Having walked the road of infertility for three years, I always cringed at prying personal questions and careless, flippant remarks about future children from others (acquaintances and strangers alike) who had no clue what was on the other side of that weighted, nosy question. I was a master at my poker face even though I died a little on the inside when faced with yet another painful reminder of what I longed for yet didn't have.
So one pro of finally having my heart's longing fulfilled, so I thought, was an end to "The Question". But then I learned all too quickly that The Question never ends, it just morphs. Seriously? I, a new mother who was hormonal, sleep deprived and overwhelmed (along with feeling a little guilty for feeling these things) was being asked about another baby??
Wishful thinking aside that the question would finally die, I wised up a little this time and figured that even though, yes, we tried for another one and were successful, the question would evolve yet again.
Yep. The newest versions are currently, "So, are you going to try again for that boy?" "How does your husband feel about another girl?" Or the best yet..."Your poor husband. He must be disappointed he's not getting a boy." (Yes, technically that's not formed as a question, but it's ignorant and appalling none the less.) To which the answers would be respectively "No, we have exactly what our heart's desire was and God's will for us." "He's thrilled beyond words." And insert shock and awe face repeat answer number two.
Really?! Why would we be less than absolutely thrilled about another girl given that we love our first girl beyond words? And why is it assumed that all men need a boy to somehow either complete or verify their manhood? And why the heck would we think our family was incomplete or lacking in some way? And, yes, if we had a boy we would be just as excited and blessed beyond measure. Children are a heritage from the Lord. They are a blessing. And God predestined our two girls for our family for such a time as this before the foundations of the world existed. Why would we not be anything other than overjoyed??
Upon airing my grievances over the matter the other day (all the while rolling my eyes) my non-smart-eleck husband (that role is usually reserved for me) had the perfect come back the next time a stranger has the nosiness to ask me a string of personal questions and the audacity to comment so recklessly.
His recommendation: "Well, he'd be a little more excited if he knew for sure it's his. We're still waiting on the paternity results."
LOL! Really?! That's so good that I might not be able to resist the next time a stranger asks. He did reiterate that it needed to be a stranger whom I'd never see again since I'm basically not painting myself in the BEST light. (So the chick-fil-a cashier is out since we frequent that place too much. So is anyone from church or the neighborhood.) But I'm so proud of my husband and too much of a smart you-know-what myself, that I just might have to try it if the opportunity presents itself. It just might be too much fun considering the shock value to pass up.
Subtle hint: Don't ask random women in public if they're pregnant. (You just could be wrong and then you'll just be plain embarrassed.) And don't follow up with asking gender/due date/name etc. It's none of your business. Simply congratulate them (only if you're 100% certain they indeed are pregnant) and they'll disclose as much personal information they choose. But DO: hold the door for them, give them your seat, and allow them to maneuver their big belly and three-year-old into the larger, handicap bathroom stall rather than being selfish and taking it for yourself.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Family Pictures
We had our annual family pictues this past weekend at City Park in New Orleans.
Here are some of the faves...
Monday, May 21, 2012
Cinderella
Currently topping my list of things
I can't do while pregnant would be...
... paint my toenails
... take a deep breath
... sit in a chair without a pillow for back support
... or watch sappy commercials or movies without crying
The most recent addition to the list should be...listening to Stephen Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella".
It came on in the car when I was by myself the other day. (Yes, I actually was by myself in the car, a rarity--and luxury--- I know.) I knew better than to listen but for some reason I just didn't turn the dial. By the time the song was over I had reached my destination and was just sitting in the car sobbing while trying to compose myself and save my mascara along with my dignity.
The reason why the song struck such a chord with me was just the night before Gabe and Kendall had done their Saturday night ritual: have a real tea party with Mommy's real tea cups and watch, of all things, Lawrence Welk. Yes, my three year old is captivated by old reruns of Lawrence Welk. She loves the dancing, singing and costumes. I mean, I have memories of my grandparents watching it on Saturday nights when I would spend the weekend with them. But how many preschoolers now actually know who Lawrence Welk is??? Well, mine does. (But she also knows who Lucille Ball is and can let me know which I Love Lucy episode she's in the mood to watch.) So I'm assuming she's not the typical three year old??
Anyway...for the past few weeks Kendall has wanted to wear her Cinderella dress and dance with Daddy. She practicing her Ginger Rogers moves lately. And Gabe is such a good sport. He does what ever she directs.
This is her spin/break dance combo move. She fancied it up even more by adding a leg kick to it.
And I think Gabe realizes something. For a brief season of her life, he is her prince. And she wants to dance every dance with her Daddy. All too soon she'll be grown and dancing to Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights with her Daddy won't be exactly how she'll dream of spending her Saturday nights. All too soon her affections will be swept away by another prince charming, whom I already consistently pray for. So for now we'll both cherish the moments of her being so little and thinking we're so great (and that Daddy can actually dance).
And if you happen to not know the song "Cinderella" I highly recommend you take a minute and listen to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrWMBC6yoME&ob=av2e
I do recommend kleenex if you have a daughter of your own. And if you're pregnant, the box.
... paint my toenails
... take a deep breath
... sit in a chair without a pillow for back support
... or watch sappy commercials or movies without crying
The most recent addition to the list should be...listening to Stephen Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella".
It came on in the car when I was by myself the other day. (Yes, I actually was by myself in the car, a rarity--and luxury--- I know.) I knew better than to listen but for some reason I just didn't turn the dial. By the time the song was over I had reached my destination and was just sitting in the car sobbing while trying to compose myself and save my mascara along with my dignity.
The reason why the song struck such a chord with me was just the night before Gabe and Kendall had done their Saturday night ritual: have a real tea party with Mommy's real tea cups and watch, of all things, Lawrence Welk. Yes, my three year old is captivated by old reruns of Lawrence Welk. She loves the dancing, singing and costumes. I mean, I have memories of my grandparents watching it on Saturday nights when I would spend the weekend with them. But how many preschoolers now actually know who Lawrence Welk is??? Well, mine does. (But she also knows who Lucille Ball is and can let me know which I Love Lucy episode she's in the mood to watch.) So I'm assuming she's not the typical three year old??
Anyway...for the past few weeks Kendall has wanted to wear her Cinderella dress and dance with Daddy. She practicing her Ginger Rogers moves lately. And Gabe is such a good sport. He does what ever she directs.
This is her spin/break dance combo move. She fancied it up even more by adding a leg kick to it.
And I think Gabe realizes something. For a brief season of her life, he is her prince. And she wants to dance every dance with her Daddy. All too soon she'll be grown and dancing to Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights with her Daddy won't be exactly how she'll dream of spending her Saturday nights. All too soon her affections will be swept away by another prince charming, whom I already consistently pray for. So for now we'll both cherish the moments of her being so little and thinking we're so great (and that Daddy can actually dance).
And if you happen to not know the song "Cinderella" I highly recommend you take a minute and listen to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrWMBC6yoME&ob=av2e
I do recommend kleenex if you have a daughter of your own. And if you're pregnant, the box.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
School Year End
I just can't stinkin' believe
we've wrapped up another school year. Kendall had a fabulous final year in Mother's Morning Out. I cannot believe my baby will be in Kindergarten (well, K3) next year!! She's growing up at lightning speed. I'll be a nervous wreck when she starts real kindergarten!
I feel so blessed to have been the director of the MMO this year. I got to pop into her class lots throughout the year and really felt a part of her school day. As a teacher in the past I never got to do that since I was focused on my own class. I have the best of both worlds. I love my job and co-workers, and I still feel like a stay at home mom since we go to school two days a week and I get to "bring her to work with me".
Kendall had two of the bestest teachers on the planet this year.
Mrs. Valerie....
Mrs. Alicia....
They both will be greatly missed by Kendall next year. Thank you, Mrs. Valerie and Mrs. Alicia, for you love of children, hard work, and dedication to the Lord. You've planted seeds into the hearts of young lives that will be carried with them for years to come. We love you!
I feel so blessed to have been the director of the MMO this year. I got to pop into her class lots throughout the year and really felt a part of her school day. As a teacher in the past I never got to do that since I was focused on my own class. I have the best of both worlds. I love my job and co-workers, and I still feel like a stay at home mom since we go to school two days a week and I get to "bring her to work with me".
Kendall had two of the bestest teachers on the planet this year.
Mrs. Valerie....
Mrs. Alicia....
Sunday, May 13, 2012
What I've Been Up To
Too much.
I've been up to too much around here. And my unprecedented blogging absence is due partly to a broken computer which took forEVER to get fixed, and partly due to being pregnant. Now the computer is up and running just as I'm slowing down kinda but I have alot of catching up to do.
In addition to my normal activities (school/work, wife, mama, church, and all my endless projects) I've tackled cleaning out an overcrowded, cluttered guest room and transforming it into a nursery. No small feat I tell you. And at thirty weeks pregnant I'm finally admitting that I just can't keep my normal pace going. I've slowed down (a tad) but I just have too much going on!
Before I could even make a room for Baby Girl I had to clean out the old stuff and find a way to haul off the guest room furniture. (Don't look in my garage. Yikes.) And I knew in my head what I wanted for a nursery this time around. That's always half my problem. I get so fixated on my vision that nothing short of what's in my mind will do. I finally found "the fabrics" I had envisioned and a shop on Etsy that made the bedding for me. I tackled the curtains myself. They turned into a labor of love. "How hard could it be to sew three rows of ruffles on curtains??? Just do it the same way you do pants," I convince myself. Famous last words. The curtains alone just about sent me into labor. But I must say they are exactly what I wanted.
Here's pictures of the finished nursery.
All the wall decor came from Hobby Lobby. I painted the canvas announcement board myself because, again, I knew just what I wanted.
Above the bed I simply framed material scraps with white frames from the 90% off home decor isle.
The mirror came from a local flea market. I spent a few hours on the garage floor priming and painting it. It's just what I wanted. And I figured in my over-achieving brain that as long as I'm in the garage...on the floor...nasty....covered in paint....hey, why not spray paint while I'm at it? So a wooden wall picture frame, a wooden letter B, some tin canisters and a knobbed shelf took the brunt of that idea. No more floors for me. Nope. Done.
And here's a closer look at the bedding. I love it. The patchwork quilt is made to the mattress dimensions so it can be a comforter when the crib is converted to a toddler bed.
The hubs did help. He cleaned out his share of the junk (with me standing over him like a drill sergeant he claims. The poor boy can't part with nothin'), cleared out the room, hung a ceiling fan and curtain rod, and assembled the crib.
The clothes are all washed, sorted, hung and folded in drawers. Now on to other stuff like monitors, bottles, pack and plays, car seats and various other essential battery required baby must haves.
Ten weeks to go. It'll be here all too fast.
In addition to my normal activities (school/work, wife, mama, church, and all my endless projects) I've tackled cleaning out an overcrowded, cluttered guest room and transforming it into a nursery. No small feat I tell you. And at thirty weeks pregnant I'm finally admitting that I just can't keep my normal pace going. I've slowed down (a tad) but I just have too much going on!
Before I could even make a room for Baby Girl I had to clean out the old stuff and find a way to haul off the guest room furniture. (Don't look in my garage. Yikes.) And I knew in my head what I wanted for a nursery this time around. That's always half my problem. I get so fixated on my vision that nothing short of what's in my mind will do. I finally found "the fabrics" I had envisioned and a shop on Etsy that made the bedding for me. I tackled the curtains myself. They turned into a labor of love. "How hard could it be to sew three rows of ruffles on curtains??? Just do it the same way you do pants," I convince myself. Famous last words. The curtains alone just about sent me into labor. But I must say they are exactly what I wanted.
Here's pictures of the finished nursery.
All the wall decor came from Hobby Lobby. I painted the canvas announcement board myself because, again, I knew just what I wanted.
Above the bed I simply framed material scraps with white frames from the 90% off home decor isle.
The mirror came from a local flea market. I spent a few hours on the garage floor priming and painting it. It's just what I wanted. And I figured in my over-achieving brain that as long as I'm in the garage...on the floor...nasty....covered in paint....hey, why not spray paint while I'm at it? So a wooden wall picture frame, a wooden letter B, some tin canisters and a knobbed shelf took the brunt of that idea. No more floors for me. Nope. Done.
And here's a closer look at the bedding. I love it. The patchwork quilt is made to the mattress dimensions so it can be a comforter when the crib is converted to a toddler bed.
The hubs did help. He cleaned out his share of the junk (with me standing over him like a drill sergeant he claims. The poor boy can't part with nothin'), cleared out the room, hung a ceiling fan and curtain rod, and assembled the crib.
The clothes are all washed, sorted, hung and folded in drawers. Now on to other stuff like monitors, bottles, pack and plays, car seats and various other essential battery required baby must haves.
Ten weeks to go. It'll be here all too fast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)