Food For My Soul...

Last weekend Steve, Cora, and I made the trek up to Dallas to spend 2 days with our friend's the Harrison's who are here in the States on a furlough from Africa. They are probably some of the most amazing people I know- in every sense of the word- amazing. We got in Thursday around dinner and left Saturday after lunch. It went by way too quickly- as these kinds of trips always do. We ate good meals, sharing hearts with one another, laughed, cried a bit, loved on each others babies, rested, prayed, ate more good food- well you get the idea. Libby was one of my college roommates and I had not seen her since February of 2009. It was a sweet reunion. I love knowing that even though I do not get to see or speak with her often, we always pick right up where we left off. Most of our communication over the last 3 years have been through email or the occasional phone call on her breaks in Kenya. It was a complete indulgence to get to spend 2 whole days IN PERSON with her:)! They leave for Africa in June so I soaked up my time with her. Plus we got to meet their fabulous daughter Annabelle- what a sweetheart!

Friday was a very special day because all my college roommates (well almost, Lyd could not make it and was dearly missed!) came over and we got to spend the morning and afternoon together. What a treat! I loved meeting all their babies and talking and eating (I do a lot of that you know) and just being with these ladies. My soul needed their company- it was not nearly long enough.

Charley, Annabelle, Finn, and Cora (Griffin was dearly missed!)

 Steve reading to Finn and Annabelle. I love this picture. Finn was just happy to have another guy in the room and kept bringing Steve books. While he was reading Annabelle walked right up and plopped down in his lap. It was precious.

 And of course Hope made the trek with us. All the babies were fascinated with her. Hope was not sure what to do. She kept looking at me like 'there was only one when we left and now there are four!' She did great over all:).

 I just can't get over how beautiful all my roommate's babies are. It was also surreal sitting in the room with girls I have known most of my life surround by our own children. I love the life-long friendships I share with them.

 I especially loved seeing Jamie with Cora. Jamie and I have know one another since we were Cora's age. What a special day.

 Saturday before we left Dallas we decided to take the girls to the park. Cora had a lot of firsts on this outing. She rode in a wagon for the first time. They looked so cute on their ride to the park.

 She sung in her first swing and LOVED it!

 She want down the slide for the first time- with Daddy of course. Annabelle was SO adventurous on the slide. Sometimes she went down head first- the girl has no fear! She was hilarious.

Thanks for a great weekend Bryan and Libby, our visit was refreshing and food for the soul.

The Difference A Year Can Make...

One year ago today I woke up to this:

This morning I woke up to this:

 

It's amazing the difference 365 days can make. This has been the best and most challenging year of my life. I'm constantly amazed that something that was once so small is growing into what you see above.

God is good.

Cora June at Four Months...

Our sweet Cora turned four months yesterday. She looks so big in the above picture. I think I mentioned this in previous posts, but I feel like I have to watch her all the time because she is changing by the minute.

This month has brought lots of changes developmentally. Cora is really starting to interact with Steve and I and it is so stinkin' fun to watch her smile, laugh, wiggle is delight, pull her hands together, roll all over the place, grab her feet with her hands, and the list could go on and on. Cora has started to find her voice and she coos all the time- especially when we are at home. She is a SUPER active baby so she is moving all the time when she is awake. But when she is asleep, the girl sleeps hard!

Cora continues to be a very strong baby. She has wonderful head control and I think we are weeks away from her sitting on her own. You can tell she so badly wants to sit on her own but her back muscles need a bit more strength before that is possible.

She has also started to play with toys this month. In the last couple weeks she has really started to grab at things and she likes to stuff it directly in her mouth. Her favorite toys right now are Sophie the giraffe, Jacque the Peacock, and her car seat toys. (I plan on doing a post about baby toys- there are so many cool toys out there for these little ones).

Cora loves to be held by Steve and I and can get a little nervous when someone she is not familiar with starts holding her. I am so looking forward to the day I walk in the room and she reaches for me- I know it is coming soon:). Cora went on two trips this month- to Galveston for our teen retreat and to Dallas to visit friends. She did fabulous on both trips and slept in her pack n play like a champ.

Nights are starting to get better, at least we are in somewhat of a routine. She goes to bed around 7:30pm after a bath, story time, and nursing. Then we do a dreamfeed around 11pm, then she will get up somewhere between 3am and 6am for a another feeding. She will usually sleep until 7am or 8am (depending on when she got up). She takes 3-4 consistant naps a day and she sleeps completely in her crib now- yeah! Although I am still tired and not getting a full nights sleep right now, I feel pleased with where we are with sleep.

Cora nurses 5-7 times per day and feedings are still challenging, but going good over all. But the girl is growing a TON so I know she is getting good nutrition. I have lots of questions for the pediatrician on Monday. I am also curious to know how much she weights.

She is on size 2 diapers and wear 3-6 months clothes and is already filling out the clothes well- we may be moving on to bigger sizes before long. We are thinking about starting cloth diapers this month- wish us luck!

Cora is such an even tempered, happy baby. The best compliment we got this month- "That baby smiles with her whole face!" We fall more and more in love with this little soul each day. How did I get so lucky to her Mama?!

30 Before 30...

Today I turn 29 years old. I have one year left in this decade and I am going to make it count. So to celebrate this last year in my twenties I have made a 30 before 30 list. I shall try my best to accomplish all 30 items before April 11, 2013!

1) Get a shellac manicure

2) Read 12 new books

3) Try a new restaurant once a month

4) Run a 5k

5) Go on our first baby free vacation

6) Finish the family picture wall in our house

7) Try a new recipe at least once a month

8) Finish Cora's book

9) Take our first family of 3 vacation

10) Host a favorite things party

11) Talk with a friend on the phone at least once a week

12) Make the famous Julie Child's Boeuf Bourguignon dish

13) Go inside a Gardenridge

14) Start planning a social justice trip with Steve

15) Write a hand written letter once a week

16) Sew a dress for Cora

17) Grow something

18) Have my eyebrows threaded

19) Watch 'Gone With The Wind'

20) Read a classic book

21) Go somewhere I have never been

22) Mark another National Park off our list

23) Try something new with my hair

24) Buy an overpriced ticket to a concert

25) Make a new friend

26) Dance more

27) Make my own jewelry and wear it

28) Try acupuncture

29) Visit more museums

30) Practice turning off my iPhone, iPad, and computer more

So there you have it, my 30 before 30. Let the fun begin!

Easter 2012...

I hope everyone had a great Easter. I know we did here in Houston. I love Easter- like I said in the previous post, this may be my favorite holiday. I love the Lent season leading to Easter morning and I always anticipate the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Praise God for an empty tomb!

I'm also a big fan of Easter baskets and egg hunts. And having a baby has made that all the more enjoyable. I had a blast putting together Cora's first Easter basket.

And I think she liked it too. She was in such a good mood when she woke up this morning, which made for some fun picture. The Easter Bunny was pretty good to this one for her first Easter. She got a set of Fisher Price stackable rings (every baby should have one of these, right?!), some hair bows, 2 books, and some fun bath toys. You can also observe in the above picture that Cora has found her feet. This is a new trick she has learned in the last week and now she wants to have her hands on her feet at all times- its pretty cute.
Looking at all her Easter goodies in her pretty Easter dress. Cora's dress was so sweet this year. It was coral (one of the colors in her nursery) and had the most delicate ruffles on the top. The big white flower in her hair topped off the outfit. She was a hit at church!
The two babies enjoying 'Easter egg hunting'. We just mainly observed. It was pretty sweet though- a couple kids came up and put eggs in Cora's basket because they were sad she did not have any. Steve and I may or may not have eaten all of the candy in those eggs. I guess Cora got it in a round about way:).
I love this picture- don't they look so sweet together!
Our little family of three
And I thought I would share one of the outtakes- there were many for just one good picture. I am sure that is the way it will always be with having a little one.
For Easter dinner we went all out today. We made a potato and green chili recipe in the crock pot. Fresh green beans, fresh garlic bread, and a Merlot from Whole Foods accompanied the main dish.
For dessert we indulged in homemade ice-cream and Pioneer Women's 'Knock Yourself Naked Brownies'. Totally worth making- soooooo good. We lounged around all afternoon watching the Master's (did you know I LOVE to watch golf, because I do!) and ended the night completing the second season of Downton Abbey. Cora went to bed early and now I am hoping to slip into bed for a good read before sleep. It has been a wonderful Easter- much love!

Highs and Lows...

When I was a camp counselor at ACU Leadership camps we had a counselor bible study lead by Bob Strader three times a week during Kadesh when all the campers were in their small groups for the evening. This may have been one of my all time favorite things about camp- this bible study. I have rarely been in a place since then that has taught and stirred me the way those studies did. Before the study began we would go around the circle and each counselor would share the best part of the day and hardest part of the day. It was short and sweet, but it let each person know where that counselor was emotional for the day. Most of the time you would say your high or low and then move quickly to the next person. But every now and then someone would share something that we would cause us all to pause, ask more questions, and then celebrate or cry with that person. I have vivid memories of sitting in this community and sharing and listening.

All that to say, I feel an urge to share my highs and lows of the week. I have many and it has, over all, been a hard week. But I am determined to find eucharisteo in midst of the trails of the week (those reading 'One Thousand Gifts' will recognize this).

High- Giving thanks over and over again I was not in my office last Friday with a client. Every time I look at a picture of my office I give thanks for that gift.

Low- I am still struggling with sadness, anger, and frustrations as I get further in the process of building/remodeling my office space.

High- My landlord created a makeshift office for my clients and I have been able to see all my clients this week.

Low- Most of my clients walk into the temporary office and comment on how cold and impersonal the room is. This breaks my heart. One of the most important pieces of therapy is creating a safe place so the client can be vulnerable and feel safe. It's a sobering feeling when you feel safety has been taken away.

High- Cora has slept through the night 3 times in the last 7 days.

Low- The other nights she has woken up one to two times to feed. I am just a better person with sleep I have decided. Some times I feel like this will never change.

High- I really feel Cora and I are falling into a great rhythm at the house with naps, feedings, and time out of the house. Really, this has made all the difference for me:)!

Low- We still have our struggles with feedings. Cora has just been a hard baby to nurse. Sometimes I feel alone in this, I know I am not, but I feel it all the same.

High- I love the week leading up to Easter. The Lord has been so good to us this week and that is good for me to remember.

Low- no low for this one:).

I love this week and Easter (which is probably my favorite holiday). I look forward to sitting with my church family on Sunday and celebrating the gift that our Lord gives to us- eternal life. But I know Jesus had to go through a 'low' to give us this gift which is what we pause to reflect on today.

It's Friday, but Sunday is coming... praise God!