Growing up

It's amazing how much sleep can make a difference in your day. I went into bed at 8 last night and Jose put Mirabel to sleep. It took me awhile to actually fall asleep (wanted to talk to the husband), but it was nice to rest.

In spite of a tough night the previous evening, we tried to stay entertained at home yesterday. We haven't been too busy; I enjoy taking it easy these days. Thankfully, Mirabel is (fairly) easily entertained (or, when she wants to be :), so she had fun exploring the front and back yard. She grabbed her purse and cell phone and ventured out the door. Mirabel is becoming such a little woman. She has more of the little girl look than the baby look these days. Makes me sad :(. But I love how interactive she's become.

Sounds like I'm talking about a doll, but the things she does! For instance...

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready, she insisted on wearing lip balm. I have a little container from The Body Shop that she LOVES to play with. So I gave her the lip balm. But then she saw the eye lash curler and tried using it on herself. She also enjoys rubbing lotion on her face... and she has a collection of purses. But if you enter our home with a new and bigger (and, of course, more exciting) purse, she will leave the ones she has behind and explore every nook and cranny of yours until she's completely emptied it out and tested out the lipsticks (to see if they're her shade, duh! ;).

So here she is on her outdoor exploration with her purse and leapfrog cell phone (great gift from grandma :).

See the cell phone and how she holds her purse? Her expression is hilarious. This is one of the few times she's actually let me put her hair up. :) She's admiring an airplane in the photo next to it.

This shot was taken right before she got mad at Elmo for not sitting in the chair the way she wanted him to. She didn't forget to apologize with a hug at the end, though. The photo next to it was taken before nap time. I think she's thinking about how to get Elmo to cooperate a little better. Maybe I'm just projecting... :D

Making a quick stop at the mail box. She wanted to test out the quality of her cell phone's reception by sticking it inside one of the boxes.

That concludes one of our mornings :).

Love Letter

I may not always know what's wrong, but I'll trust the one who's always right because he gave me you.

I may not understand the reason behind all of your tears, but I'll find a way to make you smile, or simply hold you until they run dry (when I've run out of ideas).

When you're begging for attention by clinging to my leg as baskets full of wrinkled clothing morph into mountains of unfolded laundry--I'll still choose you. Each new day brings the same set of chores, but you change every day. (And I can trust you'll grow faster than piles of laundry, anyway.)

When we've both had a long day and you're screaming in the tub or fighting sleep, I'll remember that you taught me how to give the perfect hug. Nothing compares to those sweet, unexpected moments when your head of curls rests against my shoulder while your tiny arms wrap around me tightly. The truth is, you're not fighting me--just the nap or just the bath--but us? We are on the same team.

My little girl, I love the way your skin and hair still smell like baby. To me, I think they always will.

I love you, it's as simple as that. Never forget it.

360

Our lives have taken a complete turn. Definitely for the better. We actually get quite a bit of sunshine here! :) Our living room no longer feels like a dark and lonely cave. Now it's a light and bright place, frequently filled with visiting friends and family. Why? Well, we're a lot further south now (Texas) and we are no longer 2000 miles away from family.

Jose and I actually got to go on a date for the first time in a year about a week ago! It wasn't anything fancy, just a quick tea/coffee run and brief trip to a new, cool grocery store (it's funny how so much of what we do revolves around food :D). The best part was that Mirabel loved staying with my parents for that short hour. She was all smiles when we walked in the door. Next time, dinner!

I've been kind of quiet on here. Been busy settling in. Unpacking was an adventure. We also had to restock our kitchen and buy a few other basic household amenities. Though we aren't home owners, I have to say that living in a house is much more relaxing. It's nice to not have to worry about who you're bothering at night when your kid is screaming. Oh, and decorating is fun too! One man's trash is another man's treasure, that's our mantra. Craig's list, thrift shops, your neighbor's recycling bin...it all goes 'round here ;)!

Back to that later. There are more exciting events worth discussing at the moment :). Mirabel did take her first steps before her first birthday, but now she's running everywhere. She's always been the type of kid who HATES sitting still (or being bored, this child requires constant stimulation). She once preferred being carried to being locked up in a stroller. The car seat was even worse (...until a portable DVD player/Elmo saved the day. We used to vow we'd never own one [dvd player, not Elmo :P], but I'd like to keep my hearing.).

Now that Miss Mirabel is walking/sprinting/skipping/dancing, being in a grocery cart (or even being carried) is just torture. There are too many cool and exciting things to grab! Oh, and if it's something like a scented candle that she can sneak her fingers into and then nibble on (yep, that happened, and we bought the candle after :), or if it's a big ol' bike resting right next to an equally large sign--she'll want to touch it (or knock it over, or [even better] eat it!).

In fact, the other day we were shopping and she knocked over a bike AND a sign. I turned to look at something for literally 1 second and the next thing I know I've got a cowboy telling me that I need to watch my kid or she'll hurt someone. Nope, he didn't say SHE might get hurt, instead, he said she might injure someone (even though you and everyone else here in TX, Mr. Cowboy, are like 6.5 feet tall and she's not even 3 feet). ::Sigh:: Oh, and she screams too. So if I try to pick her up and pull her away from any potential danger, she will stiffen up and scream. Then the looks follow. I've become THAT parent with THAT kid. Please be kind to us; it's a lot harder than it looks, OK Mr. Cowboy?!

Because she's got all that energy, Mirabel is a lot happier here. She's actually got plenty o' space to run around, and even an actual back yard. She doesn't care if it's 105 degrees out, Mirabel loves being outside and going on walks. There will be drops of sweat dripping down her face and she'll still be smiling. I also found out that she loves to play with toy cars. I've got a tough little woman on my hands. Oh, but she is sweet, too! She picks up her doll and holds it in a cute cradling position then gives it a bottle. She also cuddles anything soft, holds it up to her neck, gives it a squeeze and goes "awww". A tough and gentle woman when she wants to be, but I can't say she won't hurt a fly (don't forget what Mr. Cowboy said ;).

We checked out a boot store over the weekend. I couldn't resist. I saw the pink boots. I didn't buy them, though. I've learned my lesson; their feet grow so fast! But I did snap a pic (and there she is pulling on the shirts):

It feels good to finally be settled in. The boxes are unpacked and this place feels more like home now. Back to an old topic: I'm on a mission to decorate on a budget. So far, our room is set; the living room and play room still need work but I don't mind having the empty spaces. After 3 years of Boston apartment living, I actually kind of like it (I love running around in here more than Mirabel, I tell ya :).

The pics of our room are around here somewhere. I'll post those later. A friend of ours gave us some chairs before we left Boston. Here's a before/after pic of that project. Spray paint (from Walmart) and upholstery fabric (on sale, 40% off!) did the trick, for the most part. As you can see, my upholstery skills need a little work, but the chairs were free and I couldn't resist starting another project (actually, I can't resist anything free, who am I kidding?)! It was fun. Gained experience and love the fun, cheerful colors :)!

Hope you all are enjoying the summer so far :)!

1 (one :)

Technically, she won't be 1 until next Saturday, but we chose to celebrate with friends today at the Boston Children's Museum. Since Mirabel is the first grandchild and she doesn't have any cousins, I really wanted to give her a fun party here with the friends she's made over the past few months of getting together for play groups. That and...you only turn 1 once, right?! And when it's your first little one turning 1, a little one that's also your miracle baby--the one that, just 2 years ago, you thought you'd never be able to have--well, that makes things even more exciting :).

Last night was rough. I've been sick over the past week, going from one steroid to another (asthma always gets triggered when I get a cold); then I got Mirabel sick. She had a slight temp last night and stuffy nose, and she wanted to make her discomfort known by refusing to sleep until 3 AM. She screamed every time we tried to get her to go down, so we had to turn on Elmo to calm her down. She LOVES Elmo. And Mr. Noodle. My mom bought her these 3 DVDs of Elmo's World and she never gets tired of them. So that's who kept us company last night, he's the only one that kept her from screaming: Elmo.

And Elmo was the star of the show today, at the party. The party we were afraid we were going to have to cancel. But thankfully we managed to wake up on time, pick up the food, set up the party room (with the help of an awesome assistant provided to us by the Children's Museum), and have lots of fun, so it was pretty smooth sailing. It started off a bit bumpy, but after a dose of Tylenol and some time in the playroom at the museum, she was good to go.

She smiled the whole time her friends sang her the "happy birthday" song, she had a great time on the little wooden baby sized teeter totter, and she even ate a little bit (she loves chocolate cupcakes!). Here are some photos!

On her official birthday, we plan on going to the toy store and picking up a few age-appropriate toys. She's outgrown the ones she has; we want to find some that are a bit more stimulating. Should be fun, I love toy shopping much more than clothes shopping!!!! Unless I'm shopping for baby clothes ;).

9 months (and some change) & a thank you!

Ali from Enjoying Now recently sent me a very thoughtful (and cute) care package, with a sweet note enclosed. She thought I needed some cheering up, so she sent over the beautiful wreath (photo below) and a perfectly pink nail polish to match the bright pink flower on the wreath. She made the wreath, too!

The wreath does match Mirabel's nursery colors, Ali :). It's hanging nicely on a wall, on her side of the room. In a few months it'll be hanging in her own room! So looking forward to moving...We are already looking at homes for rent online! I'm super excited! (I'm also trying to find a cute and fun dress to wear to Jose's graduation! I can't believe he's graduating! I'm so pumped for that.)

But! The weather is improving! Just last week it hit the 50s and we took a much needed 2 hour walk around the campus. Notice the smiles below? I'm not the only one who's missed the sunshine :).

Just a few more months until her 1st birthday! I cannot believe it! Hopefully we'll all be sleeping better by then--at least, that's my goal for now. I think with all the changes going on, Mirabel is having an extra difficult time staying asleep. So she's waking about 4 to 5 times a night! It's rough, but I keep telling myself that she won't be this little for long. Then I'll miss her baby phase! I think she's on the verge of walking (hopefully?!). She is standing for a few seconds on her own. She isn't a fan of crawling, though. She prefers to do a backwards army-type crawl. Then she licks the floor.

We just found out yesterday that she is anemic :(. I felt guilty about it. She still isn't eating solids as much as I'd like her to. But yesterday I was feeling extra determined, after hearing that she'd have to take (which seems to me) a frightening/high dose of iron. I made lentils with some bell peppers, seasoned with a few spices. She seemed to like it. Well, she did gag at first, but she eventually got used to the texture and taste. She finished everything that I served her! This has never happened! I also stocked up on a ton of iron-rich foods at the store. If you all can recommend any tasty baby food blends that are iron rich, I'd love to hear about them!

laughter

Valentine's Day Photo Session

Instead of giving away cards this year, we decided to share our sweetest Valentine with everyone this year by sending out photos :).

Seven point five

Goodbye 2010

2010 was definitely one of the best years of my life, for many reasons. But, of course, a certain cute and captivating almost-8-month old little girl has a whole lot to do with it.

May your new year be blessed and filled with more love than you know what to do with (is that really possible? :).

More Than 100 Reasons

Yesterday I came across something I really could not relate to.

I don't want to post the link here. I realize that people have a right to express themselves however they want, and I am thankful for that freedom. I also realize that there are some folks who really do not want children, and that is fine too. Because, honestly, there would be many more unhappy people in this world if more children were born to parents who didn't want them.

I'm not promoting anything (political) by saying that. In fact, if you check out my other blog posts, you'll understand my views on everything from family to children. But I still couldn't help but feel a bit put-off by the many claims made in that blog entry. How can anyone confidently make a list of 100 things that they like about never having a child, if they've never had one? They listed everything from having more money, to having a better marriage.

The irony of it all is this: I've found that my life and heart are both richer after having Mirabel. I've also fallen even more in love with Jose after having Mirabel. I've seen how he loves on her, and it just makes my heart melt. No, it certainly isn't always easy being a mom (or dad), but let me tell you, it is so worth it.

I could go through that list and literally offer a rebuttal for every claim. After reading it, I realized that I certainly have more than 100 reasons why I LOVE being a mother. There are definitely more than 100 things I love about Mirabel, too.

Instead of responding to that blog post, I chose to write a poem for Mirabel. True love of any kind can't be captured in a list, or even a poem. But this is just an outline, really. Kind of like what results when you attempt to trace a detailed painting. Anyway, here it is...

If I had to limit myself to 100 things or reasons,
I would take a lesson from God and run my fingers through the wispy strands of hair on your head, and try to count them
but then
I would miss the fine hairs on your ears
and the tiny creases on the soles of your feet, and their softness:
what walking around barefoot on the sand, or the dirt, or on uneven sidewalks will take away.

But I digress. 100 things...

I had to wait ten seconds for the test results, then I was certain you'd be mine. And in the split second following those ten, before you even had 10 fingers and 10 toes, I already had 100 reasons.

Time has always been the thief; memory its rival. But the minute you were born, I realized it was on my side, that only you could steal the better part of me (my heart), and that I'd formed a memory I'd never have to struggle to keep.

No, my freedom has not been taken from me. Instead, it was given to me after 40 long weeks, when I learned to put myself second. I gained a greater understanding of true beauty, then.

I have not lost myself. I have only lost what I never wanted anyway, the part of me that was afraid of loving this much.

As a result, I have far more than 100 reasons.

First Santa pic

Mirabel loves people...BUT she sometimes freaks out when someone else holds her. This is why I expected the "posing with Santa" pics to turn out a bit sour. We were wrong! The girl was pretty fussy the entire time we were in line earlier this afternoon, but as soon as it was her turn to shine, she did just that. I'm not sure if she just loves being on camera, if she thought our attempts at making her laugh were pathetic (so she smiled out of pity for us), or if she really liked jolly ol' Santa, but we got a smile! A big toothy grin.

Sidenote: Now, this picture might look a little funny (thanks to me). At first I completely forgot to add something for Santa to sit on. I realized he was squatting in the air, which looked pretty strange, so I added a chair. Jose thinks the chair looks weird, but I think the Santa squatting in mid-air looks more odd. :P

Mirabel dancing

My little girl's growing up! Almost 6 months...

"You know you're a busy mom when you look forward to 'relaxing' on the dentist's chair while they're filling 2 cavities at once." That's how I jokingly responded to Jose when he asked how I felt about going to the dentist, a few hours before my appointment yesterday.

Of course, "relaxing" is the last word I could use to describe how I felt when I actually got to the office. I was a little nuts. The last time I left Mirabel alone was about 4 months ago, and that was just for 15 minutes. All hell broke loose, she screamed her head off and Jose had a panic attack. I wasn't worried at all about the pain from the fillings; in fact, I asked if I HAD to get Novocain shots, because I was doing everything I could to speed up the process and I figured the injections would slow it down. I know, I'm nuts. Surprisingly, they ended up giving me 4 shots, despite my efforts. And, coincidentally, the day I leave Mirabel alone with her dad is the day that they are running 1/2 hour behind. So I ended up spending 2.5 hours out of the house!

Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Mirabel had fun with her dad. I left her a little bit of milk, and...this is where it gets exciting: She DRANK out of a bottle! I kid you not. This means I might actually get to go on a date with my husband soon! For the first time in 6 months!

I have to admit, I am a little sad. Mirabel is at the age where she loves to play rough. Jose tickles her and she loves it, he bounces her on his knee, and rough-houses with her (in a baby-safe way, of course). I'm the more mellow mom. I just feed her and occasionally tickle her, and read to her, that sort of thing. But my little baby is growing up. She doesn't need her mom that much anymore. That makes me happy and sad at the same time :(.

Eating-posted for family :)

Why we haven't been sleeping very well

These sprouted the week before last, both in the same week! Finally got her to give me a nice big toothy grin :D.

Getting ready for fall with a new hat :)...

A quick note

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." -Lao Tzu

Stealing that quote from a friend. I don't know why, but reading it just now (in the dark with Mirabel asleep) - it makes so much sense. Yep, now more than ever. There are no words to describe how I feel about the little girl sleeping in the room across the apartment. I recently told Jose that even on my roughest days, it's never truly that bad, because I get to see her smile and laugh (and that changes EVERYTHING).

I am such a weenie. Before, when I'd hear a creak in the house, I'd freeze in my tracks. I refused to go see what the problem was. Now I respond in an instant. Anything that makes me think even just a little bit that my child is in danger gets a quick response out of me.

I always figured that becoming a parent would be a life changing event. I have to say that the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew I would do anything to keep that child safe from harm. I guess I just never knew that it would happen instantly. It isn't a progressive thing at all. The minute I saw the second line show up on the pregnancy test, without even thinking, I started coming last. The interesting thing is, it doesn't even feel like self-sacrifice. I can't imagine myself existing any other way. Does that make sense?

Almost 5 months

My favorite animal

...well, one of my favorites :).

I recently started using one of those baby ring slings, and have to say that a simple piece of fabric has saved my life! Or just my arms ;). Mirabel likes it because it's not as constraining as other carriers, and she out grew her other carrier. I tried the beco butterfly and was thinking of getting an ergo but she can't stand being that tied up. The ring sling allows her to be more free...and I sometimes think she looks like a baby koala when I carry her around in it...

1 year ago today

I found out that this little bitty below was going to be mine :)...
and here she is at almost 4 months.