Sunday May 30, 2004

Wow, what a week. Erich has been home the entire week so it has really thrown off my perception of time. Lets see, what did I do this week?

Well, one day this week I went out to see Alicia and my cousin Teresa. I picked up the pictures that we had done with the triplets (which are pretty darn awesome!). We all spent some lovely time together at which point Alicia and I headed off to our favorite destination– Walmart. (We don’t really enjoy Walmart, it just seems that we always go there! It is easier ((sometimes)) because we can divide and conquer.) Anyways, after we went to Walmart we went back to her house where she waxed my manbrows eyebrows. Ouch! But as Alicia said, I look more like a girl now. Gee thanks.

Erich spent a ton of time with Magdalena this week. She is responding much better to him too. He has also been working on his online classes a lot and has discovered the joys of a four and half month old at the keyboard. This child wants. to. type. I came in here one time to find him watching a lecture while notepad was open and she was typing up a storm! (and loving it! She has a giant smile on her face!) Another time I heard a lecture going with this odd lullaby type music going on. I came in to find him showing her snippets of Baby Einstein videos while watching his lecture. Too cute!

Another really great thing happened this week. Erich and I have been skimming by the seat of our pants financially since the loss of a second income. My other cousin called to tell me she was sick of her babysitter who does nothing and was wondering if I’d watch her daughter, T. So I jumped on the opportunity and it is going to be great. That extra few hundred dollars a month will be a tremendous help! She’ll be going to preschool in the fall, but I have plans for us to work on writing her name. We’re also going to take walks to the park and library and hopefully join the summer reading program at the library. I need to check on the storytimes for both girls too. They offer a Lorax storytime and a Tiny Tots (ages 6mo to 24mo). We also have a tiny pool (actually it’s pretty freaking big) on the deck so both girls can play in that. If I’m even luckier we might do some lessons in dusting, sweeping, and washing diapers. Ha! Just kidding. I expect we’ll keep busy and hopefully provide more entertaining blog entries!

Erichs parents went to Missouri Friday and brought back his paternal grandparents. They have yet to meet Magdalena, so they are coming tomorrow for lunch. We’re having butterfly cut porkchops, peas, mac n cheese, homeade dinner rolls, and baked potatoes. Cinnamon steusel and coffee for desert. I’ve been busy trying to put our house back together because flylady flew right out of my window when I was about 8 1/2 months pregnant and she hasn’t shown back up again. Maybe with the new babysitting and having to get up earlier and take less naps **sniff** I’ll achieve more around the house.

Okay, more diapers call my name and we’re going to walk to the video store to get a video and procrastinate from cleaning take a break from cleaning.

May 24, 2004

Lord of the Rings obviously bores Magdalena. Don’t they look alike in this picture? :) 

Could you be…

the most beautiful girl in the world!!!

You can go to this site and see lots of Magdalena! One picture will take you to her fotolog, another will take you to a page where you can see little snippets of her in real life action, and another will take you to her blog. My hubby has been hard at work.

Eventually we hope for a fotolog picture to take you to a gallery type place, but we don’t quite know how to install it as of yet!

Erich is home this week on vacation so I’ll either blog tons, or none at all. It’s nice having him home. Like right now, Magdalena is in his lap not shrieking at me and I’ve browsed nursing apparel websites and folded some laundry and composed this entry without interruption! Yay!

She is chewing on stuff these days. Hardcore chewing. She chomps on my fingers, Mr. Elephant, her own fingers. Everyone insists that she is teething, but she isn’t flailing about and screaming. I don’t feel bumps on her gums. Maybe one spot is a bit “sharp” but I never really felt around there enough to know if it is a change from something before. I find it hard to believe that she is teething so young. Maybe it is denial. I’ll really miss that big gummy grin when those beautiful teeth appear. She’ll be cute then, but I’ll miss those gums. She won’t ever have that gummy grin again (unless she loses her teeth later in life, which still won’t be cute!). Oh well, we’ll see. Maybe she will be one of those wonderful babies that just chew and chew and chew and pop teeth without all that screaming! One can hope right?

We all ventured out to the library this morning. It’s cool outside (well 71 degrees, but compared to ninety and humid it’s cool!) so it was perfect to put her in the stroller with Mr. Elephant and her blanket on walk on over to the book place. Erich checked out Lord of the Rings parts 1 and 2 and is currently watching those. I checked out some Dr. Seuss for Magdalenas daily reading sessions and Monsters INC (I love that movie!) and a Baby Einstein video (to see what all the fuss is about). This particular one speaks in several languages and while I find it rather dull, Magdalena seems to enjoy some of it. (note: do not leave me a comment telling me of the dangers of TV watching. I’ve read the warnings, I’m an educated mom, and I’m not sitting her in front of the ol’ telly 23 hours of the day.)

Anyways, I checked out a book (something like the new moms guide or something, pure crap in it if you ask me) and while looking at this particular section I found this book called “Bottlefeeding without Guilt”. I looked at the back and it said how the book discussed how to store and mix etc etc etc, nutritional facts and cost saving tips for different kinds of formula (cause if you do use formula, you’re gonna be broke apparently) and last but not least… **drum roll**…. THE OVERSELLING OF THE BREAST! That made my blood pressure jump at least a few notches. A) How can you oversell something that is perfection? and B) How many damn commercials do you see on TV telling you breastfeed your baby? NONE! Sure some formula commercials will say “switch between breast and bottle” or in fine print on the TV that not even beyond perfect vision can read “breast is best.” It enraged me I tell you. Bah. I had to get that off my chest. Anyways, we’re off to our lazy lives. Magdalena needs a nap and I still have taped ER reruns from this morning to finish watching. (Yes, Alicia, I know I’m a freak!)

Speaking of Alicia, she is my cousin and she has started up her own blog! So go on over there and give her a little shout out and say “hello!”

Erich shares the joy of reading and the love of knowledge with Magdalena. 

May 23, 2004

I’m gonna get you! 

May 20, 2004

Sitting pretty! 

12 years ago…

my father died. I miss him so much. I wish he were here to kiss Magdalena on the forehead and tell her how much he loves her, as I’m sure he would. I missed him the day I was married, I missed him even more when I got pregnant, and it’s almost unbearable how much I miss him now.

This poem gave me comfort.

Safely Home

I am home in Heaven, dear ones;

Oh, so happy and so bright!

There is perfect joy and beauty

In this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,

Every restless tossing passed;

I am now at peace forever,

Safely home in Heaven at last.

Did you wonder I so calmly

Trod the valley of the shade?

Oh! but Jesus’ love illumined

Every dark and fearful glade.

And He came Himself to meet me

In that way so hard to tread;

And with Jesus’ arm to lean on,

Could I have one doubt or dread?

Then you must not grieve so sorely,

For I love you dearly still:

Try to look beyond earth’s shadows,

Pray to trust our Father’s will.

There is work still waiting for you,

So you must not idly stand;

Do it now, while life remaineth-

You shall rest in Jesus’ land.

When that work is all completed,

He will gently call you home;

Oh, the rapture of that meeting,

Oh, the joy to see you come!

—Author Unknown–

Comments, again May 18, 2004

When installing Blogger comments, I did not realize that you would have to have a user name to sign in, or you had to post anonymously. I don’t like that feature. So on my list of things to do today, is to switch back to Haloscan.

Today we tried out the hip carry in the Maya Sling. I do these new carrys with Erich home so he can be the extra two hands that are required sometimes when figuring out the new hold. (I’m overly cautious, I wouldn’t want to drop her on her head!) She has superb head control and really has since about two months. We got her on the hip in the sling and went to do dishes. It worked out great. I was able to do the dishes and think that I could probably do laundry like that also. Magdalena LOVES the water. She loves being in it and she loves watching it. So she just watched the water and the suds the entire time. There is an aquatics class for babies 6mos and older offered by the hospital where she was born. I think that would be a fun activity for us and a way to get her in the water early. She’ll be “qualified” in July, so I think we will do that this summer.

In other news, Magdalena is on the verge of sitting up! She is really really working hard on that! With the warm weather we’ve also been doing coverless diapering so it keeps me on my toes a lot more. So we’ve been very busy around here!

Everybody’s Doing It May 17, 2004

Try Sex!

Tears May 14, 2004

I switched the comments over and went back to read the comments from when Magdalena was born. I’m about to cry. I have met SO many wonderful, beautiful, incredible women. You are all so strong, compassionate and sweet. I feel like I have many many friends through this little space. You can ask Erich, I’m always talking about how I relate to so and so, how I chatted with such and such on AIM, how so and so is so cool and I wish they were closer. He’s been impressed with all of you wonderful ladies. I’ve printed out the comments from when I went to the hospital, when she was born, and a few days afterwards. I’m going to put them in her baby book box so later she can read the comments from all of the wonderful ladies who were waiting with baited breath for her to come into this world. You guys truly rock.