She's Walking!

Our little one is learning to walk.  Honestly, I thought it would happen sooner, mostly because she started pulling up way back in April.  She was only 6 months old.  She's been a champ at pulling up ever since.  So we went and bought at camcorder, so we wouldn't miss that big event, and... it never happened.  Everyone would give us tips "give her things to hold and then get her to come to you"  and she would crawl with a toy in each hand.  It didn't even phase her.  "Stand her up away from furniture and hold a favorite toy"  Yeah, she'd stand there for a bit, look at you and then drop and crawl over.  I wasn't worried, because of all the friends that kept saying "once she walks you'll wish she couldn't".  I figured that was true, so when she started pulling up at 6 months I was frankly a little scared. :D  But the time went by and no walking.  A couple of weeks ago she started standing up on her own- go from sitting to standing in the middle of the room without holding on to anything.  And she could then dance (it's really cute, she stands there and rocks her body and little bum back and forth to the music) while standing up without losing her balance.  And I knew it was only a matter of time.  Her first steps were at Chick-Fil-A.  On top of the table.  Because she can't be normal and walk in the living room.  She took 3 steps across the table to get to me.  We were at Chick-Fil-A with Marshall's family.  Also there with us was one of Marshall's mom's friends Kerry.  Well, Alaina was sitting with Kerry across the table from me when she decided that she wanted mommy. So Kerry just went to hand her across the table, and stood her up and Alaina did the rest.  We've been trying to get her to repeat it since, and we get a step here and there.  And then, yesterday she walked 9 steps!  I was so glad I caught it on camera.

I can't believe how fast time is flying.  Soon I'm going to have a toddler not a baby.  In a way, that is kinda bittersweet.  It's really a strange feeling.  I miss the serenity of her sleeping in my arms.  But it is also fun to watch and cheer with her as she grows up. It's fun to see her curiosity and the excitement with which she views the world.  It's just going too fast.  Sometimes I wish time would slow down and let me enjoy it a bit more. 

Button, Button, Who's got the button?

So I have been feeling crafty lately.  I think it's because of Pinterest.  My friend Elizabeth got me hooked.  (If you're a member of Pinterest, you know what I'm talking about.  If you don't- don't try to find out.  It's a black hole of wonderfulness that is more addicting than crack...You laugh, but it's true (not that I would know how addictive crack is... can you even put parenthesis inside another set?) oh well...)  Anyways, so looking at all of the wonderful crafty ideas and things that I could do around my house has started the creative/crafty juices going in my brain.  It's actually kinda crazy, it kept me awake last night until 2am because I couldn't get my brain to shut off.  They were all pretty good ideas, and I wouldn't have been irritated, except for the fact that even though today is Saturday I couldn't sleep in, because today we participated in a memorial 5k run/walk for Marshall's friend that died in Iraq.  So we had to get up at 6:30.  Yeah.  I wasn't a happy camper when the alarm went off.

But, all of those creative juices have served a purpose.  I was crafty for the first time in a while.  So, I've wanted a chunky necklace for a while, but I've never found one that I really liked.  They were all either too one color or over-the-top chunky and looked like they'd make me top-heavy.  This is compounded by Alaina's propensity for chewing/pulling on whatever jewelry I happen to be wearing.  I had a conundrum.

Enter the button jar.

Every one that has ever sewn at all has some kind of random button holder- a jar, tin, whatever... mine is a mason jar that Alaina has started to play with as a rattle... Well, the other day the newly awoken creative part of my brain looked at this button assortment and said "I could make a necklace out of that".  And instead of the other part of my brain laughing at this random idea and storing it in the vault of undone ideas, I actually did it.

What do you think?  Not bad for buttons and embroidery floss, if I do say so myself. I also used the beads from a charm bracelet that I never wear to pull it all together (that's the silver).

pardon the lack of makeup :D

I really like it.  And, it was totally easy, I had all the materials, so it didn't cost me a dime (I love free things), and it's totally practical.  I mean, it's all buttons.  Most of them are big enough that Alaina couldn't swallow them, and I double flossed it- extra protection against her pulling on it and breaking it.   I knotted the embroidery floss after every couple of buttons, so even if she does happen to pull hard enough to break it, it wouldn't break all the way, and the buttons wouldn't be able to go all over the place.  She can chew on it to her heart's content. And it looks good! :D

I think she likes it! :D

Marshall's baby

Alaina is SO Marshall's kid.  Especially in her eating habits. Now that the doctor said that we could start transitioning her from baby food to "real" food, I have seen a distinct love for pasta.  Now, I like pasta, but I think that Marshall must have Italian in him.  He'll have to tell me if he finds any Italian ancestors on his genealogy search.  That's how much he likes pasta.  Of any kind.
The other day, Marshall's mom gave us some cans of Chef Boyardee ravioli- and I made some for myself for lunch.  I just offered her one to see what she would do with it.  GONE. She devoured them.  I couldn't give them to her fast enough.  The kid ate like seven raviolis.  And this is a child that a good meal is 1/3 of the baby food can.  (She made a stinking mess, and I DID take a picture, but it was on my phone, and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to get the pictures off of my phone, even with the USB cable.) It was very cute- you'll just have to take my word for it.
Then there's the heat factor.  I've never been a fan of hot stuff.  Marshall is.  He likes jalapenos and banana peppers.  He likes salsa.  And what do you know?  Alaina does too.  Now I'm not a horrible mom- I didn't give her jalapenos.  But the other day I made a quesadilla with banana peppers and tomatoes. (using the things I get from my lovely garden)  When she saw me eating it, Alaina was very emphatic that she wanted one too, so I cut off a piece and gave it to her.  Gobbled it right up.  All told, she ate half of one.  I think the baby food is just too bland for her.  I don't know.  But she definitely likes food. :D  And there's no question that she's related to her daddy.

Memory Lane

Growing up time always seemed to take so long.  It was FOREVER to get to Christmas.  Summer days dragged on, and we were in school for a lifetime.  At least that's what it seemed like.  I used to hear my mom talk about how time was flying and I always wondered what she was talking about.  Now I know:  Time speeds up.  The older you are, the faster it goes.  And it gets worse after you have a baby.  You blink and the little baloney loaf that you brought home from the hospital is standing up on her own, dancing to "She'll be coming 'round the mountain".  She's gone from just crying to philosophizing to the pig that hangs on the car seat handle.  (so she's not quite to the actual words yet, but that definitely doesn't keep her from being very emphatic about what she's saying.)  She has gone from unable to move to unable to sit still.  10 months doesn't seem like that long, but it's amazing how much changing can happen.

As I was thinking about all the changes that have happened, and thinking about how it doesn't seem like it's been that long, I started to wander down memory lane... It seems like just yesterday we were coming home from the hospital.  That first night home was hard.  Marshall had class the next day, so I was trying to let him sleep as much as possible.  (My mom was coming the next day, so I knew that I would have a chance to sleep.)  But for some reason, Alaina did not want to sleep at all.  She kept crying and wanting to nurse every 15-20 minutes.  I was exhausted, coming off of some major hormones, and just frustrated.  After three hours of non-stop feeding and crying I finally went to Marshall (I was sobbing myself at this point) and said "please try and get her to go to sleep".  My poor husband.  It was like 4 in the morning, he had a screaming daughter and a sobbing wife, and he was amazing.  Without missing a beat, he took Alaina and bounced her in one arm, all the while hugging me with the other.  He gave me the moment I needed to cry, then convinced me to try feeding her one last time, which I did.  He then said "go to sleep"  and took Alaina out of the room.  I woke up about 3 hours later and he still wasn't in the room.  I walked out to the main room, and there he was, sitting in the rocking chair, with Alaina asleep on his chest.
  I don't know if he slept at all that whole time.  I was so overcome with love for my husband at that moment.  I don't even know how to describe it.  I'm so lucky to have him.  When I was pregnant I had some people tell me that after having children your relationship with your husband changes- in a bad way.  Everyone told me that we would have a hard time transitioning from husband and wife to mother and father.  They all said that he would put the baby before me and that I would have to be careful not to get jealous, and so much more.  They were partially right- our relationship HAS changed.  But they are wrong about HOW it's changed.  Having a child has made me love him so much more.  Experiences like the one above and others, where he sacrificed so that I wouldn't lose my sanity have made me appreciate him even more than I did.   Husband and wife doesn't end just because you also become mother and father.  And I am so glad.

Looking back, this last 10 months has been a wild ride.  Ups and downs, wonderful moments and not-so-good times.  And even with all the stress and crazy moments, with all the poop blowouts and the ear shattering screams, the lack of sleep and having to sweep ten times a day, and everything else in between,  I would do it again in a heart beat.  Because it's worth it.  It's worth it for the wet kisses, the babbling conversations, and the beautiful smiles.  It's worth it to see her shimmying to music and hear her screeches of delight when she does.  It's worth it to see her curiosity and the excitement with which she explores her world.  It's worth it to hear her laugh.  It's worth it for the chance to get to know this amazing little spirit that she has.


It really wasn't that long ago that I met Alaina in the hospital room.  But so much has changed since then that it seems like forever ago.  And at the same time, it seems like it was yesterday.  Don't ask me to describe it- I know it doesn't make sense.  I know that from that moment, my life has never been the same.

And I couldn't be happier.

Garden

I love fresh veggies.  When I was growing up, my family had a garden about the size of most people's living rooms.  And I remember coming home from school, walking out to one of the tomato plants and pulling off a plump, ripe tomato, which I would then eat like an apple.  I remember sitting in front of the TV with my siblings with a huge pile of beans to snap.  I remember canning those beans with my mom.  So many wonderful memories, and let me tell you, there is NOTHING better than fresh home-grown veggies. I have always wanted to have a garden, but we rent.  Landlords tend to frown upon people mucking up the grounds.

So, when we moved into our apartment in March and one of the ladies that lives there was putting together a community garden, you can imagine how excited I was.  I envisioned myself pulling that plump ripe tomato off the vine again. I couldn't wait to feel the sense of accomplishment that I used to feel when I ate something that I had helped plant.  I was excited to have squash and cucumbers (and, I was excited to cut our grocery bill.)  So we got together and planted.  And I waited.  The only thing I was concerned about is that Crissy, in her desire to be cheap, used branches from trees that she found on the ground to stake up the tomatoes.  I told her to "break the bank" and actually get some more sturdy dowels.  But I wasn't in charge.

When you're not in charge, things don't turn out exactly like you wanted them to.

My finger for comparison

I don't eat okra, and I told Crissy I didn't want any, but for some reason and okra plant was put in next to my squash.  Apparently there is a reason okra is a southern food.  It grows.  And grows.  So now, I have an okra TREE in my part of the garden.  The stalk is literally three inches in diameter.  I wouldn't have a problem with this, except for one thing:



It killed my squash.  You see that bare spot next to the okra tree? Front left?  That's where it was.  I got one little tiny squash before monster okra took over and killed it.

And the tomatoes I have been looking forward to all year?  I was right about the stakes.  Because the stakes weren't actually keeping the plants upright, they decided to get friendly and grow into a tomato lump.  So now I have to penetrate the Devil's Snare to get at the lovely red spheres.  At least they are alive.  The other thing that is alive still are the peppers.  Now, back when we were planning this garden we said that we would have two kinds of pepper- green bell peppers and jalapenos.  And I was very clear that I was more interested in the bell peppers.  Crissy kept calling them "sweet" peppers, but I thought that was just what she called them.  Well, I'm not sure if there was a mix up at the seed bank or if chrissy didn't actually understand what I wanted when I said "bell pepper", but for some reason we have banana peppers, not bell peppers.  NOT the same thing.

Now I'm not a total poor sport.  I have been experimenting with what we have- I learned how to make a actually really yummy okra, tomato, and banana pepper dish.  I've experimented with the jalapenos- Marshall likes them.  They're way too hot for me though.  I've even experimented with the collards that also grow WAY too well...  I'm not sure I'm actually going to eat that dish.

I just can't wait until I have my own place and I can decide what I do and don't want. And how I want to plant it.  Because if I decide to grow okra, it's gonna be WAY far away from my squash.

Life is precious.

Forewarning: This is going to be a serious post.

Alaina usually sleeps really well.  Occasionally, however, she will cry for a moment or two and then go back to sleep.  So usually if we hear cries in the middle of the night we wait a couple of minutes to see if she'll go back to sleep.  The other night, I was suddenly awakened by her crying.  And instead of waiting like I normally do, I immediately felt like I should go check on her.  I don't know exactly what it was, whether it may have been a subtle difference in her cry or what.  But something told me that this was not a normal cry and that I needed to check on her.  So I immediately got up and went into her room.  Now, I was not wearing my contacts and all the light I had was her little night light, but I could see that she was kinda crouched next to the crib wall.  Once I got a little closer, I could see that the Boppy pillow that she sleeps with was up kinda on her shoulder.  I didn't quite know what to think, but she's had the habit of throwing her stuffed animals out of the bed when she gets irritated recently.  She's never thrown the Boppy, but that's what passed through my mind.  (Now, I've never been quite sure why, but this particular Boppy pillow has a strap attached to it, which I think is to create a kind of harness for a baby if you're using it as a seating helper.  It has a pocket to tuck it into when you're not using it.)  Well, when I picked her up, the Boppy came with her.  Looking a little more closely, the reason my baby was yelling so frantically was because the strap that usually stays in the little pocket had been jogged loose and somehow, in her sleep, Alaina had wound it around her.  Twice.  It was wound around her neck and under one arm.  Twice.  So tightly that it had pulled the arm it went under up to her ear on that side.  Even with the adrenaline that took over, it still took me a couple of seconds to get it off.  Like a Boa Constrictor trying to squeeze the life out of her.  All I could do afterwards was hold Alaina and cry.  Both of us needed it.

That fiendish Boppy cover is going in the trash.

Now, Alaina is fine.  I know that.  I keep having to check on her while she's asleep to make sure, but she is fine.  But this experience has taught me several things.  First, I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for making that strap go under her arm.  I cannot express how grateful I am for that.  I've been crying on and off since it happened, not because I'm sad, but because I am so grateful.  This could easily have ended in tragedy for us.  I am grateful that I, like Abraham, was saved by a loving Heavenly Father from that experience.   I think for a moment, in that room, I felt a small part of what Heavenly Father felt when Jesus was in the Garden.  He knew that He needed to let Jesus die for us.  I don't think I will ever fully comprehend how hard and painful that experience was for our Father in Heaven.  But I think I appreciate it much more now.  Second, I caught a glimpse into what it might be like to loose a child.  And I didn't like it.  Life is much more precious than I've ever thought.  I have always taken it for granted that people are just going to be OK. I always pray for protection, but I don't think I've ever really understood what that could mean.  It's just what I know I should ask for.  My prayers are going to be much more sincere from now on.   Lastly, I learned the importance of listening to the spirit.  A couple of weeks ago I had the thought that I didn't like the color of the Boppy cover, and I wanted to get a new one.  But I didn't because it was expensive and I'm cheap.  I thought that's all it was- just me being silly because the cover didn't match the crib bedding.  Maybe it was, and I'm over analyzing.  I don't know.  But I do know, that even though I didn't follow that first whisper, I was given a second chance.  I'm certain that the reason I responded to quickly to Alaina's cries that night was because the Holy Ghost was telling me that I needed to.  And I didn't hesitate to listen then.  I'm glad I got that second chance.  And I'm glad I listened.

I'm even more glad that Alaina is OK.  We already have another Boppy cover.  Somehow, it didn't seem all that expensive this time.

Toys

Having a kid is expensive.  You'd be surprised at how much stuff they need. and beyond the necessities, there are all those things that people have invented to make parenting "easier".  I'm not sure what baby needs knee pads for crawling- carpet isn't THAT hard that it'll hurt. Then there are all the toys.  I've always wondered why toys are so expensive.  Toy makers must be rolling in the dough.  I guess part of it is all the testing that they have to do to make sure the are safe for kids, but I still think it's kinda crazy how much things cost.  I guess there are parents out there that are willing/able to pay whatever the toy manufacturers ask.  Not me.  Especially since I've had Alaina.  We have an excersaucer (that we got second hand for free, but the original price was over $100).  We have stuffed animals, we have books of all shapes and sizes.  We have several toys.  And her favorite?...

Wait for it....

Can Koozies.  Yup, that's right- the squishy can holders you can put on your drink to keep your hand from freezing and falling off.  She LOVES those things.  We got them for free.  She holds one in each hand and crawls around the house.  She claps them together as if they were cymbals.  She chews on them and uses them like teethers.  The next favorite?  Costume jewelry that we got in New Orleans.  Marshall's aunt bought them 3 for a dollar and gave them to Alaina. (Again, cost to us= free) These are great cause they are shiny, and Alaina is definitely a girl.  She wears them around the house, chews on them, etc.  Third?  The nasal aspirator. The one we got in the hospital.  Again, cost to us= free.  Then there is her fascination with tissues.  I think one of the best presents we could give her is a box of tissues that she could just pull them out as she wanted.

So maybe I'm a bad parent because I haven't bought all of the learning toys that are supposed to help them learn and grow and develop.  But I console myself with the thought that I turned out ok.  And my favorite toy growing up was a wooden box with two black circles on top- it was my oven.  And I loved it.  There is time later for all the high tech gadgets out there.  Maybe.  If she asks me nicely enough...