Three new blog posts! Get 'em while they're hot!
An apology and a promise
Our first outing
Pictures of Dayton at one week
I realize that a rational place to start would have been with Dayton's birth story. I really will get around to that eventually.
It is going to take me a while to get it all down in a format I am happy with. Not only did a lot happen that I want to record, but I'm still a little emotional about it all, plus there are lots of beautiful pictures I want to include. And y'all know that brevity is not my strength.
I can't even say "I'll get around to writing a birth story soon" in less that three paragraphs!
It will come eventually though. Short version = long labor (again), not successful in going unmedicated (again), sad about that but healthy baby and healthy mommy.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sweet Pictures
While my mom stayed with us after Dayton's birth we attempted a little home photo shoot. I really need to spend some more time with my camera manual, I still have a LOT to learn. I'll get to that some day...
But until then we do the best with what we have. When you have such sweet subjects it is hard not to get a couple of cute shots.
(It's kind of driving me crazy that I haven't gotten a chance to edit these at all. I'm sure if I spent some quality time with Photoshop we'd have some really great ones. But at this point I'm just happy to have gotten them onto the computer. I must pace myself.)
In order to get a couple that I'm somewhat happy with, we got a lot of these:
I actually like this last one. She's pretty adorable even while throwing a fit, don't you think?
p.s. Can anyone tell me why I have to manually shrink each picture so much in Blogger for them to show up without being cut in half? And why my pictures are not being imported in order? How can I change my layout to allow larger pictures? Are there other (better/easier) ways to format my posts besides doing it through Blogger? It seems there has got to be a better way...this is taking me forever!
But until then we do the best with what we have. When you have such sweet subjects it is hard not to get a couple of cute shots.
(It's kind of driving me crazy that I haven't gotten a chance to edit these at all. I'm sure if I spent some quality time with Photoshop we'd have some really great ones. But at this point I'm just happy to have gotten them onto the computer. I must pace myself.)
In order to get a couple that I'm somewhat happy with, we got a lot of these:
I actually like this last one. She's pretty adorable even while throwing a fit, don't you think?p.s. Can anyone tell me why I have to manually shrink each picture so much in Blogger for them to show up without being cut in half? And why my pictures are not being imported in order? How can I change my layout to allow larger pictures? Are there other (better/easier) ways to format my posts besides doing it through Blogger? It seems there has got to be a better way...this is taking me forever!
Out and About
I was worried that having a baby in the middle of winter would mean I couldn't (or rather, shouldn't) leave the house for a month or two. Chilly weather, wind, cold/flu/RSV season are not fun things for an infant.
Fortunately, we live in Texas! Dayton was not but six days old before we were able to enjoy a lovely Saturday morning by taking a walk to the park. Nanny and cousin Haley were in town to help us out. Bennett wore Haley out before we even got there by using one of his new words - run! - over and over as she pushed his stroller.
Dayton enjoyed her ride in the sling. This girl is a snuggle bug for sure and is pretty much a happy camper if she is being held. As long as the holder is walking, bouncing or swaying that is.
I sat on a bench, chatted with my dear mother in law and made goo-goo eyes at my baby girl while Jeff entertained Bennett and Haley by chasing them up and down the play equipment, helping them across monkey bars and pushing them on the swings.
Bennett now wants to ride on the big swings and does a great job of holding on like a big boy. The only problem is he has a bad habit of not notifying us when he decides he is finished with the ride. He simply disembarks mid-swing. This tends to leave us with a crying toddler who is confused as to why he ended up face down in the dirt. Sweet boy just doesn't quite understand his limits.
I might have pushed myself a bit much for a woman that had birthed a nine pound baby less than a week before, but I enjoyed getting out and about. The residual soreness was totally worth it.
I think all the excitement wore Dayton out too. Could she be any cuter?
Here We Go Again
I am actually sitting down at the "big" computer in our study in an attempt to achieve the goal of having at least some current, if not interesting, material on ye old Learning As We Go (and lemme tell ya, that is appropriate domain name if I've ever seen one).
I apologize for my sad attempts at blog updates of late. Despite the zillion and one posts in my head I've not felt capable of stringing together more than two coherent sentences, much less had the fortitude to upload pictures, compose, edit and and publish an entire blog entry.
But today has been a banner day, so I am feeling hopeful that I might have some success in finishing a post. Or maybe even two or three!
Why do I feel so empowered, you may ask? Well, not only did I not take a nap, nor feel like I might die without one today, but I made a quite successful trip to the grocery store with two children under the age of two in tow. All by myself.
I didn't even cry when I discovered my wallet was not with me as I stood in line with an overflowing basket and cranky toddler. We survived. And I had the groceries put away before my dear husband returned from work. It was enough for me to consider changing my name to Wonder Woman.
So, feeling bolstered by my recent success, tonight I will attempt to share some of the excitement and joy of our last few weeks. And next time I go to the store, I'll just bring my diaper bag AND my purse and not worry myself with trying to consolidate.
I don't expect that this will be particularly spellbinding for any dear readers that may have hung on through our recent blog slump. But there are certainly moments and memories that I want to capture at least for myself before the vivid colors and emotions begin to dim with the passage of time.
So, hold on to your hats, my friends. Here we go!
I apologize for my sad attempts at blog updates of late. Despite the zillion and one posts in my head I've not felt capable of stringing together more than two coherent sentences, much less had the fortitude to upload pictures, compose, edit and and publish an entire blog entry.
But today has been a banner day, so I am feeling hopeful that I might have some success in finishing a post. Or maybe even two or three!
Why do I feel so empowered, you may ask? Well, not only did I not take a nap, nor feel like I might die without one today, but I made a quite successful trip to the grocery store with two children under the age of two in tow. All by myself.
I didn't even cry when I discovered my wallet was not with me as I stood in line with an overflowing basket and cranky toddler. We survived. And I had the groceries put away before my dear husband returned from work. It was enough for me to consider changing my name to Wonder Woman.
So, feeling bolstered by my recent success, tonight I will attempt to share some of the excitement and joy of our last few weeks. And next time I go to the store, I'll just bring my diaper bag AND my purse and not worry myself with trying to consolidate.
I don't expect that this will be particularly spellbinding for any dear readers that may have hung on through our recent blog slump. But there are certainly moments and memories that I want to capture at least for myself before the vivid colors and emotions begin to dim with the passage of time.
So, hold on to your hats, my friends. Here we go!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Everything Is Just A Little Sweeter
when I pulled this load from the dryer. It looks so different than
what I'm used to!
I've never been one to own much that is pink, but maybe the color is
growing on me. Just a little.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Keeping Up
to get home.
Bennett gets so excited when he sees the neighborhood kids out riding
their bikes and scooters. He wants so badly to play with them and I
really don't think he realizes how much bigger they are. He's so cute
out there on his little ride-on toy thinking he's a big boy.
Our sweet, patient next door neighbor (in pink) will ride slowly next
to him on the sidewalk back and forth around the circle. Bennett
thinks she is the greatest. And I agree!
In other news, I do long to return to more regular blogging. I just
haven't managed to make it a priority lately. I have lots to
share...Dayton's birth, a cloth diaper update, Bennett being cute and
funny, and a couple or 50 pictures you must see.
Just thinking about it makes me tired. Hopefully I'll feel more
inspired and energized to write it all down soon. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Let Me Not Forget...
And I must also show off my sassy new wet bags. No more stuffing
dirties into plastic Target sacks. We are high-class now!
More Fluffy Mail!
soon...I hope! But in the meantime feel free to celebrate with me
over the arrival of some sweet, girly diapers. Love them!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Big Brother Bennett
While I was pregnant I was often asked what Bennett thought about having a new baby brother or sister. I could only answer that at 21 months he was pretty much clueless as to what was going on and more than likely we were going to rock his world.
Other than buying a baby doll and talking about babies for a month or so before the due date we couldn't quite prepare him for the impending arrival of another family member. I was a little nervous as to how he would react.
Almost two weeks in, my assessment would be "so far, so good."
Rob and Haley watched Bennett while we were in labor and brought him to the hospital in a cute "big brother" t-shirt. (I had thought about getting something like that...but hadn't gotten around to it.)
At first he was mostly curious.
He enjoyed hanging out in the hospital room with lots of friends and family around. He also loved the variety of snacks available to him.
Is it just me, or does he seem a bit unsure about this baby business?
B loves to point out Dayton's facial features. I get a little nervous sometimes as he attempts to identify her eyes with a quick jab or two.
The obligatory big brother kiss picture. He caught on to this quickly and now wants to kiss her all.the.time. Especially if she is crying.
Our family of four! Bennett was all pictured out but perked up when he discovered the "mote". He happily switched the lights on and off and called the nurses station no less than three times.
Gran stayed with B at our house while we were in the hospital. When we got home he was thrilled to see his daddy but wouldn't so much as look at me for a good 15 minutes.
But he eventually forgave me and more than made up for the cold welcome home greeting.
Bennett is extremely loving toward his little sister. When he wakes up or comes in from outside he immediately goes to find the "baybeesh" and make sure she is okay. He loves on her every chance he gets, as evidenced by this drive-by kiss that I barely managed to capture on camera.
Here are a few more pictures of Bennett and Dayton. My mom and I attempted to stage a photo shoot and quickly realized why we pay professionals for that kind of thing. We had fun anyway...
More Bennett cuteness of late that I want to remember:
* Thinks that Dayton should always be wearing a hat or a bow and is distressed when both are absent. Will often find a bow, bring it to me and insist that I put it in her hair.
* Runs to her when she cries and kisses her repeatedly. If he cant reach her he'll get as close as he can and make kissing noises in her direction. Or he will point to my chest and say "baybeesh eat!"
* Has learned to whisper...it is the cutest thing! I love it when he puts his finger to his lips and hushes us, "shhh, baybeesh night-night".
* Seemingly has no interest in calling Dayton by her name.
* Is talking in sentances from time to time. My two favorites so far are "I want you" and "where my dada doe?"
He is talking so much these days and is usually somewhat decipherable. But he uses some made-up words that require interpretation. My current favorite Bennett "words":
* bird = booboo
* drink = some unspellable sound made at the back of his throat (something like "ningining") accompanied by the sign for milk
* on = on and off = on. He knows the difference if we ask, but pronounces them the same. I got tickled when he was playing with a light switch the other day and repeating "On, on. On, on" as he turned the lights off and on.
* Anything he doesn't know how to say = dat
* Gran = Dane, Aunt Lisa = Shasha and Uncle Phil = Bo. (Bo?? Cracks me up!) This is a great improvement over pointing to family members and calling them "dat".
There is more but B is calling me from his crib, Dayton wants to eat and it has taken me over a week to put this post together...so it is going up as is. Hopefully I'll find a routine that allows me some blogging time. I have a lot to say!
Other than buying a baby doll and talking about babies for a month or so before the due date we couldn't quite prepare him for the impending arrival of another family member. I was a little nervous as to how he would react.
Almost two weeks in, my assessment would be "so far, so good."
Rob and Haley watched Bennett while we were in labor and brought him to the hospital in a cute "big brother" t-shirt. (I had thought about getting something like that...but hadn't gotten around to it.)
At first he was mostly curious.
He enjoyed hanging out in the hospital room with lots of friends and family around. He also loved the variety of snacks available to him.
Is it just me, or does he seem a bit unsure about this baby business?
B loves to point out Dayton's facial features. I get a little nervous sometimes as he attempts to identify her eyes with a quick jab or two.
The obligatory big brother kiss picture. He caught on to this quickly and now wants to kiss her all.the.time. Especially if she is crying.
Our family of four! Bennett was all pictured out but perked up when he discovered the "mote". He happily switched the lights on and off and called the nurses station no less than three times.
Gran stayed with B at our house while we were in the hospital. When we got home he was thrilled to see his daddy but wouldn't so much as look at me for a good 15 minutes.
But he eventually forgave me and more than made up for the cold welcome home greeting.
Bennett is extremely loving toward his little sister. When he wakes up or comes in from outside he immediately goes to find the "baybeesh" and make sure she is okay. He loves on her every chance he gets, as evidenced by this drive-by kiss that I barely managed to capture on camera.
Here are a few more pictures of Bennett and Dayton. My mom and I attempted to stage a photo shoot and quickly realized why we pay professionals for that kind of thing. We had fun anyway...
More Bennett cuteness of late that I want to remember:
* Thinks that Dayton should always be wearing a hat or a bow and is distressed when both are absent. Will often find a bow, bring it to me and insist that I put it in her hair.
* Runs to her when she cries and kisses her repeatedly. If he cant reach her he'll get as close as he can and make kissing noises in her direction. Or he will point to my chest and say "baybeesh eat!"
* Has learned to whisper...it is the cutest thing! I love it when he puts his finger to his lips and hushes us, "shhh, baybeesh night-night".
* Seemingly has no interest in calling Dayton by her name.
* Is talking in sentances from time to time. My two favorites so far are "I want you" and "where my dada doe?"
He is talking so much these days and is usually somewhat decipherable. But he uses some made-up words that require interpretation. My current favorite Bennett "words":
* bird = booboo
* drink = some unspellable sound made at the back of his throat (something like "ningining") accompanied by the sign for milk
* on = on and off = on. He knows the difference if we ask, but pronounces them the same. I got tickled when he was playing with a light switch the other day and repeating "On, on. On, on" as he turned the lights off and on.
* Anything he doesn't know how to say = dat
* Gran = Dane, Aunt Lisa = Shasha and Uncle Phil = Bo. (Bo?? Cracks me up!) This is a great improvement over pointing to family members and calling them "dat".
There is more but B is calling me from his crib, Dayton wants to eat and it has taken me over a week to put this post together...so it is going up as is. Hopefully I'll find a routine that allows me some blogging time. I have a lot to say!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
I know one Daddy/CPA that is happy his daughter arrived before January 1.
Wishing you all a year of growth, peace and blessings that spring from knowing and loving our Lord! May we all learn to trust and pursue Him more in 2009.
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