Friday, October 11, 2013

How Fast 4 Months Fly

YA, she's cute.  There are just no two ways around it.  Little Miss Evie Bee is a big pile of cuteness and wonderfulness wrapped up in blue eyes and fuzzy hair. 


At 4 months this little girl is bursting with life in the form of giggles, smiles and an incessant need to kick, move and squirm all over the place.  She is going places and we are all on for the ride.  This past month has been such a change month for our little Bee.  She has gone from tiny infant to baby ready to go.  She is constantly wanting to see her world and simply hates it when she can't see out!  Look her in the eyes and she will "talk" with you for hours.  Sing to her and her face literally erupts with joy.  I simply cannot tell you the delight this little girl gives me.




Evie has started the process of rolling over this past month.  It is still a surprising accident when she happens to start on her tummy and arrive on her back, but she is getting more consistent with it and I am sure very soon we will have a rolypoly on our hands.  I am very glad of this because the little Bee has efficiently rubbed herself a bald spot.  To be honest she is going fairly bald all over these days (compared to the hair she had upon earth entry), except for the hair around her neck.   She's still cute as a button though even if she's rockin' the uneven style.






Much like her sister, Evie has become a wonderful running partner these days.  The jogger is simply the best sleep medicine out there and, for Evie, she will sleep as long as I will push.  I am very glad of this because the jogger is really the only time where she can get an uninterrupted morning nap.  Unlike when it was just Lily, there is no way I can guarantee a peaceful, "in your crib" am snooze with a toddler who desperately needs to de-energize.  Nope, Evie is starting to master the nap on the go system!  




She has been spending a lot more time on the floor these days because she is in such a tizzy to kick and MOVE!  So Lily has been making it her mission to introduce Evie to Max, Misty and the entire barn crew while letting her "hold" her most precious Minnie and Mickey.  Trust me, its HUGE!  Those little mice go everywhere with Lily so its a big sign of love to let Evie hold them.  Evie is simply mesmerized with this motion we call her sister.  She is always content to sit and watch her.  She's just so entertaining!



 Uncle Mike was here for a few days and Evie was a great snuggler for him.  He is convinced that babies hate him, but Evie is bound to prove him wrong.  I think she even gave him a few of her winning smiles too.  Baby curse BROKEN!


 The big news of the month is that we had an allergy scare.  Our little bee has a Cocoa allergy.  I discovered this when she broke out in hives after I used Cocoa butter creme on her little dry body.  Evie is fairly sensitive to chocolate if I eat any big amount.  This should have triggered me to be more cautious with cocoa, but I didn't even give it a thought.  Poor thing.  Seeing hives on your baby's back is not the most wonderful of feelings.  I really think the entire incident was far harder on me than her.  She got some medicine and bounced back, unlike me who still feels bad.  Its like they say, parenting is WAY harder on the parents than the kids.  TRUE STORY!



 As Evie becomes more interactive and engaged,  I see this cute little relationship between she and her Daddy emerging.  Unfortunately, Evie is not sleeping well at all between 1AM and 6AM so usually Bob and Evie have special togetherness time while I catch a few uninterrupted ZZZZs in the morning.  He is such a good Daddy and he just loves his little Bee.



Even though I still love pictures and take them as often as I can, inevitably the second child slump has set in.  I have to consciously put my camera out where I can see it and daily remind myself "stop, capture the moment, your to do list can wait and the toddler screaming for more juice can wait too."  I will think I am taking consistent pictures and then a week will go by and I won't have 1. YIKES!  Evie is changing faster than I remember Lily changing and I just want every moment to last a bit longer!




Dear little Bee, I am just so happy that Jesus gave us you.  You make me smile and remind me just how beautiful life really is.  There is simply nothing as delighting as watching you find your fingers or mine.  I love when my hand gets all slobbery because your tongue is out exploring your world.  You are beautiful and such a little ball of hope.  There is nothing I would change about you cause you are a perfect version of you. 


 Even when you are sad, you bring sunshine to my days.  I love how you hold my hand when I nurse you and smile at me when you are done.  I love how you gurgle and blow bubbles, I love how you sing.  You are a piece of my heart and I love you more than life!

Mom

Monday, October 7, 2013

From Buds to Blooms

I'm gonna take a moment here and just say unequivocally that the Lord has blessed me with the most amazing and empowering friendships.  I firmly believe that life would be so empty without my amazing girlfriends.  I'm sure many of you can agree, friendships are simply the icing on the cake of life.

These past few months have been challenging just trying to adjust to a new little one in the house while learning how to parent a very strong toddler.  Let me tell you, it hasn't all been satisfying.  I love my children, I love my life and there is no part of it that I would change, but lets face it, its hard.  Especially because I don't just want to do motherhood, I want to excel at it!

My dear friend Grace and I are in the same boat.  Strong toddlers and new babies.  Even though we are far apart, when we are able to have a conversation our mothering has a lot of similarities.  I treasure Grace, because she listens, laughs, cries and encourages.  All without judgement and all with a "yeah, I haven't just been there, I AM there," spirit.  I am just blessed by her.

The other day I received a bouquet of unopened lilies.  It was a bouquet of buds waiting anxiously to open.  In the box I found this little note:


Just a sweet gesture from a dear sister who gets it.  It made me cry.  Grace sent me the buds so that I would see them bloom and they did.  My lilies literally burst into exquisitely beautiful flowers.




 Sometimes in the trenches its hard to remember that these little buds of ours will one day be beautiful blooms.   That the moments of frustration and the endless days of discipline are leading to beautiful women.


Thank you dear friend for reminding me that some of the most beautiful things are worth waiting for.