Small Success

My second loaf of the week: Honey Wheat Sourdough...recipe to follow!

By popular demand

Here is the sourdough recipe I used. We went without the onions this time, but plan on trying them because they look REALLY good!

Word-LESS Wednesday

My first sourdough bread.

URGENT: PLEASE PRAY

for the family of this man who leaves behind a wife, two elementary school aged daughters and two very young sons. His wife is a close friend of mine. The specifics of the story are not as important as the loss of this man to his family. May God hold them in the palm of His hand.

Tiny Treasures Tuesday Volume 4

William--Will weighed 13 lbs 1 oz at his 2 month check last week! He is almost double his birth weight now. He is bright-eyed and social. Especially with Joey.

Joseph--Mr Joey had fun with just Daddy at the beach on Sunday. They watched the surf contest and Joey found an Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosary in the surf. We are still encouraging nice and loving hands with Shelby especially.

Shelby--Shelby got through her 3 year check last week. As we expected, gross motor skills are on target but she is delayed in all other areas. She did an outstanding job though at the visit. It was not without tears, but was a vast improvement over past experiences. She is also encouraging potty training by removing her diaper herself when it is wet which is good and bad. Good because she is recognizing when she is going. Bad because, well, at night Mommy and Daddy don't know it's happened and then there are some spots to be cleaned in the morning!

Small Successes

1) We survived the 2 month old shots! Will weighs 13.1 oz. Almost double his birth weight!

2) I made 4th of July dinner! Unfortunately, my husband was not in the picture taking mood, but the salmon cooked perfectly and my parents were all compliments!

3) I applied for a 3rd shift position I think I will really like. So, I'm praying it comes through!

Word-FULL Wednesdays volume 3 part 1

So, yesterday, in case you missed it on ALL the major networks, was Michael Jackson's memorial service for the public. I really wanted to stand on my roof and yell, "ENOUGH ALREADY!" but Jeff wanted to watch, so I grudgingly went along with watching it.

I pretty much could predict all that was going on until the end. I was moved by Jermaine and Marlon's brief but heartfelt eulogies but I broke down in tears as Paris-Michael Katherine gave her loving and brief expression of grief at the loss of her father.

Jeff and I marveled at her beauty and her poise under such a horrible time in her short life. I was struck that this child that her father had protected so vigilantly her entire life chose in his death to publically show her face and share her feelings and an insight into her world. Much like Bindi Irwin, Paris made us know her father's love for her through her love of him. As she collapsed into her Aunt Janet's arms, I found myself praying for her peace in a time of such upheaval.

I did not get the magic look into Jackson's life that would show him to be more like me than different, but I did find confirmation that he did want what was best for his children and that love for them, was the center of his life.

Tiny Treasures Tuesday volume 3

William--Will is a cooing machine! And he especially loves talking to his big brother Joey. He is following our movements and voices even more and our dogs as well. And he has rolled over exactly one time in his crib. That might have been a fluke though. Big two month check-up tomorrow. Lots of shots.

Joseph--Joey is Mr Conversation although we don't understand most of it. He is trying to say Will or William and loves talking to and about "da-b" as he calls "the baby." We are still working on nice hands. Yesterday for Shelby's birthday we started talking about using nice hands long before the need was present and it seemed to work.

Shelby--Big girl is 3!!! She starts with a new speech therapist today. We are so excited for our big girl. She did very well at the NC 4th of July festival but we weren't able to stay for the parade. Maybe next year!

Happy 3rd Birthday Shelby!

Three years ago our hearts grew like we never could have imagined. Now, you are a growing girl and big sister. We love you Miss Shelby Clare.

***in which we reflect each week on one of the fruits of the holy spirit***

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.~Galatians 5:22-23

Kindness is the word of the day. Namely, the kindness of friends when you ask for advice.

I am loathe to ask for advice, in part because I hate doling it out. And I hate doling it out because I believe I am not qualified to make a decision for anyone else in their life. So having children has been a challenge for me, because there are a lot of times when a book or the internet just doesn't seem to have the answer and I am stuck asking friends how they got through the toddler hitting his sister or picky eaters. But over the past years, my friends have been downright gracious when I have asked advice about parenting, marriage or anything else. They have been clear that there is not necessarily a universal right answer (which I knew, but it's always nice to be reminded) and been willing to listen and share their experiences. For me, the fact that they are not critical and genuinely willing to help is the greatest act of kindness of it all because it shows a caring of others' situations.

Sorry for such a short post, but I plan on covering more on kindness next week...

Thankful Thursday

1) Shelby's birthday
2) Easy recipes courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis
3) 4 consecutive hours of sleep
4) Perspective
5) Stauffer's Whales
6) Baby smiles
7) Baby coos
8) Baby birds flying the nest in our backyard
9) Joey's babbling
10) Keeping an open mind and trying to see the best in others

Small Successes

1) Will slept for 2 four hour stretches last night! Not really my success so much as his, but very exciting.

2) We transitioned out of the infant/toddler program and into the preschool program for Shelby. Her IEP has been written and now she is getting ready for school.

3) I have a new idea for 4th of July dinner and cake for Shelby. Can't wait to post pictures!

Word-FULL Wednesday

Over the last week, I have been challenged when thinking of the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

Both were iconic images, both were legendary performers and both were flawed human beings.

Yesterday I told Jeff that Michael Jackson was a legendary performer, and I wanted to believe that despite all his controversy he had been a good father and perhaps that was the reason his mother Katherine took care of her grandchildren.

The same day I finally saw the footage of Redmond O'Neal visiting his mother while in handcuffs and shackles. His arrest and imprisonment was kept from her and his father Ryan advised him not to rattle the chains as his mother did not know. My eyes started watering as I heard him call her Mommy and tell her it was her son there.

How do we remember these people? Is Michael the young boy who sang with Diana Ross and his brothers, the man who slept in oxygen chambers on a glorified amusement park, a child predator? Is Farrah the girl in the red bathing suit, an angel, the abused woman from the Burning Bed, the confused woman on David Letterman? Or are they someone else altogether?

I wish I could have seen an image of Michael like I did of Farrah at the end. The image of her clutching her rosary and praying and crossing herself before an MRI. Something that showed me that underneath it all was a person, like me; a sinner seeking redemption, like me.

Tiny Treasures Tuesday volume 2

William Christopher--this little boy weighs 12 lbs 2 oz. He has gained almost 5 full pounds since birth with the help of Mommy's high octane breastmilk (as my ob calls it!). He is giving us real smiles when he sees our faces (including the kids!) and hears our voices. He is cooing and sleeping longer intervals (after another growth spurt!) and more often in his crib. I don't mind the co-sleeping, but he has problems nursing while lying down and usually prefers I sit up, which is hard for me. We are figuring it out though!

Joseph Patrick-- Mr Joey is working on keeping his hands to himself. We are trying to encourage "loving hands" which he uses very well with Will but not so well with Shelby. He is so sweet wanting to hold Will and kiss him and then he turns around and hits Shelby and pulls her hair! He does make every day an adventure though.

I blogged before about Joey seeing pictures of his father with hair and shaking his head no and saying "Not Daddy." Well, we have been working on this and I finally got him to say Daddy when seeing Jeff's high school senior picture, but then he went on to point to pictures of girls and say "Daddy." I think I am giving this up for now...

Shelby Clare--Shelby had her speech evaluation last week. She was, unfortunately, uncooperative, but the speech/language pathologist completed a questionaire with me to try and get a better picture of Shelby's abilities. In going through the list, I was surprised to notice some of the gains Shelby has made that I hadn' t thought about. It made me feel really good about her progress. I have accepted that there is the possibility that Shelby might not ever speak, but her achievements do give me reason to celebrate! And my big girl will be 3 next Monday!!!! I cannot believe it has been three years already since we rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night when my water broke for an emergency c-section. Who would have thought that 3 years later, she would have 2 little brothers and be getting ready for pre-k. God has truly blessed us.

Baby Names

Baby names are a favorite topic of mine, my husbands and at least one friend. We discuss names we like and dislike irrespective of if we are expecting, planning, trying or not for a new baby. I have to admit, I breathed a sigh of relief when they told me that Will was a boy because we already had a name picked out and we did not have any idea what girl name to choose.

Our first two children were not named until their births. With our daughter that was partly because we did not know the sex of the baby and with our first son, well, my husband was having a lot of difficulty coming to a name. We are asked constantly why we have chosen the names we have. I know that I have discussed Will's name on the blog before, but not Shelby and Joey's.

Shelby Clare--the name Shelby did, in fact, come from the movie Steel Magnolias. My husband loved the movie and the name fit. I had wanted a saint name for her middle name and we agreed we liked the name Clare and named her after Clare of Assisi, a saint we also loved.

Joseph Patrick--the name Joseph means "God will add another child" so it fit for a second child and of course we named him as well after the foster father of our savior. Patrick, first of all fit with Joseph, but is also the patron saint of Ireland, the homeland of Joey's Godmother.

I like naming my children after saints, however, I don't make it a pre-requisite and like to cover it in either a first or middle name. I am married to a non-Catholic who is very generous in naming requirements. That being said, he has opinions too. If I like a name I think he might not go for, I have to come up with my argument as to why he should like it. A good example is the name "Helena" which I love because of St Helena, mother of the Emporer Constantine. So, I appealed to his sense of family. His father's aunt's name was Helen.

So, have we discussed names since Will was born? You better believe it.