My friend asked if I wanted to join in on a 30 day blog (I'm going to
call 'challenge', since I'm not very good at blogging these days) post
regarding what you're thankful for during the month of November. I said YES!
In
the midst of the day-to-day, I don't always recognize and take time to
be thankful, but this 'challenge' will bring attention to how very
blessed I am. In absolutely no particular order...
Day 2:
Today I am thankful for my home. It's cozy, inviting, and just right for us! Of course we are always working on it and doing renovations, but it's really fine the way it is. We have hosted numerous parties here, enjoyed holidays with friends and family, brought one child home from the hospital, will be bringing another child home in a few months, and have shared countless conversations in our living room.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 1
My friend asked if I wanted to join in on a 30 day blog (I'm going to call 'challenge', since I'm not very good at blogging these days) post regarding what you're thankful for during the month of November. I said YES!
In the midst of the day-to-day, I don't always recognize and take time to be thankful, but this 'challenge' will bring attention to how very blessed I am. In absolutely no particular order...
Day 1:
My freedom! This is not a political post. I am so thankful that I live in a country where I can live freely! I can worship freely, have as many kids as I'd like without a limit (although I don't think I'll be exercising that right like some), wear the clothes I'd like to wear, say (for the most part) what I'd like to say, marry who I'd like to marry, and as you know...the list goes on. I'm sure you an think of numerous freedoms yourself while reading this. I have always been thankful for my freedom, but became even more aware of how thankful I am during/after watching the movie ARGO. I don't want to go into what the movie is about, because that's not the point of this post, but it's the very simple things which usually bring my attention to blessings.
In the midst of the day-to-day, I don't always recognize and take time to be thankful, but this 'challenge' will bring attention to how very blessed I am. In absolutely no particular order...
Day 1:
My freedom! This is not a political post. I am so thankful that I live in a country where I can live freely! I can worship freely, have as many kids as I'd like without a limit (although I don't think I'll be exercising that right like some), wear the clothes I'd like to wear, say (for the most part) what I'd like to say, marry who I'd like to marry, and as you know...the list goes on. I'm sure you an think of numerous freedoms yourself while reading this. I have always been thankful for my freedom, but became even more aware of how thankful I am during/after watching the movie ARGO. I don't want to go into what the movie is about, because that's not the point of this post, but it's the very simple things which usually bring my attention to blessings.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Room for improvement.
Since becoming a full-time stay at home mom, God has really shown many areas of my life that I need to work on. I worked part time when Avery was 4 months old-8 months old, and then started working full time when she was 10 months old. My weaknesses weren't as glaringly obvious to me then, perhaps because I was at work for either part, or most of the day. But I've been at home full-time since June, and it's time that I confront the areas of my life that need attention.
Some of these areas I'm ok being open about, and others I am choosing to keep private. I definitely have inadequacies, and parenting just shines a big bright light on them. I need to be more patient, and slower to anger/impatience when dealing with Avery. She is in the 'terrible twos' stage right now and defiant. There are many days when she is as sweet as can be, and then there are days when it seems as though her personality has been taken over by a totally different child who is overly emotional, irrational, and just a wreck! I need to work more at making meals on a consistent basis. I'd say right now I cook 3-4 nights a week, but I can do better. My goal is to do a solid 4 nights a week, maybe even 5! I need to get better at setting time aside for God, and not filling my day with junk and commitments. I love church and going to small group and Bible study, but that isn't enough. I need to be having time alone with God. I need to get better at keeping up with house chores. My house is always clean, but the laundry is hardy ever done. It is the bane of my existence.
It may seem as though I'm being hard on myself, but I need to be every once in a while. I think I get too relaxed and too comfortable in the day-to-day. Challenges are good, and I want to be the kind of woman who is always looking for ways to improve herself as a Christian, wife, mother, friend, and so on. Change is scary (to me at least), but soooo many awesome things come out of change. Thoughts?
Some of these areas I'm ok being open about, and others I am choosing to keep private. I definitely have inadequacies, and parenting just shines a big bright light on them. I need to be more patient, and slower to anger/impatience when dealing with Avery. She is in the 'terrible twos' stage right now and defiant. There are many days when she is as sweet as can be, and then there are days when it seems as though her personality has been taken over by a totally different child who is overly emotional, irrational, and just a wreck! I need to work more at making meals on a consistent basis. I'd say right now I cook 3-4 nights a week, but I can do better. My goal is to do a solid 4 nights a week, maybe even 5! I need to get better at setting time aside for God, and not filling my day with junk and commitments. I love church and going to small group and Bible study, but that isn't enough. I need to be having time alone with God. I need to get better at keeping up with house chores. My house is always clean, but the laundry is hardy ever done. It is the bane of my existence.
It may seem as though I'm being hard on myself, but I need to be every once in a while. I think I get too relaxed and too comfortable in the day-to-day. Challenges are good, and I want to be the kind of woman who is always looking for ways to improve herself as a Christian, wife, mother, friend, and so on. Change is scary (to me at least), but soooo many awesome things come out of change. Thoughts?
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
My Crowded Mind
So I don't think I've posted one of these in a while. There are a few random things going on in life right now. Nothing too spectacular and/or crazy, but worth 'talking' about:
* We went for another ultrasound yesterday and double checked baby #2's gender: she is still a girl: Lucy Mae Dorr
* I really like the middle name Mae (especially the way I'm spelling it), but John said he isn't sold on the name so we may explore other names. I'll keep you posted.
* Avery is a month away from being 2 years old. Shut the front door! Didn't that girl just turn 1?!
* I'm adjusting better to being a stay-at-home-mom. Some days it's easy, and other days it's a challenge.
* I joined a mom/kid group called mom2mom. We meet at PCC (Peninsula Community Chapel) every Tuesday for 2 hrs for 11 wks. I loved the first one yesterday!
* The tag line is 'Developing moms with heart and brains'. Isn't that cool?! Each week there is a different speaker and the topics vary from meal planning to keeping your child healthy through winter/flu months, to having and passing along a positive self-esteem to your child, and auto 101 (checking the oil in your car, checking air pressure in your tires and so on).
* Claire and I went to the Children's Museum in Portsmouth today with the kiddos and had a blast! They had a great time, too! I can't wait to go again!
* The weather has been getting cooler, which I am so super thankful for and with that comes pumpkin and apple everything...candles, coffee drinks, treats...yum!
* We are loving our church and are becoming more and more involved. We have joined a small group which will be starting next week, and we are both going on the women's/men's retreats in September and October.
* Avery is still really strong willed, but I feel as though I've learned so much about her since being at home with her full time. I understand her a little bit better, and we're working as a team :)
* We went for another ultrasound yesterday and double checked baby #2's gender: she is still a girl: Lucy Mae Dorr
* I really like the middle name Mae (especially the way I'm spelling it), but John said he isn't sold on the name so we may explore other names. I'll keep you posted.
* Avery is a month away from being 2 years old. Shut the front door! Didn't that girl just turn 1?!
* I'm adjusting better to being a stay-at-home-mom. Some days it's easy, and other days it's a challenge.
* I joined a mom/kid group called mom2mom. We meet at PCC (Peninsula Community Chapel) every Tuesday for 2 hrs for 11 wks. I loved the first one yesterday!
* The tag line is 'Developing moms with heart and brains'. Isn't that cool?! Each week there is a different speaker and the topics vary from meal planning to keeping your child healthy through winter/flu months, to having and passing along a positive self-esteem to your child, and auto 101 (checking the oil in your car, checking air pressure in your tires and so on).
* Claire and I went to the Children's Museum in Portsmouth today with the kiddos and had a blast! They had a great time, too! I can't wait to go again!
* The weather has been getting cooler, which I am so super thankful for and with that comes pumpkin and apple everything...candles, coffee drinks, treats...yum!
* We are loving our church and are becoming more and more involved. We have joined a small group which will be starting next week, and we are both going on the women's/men's retreats in September and October.
* Avery is still really strong willed, but I feel as though I've learned so much about her since being at home with her full time. I understand her a little bit better, and we're working as a team :)
Monday, August 27, 2012
Learning about her
I'm sure a lot of kids are like this; changing all the time, sometimes hard to predict, and with an interesting personality. You'd think that after almost 2 years of being her mother that I would have figured her out by now, but I haven't.
She is always surprising me, and showing me new and different sides of her personality. She keeps me on my toes. Most times, she is very outgoing, chatty, and busy (aka into everything and anything)! But there are times when I find her in her playroom quietly 'reading' a book, or when I go into her room to wake her from a nap or in her morning, she is sitting quietly in her crib chillin' out.
I always wonder what she's thinking. Does she think I'm funny, or is she pity laughing at me? Does she think things are unfair right now? Like when I take something from her, is that unfair or does it just make her plain old mad?
I'm rambling. But I'm looking at my beautiful daughter, and thinking to myself, 'I still have so much to learn about her!' Thank goodness she's all mine :)
Friday, August 17, 2012
The story
I want to share a little of the 'back story' of our first 12 weeks. We didn't tell many people, and the people we did tell we asked to not share the news with others. We've experienced 3 miscarriages and I always fear it will happen again.
We were really surprised when we found out we were pregnant! I mean, not shocked (because we stopped using protection, so there is always a chance something could happen...) but surprised for sure! We got pregnant the first month not using protection (sorry if this is TMI for any male readers), which was also a huge surprise for us because for a little over two years we didn't use protection and had a really hard time getting (and staying) pregnant.
I found out I was pregnant on June 19th. I took a picture of the pregnancy test, and sent it to John with the caption, 'guess what...!!' Neither of us could believe it happened that quickly! We decided in the spring that we would stop using protection in the summer and start trying with hopes that by the fall or winter we'd get pregnant. I filled a prescription for Progesterone (a hormone your body makes, which is necessary for the pregnancy to continue; but my body does not make) and started it immediately. I called my doctor's office and they had me come in to test my Progesterone levels a few days after using it. The levels looked good, and so they changed my yearly GYN appointment that was scheduled the following week to an OB appointment. John and I went in, and the doctor had hard time finding anything on the screen. She saw the yok sac, but couldn't identify clearly a fetus or a heartbeat. She confirmed the date of my last period and said that very likely what could have happened was that I ovulated later in my cycle, so although the calendar is saying I'm 6 wks, i am likely only 5 wks, which is why they're having difficulty seeing something on the screen. She scheduled us to come back in one week. I was pretty nervous that week, and didn't want to talk about it with John at all. I prepared myself for the worst, while praying God would allow us to see a heartbeat at our next appointment. We went in a week later, on 7/6/12 and saw a flutter :)
After that, things were smooth sailing! I allowed myself to get *more* excited about the pregnancy and around 8/9 wks I started to tell friends. When we were up in NY visiting, we had Avery wear a shirt that shared the news of her being a big sister! It was fun to see everyone's reaction after reading her shirt, pausing, and then realizing what it meant!
We shared the news yesterday after we heard and saw the heartbeat at our 12 wk appointment. In many ways, I'm really nervous about adding another baby to the mix. Life is comfortable right now, and totally manageable for John and I. Sure things get hairy here and there when Avery decides to play with her poop, or have a tantrum for no reason, but for the most part totally manageable! I'm intentionally deciding to soak up quiet moments in the house, or take a short nap while Avery is napping, because I know when #2 comes, those moments won't be as frequent.
Thanks for all the well wishes and excitement sent our way! It always makes things sweeter when you can share exciting news :)
We were really surprised when we found out we were pregnant! I mean, not shocked (because we stopped using protection, so there is always a chance something could happen...) but surprised for sure! We got pregnant the first month not using protection (sorry if this is TMI for any male readers), which was also a huge surprise for us because for a little over two years we didn't use protection and had a really hard time getting (and staying) pregnant.
I found out I was pregnant on June 19th. I took a picture of the pregnancy test, and sent it to John with the caption, 'guess what...!!' Neither of us could believe it happened that quickly! We decided in the spring that we would stop using protection in the summer and start trying with hopes that by the fall or winter we'd get pregnant. I filled a prescription for Progesterone (a hormone your body makes, which is necessary for the pregnancy to continue; but my body does not make) and started it immediately. I called my doctor's office and they had me come in to test my Progesterone levels a few days after using it. The levels looked good, and so they changed my yearly GYN appointment that was scheduled the following week to an OB appointment. John and I went in, and the doctor had hard time finding anything on the screen. She saw the yok sac, but couldn't identify clearly a fetus or a heartbeat. She confirmed the date of my last period and said that very likely what could have happened was that I ovulated later in my cycle, so although the calendar is saying I'm 6 wks, i am likely only 5 wks, which is why they're having difficulty seeing something on the screen. She scheduled us to come back in one week. I was pretty nervous that week, and didn't want to talk about it with John at all. I prepared myself for the worst, while praying God would allow us to see a heartbeat at our next appointment. We went in a week later, on 7/6/12 and saw a flutter :)
After that, things were smooth sailing! I allowed myself to get *more* excited about the pregnancy and around 8/9 wks I started to tell friends. When we were up in NY visiting, we had Avery wear a shirt that shared the news of her being a big sister! It was fun to see everyone's reaction after reading her shirt, pausing, and then realizing what it meant!
We shared the news yesterday after we heard and saw the heartbeat at our 12 wk appointment. In many ways, I'm really nervous about adding another baby to the mix. Life is comfortable right now, and totally manageable for John and I. Sure things get hairy here and there when Avery decides to play with her poop, or have a tantrum for no reason, but for the most part totally manageable! I'm intentionally deciding to soak up quiet moments in the house, or take a short nap while Avery is napping, because I know when #2 comes, those moments won't be as frequent.
Thanks for all the well wishes and excitement sent our way! It always makes things sweeter when you can share exciting news :)
Saturday, August 11, 2012
My job is hard.
This is something that has been on my mind for a while. Please no judgement! I love my daughter immeasurably, and I'm a good mom. But what you're about to read is honest and real.
Motherhood is hard. It doesn't matter if you're mothering one child, or five children- it's hands down the hardest job I have ever had! As a mother, you go in and out of different stages of parenting. There's the newborn stage where you're trying to guess what's wrong with them, and why they're crying. Sleepless nights make for a very tired mommy. There's the pre-toddler stage where they get into everything, and your house is no longer nicely decorated...it becomes child-proofed, which = boring and blah. There's the toddler stage (where I am right now) where they develop their personalities, can talk more and express their wants/dislikes, and are inconsistent with their behavior. There's clearly way more stages beyond what I've listed above, but I have not experienced them yet as a mom, so I won't go there.
For each mom, we experience these stages differently. Avery was an easy newborn/baby. I mean it...as easy as they come! She nursed beautifully, she started sleeping through the night at a month old, napped great, and took to a routine like a champ. Aaaaand everyone was right...'If she's this good as a baby, you know how she'll be when she's a toddler...?!' She has the strongest personality out of any ones kid I know (that sentence sounds strange, and I probably didn't write it grammatically correct, but oh well!), has a tremendous amount of energy, and has an iron will. She is also affectionate, sweet, has a stellar memory, and communicative. But altogether- she is a challenging child to parent. Not all the time, but most of the time. I try not to get frustrated and impatient with her, but it's hard!
Since resigning from my job as a teacher, and taking on the full-time stay at home mom status, I have really worked hard with Avery on her communication (manners, being polite, requesting what she wants without getting upset), and her behavior (not throwing toys, being gentle, simple hygiene, and doing what we ask the first time). I've seen a HUGE difference since being home with her full-time, and one of my friends, not even knowing she gave me the biggest compliment of my life said to me a month ago, 'Leah...I can totally tell she's home with you! She's being so good!' Ahhh- music.to.my.ears.
It's so easy as a mom to get caught up in what other moms and kids are doing, meeting/exceeding milestones, and performing in general. It's so unhealthy, and the speaker at our women's event at church last night said destructive! I compare (all the time), Avery to other kids her age and it's so unfair...to her, and to me!
The speaker last night said we need to reclaim the joy of motherhood and the first way to do that is to invite God into our role as parents. Not just here and there when it's easy, but all the time and throughout the day.
I don't want to miss out on loving and cherishing my role as a mother because I get frustrated or impatient. And I don't want to be a frazzled mom who is a mess. I want to teach Avery God's love for her, show her how much I (and her daddy) love her...no matter how many times she's played with her poop that day :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIRzGPT4t68
Motherhood is hard. It doesn't matter if you're mothering one child, or five children- it's hands down the hardest job I have ever had! As a mother, you go in and out of different stages of parenting. There's the newborn stage where you're trying to guess what's wrong with them, and why they're crying. Sleepless nights make for a very tired mommy. There's the pre-toddler stage where they get into everything, and your house is no longer nicely decorated...it becomes child-proofed, which = boring and blah. There's the toddler stage (where I am right now) where they develop their personalities, can talk more and express their wants/dislikes, and are inconsistent with their behavior. There's clearly way more stages beyond what I've listed above, but I have not experienced them yet as a mom, so I won't go there.
For each mom, we experience these stages differently. Avery was an easy newborn/baby. I mean it...as easy as they come! She nursed beautifully, she started sleeping through the night at a month old, napped great, and took to a routine like a champ. Aaaaand everyone was right...'If she's this good as a baby, you know how she'll be when she's a toddler...?!' She has the strongest personality out of any ones kid I know (that sentence sounds strange, and I probably didn't write it grammatically correct, but oh well!), has a tremendous amount of energy, and has an iron will. She is also affectionate, sweet, has a stellar memory, and communicative. But altogether- she is a challenging child to parent. Not all the time, but most of the time. I try not to get frustrated and impatient with her, but it's hard!
Since resigning from my job as a teacher, and taking on the full-time stay at home mom status, I have really worked hard with Avery on her communication (manners, being polite, requesting what she wants without getting upset), and her behavior (not throwing toys, being gentle, simple hygiene, and doing what we ask the first time). I've seen a HUGE difference since being home with her full-time, and one of my friends, not even knowing she gave me the biggest compliment of my life said to me a month ago, 'Leah...I can totally tell she's home with you! She's being so good!' Ahhh- music.to.my.ears.
It's so easy as a mom to get caught up in what other moms and kids are doing, meeting/exceeding milestones, and performing in general. It's so unhealthy, and the speaker at our women's event at church last night said destructive! I compare (all the time), Avery to other kids her age and it's so unfair...to her, and to me!
The speaker last night said we need to reclaim the joy of motherhood and the first way to do that is to invite God into our role as parents. Not just here and there when it's easy, but all the time and throughout the day.
I don't want to miss out on loving and cherishing my role as a mother because I get frustrated or impatient. And I don't want to be a frazzled mom who is a mess. I want to teach Avery God's love for her, show her how much I (and her daddy) love her...no matter how many times she's played with her poop that day :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIRzGPT4t68
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