(Abiding) Life in Indiana, PA

Sunday Morning

2012-01-30T13:26:00.002-05:00

Esther tucked herself into her brother's bed. Perhaps she was
foreshadowing: later in the day we placed an order for a twin bed
for Austin, paving the way for this to be hers.

After Daddy being out of town for three days, there was a lot
of wrestling to catch up on.

This is what the floor around Austin's bed looks like every
morning these days. He asks to open the closet door when he goes
to bed so he has a bit of light for looking at books. Love my little
bookworms.

21 Week Pictures

2012-01-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

One more ultrasound today; having so many has really made this pregnancy zoom by. Today's was just to check bladders, fluid levels, and blood flow through the umbilical cords. Those are the things that would indicate TTTS if it was happening. But it's not! Babies look very healthy and quite active. According to the tech, they were practically wrestling each other. Funny how they can move around so much and all I feel is a few little taps!

What a clear profile! Nose, lips...amazing.

Not quite as clear, but theoretically identical to Baby A's profile. :)

And here's me:

So just tonight on FB, I have seen belly pics of two pregnant acquaintances, one 25 weeks along and one 32 weeks along. I look so much bigger than them, Zach and I couldn't help breaking out in laughter as we looked at the pictures. This twin thing is crazy.

Animal Sounds

2012-01-12T13:41:00.000-05:00

In typical one-year-old fashion, Esther has begun learning animal sounds. For a long time her repertoire was limited to "bah bah" and "cak cak" (for sheep and ducks) but recently "mmm" (moo) has been added and occasionally "onk" (oink). These animal sounds alone would be pretty cute, but you know what I find really adorable? That this basic collection of sounds can be adapted to so many animals. All birds say "cak cak," any animal even remotely sheep-like, such as the gorilla or porcupine in one of our animal books, says "bah bah." I love this learning to talk phase, and what is best is that I'm not stressing about it like I did with Austin. I have absolutely no idea if Esther is saying a "normal" number of words but I'm enjoying every sweet sound that comes out of her mouth.

19 Week Baby Pictures

2012-01-11T22:56:00.001-05:00

They're a few days late thanks to all the sickness going around our family, but here are the latest baby pictures that I know Gran and Grandma have been waiting for. My ultrasound Monday showed two healthy babies! Baby B is still larger than Baby A by a bit (12 ounces vs. 10 ounces) but with the margin of error for measurements it is not a concern at all. Their organs (heart and bladder in particular) look perfect so once again no signs of TTTS. I'm so thankful for every sign of health we see. A higher-risk pregnancy like this has really led me to ponder the awesomeness of God being both the creator and the sustainer of life.

It's getting harder to get a good view of both babies at the same time;
they look so crowded in there already! So I appreciate the tech
doing this split-screen thing to put them side by side. They're
watching you!

19 Week Mommy Picture

2012-01-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

There you go, that's what approximately-halfway-to-delivery-of-twins looks like. Sheesh, am I that big already? But I am right on track with my hoped-for weight gain (about 20 pounds to date) so I guess I'm as big as I should be.

I am starting to be more uncomfortable, although I am thankfully mostly free of pregnancy complaints like heartburn that I hear can be worse with twins. It's little things like bending over the sink to wash my face at night and feeling like my belly is totally in the way.

The twins have gotten noticeably more active in the last week or so, which I love. It's so reassuring to feel those little flutters. I know it should have sunk in by now but it still blows my mind that there are two babies inside!

Rough Night

2012-01-10T13:54:00.003-05:00

Last night was perhaps among the most challenging Zach and I have endured as parents. Let me back up a few days. We arrived home from our massive holiday trip on Saturday night around 8pm. After two grueling days in the car we were ready to just unload the van and relax. But around 8:30 Austin started throwing up and continued to be sick for most of the night. The next day he seemed to feel better.

But you know how these things are; rarely does a stomach bug stop with one family member. We just hoped the illness would not hit too many of us at once and be as short-lived as it seemed to be for Austin. Not to be the case as it turns out. Zach started feeling sick around dinnertime yesterday, Esther threw up for the first time right before her bedtime, and it hit me at 10pm. So you can imagine the kind of night we had.

These kind of nights (which are thankfully rare in our house) teach me so much. That God's power is made perfect in weakness. To be thankful for a heavy-sleeping three year old who barely stirred through many pajama and sheet changes across the room for his sister. That my plans (unpacking our suitcases, doing laundry, cooking extra meals to freeze) are not as important as I think. The busy week I had envisioned has turned into a rest and recover kind of week. And everything will be okay.

Your Big Question Answered

2011-12-30T19:46:00.000-05:00

Dear Esther,

Baby girl, it looks like we’ll be able to keep calling youthat for a long time because this spring you are going to get two new brothers!That’s right, you’ll have three brothers. I know, that’s a lot of little boysrunning around the house! But a wise friend reminded me via her blog that Godknows what is best for our family and it looks like that means more boys forus.

You know, I’m pretty sure you will get along just fine asthe only girl in our family. You love tothrow things—you and Austin like to grab magnets from the fridge and hurl themacross the kitchen—so when the boys go out back to play catch I don’t thinkyou’ll be left behind. You can alreadycram food in your mouth pretty fast, so no worries that your brothers willgobble up all the cookies before you get one. And although you’re still tiny, your little personality is a force to bereckoned with—I don’t think you’ll let the boys get away with voting you down3-1 when there’s a choice to be made. And if the boys do get to be too much on occasion, well, you’ll haveyour own room someday, a little girly haven to which you can escape.

Esther, having a daughter is a blessing I was not at allsure I’d ever receive, at least not since I married into the Collinsfamily! You are such a joy to me andalthough I love all my children, you have a special place in my heart as my oneand only little girl.

Love,

Mommy

Baby A at 13 weeks

Baby B at 13 weeks

Baby A at 16 weeks

Baby B at 16 weeks

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T16:47:00.000-05:00

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

There was a bulldozer at the first Christmas, right?

Praise and glory to God for all I have seen and heard! Thank you, Father, for the amazing gift of Jesus!

Christmas Trip

2011-12-24T16:39:00.000-05:00

After getting the thumbs up from my doctors on Monday and Tuesday, we took off early Wednesday for what will likely be our last big roadtrip before the twins are born...or for a while after it, most likely. We were worried that the doctors' orders to stop every hour and a half would make for really slow progress but we actually made great time--I think when we stop so often, our stops are shorter. The 900+ miles we've traveled so far didn't seem too bad; I'm thankful once again that our kids are pretty happy in the car. But we are so glad to be here! Christmas with family is just wonderful.

Before you travel, of course you have to
pack. I let Austin pack his own little
backpack. And then I packed a separate
container of things I thought he would
actually play with. :)

We took a break at a mall in suburban Indianapolis.
We managed to take a few cute pictures before a
member of mall management came and told us it
was against mall policy to take photographs in the mall.
Sad world we live in, when you get scolded for taking
pictures of your own kids.

Fellow Cake Wrecks fans, we have a carrot jockey!

Sleepy Esther...

...aaaaand sleeping Esther.

Austin loves this Bible puzzle book. I only had to pick it up
off the floor four or five times.

Chillin' in the Terre Haute hotel. Check out
her pants: that's what happens when everything you
feed her (which you thoughtfully picked out
to be non-messy) gets spit out, half-eaten, and ends
up on her clothes and carseat.

More chillin'. Hey, we're a family without cable or satellite TV.
When we encounter an HD TV with the Disney Channel, it
tends to capture our attention.

Day 2 in the car: The Foot Book buys us some serious miles.

As does a video or two.

We arrive at last! And Grandma immediately
puts Austin to work helping with the cinnamon rolls.

We were worried that Esther might have a "warming up" period
with my parents, but Grandpa came in the door from work and she
ran right over and asked to be picked up. So sweet! I think this
little girl knows that her time as the baby of the family is running out.

16 Week Baby Pictures

2011-12-19T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today's ultrasound showed two healthy babies! Unfortunately we don't have any pictures of the two of them together but we like these profiles. Do they look the same? :) Like last time, Baby A is blurrier because Baby B is in front; I think they will remain that way because of where the membrane is between them. The tech kind of had to smoosh the probe into my side to even see Baby A. Baby B is a bit bigger than Baby A but both are measuring within the normal range, so again no signs of TTTS. We didn't get to see a lot of wiggling around because our tech was doing the measurements quite quickly; it would have been nice to just sit and watch the babies for awhile. Oh well, can't complain when we get to see them so often.

Because you're all wondering, yes, we know the gender but we are planning to tell our families in person before revealing it to the world at large. In fact (guilty smile) we found out at the 13 week ultrasound. Since we're having all our ultrasounds at a level 2 facility you can see the gender ridiculously early--we were not expecting to know until today. So sorry, you will just have to wait a bit longer but it won't be a secret forever!

A little foot! So tiny! So adorable!

One small area of concern: yesterday and today I felt what I'm pretty sure were Braxton Hicks contractions. I was pretty surprised, being only 16 weeks along. They felt a bit different from what I remember with Esther and Austin but of course my uterus is much smaller than when I had BH contractions near the end of my other pregnancies. I was thankful to have an appointment today so I could ask the doctor about this. He said that since my cervical length is fine and I'm not having any other symptoms of early labor, the contractions are just my body telling me to take it easy. And indeed, after sitting for awhile and drinking some water, the contractions went away. But this does give me some concerns about the rest of my pregnancy. If today's activity was too much (and I really wasn't doing a lot), then day-to-day life in a few months could be very difficult.

16 Week Mommy Picture

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Nice ensemble, no? Children's ministry shirt
(that I'm about to grow out of) and pajama pants.
Perfect lazy Sunday afternoon attire.

An ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon so here's the mommy picture to go along with it. Several friends have commented recently that I seem to have "popped" in the last few weeks. I'm just thankful that I'm feeling good these days, gaining the weight I need to gain, and even managing to sleep pretty well at night. The belly will be getting in my way soon enough but for now it's just the right size.

Nativity Cookies

2011-12-18T22:01:00.003-05:00

This weekend we continued what I have tried to make an annual family Christmas tradition (although I think we missed last year, oops): making nativity cookies. It was especially fun because Austin is old enough to really participate in the kitchen. We made the dough last night, then rolled and cut out the cookies tonight as we talked about what each part of the nativity scene meant. Austin's favorite was the baby Jesus; he wanted to cut out lots and lots of those. He even picked a Jesus when it was time to choose a cookie to eat and it was by far the smallest! I thought he'd go for a camel for sure.

Future Horned Frog or Snow White's Missing Dwarf?

2011-12-12T12:50:00.000-05:00

Yogurt for Lunch (and other things that make me smile)

2011-12-07T15:16:00.001-05:00

I handed over the spoon when the cup was mostly empty and
Esther had a ball.

Esther l-o-v-e-s the Bible. It seems to be a bit of an idol for her,
ironically.

I never get tired of watching a little boy arrange
his cars in a line.

I was playing with the continuous shooting function
so we told Austin to keep running around the loop through
the living room/dining room/kitchen. Daddy and Esther are
chasing him. Or maybe Austin's chasing them. You never know.

Merry Christmas to Us

2011-12-01T14:46:00.001-05:00

Zach and I cheated a bit and bought our Christmas present early, a Canon Rebel T3i. We have been wanting a DSLR for a while and with twins/probably our last children on the way, now makes more sense than ever.

The Black Friday ads in our paper spurred me to action because several stores had DSLR cameras on sale and I wanted to see if there were any deals that should be taken advantage of. So Thanksgiving (a quiet, just the four of us holiday this year) was largely spent doing research. My head was spinning by the end of the day but sometime on Friday we made our decision and placed an order. And our beautiful camera arrived yesterday.

Aperture, shutter speed, ISO...these terms were a foreign language to me one week ago but I am slowly learning my way around this machine. Let me emphasize slowly; I haven't even tried to figure out things like white balance and exposure compensation yet. Usually I am kind of technophobic and let Zach figure out any new piece of technology that makes its way into our house, then ask for a tutorial on the basics, but I am pretty motivated to learn to use this camera. For three and a half years I've felt like we are missing some adorable moments from our kids because our camera was just too slow to capture them. Now there is hope.

So here are some early results of our experimentation.

I tried to take pictures of our Christmas trees with our old
camera and it just did not work. Something about the lights, I think;
it was completely unable to get things in focus. But this is pretty.

A little time with Daddy before he headed to work.

"Mom, what's he doing?"

For less than twenty-four hours practice with all these new bells and whistles, I am pretty happy.

13 Week Baby Pictures

2011-11-28T19:30:00.001-05:00

I was so excited to see my babies today! They have changed a lot since my last view a month ago. They were lying sideways...kinda looked like they were just lounging in there! Baby A was the super-active one today. (It was Baby B last time.) The babies are measuring just as big as they should be and they are pretty much the same size; no signs of TTTS at the moment. Their crown-rump length is just shy of 3 inches and they weigh about 2 ounces each. It still seems just a little unbelievable that two babies are growing inside me!

Baby A is a little blurrier because Baby B was closer to
the front of my abdomen.

My lounging babies

13 Week Mommy Pictures

2011-11-28T19:26:00.001-05:00

I have been horrible about taking belly pictures with my pregnancies so far. I start with the best of intentions but just never seem to manage weekly or even monthly photos. But this time I'm going to try to take a picture along with every ultrasound...we'll see if I can keep it up!

So anyway, here's what the end of the first trimester looks like when you're pregnant with twins. This is in the evening, by the way; I am a bit smaller in the morning.

Advice

2011-11-28T18:56:00.001-05:00

From the dining room as the kids ate breakfast this morning, Austin offered this wisdom: "Mommy, the kitchen is a mess. You will have to clean it up before it is not a mess."

Yes...you are right, Austin...thanks for the advice. :)

Three Crosses

2011-11-27T21:17:00.001-05:00

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left....One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:32-33, 39-43)

Yesterday morning Austin woke up and crawled into bed with me and Zach, which has become the usual routine on holidays and weekends. While we chatted Zach mentioned that Austin had chosen to draw some crosses the day before while he was outside using sidewalk chalk. "Jesus died on the cross to pay for all the bad things we've done," Austin added; "I drew three." I told him it was interesting that he drew three because there were actually three crosses the day Jesus died. I explained how two other men were crucified with Jesus and how one of them went to heaven that day because he asked Jesus to forgive him for his sins but the other man didn't go to heaven because he didn't ask Jesus to forgive him. Long pause. "Why didn't the other man go to heaven?" Austin asked. "Because he didn't ask Jesus to forgive his sins, " I repeated. Another long pause. Then, unprompted, in a halting voice, a little boy voice prayed "Lord, forgive us for all the sins we've done. In Jesus' name, amen."

Tears came to my eyes as I heard his words. Parenting this three year old is so challenging and I feel like I fail to show him Jesus like I should more often than I succeed, but those words were a precious reminder that God is at work in my little boy. Lord, help me continue to plant seeds that you may one day bring this boy into your Kingdom!

Campout

2011-11-23T14:09:00.001-05:00

Zach and Austin went camping last weekend. In our living room. Yeah, we're not real outdoorsy in this family. They had a great time. A fire was built, a tent was constructed, and smores were consumed. They were up late (for a three year old) but then all was quiet for the night; Austin stayed put in his sleeping bag until his usual (early) wake-up time. Zach is such a fun dad.

Another Post about Food

2011-11-21T10:32:00.001-05:00

Sorry, but it's what's on my mind lately. Pre-twin pregnancy, I would have thought that "getting" to eat lots and lots because you're growing two babies made you a lucky duck. Turns out it's not so easy. With Austin and Esther I never made a conscious decision to eat more; I ate when I was hungry and if I felt like eating a cookie when I wasn't hungry I felt no guilt. And I gained a little over 30 pounds with each baby, I think. Near the top of the recommended gain for a singleton.

But this twin thing, goodness! I eat and eat all day long, making myself eat even when I'm not hungry. I drink at least 2 cans of nutritional supplement a day at 250-350 calories each. And I have gained 5 pounds. That's it! My two doctors disagree about how much weight I should gain in the first 20 weeks of the pregnancy: my MFM says 10 pounds and my regular OB says 20. According to the reading I've been doing on my own in the past week, 20 or even more sounds best. Early weight gain in multiple pregnancies is linked to higher birth weights and longer gestations. With a preemie and an almost-preemie in our family, I really want to do what I can to keep these babies inside as long as possible.

Also according to my reading, to achieve this kind of weight gain, I have to consume more than 3000 calories a day. That is a lot of food! I am having to re-think the way I shop and plan meals and snacks. Although we're far from vegetarians, we don't eat a lot of meat and it is rarely the centerpiece of a meal, but now I am supposed to eat several full servings a day. Good thing I like dairy because 8 servings a day are recommended. (Good news, though, ice cream is a good choice because of its high fat and calcium content.) Add 2 eggs, 10 servings of grains, 7 servings of fruit and 4 servings of veggies and you have quite a task for the day. So I spend most of my day thinking about what my next meal or snack will be and contemplating how I could increase its nutrient or calorie content. As I write this, I'm sipping away at a smoothie made from tofu, pasteurized egg whites, dry milk powder, yogurt, fruit and fruit juice, good for a serving of meat, 2 of dairy, and 2 of fruit. Not the yummiest smoothie I have ever had, but good for the babies.

So, 5 pounds down, 40-50 to go. In about 24 weeks. Now excuse me, it's time to figure out what's for lunch.

Troping

2011-11-17T06:51:00.001-05:00

Do you know the Bob the Builder theme song? Okay, so imagine Austin singing that melody with these words: "Oat squares are my favorite kind of food, I will eat them all the time." That was how breakfast started today. How I love this musical little boy!

Oh, Zach says it's called troping when you do that. So there's your music lesson for the day.

Courtney v. Food

2011-11-06T21:18:00.000-05:00

Have you ever watched Man v. Food? It's a Travel Channel show where the host goes to different cities to take on eating challenges. Six pound burritos, pizzas with a 3 foot diameter, the hottest chicken wings on the planet, that sort of thing. It's one of our favorites and probably constitutes 30% of our Netflix viewing. (The other 70% is Bob the Builder, Veggie Tales, and Busytown Mysteries.)

Well, lately every night at dinnertime I feel like I'm in my own personal eating challenge, except instead of a 72 oz. steak I'm staring down a single stuffed shell or three meatballs or something similarly small. "You can do it" I tell myself. "You need to eat this for the babies." I don't have morning sickness, I have evening sickness. Almost by the clock, around 4PM every day I start feeling lousy. Zach comes home from work and I tell him what the plan is for dinner and ask him to make it. And he does, without complaint, every day for the last three weeks. Sweet man. Love you, honey. Then I sit on the couch until he tells me dinner is ready. I drag myself to the table, take a deep breath, and attempt to eat. Usually I am successful and am able to eat a small meal. (Why is it that just when you need to eat a lot, your stomach seems to hold a quarter its usual amount? I feel stuffed after eating the smallest things.) But occasionally a trip to the bathroom precedes the first bite...and that's all we'll say about that. :-( Although in those cases, I usually feel much better afterward and actually want to eat.

I know this kind of thing is really common but it's sort of new to me. I had such mild pregnancy symptoms with Austin and Esther that I was often tempted to worry that something was going wrong because I felt so good! But this twin thing...well, now I'm getting a small taste of what so many of my friends have gone through with all their pregnancies.

To lighten up what I hope doesn't come across as a totally complainey blog post, I will say how thankful I am that I nearly always feel good in the morning and early afternoon. The time of day when Zach is at work, conveniently. So I eat a lot then, without problems. (Props to Zach again, who often makes breakfast since I'm a little sluggish til I have some food in me.) Still, I am looking forward to the day, hopefully soon, when food will sound good all day long. Cause 500 extra calories a day is hard to achieve without all day dedication.

*Have I mentioned that Zach is awesome? He made the cool logo for me, just for fun.

Our October Surprise

2011-10-31T18:54:00.001-04:00

We are expecting #3. And #4. Twins! Can you believe it? And they're identical! Crazy.

We have known I'm carrying twins for two weeks but today is the first day we've been able to be excited about the pregnancy. At our first ultrasound two weeks ago (which I had because of some unexplained bleeding) we were told the twins were monochorionic/monoamniotic, which means sharing a placenta and an amniotic sac. That kind of pregnancy is very high risk; there was serious potential for the babies to not even live to viability. So you can understand that we were trying to guard our emotions and prepare for any possibility.

But today we met with a specialist, had another ultrasound, and it clearly showed a membrane between the babies. Praise God! Our pregnancy is now monochorionic/diamniotic (one placenta but two amniotic sacs). There are still some risks but they are much lower and our babies have an excellent chance of making a healthy entrance into the world.

So some details. I am 9 weeks along. My due date is June 3, although I will definitely have the babies before then. Between 34 and 36 weeks is likely, depending on how they are growing and whether any complications such as twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) develop. I will see both my doctor in Indiana and the specialist I saw today in Johnstown. I will have ultrasounds about every two weeks to check on the babies growth and to look for signs of TTTS.

Rejoice with us friends, and thank God for His goodness. We have been walking through a bit of a valley the last two weeks but felt His presence the whole time. I read Psalm 145 the morning of that first ultrasound and verse 9 really stuck out: "The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." He made these babies, and his goodness and mercy is at work in them no matter what the end result of this pregnancy. But I am so thankful that He has lifted from us the burden of an extremely high risk pregnancy. Now I can start really thinking about what it will mean to be mommy to twins! And it's a bit scary...

Aww, aren't they cute? Baby B was quite active during the ultrasound
and showed us a little shimmy.

Mommy-Sanctioned Mess

2011-10-27T20:54:00.000-04:00

Last spring I bought a plastic container and a 20 pound bag of rice for Austin to play with. I thought it was a messy activity but worth it because he loved it so much. I would kind of grin and bear it, you know?

Well, if I thought it was messy back then, that was nothing compared to what happened when Esther got in on the action today. Once she threw the first cupful over her shoulder I realized there was nothing to do but relax and embrace the mess. The kids played together happily for fifteen or twenty minutes and I just sat back and enjoyed watching them.

Pretty sure this cupful got flung backward a second later.

The floor looked much worse by the time we were done.

The fun had to come to an end when Austin informed me that Esther was eating the rice. She put it in her mouth, then tried to get it out. I helped, then she put another handful in. Yuck. So I put her in her highchair with some goldfish and cleaned up the kitchen. Thankful for a good broom. :)

Weekend Research

2011-10-25T09:58:00.000-04:00

For years our little town had no doughnut shop. One of its few imperfections, in our opinion. But all that has changed. 2011 witnessed the opening of not one but two doughnut shops. First came Donut Connection in May, then Dunkin Donuts opened in September.

The obvious question, of course, is which doughnuts are better? When we awaken on a Saturday with a craving for sugar, where do we go? Some research was in order and we bravely carried it out.

The samples to be tested included a glazed doughnut, a sour cream doughnut, and a blueberry doughnut (Austin's request) from each store. And the results:

Glazed: Zach preferred D.D. because its texture was "creamier" but Courtney preferred the flavor of the glaze from D.C.

Sour Cream: Zach liked the crunchier texture of D.C. and thought it had the better flavor. Courtney preferred the texture of D.D. but agreed that the flavor of D.C. was better.

Blueberry: Zach liked D.D. because it was sweeter; Courtney thought it was a draw.

So bottom line...we don't really have a clear favorite, do we? Donut Connection is within walking distance of our house so it is the choice for summer morning walks, but maybe Dunkin will be our winter choice? I guess it's a win-win situation for our family.

Monkey Girl

2011-10-22T14:41:00.000-04:00

Our little girl is a climber. Thankfully she's a good climber and can climb down as well as up. Still, it can make mommy a bit anxious. Imagine what she'll be getting into when she's taller!

Not-so-recent Trip

2011-10-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

The kids and I spent a week or so in Missouri at the end of September. I took about two pictures on my camera; fortunately Mom and I took a bunch more with hers but I forgot to transfer them to my computer when I had the chance. Mom sent me a CD this week, though, and I was kind of overwhelmed with how many adorable pictures there were. (Oh nice camera, how I long for you to be mine. Someday.) The weather was beautiful the whole time we were there so we had lots of fun outings, and we spent lots of time with extended family and friends as well.

This is what happens when you try to get a three year old and two one
year olds to sit next to each other for a picture.

Three kids again and not one looking. I think we look pretty good, though, Megan.

A Walker at Last

2011-10-11T14:00:00.003-04:00

Esther started taking a few steps weeks ago but she was in no hurry to become a real walker. Maybe she heard the pediatrician tell me on Thursday to call her if she didn't start walking in the next 4-6 weeks. At any rate, something motivated her this weekend and she really took off. Now Austin tells me a dozen times a day "Look, Mommy, Esther's walking." Yeah, Austin, she is, and about time!

How We Eat Bread

2011-10-04T21:23:00.001-04:00

There is so much I could catch up on (we've been to Missouri and back since my last post) but I just wanted to take a minute tonight to record some cuteness from dinner. Zach brought home a lovely baguette from our local bakery and of course Austin was more eager to eat that than his carrots or stuffed pepper. But no plain bread for our boy; no, first he has to request that we pour "oyive oy," "vindegar" and "pardesan cheese" onto his plate for dipping. I love it. I am not eager for adult speech to overtake my little one.

F is for Fish

2011-09-16T22:34:00.000-04:00

I don't do themed snacks for every letter of the week, although I'd like to do more if I can come up with the ideas. (They're always a big hit with Austin.) But I had an idea this week so Austin and I tested it out this morning. We made little jello aquariums.

I know, they kind of look dead.

We followed the directions on the jello package for adding fruit and vegetables, meaning we waited an hour and a half after pouring it into the cups to add the little gummy fish, then let it set up the rest of the way. I was pretty sure this would work, just slightly anxious that gummy fish might contain whatever it is that keeps jello from setting up if you add pineapple, figs, guava, etc. (like the package warns you). But it set up just fine.

A little note: the gummy fish get kind of hard since they're in the refrigerator and are much chewier than usual, so be careful if you give this to younger kids.

I told Austin we would eat it after dinner...he started asking for dinner as soon as he woke up from his nap! He loved the final product. "This is my favorite treat!" Wait, I thought rainbow cake was your favorite. :) It's lovely to see how such a simple thing can bring him such joy.

Coming up next: anyone have a great snack idea for H is for hippo?

First Day of School

2011-09-13T16:05:00.002-04:00

Austin started Christian Play Day today, his one-day-a-week preschool. It is very low-key; we are sending him entirely for social time with other kids. The program is staffed by volunteers so I've heard mixed reviews as naturally a lot depends on who volunteers to teach your child's particular class. Austin's class is taught by an acquaintance from my MOPS group. When I learned that last night it was like a little comforting pat from the Lord: "See Courtney, I'm taking care of Austin and this is the right choice."

So far Austin seems to like it but in typical fashion he would not tell me much. I was out in the hallway waiting during the last few minutes of class which are devoted to show and tell. I think I heard Austin's voice chiming in to comment on several of the other children's items. Loudly. Without regard to others speaking. Hmm. Well, he's there to learn that sort of thing.

First day of school = picture time, of course.

I discovered a trick to make Austin give a real smile.
Tell him to say some silly words. Like "radishes
and rutabagas." For once I had several cute
pictures to choose from.

To Me

2011-09-06T15:24:00.000-04:00

My sister got these shirts for the three grandkids when my mom celebrated a milestone birthday this summer. Thought we could get a bit more mileage out of them today. (Milo's says "Grandma." Don't imagine your average toddler finds many occasions to wear that kind of shirt.) But anyway, happy birthday to me.

Desired picture outcomes: 1) Austin smiling 2) Esther smiling
3) "Happy birthday" visible on shirts.
Actual outcome: "Happy birthday" visible on shirts.
I knew I was asking a lot.

I don't have any particularly special birthday thoughts, except that these days when I read about a celebrity/athlete, etc. in his or her thirties, I first think "older than me," then go "Oh wait..." But really, I feel so blessed with each birthday I reach. As God has grown my heart for those in other parts of the world, Haiti in particular, I see keenly how being a healthy thirty-one year old is something to be thankful for, not regretted. Thank you, Father, for giving me more gifts than I deserve every day of the year.

Bonus time: since the picture above didn't have quite the level of cuteness I was going for, here are some extras from today and yesterday.

I turned the camera screen around so Esther could see herself.
She loved it, needless to say.

This awesome look is made better by the word on
his shirt, don't you think?

Little Talker

2011-09-01T20:44:00.001-04:00

Esther has said her first official word. I was sure she would talk early since she hears Austin and me constantly but here we are at fourteen months, just getting around to it. Just like her brother, I guess. But anyway, here she is:

Two Sides of Austin

2011-08-31T14:24:00.000-04:00

You certainly couldn't accuse Austin of having a one-sided personality. While I was changing Esther's diaper in preparation for naptime this afternoon, Austin was sitting on his bed and suddenly started spouting out a few of our memory verses: "Even a child is known by his doings." "No one can serve two masters." Then he hummed a few bars of "Jesus Paid it All." Warm fuzzy thoughts about God's Word being hidden in his heart and "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks" filled my mind. But then I was brought back to earth by remembering the conversation Austin and I had on the way home from the county fair not an hour before. "Austin, what was your favorite part of the fair?" "The animals." "Well, we saw cows, chickens, goats, sheep, and horses; which did you like best?" "Oh, I like watchin' the cow that was poopin'. It was goin' on the hay!"

What I Did During My Summer Vacation (or, Pictures of the Basement at Last)

2011-08-30T15:56:00.000-04:00

The basement project that took so many evenings of our summer is finished at last, I vacuumed down there this morning, and took the camera down this afternoon. Finally! It is a pretty neat space, if we do say so ourselves.

First, Zach's music room. His man cave, to use the vernacular. When we were finished painting and rearranging furniture and taking out various things that really should be stored somewhere else, we looked at each other and said "can you believe how big this room is?" What a difference. If you're reading this and are not acquainted with my husband, you'll soon know him a bit better.

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Texas Rangers are Zach's sports teams.
He did an awesome job with these logos.

Did you know my husband loves coffee? I mean, really really loves coffee.
That's a coffee bag on the wall. He thought they would make cool
wall decor. And they do, in fact, look pretty good.
Oh, and notice the curtains. They were nasty, water-stained things
that had been on the windows for decades, probably. I washed them and
dyed them dark brown and they're as good as new.

More coffee bags. The one on the right is my favorite because of the
colorful picture.

Now my school room. My friend Emily wrote the other day about the importance of surrounding her children with beauty, light, simplicity, and order in their learning environment. Pondering our space, hmm...I think we get about 2.5 out of 4. I would love to have a room filled with natural light but I will choose to be thankful that our home is spacious enough to dedicate this room, albeit it in the basement, for such a specialized purpose.

The kitchen table that my mom bought after college (her college),
repurposed yet again, plus our memory verses, days of the week,
number chart, and calendar.

The other corner. Shelves are pretty empty now but I know
that will change. Ten letters on our tree--we're almost
halfway through the alphabet.

And one last picture...that little door you see in the last picture is a closet under the basement stairs. A newly organized closet, of which I am a little bit proud. You would have to have seen a before picture (which doesn't exist) to understand how nice this is. Ah, organization makes me happy.

Nothing Like a Good Book

2011-08-27T02:58:00.000-04:00

Esther has discovered her first favorite book. The choice: Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What do you Hear? by Eric Carle. Good choice, little one, Mommy likes it, too.

Sometimes she looks at it by herself.

Sometimes she crawls up in my lap and bounces excitedly because she's going to hear it out loud.

And sometimes it's a good bedtime story.

Just Feeling Blessed Today...

2011-08-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

...to be mommy to these two.

R is for Rainbow

2011-08-26T14:57:00.000-04:00

We are still doing Letter of the Week activities and this week's letter was R. Inspired by my friend Miranda's rainbow cupcakes, I decided to make a rainbow cake as a special treat after we finished all of the week's activities. I was expecting it to just look like colored layers of cake but somehow it turned out rainbow shaped! (Mysterious but awesome.) Austin helped me count out drops of food coloring and mix the colors into the batter. As we worked he said "Mommy, this is my favorite treat in the whole world!" about ten times. Sweet boy.

"Wow, is it my birthday again?"

A Bit of Babyhood, Snipped Away

2011-08-22T14:08:00.000-04:00

Esther got her first haircut today. We went back and forth about whether it was needed or not, but her hair grows straight down into her eyes and was getting quite long. We want her to be able to see, after all. So we went for a little trim of her bangs. She sat very still while Laura did her work and didn't make a sound. Such an easygoing baby. I mean, big girl. (Sniff, sniff.) She looks so different now.

Before

During

After

Ikea = Love

2011-08-18T15:38:00.000-04:00

Funny, I have read two blog posts in the last 24 hours about Ikea; now it's my turn to write one I guess. We went to Ikea on Tuesday, a long-awaited trip. It's clear out by the Pittsburgh airport, an hour and a half drive on a good day, so as you can imagine we don't get there too often. (It would be dangerous to our bottom line if it was any closer.) We went to look for some shelves for Zach's half of the basement but you don't go to a store like that and just look at shelves. I had also had my eye on the Expedit bookshelves, which I originally had in mind for the basement schoolroom but realized the cheap Walmart bookshelves would do fine down there so I set my sights on something new for the living room.

And what a wonderful day it was. I could browse in that place for hours. Let's just say we did not exactly come home empty handed.

For the living room, I went completely expecting to buy the Expedit shelves but in the end we got Billy bookshelves. We were able to achieve the cube-y look I liked with extra height (more space) and the ability to expand the system easily in the future.

Living room before:

One down, three to go:

And the finished line-up:

Ahh, so beautiful.

Then for our splurge of the day, we decided to buy a table for our hallway. This is what we had before:

Not much, huh? Small and way too easy for Esther to get hold of the phone. It's a wonder she hasn't dialed 911. So we replaced it with this:

Large, lots of storage (I'm thinking hats, scarves, etc. in the bottom during the winter), and the phone is now out of Esther's reach. Lovely.

Oh yeah, Zach's shelves...we bought those too. No pictures yet. But we have been faithfully plugging away at finishing up our basement project and when we do there will be pictures.

The Past: Ponder, Preserve, Purge

2011-08-15T14:57:00.000-04:00

Forgive my alliteration, but those are the words that have been floating around in my head. Zach and I have been trying to finish up our basement project lately. The painting is done so we've turned to organizing the stuff that will ultimately go in the painted rooms as well as the stuff that is stored in the basement. Stuff that for many years was stored in our parents' houses but is now here with us. In my case, my mom brought several boxes four years ago when we moved in to this house. I sorted through it and got rid of quite a bit at the time but I thought it was worth another look now.

So last night we put the kids to bed and headed downstairs to tackle some boxes. One box that at first glance appeared to contain only K-12 yearbooks actually included a large pile of miscellaneous artifacts from high school through college: "yearbooks" from camps, TCU Symphony programs, newspaper clippings and my ticket stub from the 1998 Sun Bowl, to name a few. (Proof that my parents were cooler than I realized at the time: they let my 18 year old self and four friends drive all the way across Texas by ourselves to go to that game, where we dressed up in purple togas and saw our Frogs defeat USC.) Another box contained all the journals that I kept from about 6th grade until mid-college. It's quite a pile; I don't think I was a very profound writer but I was certainly prolific. That box also contained a large quantity of correspondence: letters, cards, postcards from friends and family, mostly from high school and the first few years of college. It was surprising to see how many actual letters my college friends and I wrote each other during the summer. We all had email addresses (one had to for school) but the use of pen and paper had not entirely died out. Hard to imagine any of the college students I know now writing a letter to a friend over the summer.

Looking at all this stuff, as you can imagine, unleashed a flood of memories, good, bad, and indifferent. There were some letters from friends I met in college, dear sisters in Christ, who showed me how vibrant life in Christ could be, and I was prompted to give thanks to God for putting them in my life. There were birthday letters from my Grandpa Jones that I am sure I didn't fully appreciate at the time I received them, but he's been gone for nearly ten years now and I'm moved by the little things he thought I'd enjoy. There was a card from my mom that must have accompanied a finals week care package; she said she knew she was being a bad influence on me but it was hard to send carrots through the mail. I think I remember that care package; I'm pretty sure there was a generous quantity of Oreos. :-)

But there were also things from my past that didn't bring smiles to my face. Seeing the things that my teenage self thought important to save, I realized how much I lived for the approval of others. Like the books from camps. Our church camps usually ended with yearbook-signing-type events. (I'm pretty sure we called them something other than yearbooks but I can't remember what. Any help, Megan?) I remember reading and re-reading the comments from people whose approval I craved, especially if they were male. I guess it made me feel better about myself but from this side of high school I see the discontent and small view of God behind my actions. I can't look back with regret; a sovereign God directed the path that brought me to where I am now, but how thankful I am that God has "[made] known to me the path of life; in [His] presence is fullness of joy" (from Psalm 16). That kind of stuff was easy to get rid of.

All my journals, though...I didn't even touch them last night. I predict that if I were to read them now, about 90% would be painful recollections of high school crushes and putting my hope in the wrong things. While I doubt there is much I would actually want to keep secret, I think there is little that would edify a future reader like my daughter. I hope and pray that Jesus is Esther's first love from a young age and that she will be thereby spared much of what I thought and felt as I sought the approval of man. But the other 10% of those journals might hold memories worth keeping, like what the first days of high school and college were like. So someday (soon?) I will go through them and extract the good, and as for the rest...anyone want to come over and make smores over a nice little fire?

Off to School

2011-08-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

I sent Austin off to school this morning, of a sort, Vacation Bible School. Our church doesn't do a VBS but a friend told me about a local church holding one that has a class for 3 year olds. Austin LOVES going to Children's Ministry at church so I thought this would be a lovely break in our routine for a week.

And I think it will be a wonderful experience for him, but there was a surprising amount of emotion at drop-off time this morning. All from me; Austin had his usual "this is gonna be fun!" attitude and hardly blinked when I said good-bye. But as I walked out of the sanctuary and turned around to glance back at him (he was sitting calmly on the pew, just looking around at all the people) I thought "Can this be real? Is my baby boy old enough to be dropped off at 'school' of any kind and left for the morning?" Part of me, most of me, knows he'll be totally fine but of course there's another small part that wonders how he'll do on his own for three whole hours. (That wondering mostly revolves around whether he will go potty as needed when I'm not there to tell him to do it. :-) Gotta love this stage.)

Although I've enjoyed some extra time to myself this morning while Esther naps and have gotten A LOT more done than usual, I felt so strongly this morning that I would not want this to be the whole future. Sending my kids off to school every morning and not seeing them all day. Wondering what they're learning and who they're playing with. Missing the little lightbulbs that go off when they figure something out. Seeing the excitement when we do a new activity. Goodness, I'm making myself tear up just thinking about all this. There are many, many reasons why we are choosing to homeschool, but simple time with our kids is certainly not the least among them.

Speaking of time with my kids, it's time to get Munchkin #2 out of bed. One-on-one playtime with my baby girl is a rare thing and I'm going to enjoy it in the next hour before I get Austin.

It Won't Be Long...

2011-08-05T13:30:00.000-04:00

...before this girl is walking on her own.

Hide and Seek

2011-08-03T10:50:00.001-04:00

Zach taught Austin how to play hide-and-seek last week. It’s Austin’s favorite game now; he wants to play it every time we’re outside. Here’s how a typical game might go.

Austin: (while wriggling under the castle slide) Let’s play hide-and-seek!

Zach: Okay, but you’re supposed to wait to hide until I count. I can see you right now so that’s not hiding, that’s just being.

Austin: It’s okay if I hide here. Count to 10.

Zach: Okay. (closing eyes) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…

Austin: Daddy! You have to count by the tree!

Zach: (going over to the tree) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! Hmm, where could he be? (exaggerated searching around our small yard)

Austin: Here I am!

So, we’ll keep working on the rules. J

Videos from This Week

2011-08-02T22:50:00.000-04:00

The kids have been awfully cute this week...

Catching Up, Kinda Sorta

2011-07-30T22:18:00.000-04:00

Hmm, at some point I had all sorts of plans to blog more about our trip to Texas, celebrating Esther's birthday in Missouri, our trip to the beach, and a few other things I can't even remember right now. I can blame the death of our previous laptop for some of that; perhaps I can blame our ongoing basement painting project for the rest. Zach and I have spent many of our evenings after the kids go to bed downstairs with paintbrushes in our hands but we are nearing the end. It WILL be done before he goes back to school. :)

But there are at least a few things I want to put in writing (should I say put in typing?), if for no other reason than that I will know where to look when I eventually get around to finishing Esther's baby book. (Which is another project I'd like to finish this summer...or maybe I should say I'd like to finish by the end of 2011 and raise my chances of success.)

Esther started pulling up while we were on vacation with my family. Then she immediately climbed an entire staircase. She has gotten steadier every day since then so we expect first steps pretty soon.
Esther's first tooth popped out on Wednesday. That's a day shy of 13 months. Finally!
Esther gives Zach and I kisses when we ask for them. Big sloppy ones right on the mouth. This, I think, is my favorite thing ever.
Esther is into EVERYTHING she shouldn't be into. She loves to pull Austin's school supplies off the shelf, pull down the toilet paper roll, play with Daddy's alarm clock, pull up on the floor lamp, touch the dishwasher when it's open...sweet but busy is my girl.

And what about Austin? He is getting more independent, which is good on the one hand as he has always tended to be a needy child, but scary, too, as he wants to just head outside on his own when he feels like it (we live on a busy street so bad idea) or pull entire gallons of milk out of the fridge by himself heedless of what he may knock down in the process. "Ask first" we say over and over these days. Parenting Austin continues to be challenging, to say the least. Statements of unarguable fact such as "You put the bag in the stroller" are met with responses like "It's not a bag, Daddy" many times a day. (This was an actual example from last night's outing to the mall.) "Do everything without complaining or arguing" was one of the first memory verses we taught Austin...let's just say we're still working on the application. :) We are trying to use these episodes to teach Austin about the sinfulness of his heart because as he fights against Mommy and Daddy of course he is really fighting against God. His heart seems so hard sometimes but I believe God is at work. No doubt about it, being a parent requires a heavy dose of faith.

Okay, it's late but I'll post just a few pictures of this and that from the last month or so.

Esther's first time in the ocean. She loved it! Even on the days when the water was quite cold she wanted to play in the waves.

Esther's first trip up the stairs, with the gracious company of her brother and cousin.

This was at the science museum in Fort Worth. Austin loves grocery shopping, real or pretend. We never have behavior problems at the grocery store and he asks as soon as we go in if he'll be able to help me put stuff on the conveyor belt. (I wish I could remember how he says that; I know it's cute.) And at home he likes to hand play food to me and have me swipe it across my lap and beep, like I'm the checker and he's the customer. So this exhibit was perfect, naturally.

At the pool in my parents' neighborhood. Don't know why but I love this picture.

Matching

2011-07-22T22:10:00.000-04:00

I did not mean to dress my kids in matching clothes today; Austin started the day off in something different but a half hour playing outside in the 90+ degree heat called for a bath and a wardrobe change. I pulled a shirt and shorts out of the closet for him, then realized when Esther woke up from her nap that I had little twinkies. So of course I had to take pictures.

We do not have a nice camera; ours is sloooooow. So while both kids were originally looking happily at the camera, Esther turned away in multiple attempts, maybe so she could see her brother's cheesy smile.

Guess the two and a half hour nap wasn't enough?

He may drive me crazy for large parts of the day but I sure do love this boy.

This pretty much sums up the sibling relationship.

I don't think Esther was trying to hit Austin in the face with the shape sorter lid, but you could only call it self-defense if she did.

Aww, three seconds of happily playing together. A preview of things to come in future years, I hope.

A "Death" in the Family

2011-07-06T20:57:00.000-04:00

Our laptop died last week. You could say it went to sleep and never woke up: it worked at my parents' house Tuesday night while I worked on Esther's one year blog post, then it traveled home with us to Pennsylvania and when I tried to turn it on Thursday night to pay some bills...nothing. So we were without a computer at home for several days while Zach did some research. (Oh, how thankful I am that he is willing to do that. My head starts to spin if I look at techy websites and try to compare one laptop to another.) He made a decision a few days ago, placed an order, and after a little family trip to Pittsburgh last night we are the proud owners of a new Toshiba laptop. I am still getting used to the keyboard layout but otherwise like it just fine. (Thankful for Zach again; he is doing all the work of loading software and transferring stuff from our old hard drive.)

But this past week...quite interesting. You sure do realize how much time you waste on the computer when you don't have it all of a sudden. I haven't been on a total internet fast; Zach's mom just gave us her old ipod touch so I have been able to check email, but the process of browsing on an ipod is too arduous to do more than the minimum. So I've basically been ignoring my Google Reader, Facebook, and the dozens of little curiosities that might send me online in the course of a normal day. And what do you know, my quality of life hasn't suffered a bit.

But excuse me, I think I'll go read some blogs and see what my friends have been up to lately. :)

One Year Old Esther

2011-06-28T22:53:00.001-04:00

Unbelievable. That's how it feels that our baby girl (if it's even fair to call her a baby anymore) is turning one year old today. One year ago we had a normal Monday planned. One year ago I woke up and continued to feel Braxton Hicks contractions as I had for several days but thought I'd ask my doctor about them at the next day's appointment. One year ago we sat on the back porch and read the newspaper while Austin played in the yard. One year ago we took an afternoon walk that ended by jogging up the hill towards our house because of a sudden light rain shower. One year ago we ate dinner like usual and started to load the dishwasher. One year ago my water broke in the middle of loading the dishwasher and we scrambled to find someone to watch Austin before we headed to the hospital. One year ago our little Esther popped into the world after a short labor and two pushes. One year ago we marveled at the miracle of a new baby as we gazed at her through the side of her isolette.

But today...

Esther weighs about 19 pounds, according to the scale in my parents' bathroom. That's the same weight the Wii gave her last month. Hmm. We won't have an official weight until her one year checkup on July 18.
Esther has learned how to clap and wave. She started doing that stuff right after she started crawling. It was an exciting week.
Esther can't quite pull up to standing yet but gosh she seems close. Any day now.
Esther's ability to feed herself has really taken off this month. She can now eat pretty much whatever the rest of the family is eating. Sometimes she hardly eats anything, then she'll surprise us one night and eat a huge meal.
Esther starts flinging food off her tray when she's done. I think she learned that from her cousin Milo.
I find the variety of foods she eats impressive given that she STILL has no teeth. She has continued to be fussy the last few days though. They've got to come soon, right?
Esther likes ice cream. When the family got soft serve a few weeks ago, I gave her a little bit. Then she went "ah ah ah ah" until given another. And so on. Sheesh.
Esther does not like cow's milk much. She is still nursed three times a day but I've been trying to give her a little additional whole milk with a morning snack. She'll take a few sips then push the cup away.
Esther has a toy cell phone. She pushes the buttons and then holds it up by her head. I don't remember teaching her to do that. Kids these days!
Esther also likes to play with Daddy's Ipod Touch. She scoots her little finger over it like she was born with a piece of technology in her hand. Good grief.
Esther can play catch. If you roll a ball to her, she'll pick it up, hold her arm out, and drop it. Of course, she usually holds her arm out to the side so the ball generally rolls away from her playmate but it's fun nonetheless.
Esther continues to be a mommy's girl. When she wants me to pick her up she crawls over and butts her head against my leg.
BUT...Esther happily spent an hour in the crawler's room at Pops and Gran's church and didn't cry. Making progress.
Although I think it's fair to say I'm Esther's favorite person, she has been saying "Daddy" semi-regularly for a few weeks. She says "Mommy" occasionally but Daddy more often. Needless to say, she is one of our favorite people.

Esther Bug, I love you more than words can say. You bring joy to my life every day and I am so grateful that God gifted me with a daughter!

Esther's 1st Birthday, the Texas Edition

2011-06-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

Although Esther's birthday is not until Tuesday, we celebrated with our Texas family this weekend. (We will get to celebrate again with my side of the family in a few days, stay tuned!) Our kids are blessed (as are we) to have such a big, loving extended family. We really enjoyed the day with Gran and Pops, Uncle Heath, Granny and Grampa Collins (Zach's grandparents), Aunt Debbie and Uncle Paddy and their baby Faith (whom we met for the first time since God brought her to them through adoption), and Paddy's mom, "Mrs. Patty." Unfortunately Esther seems to be on the verge of getting her first teeth and frankly, had one of her fussiest days ever, but there were lots of loving arms to hold and comfort her.

I used a ladybug theme, of course, for my little Esther Bug. My friend Laura taught me how to make these cupcakes, and she also gave me the idea for the tablecloth.

They're watching you!

This one's watching you, too!

Esther had fun opening her presents and playing with her new toys.

It's not just me, right? This girl is ADORABLE.

And then of course there was the cake. Once she got going, this little chocoholic didn't stop until most of the cupcake was in her tummy or on her face. Yeah, that's my girl!

Esther wasn't the only one covered in cupcake. Austin took those frosting-covered hands and rubbed them in his hair! Ah, that's what bathtubs are for.

Happy early birthday, Esther! And fond remembrances of my Grandma Irene, from whom Esther gets her middle name, who died 18 years ago today.

Vacation

2011-06-23T10:04:00.000-04:00

I am feeling rather lazy of late but why not? We're on vacation! Nine days ago we packed up our van and began the long journey to visit our family in Texas. Three days later we arrived, after a pit stop in the Kansas City area to surprise my mom for her birthday. (Props to my sister for arranging everything so Mom was completely shocked to see us. So fun.) When people hear we drive to places as far away as Texas they tend to react like we're a bit crazy but to us crazy is being strapped into an airplane with two little ones and no way out. At least in the car if they fuss no one hears but us. :) Actually, I think our kids do pretty well in the car and Zach and I enjoy road trips ourselves. Esther keeps herself occupied with toys and besides asking for snacks ("sumpin to eat an sumpin to dwink") every two minutes, Austin handles himself well, too.

But here we are and it has certainly been nice to NOT be in the car all the time for the last five days. We have been staying quite busy: a Rangers game on Monday, the science and technology museum on Tuesday, the zoo yesterday...and of course lots of rock throwing in the pond out back. I have been loving all the time to read while the kids nap or after bedtime. Just finished In the Company of Others by Jan Karon (from her Father Tim series; if you haven't read her stuff I highly recommend it) and have started the Duggars' book plus my book group's July selection, Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. I don't think that last one is a book I'd choose on my own but since I'm hosting next month's meeting I figured reading the book would be nice.

Zach and I have enjoyed some child-free evenings revisiting places from our past. There's a mile-long walking/jogging path near Bill and Becky's old house on which Zach and I took many late evening walks the first year we were married; we did two loops Sunday night at 9pm in the 95 degree heat. Of course that called for strawberry limeades at Sonic afterward. Then last night we had dinner at Razzoo's in downtown Fort Worth and just wandered around a bit. Lots of good downtown memories from college. We do love this town.

I have been pretty good about taking pictures but haven't put them on the computer yet. Later, I promise.

A Little Explanation

2011-06-11T15:58:00.000-04:00

A few people asked why Austin is in physical therapy so I thought I'd give a word of explanation. He is a toe walker. We asked our pediatrician about it at his two year and two and a half year checkups and was told "it's just a habit" but at three years we felt like it was something that needed to be addressed before the habit became unbreakable. So we've been going to PT for about two months. Although he was wary at first, Austin loves it now. He gets to climb and jump on all sorts of fun equipment and Carole usually lets him drop a parachute-wearing "Buzz Lightenyear" over the lobby's second floor railing before we go home. Carole thinks Austin's issue was initially due to both habit and some muscle weakness but she thinks his strength is improving and we're mostly dealing with the habit now. So if you see my son, feel free to remind him to walk on his whole foot. :)

Just a Few Cute Things I Don't Want to Forget

2011-06-10T10:35:00.001-04:00

Austin has said some awfully cute things this week and I don't want to forget them.

Austin calls physical therapy "mickle serapy." This always brings a smile to my face.
At physical therapy this week, Carole (the physical therapist) asked if Austin was going to do anything fun this weekend. Zach prompted him to talk about our upcoming trip to Texas, asking "Who are we going to see in Texas?" Austin replied "The Wan-gers! And we gonna wear our hats!" (Zach and Austin have matching Rangers hats and Zach had told him that we'll probably go to a game while we're there.)
At the park a few days ago Austin desperately wanted Zach to play with him instead of Esther. He said "Daddy, I think you need me! You neeeeed me! You neeeeed me!" Projecting his feelings a bit, hmm?

Anniversary Outing

2011-06-09T16:49:00.000-04:00

Zach and I celebrated nine years of marriage this week! Our wonderful and generous date night-swapping friends Liz and Scott said they would watch our kids for a longer-than-usual date if we wanted to do something special. A few days later I found out that the Duggars were going to be in Pittsburgh to sign their new book. I'm a fan so this was exciting news for me!

Obviously people have differing opinions about this particular family, but I think they're fantastic. Although we don't agree with 100% of their beliefs, I think we share all the essentials of the Christian faith. They are genuine, loving, and glorify God with their words and actions. And in person, they seem pretty much the same as they do on TV.

The whole family is on tour so Barnes and Noble had four tables set up full of Duggars. We were directed to a table with Anna, Jessa, Jeremiah, and Johannah. (I was kind of disappointed that you were only allowed to go one table, especially since there was not a huge crowd but oh well, you take what you get.) I could hardly believe that Anna came on this tour; she is due to have a baby in a couple of weeks! Now I don't personally know what it is like to be 38 weeks pregnant but I'm pretty sure traveling hundreds of miles from home wouldn't have been on my to-do list! She said she and Josh were very excited to be there, though.

We were told that posed pictures at the table wouldn't be allowed and it was hard to get good shots from the line but here are a few I managed to snap.

The family sang before going to the table to sign books. It was sweet to hear all the little ones' voices joining in loud and proud.

Don't you just love Johannah's signature?

I took this in the parking lot when Zach and I came out of P.F. Chang's where we ate lunch after the signing. It's hard to see, but John David, Jinger, Josh, and one of the little boys were throwing a football around. I thought that was so neat--I have heard them talk about their siblings being their best friends and I think this shows that they really mean it.

A Few Cute Pictures

2011-06-03T20:40:00.000-04:00

Just thought the grandparents would like to see the family this week. :)

Eleven Month Old Esther

2011-05-28T21:50:00.001-04:00

UPDATED: The Wii says Esther is 19 pounds. Zach and I have been noticing that she feels heavier lately so that sounds reasonable to us. How tall is she? Tall enough to make 12 month clothes fit nicely. And we have such cute clothes. (Thanks, Grandma!)
Esther has been crawling for two days now and what a change that makes in our life! We are not used to walking into a room and having to look around for her.
Crawling gives Esther increased access to some of her favorite not-baby-friendly items: shoes (yuck, why do babies like to chew on shoes?), little puzzle pieces, plastic bags (that the little puzzle pieces are supposed to be in).
Good thing for me, Esther seems to understand the word no. She usually stops moving toward something if I say "Esther, no." Of course maybe she's just stopping because she hears her name. But whatever, it works.
Esther likes books. Especially Austin's books. She can totally tell the difference between paper books and board books and she prefers the former.
Esther likes to hand things back and forth to Mommy or Daddy. She also likes to take things out of baskets or boxes and put them back.
Esther cries if you take something away from her that she wants. Like shoes, little puzzle pieces, and plastic bags.
Esther still has no teeth. Surely soon, right? She has been gnawing on my shoulder a lot lately and it feels like something is in there.
When Esther knows she's about to be picked up, she lifts her arms up toward you. I love it love it love it.
Esther is Mommy's girl. She loves her daddy, sure, but I think she prefers me to all others. Sorry, Zach, I love this too.
Except I don't love it so much when I'd like Esther to go to childcare. I tried putting her in the baby room at MOPS this week for the first time. (She has typically been napping at that time in the past.) She was crying inconsolably within three minutes. Took her out, nursed her, played a bit, tried again. Same thing. Sigh. This is new territory for us. Austin has never fussed about being left with someone.
We have been trying to move Esther's bedtime to 8:00 (which is Austin's bedtime, too) so that we can do family stuff in the evenings like go to parks or go for walks. Staying up a bit later has not been a big deal for Esther, but she and Austin are having a terrible time falling asleep in the same room. Typical sibling stuff, laughing at each other and playing around.
Esther is still napping well. Her naps are generally starting later, which means they often don't overlap with Austin's nap at all. Oh well, he seems about ready to give up his nap.
Esther continues to be a joyful baby who lights up our life. I can't believe it's been almost a year!

Little Mover

2011-05-27T19:21:00.000-04:00

We have a crawler! About time, huh? For eleven months Esther has seemed pretty content to sit still, no rolling from place to place for her. But now she's on the move. Her crawling is such a cute little scoot right now, don't you think? Let the fun begin!

Night at the Ballpark

2011-05-26T09:15:00.002-04:00

We went to an Altoona Curve baseball game last night. (They're the Pittsburgh Pirates' AA team.) What a great evening! After seemingly endless days of rain, it was mostly sunny and in the 70s at gametime. It was "Two-for-Tuesday," which meant that you got two-for-the-price-of-one tickets, hot dogs, and popcorn. Dinner and entertainment for the whole family for a hair under $25--what a deal! Austin sat and watched the game for a few innings, then we busied ourselves with eating hot dogs, visiting the Fun Zone, and running up and down the mostly empty aisles. It was a late night for the kids but we had a wonderful time and are really glad to have such a family-friendly sports team within easy driving distance.

In Austin's own words, "I was tyin to wun away." He sure was. But I tickled him and got a smile. :)

While we were eating our hot dogs an elderly gentleman who was part of the security staff came up and asked Austin for a french fry. Austin wordlessly offered up the half-eaten one in his hand. The man liked Austin's willingness to share so he gave him a baseball! It hardly left Austin's hand the rest of the evening.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-05-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I know it's a Christmas song, but I have been singing that song (at least the first line) in my head a lot the last two weeks. Because Zach is off work for the summer and that makes it the best time of our year! When we have those weeks in October or February where he has to work loooong hours or is gone every night at rehearsals and concerts, I look ahead at the reward to come, and here it is!

So with Zach being home so much now and sweetly sharing the responsibilities of children and household, I have no excuse for not blogging...oops. So what have we been up to?

Lots of snuggle time and playtime with Daddy:

Ironically, as Zach is done with school for awhile, Austin and I have started doing a bit of preschool each day. A couple of month ago I would have said that just-barely-three is too young to start doing school but it's really working for where we are right now. Austin is a rather needy child; he wants Mommy and Daddy's attention all the time. Playing on his own is difficult for him. So while of course we try to encourage him to be independent sometimes, our school time is one-on-one time (while Esther naps) that Austin loves.

Austin loves our "a-tivities." I'm using Confessions of a Homeschooler's Letter of the Week curriculum. Although Austin already knows his letters and sounds, I think he is getting a lot out of it, especially fine motor development and increasing his attention span. And there's a memory verse to go along with each letter, which is good discipline for both of us.

Doing a letter I "poke page" with a toothpick.

This is the kind of smile on demand you get these days. This is a number matching activity made extra fun because the pieces have velcro. The tree on the right is our letter tree that we add to each week. I'm kinda proud of that thing. Not my idea, but I managed to make one that is cute if I do say so.

Zach and I are tossing around ideas for home projects we could do in the next three months. One that is already in progress is painting our basement. We have done one coat but I didn't take a picture of that yet so you'll just have to wait until it is finished. It will be a medium blue ("Valor") with white trim. This will be our schoolroom someday, FYI. We also have plans to paint Zach's music room (which is through the doorway on the left) this summer.

The official "before" picture. See how low the ceiling is? No ladder required for this project.

Just one more picture of the kids, in a rare moment of playing together in which Austin is not climbing on Esther or taking a toy from her. Hope for the future. :)

Afternoon Fun

2011-05-02T07:23:00.000-04:00

I think watching Esther wave her arms in the air like this is one of my favorite things right now. She did it about a dozen times at dinner tonight, clearly because she got such a response out of Mommy and Daddy each time. Even Austin started going "yay!" each time. Fun stuff.

Ten Month Old Esther

2011-04-28T13:43:00.000-04:00

No official weight, but Wii Fit says Esther is 18 pounds. Hmm, I'm not sure about that. I'd guess a bit less. But her appetite does seem to have increased in the last couple of weeks.
I hear that Esther looks like her brother all the time. I have trouble seeing it but I believe it since it seems to be a fact so widely agreed upon.
I have done moderately well with my plan to introduce Esther to more finger foods and foods with more texture. Bits of bread spread with hummus are a recent new food that has been well received.
Esther has gotten into the habit (TOTALLY enabled by me) of waking up in the 5:00 hour for a feeding. Then she usually sleeps until 6:30 or 7. (Before I started doing her morning feeding so early she was waking up for the day around 6, if not a bit earlier.) This new schedule encourages me to get out of bed and shower and read my Bible before Austin wakes up. But every once in a while I'd like to really sleep in...oh well, can't have everything.
Esther has been a great napper this month. Two naps, an hour and a half each, is now the norm. Finally.
Esther doesn't crawl yet, but when she's sitting up she leans over really far, often landing on her tummy. She looks like she wants to crawl but nothing so far.
Esther waves, sort of. Not on cue, but she likes to put one or both hands in the air and wave them around. Since it is usually accompanied by a smile, this move is adorable.
Esther loves toys that light up. (Yes, the battery operated toys whose universality I lamented a few weeks back.) She gets so excited when things start flashing.
Esther says ma-ma-ma and da-da-da and some other sounds. (ga, ba, the usuals) Zach thinks she says ma-ma-ma when she wants something like food or a nap.
Esther is now in Austin's old carseat, the Britax Roundabout. No more infant seat.
Fortunately for me, since she can't just hang out in the infant seat when we're out doing errands, she is really content to sit on the floor and play with whatever I can find to give her. Example: being totally content playing with the wipes for nearly half an hour in the bank while we waited to use the coin-counting machine.
Content though she is most of the time, Esther does get frustrated if she can't have a toy/object she wants. Like the camera's USB cable she wanted to pull out of the computer as I worked on this post.
Whoa, did this month go by fast or what? Let's slow down as we approach one year!

Sleeping Beauty

2011-04-27T15:16:00.000-04:00

Sideways in the crib, blanket on the face...doesn't look comfy to me on an 80 degree day, but she's been asleep a long time, who am I to judge? (Yes, she's breathing, I checked.)

Just Call Me Soccer Mom

2011-04-26T23:14:00.000-04:00

We've gone from this...

...to this!

Yes, after nine years and 140,000 miles we've traded in our little car for a minivan. They were good years; lots of memories in that Alero. But two kids and two tubas do not fit in your average four-door sedan, let alone an extra kiddo or two that we hope we'll be blessed with someday. So we've been saving for a few years, knowing this day would come, and here it is, our new ride. It is a 2010 Kia Sedona with about 19000 miles on it. We were pleased to find a relatively "young" used car in our budget; we even get the balance of the original warranty. We have several trips planned for the summer and this van will be a real blessing with so much extra room. I'm excited for all the memories we'll make in our new vehicle as we travel down life's road, literally and metaphorically.

Something to Check Out

2011-04-20T13:48:00.000-04:00

I won an internet giveaway this week! Winning something is always fun, right? I won a book from Real Hope for Haiti, so I wanted to invite you to check out their website. They didn't ask me to link to them; I just want to share what they're doing with you. God has really given me a heart for the Haitian people through their work. They truly serve the "least of these." I had heard that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere but now I understand what that means: fathers who can't feed their newborns after a mother dies in childbirth, children burned by cooking fires, hundreds suffering from cholera (the epidemic is still going on, even though it's no longer news in the U.S.)...Charles, Lori, Licia, Enoch and their staff help with all these problems and so much more. They are heroes of the faith in my eyes. So check them out!

Taking Advantage of Grandma (or her nice camera, at least)

2011-04-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

Esther's first barrette

Austin's birthday cake. I am rather proud of this. The idea was mine, but I have my mom to thank (Thanks, Mom!) for the execution of my vision. She is way better with frosting than me.

Birthday presents from his best buddies Noah and Micah, who picked out the recorder and the truck themselves. Yep, music and vehicles, that's my boy.

Attempting to get a nice picture of both kiddos...I like how they have similar expressions here

Sidewalk chalk from Grandma. You can't see much because he didn't actually draw much, but the idea of it sure excited him.

Attempting to get a family picture. They were all some variation of this: Austin looking anywhere but the camera, Esther looking at Austin to see what in the world he was doing.

Have I mentioned how amazed I am to have this daughter? Still amazed, after nine months. Esther is just pure joy poured into my life on a daily basis.

She looks all cute and girly here, but what you can't see is Lofty the crane (one of "Bob's fends," as Austin would say) that she's playing with.

After Dinner Playtime

2011-04-19T21:11:00.000-04:00

Tonight was one of those nights where the whole family played upstairs after dinner and the kids were just adorable. Happy, busy, and adorable.

Esther was honing her basketball skills.

She loves the lights that come on when you make a basket...don't think she's figured out yet that you have to make a basket to get the lights, though.

Austin, on the other hand, was feeling more of a culinary bent tonight. He and Daddy, aka Buzz and Woody, were cooking up a pineapple souffle. (We've been reading Babar Learns to Cook recently, in which Queen Celeste cooks a strawberry souffle.) Woody asked Buzz what they needed to add besides pineapple. Buzz promptly replied "gahlic" and "salt and peppeh." Woody suggested they might need some wet ingredients, too. "Milk and eggs," replied Buzz. So of course then it was time to mix it all up.

What a nice night. So thankful for my little family.

Clapping

2011-04-14T15:10:00.000-04:00

Esther hasn't figured out how to clap her hands yet. She can, however, clap mine.

She is doing all the work here. So fun.

Three!

2011-04-10T21:38:00.000-04:00

Three Things We Love to Hear Austin Say
1. yizard (lizard)
2. Can we fick-it? (Can we fix it, from Bob the Builder)
3. oyive oil (olive oil)

Three Books Austin Loves to Read
1. Busy Day, Busy People
2. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
3. Click, Clack, Moo

Three Foods Austin Loves to Eat
1. fruit
2. yogurt
3. frozen custard from the Meadows (we're raising him on the good stuff)

Three Songs Austin Loves to Sing
1. The "A-B-C-D Song"
2. Be Thou My Vision
3. She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain

Three Activities Austin Loves
1. playing with trucks
2. watching videos
3. wrestling with Daddy

Three Ways Austin is Like Mommy and Daddy
1. he has good pitch
2. he can be a bit obsessive about cleaning up messes
3. he loves Esther

Three Ways Austin is NOT Like Mommy and Daddy
1. he still has some potty training accidents
2. he likes to chew on non-food items (like his toy yizard)
3. he shows his love for Esther by "patting" (banging) on her head and "giving her a hug" (pushing her to the floor)

Three Prayers for His Future
1. that potty training would come to an end...soon!
2. that he would continue to learn obedience and his place in God's world
3. that he would grow to know and love Jesus

Three Amazing Years, as Shown in Four Pictures

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. I can't believe you're three already! I love you so much.

Almost Three

2011-04-09T06:23:00.000-04:00

For months I have been hearing from friends that the terrible twos are a myth, three is the really challenging age. And now I see what they were talking about! In the last month my sweet, usually compliant boy has turned into a still-sweet-yet-tantrum-throwing-at-the-drop-of-a-hat boy. Gone are the days of quick obedience! The littlest things lead to ten minutes of yelling. Example: We put the kiddos to bed in two layers of pjs for warmth, but after the morning trip to the potty it makes sense (to me) to just put one layer of pants back on before breakfast. Two mornings this week that unpopular decision on my part has led to all-out wailing, and twenty minutes later at the breakfast table, while suppressing a sob, the murmured comment "I just 'kyin' cause I not wearing two pants." In fact, "I just 'kyin' because..." is probably the most oft-heard phrase in our house right now. Sheesh.

My pastor Stephen posted something on his blog a while back that has been really helpful to me as we face these new challenges. He says that when he was growing up, his dad Mark (who is our senior pastor) expected him to be a sinner, so he never acted surprised when Stephen messed up. Instead, he (Mark) reacted with grace and patience, knowing that he, too, was a sinner. It is so easy for me to became frustrated and impatient with Austin these days (there's my sin coming out) but I am trying to remember that this phase is completely natural and to be expected, really. The Bible is so clear that we are all sinful creatures by nature so of course my little ones will act like it sooner or later. The more tantrums we go through, the more chances I have to point him to the One who has provided the only solution for our sin. If you mention Jesus, Austin will tell you that "Jesus died on da coss to be punished for all da bad tings we done." : ) That's a big truth that I pray he will understand more and more.

Baseball According to Austin

2011-04-01T18:17:00.000-04:00

So baseball season has started. Not a big deal to me so much, but quite important to certain members of my household. Well, one member in particular, plus the little ones he's attempting to indoctrinate.

So anyway, Zach has been trying to explain baseball to Austin this afternoon as they watch the Rangers season opener. Here's Austin's recap of a play they saw: "the man with the ball threw it to the bat man." It was a "home wun." And Zach says he's cheering for the guys in red shirts, but Austin likes the guys in black shirts. It's about time the umpires got some love, don't you think?

Some Thoughts on Toys

2011-03-29T16:27:00.002-04:00

My mom saved TONS of books and toys from when my sister and I were little. At one time I might have thought this was a bit excessive but now, as a parent, I'm pretty grateful. When you watch my kiddos play with stuff that's a few decades old you have to realize that they just don't make toys like they used to. Sounds pretty cliche but it's true.

Check out the toy Esther has below. I don't even know what to call it--a little spinning activity center, I guess. There's a dial to turn, buttons to slide back and forth, a little bunny on a spring...and (gasp!) no lights or electronic sounds. And yet my baby (and my preschooler) like to play with it.

Sometimes simpler is better, you know? Mom and I browsed the toy store this week looking for birthday gifts for Austin and I was a bit frustrated with how few non-battery-operated choices you have these days. Not that lights and sounds are always bad on a toy, but I think flashy toys should be the exception, not the rule.

Gotta add one thing...has anybody else read the Sesame Street books? My mom must have two or three dozen of them; we were part of one of those clubs where you got a book or two each month. Well, they're great! At least, we think so. Austin sure loves them. It's funny, we have only watched Sesame Street on TV once or twice but he knows all the characters...the old ones, anyway.

Thanks, Mom, for maintaining a full basement so my kids could have such great stuff when we visit. :)

Nine Month Old Esther

2011-03-28T15:26:00.003-04:00

At nine months and a few days, Esther weighs 16 pounds 9 ounces (9th percentile) and is 27 3/4 inches long (49th percentile). She is our long, skinny girl.
I have been trying to introduce Esther to more finger foods. (I think I have a tendency to be too cautious about this.) She has had Ritz crackers, bits of banana and watermelon, pasta, rolls...my goal is to expand this list greatly in the next month.
Esther is down to four nursing sessions a day.
This was another rough month, sleep-wise. Lots of night waking, sometimes for brief periods and sometimes for hours. Esther just likes to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy in the middle of the night, I think. And we have tolerated that much more than we ever did with Austin.
Esther proved herself to be an awesome car traveler this month when we drove to my parents' house in Missouri. She amused herself for hours just playing with toys in her carseat. Hardly fussed at all.
Esther also proved herself to be kind of a clingy Mommy's girl on that trip. It took her half a day to warm up to my mom and at least another day to allow my dad to hold her without crying. My parents remind me that I was totally the same way.
When strangers talk to Esther (while I am holding her), she lays her head against me and holds on to my shirt. She'll look at the people, but it is clear she wants to feel secure with me. Sweet baby.
Esther loves loves loves her brother. He talks baby talk to her, and they sit and laugh at each other. The pure love they have for each other amazes me.
Esther loves necklaces. On other people, I mean. She likes to play with them and chew on them, if allowed. It occurs to me that this is not new this month; I've just never thought of it before as I wrote my monthly post. Plus, I hardly ever wear jewelry so I only notice it when we're around people wearing necklaces.
Esther still doesn't like being on her tummy much so crawling seems a long way off.
I think my baby girl is the sweetest in the whole world. I am one blessed mommy.

Crafts

2011-03-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

As I think I've mentioned before, Austin has not historically been into crafts. He's agreeably done a few projects lately, though, and I think they're awfully cute. I like this new phase.

He made this at MOPS and was soooooo proud of it. I think the teacher presented it as an alien but Austin calls it his "man."

We made this at home. I got the idea from the Totally Tots blog, which I found recently and love.

He made this windsock at the library today. It may be the first time he's ever wanted to make the storytime craft.

Upside Down

2011-03-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

Practically guarantees a smile

Regression

2011-03-05T20:37:00.000-05:00

You might remember me posting waaaay back in January that we were potty training Austin, and I reported that on day 3 things seemed to click. And I wasn't making it up, he really seemed to get it and for a few days I went around (proudly) thinking that we had a potty trained two year old.

HA! Pride goes before a fall, as they say. It wasn't very long afterward that Austin started having a lot of little accidents: he would run to the bathroom but not until his underwear were a little wet. This happened once or twice a day and as you can imagine it was pretty frustrating for me. It was especially irritating that it didn't seem to bother Austin at all. He pretty much stopped ever telling me he needed to go potty, although he would go if I told him to. So I got pretty good at telling him to go at the appropriate times and some days we managed to stay dry. I didn't like it but I thought things could only get better.

HA! Little did I know. About a week ago Austin started making puddles of the kind not seen since day 1 of potty training. The I-didn't-even-try-to-make-it-to-the-bathroom kind of puddles, and to top it off he doesn't tell me afterward, I just get to discover him with soaked pants. This has happened once a day nearly every day in the past week. And again, he doesn't seem the least bit bothered by this.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, since I can't scream out loud I just had to get that out. I AM SO FRUSTRATED! I feel like we are doing all the right things but it's gone from bad to worse. After two months, we're definitely not going back to diapers but life feels pretty ridiculous. Based on what happened the first week we were training, I really do think he can recognize his body's signals; I guess it's just not that important to him.

When will this end?

Dinner

2011-03-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

I should probably feel some guilt about what I fed Austin for dinner tonight. If you can even call it dinner, which is debatable. Our town's new convention center/athletic complex (the KCAC) opened this afternoon with a public event, and this being a smallish town it was THE place to be. Seriously, I probably saw 40 or 50 people I know including my dentist, numerous friends from church, and the friend who brought her kids to my house for a playdate this morning.

Anyway, this event included free food. Food such as giant muffins from our brand new Giant Eagle grocery store, all kinds of Utz brand chips (a regional brand that is the official snack food of the KCAC), and cake. Austin and I shared a bit of everything. But that's not all. The Meadows Frozen Custard opened for the season today and, well, we just had to go--it's been four months. If you've tasted it you understand. And since it was BOGO free, I figured the simplest and cheapest thing was to just get two kid-sized cups and give Austin his own. Which he nearly finished.

So that was Austin's "dinner." Like I said, I should probably feel guilty about it...but I don't. I think having a second child is definitely mellowing me out a bit.

Little Bookworm

2011-03-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

This is what I found when I went in to wake Austin up from his nap this afternoon. He is not supposed to get out of bed but how can I not be endeared by this scene? I don't know if he actually looked at the books or if they just served as comfort objects but I love it in any case. Austin has enjoyed being read to for quite some time but lately he has started looking at books on his own. This warms my heart so much because if there is one worldly thing I desire for my children, it is for them to love books. (Insert contented sigh here.)

Eight Month Old Esther

2011-02-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

Again, no official weight from the doctor, but Wii Fit said Esther is about 16 1/2 pounds.
Esther is now what I would call an independent sitter. Sure, she topples from time to time, but it is generally safe to leave her for a minute or two...if Austin is not around.
Being an independent sitter has also made Esther an independent player. Give her a pile of toys and she's good to go for awhile.
Esther still loves to chew on things but she also likes to wave her toys around and bang them against each other.
Esther likes to play with Austin's toys. I am starting to be very aware of just how many little pieces they have.
Esther rolls over more often than she has for the last few months, but if she's not in the mood she just lays on her tummy and cries til you pick her up.
Esther loves to stand. I am predicting that she will be like Austin: a late crawler who walks soon after learning to crawl.
Esther likes the Exersaucer quite a bit these days. I love to watch her lean over and talk to herself in the little mirror.
Esther has been waking up at night a lot this month. Most nights she goes back to sleep quickly if I just hold her for a few minutes. Teething is a possibility...but when is teething not a possibility?
On a good day, Esther's second of two or three naps lines up with Austin's nap and lasts an hour and a half. On an average day, Esther's three or four forty minute naps completely miss Austin's nap.
In addition to puff cereal, I gave Esther some little peach chunks the other day and she did really well with them. Mostly she eats purees, though.
Esther smiles when she sees people she knows and loves. She is pretty wary of strangers, though--when people try to smile and talk to her she cries if I am not directly in her line of sight.
If Esther wants attention (for example, from Daddy who might be working across the room) she looks over and makes little coughing sounds and coos until she gets what she wants.
Esther gets frustrated if I read to Austin with her in my lap. She clearly thinks the book would be put to better use in her mouth.
Esther does not like drinking juice or water from a sippy cup. I think she could benefit from some extra liquids but I have to give them through a medicine syringe.
Maybe it's the sitting up or the sounds she makes, but Esther seems much more grown up this month. A bittersweet realization.

Just Some Pictures

2011-02-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

Esther just gets cuter all the time. It's hard to get catch Austin with a nice smile in a picture these days, but Esther is my smiley girl.

I remember Austin playing in a laundry basket just like this when he was younger. Now it's Esther's turn--she can amuse herself for quite awhile in there.

I call this Esther's college student outfit. Long sweater: check. Leggings: check. Boots: check. Fun personality: check.

Esther, not content to rest on her laurels, has moved beyond pulling her socks off to the bigger and better Baby Legs.

Aww, I do have a picture where Austin looks nice. The kiddos were smiling at their Gran.

Solid food that's...well, solid

2011-02-22T21:31:00.000-05:00

Esther ate her first finger food today, sweet potato-flavored cereal puffs. (As an aside, is this the right time to introduce finger foods? I think Austin was older, and he didn't do very well with them for several weeks, but maybe that was just him.) As is apparent in the video, Esther did just fine. Surprised us how fast she figured out how to get the food to her mouth, in fact. Is there anything cuter than a baby trying to stick her whole fist in her mouth because she knows food is in there somewhere? I love it.

Esther ate cereal while we ate dinner tonight, keeping herself amused nicely. She amused us too, though...I looked over and saw this:

On Video at Last

2011-02-18T20:14:00.002-05:00

You might remember from the "Five Month Old Esther" post that my baby girl first rolled over at the beginning of November. Three months ago, a long time in the life of a baby. She's done it only sporadically since then, though, and we had not managed to catch her on video until today. I am trying my best to capture Esther's milestones on video like I did for Austin but she has not made it easy. We probably have an hour of video footage of her on her tummy NOT rolling over. I'll spare you that--here's the success.

Recent Pictures

2011-02-18T12:12:00.005-05:00

I realized today that I hadn't moved pictures from my camera to the computer in a few weeks, and of course looking at the pictures as I did that made me want to show you some. Because my kids are just so cute that I gotta share. :)

Gran's in town! Extra fun for everyone.

Hugs and Kisses (outfit) from Grandma Susan

Two of my three favorite people

As if there is any doubt that kids grow up fast, here is my baby boy on that digger such a short time ago.

Ambition

2011-02-11T21:25:00.002-05:00

Do you, like me, wake up in the morning and think "today is the day I'm going to accomplish X, Y, and Z plus a whole lot more"? And you really believe you can do it. And then twelve hours later you're putting the kids to bed and thinking "gee, what exactly did I do today, cause it sure wasn't the things I hoped to do?" That is me just about every day. I even made a little post-it note list today to try to stay on track. I managed to cross off three items, another is half done, and the rest...well, obviously I'm blogging right now and not cleaning my bathroom sinks.

Keeping two little people alive and well is a lot of work, period. Lately I've been tempted to feelings of failure because my home is not as clean as I'd like and I have so many unfinised projects. But I was listening to a message yesterday that my pastor gave at a parenting class and it really encouraged me. He said our job as parents is to pass on our worldview (who God is and who we are in relationship to Him) and to prepare our children for Judgment Day. Wow. I guess that's a little more important than a clean sink.

Me and My (Little) Man

2011-02-05T08:18:00.002-05:00

Just trying to be fair...picture of Esther yesterday, picture of Austin today. Not the most natural smile from the little one but I'll take it. Love this kid.

New Look

2011-02-04T21:49:00.002-05:00

Lately the idea of abiding has been coming at me from all directions: links posted by friends, my morning readings in 1 John, some blogs I follow. No surprise, God knows what I need to learn. The last few weeks have been quite challenging at home and so often I've found myself impatient, frustrated, harsh...I've had to take a deep breath and ask Austin's forgiveness more times than I care to admit. And then I read words like "Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." (1 John 2:28) Abide in Him. Only three words, but packed with so much meaning. I can't do this on my own. Only walking with Jesus minute by minute will allow me to be the calm, loving mommy I desire to be.

So with these thoughts floating around in my mind, I thought it was time for a few changes to the blog. Because a few thousand people are living in Indiana, PA but as a sinner saved by grace I want to do more than that, I want to abide.

Bugs

2011-02-04T14:25:00.001-05:00

Esther Bug loves her ladybug. Just some cuteness from today.

Seven Month Old Esther

2011-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

No official height and weight this month, but Wii Fit puts her around 16 pounds.
Esther is growing out of 3-6 month clothes. I put a cute little green and pink outfit on her yesterday only to discover that both the arms and legs were too short. Fortunately, thanks to grandparents and friends' hand-me-downs, I have a huge pile of adorable 9 month clothes ready to go.
Since bottle drinking has never been a strength of Esther's, we made a serious and successful attempt to get her to take milk from a sippy cup when I'm away. Awesome!
We dropped Esther's late night feeding right after the new year. She hardly skipped a beat and slept all night within a day or two.
Esther has continued to do well eating solids. Her tendency to get constipated has limited the variety I've offered somewhat, but she likes pretty much everything she's eaten. Peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, peaches...oh, and prunes. I feed her lots and lots of prunes.
She has gotten much better at sleeping in the crib in the room with Austin. It's been over a week since she woke in the middle of the night. Waking up early because her brother is singing...don't know if we can do much about that.
Esther loves to put all toys in her mouth, but she especially likes chewing on soft books these days.
She also loves to pull her socks off and chew on them for awhile. What's really cute is when she is sitting in her highchair at breakfast and pulls on the feet of her sleeper. She is really persistent despite the fact that they never do seem to make it to her mouth. :)
Esther got left at our friends' house for the first time this week while Mommy and Daddy had their date night. (We switch off with childcare.) She was a sad girl. She may not be so easy to leave at Sunday School, MOPS, etc. like Austin always has been.
She can sit up unassisted for a short time. As with other motor skills, I think her cloth diaper gets in the way somewhat.
A bunch of people I know have had babies recently. Esther now looks ENORMOUS compared to them. Our little preemie has come a long way.

Life, Lately

2011-01-26T14:43:00.004-05:00

I feel like my life has gotten exponentially busier in the last month. It's not away-from-home busyness, it's life-with-two-kids busyness. Between potty training Austin and starting Esther on solids, I estimate I am spending an hour and a half a day either in the bathroom with a toddler or next to Esther's highchair with a tiny spoon in my hand. What did I do with that hour and a half a month ago? Who knows. But I am feeling the changes it has brought to my life. I have never felt like a fantastic housekeeper but now it seems it's all I can do to get the dishes done and keep up with the laundry. I am feeling challenged to really make the most of my time and to not spend "free" (naptime) moments selfishly. To distinguish which activities are wants and which are needs and to accomplish the needs first. To have a heart to serve my husband and children instead of my own desires. To value the time I have with the kids instead of thinking of what else I could do if I had more free time. (Deep breath) Parenting is quite the sanctification process.

So I haven't taken as many pictures as I'd like lately, but here are a few just to prove that we're still around. :)

We bought this to help Austin burn off energy during the long, cold winter. It has been christened the "bouncy bin."

This was officially a Christmas gift for Esther, but Austin takes it upon himself to show her how it works.

He also takes it upon himself to bring her toys. He takes this job seriously, as you can see.

Happy girl playing with rags while I swiffered my bedroom.

Nothing Like a Good Book

2011-01-18T21:03:00.004-05:00

Today, or at least this morning, was a little rough. I won't go into details; suffice it to say that I dealt with three pairs of poopy underwear before lunchtime. So naturally it was a relief when Zach came home and we could mutually shepherd our son through dinner. :) (Don't stir your rice so hard that it falls off your plate, no, you don't need salad dressing on your rice, don't lay down on your plate, etc.) We excused him from the table a bit early so we could enjoy the rest of our meal in relative peace. And then we heard his little voice coming from the living room as he "read" The Very Hungry Caterpillar to himself. Page by page, so accurate. ("one slice cheese, one cupcake...") It brought such a smile to our faces. Kind of redeemed the day's challenges.

A Little Too Much Talk...

2011-01-14T20:31:00.003-05:00

...about bodily functions around here this week. Poor Esther; her digestive system does not seem to be handling solid food so well. She has not pooped in days and it is starting to make her uncomfortable. I think I brought on too much food too soon, even though it seems like she eats such tiny amounts. So I am cutting back a bit on the solids and I bought some prunes today. Hopefully she will get some relief soon.

But the bigger news is that we started potty training Austin. It's been a snowy week around here so we wouldn't be getting out much anyway; since Zach's semester doesn't start until next week we figured this was as good a time as any to give it a try. We started Wednesday morning. Two hours in, when we were on the eighth pair of underwear, I started questioning our decision, not to mention our sanity. I knew this process would be challenging but sheesh! The rest of that day and the next improved slightly; I'd say the success rate was 30-40%. Last night I was still questioning if Austin was really ready. But today something clicked. After one tiny accident early this morning, we experienced 100% success for the rest of the day. About half the time Austin told us he needed to go, the rest of the time he went at our suggestion (we've been setting a timer) but seeing him spend all day in the same pair of underwear was pretty awesome. Austin is not staying dry at naps and night yet so we're still putting him in a diaper for those times, but I'll take it. Tomorrow if we're feeling really adventurous we may even leave the house.

In closing, one incredibly cute potty-training-related anecdote: yesterday I said something about Austin needing to pull up his "undies." He said "not Wendies, underwear." Then he went on to say something about "Bobs" and "Wendies." Yep, we've got Bob the Builder on the brain.

All's Quiet...

2011-01-12T06:32:00.002-05:00

It is 6:30 in the morning and both my children are asleep in their room. They have been asleep all night in their room. They have been quiet all night in their room. This is a big deal! Right after the New Year we dropped Esther's late night feeding, and she slept through the night pretty much right away. So after a few days we decided to move her across the hall to Austin's Austin and Esther's room. The transition was harder than we thought it would be. We went through four nights with varying amounts of crying. Austin, poor guy, was a good sport and just lay in bed with a resigned look on his face when she woke him up. Last night, though, night 5 of room sharing, was a quiet night!

And now I hear singing from upstairs. But that's okay; it was a wonderful night!

Translating Esther...or Not

2011-01-10T15:10:00.002-05:00

Austin frequently answers for Esther when Zach or I ask her a question. ("Esser say yes" is the usual response.) So today at lunch, when Esther made some happy sounds from her bouncy seat, Zach asked Austin what she had said. He responded "aaaaaah, aaaaeeee, aaaah," varying the pitch and pretty much mimicking the sounds Esther had just made. It does not sound nearly so funny when I put it in writing like this, but trust me, it was adorably hysterical.

Mistaken Identity

2011-01-10T14:10:00.002-05:00

You probably think you know the cheerful little guy Austin's holding onto here. Sure, you say, it's Handy Manny. No, no, no. As Austin will tell you with assurance, this is Candy Manny. Must be a twins-separated-at-birth kind of thing.

So Adorable

2011-01-01T21:28:00.004-05:00

My mom took this picture a few days ago. It is one of my favorite pictures of Esther, ever. So much personality! This child just blesses my heart.

Six Month Old Esther

2010-12-28T21:52:00.000-05:00

At her six month checkup Esther weighed 14 pounds 11 ounces and was 25 1/2 inches long. She seems so small to us compared to Austin at this age (he was over 19 pounds) but she is sticking to her growth curve so it's all good.
Esther's hair is nearly as light as Austin's. Funny, his started really light and darkened up, hers started really dark and lightened up but they seem to have just about met in the middle.
Esther managed to roll over in a cloth diaper this month. It was in front of Daddy, so he finally got to witness her new skill in person. STILL no video of this, though, and not for lack of trying.
Laying on her back and nibbling on her toes is one of Esther's favorite activities. She can only do it when she's not wearing a diaper, though, so most days I let her hang out half naked for awhile during at least one diaper change. This has allowed me to put away much laundry that would otherwise remain in a basket.
Esther is now a decent bottle drinker. I put her through bottle boot camp a few weeks back and made her take some milk out of a bottle first thing every morning before letting her nurse. It seemed to work. Hooray!
Up to this point, Esther has had nothing but breast milk with the exception of a tiny bit of formula in the NICU. Time to start solids!
Oops, that is not quite true. I gave her a tiny bit of banana off my finger the other day. I think she liked it.
Esther's naps are short more often than they're long these days. I don't like that one bit but am not sure what to do about it.
Esther still likes to be swaddled while she sleeps. I worry a bit about her becoming too dependent on it but I think we'll let her have it a bit longer.
She still sleeps in our room but I think we'll kick her out soon.
Much like Austin did at this age, Esther loves to chew on things. Favorite things to chew on include "The Duckling Book" and her toy cell phone.
Esther likes to play peekaboo with a burpcloth. Sometimes if I let her hold on to the cloth, I swear she's covering up her own face and then pulling the cloth away. I think she's brilliant, naturally. :)
Austin is Esther's favorite person, hands down. Everything he does amuses her. We walked up the stairs behind him the other day and she laughed the whole way. Watching the two of them have a "conversation" is one of my favorite things these days.
Esther is halfway to her first birthday. I know, can you believe it?

Yummy?

2010-12-28T18:39:00.002-05:00

Austin ate his dinner enthusiastically tonight. (Apparently the secret to getting your toddler to eat his pasta and meatballs is to let him put pecans and cranberries on them. Our salad toppings, if you're wondering. But I digress.) So Daddy told him he could have some dessert. "Eat some dirt!" Austin responded enthusiastically. So we gave him some "dirt" and he was a happy camper. :-)

Like a Pro

2010-12-28T16:07:00.002-05:00

Esther is six months old today, so we figured bring on the food! Good old rice cereal was the entree du jour. Her first meal went extremely well. There were the requisite confused looks, but on the whole Esther seemed to figure out what to do with the strange stuff on the spoon pretty quickly. At least 90% of the food ended up in her tummy. Here's hoping she takes to peas and green beans just as readily!

Conversations With Esther

2010-12-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

At the risk of my blog turning into a list of "cute things Austin says," I'm going to post more cute things Austin said today. (Aimee, the more verbal he gets, the more I understand why you started a whole blog just for this sort of thing!)

1. (in the bathroom this morning, where Esther usually hangs out in a bouncy seat while I shower) "Esser, you paying with toys in bouncy seat?" (then turning to me and Zach) "Esser say yes."

2. (this evening while sitting with Esther in Daddy's lap; Esther was trying to grab his sippy cup) "No Esser, it my cup, you can't have it, it too big for you to drink."

"Dorge Pay Tumpet?"

2010-12-21T17:49:00.002-05:00

At dinner tonight Zach was telling me how he is going to meet with a former student, Jon, tomorrow afternoon. Austin broke in and said "Maybe Mike?" Zach and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows--Mike is a current student in his studio. Zach explained that Mike has already driven home for the break. Austin continued "Maybe Kelsey?" (Another current student.) No, Kelsey has driven home, too. "Mike pay tuba?" No, Mike plays euphonium, Daddy explained, but funny, he's going to take tuba lessons this semester. "Maybe Dorge (George) pay tumpet?" (Yet another current student.) No, George plays the tuba.

Okay, we have the students over to our house a few times a year, and these particular students are great kids who are active in the studio, but who knew they and Austin were so tight? I think Austin's been sneaking off to the music building after bedtime. :)