I’m only mostly sure today is Tuesday. I’m operating on 3 hours of broken sleep, two cups of coffee, and a handful of Oreos at the moment. And there are still 5 days until my husband returns to rescue me from this little adventure in solo parenting.
I actually have so much I want to write about, but the baby naps in 45 minute increments (if I’m lucky), so the truth is, I’m phoning it in with adorable pictures. You’ll forgive me, right?
No1 at Six Months Old
No2 at almost 7 Months old.
Prompt: Go to flickr.com/explore and write a post inspired by the image. Can you link it to your health focus? Don’t forget to post the image!
I must confess that I did not write a new piece for this prompt. A’Driane from Butterfly Confessions and I swapped posts a while ago based on this picture I snapped while on a walk with my husband one evening. It couldn’t be more perfect for this prompt. So please forgive my recycling. Can we just call it “being green”?
A tree stands in a garden, nestled between stone buildings of importance and dignity. 
Reaching out from a small patch of green near a brick pathway, its branches twist and turn in a ragged, unrefined manner. The bark, speckled with spots of white, reveals its age.
This tree did not choose its lot in life. If it had, surely it would have chosen a larger pasture, one which isn’t hidden in shadow most of the day. A field, perhaps, filled with flowers and fed by sunlight and gentle rains. Instead it was planted where even basic needs would be a struggle to fulfill.
And instead of withering, fading behind the shadows of the surrounding foliage, it reached its branches toward what little light dappled the garden. Stretching out at an odd angle, its trunk carried the life-giving leaves up to the sun, until it could no longer hold its own weight. The roots strained against gravity. And then… salvation. In the form of a simple wooden frame, erected in defense of this tree – in support of its persistence.
My husband says, “It’s so sad. Why don’t they just cut it down?” Recoiling in horror, I look at him with shock and disappointment. Can he not see the beauty in this tree, this being? The beauty that instead of lying in youth or perfect form, lies in its strength and will to survive. This tree, which has taken a beating from both nature and time, all the while fighting for life in the face of unfortunate circumstance, still has shade to give and leaves to nurture. It is not less for needing buttressing, but more for welcoming it, growing up from its second trunk in gratitude. Its worth lies simply in its existence.
I wonder, would we have even stopped to notice it, had it been perfect? No, most certainly we would have walked by, never noticing the beauty in its vulnerability. I want to say, “We are the same. I see your fight, your resolve. Keep reaching for the sunlight; keep surviving.” Instead I simply snap a picture, in awe of what this tree has taught me about myself in an instant.
Her sister’s eyelashes, her daddy’s pink skin, and my stubborn personality.
Eight weeks of amazing.
p.s. check out the wrist chub!!!
Yes, that is toddler butt in the picture. You're welcome.
The timing was just perfect – Doodle Bug turned three in October and we needed a crib for the new baby coming in January. What better time to give her a new room with a twin bed and to make her the focus? She looked forward to her new room for months. She picked out the theme, the color, and even helped shop for the bed. “Sea turtles,” she said. So I went with something neutral with turtle accessories. Because we all know that in three months, she’s going to love flowers…or dinosaurs.
As we worked on the room over a few weekends, she kept walking past and peeking in, saying, “look, Mommy. Isn’t it so pretty?” And now that it’s finished, we all love it even more. Not because it’s adorable (which it is), but because it’s just so Doodle Bug.
Canvas print from Groupon of DoodleBug and her best friend at a nearby farm.
Lovies snuggling on the pillow, paper lanterns, and a turtle mobile made from leftover birthday party decorations.
She loves her new bed. And I love the foam Magic Bumpers that keep her safely tucked in.
Sea Turtle and Friends: Paintings by Mommy
Twin Bed: Catalina Bed from Pottery Barn Kids, $399. Y’all, I tried so hard to find a bed with a headboard and foot board for less than I knew I would have to pay at PBK. But this bed? Won me over. It’s solid wood, gorgeous, has two adjustable height settings, and works so well with only the mattress. It will be perfect to grow with her for the next 14 years.
Bedside Table: Walmart $39 (moved over from her nursery room)
Dresser: $30 garage sale find from before we had kids. It was hideous originally, but is one of my favorite pieces of furniture, now.
Paper Lanterns: Michael’s for $2 each. The big one is wired for light and was on clearance for $3 at Target.
Bedding: PBK Quilt, Sham, and Turtle Pillowcase. On clearance last spring: $100 total. White sheets from Target for $24.
Curtains: Shower curtains from Kohls, split and then hemmed to remove the button holes on top. $30 (moved over from her nursery room)
Magic Bumpers: A traditional bed rail didn’t work with this bed, so I ordered these from Amazon.com. They are basically two foam bolsters that fit under the mattress cover and I made the bed over them. They work perfectly. Love them!
A couple of weeks ago, I posted this video of Baby Girl moving and grooving.
I must have watched it a dozen times. Each time, I marveled at her kicks…until the last view, when I realized I had just posted a 42 second video of my crotch in sweatpants. Admit it. You can’t even focus on the baby kicking anymore. Um…yeah.
A’Driane and I were chatting one night and cracked up over my realization. I think all of my belly pics have been in pajamas, and now the video of sweatpant crotch. And you know what? I’m totally okay with it. I’m rockin’ those sweats, baby.
I spend time almost every morning blowing my hair dry and putting on makeup. I feel great on the days when I get dressed and look nice. I might even feel pretty. But other days, those sweats are the only thing I can bear to pull on. So soft. So warm. So comfortable. So….real. Nobody spends all their time looking as put-together as we do in our About Me photos. You know you have a pair of sweats that make you feel all warm and cozy inside. Let’s all agree to be a little less formal with each other and get comfortable.
These puppies? I stole from my college boyfriend...who happens to be my husband. In over 10 years, he's never gotten them back. That's how comfortable they are.
I dare you to post a pic of you in your favorite sweats. Blog it, tweet it, facebook it, whatever. It’s time we get real with each other, folks. You’ll feel so much better letting it all hang out.
Oh – and head on over to A’Driane’s place at Butterfly Confessions. She’s rockin’ the sweatpant crotch today, too!
My grandparents bought a little white cottage when my mom was a child. It was their summer home…my mom and her brothers grew up there. By the time she had her own family, my parents lived in Texas, and so every year I had to beg my parents to take our vacation there. We only went every few years, but each time, I started counting down the days months in advance.
The house itself is nothing spectacular – just a humble white cottage with hand-me-down furniture. But the moment you hit the dirt road and open up the car windows, you can smell the magic. That fresh-water-evergreen smell. There is nothing like it. And this weekend, I needed that smell more than I knew. As soon as it blasted through the windows, I felt my entire body relax and myself really breathe for the first time in weeks.
I have been awfully overwhelmed lately with well, everything. I know I’m not the only person to occasionally look around and feel a little lost in their own life. This place and its people remind me who I am. The childhood memories of water squishing between my toes, learning how to fish, and the old twin beds my brother and I used to sleep in – it all grounds me. Everyone I needed to see was there this weekend – my parents, my oldest friend and her family, and my best friend with hers. People who see me for who I am and reassure me I am loved…I am worthy.
The weather was perfect and the lake serene.
p.s. How hot is my husband? I mean, seriously.
The fishing? One little perch. Just enough.
And this. This is why I fight. For these moments.
For the first time in weeks, I feel like myself again.
By popular demand…a pajama belly picture! Okay, so no one requested the pajamas. That part was my idea (or at least the result of laziness). I’m 23 weeks, folks! Just shy of six months!!!
I’m recycling this post from last week because it’s exactly what Just.Be.Enough. is all about – relaxing our hold on perfection and realizing the beauty and strength in who we truly are is enough. For one month, they are raising money for families affected by cancer – and all you have to do to help is link up! So please pardon the repeat post, click on over to Just.Be.Enough and read (and share!) stories of empowerment.
From their blog:
To do this we will need YOUR help. Bellflower Books will be sponsoring the Be Enough Me Monday link ups
for ONE month, starting today. For every 20 people that link up with a story of how they lived the Be Enough Me “feeling” that week, Bellflower will donate ONE $75 gift certificate to a family identified by Crickett’s Answer for Cancer for the creation of a 20-page memory book. We will keep a running total of links over the four Mondays and hope to reach our goal of 120 links, which would provide TEN Bellflower memory books.Our goal is to provide up to TEN women fighting breast cancer a Bellflower book made by their family and friends, a work of art that will make these women smile and remember, and a treasured piece of family history for generations to come.
Not so very long ago, she was a tiny infant…shiny and new, full of possibilities.
And I was terrified of her. Terrified she wouldn’t eat enough, sleep enough, or grow enough. I was overwhelmed with the idea that I was responsible for a whole person. There is so much to teach to a child; so much wisdom to impart. I felt too small and insignificant to be everything she would need.
Turns out, all she needed me to be was myself.
And we would teach each other everything we would need to know along the way.
Lesson 1: Getting messy is good for the soul, especially when it’s a chocolately mess.
Lesson 2: Let Daddy be in charge. He may not do things like Mommy, but sometimes that’s a good thing.
Lesson 3: Don’t sweat the milestones. They’ll happen.
Binkies, solids, big girl bed, potty training…it will all happen in good time.
Lesson 4: Silly is beautiful.
Lesson 5: Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
Lesson 6: There is wonder and joy all around…if you stop to look.
My Darling DoodleBug,
In just a few months you will be three – and in a few more, a big sister. Time passes all too quickly and I want to soak in the rest of this year with us as a little family of three.
I am in awe of all you have taught me and am so lucky to have you as my daughter. Always fight for who you are and expect others to do the same, because who you are is (and will always be) enough.
Please keep teaching me and I will keep teaching you.
I love you “a little bit much”.
Mommy
Mom to two beautiful girls, 4 & 1. Send wine.
This is my place to think, share, and discuss. To own my story.
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