Back to the BLOG!

Well, it's been a BUSY, fun-filled several months since I last posted about Sweet Pea & Peanut.  The more time passed, the more difficult it seemed to catch up!  We've had birthdays, vacations, visitors, soccer and all sorts of milestones at our house.  All in all, we have been having a great time. 

So....the question is, why post now?  Well, Sweet Pea gave me the cutest material last night...something that I will definitely want to remember for years to come.  Last night, Poppa took Charlie & I to Fields of Faith, an annual event for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  Little Peanut goes to bed so early that it just didn't make much sense to take her.  So....I sought out a new babysitter.  Teddi is the sweetest girl.  She is the cousin of one of our good friends and came highly recommended.   Teddi arrived last night, and I introduced Sweet Pea to her.  I could see immediately that Charlie was enamoured! 

Little Peanut was clearly in capable hands, so the three of us headed off to Big Spring.  After a great time of praise and worship, Poppa treated us to Sonic!  As we were driving, Sweet Pea sat quietly in the back seat with her ice cream cone.  There are not many moments of silence with this sweet girl, so I should have known she was contemplating something.... 

She broke the silence with, "Momma, is Ms. Bear still at our house?" 
"What, honey?," I replied.  
"Is Ms. Bear still at our house?," she repeated. 
Not catching on, I asked her, "Who is Ms. Bear?"  
"You know, Momma, that Teddi Bear staying with Ellie..."

Now, isn't that the cutest thing???  I love that sweet girl!

Bye-bye & other milestones

Just two days ago, the girls and I were out running errands.  We stopped by the church office to drop off something.  The ladies in the church office are always so good to oooh and ahhh over the girls.  After the girls were sufficiently loved on and praised by these sweet ladies, I scooped Peanut up in my arms and we started saying our "goodbyes".  That's when Peanut raised her hand with her palm towards her face and waved "bye-bye" for the first time!  The sweetest thing ever.

Peanut is on the verge of crawling.  She spends a lot of time up on all fours rocking back and forth.  I am convinced that she simply has no reason to move...between her big sister and Momma, she is usually waited on hand and foot! 

She is a champion eater.  I know I've said it before, but I just can't get over it!  On our recent family vacation to the beach, all the relatives commented on this sweet girl's appetite and diversified palate.  She tried several new things and is loving it all.  I'm still waiting for her to actually reject something!  Amazing! 

Laid back.  That's the understatement of the year.  Our little Peanut is an easy, breezy kind of girl.  She was amazing on our family trip.  She rolls with the flow and never complains!  The only time you hear her fuss is when it's time for a meal or time for bed...and isn't that true for most of us???  What a blessing this baby is!

Positive Reinforcement

It was mid-morning, and Peanut's nap was fast approaching.  Sweet Pea enters the room and asks, "Momma, will you play a game with me?"  With a little one fussing in my arms, I agree that we can play a game just as soon as I get her sister down for a nap.  I direct Sweet Pea to her bedroom to wait for me as I work through the naptime ritual with her little sister.  After success in the nursery, I walk across the hall to Sweet Pea's room for a round of Cootie or Hi-Ho Cherry-O.  I sit down on the floor of her room, and she approaches me.  With hands on her hips, she emphatically states, "Good job putting Ellie Grey down, Momma."  I thank her for the compliment and come to the realization that sometimes Mommas need a little positive reinforcement, too.  That was a sweet moment.

Our Peanut is growing like a WEED!

At the first of this month, I took our "little" Peanut in for her 9 month checkup.  WOW!!!  She's not so little anymore.  Weighing more than 20 pounds, she is in the 75th percentile for weight.  If my biceps are looking uncharacteristically toned, I have Peanut to thank!!!  Saying she is a good eater is probably an understatement.  As the picture shows, she is a huge fan of broccoli and black beans.  Although, I haven't really seen her turn her nose up at anything yet!  She's eaten sweet potatoes, acorn squash, peas, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, apples, watermelon, grapes, pasta, and the list goes on and on.  It seems that she will follow suit with her big sister and become an awesome eater.  For that I am thankful!

Although she is not yet crawling, she is definitely becoming more independent. She is starting to roll around to wherever it is she is going.  She has such a sunny disposition.  She looks like these picture most of the time, with the exception of being hungry and/or tired.  She loves watching her sister do ANYthing!  It's almost scary how you can watch her just sponge up all the behaviors that her sister exhibits...I can only imagine what it might be like in a couple of years!

Peanut is also an excellent sleeper!!!  She wakes between 7-7:30 in the morning and takes two long naps during the day.  She is not one to wake with crying.  She simply wakes up and talks to herself in her crib.  It's only when she becomes animated that I'm aware she's ready to get up and play!  After dinner and bath, she is ready to hit the rack again by 7pm.  She is a baby who loves her sleep...just like Momma!

My new park!!! It's beautiful!

Earlier this spring, we decided it was time for swingset!  I researched all the options and found a great deal on a swingset that we were sure would come in handy for years to come.  Sweet Pea's first remark upon catching a glimpse of it:  "My new park!!!  It's beautiful!"  Wow.  I never really thought of it in those terms...a PARK in her OWN backyard!  That must be pretty awesome for a little one!

 Poppa as resident swing pusher extraordinaire.

 Wheeeee!!!!

Peanut doing what she does best...relaxing in her swing!

 

Friends at "the park!"

STOP licking your sister, please!!!

These are words that I never dreamt would be coming out of my mouth.  This afternoon I was sitting holding little Peanut after nursing her.  We were having a precious little moment when her big sister decided reading was a bore.  She looked up from her books and sweetly proclaimed, "Momma, I love your baby!"  I told her thank you as she hopped off the couch and headed closer to us.  Hovering over Peanut's head, she looked up at me with big hazel eyes, and I knew she was planning something!  Before I could decipher what her plans were, she stuck out her tongue and licked Peanut's forehead just like a cow at a salt lick. She was slow-licking and generous with her saliva, leaving a little puddle of sisterly goodness on Ellie's forehead.  Before I could say anything at all, the three of us burst out into a chorus of belly laughs! I hadn't time to regain composure when I saw the tongue protruding again and a second round of sister-licking was in play.  One time is funny, but two times is just getting plain gross.  That's when I decided she needed to "STOP licking your sister, please!" 

Mother's Day

" 'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.' "  1 Samuel 27-28

This was the verse our pastor referred to during our baby dedication at church on Mother's Day.  It's a verse that commonly appears on picture frames, baby gifts, and birth announcements.  In fact, Sweet Pea has a beautiful plaque in her room with this very verse written on it.  While it is easy to quickly read over the words and note that it's a sweet verse, it struck me differently when it was spoken in church on May 8th.  Just as Hannah dedicated Samuel's life to God, we are doing the same...dedicating that our sweet Ellie Grey will live a life to serve God.  The gravity of what we are committing to do struck me.  While we stood before the congregation to make that commitment as parents and a congregation, I realized that it's really a decision that we make every day.  I'm sure some days will be easier than others, but I am so looking forward to watching how my girls are called to serve Him.