The End of an Era

My baby girl is on the brink of turning one. It is completely unimaginable to me that it has been a year since I was preparing to go in for a scheduled c-section. I knew very early on in my pregnancy with Corinne that she would be our last baby. She was number three and final. My whole pregnancy was bittersweet. Well, the whole pregnancy was sweet, but it did often creep into my mind that I would never again feel that high of holding my newborn for the first time. I would never prepare another nursery or toss a million names around in my mind. I don't think it really hit me until recently that I would no longer be searching for that first tooth, or waiting for that first roll from back to front. No more first words. No more mid-night feedings. No more coos from a bobble-headed baby. Wow. . . we are entering a new phase in our lives. I should be excited, right?

Okay, there is a little excitement. Especially when I think about going on vacations without a pack-n-play or without an assortment of other things. In fact, I'm pretty sure it will cut our luggage weight in half when Corinne officially departs from baby to toddler. Of course, there will be just as much that I miss as there is that I am looking forward to.

Good-bye baby days. May our future days be just as wonderful as those we leave in the past.

Corinne is 10 months!

Making Moments

It has been said that life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away.  Can't really say I agree.  In fact, I would say that my life has been made up of a lot of little moments that weren't so breath-taking.  A lot of little moments that I wouldn't trade for the world, even though they may be viewed as ordinary, possibly boring or mundane.  Of course, I have had some moments that were "mile-markers" in my life, and even a few moments that have taken my breath away.  But, it's the little moments that I think back on and chuckle or frown, sigh in relief or in awe.  It's the little moments that have come together to shape the woman I am today.  Big or small, I wouldn't the be same if I had not experienced each and every one of them.  And for that, I am thankful.  

Here are a few of the moments that are threads in the fabric of my life.

• My parents divorcing and all of the things that come along with it 
• Heading off to college and knowing it all
• Cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs
• Dating - thank you Lord that this stage of my life is over. :)
• Traveling without kids
• Hearing that my roommate from college died in a car wreck and finally grasping the frailty of life
• Bringing home Max, followed the next day by bringing home Mallory, who was at the pet store where I had gone to get food for Max.  She was the last dog left.
• Being loved by grandparents that weren't "blood" 
• Getting engaged
• Seeing my groom anxiously awaiting my entrance
• Buying our first house
• A positive pregnancy test x 3
• Not sleeping for four days so I could stay up to watch my newborn baby breathe
• Dropping my child off at preschool for the first time
• Planting flowers with little ones who make you remember how amazing flowers really are
• Having Landry say "Is that a snake" as she pointed right behind me.  The answer was yes.
• Letting my child eat popcorn for the first time 
• Getting up in the middle of the night to lay a hand on my baby's back
• Sleeping in bed with my sick child and seeing their relief when they wake-up and see that I didn't sneak out when they fell asleep
• Trying to make a decision involving my newborn and having my mom say "I know you'll make the right choice"
• The joy on Landry's face when we declare it's "movie night"
• Reminiscing with my husband and realizing how far we've come
• My husband telling me I'm a great mom and a great wife
• Having strangers tell me on a daily basis how beautiful my family is
• Most recently, my friend sending me an e-mail that had a news clip for "mother of the year", which she had inserted my name. Thanks Samantha!
• Seeing birds enjoying the food we've put out for them
• Seeing squirrels enjoy the food we put out for the birds

The list goes on and on.  Every day there are more moments that are sweet and irreplaceable, even if they didn't take my breath away.

The picture on the left is of Landry playing teeball. She loves it! Nolan hasn't quite come to terms with the fact that he's not on the team. He runs out on the field like he owns the place and waits for the ball to come his way. I've tried to explain to him that he's not old enough to play yet, but he looks at me and says "Look at me. I'm big! I'm three! That's big!" If you're wondering why he's holding rocks in front of his face in this picture, it's because he refuses to take a serious picture. I have to trick him into it. . . or offer a handsome bribe. He thinks he is so funny. . . Okay, he's funny.

Landry really works hard on the teeball field. She runs after EVERY ball. It doesn't need to be in her general vicinity for her to go after it. When she does get it, she takes her glove off and looks around for a few seconds. Then she throws it as hard as she can to first base. She picks her glove back up, puts it on, and looks my way and waves. She is just as proud as we are. :)

These are the munchkins at Walt Disney World. We had such a great time! I can't believe it, but I can't wait to go back. It was a great week away from all of the things that peck away at our time every day (work, computer, cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc.). I am so thankful that we took this trip. There are a lot more pictures. So far, I have only put them on facebook. That took so long that I don't know if I will get around to putting them on here. If you're not on facebook, you should be! I'm pretty skeptical about that kind of thing, but it has been a great and efficient way for me to keep up with people and to share pictures.

She's getting there. . .

Corinne is finally sitting up pretty well.  I can't believe it has taken this long, but I'm not complaining!  If she was crawling, I don't know if I handle it.  She is a professional roller, though.  So, she can get into stuff she's not supposed to at a rapid rate.  

She is heading towards 10 months, which just completely shocks me.  Time has been a blur with all of our kids, but especially with Corinne.  I have mad it a point to really sit down and enjoy the few minutes I have with her when Landry and Nolan are at school.  She is really a joy.  She melts my heart several times a day and I am so very thankful that God gave her to us.

Corinne is 8 months!

And she has the BEST natural mohawk.

   Landry and Nolan on Valentine's Day
Corinne on Valentine's Day; 7 months old!!!

Corinne is changing so fast.  She is finally rolling over both ways and she is very proud of herself (and so are we).  She has two teeth, rarely gives into eating anything other than breast milk, and somehow still weighs a whopping 19lbs.  Let me remind you, this is more than Landry weighed on her first birthday. :)   She is saying "da-da-da-da" and thinks Landry and Nolan hung the sun and moon.  Nolan is still ga-ga over her, while Landry has her moments.  Corinne isn't even close to sitting up on her own.  She looks at me like I am crazy every time I try to sit her up.  Smart girl!  Why sit-up when you have four family members to do everything for you?

Landry is really getting into have her "private" time.  She likes to find little nooks to hang out in and draw and write.  Sometimes it feels like we have a teenager.  She is really into learning and is dying to start learning Spanish.  Only one problem - No abla Espanol.  She is reading very well and I couldn't be more proud of her.

Nolan is suddenly very hard of hearing and acts like he was unaware of the fact that you had told him not to do something.  He is also very tender-hearted.  He comes up to me and says "I love you Mama.  I really love you Buddy."  He can be the sweetest little guy sometimes.   He wrote his name on his own on Feb. 12th, which completely shocked me.  He hasn't stopped writing since.  He wants to be just like his big sister.  

Brian is still liking the job.  The flu is finally making it's appearance, so he's been very busy at work.  They have a new physician who started last month and he seems to be pretty good.  Thanks to Brian's persistence, they will no longer be taking hospital call, so things are about to get much sweeter for call days.  I have bowed down to the chaos and given up cooking most nights.  We eat out more than any humans should.  But, sanity is a must right now, so it is necessary.  

Now you are up to date on the Wysong Report.