Thoughts and insights gained in my first 4 months of Motherhood

-It was very difficult to imagine life with a child. It's just starting to become part of my "normal"

-Childbirth is painful yet survivable

-Being needed 24/7 is both draining and rewarding

-breastfeeding is dang hard but 3 months later after doing both it's SOO much easier than the bottle

-It's ok to start out the day with low expectations pertaining to housework. It spares some dissapointment

-fatigue is now my permanent companion

-it is humanly possible for me to get out of bed in the middle of the night. Who knew?

-Along with that, i actually can survive on only 6 hours of sleep instead of 9 (though I would prefer 10 if given the option)

-I've never had a job so demanding and so rewarding at the same time

-I think I have the most beautiful baby in the world. Nothing against other kids-- it's simply in my job description

-Having one kid makes having more kinds more daunting but less scary

-my sister Heidi was right-- baby smiles make it all worth it

-I look forward to him crawling, walking, talking, eating, etc

-I dread him crawling, walking, talking, eating, etc

-My house is in a constant state of mess. I can only assume it gets worse with each kid

-I hope he has friends

- Troy is great at being patient when I am frustrated

- Troy is my lifesaver

-I like being a mom way more than I ever thought I would

- It's an amazing thing to be busy and bored at the same time

- I love just holding him. It feels so right. I never knew it was like that

- Pop tarts make a great snack (fast)

- We have a loving Heavenly Father who gave mothers automatic instinct and inspiration for which I am grateful

All in all I can't believe how much I love my little boy, how hard it all is, how great it all is. After all my fears and doubts about having a baby it is the most worthwhile thing I have ever done. I have learned so much in so little time including how much I don't know yet. It's pretty much just the best job ever

P.S. For all of you who pinched his chubby cheeks or squished his little leg rolls and asked me, here's his four-month stats:

Weight: 14.5 lbs 69%

Height: 24 inch 43%

Head circ: 26.5 inch 62%

Thank you

Because....

-I needed a project while "waiting" for my baby to arrive...

-Trent LOVES blankets...

-I wanted to do something special for Dyan...

-Their wedding colors were so beautiful....

I made Dyan and Trent a quilt for their wedding! But a small project quickly turned into a huge project when I decided to make it queen sized for their bed and then hand quilt it.

So it turns out this quilt is from me, my mom, and my sisters Sarah and Heidi (without whom none of the projects in my brain would ever become a reality). I wanted to say "Thank you!" for all the time and effort they put into this also. I wanted you guys to see how beautiful it looks in her room. Dyan and Trent LOVE it. Trent says "What a blessing" they don't have to use their old black and tan comforter.
Stay tuned for my next project: I'm totally making one of these for us (in blue and brown!)

Calvin Ball

I grew up with 4 sisters and all girls in my primary class. Playtime sounded something like this:

"pretend your barbie is mad at my barbie"

and

"Say your barbie comes over to my house"

It was a great way to grow up and it worked quite well until you got sick of telling each other what to do. Now I get to babysit a 4 year old boy and have the joy of playing with him and his friends. Something I didn't know about boys: anything goes! And I love to play along! let me demonstrate a conversation we had (I'll call him J):

J (on the porch): you're, you're the bad guy. I'm shooting your ship

Me (on the ground with the younger kids: oh no I'm sinking!

J: now you back alive.

Me: Ok, now I shot your ship
J: my ship is made of stuff that can't sink. Now, now, I shot your ship adin (again)

Me: But i just put up a forcefield around my ship

J: Well I have bullets dat can shoot through forcefields

And it just keeps going until fighting breaks loose. Get the picture? It's awesome! Too bad real life can't be like this sometimes. I mean like "your bank account is empty" "Well, i just put a million dollars in it" kind of life. I guess there's no point to this post except this: every boy plays Calvin Ball.

Baby Blessing

Thank you to everyone who came to the blessing, stood in the circle, and helped with the brunch. We all felt so loved. Everything was perfect- the outfit, the blanket, the blessing, the food, and the family and friends- AND he didn't even fuss during the blessing!