Thursday, January 31, 2008

No Matter What Brought You Here...

...I'm glad you stopped by!

Thanks to a little link love from the wonderful Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry (still one of my favorite blog titles of all time), I have had quite an influx of new visitors. And now, a new blogging pal Sincerely Anna has connected and linked as well. Thank you, ladies. I'm honored because, to me, I'm always surprised if anyone other than family stops by. [grin] By the way, I was happy to let Anna borrow my cool, artsy-graphic-y blog header while I use this sad little one above. Don't get too used to it cause I'll need it back when I get cool and artsy-graphic-y. K? [wink]

It is interesting, though, to see what brings folks to a particular site. Just in the past two days, I have gotten a good chuckle out of the google searches that have led people to my lil' corner of the internet.

Here are just a few of my favorites:


Batman Crib Sheets -- ???

Rockmananoff picture
(sounds quite cultured, doesn't it?)

Poem for a red head little girl
(awww... they found my poem about my niece)

Showing little chairs on the wall
(not quite sure what they were looking for? )

Caramel corn body wash
(could my love of this Bath and Body Works product have garnered me a new friend?)

and, of course, the bevy of people that wind up here by typing in some version of "Roses are Red..." They are obviously searching for some poetry inspiration -- not why I enjoy being up at 3:37am or how excited I was to have snow. Poor people.

Regardless of what led you to this site, I'm glad to have "met" you...if only briefly. Thanks for stopping by and, remember, we have an open-door policy. Drop by any time you'd like!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

3:37 am

It's 3:37am and I guess I could use this quiet time to solve the world's problems.

Or perhaps I could make yet another list of all the things I need to accomplish this week.

At 3:37 in the morning, my mind is surprisingly clear and alert and I should be using this time to contemplate, or postulate or any other big word that implies productivity.

But I'd rather be doing what I'm doing.

At 3:37 am, I gently rock you back and forth and whisper into your tiny little ear "shhhhh, good boy...."

The lullaby CD playing provides a perfect backdrop for our early morning exchange. Light, airy melodies bounce to and fro as you finish your bottle and fall into a satiated slumber. Back and forth, back and forth we rock as I hum the now-familiar tunes:


"Baby love of mine, baby love of mine, I love you all time...."


At 3:37 am, while the whole world seems to be asleep, it's just you and me. I cherish this time the way a child cherishes the fleeting hours of a summer's day...knowing full well it won't last forever. This is special time. This is you and me time.


"Then we'll ride on a rocking horse...he'll jump over the moon of course..."


Somehow my own problems seem so small, so insignificant, at 3:37 am. As I watch you sleeping in my arms, I'm reminded of all the good things in life. I marvel at the fact that you know not the emotions of hate or jealousy or greed. Your heart has yet to experience the pain of sorrow or the thrill of true love... all these things will come in time.

But for now, the soothing sounds of the nursery tunes play, and the steady drumming of your in and out breaths dance upon my chest. There's no place I'd rather be and nothing I'd rather do...

...at 3:37 am.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Picture Time

I know how my internet pals love some pictures...enjoy!


Sweetness. Pure sweetness.


More sweetness.


My handsome fella!


Yay! We got a basketball goal. Happy Dad and Boy.


Now that's a smile!

"Who us? We didn't do it! Promise!" (our son "J" and his pal Jackson--age 5 mo.)


My almost 6 year old!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

A Lime Popsicle

Love takes on many forms. I just never thought I would find love and grace in the form of a lime popsicle. Boy was I ever wrong.

When it came to sweets, my Mom loved all things green. Green Skittles, M&M's, jellybeans...but especially lime popsicles. If there were green popsicles in the freezer, we knew that those were reserved for Mom or you'd have some 'splainin to do later!

When Mom was battling cancer and having to endure endless rounds of chemo and radiation, it seemed as though her thirst and need for liquid increased tenfold. We would keep her stocked with her favorite drinks, pitchers of water and, of course, her favorite popsicles. There was only one problem. Because she also suffered from diabetes, she could only have sugar-free popsicles and no one carried a lime flavor that was sugar-free.

Her favorite brand--partly because of price and partly because they were just plain yummy--was the Budget Saver brand popsicle sold at Wal-Mart and most grocery stores. We would keep bags of sugar-free popsicles for Mom to munch on when her excessive thirst would hit. One day, she said, "I wonder why this brand doesn't make the lime in the sugar-free, too? What I wouldn't give to have a lime popsicle!"

That's when my wheels started turning.

You must know that the last few years of my Mom's life were anything but easy. Saddled with a bevy of issues from Fibromyalgia to the worst foe -- cancer -- she did everything she could to maintain a positive outlook and a "let's beat this thing" attitude. But, toward the end, she became tired and weary and needed to be carried emotionally instead of being the strong one for all of us. She deserved a lime popsicle that she could eat, I decided. So, I was intent on making that happen.

So I sat down and wrote a letter to the Ziegenfelder Company (manufacturer of the Budget Saver brand) which is located in West Virginia. I told them all about my Mom, how much she loved their product and how much she wanted a sugar-free lime popsicle. Knowing that they would not change their product line because of one little letter, I did it in part to try and help my Mom since I couldn't take her illness away.

A few weeks later, I was at my parents' home in Selma, Alabama helping my dad take care of Mom during her treatments. By this time, she was not able to fully do for herself and an extra set of hands was necessary. One afternoon, I heard the doorbell ring and I walked to the door to see who it was. It was not a visitor, but instead, a huge brown box that sat waiting on the front porch.

As I opened the door, I noticed a large label that read "DRY ICE" on the front of the box. Dry ice? What in the world? Then I read the shipper's name: The Ziegenfelder Company.

What? This can't be possible. A corporation has actually responded to the letter of a lowly customer in Alabama?

Yes, yes they did.

I pushed the box (the size of a large television, mind you) into the room where my Mom was sitting. I opened the letter inside and began to read how this company had been touched by my Mom's story and, although they could not add another flavor to their sugar-free line due to production constraints, they wanted to do something special for her. It went on to say that they had made the decision to suspend their normal production schedule for an entire day and produce only SUGAR-FREE LIME POPSICLES for my Mom.

That's right. The entire big box delivered to her was full of bags containing specially-made, not available anywhere else, only for my Mom, sugar-free lime popsicles. Tears filled our eyes and I started jumping up and down with glee.

Little did this company know what they had done. I'm sure they knew they were doing a good thing by granting our request...if only temporarily. But as I watched the smile climb across Mom's face as we unloaded bags and bags of her dream popsicle into the freezer, I silently thanked them. I thanked them in my heart (and with a phone call, of course) for listening and for caring and, most of all, for making this special woman's dreams come true.

Love does present itself in many forms. But on this day, love came in the form of a lime popsicle. A popsicle that brought a look of joy to my Mom's face that hadn't been there in a very long time.

That is a day I will never forget.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Catching Up

Well, it's been a crazy few days 'round here and I cannot believe I didn't get to my post yesterday. Well, actually, I CAN believe it because I know what kinda day I had...but, it was my hubby and I's 13th anniversary and I had the best of plans to write him a Letter of Gratitude like I've done for others in the past; however, a baby intent on crying for lengthy periods of time, combined with a 5 year old with 5 year old needs (well, not needs that he's had for FIVE YEARS...oh, you know what I mean!)

Anyhoo, J. has been struggling with gas and reflux since he came home with us...and it is a struggle, I assure you. We've switched formulas, tried medicine, upped his dosage, raised the head of his bassinet and basically held him and hurt a long with him. I am determined to keep trying new things until I find something that works or until he outgrows the condition. But, needless to say, it is heartbreaking to see your child in pain.

Today has been a bit better with a trip to the cardiologist to confirm that a heart murmur is an "innocent one." He's seemed a little more content today (until right now-- a reason why I have to keep this short) and heopfully his new medicine is going to really make a difference.

But, I do want to tell my husband how lucky I have been to be his wife for the past 13 years. I will get to that Letter of Gratitude. But, for now, I have a little one needing some Mommy TLC.

Have a great Tuesday!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

A Box o' Fun & Practicality

Our friends Chris and Brenda presented us with a gift that I just had to share. Not only did it cause us to chuckle, but it is one of the most practical gifts I've ever seen!

Here tis:


First of all, I love all things container-ish. If you can put somethin in it, I'm all over it. Throw in a handle and I'm your friend for life. They stuffed it with all the products they recommend for baby care. The labels on each product cracked. me. up. They are as follows:


Childrens' Tylenol: "Fever Reducer"

Childrens' Motrin: "Fever Reducer"

Little Noses Stuffy Nose Kit: "Sniffer Blocked, Can't Breef"

Vaseline: "Non-Edible Jelly"

Tooth 'n Gum Cleanser: "Clean Gums 'R Happy Gums"

Mylicon drops: "Just Ate but Tummy Still Hurts"

Tub of Desitin creme: "Pooper Love in a Tub"

Q-Tips for babies: "Oriface-Cleaners-on-a-Stick"

Baby Orajel: "Toofies Coming In"

Hydrocortisone creme: "For Rashes Upstairs"

and.... my personal favorite:

Boudreaux's Butt Paste: "No Description Needed"

***

Isn't that a cute idea?


Showered with Both Snow and Kindness

Talk about feeling loved.

Our family has been loved both by Mother Nature (a.k.a. SNOW) and by friends and family providing for our family via baby showers over the past couple weeks.

The first shower was given by friends in our former town about an hour and a half south of here. It was surreal because it was given by the same friends and at the same house as our shower for D. in 2004. Can it REALLY have been FOUR years since we brought him home? My lands time flies. These ladies have been so good to our family over the years. This shower was no exception. It was a lovely brunch and we were showered (original verb usage, huh?) with all sorts of fun things we need for the bambino. Clothes, toys, travel items, rattles, medicine, feeding seats, books, you name it. They were really good to us and we are forever grateful.

Shower ~ January 12, 2008

Our next shower happened yesterday morning and it was a shower in two ways: three of us (four including J.) sitting in the lobby of a Starbuck's as huge snowflakes poured down from the sky. We laughed and we talked about mommyhood as we watched the beautiful snow shower outside...it was a lot of fun.

Finally, last night, a couple friends threw us a wonderful evening--a miracle if you ask me considering the funky weather we had all day. Even though we had a lot of cancellations, fourteen folks showed up and it was a relaxing evening of good conversation, unBELIEVEABLE food and laughter. Friends from all different parts of our life blended seemlessly and it was fun to observe this cross-section of relationships all enjoying each other's company.

Shower ~ January 19, 2008

And, to top it all off, I discovered something this morning that took hubs and I completely by surprise. There, in our diaper bag, was an unmarked, sealed white envelope. Inside was a gift that blew us away. We don't know who put it in there and, obviously, they would like to keep it that way. But to whoever it was...... thank you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Showers come in all sorts of ways. Snow, friendship, unexpected blessings.... we have been showered way beyond what we deserve.

And we are grateful.

Friday, January 18, 2008

I'm Dreaming of a White Saturday...

I'm Dreaming of a White Saturday
A snowed in day for us to see
Chunks of pine straw glisten
As children listen
For neighbors filled with joy and glee

I'm dreaming of a white Saturday
As milk and bread I rush to buy
Where the shoppers hustle
And flex their muscles
To grab the very last bag of rye

***

Yes siree folks, it's Winter Storm Warning Blizzard Watch Alert 2008 here in North Georgia and we are bracing for the tumultuous storm approaching... where the drifts could reach a whole inch and we're sure to be "snowed in" for, well, minutes at least!

We are bracing... hoping...watching...baking.

Please be safe out there fellow Southerners. It's a mad, mad, weather world.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

A Magical Night, It Was...

We GOT SNOW, folks!

The white stuff! The "school is out today" kinda stuff! We got nearly 3 inches here north of Atlanta and I could not have been more excited. My only regret is that hubs is on a business trip and not here to share it with me!


Around 4:30pm yesterday it started with a few flurries and, by 9:00pm, it was pouring snow. Big, quarter-sized flakes fell on our noses as my friend Kim and I helped the kids form snowballs for the requisite snowball fight. My son D., a quite excitable young lad on non-weather-event day, was beside himself with glee.



Although I could not stay outside and play because J. was inside asleep, I took great delight in looking out into the darkness of our front yard and seeing shadowy figures pelting each other with snowballs. Inside, I had turned off the lights and, with candles aglow and soft Christmas lullaby music playing in the background, I slowly rocked J. back and forth in my arms as I watched the snow coat everything in sight. It was yet another instance of what I call a "pocket of contentment". A time when there is nothing wrong, nothing to worry about and something quite ordinary (like kids playing outside) takes on a bit of magic.

I know for the non-Southerners-who-are-used-to-the-white-stuff-and-ready-to-move-onto-Spring, this may seem humorous. But it really was a special night.

Because as giant, unfamiliar white flakes poured out of a dark sky, the candles flickered and the soothing sounds of "Silent Night" filled my living room, I listened to two very sweet sounds ...... the sound of my five-year-old son giggling with delight as he made a snow angel and my 6-week-old son snoozing soundly in his mother's arms.

It really was a magical night.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Lame Poem Alert

Roses are red
Will be writin' soon
She's really quite sleepy
From midnight to noon
24/7 I'm struggling this week
My brain is quite foggy
I'm too tired to speak

I'm loving this baby
And motherhood, too
Just wish I could get on
A schedule, it's true!

Diapers and bottles
The process continues
Feeding and changing
in all sorts of venues

I'm wishin my writing
Would come back to me
But for now I just offer
A lame poem, you see!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Your First Smile



When I see you smile
I can face the world,
you know I can do anything

When I see you smile
I see a ray of light
I see it shining right through the rain
When I see you smile

Baby when I see you smile at me

***
Leave it to me to use cheesy 80's lyrics to explain the unexplainable... the moment of magic that envelops your heart the first time your baby smiles at you. That moment happened to me yesterday as I was folding clothes on the sofa with him sitting on the Boppy pillow next to me.

I was playing a game where I made noises "boop, boop, boop..." getting louder as my fingers danced up his belly and then touched his nose.

That's when it happened.

Somewhere between the last boop and my heart melting, my child sprouted the biggest grin I've ever seen followed by a coo. I can't explain the feeling I had at that moment...sheer elation or perhaps panic that I didn't have my camera in hand. I called out to D. to run and get the camera and, after the 3rd or 4th sustained grin, was able to catch a little bit of his smile.

I didn't stress too much about not capturing the "full-on grin" this time because, hopefully, there will be many more to come!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Getting Ready for Bed

"Mommy?"

"Yes, D.?"

"Why didn't God make any people half-human/half-fish?"

:: crickets chirping::

"Um, I guess He didn't want to?"

I am a fount of parental wisdom, I am.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

I had a heart attack tonight at the hands of my soon-to-be-ex-husband.

OK, so I'm sort of kidding about the divorce thing...maybe.

I was sitting here just a few precious minutes ago in quiet solitude writing thank you notes. Did I mention it's quiet? All the guys (including the husband person) were asleep-- so I thought.

All of a sudden, I hear hubs cry out "give me back my covers."

What?

After a few moments, he said it again...this time louder. "Quit taking my covers!"

Now, let me say that D. was tucked safely in his bed and our 5 week old was not in the bed with my hubby, either. My first thought was that he was having a bad dream. But, then I got spooked. Who or WHAT kept taking my husband's covers? I got up slowly, walked down the hallway and turned the corner into our bedroom where I proceeded to scream out in utter terror.

There, lying in my spot in the bed, was an 8 ft. illuminated Santa Clause humming like only a never-to-be-used-in-my-yard-again inflatable object can. I have never seen my husband laugh so hard.

I wonder what time the courthouse opens?

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Who Needs Sleep Anyway?

Of all the advice that poured in prior to J. entering our life, the most common was "boy, you'll miss your sleep!"

I honestly don't know what they were talking about. I'm doing just fine on 4 hours sleeeeeeeeeeeZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Pictures!

Yes, I've been a bit absent...partly to blame on my awful case of the stomach flu and then the blessing of my sis and niece flying up from Tampa to come visit our new addition!

Here are some pics we've taken this week... thought you would enjoy!

Remember, you can click on most of those images to enlarge them.

sweet little fingers...soft little hands

Yes, look at me...I'm trying to sit up!


K. (left) and sister Jenny


Big brothers love giving kisses!


Boy, do they love giving kisses!


3:00am sweetness


This picture cracks me up... could that pacifier be any bigger?


Will this lady EVER stop taking pictures of me???



7:00am sweetness



Daddy's hands...


Whew! I think she's finished with that flash thingy...at least for now!