We are officially over half-way thru term 2! Wahoo! We’re cruising! I have a feeling time will only fly faster from here on out. The days are literally getting longer with more hours of sunlight, but they go by much more merrily than the darker rainy ones. I LOVE THE SUN!!!!!! Ah. Glad I got that off my chest.
Last week, we made our traditional Valentine’s bags for FHE. We put them up on the window sill for the week, and we all made valentines for each other’s bags. No peeking until Valentine’s day! We ended up waiting an extra day to have our family party to open them. It was so cute! Paul gave us all some cute cards and chocolate, and Rachel did some wonderful artwork for each of us.
I was officially called to be a co-ward Primary chorister with Leah in addition to ward music chair! So excited! I’ve never had a Primary calling, so I’m really excited to work with the kids and get to know the ward a little better. Paul is staying busy with his calling, and we’re having fun getting to know the investigators better. I went teaching with the Sisters this week and met Reza. He speaks Farsi, so it was a bit difficult to communicate, but we are putting him in touch with Coulsen (my cousin who learned Farsi on his mission).
Biggest adventure of the week was going to the Beasley’s for the weekend! Carol came to play and pick us up on Friday. We made it to her house with no trouble-we actually had a great trip singing Disney songs in the car! Rachel was excited to be at “Jacob’s house” and had fun eating stray M&Ms before bed. We got her to sleep in Becca’s room on a little mattress, but she threw up all over herself and the bed. Paul went in to see what was wrong, and she threw up again. So around 1/1:30 she climbed in bed with us. She didn’t seem ill, it was probably just all the chocolate before bed. Well, I should have known better, because at 2:30, she was rolling around crying, and out came another 2 loads-all over herself and the bed again. I didn’t pack extra jammies, so she went through several of Jacob’s t-shirts. (Sorry Jacob) We got the bedding changed pretty well, but by this point, she was ready to stay up and play. We woke up Alice in all the hubbub, so I had to nurse her to get her back down. Rachel went downstairs with Paul and ended up kicking him all night. This was our very first “throw up in the night” episode. I know it won’t be the last, but man, that was not fun. I was so tired and out of it, I was no help. Also, I wasn’t at my house, so I had no idea what to do or where to put things. Luckily Carol and Becca took care of everything, but I was absolutely mortified. I was so grateful for their help, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to just throw in the towel and go home.
Well, we survived the night, and we enjoyed a lazy Saturday before going to see Jacob and Becca in their production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Paul and I have been in the show a few times, so it was fun to sit and remember that other lifetime when I actually had hobbies. Haha! (It got me thinking about starting a little performing group for kids here, or at least teaching a few lessons? I'm starting a few piano students next week. We'll see where it goes from there.) There were a couple really talented kids in the cast, and we thoroughly enjoyed the American accents they put on. Jacob and Becca did a wonderful job, and I was glad to be able to cheer them on!
Carol was a saint to watch the girls, and she ended up hosting her sister and 4 of her kids as well! It was a full house that night. Rachel ended up coming into our bed about 4 am, so we were quite cozy. By the time we got packed up and out the door Sunday morning, we were about done. I think we all fell asleep on the car ride to church, and I don’t remember too much of the day. I did make an executive decision that we need to sleep in our own beds for a while. No more travelling for this little crew…
Until March when MY PARENTS ARE COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Paul and I were planning a little Scotland trip, but my parents got jealous and just decided to crash the party. (We’re actually GLAD they did!) I am SO looking forward to seeing them and Veep!! (And maybe Ben?) I wish the whole family could come, but we’ll take whoever we can get! Karen and Jordan will have just had their baby, so they’ve got a pretty good excuse. We are having a blast trying to plan it with Mom and Dad. Mom is going crazy-came up with like 10 different spreadsheets with options of how we could spend our time, where to stay, etc. I tell ya, I have a whole new appreciation for my mom and the way she planned out all our vacations as a kid… and apparently, she never stopped.
We’ve had a couple great Skype and Facetime dates with Danica, Kelsey, parents, in-laws, and a few others. I would literally go insane without technology. I am so grateful I can keep in touch! Although, Ben wrote me an awesome hand-written letter, and that brought lots of joy too!
This week, Rachel decided to quit eating. After a particularly rough battle, I quit too. I’m going to let her eat when she’s hungry, and if she doesn’t want to eat, then I’m not going to worry unless she is losing weight or something. Since making that decision, we’ve both been much happier, and she's actually started eating again today. But it got me thinking about motherhood…
Who knew it was so hard to teach your kids to eat and sleep? And that’s just the tip of the ice berg. I realized that I spend A LOT of time worrying about all of the “should” and “should not”s of parenting. I worry about when to potty train, when to take away the bottle, what they eat, what words they know, how they communicate, how they interact with other kids, how they sleep, what TV they watch, and so SO much more. Sometimes, I think I put too much pressure on myself… This is my full-time job right now. And I really want to be good at it. There’s actually no excuse to NOT be good at it. It’s the most important, eternal work I’ll ever do. So, yes, I worry. And I worry because of things like Pinterest and Facebook. I’m constantly reading about questions you should ask your toddler, how much tummy time your infant needs, when to switch to solid foods, and the effects of technology on your children. Then I worry that I’m worrying too much and not enjoying the moment. I'm trying to not over-think it, but every conversation I have or article I read seems to show me how I’m doing parenting wrong. Gotta work on my own philosophy…
BUT
I’m doing the best I can. I definitely don’t have it together, but we’re having prayer, scripture study, and FHE. I get dinner cooked most nights. Nobody hates me, so I haven’t completely ruined my children (yet-mwahaha). And I feel pretty happy most days. So, we’ll take it a day at a time. And I’ll stop worrying… for tonight.
I had an epiphany at playgroup this week. We were talking about the mommy wars and I realized that when I lived in Utah (which can be pretty pressurized for Mommy’s) I was better at faking it. (I had a little more luxury in my life as well.) I only looked like a hot mess when I was too lazy to try. Here, when I look like a hot mess, which is pretty much every day, it’s because I’m physically incapable of getting it together. HA! I am getting better at letting go, though. We started early for playgroup today, and Shantal put us through some aerobics! I not only got all of us out the door 20 minutes after waking up, but I felt happier after exercising. Even though I’m terribly out of shape, it feels so good to get moving! I am gaining a testimony of exercise, and for the first time in a while, I'm feeling excited about my life right now-in this crazy little chapter.
All About Alice:
Started on solid foods this week! She’s almost 4 months old, but she is so big, she seems ready.
We had round 2 of injections (shots), and she didn’t even cry! What a champ!
Sleep regression. It’s real. She’s been waking up every two hours, but I’ve given her a dummy (binkie) several times. She went down at 7:30 tonight. Let’s hope for a nice long stretch…
If Alice were a hashtag, she would be #bigbaby. This girl has so many rolls, I can’t keep them clean. Especially her arm pits. They stink no matter how much I scrub them. I don’t know what to do. I guess as long as they aren’t moldy or sore, she’s ok?
Also, she has officially grown out of trousers. There are no trousers that fit over her chunky thighs. Her legs are shorter than her hip width. I seriously have no idea how to dress her anymore. It’s gonna get creative up in here.
Officially too big for the bumbo. It sticks on her bum when I try to lift her out. I have to physically pry it off of her. Don’t worry, though. Rachel still fits in it, no problem. HA!
Almost sitting by herself! One of the advantages of a big baby is that they learn to sit faster. She’s working on it!
She can officially roll from her back to her side ALL BY HER BIG GIRL SELF! Go girl!
Rachel’s Corner:
Can walk all the way home from ASDA! I make her hold my coat or my hand. Sometimes I have her chase me, which is her favorite.
Her mimicry is incredible. She acts out Disney princess songs with great emotion! Also, she imitates me at times. My favorite is when she points her finger at me and her eyes get wide while she tells me “Stay here. I’ll be right back, ok?” Haha!
She got a little apron and some Mardi Gras beads in the mail from Mimi and Grandpa Ru, and she LOVES to wear them all. We had fun making chocolate chip cookies today in our aprons, listening to Disney music. It was one of those moments I was so grateful to have a little girl. She’s my buddy!
No comments:
Post a Comment