Hush Now

There are always a million different things to do.

There are always dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, toys to be put away, emails to respond to, floors to sweep and fights to be refereed.

Having two small boys at home and one nursing baby girl, my days are broken into feedings. Nursing for Macy and breakfast, lunch, dinner for the boys and the 900 requests for snacks. (890 of those request come 2.5 seconds after I have started nursing their sister.)

So my "free" time to actually clean my house is limited.

I tend to rush to and fro, trying to tidy up something, do some chore before I am called away.

Rushing, rushing, rushing.

Now that Macy is 4 months old and on a pretty set eating schedule, I want to get her on a good nap schedule. She usually disagrees with me.

She sleeps great at night, but is the queen of the quick power naps during the day.

So, I am trying to get her used to napping in her crib and not on me.

I have started swaddling her, like when she goes down for the night, and rocking her to sleep. It is just me and her, in her tiny little room, rocking back and forth, lulling us both half-asleep.

Normally, I am patting her back, hurrying up that sleep, because I need to do something...
Pat, pat, sleep, sleep, baby. Sleep, sleep.

But than one day, I stopped patting and cuddled her in close, laid my cheek on her sweet, soft cheek and savored her. Her little baby breath on my shoulder, her warm body, her baby smell.

And I told myself to just calm it down.

I will always have dishes or laundry or dinner to make.

But I won't have a sweet baby that I get the privilege of rocking to sleep during the day.

I have two other babies in the other room that are playing (not so) quietly that don't need me to rock them to sleep.

So, for now, I am going to try to remind myself to stop and savor my girl.

Because babies don't keep.


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Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Song for a Fifth Child

 by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

30

30 things I love about my husband on his 30th birthday.

1. He always puts our family first.

2. He loves the Lord more than anything else.

3. He works hard.

4. He works at a job that isn't his favorite or his "dream" job, but he works and provides for his family and that speaks volumes about his character.

5. He is the best daddy ever.

6. He studies the Bible.

7. He has a thirst for knowledge and learning.

8. He has a cute butt.

9. He is very disciplined.

10. He baths all the kids.

11. He runs to stay healthy.

12. He makes really stupid jokes.

13. He takes Jack to school in the mornings and lets him watch YouTube videos on cell formation.

14. He never limits the kids based on their age. If they want to know something, he will figure it out and help them learn about it.

15. He is humble. 

16. He helps me clean, reluctantly, but still cleans.

17. He tickles Colin till he can't breathe.

18. He changes diapers.

19. He gives nice kisses.

20. He always cleans the litter box.

21. He has way more grey hair than me.

22. He lets me buy all his clothes, even though he is stylish on his own.

23. He has been my main man for half his life.

24. He gave me cute kids.

25. He loves traveling.

26. He loves people more than things.

27. He values relationships over money.

28. He is a great teacher.

29. He is a hottie.

30. He is my mate for life and makes me so happy!

 Happy Birthday, Babe!

Love you.

Facts on Four

Our Miss Macy is now four months old.

 How time flies.

 She is a happy little lady.

She is 13 lbs 2 oz and dropped to the 25% for weight, but is still holding strong at the 75% for her height. Healthy as can be.

 

Her new tricks are rolling from her back to her belly.

Her greatest nemesis is tummy time.

This makes the " I can roll over in 3.4 seconds" act turn into a fuss fest, when she realizes that it STILL places her on her tummy.

She loves to blow bubbles and will mimic it back to you. Two brothers spitting bubbles at you? Hilarious. She must do it back.

She loves LOVES her big brother Jack. Anythings he says or does is the funniest and the greatest. He comes second to Mom.

This face? Laughing at Jack talking to her.

She is such a good baby. She sleeps through the night and has since 2 months old. We are working on naps, but she is getting better. I am still just thankful for the 7 hr plus 3 hrs at night, that I can work on those daytime naps with no problems.

We love our little Macer Racer.

She just needs to slow down this growth stuff.

Things you do when...

...you get a major snow storm and than the temperatures plummet in a polar vortex freeze.

You use your sand buckets for snow toys and wade out into over a foot of snow.

 

You take a break from playing in all that snow.

 You carve the outside air temperature onto the frost on your windows inside your house. The windchill made it feel more like negative 34. Insanity.

You distract your Dad while he works from home. Snow day for everyone!

You, and your best stuffed friend, layer blankets upon blankets to watch your favorite shows.

You make warm mini pumpkin doughnuts and piping hot coffee.

You build a gingerbread house that your mom forgot to bring to Grandma's for Christmas.

You build a race track and tunnels in the dining room.

You just chill and hang out on the couch, cause that is the best thing to do when you are stuck home during an arctic blast.

What did you do during the Polar Vortex?

Upward and Onward!

2013.

What a year.

The highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

My head is still reeling from most of it.

2014 is really a fresh start for my family, in every way possible.

New state, new job, new house, new school, new baby. Every major area of our life is starting from scratch again.

Last Christmas, as we drove through the mountains in Pennsylvania on our way back to Virginia, Ryan and I discussed 2013 and how we really wanted it to be a year a change. While we loved our friends and church, Ryan needed a change in his job for many reasons.

Well, change we got.

Loads of it.

I am ready for all the changing to stop for a bit.

In 2013:

Ryan got a job offer in Detroit, Michigan.

We sold our Virginia house to the first people who viewed it.

We fly to Detroit and put an offer on another house.

We packed up everything we owned and the evening before our trailer left, we found out that our house was given a bad appraisal.

The buyers broke contract with us, even though we fixed everything they asked for and the appraisal was illegal.

We lived in my parent's basements for 7 weeks instead of 2.

Ryan worked in Detroit for 6 of those week and was only around on the weekend.

We moved to Novi.

Jack started Kindergarten at an incredible school.

Macy Elizabeth arrived!

We sold our Virginia house, 6 months after the original close date.

Our faith has been tested, we have struggled, but we were never abandoned. The Lord has been faithful to us, even in the little things. We are believing for a year of Bounty in 2014. Bountiful friendships and relationships. Bountiful finances. Bountiful actions of love.

I am looking forward to what 2014 has in store for us.

Life is always an adventure!