Spending Time with Grace

Most mornings, after I feed Grace, she and I come into Jonathan's room to start his day next. He almost always tells me that, before he does (fill in the blank,) he needs to spend some time with Grace.

And I love that he has a fresh haircut!

Feed Your Stash Friday

Somebody Give This Boy a Haircut!

"After" pictures coming soon...

Jonathan Says

"You're our little pink flower, Grace!"

"Bubbles like other bubbles. That's what Ms. Jen said when we were catchin' bubbles at Delia's birthday party."

(And, a phone call while I was writing this post:

Caller: Hi girlfriend!

Me: Hi!

Caller: What are you doin'?

Me: Just hanging out with Jonathan.

Long silence.

Caller: Do I have the wrong number? Is this Linda??)

She's Moving

This is where Grace ended up after I put her down to have tummy time on the blanket facing the farm.

She is working really hard on her rolling and seems to be enjoying it. Except at naptime...when she gets stuck on her tummy with her legs through the bars on the crib, it makes her really mad! Jonathan and I are working on moving some of our choking-hazard toys from the playroom to his room. Most of the baskets on his shelf are empty, so we have some flexibility as far as where we keep things. We've never babyproofed this house before. Time to work on it!

Jonathan is working really hard, trying to figure out how things are spelled. He likes to tell me his spelling ideas at random times during the day. He gets things right when they make sense phonetically, which only happens sometimes in our crazy English language! It's a big puzzle to him. When he gets things partly right and partly wrong, he really wants to know the right way to spell them. It's good practice for him to learn that he's not always right. He likes to be right all the time. Where does he get that trait??? Hmmm...

Francie Pants

I accidentally ran across these today and I think Gracie is going to need some when she's a big girl. If she likes wearing dresses. I'm still learning about girl stuff.

Happy Girl

and very affectionate brother.

She is working really hard on her rolling (she has made it over twice, from back to tummy) and her grabbing, so we'll see how affectionate he feels when she starts going for his toys!

Quick Note About His Teeth

They're OK!

My fantastic husband made my day by taking Jonathan to the dentist. I was so happy about that...and I still am. Jonathan's teeth experienced some trauma but look OK. While he was at the dentist, he also got his first teeth cleaning. And he was a good sport about all of it. He said it was easy!

The dentist said that the huge overbite he had at his first dentist appointment (when he was two, after his first tooth trauma episode) is now completely corrected. Yay for quitting the finger-sucking habit and yay that it really wasn't that hard. That gives me confidence that Grace will also be able to kick the thumb habit when the time comes...but it's awfully cute for now.

Brother and Sister

I'm not sure how the lighting in these two pics could turn out so differently. Unfortunately, the better picture (above) has worse lighting. I still thought they were both cute and had to share!

I took these before church this morning. After church, Jonathan took a spill and smacked his front teeth again. Seriously, how many times can one little guy hurt his front teeth before they fall out? I hope we can see the dentist tomorrow and make sure they're OK.

SIlly Jonathan

"I have to tell you something that you may not have noticed..."

"I have to tell you a number. Two forty-five. Funny, huh?"

Rice Cereal

We gave rice cereal a try tonight (the bananas aren't ripe enough yet.) I'm thankful for the gift of the Bumbo because she's not stable enough to sit in her booster seat yet. (And I am just too stubborn to buy a high chair when I have a great booster with a tray!) It was a dribbly experience and I'm not sure how much she swallowed, but when it was over, she was mad. Grace isn't one to get mad very often, so I'm guessing she liked how it tasted? I supposed we could call our first try a success. We'll try again tomorrow and decide whether to continue with cereal or wait until she's a little older. I hope it goes well so that she has a little boost in her weight.

Because I Couldn't Choose

At the Park

My friend Jen called today and invited us to join her and the girls at the park. I'm so glad she did, and thankful that we went to the park instead of grocery shopping. I'm sure we can squeeze in that shopping trip at another time! Instead, I got time to chat and Jonathan got time to play. (Grace just got to patiently hang out, which she did so well.) It was a gorgeous day: not too windy and not too hot, although I did get sunburned a bit!

None of the kids wanted to spend much time in the fountains today, and I didn't get any good pictures of Ella and Delia with Jonathan. I guess I was too busy enjoying chatting. I did get this picture of him "in the moon," as he called it.

And here is Grace. I got to hold her for awhile and then she fell asleep in her stroller. She didn't make much of a fuss, which her brother appreciated.

Thanks for a fun time, friends!

Time to Puree

I didn't think it would be time to start Grace on solid food quite so soon...both because her life has gone really fast so far and because I thought I'd wait until she was almost six months old to give it a try. But, at her doctor's recommendation, we're about to jump to this next stage. We'll start with rice cereal or banana-I'm not sure which. Maybe this weekend we'll give it a try...of course I'll post about it.

For now, I'm motivated to put our extra zucchini from the garden to good use.

When she's ready for it, I'll have bags of pureed zucchini cubes in the freezer, ready to thaw and feed to our sweet girl.

The Side Yard

Some of you might remember that our side yard was mostly covered in Astroturf when we moved in. Here are a couple pictures of how it's coming along. Jeff has been working really hard on it the past few months. This post is also especially for Jeff's parents, who have put in some long hours helping with this project on their visits.

Eventually we'll have a table and chairs for a little sitting area over the flagstones, and the sprinkler lines will be buried. There are a few more plants/trees in the plan, too.

Here's the garden corner. Jeff is growing veggies in the two boxes and trying upside-down tomatoes this year. Around the perimeter, he is espaliering some fruit trees. I'm super excited because that means we'll have navel oranges and Fay Elberta peaches in our yard...and Fay Elberta peaches are the best peaches ever. They don't travel well (just like our Meyer lemons) so you won't find them at the store. Come visit next year and try some!

Welcome Alex!

Here's the follow-up on Perry and Katie's baby. Alex was born on Monday via c-section and was 9 lbs., 14 oz., 22 in. long. Everybody is doing well. Congrats, Perry and Katie!

Gracie's Four-Month Checkup

Two and a half weeks ago, Grace started sleeping through the night. Every night! I didn't want to mention it too soon, but it looks like it's a habit for her now. Yay! Also, she got to the point that she was only willing to drink about half an ounce from the bottle each day. So, I decided to stop giving it to her (of course, she didn't mind) and see how she did with her weight gain. She continued to sleep through the night without that extra little drink.

If she had gained the minimum of half an ounce a day (an ounce a day would be better) she would have been 14 lbs., 4 oz. today. Here are her stats:

Height: 26 1/4" (90-95th %ile)

Weight: 14 lbs., 2 oz. (50th %ile)

So she's growing, but mostly in length. The doctor suggested starting her on solids. We'll do that soon. I hope it helps her to fill out more. As you know, Jonathan was slimmer than Grace but had filled out and gotten chunky by this age. Grace has yet to do that.

Everything else looked great, but she is still arching her back (of course.) The doctor doesn't know why she is doing it, and although he doesn't see anything that makes him worry, he wants to find out why. So, we'll be visiting a pediatric neurologist soon. I know that sounds scary, but I think it's just a precaution. I'll post about it when it happens. We are really thankful for our sweet little girl!

Water Damage Follow-Up

We're dry! The disaster recovery people were here three different times yesterday packing up and moving out their equipment. The insurance adjuster lady was here today for the entire afternoon. Everybody has taken their pictures and measurements and given us their estimates, and things are looking good. It could have been a lot worse! We're getting back to normal and putting things back where they go even though I know we'll have to move them again for carpet replacement and repainting. It doesn't look that bad around here. I imagined a lot worse!

Different subject, but Gracie has her four-month checkup tomorrow. We're hoping for a good report about her weight. And, she rolled from back to tummy for the first time today! She has been working on it for awhile and still doesn't know what to do with her arms, but I think it qualified as a full roll.

And, last subject: Congrats to our friends, Perry and Katie, on the birth of their baby boy! I don't have any particulars yet, but when I do, I'll post! They're in Jeff's email, and as this is his busy season, I don't have the details. I will soon!

Gracie Today

I do believe she's chosen her left thumb. Pacifier or thumb or fingers-makes no difference to me-but I'm glad she's found it, along with a really good daily routine.

And she almost always wakes up in this mood. She is still losing hair like crazy and has bald spots all over the place, but she does have some hair left! As Delia said, "bald is beautiful," though!

I figured out how to get her into her doorway jumper successfully. (I am a big fan of this jumper!) The first time, she just wanted to arch her back (of course.) This time, I put her in, and then folded her little body into a sitting position so that she would know what to do. It seemed to do the trick. She really liked it!

They still adore each other.

Punjammies

The following is a message from International Princess Project, a cause near to my heart. I hope you'll take the time to look at it. Thank you!

In India, millions of women and girls work as prostitutes. Many have been trafficked, kidnapped, lured with promises of jobs, or sold by their own families into sexual slavery. Some as young as six years old have become sex workers (the actual term used in India) due to poverty or lack of opportunities. Within the huge, cosmopolitan city of Mumbai lies the largest red-light district in the world, which is home to a myriad of injustice, abuse, and horrors.

One million children are trafficked into the sex trade each year, taken from their families and forced to work as prostitutes. In Mumbai alone, ninety cases of HIV are reported every hour. Once in the sex trade, women and girls may be forced to "serve" up to twenty clients per day.

You can help bring hope to women who have been rescued or escaped from forced prostitution and human trafficking. By purchasing pajamas these women have made, you help empower them to restore their lives. While living in a safe, holistic recovery home, the women learn to sew PUNJAMMIES™. PUNJAMMIES™ help the women support themselves with skill and dignity, heal in body and spirit, and live lives of freedom.

If everyone takes a small piece of responsibility in the fight against human trafficking and forced prostitution, we can overcome the dark reality these women have lived and prevent others from experiencing the same. Please purchase PUNJAMMIES™ online at www.punjammies.com. Every sale contributes to restoring hope and dignity to another life.

Anniversary Picture

Just kidding. We had to remember the fans, though!

Here's our real picture commemorating our anniversary. Even though Jeff spoiled me with the 10th anniversary Hawaii trip last November, he spoiled me again last night, and we had a wonderful evening out.

And here we are last year on our 9th anniversary. We were thrilled to be secretly expecting, but I was feeling pretty crummy. I was a very cheap date and only ordered mashed potatoes, soup, and water. I ordered some really yummy things this year and enjoyed them enough to make up for the crummy feeling last year. And, this year we have Jonathan and Grace! We are so thankful.

Update

The fans continue to blast. Both kids are down for naps. Two guys are out in the garage cutting out a section of the ceiling to remove wet insulation so that the area can dry. They thought they might have to cut out the wall, too, but it's dry enough for now. They'll be back to check on things again on Monday. I'm allowed to turn off the fans on Sunday, and I'm very much looking forward to that! Our spaces won't be put back together, but it will be quieter! We are not a very loud family, and this constant noise is wearing on us.

If you want to know how loud it is...the workers who came to our house rang the doorbell. I couldn't hear it upstairs in Grace's room. Yikes!

Water Damage Pictures

After Jonathan's swimming lessons last night and before our small group met at our house, Jonathan put his swimsuit in the sink to soak it in some fresh water and rinse it off. We didn't know it, obviously, but he plugged the sink, put the suit in, turned on the water full blast, and forgot about it.

Less than half an hour later when Jeff went to make sure the bikes were put away, he noticed that there was water dripping from the laundry room ceiling through the air vent and the exhaust fan. Jonathan's bathroom is above the laundry room. It was "raining" in the laundry room and the garage. Jonathan's bathroom was a lake. By this time, our wonderful small group was here. Jeff and Michele jumped to action with towels and the shop vac and helped us figure out where the wet places were. Lauren the babysitter was already taking care of the kids, although I pulled Jonathan from his play to help clean up his mess. Sal and Michelle helped us with insurance and brought some fans. Jeff went next door because our next door neighbor works for a restoration service and he got started on the process. I can only imagine what would have happened if we had this mishap without help...or when we had been gone all day...or even if Gracie had been awake. She was already in bed and slept through the LOUD chaos.

It's going to be loud chaos here until Monday morning. Gracie's room was unaffected, thank goodness. Our room was also unaffected. We can go into either of those rooms or Jeff's office and close the doors to escape some of the sound! The carpet is lifted (and soggy carpet pad removed) in both the upstairs and downstairs hallways, Jonathan's room, and the stairs. The laundry room and his bathroom are linoleum, so they're not lifted. The water was in the upstairs floors, in the walls, the downstairs ceiling, the attic, and the downstairs ceiling (including the garage ceiling. It sounds like a lot but it could have been so much worse. We haven't found important belongings (like pictures) that have gotten wet. It's just towels and carpet (and, of course, walls-we don't know what the repair story will be on those yet.)

Gracie is sleeping and Jonathan and I are watching Boz. Today is definitely a day for a video. I'm thankful for baby monitors with lights because it's so loud in here that, even with the sound turned way up, I can't hear the monitor.

The stairs with Jonathan and one of the many fans. And some of our pictures that are off of the walls. Thanks to Michele for helping me get pictures off of wet walls!

I took a picture of this because it's what they do with one of the dehumidifiers. They drill holes into inaccessible places (like our linen cabinet upstairs-we have a cabinet, not a closet!) and inject dry air while sucking out the moisture. Lots of water went under this cabinet and downstairs through the walls.

Looking into the playroom, sort of. The playroom was unaffected.

Jonathan's room straight ahead, Grace's on the left, and the bathroom on the right. I guess this provides lots of white noise for Grace!

Downstairs hallway with the laundry room down on the right. I can get into the laundry room, barely, which is good. I'm washing lots of soggy towels.

Happy anniversary! ;)

July 19, 1998

Nearly eleven years ago, I sat in 15C on TWA flight 428. Little did I know that a man named Jeff had gotten on before me and had not sat in his assigned seat. When I sat down, he was concerned that he might have sat in my seat...and so began our first conversation. I sat next to him for almost an hour, and married him almost a year later on July 17, 1999.

I never imagined that I would be that girl who met her husband on an airplane, but I am. Life has continued much the same since I met Jeff...which is to say, God keeps putting adventure after adventure in our path. We don't have a chance to get bored! And I am so thankful for the life that we have together. I would marry him all over again in a moment. Happy 10th anniversary, sweetheart!

(For pictures of our wedding day that I posted two years ago, click here.)

Water Damage

Jonathan left the water running in his bathroom sink. Extensive damage.

More later.

Four Months Old!

Doesn't she look like she's dressed for a party? Reminds me of Emma Claire's 1st b-day party.

All done.

To see Jonathan at four months, click here, or just go to April 2005. I posted a ton of pictures on the 10th. Blogger was less sophisticated then, and posts just had a picture and a caption. No multiple pictures, links, etc. Enjoy!

Grace's "Good Morning!"

One More Cute One

Still a little wobbly.

It was so hard to get a picture of her looking at me because she was so interested in grabbing her dress and eating it. For Grace, that's a task that takes lots of concentration!

Jonathan and His Mommy

She Wants...

to go to bed...

now.

Playtime

Gracie and Her Daddy