The Clardys

Graduation and all kinds of things

2011-12-23T15:01:00.007-06:00

Let me start off by saying I've never claimed to be a stellar blogger. These last couple months are evidence as to why I would never ever say that.

Many things have transpired since I have last documented our lives, some of which I do not have pictures of (surprise, surprise!). So I'll keep it short and sweet and let the pictures do the talking.

I'll start with Thanksgiving. Nathan and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house, but I was by no means head chef. I let Tawnya do the turkey since I was a complete novice.

Lela provided the entertainment, as always.Then a couple weeks later, we all headed down to the seminary to say our goodbyes . . . . . . because Nathan is officially done! Yay! Then we had the obligatory lunch at Mexican Inn. Lela enjoyed mostly enjoyed the butter. She's a little strange when it comes to food. She comes by it honestly. We also made a trip to see Ice at the Gaylord, but somehow I'm not finding my pictures of that outing. Here's one of us after we were done.

Ice was all Shrek themed and it was amazing what they could sculpt out of ice!

So, I wasn't kidding when I said short and sweet. I'm currently sitting in the midst of the calm before the storm (the storm being Christmas) so I have to scoot so I can get ready for the chaos that will inevitably hit any minute . . .

4 Months

2011-12-17T11:33:00.012-06:00

Eli, you are 4 months old!

You weigh 14lbs 2oz. (our bathroom scale is obviously not reliable) and 24 1/2 in. long.
You wear size 2 diapers and they are beginning to get too small.
You fit in some 3 months clothes, mostly 3-6 month clothes and some 6 months clothes fit you.
You were much happier for your pictures this time. I think we caught you on a good day.
You have learned to roll over both ways and just in time for your 4 month appointment, just like your sister.
You always roll over on to your stomach when you sleep but that usually means you get your arm or leg stuck in the railings of your bed and that makes you pretty mad :(
We have learned you're not too fond of the exersaucer. You much prefer to roll on the floor.
You breastfeed every 3-4 hours and we started you on rice cereal on the 12th and you think that's the greatest thing! I think you're going to be my big eater :)
You are definitely smiling and laughing more now and you still relish the time right after your sister goes to bed and you have Mommy and Daddy's full attention ;)
You usually sleep well at night and only occasionally wake up at 3:00 am. The cereal has definitely helped with that!
You will take one nap during the day, but I usually have to let you cry until you sleep. Sometimes that how it goes at night too.
You are a sweet boy and I think you are much more laid back than your sister.

Photo Card

2011-11-16T12:33:00.001-06:00

Flourished Frames Christmas

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View the entire collection of cards.

3 Months Old

2011-11-11T12:03:00.007-06:00

Eli, you are three months old!

You are 15 lbs. and 23 1/2 in. long (I think I recorded the length incorrectly last month)
You fit in 0-3 month & 3 month clothes. You are pretty much the average size since everything pretty much fits you according to size.
You are in size 1 diapers (but they are getting pretty small!)
Despite your seemingly joyful expression in the first picture, you weren't too thrilled about having your picture taken.
You don't give out the smiles too readily ;) I think this face is saying, "Why are my mom and dad making so many funny noises?"
But every now and then we capture your sweet smile :)
You are holding your head up really well.
You have also enjoyed some time in your exersaucer.
You have attempted to roll over but you haven't done it yet.
You are always kicking your legs moving your arms, especially when you're laying on the floor. It's like you're trying to move out!
You can also bear your weight on your legs when we hold you up.
Your sister thinks you're pretty great.
In fact, I think she's pretty enamored with you.
Half the time you wake up around 3:00 am for a feeding and then you stay in the bed with us until your 6:00 feeding.
You eat every 2 1/2 or 3 hours during the day.
You usually get quiet or sleep in your stroller or the car.
You have started putting your fingers and other things in your mouth.
You always do good in the nursery but the ladies always say "he spit up a lot" whenever I pick you up. They have dubbed you the Spit Up King :(
You will look for me and Daddy whenever you hear our voices and you love to watch your sister do funny things :)
You are talking more now but it's usually after Lela goes to bed. That girl doesn't let you get a word in edgewise!
You will laugh occasionally, but you are a tough crowd.

You are growing like a weed and you no signs of slowing down!

Your personality is coming out more and more each day and I can't wait to see more!

You are a handsome boy and Daddy and I are already so proud of you!

Two Months

2011-10-16T16:50:00.002-05:00

Eli, you are two months old!

You weigh 12 lbs 12 oz. and you are 22 1/4 in. long.
You wear size 1 diapers and you wear 0-3 month or 3 month clothes.
You eat every 2 1/2 or 3 hours.
You are sleeping well and sleep through the night about 50% of the time. Otherwise you wake up around 3:00 a.m. but you usually go back to sleep without eating.
You got your first shots and it really made you mad. You were fussy all day unless you were sleeping. You probably wouldn't have been so mad if Lela didn't keep trying to pull off your band-aids!

You have made it clear that you would much rather be held during the day rather than being put in your bouncer or the swing which sometimes forces me to be somewhat creative in order for me to get things done.
You are holding your head up well but you haven't mastered it yet.
You do good in the nursery at church and you usually sleep the whole time.
You are talking more and more and you almost always smile when someone smiles at you.

You have already grown so much and I feel like the time is flying by!

Daddy and I are already so proud of you and I know our pride will only grow as you grow.

Eighteen Months Old

2011-09-26T17:19:00.002-05:00

Lela, you are eighteen months old!

You weigh 23 lbs.
We just switched to size 4 diapers.
You have decided one nap is enough for you, but that may be because you have a habit of sleeping until 10 am or later!
You are so happy when you wake up and you sometimes play in your bed for 30 minutes or more. You obviously found your shirt entertaining this day :)
Unfortunately, you also found chewing on your bed entertaining as well and despite our efforts to cover the rails on your bed you pulled off the covers and consequently got the touch-up marker all over your nose and mouth.
When you go to bed at night you sometimes insist that we put "Bubba" to bed first before you'll go to bed.
You are talking up a storm. You can say a lot of things but the one I hear the most is probably "Elmo.""Cookie" and "Ish" are a close second.
You have figured out how to get down from the couch and you can just almost climb up it.
You are definitely a climber and you are sometimes very creative in how you climb on things.
You frequently take me by the hand (or finger) and lead me where you want me to go which is usually the play room or the front door because you want to go outside.
You love your Bubba and sometimes ask to hold him or lay with him.

You have decided potty training is interesting but we are not actively potty training you just yet.
Taking your picture this time was a breeze because I could actually explain to you that I was just taking your picture and not puttingyou down for a nap. I could also tell you to smile and pose and you gladly obliged :)
You had your first experience with the ice cream man recently and you thought that was pretty cool. You got a Dora the Explorer ice cream which is quickly becoming your second favorite character next to Elmo.I may have gone overboard on the pictures this time but you do so many funny things and make so many faces, I wanted to remember it all.

You are such a sweet and fun girl and it's crazy and kind of sad to think about how big you are. I just know I'm going to blink one day and you'll be a teenager!

One Month Old

2011-09-08T17:55:00.000-05:00

Eli, you are one month old today!

You are 9lbs 14oz.
You wear newborn diapers but we're about to switch to size 1.
You are also growing out of your newborn clothes.
You are always rearing your head back and you're so squirmy, it's hard to hold you sometimes.
You have been sleeping about 4 hours between feedings at night, but you followed in your sister's footsteps and slept through the night last night! (check it out!)
You eat every 3 hours during the day and sometimes every 2 hours.
You are mister serious and you like to stare at the ceiling (we say it's because you're wondering why there's glitter on our ceiling).
You are not too attached to your paci and you could take it or leave it.
You're not very vocal and you seem extremely laid back.

You are such a sweet boy and you are easy to calm whenever you get upset. It's crazy to think we have two babies now! You definitely different from your sister and I can't wait to see how you will interact with her.

We have Dr. Shirley on speed dial

2011-09-07T09:53:00.005-05:00

So I know I have been slacking majorly on keeping everyone updated on Eli. I don't guess it would surprise you that I have also been slacking on taking pictures of important events. So I'll give you what I have in that area.

Eli's first bath: 9/3/11

(I realize this seems a little late, but the way Eli's umbilical cord fell off it left some exposed tissue that probably shouldn't get wet. And let's face it, he's the second child.)

Lela's first pig tails: 9/3/11, a banner day in the Clardy household.

(Nathan was actually the one that put her hair in pig tails and I think I have decided he is the official hair dresser for Lela from now on ;) )

So we'll begin with Eli's second doctor's appointment. This was August 19th and he weighed 7 lbs 7oz so he had regained his birth weight. It was pretty uneventful except for the fact that the doctor's office had installed a TV in the waiting room with looped videos on various and asundry topics like a proper workout and who married/divorced whom in Hollywood this week. Did you know that quinoa can be brewed like beer? Such invaluable information. It's quite loud and is not easily ignored and the sub-par actors in the medical videos left Nathan and I in uncontrolled restrained laughter. I wish I could remember what it is we found to be so humorous but I have a feeling it was a "you had to be there" type of moment.

Anyway, just a couple weeks later, I found myself back in the doctor's office. We noticed Eli was a little constipated and had the doctor check him out. At that point he weighed 9lbs 4oz so we knew he was getting plenty to eat! They checked Eli for everything that might explain the excessive spitting up (which had increased) and the constipation. After the usual things were ruled out, the doctor decided to do a rectal exam. This made him go immediately and Dr. Shirley said his sphincter was tight he was having trouble releasing it. This was a new word for me (which I'm hoping is the case for some of you as well) and I thought I was experiencing another Dr. Shirleyism. But because she continued to use this word with all seriousness, I realized I would have to look it up since I have a habit of shaking my head knowingly even when I have no idea what someone is talking about.

So, just yesterday we were at the doctor again because Eli had only pooped once since the last time we saw Dr. Shirley six days ago and it was with the help of a suppository so he hadn't gone on his own for a week and a half. Dr. Shirley called me in the afternoon and asked me to come in as soon as I could so she could do another rectal exam and loosen his sphincter. So I packed up the kids without changing clothes or diapers and then dropped Lela off at a friend's house. We got to the doctor's office and Eli was emitting quite an unpleasant smell, but this wasn't anything new because he's had some bad gas accompanying his constipation. So we got in the exam room and I set Eli on the table and I could see instantly that I had just made a pointless trip to the doctor. That's right, he decided to let it go sometime on the way up there. And it was a doozy! I no longer have to wonder what four days worth of poop looks like. On top of all that, I got poop on my shirt so I had to walk out of the doctor's office and pick up Lela with poop on my shirt all the while :)

So, basically I paid Dr. Shirley $25 to weigh him (he came in at 9lbs 14oz, by the way) and look in his ears. I guess that's just Murphy's Law. But I am glad he finally went, the timing just could've been slightly better.

If you want to be added to the list for the daily poop report, just let me know :)

Saying Goodbye

2011-08-24T10:51:00.000-05:00

You were our first baby.

You were instantly a part of the family.

We celebrated many years together.

You hated bath time . . .

But you loved to get dressed up.

You saw our family go through many changes.

We will always remember you as the "good buddy" you were.

You will truly be missed, Teddy.

Eli's First Doctor's Appointment

2011-08-14T17:38:00.005-05:00

On Friday, we took Eli to meet Dr. Shirley and she automatically dubbed him "the precious" as well (see post about Lela's first appointment). But to avoid confusion we'll have to refer to him as "the precious #2" and since I'm feeling especially lazy I think we'll shorten it to p#2.

Well p#2 demanded to be fed as soon as we were in the waiting room and I realized immediately that it was the first time, believe it or not, I had to breastfeed in a public place. So I was slightly hesitant at first but I figured if I was nonchalant about it, no one would notice. As far as I could tell I wasn't getting any looks and no one seemed to care that my indecency was was only concealed behind a thin piece of fabric. Eli did good too despite the fact that his feeding skills are touch and go at this point.

Once we were in the doctor's office, we realized Eli looked a little yellow. You can kinda tell in this picture.

Dr. Shirley noticed it too so she tested him for jaundice but it came back normal. P#2 weighed 7 pounds even so he hadn't quite gained back to his birth weight which is normal for a four-day-old infant. Everything else looked good but we did leave with a prescription for baby Zantac since he has been spitting up just like Lela did. Hopefully we'll only have to use it for a few months.

And in case you're wondering, this is what happens when Nathan is in charge of photographically documenting the event:

He would probably want me to share with you that he successfully completed the butterfly puzzle. He was quite proud of himself.

This picture requires some explanation.
There was a mural of Noah's Ark painted on the wall and Nathan felt the need to point out that the bird bearing the olive branch was not the theologically correct species. I guess a blue bird was more pleasing on a white wall rather than the obligatory dove.

Anyway, we go back to see Dr. Shirley this Friday so there's more to come.

Eli's comin' better hide your heart

2011-08-12T17:25:00.003-05:00

WARNING: This post is extremely elaborative and mostly serves to remind me of the experience years down the road. Read at your own risk.

I am aware that Eli came without a whole lot of warning. That's not to say we didn't know he was on his way because I was having contractions all day Sunday, but by the end of the day it had tapered offsome and I wasn't sure if I had made any progress. So I went to bed Sunday night convinced I was in for another long day of labor judging by how labor went with Lela. I was awakened at midnight to consistent contractions and I timed them for an hour before I woke Nathan up. So we took our time and got ready to head to the hospital. I could tell the contractions were stronger but I just knew I had at least six hours before Eli made his appearance. Nathan packed up the car and then asked me one more time if I thought we could wait a little longer (we didn't want to spend twelve hours in labor and delivery like last time) and I told him we better go because I was determined to get an epidural this time and didn't want to wait too long.

So we got to the hospital around 2:00 am (after turning around to pick up my purse that I forgot) and got checked in by 2:30. I was surprised/relieved to hear that I was dilated 7 centimeters when I arrived but again I was sure I had a few hours left if not more. The contractions started getting stronger really quickly but I was comforted by the thought that my epidural was on its way because again I was convinced I was in for a long haul. Suddenly the contractions were very intense and I began to panic because I didn't think I could handle it very long. My water broke a few contractions later and I immediately had the urge to push. At this point the nurse asked me if I could sit up to get my epidural and I told her I didn't think so. (My actual response was more like a panicked "Well am I about to deliver!?!" She wasn't much help so I simply declined.) To make a long story short, Eli made his appearance at 3:42 am, just an hour and 42 minutes after we arrived! Good thing we didn't wait any longer!!

We are now officially a family of four :) Crazy.

Waiting . . .

2011-08-03T20:33:00.001-05:00

So, I really thought Eli would be here by now. I was for sure he was coming early but I went to the doctor on Tuesday and nothing has changed in the last week. So he seems very content inside me and I don't think he has plans to come out any time soon. I'm still four days away from my due date so maybe I'm just being impatient. Especially since Lela was right on time (born in the wee hours of the morning the day after her due date), I have a feeling now that Eli will be the same way.

I forgot what it was like to have this feeling of anticipation to meet my child. I think it might be more intense this time since I was so convinced he'd be early. With Lela I knew she would come right on the due date and she did. I guess Eli likes to keep me guessing, and I suppose I'm okay with that ;)

Craziness

2011-07-21T16:11:00.008-05:00

Everything has been slightly crazy around here. The only way I know to tell the story is through pictures, so here we go.

This picture likely means nothing to you but it is the only documentation I have of the whole ordeal. It is actually the serial and model number on my refrigerator that I had to have handy since the 5-month-old appliance decided to freeze everything inside. Apparently it always thought the temperature inside the fridge was 80 degrees so it would run constantly.

Of course I discovered that everything was frozen solid the morning we were all trying to leave for youth camp. As if it wasn't stressful enough to get my pregnant self and my 15-month-old packed for youth camp, just pile on top of that breakfast became impossible with no useable milk or yogurt which are breakfast staples around here.

Anyway, we are still dealing with this saga almost a month later. The repairman made his third trip out to our house today and replaced another temperature sensor which he feels will solve the problem even though that's what he did the first time and it made absolutely no difference. Good news is, he says the next step will be to replace the whole fridge (at least I think that's good news).

Wow, that story ended up being way longer than I anticipated. Apologies.

One useful thing about the picture is, if you're in the market for a fridge, I'd avoid this model of Samsung ;)

Ok, I'm really done now.

Lela's new favorite thing is to swim in her kiddie pool. Unfortunately the set-up for it is a little more strenuous than I can handle being 8 1/2 months pregnant in the 102-degree heat, so she has to wait until Daddy gets home to go swimming.

She will ask me all day to go swimming and she'll even pull her towel out of the laundry pile to show me she's ready to swimming. But once Daddy gets home, we run and get her swimsuit on and then she'll stand at the back door and watch Nathan get everything ready. I know I'm biased but she has got to be the cutest kid ever.

Nathan's new project has been to make our entry hall presentable, which entails taking down the wallpaper and getting it painted. I started out helping him, but this is all the paper I removed before I was tired of standing.
He accomplished much more in the same amount of time.And a month later, to the date, here he is removing the last scrap of paper.Of course you have to take into account that we were out of town for two and a half weeks in there and he only worked on it during the evenings and weekends and I didn't help him a lick!

You may notice we had already put some sample paint colors on the wall. I guess when you've been removing wallpaper for a month, sometimes you just have to start another project or you'll go crazy!

He's actually much further along now and he should have it all painted this weekend. I would post a current picture of it, but it sorta looks like someone was murdered in that room right now due to the choice of wall color. But I'm confident it will look great once there are two coats on the wall, so I'll save the after shot for when everything is completed.

Lately Lela has decided she enjoys eating much more when she is in control. She will have none of this being spoon-fed or having Mom break up food into small bites. She can DO IT!
But it is really hard for me to watch her use the spoon on her own because half of the food ends up on her face or in her lap. She also has a banana sitting next to her cup that she takes bites from. Of course I have to intervene every now and then, especially when she tries to put half of the banana in her mouth at once!

Lela had a doctor's appointment a couple weeks ago and she doing good. She weighed 20 lbs. 8oz. and was 30 inches tall. Dr. Shirley always comments on how smart she is. Of course I think so but it's good to hear someone else say it.

Lela has also picked her favorite TV show. It's a show on PBS called "Super Why." She will point at the TV and I know she's asking to watch "Super Why." She dances to all the songs and is mesmerized for the whole show. Luckily we can watch it anytime since we have a Netflix free trail right now, but I'm afraid Lela's in for a rude awakening when the trial ends!

Lela is also teething right now. This is a picture of her when she was trying to eat her favorite snack, goldfish, but started crying because it hurt her mouth. It was really sad but her little face is so sweet I had to get a picture.
Unfortunately, I think the teething is also making her really picky and she will hardly eat anything we offer her. Basically she only eats yogurt, cereal bars, bananas, applesauce, goldfish and peanut butter sandwiches. She will occasionally take bites of other foods but then she'll spit it all out about five minutes later. I swear she has a secret pocket inside her cheek somewhere!

Well, I realize that was a lot of information all at once about a lot of crazy random topics but I had a whole month of material to cover! That's also why the title is so applicable.

A Sad First

2011-06-23T11:30:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was definitely a first for Lela but certainly not one that you hope will ever happen. We had to take her to the ER after she fell and bit her tongue. Apparently her new habit of climbing on everything imaginable proved more dangerous than I let myself comprehend. She had climbed into the window sill in the living room and fell out. Luckily Nathan had just walked in the door to come home for lunch or I would have been a basket-case.

I realize a bit tongue doesn't sound serious but after 30 minutes of soaking countless Kleenexes with blood we realized we had to do something. Of course by the time we got to the ER and checked in and Lela decided to interrupt her constant screaming with a laugh and a smile for the woman behind the counter, the bleeding stopped completely. That's just the way it goes I guess.

We were mainly concerned because it was clear that the majority of the blood was coming from the underside of her tongue and she wouldn't let us see it so we didn't know how serious of a cut it was. Of course by the time they examined her I don't think they were too concerned considering the lack of blood so they didn't even make an effort to look under the tongue. We were sent home with a pile of paperwork (including a nice bill), a prescription for antibiotics, and two orange popsicles. Apparently they don't do stitches on tongues and again with no blood present I think we win the award for most paranoid parents of the year!

But looking back, I don't know that we would've done things differently. All in all she bled for a good 45 minutes and if that doesn't say emergency, then I don't know what does. Lela's constant screaming (whether from pain or sheer drama) certainly added to the severity, at least in my mind.

So I think the only thing to do is end the this post with some happy pictures of Lela to represent her general disposition and to prove she's doing just fine 24 hours later.

What do I make?

2011-06-17T11:34:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite blogs, Kelly's Korner, does a thing every friday called "Show Us Your Life" and she asks her readers to link to her blog and share different aspect of their lives. Today she asked everyone to post about what they make and I thought it would be fun to participate.

I am by no means professional and I have never charged anyone for anything, but I do knit occasionally. I would be glad to take requests if anyone is remotely interested. Here are some pictures of things I've made.

I made this hat for my daughter while I was pregnant with her.

This is a bed I made for my dog. It could also be a cat bed I suppose.

This is a piece of "artwork" that one my friends ask me to make for her wedding reception. She is very artsy and asked everyone in the wedding party to make something to be displayed at the reception like an art gallery. Very cute idea. Anyway, I just knit the letters and pinned them in a shadow box and then put slips of paper listing out the attributes of love from 1 Corinthians 13.

Anyway, like I said, I've never charged for anything but I can make pretty much anything and I'm completely open to special requests. You can email me at morganclardy@gmail.com with questions. Thanks :)

Lela Lately

2011-06-13T19:36:00.003-05:00

Lela has been busy, busy, busy. We had VBS at church this week, so she's been at the church nearly everyday. I was able to spend time with her in the nursery on Thursday and Friday night and I was reminded all over again how much of a performer she is. She spent 100% of her time trying to get everyone else to laugh (unless she was eating ;) ). She does that with Nathan and I all the time but I had never seen her to do it with her peers. The other kids really didn't respond to her incessant performances so she apparently gets enough encouragement from the occasional laugh from an adult.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that Lela is shrinking lately! . . .

No, this is just a giant folding camping chair that we saw at Lowe's. I just thought it was a cute picture ;)

This is Lela's new dangerous hobby. She has learned it is way more fun to stand on her stool rather than sit on it. So far it has only resulted in two falls and both times I was there to catch her. She has also realized she can reach new things when she climbs on top of her stool. So she's been carrying it around and setting it down in just the right places to get into optimal trouble. She also finds all of this extremely funny. Surprising? No.

Lela has been talking a lot more too. I can tell she is really trying to say words and sing along with songs. I am pretty sure she said "applesauce" the other day but that may just be because I am convinced she is a baby genius and I think it clouds my judgement sometimes.

Lela went swimming again last night and she did so much better than she did last time. She had a lot more fun and she even let us put in an innertube with a harness so we could push her around the pool. Unfortunately, I don't have photographic evidence of this event. Clearly, I have not been good about taking pictures this last week considering I only have two pictures and one of them is not really applicable to this post. I'll make a note to work on that ;)

All is Well

2011-06-01T11:21:00.002-05:00

I realized that I haven't posted anything since Nathan got back. Don't worry, he made it home and your prayers for his trip were greatly appreciated. Our goal is to make yearly trips to Southeast Asia and build relationships with the people. We look forward to the day when we can all go there as a family!

In the meantime we have been spending a lot of time laughing at all the little things Lela does. She knows how to make us laugh and she milks it for all it's worth. It's really hard to tell her "no" because she makes us laugh every time. She's doing this thing lately where she says "Oh!" to everything like it's the coolest thing she's ever seen. Again I think she does it because she knows it will make us laugh. While Nathan was gone my mom and I took Lela to the zoo and she had plenty of opportunities to use her new trick.We were in the monkey house when this was taken and the monkeys starting howling and Lela just kept saying "Oh!" and she had everyone around us laughing and she loved it. She's definitely a performer!

Lela's Grandma brought her a doll stroller this weekend and she really loves it. The only thing is she prefers to pull it behind her instead of pushing it and every now and then she tries to get in it >0

She is also wearing pearls that Nathan bought her on his trip. She likes to wear jewelry now and not just chew on it. She'll leave it on for a few minutes and then she's ready to take it off. But I think she actually has a sense that she is pretty when she's wearing jewelry because she makes this bashful face and leans her head on her shoulder like "Don't I look pretty?" She cracks me up!

On Sunday we went over to a friend's house after church and Lela got to swim in a pool for the first time.
She was hesitant but I think she did good. She didn't like to move in the water very much or be too far from me or Nathan but otherwise she was calm. I wouldn't say she loved it but she got used to it. But she certainly looked cute, if I do say so myself ;)

We are also getting ready for the arrival of Eli.

We set up this bassinet in our bedroom and it brought back memories of 3:00 am feedings when Lela was tiny and all I wanted to do was stay in bed all day. But it also reminds me of the miracle of life and the wonder of bringing a new person into the world and I can't wait to meet this little boy!I was able to get a 3-D sonogram when I was in Midland and I was surprised how much I could tell about Eli's face. He looks so much like Lela! Even though I have this realistic picture of my baby, it still feels so surreal to think about having two children! Even though I know it will be twice as hard, I can look forward to having twice the laughs :)

Prayer Request - Travel Home

2011-05-25T09:14:00.000-05:00

The guys are finally headed home! They actually started their journey yesterday and will be home today at 6:00 pm. They are definitely exhausted and the time change will be rough on them going this direction. Pray that they will be able to rest and recover quickly.

Also pray they will be able to reflect on their time and the impact they made on the people and missionaries and local pastors. Pray that the Lord will continue to bless them for the time they spent in Southeast Asia and that they will never forget the lessons they learned there.

Safety is also a concern as they fly across the globe. And even though this may be for selfish reasons, please pray they won't have any delayed or cancelled flights because we are ready for them to be home!

Prayer Request - Missionaries

2011-05-24T08:00:00.003-05:00

Today we want to pray for the missionaries in Southeast Asia. They have devoted their whole lives to sharing the gospel with these people. They no doubt get discouraged by the slow progress they see in this area. They are also far from the comforts of home and are constantly forced to be secretive about their reason for being in the area and use code words for common religious terms. There are only three known true followers of Christ in the area and those three are a result of the work the missionaries have done. Nathan and Andrew get to come home tomorrow but this is the day-to-day for the missionaries.

Pray that they will keep the faith and will be guarded against discouragement.
Pray that the Lord will reveal to them the impact they have made and that they may see the fruit of their labor.
Pray that they are able connect with a community of believers to encourage them.
Pray that the Lord constantly gives them the courage to share their faith and gives them the words to say to the people.

Also, here are specific prayer requests for the day's activities:

"Ask that the enemy would be bound and truth would fill the hearts of the Lasa. Ask that the strongholds of infidelity, abuse, addiction, gambling, dishonesty, and selfishness be broken. Ask that the negative cultural influences, religious lies, and government oppression would be recognized, and the Lasa would seek refuge in Him. Ask that they seek to really know God and in doing so He reveals Himself to them through [Jesus Christ]."

Prayer Request - Protection from Satan

2011-05-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Satan certainly has a foothold among the people of Southeast Asia. Sin abounds and yet the people readily accept "God" and live "religious" lives. The one thing Satan hates the most is when believers try to foil his plans and he will fight back. Without the strong support of a local body of believers, spiritual warfare is a given in a place like Southeast Asia. Pray that Nathan and Andrew will not give in to the schemes of the devil and they will resist any temptation he puts before them. Pray that they will be able to see and understand the impact they can make even in the short amount of time they will spend there.

Here is a specific prayer request listed on the guys itinerary for Tuesday:

Prayer Request - Encouragement and Protection

2011-05-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

The focus for prayer today is encouragement and protection. It can be very discouraging to share the gospel over and over and see no response or fruit for your labor. Pray that Nathan and Andrew and the missionaries continue to share with the same urgency despite the lack of response they get from the people.

The guys are very safe where they are but it is always smart to pray for protection. They are evangelizing in a closed area which is why I have refrained from sharing the exact country they are visiting as well as not sharing the names of the missionaries they are working with. They are told to use code words for certain religious terms and some of that has to do with the extreme negative reaction the people have to these terms. Pray that the Lord keeps everyone safe and that they are able to build relationships with the people.

The group plans to visit a Filipino Market on Monday and visit with a local that the missionaries have built a relationship with. Here's the info I got from their itinerary:

"Filipino Market – We have many friends in and around the markets. They have heard truth many times. Yet they are still blind. Ask that the scales fall from their eyes.

'...One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!' ~ John 9:25

Visit with local – Ask that he recognize truth and make the decision to pursue it.

'Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!'~ Joel 3:14

'But now in [Chirst Jesus] You who were once so far away have been brought near through the blood of [Christ]' ~ Ephesians 2:13"

Keep praying and I encourage you to use the Scriptures quoted above in your prayer.

Prayer Request - Sharing the Gospel/Encouraging Pastors

2011-05-21T10:21:00.001-05:00

It is Saturday night in Southeast Asia so Nathan and Andrew are likely sleeping and preparing for Sunday morning. They will take this opportunity to encourage the local pastors and go out and spread the gospel with them. Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of those they will share with. Also pray that they are able to encourage local pastors who are no doubt discouraged with the lack of a congregation.

I was able to find an itinerary for the boys and there were some specific prayer requests for Sunday listed:

"Ask that [ministers] be sent to boldly share truth and distribute follow-up materials. Ask that the [church] already present would be convicted of the [Great Commission]. Ask that said [church] would be brave and courageous.

'And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ...' ~ Colossians 4:3"

I replaced some code words with the church language we're more familiar with. I heard from the guys that things are going well and I really want to thank all of you who are lifting up these requests because I know it's making a difference!

Prayer Request - Lasa

2011-05-20T10:15:00.000-05:00

Nathan and Andrew will be working with the Lasa people. Their primary religion is Islam and they are very resistant to the gospel. Many of the people are not highly religious but the Muslim faith is mostly cultural for them. If they convert to Christianity, they are guaranteed total rejection from their families and excommunication from the church. We have been told there are only three known followers of Christ among this people group.

Pray that the Lord softens the hearts of these people.
Pray they begin to realize their need for a Savior.
Pray that they have the courage to follow the truth, despite the inevitable consequences.
Pray that the Holy Spirit gives Nathan and Andrew the words to say to the people.
Pray mostly that whatever happens this week glorifies the Lord and furthers His name.

Prayer Request - Southeast Asia

2011-05-19T08:00:00.003-05:00

Ranked number 19 among countries with highest number of unreached people groups with 56 unreached people groups. Islam is largest religion. The society faces a troubled and contested future as fault lines appear.

The largest, most dominant and most quickly growing population, are divided among themselves on a number of levels. Pray for changes in these realms:

Economic. The ruling party’s affirmative action of the last 40 years has enriched a minority of the population, while increasing the gap between the connected elite and the poorer majority. Such discrimination and favoritism now hobbles economic progress as well as foreign investment.
Political. The ruling party faces an opposition coalition comprised of moderates, liberals, Chinese ethnic parties and even Islamists. This indicates the level of disillusion with the government. The next election will demonstrate if the coalition’s recent strong showing is based on large-scale change or is just a protest vote against the party. Appeasing both the minorities and conservative Muslims, while holding the country together, is a difficult balancing act.
Religious. Powerful and vocal Islamist agendas are resulting in passing legislations on state and federal levels that effectively introduce sharia law for the people and deepen the divide between Islamic radicals and moderates/liberals. Many rural people practice a folk Islam influenced by pre-Islamic Hindu and Buddhist elements as well as animist practices; they will inevitably be pushed into adopting a “purer” version of Islam.

Minority groups feel frustrated with discrimination and corruption as well as with changes to civil and religious liberties. Some seek legal and political solutions, but others plan for a future outside the country – a potentially tragic loss of diversity and economic clout for a land that has long prided itself on both.

Prayer Request - Rest

2011-05-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

The boys are still traveling today but I want to focus on praying for rest.

They will be working hard once they arrive and they need to be well-rested so they can be as effective as possible.

The time difference from home to destination is 13 hours so pray they are able to make a quick transition.

They also have a 5-hour layover in Korea today so pray they are able to use that time wisely and get some good rest and food.

Pray that they are able to relax as I'm sure they are getting anxious as they get closer to their destination.

And it would certainly not be a lost cause to lift up the requests from yesterday as well since they are still traveling and will not reach their destination until the wee hours of the morning on Thursday (Texas time).

Prayer Request - Travel

2011-05-17T09:51:00.006-05:00

Nathan and Andrew will be traveling a total of 31 hours and 40 minutes to get to South East Asia. They will likely go through customs twice and they have many important documents and items to keep track of. There are many things that could go wrong and plenty of opportunities for plans to change. Sleep deprivation brings emotions and tensions to the surface and can fog memories and reason.

Pray that they sleep well when they get the chance.
Pray that they don't lose anything and if they do that it can be easily replaced.
Pray for safe travel.
Pray for no delayed or cancelled flights and no schedule changes.
Pray that they keep their spirits high and are constantly reminded of the purpose for their trip.

Easter and Mission Trip

2011-05-11T11:05:00.009-05:00

I know I've been MIA lately, but what's new? I don't have a whole lot to share but I just wanted to mention a couple things.

1) We did actually try to get a video loaded on here of Lela hunting eggs at Easter but it must have been too big. But I can offer some iPhone pictures as a consolation (even though it's been more than two weeks since Easter!).

She did great hunting eggs. It was like she knew exactly what she was doing. But I must admit she had some practice prior to Easter Sunday so that may have accounted for her seemingly professional egg hunting skills.

2) I've decided monthly posts about Lela is a little strange past 12 months. But I will do my best to post about her because she is still changing so quickly. I will definitely post an update every time she sees the doctor (for well visits. I doubt you want to hear about every cold and ear infection).

3) Please remember Nathan these next couple weeks. He and Andrew are leaving for South East Asia next week to go on a mission trip. They'll be working with full-time missionaries there. Also, we recently found out they're going to lose two days because of a last-minute cancelled flight. It's kind of a bummer and changes their plans. But we know that God is still in control and this doesn't surprise Him. There is a reason for everything and God is not bound by earthly limits like time. Just pray that their time there will be fruitful. I will be posting specifics about the country and the people while they're over there so you can pray more specifically.

One Year!

2011-03-30T10:05:00.010-05:00

Lela, you are one year old!!

You are 17.9 pounds (according to thedoctor, not my scale. Yay!).
You wear mostly 9 months clothes and most 12 month clothes are too big for you.
You are still in size 3 diapers.
You are a full time walker and I'm having a hard time keeping up with you!
You love to open the cabinets and pull out all the things you shouldn't play with.
You babble all the time and you already have a big sense of humor.
You love an audience and you know how to keep everyone's attention.
You have a habit of finding pacis and keeping them in your mouth ALL THE TIME. But fortunately it doesn't seem to bother you when we take it from you. I guess we have to be better at hiding them from you.
You are continuing your big girl approach to bed time and nap time and I can lay you down with minimal rocking and you don't cry, even if you're awake (which is always the case since my the combination of my height and my baby bump prevents me from getting you all the way in your crib without dropping you the last couple inches :/ )
You are also taking two naps in the morning and afternoon.
My prediction about breastfeeding was right and you gave it up completely a few weeks ago. We started you on whole milk a couple weeks early since you weren't getting the breast milk.
You're not as crazy about food these days (thank goodness) but you do have a tendency to be picky. But as long as I've got bananas around, you're happy.
You still have separation anxiety when we leave you in the nursery but the reaction doesn't seem to be as intense.
You are beginning to understand a lot of what we say to you and you respond appropriately. Like I can say "Go get the ball," and you'll get it and bring it to me. When we say "relax" you lean all the way back and lay your head against the wall.
We have added brushing your teeth to your daily routine and you love to hold the toothbrush and suck all the toothpaste off of it.
You have proved to be a bit of a climber. You always trying to figure out how to get on top of things. You got a stool for your birthday and instead of sitting on it you try to stand on it and use it as a step to get on top of other things!
Taking your picture was a bit of a challenge this time around and our first attempt was a complete failure. This is the best we got.
It ended immediately after this picture and I'm fairly certain I caught you in the very act that ruined the photo shoot. For some reason your diaper didn't hold all your "deposits" and when I picked up after this picture, the bed and the teddy bear were all wet! Somehow your clothes stayed dry, but after changing the sheets I was not in the mood to take any more pictures % )

It's amazing to see all the things you've accomplished since you came into the world and I can't believe it's already been a whole year. I know you will be a great big sister and I can't wait to see the girl you will become.

Eleven Months Old

2011-02-28T14:40:00.002-06:00

Lela, you are eleven months old!

You are 17.5 pounds (you are apparently not gaining significant weight despite the fact that you eat everything in sight!)
You wear 6-9 month and 9 month clothes, some 12 month clothes fit you.
You are in size 3 diapers
You have two teeth peeking out under the gums on the bottom!

You love to walk and you're getting better and better at it but crawling is still faster for you.
You are very expressive when you talk and I can tell you try really hard to repeat the words we say.
You have begun a new stage where you don't cry when I lay you in your crib! You have ALWAYS cried when we lay you down to go to sleep. We would have to wait until you were asleep to lay you down. But I guess you've realized that sleep is inevitable and you've stopped fighting it. We'll see how long it lasts ;)
You take two naps at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm like clockwork everyday; without tears!

You have always thrown your pacis out of the crib when you wake up but this is the first documentation I've acquired of the paci graveyard (how many do you see?).
You only breastfeed once or twice a day and I have a feeling your last feeding is right around the corner.
You eat three meals a day and you would snack constantly if I didn't stop you. If you any food or anyone eating you have to have food right then!

You have begun to cry when we leave you in the nursery at church but you calm down quickly once we're gone (so we're told!).
You have started shaking your head "no" when we try to make you do something you don't want to do. You will reach for things you want and if I give you the wrong thing, you shake your head.
You love to play and you're always into to things you shouldn't be. Anytime we tell you not to play with something, you always laugh and continue doing what you please.

You are such a sweet girl and you are a joy to be around. You take everything in stride and there's not a whole lot that bothers you. Many things have changed since last month including a new home and a new life! I know you'll be a great big sister!!
Meet the newest member of the Clardy family!
Due August 7th!

Ten Months Old

2011-01-27T11:16:00.016-06:00

Lela, you are 10 months old!

You weigh 17.5 pounds (according to the bathroom scale which has been proven to be somewhat unreliable).
You wear mostly 6-9 month and 9 month clothes.
You wear size 3 diapers
You are getting really close to walking and you took four or five steps yesterday for Miss Linda and Miss Sara at the church.
You sleep good at night but bed time is not your favorite time. You are also waking up earlier in the mornings which means I have to get up extra early so I can get ready for the day :] But you still typically take two naps a day.
You breastfeed four or five times a day.
You are doing good eating three meals with snacks and you love to feed yourself.
You don't have separation anxiety and you always smile back at a friendly face.
You love to talk and you're getting better at imitating the words we say.
You are getting better at communicating with us by reaching for things you want and putting your hand over mine and Daddy's mouth when you want us to stop talking.
You put everything in your mouth including bugs you find along the baseboard.
You've always loved to dance to music and now you've started to sing along with the music.

Taking your monthly picture has become somewhat of a challenge since you automatically think I'm putting you down for a nap when I put you in your crib . . .

. . . that's why you have a pin drive in your hand. For some reason holding the pin drive made everything ok. But if I took the pin drive away . . .

. . . it wasn't ok anymore.
I am proud to say I got one good picture without the pin drive, although it's not very smiley.

You are such a happy girl and you love to have fun and make everybody smile. I can already tell you are a little performer and you love to be at the center of attention. You are so smart and you're always looking for an opportunity to learn more. You are so loving and my prayer is that you'll learn to love Jesus just as much.

P. S. Yes, I took a nine-month crib picture but because she was crying, I didn't post it until now.

Nine Months Old

2011-01-10T10:23:00.007-06:00

Lela, you are 9 months old!

(Let me say I realize this is extremely late but I figure its better late than never!)

You officially weigh 16 lbs 9 oz. That's only a 5 ounce gain in two months! But it is apparently fairly normal for babies' weight to fluctuate between 6 and 9 months because they have become more active. I have to admit I was worried but Dr. Shirley said it's normal and just to increase her calories. You are growing well in all other areas.
You wear some 6 month clothes and some 6-9 month clothes.
You are in size 3 diapers.
You are crawling fast and easily walking around furniture with support. You are more comfortable walking around while Daddy or I hold only one of your hands.
You are a great sleeper. Sometimes you'll wake up in the night but you will put yourself back to sleep. We have even put you down for the night while you were still awake and you put yourself to sleep!
You have started staying up after your 6:30 feeding though and not going back to sleep until 10:00 or 10:30.
You are breastfeeding less and less.
I have started feeding you three meals a day and giving you snacks twice a day. You have learned to feed yourself Cheerios!
You usually take a least one nap during the day and then you'll get sleepy around dinner time but we try to keep you awake because you won't sleep well at night otherwise.
You do good when I leave you in the nursery. You are only really clingy to me after we get back from vacation and you haven't had as much attention from me.
You are babbling a lot and seems like you respond to our words like you know what we're saying sometimes. Every now and then it sounds like you say "hi"
You have starting waving "hi" and "bye" and you love to shake your head "no" every time we tell you "no."
You love to play with all the things you're not supposed to play with and you are so busy all the time!
You love to dance every time you hear music and you are such a fun loving personality.

I know I didn't do the crib picture this time around. I figure I've missed it so badly that I'm actually closer to her 10 month birthday so the picture will not show much progress. I might change my mind later but this is all I've got for now.

30 for 30 - Day 18-31

2010-12-30T12:10:00.000-06:00

I apparently can't count. I thought for sure I had a day or two left of 30 for 30 when we arrived home from Christmas vacation but then after further review, I realized I had gone one day past the required 30 days. Actually the first time I counted I thought I had gone 2 days past, so take some free advice and don't trust me to do your taxes!

Day 18:

I wasn't sure if I was feeling this brown/black combo but I obvious felt ok enough to go with it. Either that or I just didn't care considering I'd see about 2.5 people that day.

Day 19:

Let me take this moment to say, please ignore the faces I make in these pictures. I did my best to look pleasant but I usually didn't remember to take pictures until the end of the day and sometimes I would forget all together and have to do multiple outfits in one night so more often than not the smile was less than genuine.

Day 20:

Using this cardigan as a shirt was a brave choice considering it was already missing three buttons (safety pins used as replacements) and I lost another button that day. I think it is missing more buttons than it has left at this point!

Day 21:

Do you recognize that shirt? Well it's not actually a shirt . . .

Here's my outfit from day 13:

Yes, I wore the skirt as a shirt. I think I felt bad that I had only worn it once and it's such a cute skirt. I think it may even be better as a shirt. Ultimately, I thought it would be fun and creative. It didn't help that it was a windy day though. I don't know what it is about skirts and they're tendency to fly straight up in any kind of wind. This apparently makes no difference if you're wearing the skirt as a shirt. Good to know.

Day 22:

This is what I wore to Andrew's graduation from DBU. I thought the pink cowl would be overkill since it really wasn't that cold outside but I forgot that DBU is in it's own climate and no matter the weather anywhere else it is more extreme and more windy at DBU. So while everyone else in the family was freezing in the gale force winds, I was nice and cozy.

Oh, by the way, I've noticed I have a total of three poses in my modeling arsenal. 1. Hand on one hip, 2. Both hands on hips, 3. No hands on hips. Wow, I'm a natural, if I do say so myself.

Day 23:

This pose obviously falls in to the "hand on hip" category but I apparently thought pushing my hips forward would make it more attractive. I think looking back, it was a poor choice.

Day 24:

This was a traveling day so I didn't feel the need to accessorize. I suppose I could've thrown something on for the picture but I'm all about being upfront and honest ;)

Day 25:

Danielle helped me pick out this outfit and she also let me borrow her circular scarf/cowl thing. I'm not sure of the correct name for it.

Day 26:

Then I was inspired to get creative and wear my scarf like a vest. I have to admit this was not my original thought. In fact, I should probably take this moment to confess the skirt shirt was not my idea either. This girl inspired me on both accounts:

http://tandsdaybook.blogspot.com/2010/12/take-it-to-max.html

http://tandsdaybook.blogspot.com/2010/12/story-about-my-16th-birthday.html

I might say that she's got the modeling thing down a little better than I do, but I wouldn't take it that far ;)

Day 27:

I'm apparently partial to the "one hand on hip"pose. I think I've decided it's the most flattering.

Day 28:

I chose Christmas Eve to redeem the green shirt and I think it was a success. But I will say this picture looks like I'm about to sing at a karaoke piano lounge. I blame it on the angle of the picture and late hour that made me think posing next to the piano was a good idea.

Day 29:

This look was also inspired by Sydney at the Daybook. She also inspired me to do the whole 30 for 30 thing so she has been my guide through the whole journey.

I got this brown belt from Stephen for Christmas. I think it helped that I picked it out for him ;) Thanks Stephen!

Day 30:

You can see here I braved the nearly buttonless cardigan as a shirt. I think it's more from laziness rather than bravery.

Day 31:

I was so proud to call this my last day (I thought) of my 30 for 30, but little did I know that I had gone one day past my commitment 30 outfits. But this was our last day in San Antonio and I only brought 30 for 30 clothes so I suppose I would've had a superfluous outfit whether I wanted to or not.

I will now add an unprompted picture of Lela to please the masses:

This is sadly the only picture I have of Lela at Christmas. She loved Christmas at Grandma's though. She would open one present, put it in her mouth and then she'd move on to the next present. We also took her to a movie for the first time but I don't think she enjoyed that as much :/

We are now spending Christmas with Grammie and Pawpaw. But I'm already getting grief for spending so much time working on the blog so guess I'll talk about that later.

30 for 1

2010-12-28T18:15:00.002-06:00

This is Nathan's attempt at humor. In competition to 30 for 30, he and his brothers thought it would be funny to do 30 for 1. 30 items of clothing for 1 day.

30 for 30 - Day 11-19? or 17?

2010-12-13T10:04:00.009-06:00

So I think I've decided I'm not the type that can blog everyday. Gross understatement? I think so! I know it's what the people want but I can't seem to be organized enough to do it.

So here we go on the marathon post to catch up on 30 for 30.

Day 11:

I just realized I sort of teased you in my last post and put a "Day 11:" and then no picture under it. I had planned on posting this on the previous post but forgot and thus you were left hanging, sorry.

We put up all our Christmas decorations on this day and that has to be one of my favorite things! (along with bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens of course!). It was even more fun with Lela "helping."

Day 12:

Saturday we went to a birthday party for a friend whose daughter turned one year old! It was Lela's first birthday party. So much fun! I felt the flower in my hair had a very birthday party vibe, so I went with it.

Day 13:

I was really liking that necklace. I think this is it's third appearance?

Day 14:

Another day in which minimal people saw my outfit. I think it was just our realtor that saw it. Yes, I said realtor. More on that later.

Day 15 . . . or not

Well, I thought this would be day 15, until I recognized the striking resemblance to day 6!

Yeah, I don't think that counts and I guess I should scroll through pictures before I get dressed! The sad thing is I totally could have made it a new outfit if I'd picked a different cardigan. Oh well, life and learn.

Day 15 . . . nope I got you again.

This is what I wore to church Wednesday night and everything is in compliance with the 30 for 30 selections except the brown boots which I did not choose. Also I look a little crazy because it was our youth Christmas party and we were supposed to dress up as Christmasy as possible. I also wore our tree skirt like a skirt. I don't know why I'm not wearing it in the picture.

This is what Nathan wore that night. He was a cowboys Santa Claus. It was a big hit with the youth.

Day 15 . . . for reals

This is the day we signed a contract on a new house! Yay! I had no idea it was possible for us to purchase a home at this point in our lives but it all just fell into place. It was definitely a God thing.

Day 16:

I don't remember much about this day so I have nothing left to say.

Day 17:

I love that you can see the mess of our house in the background. I'm just keepin' it real. Actually "real" is a lot worse than what is depicted in this photo.

Well, that's all I've got. Hopefully we'll talk again before Christmas, but if not, Merry Christmas!

30 for 30 - Day 8, 9, and 10

2010-12-03T17:09:00.000-06:00

Day 8:

Unfortunately, only the fine patrons at Walmart had the privilege of seeing this outfit.

Day 9:

On Tuesday, I stayed in my pajamas all day, so I skipped that day. So this is from Wednesday.

It's interesting how taking full-length pictures of yourself gives you a good idea of what's flattering on you. This is definitely not one of them. I feel like this shirt adds bulk to me. It also sort of looks like an apron. Maybe I failed in my outwear choices. I'll try again and see how it goes.

Day 10:

I have a feeling I'm going to want to wear this shirt a lot in the next 20 days. I got it right before I started 30 for 30 for my birthday and I think it has become a favorite. It's so good for the holidays too!

Day 11:

So, now it's storytime. The other day, I was doing things around the house and got thirsty and noticed my water cup still sitting out from lunch so I went to grab it and take a drink. I saw what I thought was a fly on the rim of the glass so I went to shoo the fly and then realized . . .

. . . that's not a fly!! I know that spider is tiny but it is scary lookin'!! I actually waited for Nathan to come home and take care of the spider. I am surprised I got that close to get a picture of it. I didn't even want to touch the cup!

Ok, one more story, because I know that's why you came. Lately the crib is only place we can put Lela and leave her and know that she's completely safe. But she always cries as soon as we leave the room. Sometimes she calms down and can play a little bit but she really hates to be in there by herself. Well, one day during lunch we put her in there and we knew she was tired but we figured she would just cry the whole time. But she got quiet for a while and Nathan went in there to check on her and this is what he found:

She has NEVER put herself to sleep like that. She must have been really tired!

Ok, that's all I got. Have a happy weekend :)

30 for 30 - Day 5, 6, and 7

2010-11-28T14:22:00.005-06:00

Day 5:

I don't think I got dressed on Friday until 2:00 pm. I was working on a very ambitious Christmas present project for the better part of the day. Don't ask. Then, later in the day, I went shopping with the girls. Lela came with us and had so much fun! She was wanting to walk everywhere and people would stop and tell us how cute she was. Everything is more fun with a baby :)

Day 6:

We traveled home on Saturday and I didn't get dressed that day until 3:00. We actually played football in the front yard. I don't think I had ever done that before. It was an experience. I think you can tell how tired I am in the picture.

Day 7:

It's good to be home, but our Thanksgiving holiday went too quickly! We're decorating the sanctuary for Christmas at church tonight. I love Christmas decorations! It should be fun :)

30 for 30 - Day 3 & 4

2010-11-25T12:57:00.005-06:00

Day 3:

After riding a jet ski and getting the whole bottom half of my body wet, I determined that it is smarter to take these pictures at the beginning of the day. I don't think I've ever been so hard on my clothes as I have been during this 30 for 30 thing. It must be a mind thing.

Day 4:

So I took the picture earlier today. Please ignore the silver shoes. As you may remember, I did select brown shoes for my 30 for 30, but I did not include them in my thanksgiving packing.

And of course guess who had to be in at least one picture :) Happy Thanksgiving!

30 for 30 - Day 2

2010-11-23T23:10:00.003-06:00

Confession time . . . I didn't wear the flower in my hair all day. My sweet friend Molly made it for me and she came by and delivered it around 5:30 and so I put it in my hair for the picture because it matched. She makes lots of pretty things. You can click here to go to her blog.

I have a feeling that some of the flowers that were meant to be for me will end up being Lela's flowers tho. I guess that happens when you have kids.

Ok peeps, I'm going to bed :)

Eight Months Old

2010-11-23T16:19:00.009-06:00

Lela, you are eight months old today!

You weigh 17.5 pounds.
You wear 6 month clothes and some 6-9 month clothes.
You are in size 3 diapers.
You crawl all over the place! And you walk along the edge of the couch and the coffee table. Sometimes you let go with both hands and try to stand without support. I'm going to blink one day and you'll be walking!!

A couple weeks ago you starting waking up in the middle of the night and then you were restless all night. But the last couple nights you're back to sleeping through the night. Hopefully it stays that way :)
You breastfeed every three hours but I'm trying to stretch you to every four hours.
You still eat one or two meals a day. We tried three meals but you were getting constipated :/

You go back and forth on taking naps. You are actually napping now, but it's the first one in two days.
You love to makes noises with your mouth and imitate what Daddy and I say.
You have just started to show signs of separation anxiety from me and sometimes you will reach for me to hold you.

I can't believe it's been eight months! Before I know it you'll be eighteen!!

30 for 30 - Day 1

2010-11-22T17:42:00.003-06:00

I had my mom take my picture and I soon realized she needed a tutorial to use my camera. So here's the test shot.Then she kept missing my shoes, but this was the best one of me so I still included it.
Then I channelled my inner model.
K, peeps. I'm gonna keep these posts short, cuz it's Thanksgiving :)

30 for 30 Selections

2010-11-22T17:30:00.004-06:00

I found the link to the blog of the girl who started 30 for 30. She explains much better than I do.

http://kendieveryday.blogspot.com/p/30-for-30-remixes.html

These are my 30 items that I will be wearing over the next 30 days:

5 blouses

5 shirts/tanks

4 cardigans

4 sweaters/jackets

4 jeans/pants

3 skirts, 1 dress

4 shoes

Peace.

Some Random Things I've Been Meaning to Tell You

2010-11-21T14:12:00.005-06:00

I decided today that I'm a blog hypocrit. I fully expect the blogs I read to have new posts everyday, but I fall extremely short of my own standards for other bloggers. So dear readers, I understand your frustration.

Anyway, here's a pretty picture of Nathan and I after my birthday dinner.

We went to a place called Rafain. It's one of those Brazilian Steakhouses and they constantly bring you meat and it was a little overwhelming. Once we got the hang of it, we enjoyed it. It was also good to have a date night just the two of us :)

Thursday night I made chicken chili for dinner and I used cilantro from my own herb garden!
I've always wanted to say that! As you can see only three of the seven herbs made it to adulthood. That's only a 42.8% success rate . . . not the greatest :/ On top of that, the other two herbs are parsley and italian parsley. They are essentially the same thing. So really I only have two herbs. But I did plant them during the wrong season so I had already prepared myself for failure.

Moving on.

Can you guess who we cheer for in our house?

Lela kinda gives it away. I like how it looks like she's sticking her tongue out at the Broncos and giving the Cowboys a thumbs up :) Both were unintentional and non-coerced expressions of Cowboys loyalty. If you're wondering why she doesn't have a Cowboys outfit it's because there are so many fans, they bought them all up before I could get one, and Lela's Uncle Stephen is trying to impose his beliefs on her and the real reason she doesn't have a Cowboys onesie is they don't make them small enough for her and they started to suck because of Wade Phillips' lack of discipline, but they're doing good now that Jason Garrett is coaching. Go Cowboys!!

That's all I got.

Oh, I almost forgot. I'm going to start 30 for 30 tomorrow. It's a challenge to only wear 30 items (including shoes, excluding coats and accessories) for 30 days. It helps you learn to be more creative with your clothing and helps you learn to "shop your closet." Part of the challenge is not to buy any clothes during those 30 days. That shouldn't be hard since I just got new clothes for my birthday. Anyway, I'll do my best to post all my outfits.

Ok, now I'm done ;)

Movin' and Groovin'

2010-11-11T11:52:00.003-06:00

Lela is crawling and pulling up and moving all over the place. There was a request for this video. She actually moves much faster than this, but you know how it is; as soon as we get the camera out, she acts totally different than she was two seconds ago.

Oh, and look what my loving husband brought me at lunch for my birthday :)

These two are enough of a birthday gift for me :)

Oh, and I apparently hit enter after I typed in the title for this post so it posted it as a blank post at first, sorry!

My Little Turtle

2010-11-03T12:13:00.001-05:00

This was before she slobbered all over the strap under her chin and kept pulling off the hat and before I ripped the turtle shell off even though it was "securely" fastened with safety pins. Halloween costumes are so much more fussy than I remember!It's very fitting that you can see "Let's Go Rangers" towel behind her since they did play that night, but of course they lost :(

We didn't actually go trick-or-treating for two reasons: she's too young to remember or care or eat candy and our church was hosting a family fun fest and I'm pretty sure we'd be excommunicated if we went door-to-door. That ended up being five reasons. Anyway, we wouldn't really be excommunicated for trick-or-treating but our pastor did run a booth at the fun fest called "Reformation Celebration." He dressed up as Martin Luther and did a version of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, except the object was to get the 95 theses as close to the middle of the church doors as possible. Wow, I forgot how much explanation is needed if you are unfamiliar with the story of Martin Luther and its correlation to Halloween.

Basically, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church doors on October 31st which marked the Great Reformation which was the split of the Protestant church from the Catholic church. (Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.) So, some churches put more emphasis on this event instead of Halloween since it happens to be on the same day. I bet you're so glad to have received such an unexpected church history lesson on a post about Halloween. Moving on.

About half-way through the familt fun fest, Lela was exhausted.
I actually put the hat back on her while she slept because it made the picture so much cuter!

So, all in all it was a good first Halloween. Next year she'll actually get to have some candy! Speaking of time flying by, look how big she looks in this picture!
She is crawling and pulling up all over the place! She thinks she's so big. Oh, and she doesn't normally suck her thumb. She just happened to have it in her mouth when I snapped the picture.

Seven Months Old

2010-10-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

Lela, you are seven months old!

You weigh 16 pounds, 4 ounces.
You wear some 3-6 month clothes and mostly 6 month clothes.
You are in size 2 diapers.
You are not quite a conventional crawler but you can definitely get around. Just last night you were getting good at moving the opposite hand and knee at the same time. It won't be long!
You are pretty consistent at sleeping 8 hours at night and then sleeping for another 2 or 3 hours after that.
You still breastfeed every 3 hours.
You eat two meals a day. One around lunch time and the other around dinner time. We will probably have to make it three meals pretty soon.
You have decided you like applesauce and we've added some chicken to your evening meal and you seem to like that also.
You are NOT fond of your multivitamin and neither is Mommy! (see previous post).
You love to play and have decided that naps are overrated. The last few days have been napless!
You are learning new sounds everyday and we think you are trying to say Bella's name now. You have also added a 'G' and an 'F' sound to your babblings.
Your strong-willed nature continues to shine through. Sometimes you throw a fit when Mommy doesn't let you play with her iPhone :/
You are becoming more adept at moving around in your crib so we had to remove the bumpers because they simply got you one step closer to climbing out of the crib!

It's hard for me to remember you being so tiny and helpless.

You change so much everyday and I don't want to miss any of it!

You have such a sweet personality that only gets sweeter as you grow.

You are so adventurous and you make everything fun.

You are always aware of the world around you and you don't miss anything.

You are ready to be on the move and independent, but I want to hold on to you as long as I can!

You're smile is infectious and you enjoy being the center of attention.

My prayer is and always will be that you will glorify the Lord and make His name known in all you do.

Poly-Vi-Sol Disaster

2010-10-20T13:57:00.000-05:00

When I went to change Lela's diaper this morning, this is what I found:

It was her vitamin bottle, almost completely full, turned over on her changing table and of course it wasn't closed all the way.
It got all under the changing pad and on the wood underneath. Luckily the wood is just covered plywood and the liquid didn't reach the holes in the table that accommodate the straps underneath. If that had happened, everything under the table would have been soaked which includes diapers and clothes and blankets.
If you've ever had an experience with Poly-Vi-Sol, you know that it stinks and tastes horribly bad. It is nearly toxic! On top of that I was cleaning Lela's baby food maker with vinegar in the kitchen so our house had some funky smells going on this morning. Nathan walked in at lunchtime and said "What is that smell?"

Well, everything is cleaned up now, but I think Lela's room is going to smell like her favorite vitamin for a while.

Anyway, changing gears, last night Lela and Nathan were playing on the floor and she refused to crawl or scoot on the floor. She would go a little ways and then sit up and try to stand up.
She's so crazy! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when she starts walking, and I don't think that's too far away!

Oh, and here's a new picture of the herb garden:

The cilantro is the foreground and the basil is in the back.

That's all I got.

Good Weekend

2010-10-18T17:09:00.002-05:00

Grammie and Pawpaw visited us this weekend. There were some good times . . . . . . and some bad :(
No, we had a lot of fun. We were thankful to be able to watch the Rangers game in my parents' hotel room.
Aunt Laura Beth and Uncle Christopher also joined us, but the only group picture we got, I'm laying down and it looks like they're all visiting me on my death bed. Much like this picture :/
The next day, Lela got her picture taken in a pumpkin patch! She was actually pretty subdued, but the pictures came out cute. We were glad to spend time with Grammie and Pawpaw and I know Lela was sad to see them go.

Oh, I checked on my herbs this morning and I now have some cilantro sprouting too! So exciting :)

First Signs of Life!

2010-10-15T16:28:00.003-05:00

This picture is very close up and it is still hard to see. But I have a couple basil sproutlettes poking their little heads out!

Now the trick is to keep them alive.

I planted some herbs this weekend . . .

2010-10-11T15:33:00.003-05:00

. . . just the seeds. We'll see how it goes but I definitely have a brown thumb. I'll try to keep you updated on the situation as it is sure to be comical.

And because I love this picture, here ya go :)

Scrambled Brain = Blog in list format

2010-10-07T20:47:00.002-05:00

Much has happened since my last post and because my scrambled brain means there is high potential for meaningless ramblings, I will continue from here on out in list form.

1. Lela had her six month appointment at the end of September and Dr. Shirley actually used the word perfect to describe her. She also won the style award for the day with this outfit.

She also apparently has a big head. All her stats were in the 25th percentile but her head size was in the 75th percentile! But she is still perfect . . . according to Dr. Shirley, an unbiased viewpoint.

2. Last weekend Tawnya was here for Andrew's voice recital and Lela decided to sing along, so we enjoyed the singing in the hallway ;) She still made sure everyone could hear her and said "Da-da" real loud between one of the songs. She's crazy.

3. We decided to go to the Rangers' last regular season game that same weekend and invited Grandma and Jim to join us.

The excitement was too much for Lela.

They lost the game, but they're doing good now :) Go Rangers!

4. Lela is getting close to learning to drink from a sippy cup, but it has to be completely full or she gets frustrated pretty quickly.

5. The crisp fall air inspires me to bake things constantly. We currently have pumpkin chocolate chip cake and chocolate chip cookies in our kitchen. Yum :)

6. We visited Natalie and Jonathan (our music minister and his wife) at the hospital because they welcomed Mackenzie Grace into the world on Tuesday. She's so precious and I forgot how little newborns are! I'm so excited Lela will have a new friend at church.

7. Today was one of those days that made me want to pull my hair out. Nothing seemed to go right and on top of that I had Lela scheduled to get her picture taken today and I didn't feel like I could reschedule because today was actually a rescheduled appointment. But it all ended up okay.

That's all I have energy for. I will now watch Survivor on my computer because that takes no brain power %')

Six Months Old

2010-09-25T09:16:00.001-05:00

Lela, you are six months old!

You weigh 15.5 lbs and you are 25 inches long.
There are still some 3 months outfits that fit you but you mostly wear 3-6 month clothes and some 6 month clothes.
You are still in size 2 diapers
Everyone talks about how petite you are but we know you are just the right size ;)
You are a good sleeper but you are still going back and forth on sleeping through the night.
You breastfeed every three hours .
You also eat rice cereal, squash, bananas, avocado and carrots and have tried peaches. So far, you're not fond of sweet potatoes and applesauce. (We are going to try again on the applesauce because I think what we got was too tart!)
You haven't quite learned to crawl but you can definitely scoot around and it's obvious that you are eager to walk!
You love the remote controls and our cell phones and you constantly try to put them in your mouth.
You are trying to say Mama but it comes out as Baba right now.
There's not much that bothers you and we hope you stay that way.
You are pretty strong willed and also strong physically, especially in your legs.
You have learned to pull up to a standing position using the railings in your crib. You did it for the first time in the church nursery. You didn't seem as interested in doing it at home but I think the bumpers threw you off at first. But it was all you could think about while we were taking pictures. Did I mention you're strong willed ;)

You teach Daddy and me new things everyday.

You have become the center of our world and we wouldn't want it any other way.

Your joy for life is a daily encouragement for Daddy and me.

We can already see that you are eager to please us and we know you will also be eager to please your heavenly Father.

We know you will use your gifts and talents to serve the Lord and we can't wait to see what you become.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Col. 3:17

Growing Up Too Fast!!

2010-09-21T10:55:00.004-05:00

"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that yet." Agreed. Well said. Amen!

This child is not even six months old yet! I'm convinced she's going to walk before she crawls.

I also wanted to mention that Lela spent her first night without us last Monday and she did great. I'm don't think she even realized we were gone. But she was clearly glad to see us when we came back the next evening. I think she smiled for two days straight :)

Ok, that's all I've got and all I've got time for. I've got a budding toddler on my hands!

She was supposed to stay on the blanket but after about 90 seconds had relocated much further away :O

Sickness and Musings On Labor Day

2010-09-09T11:48:00.012-05:00

Lela got her first cold this week. I never imagined how frustrating it would be to care for a sick person who can't respond to your questions. I have the desire to give her every medicine in the world while simultaneously realizing that would be disastrous. It doesn't help that the one thing I can do for her (sucking the snot out of her nose) makes her scream bloody murder. So there's been lots of slobber, snot and tears, from both her and me.

A couple days after I noticed her congestion, I realized my congestion from a couple weeks ago was coming back. So hopefully the three of us don't continue to pass this junk around. But I think I'm free and clear this morning so that's good news.

Not much else has happened otherwise except a short trip to the lake for Labor Day and a day with Uncle Drew and Aunt Danielle on Labor Day.

Just a side note, but why do people fly American flags on Labor Day? I realize it is an American holiday but I don't consider it to be particularly patriotic. Maybe I'm ignorant and need to be informed but my first thought is everyone is getting it mixed up with Memorial Day.

Ok, because I'm terribly impatient I went ahead and looked up the beginnings of Labor Day on Wikipedia because it has "the best possible information." I'd say it's anything but a patriotic holiday. It was actually a way for President Grover Cleveland to apologize for the death of several workers on strike which were caused by Cleveland's order to send US Marshall and US Army troops to end the strike. That doesn't really make me want to fly the American flag : \ It does, however, make me want to take a day off. Good thinking Grover.

Sorry, that side note became a big, fat, long note. But it's good to be informed and who doesn't love a You Tube clip of Micheal Scott!

Well I have to get back to my sick baby. Here's hoping she'll do more of this

and less of this.

A Few Items of Business

2010-09-01T14:03:00.008-05:00

Much has happened during my little bloggy break and I feel the need to inform everyone in list format:

1. The day after my declared break from blogging, Nathan decided to start a blog of his own. I added him to the list of "Blogs I Read" on the right-hand column of my blog. And if you're too lazy to scroll, here's the link: http://abaldyouthpastor.blogspot.com/. I'm fairly certain he already has more posts than my whole blog . . . and I mean that in a good way.

2. I did in fact pick up my computer last night. I don't think I really explained that my reason for taking it to the Genuis Bar was to repair the crack described in my post about taking a break. Anyway, they gave me a whole new palm rest and track pad and keyboard so it looks so shiny and new!

But I am not too fond of visiting the Apple Store when I actually have something to get done because everyone else in the world always decides to go at the same time I go! Also the Apple Store is not like a regular store. You don't walk in, look around, pick up your merchandise, and take it to the check-out counter. No. Because they are all about customer service (which they usually do a really good job at) they have employees all throughout the store ready to help you get from point A to point D all the way up to checking you out. So if you need to do ANY LITTLE THING you have to find an employee from the beginning. Needless to say, all of the ten Apple employees were occupied when I walked in the door because apparently, along with myself, no one else has anything to do on a Tuesday night but go to the Apple Store! I'm not bitter, really. I just hate being that person that stands around looking awkward because I don't know what else to do.

3. Last but not least, the dishwasher is fixed! They didn't bring me a whole new dishwasher, just a new power cord. But, for some reason, it took them three separate trips to my apartment to figure out that's what they needed to do. I told them from the beginning the power cord was severed but I guess I can't blame them for not listening to the crazy lady with two dogs and baby who changes her clothes every time they leave.

And because I was scolded for not having a picture of Lela in one of my posts yesterday, here ya go:

Five Months Old

2010-08-31T17:38:00.018-05:00

Lela, you are five months old!

You are 14.5 lbs. and 24 1/2 inches.
You wear some 3 month clothes but mostly 3-6 months clothes.
You now wear size 2 diapers.
You can sit up without assistance for about a minute before you start to fall.
You have learned how to get up on all fours, but there's still no forward motion.
You were in a good habit of sleeping about 8 hours straight at night, but you recently began a new phase of waking up after about 4 hours of sleep.
You still breastfeed every 3 hours. I think it's mostly out of habit at this point.
You started eating rice cereal a week after you turned 4 months old and we have also added squash, avocado and bananas to your menu (you greatly dislike sweet potatoes!).
We think you are not too fond of your highchair because we have to strap you into it and thus your full range of motion is restricted. You are also eager to help us feed you by grabbing the spoon :)
You still like to travel and it doesn't even disturb your feeding and sleeping schedule either.
You have started to reach for me and daddy when you want us to hold you.
You are making new sounds everyday and sometimes it almost sounds like a word.
You are eager to learn new things and you are easily frustrated when you don't master a new skill right away.
You don't like to sit still because there is just too much to see and do!

Daddy and I love to watch to grow.

We love to dream about who you will become in the years to come.

We can tell that you are always eager to learn the next best thing.

You captivate us with your curious personality and your contagious smile.

You make everything so fun that it's hard to get much done when you're around!

So one week actually means two and a half . . .

2010-08-31T16:50:00.004-05:00

I guess I have no concept of time. Actually I blame Apple for my lack of blogging.

That's right they have my computer. But I'm not sure I can put all the blame on them since I just dropped it off Saturday. It just sounds better when I say "I have no computer right now!"

Some of you have brought to my attention the absence of Lela's five month post. I'm aware and plan to actually post it in the month of August (today) but all the good pictures are, you guessed it, on my computer!

Now you might be thinking, "Doesn't Nathan have a computer?" and you would be correct, but he chose this week to take it to the church. (I'm ignoring the fact that I had a limited opportunity to get it done on Sunday.)

The only reason I'm blogging now is because I discovered an iPhone app for Google blogger today (hooray for blogium!) **Updated to add: I guess I should mention that I acquired a new iPhone 4 two days after I dropped my other iPhone in the toilet. Luckily it was time for my free upgrade with AT&T and my parents planned on getting me a new iPhone for my birthday in November. So needless to say I got an early birthday present (Thanks Mom and Dad!).

Anyway, the blogging thing just hasn't worked out for me lately. But I am about to be on my way to pick up my computer so all will be restored to normal soon (except for my lack of organization and concept of time).

Taking a Break

2010-08-12T13:59:00.005-05:00

I have decided I need to take a scheduled break from blogging. I know what you're thinking, "You take breaks all the time. Why do you need another one?" Well, this time I'm doing it on purpose and I'm letting everyone know so that makes it organized.

Anyway, I plan to be back a week from now. I'm trying to figure out a good schedule that works for me and hopefully I can incorporate a spot for blogging into my new schedule.

I'm also being forced to take a break from something else in my life right now . . .

No, not rice. My iPhone is in that bag . . . because I dropped it in the toilet. I was advised to leave it in there for a few days to see if it will work again.

In the meantime I'm using an extra junky phone Nathan keeps on hand for things like youth camp and mission trips.
It already has my baby's picture for the background thanks to Nathan :)

On top of all that, while I was typing on my computer yesterday, I got a plastic splinter in my hand because my computer apparently cracked and a sharp piece broke off and stabbed me!

So I'm not very happy with Apple right now. Well, the iPhone is not really their fault but I am still left with an iPhone shaped hole in my heart of which can only be filled by another iPhone. It's all part of a conspiracy to rule the world.

See ya next week!

Solid Food

2010-08-04T13:28:00.009-05:00

On Monday we started giving Lela solid food.You can kind of tell in the first picture that she was crying. We made the mistake of trying to feed her when she was already so hungry that she was upset.
She was mostly confused at first. She really just wanted to chew on the spoon.
We tried again later Monday night and she did better. She also got frustrated because spoon feeding her is apparently not fast enough for her.

She also likes to be in control and constantly tries to take the spoon and feed herself. I have a feeling this self-sufficient attitude will only make things more complicated throughout the years :)

She's doing better and better every day and this morning I think she finally got the hang of it.
In other news, I broke the dishwasher.

Yes, the glorious new dishwasher I waited weeks for and ashamedly took a picture of when it arrived. How did I brake it, you ask?

Well when I attempted to open it on Wednesday I discovered that the door would not open all the way and I couldn't figure out why. I was very gentle with it and tried to find what might be restricting its movement. Then I pushed a little harder and there was a spark and popping sound and now it doesn't work. . . : /

Nathan looked at it when he got home and said the power cord got caught up and kept the door from opening and when I pushed the door open, it severed the cord.

Lovely.

Perfect timing too, now that we have three people making dirty dishes. Maybe when they deliver this next dishwasher I won't obsess over what I should wear . . .

4 Month Appointment

2010-07-29T15:00:00.008-05:00

So I braved it alone this time. It's not that I think I'm incapable of accompanying my daughter to her doctor's appointment by myself, it's just that my level of spazness greatly clouds my judgment when I'm alone with Lela and the massive amount of baby gear required.

Like, I walk in the door with the car seat in the crook of my arm and my diaper on the same arm (spaz!) and I see the reception counter. There is a low counter next to the high counter behind which the first receptionist sits. As I walk through the door and toward the counter I'm thinking "Ok, do I put the car seat on the floor or on the low counter? Floor? Counter? Floor? Gotta be the floor. It's safer, right?" It was actually an easy decision for me because I'd been to the doctor's office before. You can't imagine the severity of the spaz moment that would have occurred if I'd never been there before. I would have made the same decision, but it would have taken me longer and I may have even stood there a minute and attempted to put the baby on the counter before I decided it was unsafe, all the while avoiding eye contact with the receptionist because that means she can't see me, right?

Every small decision I make is like that. Even choosing a seat in the waiting room can be difficult. Again, I'd been there before so I chose a seat I'd previously occupied so there would be no surprises. No chance was I going to sit in the alcove with the chilren's toys in the center. This is where all the outgoing moms sit so their children can play while they talk to the other moms. Social interaction is way too risky in this kind of situation.

Sometimes I think I might have some sort of chemical imbalance and other times I chalk it up to my painfully analytical mind. I'd be curious to know if any other analytical minds suffer the way I do.

Actually, the experience wasn't too bad and I think I'm getting better with age. Dr. Shirley definitely puts me at ease between the incessant compliments about Lela and the unending affirmation of my parenting skills. She apparently puts Lela at ease as well.

I feel bad that she fell asleep right before the vaccinations (again) because she had to be so rudely awakened :( She screamed of course, but she calmed down pretty quickly.

Dr. Shirley was impressed when I told her Lela could roll over. She said "Wow, that's ahead of schedule!" Then that night Lela rolled over from her back to her stomach and then onto her back again! Dr. Shirley said that was a 6 month milestone! I always knew she would be a prodigy :) (Please don't tell me if you know of a child who has achieved these milestones just as quickly. I would like to live in ignorant bliss as long as possible.) I'm just sure she'll be famous one day, of course she'll be modest about it though.

Well, apparently I'm famous now. Tuesday night I went to Aunt Danielle's lingerie shower (ok, she's not quite an aunt yet, but as of Saturday it will be official!) and the maid of honor told me she reads my blog! (Shout out to Melissa :)) Now I know you're thinking, "That's just one more person, that doesn't make you famous." But did I mention that she is a college student? Things spread like wildfire when you're in college. I am bound to be a household name in a month. (No pressure, Melissa.) Although that phenomenon may be limited to my college generation. I was in college at the same time as the people who created Facebook and YouTube. Everybody knew about those sites in a matter of days. But I know I was always looking for some kind of distraction from studying. So come on kids, come read about a housewife with a baby whose life is extraordinarily normal in every way . . .

Ok, so I may not be reaching out to the best target audience, but I can still dream.

Anyway, the shower was a lot of fun although we had a couple of TMI or WTMI moments, but I guess that's what lingerie showers are for. I got to see some old friends and my old apartment and the fact that Lela and Lela's Grandma were there definitely made it more interesting :)

Well, I'll leave you with a piece of photographic evidence that I needed to start saving as soon as I found out I was having a girl.

Scary.

Four months old

2010-07-27T15:44:00.000-05:00

Lela, you are four months old!

You are 13 pounds 9 ounces and 24 inches long!
You still fit in some 0-3 month clothes and 3 month clothes always fit you. You can even fit in some 3-6 month clothes.
You have learned to roll over (yay!) from your back to your tummy, but haven't quite mastered the reverse. We can hardly keep you from doing it ;)
When you used to stand up before, you now jump constantly in our grip and you love trying the same action in your Johnny Jump-Up and your Exersaucer.
Every time you're on your tummy, you move your legs like you're ready to crawl. There is no arm movement yet, but I'm sure you'll get it down soon.
You still wake up around 3 a.m. but not every night, and I can usually get you back to sleep without a feeding.
You are still exclusively eating breast milk every 3 hours (sometimes you go 4 hours). (We might try some cereal next week!)
You do great traveling but you always fuss when we put you in your car seat.
The doctor is always impressed with you and she says she can tell you are a smart baby (that is apparently why we struggle to get you to sleep at night).
We said goodbye to your cradle (you were getting a little big for it) because you are now sleeping exclusively in your crib.
You do great in the nursery and staying with babysitters and everyone says "she's such a good baby!"
Just about anything will make you smile and your laugh is getting bigger everyday.
You are hardly ever still for any length of time and your personality is coming out more and more . . .

Your laugh is infectious and I have a feeling you are going to be a bit of a comedian.
You have developed a love for music that I hope will blossom with age.

You give me new joy everyday and you are constantly surprising me.

Watching you grow and learn makes me marvel at God's precious creation.

You have such a sweet spirit that I know God will use in a great way someday.

I pray that your life would glorify God and make His name known, and I think you are already doing that.

Lela at the Lake: 4th of July 2010

2010-07-13T09:34:00.008-05:00

My parents are always so excited when Lela comes to the lake house and they say she is going to be a lake baby. I'm not sure what that means but it apparently results in us spelling out her name with sparklers and using the phrase "Lela at the lake."

We were a little concerned when we got to the lake that it would rain all weekend so on Friday night when the rain let up just a little, we got the boat out just in case it was our only chance to get out even though it was still sprinkling and it was a little chilly. (No, we didn't take the baby on the boat ride).

Luckily, it was sunny on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, so we got to spend a good bit of time outside.

There was still a chance for rain on Saturday so the girls decided to get pedicures and do some shopping so we weren't just sitting around the house all day.

Mine are the yellow toenails. Yes, I realize I'm not as patriotic as everyone else, but I did get white stars on my big toes and my 4th of July shirt was yellow so it still tied in.

My choice of white stars was quite controversial among the Asian girls at the nail place. They must have told me five times, "White stars not show up on yellow, you get black stars." Even after my pedicure was finished, the girl that did my toes said "White not show up on yellow, next time you get darker color," almost in a lecturing tone. They were so adamant about my inappropriate color choice, I was beginning to think white and yellow symbolized something obscene in their culture.

Lela had fun at the lake. She always likes to go places. I love that she has a matching Old Navy onesie. It's kinda cool to think she will always get a 4th of July Old Navy shirt from here on out.

We went very festive this year on the celebratory attire. The visors were our first annual 4th of July craft project courtesy of Mimi. I felt I should explain that in case you were assuming that we are a family of avid poker players.

We all painted our name on our visors and some form of appropriate decoration. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of when I was a kid :)

Sunday night we did our own fireworks display and were inspired to write out various things with the sparklers (including Lela's name).
We are very patriotic!

I guess I haven't mentioned that Lela is now sleeping in her crib and she just learned to roll over in the last few days.

No, she doesn't sleep in her nice dresses. This was just the only picture I have of her sleeping in her crib. We have done a lot of traveling (short trips) this past week with Grandma here and Lela has done so good. She just adapts very easily and take everything in stride. We are so lucky for that!

Well, be praying for Nathan. He's leaving for a mission trip to Alaska tomorrow at 4:30 in morning. They will be witnessing to the salmon fishers in Kenai, Alaska. It's hard work and long days.

In the meantime, Lela and I will be spending some time with Grammie, so I'll do my best to update you on that.

Catch up time!

2010-07-01T16:48:00.011-05:00

So, I had a post almost completely written out a week ago, but it has been left hanging all this time because we left that night for my parents lake house to celebrate 4th of July. Honestly, I could've finished before we left but I didn't want it to sound rushed and uninspired, but at this point, well it might sound rushed and uninspired. So here is my post from last week and an update on my 4th of July weekend will be forthcoming.

Last Tuesday, I had a farewell lunch for one of my work friends, Emily, who is moving to Alabama this weekend. She wanted to see Lela and me one more time before she had to leave.

But a couple of hours before the lunch, Emily informed me that our friend Rachel had “big boyed” her way into our lunch date because she hadn’t met Lela yet. But I was so glad she did!

Lela is definitely pooping in this picture with Rachel :)

They are both such sweet friends and I hope we can all keep in touch.

Last week and the week before, we were hanging out with Grandma!

After seeing an abundance of cute fabric at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to learn to sew and make Lela cute dresses out of cute fabric. At first I attempted to hand sew a pillowcase dress, but I decided that was a disaster waiting to happen and I needed so real skills. So Grandma brought her sewing machine and showed me a few things.

Here is my finished pillowcase dress after rescuing it from my disastrous hand sewing skills.

Grandma also brought a pattern for me to work on so I will know how to sew with patterns also.

We did a good bit of it together and then she left the machine with me this week to see if I could figure out the next steps. So when I went into the living room to look for my pieces I found the front of the dress right where I left it but the back of the dress . . .

. . . well that was more of a challenge to find.

I think the dogs have felt neglected lately and sometimes they act out (especially Bella) to get our attention. Luckily there were no pins in that piece.

There was no damage.

But once I found all my pieces, I realized I was not a sewing prodigy because I could not do a darn thing without guidance from the sewing master and the one tiny thing I did on my own, I'm pretty sure I messed it up. That may be why I stopped writing this post and focused more on the upcoming vacation. Also, getting ready for vacation totally stresses me out! Why is that?

I plan to post about the 4th of July weekend as soon as I get some pictures from my madre.

Three Months Old

2010-06-23T16:00:00.003-05:00

Lela, you are three months old today!

You are 11 pounds and 22 inches long.
You have mostly grown out of your newborn clothes and wear 0-3 months clothes now. Clothes labeled just 3 months are usually too big for you.
You are great at holding your head up and we now pick you up under your arms (instead of holding your head).
You love standing up (with our assistance of course) and you seem to be trying to walk or go somewhere all the time.
You have attempted rolling over but you haven't completed it successfully on your own yet.
You have begun to wake up at 3:00 am the last couple weeks demanding to be fed. I am hoping it's just a growth spurt and not a new routine :)
You still eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day.
You like to go places but this summer heat will make you mad in a heartbeat.
You've stayed in the nursery many times and the workers always say "she was a doll!"
When you hear mine or daddy's voice you look around to see where we are and always grin with satisfaction when you find us.
You are a talker and your little coos are beginning to sound more like words.
You laughed a real laugh today while daddy played peek-a-boo with you.

You are growing so fast and

I find myself anxiously awaiting

each milestone as it approaches.

But I'm careful not to wish

the time away because it

goes quickly anyway.

Seeing your sweet face makes

me smile instantly and you

make the hardest days more than

bearable when your face says

you're glad to see me.

Apologies

2010-06-22T17:08:00.002-05:00

My Dearest Bloggy Readers,

I apologize for my recent absence from my blog. I honestly thought no one would pay any mind to my hiatus until I received written confirmation of the contrary. A reminder via facebook that two of my readers were waiting with bated breath for my next entry. It was flattering to say the least and gave me just the motivation I needed to update the bloggy world on my recent cavorting.

So please allow me explain my negligence.

All last week, Lela's Grammie was in town to keep me company while Nathan was off at youth camp. We did all sorts of girly things and wore ourselves out as we drug Lela all over the metroplex.

She did pretty good all week but we think she missed her daddy. She did not sleep well the first two nights but gradually got better every night.

My second, and less compelling reason, is that we have VBS this week. That really only explains my absence for yesterday. But that is somewhat deceptive as our VBS is scheduled for the evenings and I haven't accounted for the daytime. Well, I hate to admit this but yesterday, I got caught up in this.

I know, it's shameful! But I can honestly say that my interest in it only comes from the encouragement of our pastor's wife. It would have kept me from the blog today as well but, like I said, the facebook message whipped me into shape.

Well I better scoot considering I have to be at the church in less than an hour! I will write tomorrow, I promise.

China Pattern

2010-06-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today is Show us Your Life at Kelly's Korner and we are sharing our china patterns.

I remember the one thing I wanted to do after I got engaged was go register! There was always something so magical about the scanner gun. You just scan your item and someone will buy it for you! Amazing! I've tried to incorporate this process in my everyday life, but it hasn't worked out so well . . .

Anyway, I really love the china pattern we picked out.

I like that it is simple and elegant and you could add any color in with it if you wanted to.

There is not a crystal pattern that matches it exactly so we just picked one with silver around the top.

When we registered for the china, I felt like I really had to contemplate every aspect of the china and make sure it was something I liked, but I don't think our china has ever been taken out of our china cabinet. Well I take that back. We pulled it out to use for our first Valentine's Day.

But needless to say, the queen doesn't come to visit very often. I think we only have two place settings at our place and my mom has the rest in her attic. It's so pretty, I feel like I need to create more occasions to use it.

Answers to the Super Hard Exam

2010-06-08T15:00:00.005-05:00

And the answers are . . .

C! . . . on every question.

Only one person missed a question and I'm confident it's because he didn't read all the choices. Anyway, I thought that was a fun idea even though the answers were pretty obvious.

So yes, Nathan is selling his iPhone on Craigslist and it's actually already sold in case you were interested in buying it. He said he felt convicted about spending $30 a month to entertain himself and it's also in response to reading the book Radical by David Platt. We're both reading the book over the summer, but I think I'm going to hold on to my iPhone . . .

Yes I saw Priscilla Shirer (Tony Evans's, pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas, daughter) at Panera Bread on Saturday. Nathan was the one that recognized her but I had my back to her. But he really is more observant of those things than I am. We probably wouldn't have put it together but she was there to interview with someone who is writing a biography of her life. Pretty cool :) (*updated to say* apparently I don't know what I'm talking about. Nathan informed me Tony Evans is the pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship not The Potter's House, sorry :/ )

The last one is not too spectacular but Lela and I had fun hanging out with the pastor's wife Friday night while Nathan went to graduation. Our pastor is currently on a mission trip in Moldova and Romania so I've been keeping her company while he's gone. Nathan has also been fulfilling some of the pastoral duties including preaching this past Sunday and he's done a great job!

Well, yesterday Chick-fil-A officially released their new spicy chicken sandwich and Nathan and I had to get one. (We were somehow out of the loop that Chick-fil-A was giving away free spicy sandwiches the week before the release, but we told ourselves it was cooler to get one on the actual release date to make ourselves feel better :( )

We were both hoping the spicyness would be in the breading and not a spicy sauce under the breading, but alas,

there was sauce.

This is totally random, but I feel like I need to share that I actually shudder at the utterance of the word sauce. I dislike all kinds of condiments (excluding ranch and italian dressing) and sauces definitely fall under that category. It's nearly impossible to tell what's in there without tasting it and I know it won't kill me, but I avoid putting myself through any unpleasant experience and I'm pretty picky, so odds are there's something in there I don't like. But I do LOVE hot sauce. I also love Popeye's spicy chicken and they also go the sauce route, so I was able to get over my automatic sauce gag reflex.

Ok, moving on. At first I didn't think I would like the sandwich because they went the sauce route, but after it cooled a little (temperature wise) I decided it was pretty good. It was definitely spicier than I thought it would be, but not too spicy. Rumor is they're also making spicy nuggets and I'm looking forward to their release!

Has anyone else had the sandwich? What did you think? (See, more evidence of my pickiness, no pickle. I don't do pickles!)

And back by popular demand, more pictures of Lela: