Photo Shoot

My mother-in-law was kind enough to do a photo shoot for my girls. She got some great shots! I'm so excited to have these adorable pictures.

It took bribing BG with chocolate kisses to sit still long enough to take pictures. She really didn't want to take any with her sister, only by herself.

Mother's Day Book

I am a follower of Amy's blog Mother Load. She is hilarious and insightful and tells motherhood like it is. She also has written a book, When did I get like this?, which I'm sure is as hilarious as her blog. Buttoned Up is giving away three copies of her book. I'm getting an extra entry by posting this. Click here to see the giveaway, but don't enter because I want to win!



Did I mention this would make a great Mother's Day gift for girlfriends with young kids? I didn't? Well, it would. Go buy it.

Flashback

Do you ever hear a song on the radio and it throws you back in time. That just happened to me. Since my go-to work radio station is no longer on the air, I have been trying others. The one that has been on today apparently likes playing some older songs. (They also played the theme song from Titanic earlier.)

Anybody remember Savage Garden? I'm pretty sure they were a one hit wonder with their song Truely, Madly, Deeply. That song just came on the radio and I was suddenly a giddy 16 year old with my first boyfriend. This was our song. The thought of him crooning these lyrics to me made my heart melt.

I want to stand with you on a mountain

I want to bathe with you in the sea

I want to lay like this forever

Until the sky falls down on me

Oh, Andrew. I was so in love with you. It didn't matter that you enjoyed playing with my heart and hardly returned the affection in the later years. It didn't matter that you were brilliant with zero ambition. It didn't matter that my parents disapproved of you. You were central for me. I orbited around you with a pull that I couldn't escape all through high school.

I wonder what became of you. I wonder if drugs consumed you or if you ever decided to grow up. I'm soooo glad we didn't work out.

Big Sister Blues

BG is a great big sister. She loves on her baby sister, helps mom, and is generally very well behaved about the newest addition to our family. She has done such a good job adjusting that I haven't made any special effort to help them get along.

Now Blanche is 3.5 months old. She actually rolled over the other day (tummy to back). BG is starting to misbehave just a bit more. She is throwing tantrums and not listening. She gets up in the middle of the night and wants to get in our bed. I can't help but wonder if she is feeling a little left out. I wonder if she is feeling put off when ever I delay playing to feed Blanche. I wonder if she is feeling bad when she gets disciplined, but never sees us do the same to her sister.

Now I know that I need to make a special effort to help BG feel loved. I think she needs more individual time with Mom and Dad. She needs time to run and play and be a little girl without having to worry about being careful around the baby. Even as I write this I'm mentally searching our schedule to find the time to make that happen. Our days are busy. The days I work, there is not a lot of free time after the commute, making & eating dinner, cleanup, and getting ready for bed. The days I'm home, I have both girls and need to attend to both their needs.

I am trying to enroll BG in a dance class to help give her something that is just hers. The city class schedule won't be out for another few weeks. The studios don't have classes during the summer. The weather isn't cooperating for outdoor play the days I'm home.

I realize that I'm whining a bit here. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to help BG know she is special while still taking care of Blanche.

It's a Term of Endearment

If I told you that I'm thinking of someone who is fat and hairy, who might you imagine?














Someone like this?





(I wish I was invited to the gun show!)





Well, you would be wrong. I am really thinking of someone that looks like this.












Isn't that a much better image? JM was a offended when I called Blanche "fat and hairy". But really, it's true. Luckily, her fat and hair is all strategically placed to optimize adorableness. JM was the one who added "toothless" to the title.

Blessing Day

Blanche was blessed this past Sunday by her grandpa. We had a family get together after church and had a great time. I feel so lucky to have so many family close-by and to have family who came in from out of town.

It is so rare for us to get a family picture together, I was thrilled to see how well this one turned out!
Me and Blanche. She is almost 3 months old!

BG is an awesome big sister. She loves to help out, hold her sister, and talk for her.

First Day Back - By the Numbers

1: Number of days I've been back at work
2: Number of kids I left behind this morning
4: Number of times I almost started crying on my commute
5: Number of times I was welcomed back (so far)
72: Number of unopened emails
100's: Number of emails I will be deleting from the past 3 months when I declare email bankruptcy
4: Number of hours I've made it through so far
5: Number of hours still to go today

0: Number of times I've actually cried

So far, so good.