particular occasion I needed, I enjoyed reading through many of them and chuckling at the commonality that seems to occur in motherhood. I was sorely tempted to buy several for my fellow mothers, but decided to be thrifty instead and stuck with the one card I had intended to buy. So...since I didn't buy any for you, my friends, you'll have to go to Walmart yourself and check out this section. Sometimes it's nice to browse in a place like Walmart when you just need to get out of the house and give the baby something else to look at besides the play gym! Lula loves going to stores and is mesmerized by all the new sites and sounds. I might be damaging her little brain with information overload, but it's a nice break for me and she seems to enjoy it! So go on a field trip and check out the cards at Walmart. It's totally worth it!

The Model

So...I still enjoy dressing Lula up and taking pictures of her...when she'll let me! She's such a good little model. I mean, what 4 month old can give the looks she gives (see middle pic in the tea cup shirt). It's like she knows what she's doing! OK...so every mom has probably said this at some point, but I like to believe my child is extra special. So don't burst my bubble! Did I mention in my new description of me that I'm a hopeless dreamer and still believe in fairies? :)

Some people have asked to see pictures of things I'm making for Cider Days. The last pictures of Lula in the blue and white outfit show one of the items I've made. Just a little preview! More to come!

Sweet Potato Pie and An Attitude Check

We started Lula on solids Sunday and today we tried sweet potatoes with rice cereal for the first time. As you can see, most of it ended up on her chin instead of in her mouth! But she's getting the hang of it and it's so fun to see her figuring out how the spoon works and what not. She was 4 months old on Monday and still the greatest joy in my life. Now on to the serious stuff...

Seeing a friend's post on facebook the other day where she declared she needed an attitude adjustment reminded me again of a recent e-mail my best friend sent to me without realizing the impact it would have on me. After making several silly and fun comments on some of her blog posts, she sent an e-mail expressing that I had obviously been in a good mood when I wrote the comments. Her intention was not to suggest that I usually wasn't in a good mood, but that I was in a sillier mode than normal. However, regardless of her intentions, the e-mail set my mind rolling. I was disappointed that my sillier, happier mode apparently wasn't the norm for me. I feel like I used to be much more carefree than I am nowadays. What happened?

Life! The typical cliche answer. But I refuse to bow down to that so easily. Yes, it's true that I've become more cynical, rational, realistic as the years go by and these traits often steal my joy, my once common daydreams, and my laughter. But I'm putting my foot down. As my other friend said, I need an attitude adjustment and I'm the only one who can give it to myself. I too often allow myself to get caught up in the frustrations of every day life while I'm longing to do something else. Instead I will choose to enjoy every day tasks and remind myself that even when I'm doing laundry or cleaning the kitchen, I'm not just doing it for myself, but for my family and ultimately for God. Every act I do can either be a chore or it can be a part of my worship to God and a gift to my family. Who wants a gift that's given with complaining and whining and frustration? No thanks!

Several years ago I was in a women's study at my church in Nashville. The study revolved around exactly what I'm talking about and it made a huge difference in my life. Despite the fact that I was working a ridiculous amount and didn't have a dishwasher (!), I sang while I did the dishes. I cleaned my house from top to bottom every week and was happy doing it. It was ALL about my attitude and it was only me that needed to change it. Reading the character of Hadassah's story in Francine Rivers' The Mark of the Lion series also helped my attitude change. Yes, she's a fictional character, but she was definitely inspirational!

I guess the bottom bottom line is: I can choose to have joy doing what I have to do or not. I have to do the dishes, clean the house, make dinner, etc. but I don't have to have a bad attitude while doing it. That's something I can choose to change. So let's go clean the kitchen! It's a mess!

How I Became a Carnivore

When I was born, all I was given was milk. I thought this was pretty good and was satisfied, but then I discovered something even better and am hooked...Meat. That's right, I've become a carnivore. It all happened one day, when I accidentally stuck my hand in my mouth.

I quickly pulled it back and wondered, "What is this wonderful, new taste?"

So I tried it again. Wow! My hands taste really good. You will now find me with my hands frequently in my mouth and drool spilling out of both sides. I might even try to eat your hands if you'll let me.

I've also discovered, while trying to find more tasty meat, that stuffed animals work well also. Biting the heads of animals gives me a "taste" of what's to come in the future...real meat! I'm really excited about it, but have to wait til I'm a little older. It's fun fantasizing about real meat though while I'm chomping on some fake animals.



Mr. Monkey was particularly good.

I've also found that my thumb can be terribly soothing when I'm really craving some jerky and have traded my pacifier in for the flavor my my thumb.


Lastly, I've also discovered that when my thumb just won't cut it and I'm so hungry for meat that I can't hardly stand it, I can caress my head or grab a handful of hair and this really helps me settle down. The ultimate is to have both my thumb in my mouth and my hand on my head. This puts me right to sleep.

So take it from me, all you babes out there, wise little Lula knows best and hopes you'll listen to my instruction. Meat. It's what's for dinner.

The Mighty Hand of Papa

My parents and grandmother came to visit for two weeks at the end of June/beginning of July. We had a lovely relaxing time, not doing too much except enjoying each other's company and playing with Lula. We celebrated Dad’s birthday and Father’s Day the first night they arrived. After doing Mom and I did our online job frequently the first week, the ladies were able to go out frequently while Papa Jack gladly babysat the second week. We even hit JoAnn's four days in a row to take advantage of their remodeling discounts and to help me prepare for my booth at Cider Days! (hopefully!) We really took advantage! We enjoyed the 4th of July at the home of a church member where we could clearly see James River's firework display. And later in the week Pat and David joined us for dinner and our famous homemade peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream that's a 4th tradition.


I told Jay I felt like I had a newborn all over again after they left! The extent of my care taking involved feeding Lula. Other than that, there were three eager helpers who did everything else! I also felt like I had a newborn because my sweet little angel who was on a lovely little schedule and very content with playing alone occasionally became rather fussy after the grandparents left...can't imagine why! Lula's usual few minutes of crying before naptime was not allowed while Papa Jack was around. And despite many warnings that she didn't need help fallling asleep, we would frequently look at the video monitor and see a large, gentle hand reach over the side of the crib to pat Lula until she fell asleep, which of course kept her awake much longer than usual. Occasionally I would look and find my child missing from her crib completely...oddly, Papa Jack was missing too. Based on a book that our pastor in Nashville wrote called The Mighty Hand of God, we began calling these frequent incidents The Mighty Hand of Papa. Eventually my dad started covering the camera upstairs so we couldn't see what he was doing, but of course we knew! I had no idea he was such a softy. He simply couldn't stand to hear her cry. It was very sweet. My dear grandmother also found a soft place in her heart for baby Lula. She fell in love and therefore began worrying immediately about my little one...was she too cold, too hot, hungry, have a cold, need her head held up, takend out of the Bumbo, etc. Overall it was a very nice visit and we were very sad to see them go...truly! Can't wait til they come again.




Lula played on her Baby Einstein gym A LOT and absolutely loved discovering that she could grab things for the first time.


Grandmother and Lula in the sweet and very nice outfit grandmother bought for her in St. Louis.



Lula's first soccer game. We tried to get her to cheer for Daddy, but she wasn't quite ready yet!




The healing hands of Nana...it's Babysage time! (translation: Baby Massage)


Papa Jack and his favorite girl

A Conversation Over Lunch

As I finished up our grilled cheeses, Jay walked in the door to spend a brief 30 minutes at home for lunch. We sat in the living room to eat while Lula bounced in her bouncy seat and gazed around the room. Earlier that day I had dialogued via e-mail with my sister-in-law, Sarah, and copied Jay in on the conversation. Without hesitation or any opening lines, the following conversation began.

"I felt like I was having a rendezvous with exclamation points when I read the e-mails between you and Sarah," Jay said in a very matter-of-fact manner.

After catching my breath from laughing, I honestly revealed my constant torment and consideration over exclamation points as I replied, "I’ve been very conscientious about using exclamation points ever since Dan (an old friend of ours) made fun of me for using them too much a long time ago. I actually think about it when I’m writing. I look back over what I’ve written and if there are too many exclamation points, I take some out!"

Jay then proceeded to overly exaggerate some of the sentences from our e-mail exchange, using a tone that would definitely have required more than one exclamation point, which is all I used. "I can't wait to see you guys!!!!! Maybe we can go early and beat the crowd!!!!! Cheddars is always packed!!!!!"

"Some things require a little excitement," I tried to explain.

"I never use exclamation points," Jay replied in his most snobby yet sincere tone.

With a smirk on my face, I sarcastically said, "You're bad. That’s only because you’re emotionless."

To which Jay ended the conversation with, "Exclamation points are a frivolous display of emotion."

I nearly choked on my sandwich I was laughing so hard. And thus ended the debate about exclamation points.