Still in Alabama

First of all, thanks for all of the encouraging comments.

I will continue to update you as we move forward in this "find a new job" process.  Other than the obvious prayer of quickly finding a new job, we are also asking God for wisdom and direction.  To be more specific, I am mostly begging God for wisdom and direction.

Anyway, 


I am in Scottsboro trying to be a help with Abigail and her siblings.  In the mean time Scott is in Crossville with our two kiddos, so that they can visit with Mae Mae and Pop, and so that my hands are free so that I am able to be a help rather than a burden.

It's been a treat, though, because at the end of the day while mom stays at Ann's to help through the night and in the early morning hours, I return to mom's house, sans kids, where I am able to enjoy an evening free of responsibility and a full night's sleep with no little people waking me up early in the morning.  My crew will return tomorrow.

So, with this evening free time, I am about to begin reading The Help, which I am super excited about.

I also went by Unclaimed Baggage today--Scottsboro's claim to fame--where I bought Same Kind of Different as Me and Cynthia Heald's Becoming a Woman of Excellence.  Any time that I happen to be in a car by myself driving through Scottsboro (which is rare), I feel 17 again.  Will I eternally feel 17 in my hometown?  Maybe so.  Everywhere I turn this town is haunted with memories.

Well, I am off to read, alone, in a quiet house.  This is my Heaven.

More Pictures

We are still here in Alabama.

I have been back to Huntsville today to have a skin biopsy done.  Hopefully, hopefully, this will provide some definite answers.  The dermatologist that I am seeing in Huntsville is WONDERFUL, and I am so thankful to be in such capable hands.  I am weary of this thing that is taking over my feet and hands.  The doctor actually thinks that things are already clearing up, so the biopsy is sort of a "just-to-make-sure" kind of thing.  That way, as I make my way back to ATL, she can deal with any results over the phone.

Mom, the kids, and I decided to make an afternoon of it, and after lunch at Panera (and a couple of other stops), John fell asleep in his car seat.  Wanting him to stay asleep, and having a half an hour to kill before my appointment, mom drove Ada and me to Gigi's cupcakes.  While mom sat in the car with a sleeping John, Ada and I feasted on these.

Ada only ate icing, by the way.  My cupcake was called "wedding cake," and it was divine.  The icing is a bit overwhelming, though.  Goodness gracious it's a lot of sugar.

As for the last few days, well my two kiddos have been overflowing with rascal.  Ada has been in trouble constantly because of disobedience and a bad attitude.  And John, well who knows what he will be like at 3 1/2 because he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed 50% of the time.  This morning was one of those "wrong side of the bed" kind of days.  Here are a few images of John and his temper.  In the below pictures, John, in his baby language, was begging to go outside.  He didn't respond well when we said no.

When the back door wasn't working, he moved on to a front window.  "Maybe I can get out there this way," he ponders...

What else have we been up to this week?  Well we attempted to dye Easter eggs, which we did do, but Ada's whiny attitude was right there with us.  You can see it written all over her face, can't you?

She ended up "losing candy" yesterday, which just meant she could have no candy the rest of the day.  (I  know that sounds as if Ada just eats candy all day long, but she really doesn't.  She has a little stash right now from this past Sunday's Easter egg hunt).  Losing the candy privilege seemed to work better than anything else I have tried, though her bad attitude still tried to rear it's head a time or two.  She is trying my patience, indeed.

A few times, at the end of the day, mom came to my rescue by scooping the kids up and taking them outside.  Fresh air is always a good way to diffuse a tense situation!!!  And Ada loves a chance to dig in the dirt.

Scott will be here tomorrow (woo-hoo!!!), and we will spend a large portion of the day visiting with his parents.  Ada is super excited to see Mae-Mae and Pop!!

And currently, I am at home with John while the rest of the family--including Ada--is at a Seder meal in anticipation of the Easter Holiday. (I tried to find a good link to explain the Seder Meal, but I didn't know what link accurately described it).  I planned to go, but stinker-pie John hardly napped at all today, so he is in bed already, at the early hour of 6:30.  I am actually basking in the quiet right now.  (Like I said, Ada, whom I love dearly, has drained me a bit this week).

I hope to be back before Sunday with a few thoughts on anticipating Easter, but I sort of doubt that I will get around to it.  Sadly, my time with mom's mac computer and nice camera is coming to an end;)  If I don't get back...Happy Easter, everyone!!!  He has conquered death--Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!!!

Pictures

I am back to post a few photos of the week so far.

I don't want to post too many from the birthday celebration in case Ann wants to do that, but I am including one or two.

John has done well this trip, making it the first time he has really been happy here, away from home.  He's growing up, I tell you;)  As I type this John is asleep in his bed.  He is worn out from a breath-holding spell.  I wouldn't let him climb my mom's hardwood stairs, and he threw himself into a fit, which ended with his passing out and being so worn out that he went down for a very early morning nap.  What if that's how we responded every time something didn't go our way?  I guess sometimes I practically do respond that way;)  

Ada loves being here because she has built in playmates in her cousins.  And, in fact, she and Andrew are playing really well together this trip, so she has added a companion to the list.  I know that I will blink and John will be in on the "cousin fun."  

My mom has a backyard that begs these kiddos to come out and play.  John is no exception.  He continually walks up to the back door, points, and uses his "syllables" to indicate that he wants to go outside!!  He has made a game of going up and down the ramp and stairs to the back porch.  In the second picture he is sitting on the steps to my mom's art studio.

Here are a few shots from the birthday celebration.  Ann, Ellie, Luke, Ada, and I ate lunch at Nothing but Noodles (Ellie's choice) and then "built" bears at Build-a-Bear.  Build-a-Bear has mastered the art of taking your money, haven't they?  Oh my word.  Ada wanted every little accessory that she saw.  Instead, she was able to choose a basic bear and one outfit.  She chose the ballerina outfit, complete with "toe" shoes.  It was a fun experience for her. 

And then, while Ellie picked an outfit at Gymboree, Ada and Luke played in this play area.  They loved it.  They were playing all kinds of astronaut games.  (Did you know that my absolute nightmare of all nightmares is to go into space?  It makes me nearly hyperventilate just thinking about it).

And in the midst of all this fun, I am still dealing with the foot issue, which has turned into a hand issue as well.  We ended up in Huntsville yesterday afternoon to see a doctor.  (The third doctor I have seen about this).  I am on some new medication, and hopefully, hopefully, this will work.  If not, I have a follow-up appointment on Friday afternoon (which truthfully, I don't really think the new medicine will work, and I think I will have to go back on Friday).  We have a family-friend pediatrician who actually saw me yesterday afternoon and immediately referred me to a wonderful dermatologist, who saw me after hours.  I was thanking everyone I laid eyes on because I was so grateful.  I feel relieved to finally be seen by people I know and trust, so hopefully things will get worked out soon.

There is the week so far.  We are having fun, and, in fact, Ada is out at Ann's house right now, and John and I are headed that way as soon as he wakes up.  

Home

I am blogging from Alabama.

We (Ada, John, and I) are here for the week, and Scott will be joining us this coming weekend.  I have not been home since Christmas, so it is good to be here.  It is just getting harder and harder to travel with the two kiddos and with life so established in Georgia.  But, with a shift in my tutoring schedule, it was a good time to get away for the week.  Plus life has been crazy lately, and home always seems a good remedy for that.

Scott drove us here on Friday, and we were even able to go on an early 5th anniversary date in Huntsville last night.  Thanks, mom and dad!!!  We didn't do much--walked around Bridge Street and had a very yummy dinner at Cantina Laredo.   We ended the night at Madison Square Mall (and I felt like I was 16 again--who else spent all of their high school weekends at Madison Square Mall?  I know some of you did).  Why were we there, you ask?  Because I need a charger for my cell phone, and the GPS led us there.  Seriously, it made me laugh that I was celebrating my 5th anniversary at this place that marked so many significant teenage moments.  Okay, so the celebrating was done more at Bridge Street, but you know what I mean.

But, after five years, I can honestly say that, though it's nice to go to dinner with just Scott (such a rare treat), I don't mind spending our evenings at home.  I love Friday and Saturday nights, when the kids are in bed, and we crash onto the couch to watch a movie or catch up on HULU (we don't have cable, so we catch up on shows online).

Anyway, our anniversary isn't until the 29th, so I will talk more about that later.

Really, we are here to celebrate cousins--Ellie's birthday tomorrow (six!!) and Luke's T-ball game tomorrow night and dying Easter eggs later in the week--much cousin time is in the plans.

We also hope to see Mae-Mae and Pop at some point before we head back to GA.

Lots to do, lots to do.

I hope to be back with pictures through out the week, since I have access to mom's wonderful camera while I am at home.   And that is what we are up to this week.

Home

We've arrived in Alabama, and the cousin hoopla has begun.  We're excited to be here and thankful for a week with family!!!

Headed Out

I'm loading these two stinkers into the car and heading out of here early tomorrow morning.  Yes, you guessed it, back to Alabama we go.  It is a sort of last minute trip.

You see, for weeks now it's been, we're going, we're not going, we're going, we're not going.  And then a couple of days ago my Friday tutoring student rescheduled to next week, and I got the word that Sarah will be home from New Orleans, and Kate will be in town, and Ann (who, have you heard?, is pregnant with her FOURTH!!!  There is nothing like the excitement of brand new life!!) will of course be there, since she lives there, and the original reason for going was for a baby shower for Esther Bratton's little Charlotte (due to arrive very, very soon)

 so...

We're going.

And that's where we'll be 'til Monday.

Happy weekend, everyone!!!

Cavity Free

Do you remember all the dentistry drama from last summer--root canals and fillings and everything else all while first trimester pregnant?

Well, yesterday I went to the dentist for the first time since all of that happened.  And I am so happy to report that I am cavity free.  I have terrible teeth, despite my best efforts to brush and floss correctly (okay, I could probably put forth more effort in the floss department), so it is a rare visit to the dentist that I walk away with no cavities to be filled.  I was relieved, and may finally be able to make the big switch to a Georgia dentist.  We'll see.

In the mean time, Ada is soaking up the time with her cousins.  (And John is eating and fussing and eating and fussing in typical John-fashion, all while getting to know his cousins a little bit better).

(here, Ada and Ellie are getting "murried" as Ada says.)

Headed Home...

I still think of mom's house as home.  Will I always?

Anyway...we are headed there in just a little while for a much needed visit.  After so much time in Scottsboro right after John was born, we decided to stay put for a while as we adjusted to being a family of four.  And now it is high time we got in some Alabama time.  And we will end the week with some time with Scott's family.  To say that Ada is excited is the understatement of the century.  We have been marking off the days for weeks now.

So...next time I talk to you will most likely be from Alabama.

"See" you then.

This past weekend

I haven't yet blogged about this past weekend, but I do feel like it's worth a post.

For one thing, I was able to catch up with some college friends on Friday night.  They were kind enough to drive to Scottsboro from Huntsville and have dinner with us.  My children didn't really cooperate, but I did get in some good conversation once we left the restaurant.  Ada was going without a nap, and she was spent by the time we were seated and ready to eat.  Thanks for being patient with us, Taylor and Amanda!!

Plus, I went to that wonderful, wonderful wedding.  It truly was incredible, but I hate to post about it because all of my family have already said so much.  So instead I will steal a picture or two, and then I will direct you here to find out the details.

(that's John in the background.  Can you see him?)

John was a trooper, and Scott and I made it through course one and two of dinner, but just as the main course arrived, John reached the end of his rope, and we were out of there.  The curtains that would open to the dance tent had not even opened yet, and I also wanted to see the bride's second dress, the one for the dancing portion of the reception, but John wasn't having it.  He said, "Mom, I have been patient, I have held it together, but it's late, and I want my bed."  So, as the golf cart drove Scott, John, and me back to our car, I stared behind me watching the gorgeous scene unfold without me.  But it's just the way it goes in this season of parenting a newborn.  Every parent has been there.  And my feet were hurting.  So...anyway, it was fun, and John made it longer than I expected, so I count it a success. 

We are back home now.  John cried the entire six hours (round trip) that we were in the car, making it clear that he does not care for his car seat ;)  At one point I squeezed myself and my big post-baby rear end in between the two car seats in the back just to see if I could get him calmed down, which he did eventually calm down, but oh the screaming.  It was stressful.

We are home now, though, and John stuck to a great schedule today, nursing every three hours and taking a good morning and afternoon nap, followed by a short evening nap.  We have been working on that schedule for a while, so I am thrilled.  We'll see if it helps with his nighttime sleep.  I'm crossing my fingers. 

I'll let you know.

headed home

we are headed to Alabama today for the wedding of a dear family friend.  I had high hopes of being back to my pre-pregnancy self for this wedding.  Laugh with me, folks.  It just isn't happening right now.  I am working on it, but I am also working on making milk and getting sufficient amounts of sleep and changing diapers and well, the list is long.  Good thing this wedding has nothing to do with how I look ;)  And I guarantee that the bride will be stunning.  No worries there.

Ada will be staying with Mae-Mae and Pop during the wedding, and this boy of mine, who is attached to me every single second, will be tagging along to the wedding, of course.  I am his sole provider of nutrition, after all.  I am praying that he doesn't decide to cry out in the middle of the ceremony or something equally embarassing (sp?). 

And next week, my little family is packing up and traveling to Auburn, all so that I can finally get my hair cut.  I am so very excited.  I love Auburn, I love a fresh hair cut, and I love that I will get to see my very pregnant best friend.

So there is much excitement on the horizon.  Talk to you soon!

Rested

Guess what?  I am back in Alabama.

This is what I do these days.  I hit that sleep deprived wall, and Scott drives me and the kiddos to a halfway point where I then get in the car with mom--who has come to rescue me with the promise of sleep.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful sleep.

I am back to the land of the living with four nights of substantial sleep behind me and even a few good naps.  Thank you, mom.

Motherhood, it never ends.

One day we will emerge from this twilight zone called "living with a newborn," and our lives will resume something that looks a bit normal.

Until then, this is what we do.

Thank you, mom; thank you, husband; for loving me during this time when I am not at my best;)

And John, have mercy on us all, and please start sleeping longer at night.  Thanks.

Mom to the rescue

So...after I posted that everything was still going well, I hit a major brick wall on Saturday. 

I had this great idea that with Scott home, I would catch up on some sleep over the weekend.  I was wrong.

I found myself playing parent to both Ada and John, as Ada continues to demand that I do everything in the wake of John's birth.  So, Friday night, Ada woke up twice on top of John's waking up to nurse every few hours, leaving me to once again wake up every hour.

Top that off with the incredible mess that currently engulfs my house from top to bottom, and I ended up calling my mom in tears. 

Scott and I decided that Saturday night I would sleep downstairs in the guest room, where I could not hear Ada if she woke up, and Scott would be left to deal with her while I took care of John.  Well, maybe this would have worked, but Ada didn't wake up that night, so we weren't sure and we were headed into another work week. 

So there we were Sunday morning, and after talking to my mom and telling her I was fine, and that I didn't need to come to Scottsboro, Scott made the executive decision that I did, in fact, need to go.  I think he could tell I was starting to drown in a world of sleep deprivation.  So, Sunday afternoon, Scott drove Ada, John, and me to Adairsville, where my parents met us and drove us to Scottsboro.

And here I am in the comfort of my childhood home, where I plan to catch up on as much sleep as possible and go back home rejuvenated--well, as rejuvenated as possible with a newborn. 

But, I must say, that things do continue to go exceptionally well.  John continues to nurse all the time, he does well at night, and he really is a laid back baby.  However, he is only three weeks old, and it just takes a while for things to settle in.  Don't you agree? 

Just the other day, another mom observed that those first weeks with a newborn are like living in an alternative universe, and I thought that was a perfect description.  I am just one who needs a little extra help from outside sources until we are able to move outside of that alternative universe.

Luckily, I have a mom who totally gets that. 

So, we are in Alabama for a few days, and I am thankful for the escape.

And I am thankful for the nap I took this morning.  Just a couple of hours of sleep can make all the difference.

Final Christmas Post

These pictures are a bit scrambled...oh well, here goes.

Bitty Baby, the "Big" Christmas gift this year. So far, Bitty Baby has spent a lot of time sick in bed. At least that is what Ada tells us when we ask her if she wants to play with her. She always tells us in a tone that says the answer should be obvious, "She's sick. She has a feber."Okay, these are a few pictures from the Sunday when we were headed back to Atlanta. The kids were all hanging out waiting on lunch to be ready. Luke is showing Ada something on the computer.

still waiting...now the pacie and blanket are in on the mix. And Buzz Lightyear. The pacie gets tossed on the third birthday. I dread that already.

Just one morning during the holidays--reading with Mary Ann. (mom's sister)

The scene at my parents' house on Christmas morning. This was after santa presents and breakfast out at Ann and Steven's house.

Ada opened make-up and promptly put finger nail polish on her face and hair. The make up is now in hiding.

Like I said, these are out of order. This is Ada and Andrew at Ann's earlier in the day, eating breakfast.

Sadly I have not one picture of opening "Santa gifts." I don't have a picture of the gifts under the tree. Nothing. But there are enough pictures from the week to remember Christmas '09, I think. And that concludes the Christmas blogging.

Mae Mae and Pop's House

We began our Holiday at Scott's parents' house. Ada calls them Mae Mae and Pop (Scott's mom's middle name is Mae). Ada loves being at their house because there are cows and horses right out the back door. When we tell Ada that we are going to see Mae Mae and Pop, she always says, "and the cows?" Of course she also loves being at their house because she loves Mae Mae and Pop, (and "Annie," Scott's sister who also lives there).

I was terrible about taking pictures throughout the week, and most of the pictures that I do have are from other people's cameras. Here are the few pictures I took from the first of the week.

It was cold, cold, so I bundled Ada up before she went outside to play.

And those are all the pictures I have from their house. Sad, I know.

We had a great time, and Scott and I were able to sleep in every morning and sneak away for several meals on our own. A real treat, since we never do that here at home. The highlight of the trip was when we stayed up late playing a card game, Skip-Bo. We laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a lot of fun. Scott also stayed up late one night playing Rook, but I was feeling sick and pregnant, and I chose bed over that card game.

In the pictures above, Ada is wearing new Curious George pajamas underneath her coat and hat. Thank you, Mae-Mae, for always providing many Elmo and Curious George themed items. Ada adores them all!!