Moms n' Tots

Our church has a fantastic program called "Moms n' Tots" that meets every other Tuesday. The moms have fellowship time with a delicious spread of food (what church event would be complete without grub, right?), listen to a speaker, and then break into discussion groups to reflect on what the theme of the day is. The kids have their own program and the volunteers who work with them are wonderful.

I was really nervous about leaving Brynn in the nursery since she' such a mama's girl and Moms n' Tots is during her am nap time, so I signed up to help in the nursery on my "off" week- we went last week and she did great, but I was still nervous to leave her for the first time today. I put her down for a nap and walked out of the doors of the nursery, shedding a few tears and listening to the nursery volunteers cheer me on. The time with the other moms was amazing- the woman who spoke was a seasoned mother and truly blessed us all with her words.

I always think it's crazy how the Lord works in our lives- last week I was at a baby shower for a former co-worker and one of the ladies I used to teach with asked if I knew a woman at our church that she used to have as a student- guess who is my discussion group leader for MnT? THAT woman. Also, there's a young mom in our church who has been battling a brain tumor. I've never met her, but I've been praying for her and her family since our local newspaper wrote an article about her. Guess who is is my discussion group? THAT woman. Some people may see these little things as coincidences, but I know better. The Lord is going to be working in me this year and somehow these women will be involved. I can't wait to see what He's planning!

When I returned to the nursery, Brynn was flapping her arms and legs in excitement to see me. She slept for an hour and a half there and the report was that she did great and had fun playing the rest of the time.

I find that with each new step I take in motherhood, I cringe with a bit of anxiety because I wonder how Brynn and I will cope. I feel more confident with each milestone that we pass together and it's never as bad as I anticipate. I know the Lord has much in store for me in this adventure of being a mama and I know some of it will feel easy and some of it will stretch me in ways I didn't know were possible.

Loving this adventure SO much.

Fall fun

Loving that it is finally fall, cherishing my days with Brynn, started swim lessons (she LOVES it!), Moms n' Tots at church (tomorrow is the first day of Brynn in the nursery without me- hoping she does okay!), lots of fun with family and friends, working on organizing and decorating projects while Brynn naps, enjoying the evenings with Mark after Brynn is in bed, and altogether just truly relishing in the reality that is my life right now- love love love it. I'm so grateful for what the Lord has given me and every time I look at Brynn, my heart feels as if it will burst!

The pictures with Brynn holding the pink hippo are from a series I took- she was obsessed with this toy one day and I just think her little expressions are so funny!

She turned 7 months old on the 17th and is doing great. Sitting on her own, starting to "creep" backwards, rolling over all the time, talking ("bop" has been her word of choice lately).

I have to document the fact that I'm pretty sure Brynn can read my mind...we went to a wedding last night that started at 7pm (Brynn's bedtime). The crowd that was gathered there would have been upset if we didn't bring her, so I said to Mark on Saturday, "I wish Brynn would sleep in tomorrow morning so I can shift her naps to prepare her to stay up a little later than normal). Guess what she did? Slept in on Sunday and took her naps exactly when I hoped she would! This doesn't happen often since she's a girl who loves her routine: up at 7, nap from 9-11am, nap from 1-3/4pm, bed at 7pm. She definitely won the "Best Baby" award for that! She's done this a few times before and so I'm convinced she can anticipate what I'm thinking. =)

What a good girl.

Summer fun

I've been absent from this space for what feels like too long...

It's been difficult for me to update this little blog because I've been going through some "mama stuff" lately and I haven't been able to decide whether to share that here or just keep things light and airy. I suppose I choose the third option, which is just not write anything. =)

Not to go into anything too deeply, but I will say that this whole experience of motherhood, nothing surrounding the care of Brynn has ever been much of a challenge for me...obviously, she's only 6.5 months old and I have a long way to go...what has been challenging is everything else...family, my emotions, expectations I've putting on myself, letting go of Brynn...I'm blessed with many wise mama friends in my life and I'm so grateful for the encouragement they provide, even when I seem to hang on to the same struggles, week after week.

What I've realized during the last 6.5 months is that stepping into motherhood is just like starting a new job- I can't expect to be perfect at every aspect of it from the get-go, or ever for that matter. It will take time to fit into my new role- a lifetime, probably...and I shouldn't be so hard on myself when my timing of being ready for certain things doesn't match up with other people's wants or desires. So, that's the dark stuff. =)

Amid all of that, I have never been so content in my whole life. I love my days with Brynn and being able to soak in every stage she is growing through...and yes, I meant "growing", not "going". teehee. I'm amazed at hoe much she loves me, I mean REALLY loves me. She's always happy to see me, thinks I'm ridiculously funny, and is such a snuggle bug. Mark and I look at her every day and have to pinch each other to believe that she is really ours.

The last few weeks have been busy with a wedding at Semiahmoo that Mark and I were both in (his cousin's- super fun, beautiful weather, awesome time with family, amazing location!), lots of playdates, planning fall projects and taking a million pictures of Brynn!

This was the first week of school and I've been thinking about what I was doing last year at this time, greeting new students with their crisp new clothes and backpacks full of sharpened pencils, and explaining to every parent that inquired (which was every parent) what my plan for the year was since I was obviously pregnant. I do love teaching, but I wouldn't trade that huge paycheck (ha!) for what my days include now!

Brynn turned 6 months old in August- she's 14 lbs, 4.5 oz, 26 inches long, takes 2 great naps every day, eats 3 meals of solid food, sits up on her own, is so happy and smiley and giggly all the time- we sure do love her!

Yippee!!!

4th of July fun!

We had LOTS of fun this past weekend at our family cabins in Spokane. The weather wasn't great, but we were able to: have great chats with extended family, take naps with Brynn instead of doing chores, enjoy a mostly "media-fee" 5 days, eating delicious creations from my brother, who has become quite the bbq master, and relish in the fact that Brynn will now be able to enjoy this place that I have enjoyed since I was her age! So fun!

Brynn has now chowed down on several fruits and veggies and the girl loves to eat- she almost snarls as she tries to catch the spoon in her mouth before it quite reaches her.

Mark enjoyed playing around with the camera and captured some awesome night shots- he is so talented!

On the way home, we experienced the biggest, and I mean biggest, poop in the history of poops. I mean...it was all over Brynn, head to toe, all over the car seat AND even went ALLLLLLLLL the way down to the car seat base! How does that even happen?! Super gross and definitely a two-person job to clean up...and then we had the 6-hour drive home. =) Brynn must have been on a blow-out spree because that night when we arrived home, she had pooped again, and then the next day as I was walking through the store with her in the front pack, I realized she had pooped all over herself and it was all over the baby bjorn and my shirt. Awesome. Of course, as I had just begun my grocery shopping, I had to keep going...clearly I have my priorities straight: food first, poop second.

busy busy!

Things have been a bit crazy around here lately and with a full summer of little vacations and wedding events for Mark's cousin (we're both in the wedding party), I'm learning quickly how to balance everything in this new role of mine. Brynn continues to amaze us with her constant cuteness and we can hardly believe that she turned 4 months old on the 17th. We've been doing some sleep training with her since Friday (another post altogether)- she's doing really well and it's been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders because it will be much easier to leave her with others now that she can put herself to sleep on her own.

We started solid foods last week- her pediatrician recommended skipping rice cereal and moving on to a fiber-rich veggie since her poopin' schedule suggests the cereal could make her constipated. Sweet peas were her first bite and I've been amazed that she's been eating all we've been giving her and not just swirling it around in her mouth and spitting it out. She likes to eat, just like her parents! =) I received the Beaba Babycook for a gift and I can't wait to start putting it to use with all the awesome summer produce starting to become available!

Definitely feeling the itch of needing to commit to an exercise routine- feelin' reeeeeaaaal squishy lately. I had to stop running a few years ago because of a back issue that I suspect had more to do with me wearing high heels every day. Now that I don't do that anymore, I'm hoping to try running again with some success.

We tore down our upstairs deck and closed off the door that used to lead to it from one of our bedrooms upstairs- it was starting to rot and a future kid-bedroom with a door to a 2nd story deck didn't seem like the best idea. That's our awesome "can do it all" neighbor in the picture. He's great.

The photo of Mark and Brynn in the Bjorn is from a little hike we went on a few weeks ago- there are some fun little trails close to us that are perfect for the spontaneous "wanna go for a hike?" line that comes from our mouths often. Mark is totally addicted to the Bjorn- he loves wearing it. I don't blame him- Brynn is so sweet and content when she's in there...she loves to look around and hold hands while she's being carried in that thing.

We celebrated our 7th anniversary on the 28th- hard to believe it's been that long! Since we got married before the digital age, none of our pictures are super accessible, so not as easy to post on here- but just imagine us thinner, tanner, and still going gaga over each other and that's pretty much what we looked like back then. =)

Ok...so what I meant was...

...June 10th AND June 7th. After I wrote that last post, I was thinking about how I remember finding out I was pregnant on a Sunday, but if June 10th was a Thursday this year, that means it would have been a Wednesday last year.

Hmmm.

So, I looked back through iphoto, knowing that I had taken a picture of that test, and whaduyaknow?



If only I would have waited 3 more days to take that test...it would've made for a real good story. Ah, well.