This morning, in celebration of sleeping ALL the way until 5:45 a.m., I went for a run. To be more precise, I went for a walk/jog/run, as it used to be called in high school gym class when we spent the entire period ambulating around the track at whatever pace felt right. At that time, we took very seriously the recommendation to never elevate our heart rates to the point where we could not comfortably hold a conversation.
But about this morning. I felt positively energized at 6 a.m. when I put Isaac back down for his "chill time" (I'm never actually sure if he goes back to sleep, but he doesn't seem to mind spending another hour or so hanging out in his crib). I had exactly an hour before Joel would leave for work. So I donned running apparel, including my new/used New Balance sneaks, and headed out the door. Joel was so impressed that he opened his eyes and uttered three words before I left.
Leaving the house, I started at a brisk walk to warm up. But I just couldn't hold back, and broke into a steady run.
It was the best thirty seconds of my workout.
Then I came to my senses and walked the rest of the way to the park entrance. Mind you, it takes less than a minute to drive from our home to the parking lot. Hey, it was a start. I explored our local park as I alternated walking and running for the next twenty or so minutes. And I confess, I kept it relatively low-key because I can't exactly afford to spend the rest of the day icing my shin splints and wondering when THOSE muscles appeared in my body for the sole purpose of making my life more painful.
In sum, I got some exercise, got my heart rate up, and I didn't even feel like I wanted to die. That, for me, is a successful beginning. Usually I way overdo it the first time and spend the next week recovering and recalling why I don't DO that sort of thing. However. Two pregnancies in rapid succession say that I had better START doing that sort of thing, so I felt it best to set myself up for workout longevity.
That said, if you are ever in the Reamstown area early in the morning, keep a sharp eye and have your cell phone or oxygen tank handy just, you know, in case you spot a walk/jog/runner in need of assistance.
Mikayla Outside
Today, it was not hotter than the devil's hiney outside. Mikayla and I celebrated by playing outside, and we even let Isaac watch for a little while. We laid out a blanket for sitting and blowing bubbles; it mostly worked, though I added too much baking powder to the recipe, and I blame that mistake for our bubbles being slightly subpar. But Mikayla was fascinated by the shiny, poppable balls and even more so by the container of bubble solution right next to her. We splashed and played and didn't care at all that we soaked the blanket and ourselves. What's a summer day for, if not to get all wet while you play? I captured a few videos of Mikayla checking out her new backyard. Previewing them on my computer, it sounds like I am using some kind of electronic voice-masking device. Or maybe narration is provided by the robot lady who lives in James Bond's car and talks to him. I have such a great phone!
Mikayla learns about bubbles. She stirs, she tastes, she styles her hair...
oh, and she attempts to blow a few, as well.
Mikayla chases a ball, and blows on a moth as it flutters by. We blow pillow feathers in the air inside, and I'm guessing she thought the moth was a feather. I love watching her make connections like that! Also at the very end, instead of blowing a kiss, she comes over to my phone and kisses the display.
More fun with the ball and bubbles. Try not to be too amazed by my fancy camera work...
view with caution if you are prone to motion sickness.
It's Not Tweeting, It's...Something Else
I just want to write about the every-day stuff that fills up my heart. Lengthy, well-organized blog posts are not my current genre. It's all about capturing the moments that make the whirlwind of motherhood so rewarding. (Is it this mindset that catapulted Twitter to such success? Shoot. I hate accidentally supporting cultural trends that I claim to disdain.)
This Mikayla Moment already made it onto Facebook, but here it is again so that I can keep it neatly tagged and labeled and find it again someday (though Facebook Timeline is just so user-friendly, it almost feels redundant....right?). (Was that seriously my second social networking reference in one blog post?)
The other day, I was nursing Isaac - precious, handsome, dimple-grinned Isaac - while Mikayla and I watched an episode of Veggie Tales. Suddenly I felt something warm and wet on my shin. I looked down, and she was licking my leg up and down, eyes still glued to the TV screen. Up and down. Up and down. A short left to right for variety. She looked at me once real quick, tongue still hanging out, and then back to my leg. What a goofball!
Also, I gave her one of my old small purses when we moved. She carries it around, hanging by the strap from the crook of her elbow, and I swear that girl struts when she carries her big-girl purse. And she knows what it's called, too. Her vocabulary is starting to explode....I'm sure that her language growth is about to become asymptotic.
That means "approaching infinity but never actually reaching it". And you thought I'd never use calculus in real life...I didn't even have to google that.
Purse, trash, pets (short for Wonderpets), more, cheese ("ch!"), cracker, car, bath, diaper, night night, off (invaluable when she wants to remove a shoe or sweatshirt or unbuckle a strap or...) and of course momma, dadda, ikey, papa.
Isaac LOVES her. She shows him her toys and he just grins away with those fat, dimpled cheeks. What a lucky little brother, and what a blessed big sister!
This Mikayla Moment already made it onto Facebook, but here it is again so that I can keep it neatly tagged and labeled and find it again someday (though Facebook Timeline is just so user-friendly, it almost feels redundant....right?). (Was that seriously my second social networking reference in one blog post?)
The other day, I was nursing Isaac - precious, handsome, dimple-grinned Isaac - while Mikayla and I watched an episode of Veggie Tales. Suddenly I felt something warm and wet on my shin. I looked down, and she was licking my leg up and down, eyes still glued to the TV screen. Up and down. Up and down. A short left to right for variety. She looked at me once real quick, tongue still hanging out, and then back to my leg. What a goofball!
Also, I gave her one of my old small purses when we moved. She carries it around, hanging by the strap from the crook of her elbow, and I swear that girl struts when she carries her big-girl purse. And she knows what it's called, too. Her vocabulary is starting to explode....I'm sure that her language growth is about to become asymptotic.
That means "approaching infinity but never actually reaching it". And you thought I'd never use calculus in real life...I didn't even have to google that.
Purse, trash, pets (short for Wonderpets), more, cheese ("ch!"), cracker, car, bath, diaper, night night, off (invaluable when she wants to remove a shoe or sweatshirt or unbuckle a strap or...) and of course momma, dadda, ikey, papa.
Isaac LOVES her. She shows him her toys and he just grins away with those fat, dimpled cheeks. What a lucky little brother, and what a blessed big sister!
Why I Don't Blog
Things I have done today, since waking up at 5:30 to nurse Isaac:
Mikayla just woke up...time for a diaper change, and then those curtains! Which I'm sure will be a breeze with a one-and-a-half-year-old helping, right?
So blessed...
- Shower (possibly the most noteworthy item on this list).
- Watched a new refrigerator being delivered (no wait, THIS is the most noteworthy thing on the list!).
- Shopped for postpartum professional wardrobe, because I have been pregnant for the last two summers. Found six tops and two pairs of adorable shoes (ok, so there are a lot of important things that have happened today...).
- Organized and finished unpacking entire wardrobe.
- Made bed (added actual bed coverings and throw pillows).
- Helped Joel clear insulation away from shower light, so that it stays on for longer than five minutes without overheating.
- Load #1 of laundry for the day.
Still to do: - Hang light-blocking curtains in Mikayla's room.
- Help Joel build our guest bed.
- Make guest bed.
- Loads #2 and 3 for the day.
- Make and consume a delicious dinner that involves actual perishable food from a refrigerator that works.
- Bathe children (this should be higher on the list, considering how [not] often it happens!).
Mikayla just woke up...time for a diaper change, and then those curtains! Which I'm sure will be a breeze with a one-and-a-half-year-old helping, right?
So blessed...
Learning to Sit and to Share
Today was Isaac's second attempt with the bumbo seat, and he did beautifully! And putting Isaac in the bumbo seat means a combination of two of Mikayla's favorite things to play with (she can still somehow fit into the bumbo seat; it is quite humorous watching her wiggle free afterward! She also enjoys carrying it around, clumsily).
Since I aspire to be more like my sister in most ways, I realized this was a golden photo op and grabbed my camera. Well, my phone anyway. I will work my way up to taking professional-grade portraits with a fancy digital camera one day. Maybe.
Here are the shots I came up with before the moment passed and Mikayla decided that crackers were MUCH more important than playing with her brother:
They are just too precious together! And Mikayla is quite the mother hen. She fetches diapers ("bipas!") even when he doesn't need them, and puts them over his head or pushes them at his hiney. And she is eager to show him how to play with all of her toys.
The troops are getting restless. I guess this momma's blog break is just about over! Thanks for stopping by!
Since I aspire to be more like my sister in most ways, I realized this was a golden photo op and grabbed my camera. Well, my phone anyway. I will work my way up to taking professional-grade portraits with a fancy digital camera one day. Maybe.
Here are the shots I came up with before the moment passed and Mikayla decided that crackers were MUCH more important than playing with her brother:
 |
| "Show Ikey your bug...put it in his lap." |
 | ||||||||
| "Wipe Ikey's mouth, please." |
They are just too precious together! And Mikayla is quite the mother hen. She fetches diapers ("bipas!") even when he doesn't need them, and puts them over his head or pushes them at his hiney. And she is eager to show him how to play with all of her toys.
The troops are getting restless. I guess this momma's blog break is just about over! Thanks for stopping by!
Isaac's 2-month (sort of) update
I guess I'm a little late on Isaac's two month update, seeing as how he was 11 weeks on Thursday. Oops! My tardiness makes it all the more important to capture some of his milestones, so that someday I can rely on my blog to recall when he had all his "firsts". Especially because we don't have a baby book for him yet (thus begins the second child getting the shaft, right?).
Isaac is amazing. At his 2-month appointment (which occurred around 9 weeks of age), he weighed 13 pounds 9 ounces. When we went back for shots a few days later, he was 13 lbs 11 1/2 oz. He's a grower! And thankfully, within a few days after that, his allergies seem to have miraculously cleared up. I don't know if it was our efforts to cat-proof his (our) bedroom, or coincidence, but we are just grateful that he is breathing more easily these days. The cats are now actually gone, having been re-homed this week, so we may never know if it was them for sure.
The anchor of Isaac's day is bedtime, which is in the neighborhood of 8:30/9:00 but has been inching earlier in the past week. He sleeps until at least 3:30 or 4:00, but had a couple of nights last weekend when he slept from 9pm until 5 or 6am! He then sleeps a few more hours, hangs out awake for a bit, and often sleeps the whole morning away after another meal. I'm so grateful for this pattern because mornings are Mikayla's neediest times, with wake-up, breakfast, getting dressed, etc. Often, she will go down for a nap around 11:30 just as he is waking up. Then he goes back down for a nap around 12:30 and I get some quiet time all to myself!
Afternoons vary, with a nap somewhere at some point. He is getting good at falling asleep in his pack 'n play bassinet for both naps and bedtime. If we missed the "golden window" of drowsiness, he sometimes cries it out, but that generally takes no more than 20 minutes. Everyone warned me that because Mikayla was such a good sleeper, our second would be the opposite. So far, though, both kiddos seem to share their parents' love of sleep!
(The above is a generalization, more "guidelines" than rules, but it feels like we at least have a pattern, most days.)
The highlight of my days lately, as with Mikayla, are the first wake-up moments with Isaac. After his first breakfast of the morning, he unlatches with a HUGE grin and would laugh out loud if he knew how. The smiles that little guy turns out are just amazing! (First smile: within a few days of his baptism, probably April 23 or 24.) I wish I had more time to snuggle him, as I used to with Mikayla, but....well, Mikayla has to get up, too! So he hangs out in his swing while I get his sister up and breakfasted. Then it's back to sleep for a nap almost as soon as she's finished with breakfast.
Did I mention he's SUCH an easy baby?
That's if we're on our home turf; days when we head out for errands or events are much more challenging because we don't all get to sleep and eat exactly when and where we like. Isaac, like his sister before him, is fantastic at sleeping in his bed but is getting a bit hit-or-miss at sleeping in his car seat. The BEST times are when EVERYONE is tired and we are all in the car, say, driving home from New Jersey, and we are ALL screaming at the top of our lungs. Yes, those times are quite thrilling. Momma and Dadda do our best to sing hymn after psalm after spiritual song to get the kiddos to quiet down, and when all else fails, we willfully dissociate and pretend it isn't happening. There is so much you can do in a moving four-door...oh, for the days when we will have a minivan and Momma can pop back to help the kiddos out!
Isaac eats about five times a day, starting with his early morning breakfast around 4 or 5 or whatever. Then another quick nibble around 8, then his (hopefully) long morning nap. Lunch, an early dinner, and then an epic feeding before bed that sometimes begins an hour before sleepy time. It varies some, but that is the typical pattern. And he is not nearly the spitter-upper that his sister was! Once in a blue moon (seriously perhaps once or twice a week) he spits massively, seemingly due to a renegade air bubble in his tummy. Otherwise we are talking perhaps a tiny dribble if he has overeaten. And the dude can BURP. He will give his Dadda a run for his money when he is old enough for the manly contests.
When we put Isaac down for tummy time, he can easily push up with his arms and hold his head way up high to look around. He sat in his bumbo seat this week for the first time and did well for 5-10 minutes until his neck meat got tired, and he went all slumpy on me. Not bad for a first attempt, though!
You'd think I would have a fresh photo for Isaac's update post, but nope. Not on the ball. Did you miss the part about second children getting the shaft? It's just those pesky firstborns demanding all their parents' time and energy...particularly when they are only 14 months older. Phew!
So we are generally all sleeping and smiles over here, on the Isaac front anyway. God is so good, and our children are precious gifts from His hand. May He strengthen us for this daunting task of rearing and disciplining, nurturing and encouraging these little souls toward their heavenly Father.
SDG!
Isaac is amazing. At his 2-month appointment (which occurred around 9 weeks of age), he weighed 13 pounds 9 ounces. When we went back for shots a few days later, he was 13 lbs 11 1/2 oz. He's a grower! And thankfully, within a few days after that, his allergies seem to have miraculously cleared up. I don't know if it was our efforts to cat-proof his (our) bedroom, or coincidence, but we are just grateful that he is breathing more easily these days. The cats are now actually gone, having been re-homed this week, so we may never know if it was them for sure.
The anchor of Isaac's day is bedtime, which is in the neighborhood of 8:30/9:00 but has been inching earlier in the past week. He sleeps until at least 3:30 or 4:00, but had a couple of nights last weekend when he slept from 9pm until 5 or 6am! He then sleeps a few more hours, hangs out awake for a bit, and often sleeps the whole morning away after another meal. I'm so grateful for this pattern because mornings are Mikayla's neediest times, with wake-up, breakfast, getting dressed, etc. Often, she will go down for a nap around 11:30 just as he is waking up. Then he goes back down for a nap around 12:30 and I get some quiet time all to myself!
Afternoons vary, with a nap somewhere at some point. He is getting good at falling asleep in his pack 'n play bassinet for both naps and bedtime. If we missed the "golden window" of drowsiness, he sometimes cries it out, but that generally takes no more than 20 minutes. Everyone warned me that because Mikayla was such a good sleeper, our second would be the opposite. So far, though, both kiddos seem to share their parents' love of sleep!
(The above is a generalization, more "guidelines" than rules, but it feels like we at least have a pattern, most days.)
The highlight of my days lately, as with Mikayla, are the first wake-up moments with Isaac. After his first breakfast of the morning, he unlatches with a HUGE grin and would laugh out loud if he knew how. The smiles that little guy turns out are just amazing! (First smile: within a few days of his baptism, probably April 23 or 24.) I wish I had more time to snuggle him, as I used to with Mikayla, but....well, Mikayla has to get up, too! So he hangs out in his swing while I get his sister up and breakfasted. Then it's back to sleep for a nap almost as soon as she's finished with breakfast.
Did I mention he's SUCH an easy baby?
That's if we're on our home turf; days when we head out for errands or events are much more challenging because we don't all get to sleep and eat exactly when and where we like. Isaac, like his sister before him, is fantastic at sleeping in his bed but is getting a bit hit-or-miss at sleeping in his car seat. The BEST times are when EVERYONE is tired and we are all in the car, say, driving home from New Jersey, and we are ALL screaming at the top of our lungs. Yes, those times are quite thrilling. Momma and Dadda do our best to sing hymn after psalm after spiritual song to get the kiddos to quiet down, and when all else fails, we willfully dissociate and pretend it isn't happening. There is so much you can do in a moving four-door...oh, for the days when we will have a minivan and Momma can pop back to help the kiddos out!
Isaac eats about five times a day, starting with his early morning breakfast around 4 or 5 or whatever. Then another quick nibble around 8, then his (hopefully) long morning nap. Lunch, an early dinner, and then an epic feeding before bed that sometimes begins an hour before sleepy time. It varies some, but that is the typical pattern. And he is not nearly the spitter-upper that his sister was! Once in a blue moon (seriously perhaps once or twice a week) he spits massively, seemingly due to a renegade air bubble in his tummy. Otherwise we are talking perhaps a tiny dribble if he has overeaten. And the dude can BURP. He will give his Dadda a run for his money when he is old enough for the manly contests.
When we put Isaac down for tummy time, he can easily push up with his arms and hold his head way up high to look around. He sat in his bumbo seat this week for the first time and did well for 5-10 minutes until his neck meat got tired, and he went all slumpy on me. Not bad for a first attempt, though!
You'd think I would have a fresh photo for Isaac's update post, but nope. Not on the ball. Did you miss the part about second children getting the shaft? It's just those pesky firstborns demanding all their parents' time and energy...particularly when they are only 14 months older. Phew!
So we are generally all sleeping and smiles over here, on the Isaac front anyway. God is so good, and our children are precious gifts from His hand. May He strengthen us for this daunting task of rearing and disciplining, nurturing and encouraging these little souls toward their heavenly Father.
SDG!
Independence Days
Mikayla is blowing my mind lately, and I have to share.
SDG!
- On Friday, she grabbed her spoon from me at breakfast and started eating her oatmeal by herself. This is not the first time she has reached for the spoon, but it is the first time she has not placed her oatmeal directly in her hair or sent it flying through the air.
Side note: how long does it take for a baby to "declare" handedness? Mikayla has always self-fed with both hands, but more often with her left. She is using both hands equally frequently to feed herself with the spoon, and seems equally coordinated with both so far (she gets the food smoothly into her mouth with both). Do I have an ambidextrous genius child, or will she eventually decide which hand she prefers?
- Today, while eating her PB&J for lunch, she looked me in the eye and held her nose with her right thumb and forefinger. I have never seen her hold her nose, and neither Joel nor I have taught her this. She gave me this mischievous smile for a few seconds before opening her sandwich-filled mouth and gasping for air. I'm not sure whether she knew ahead of time that this trick would deprive her of oxygen. Now, I can ask her to "hold your nose!" and she will do it again. Yes, I'm amazed by this because it is possibly the first spontaneous trick that nobody has taught her, and she found it as hilarious as I did.
- Also today, we went erranding with our sweet neighbor, Fran. Fran is at home by herself during the day while her teen (special-needs) grandsons are in school, and lately she has dropped by a few times to visit. Today we coordinated a visit to the local thrift store together, so that she could help me carry and corral little ones and actually accomplish my few shopping goals. Typically, Mikayla rides in the shopping cart or, when she is in a really sunny (not) mood, I have to carry her AND push the cart. Today, Mikayla pulled the go-limp-in-momma's-arms-and-slide-down-her-body move that signaled her desire to walk like a big girl. This has so far happened only at home, possibly a couple of times at church. But she walked like a CHAMP at the store, browsing the display cases of jewelry (the plexiglass windows between her and the merchandise were a little baffling at first) and doing laps around the front display aisles. She even attempted to push the cart. And walked through the big doors, along the sidewalk, and out to the car. She only became a tiny bit afraid when she saw the gigantic forklift that the employees use to move big bins of donations around, but hey, that's a little intimidating even to an experienced biped like myself.
- Mikayla used to be afraid of both our gravel driveway and the grass. On Saturday she held a few blades of grass in her hand. Today, she walked all over the driveway, around the car, and gave handfuls stones to Fran before they came inside and showed off Mikayla's dirty palms. I saw her grimy hands and thought, she's officially a kid now!
- She is learning new words almost daily. The cutest is "buh-puh" (purple) and "byyyyeeeee!" every time she hears one of us say goodbye on the phone. Also "doop doop doop" with accompanying hand motion, which is apparently what the ceiling fan "says".
- I am happy to report that she seems to understand the question, "Do you want a spanking?" This has, for the most part, turned our diaper-change experiences around considerably, for the better. And I have only had to follow through once - the mere mention of that dreaded smack on chubby toddler-thigh inspires golden obedience. So far. But stay tuned on that one, folks, because I do believe she is her momma's daughter.
- She takes her big-sister role very seriously. She brings Isaac his blanket (and puts it over his face). She shows him all her toys (mostly by bopping him in the head with them, but she REALLY wants to give them to him!). She gives lots of hugs and kisses and rocks whatever he is sitting in. And she doesn't let me get lazy...today I strapped him into his carseat, but left the handle back in the reclining position. Mikayla pulled the hood/shade thing up over Isaac's head, and tugged on the handle, looking at me with eyes that obviously said, "But momma, he's not ALL ready to go yet!" I'm amazed at the things she picks up on, like burping her baby doll, putting a burp cloth over the doll as a blanket, and obviously making sure Isaac's carseat is in the locked, upright position so that we can leave the house.
SDG!
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