For the past several nights Noel has had a fairly predictable and managable sleep pattern. He dozes off around 8ish then wakes up and fusses for a while around 11:00, eats and sleeps til 3 or 4 eats and goes right back to sleep. This has been managable because Chris usually does the 11 shift and I handle the 3am. This was working out so well that let's just say I got a little arrogant. Rather than going to bed early last night, I decided to stay up until 10:30 and watch a movie like some crazy grown up might do. Noel did his typical dozing while we watched to movie and fussed a little. At 10:30, I changed his diaper and gave him a snack anticipating a nice long slumber, which I got. In fact the night would have been perfect except when he woke up at 3:19am, he decided that sleep was over rated.
When he woke up, I fed him like normal and tried to be as business like and boring as possible. He ate and I tried to put him back to sleep but he kept wiggling and mildly fusssing, so I changed his diaper and tried to go back to sleep. He was not going back to sleep. So for two hours we did diferent things that did not result in sleep and I eventually ended up making him another bottle. I began to give it to him and then woke up with a start. My hand was still cupped as though holding a bottle but the bottle had fallen out. It had landed in such a way that Noel could still eat. I have no idea how long I had slipped from consciousness. What an odd sensation to be sitting up "holding a bottle" but be sound asleep! Noel finally gave up in time for me to slip into a deep enough sleep to be absolutely startled by the alarm clock going off an hour later.
I hit snooze one too many times and Chris had to wake up Chase. Those two are like oil and water in the morning so I had to referee while I tried to get ready. Buddy threw up in the middle of the kitchen floor, and it took all I had not to do the same as I cleaned it up. All the while, my little Noelly was sound asleep like an Angel.
It is hard to have a positive outlook for the day when it starts out like this one did. However, we are trying really hard to teach Chase that he controls his life because he controls his attitude. So, I am putting on my ranger smile, drinking ridiculous quantities of coffee, and thanking God that I have the opportunity to do mid-morning feedings, play referee, and clean up after boys and pets. Hope each of you has a wonderful day!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Taking the better part?
The bible story of Mary and Martha has always given me trouble. That is the story of Martha bustling around in the kitchen while Mary sits at Christ's feet. Finally, Martha is exasperated and asks Jesus to intercede on her behalf. Instead, he tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better part. I struggle with this story because to be perfectly honest I am on Martha's side. I have a really hard time taking the better part and just enjoying my blessings rather than working amidst them.
So Saturday morning found us planning to go to Noel's cousins' baptism about an hour away at 10am. For a "Noel night" it had been a fairly good one and 8 am found me laying on the couch with both my sons peacefully asleep. For a thousand and one reasons I tried to make myself get up and get the boys up too. The main reason was I genuinely wanted to go to the baptism, but something told me to be still and take the better part. I just laid there for the longest time and revelled in my miracles. There are very few minutes in life when a mother of sons finds them still and sweet enough to do so. It was great, but I couldn't help but feel guilty. Was I taking the better part or just being lazy?
So Saturday morning found us planning to go to Noel's cousins' baptism about an hour away at 10am. For a "Noel night" it had been a fairly good one and 8 am found me laying on the couch with both my sons peacefully asleep. For a thousand and one reasons I tried to make myself get up and get the boys up too. The main reason was I genuinely wanted to go to the baptism, but something told me to be still and take the better part. I just laid there for the longest time and revelled in my miracles. There are very few minutes in life when a mother of sons finds them still and sweet enough to do so. It was great, but I couldn't help but feel guilty. Was I taking the better part or just being lazy?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Look who's 1 month old
It's this guy! He celebrated by laughing out loud for the first time while I was getting his nose. That made Chase, Chris and I laugh out loud too.Tuesday, January 22, 2008
A long weekend
It was a long weekend in every sense of the word at our house this weekend. It started out , as most weekends do, with my intending to clean house and maybe get Noel moved into his room. As it stands right now, Noel's room is an office with a crib in it. That is one of the by products of not having nine months of planning.
Because it was a long weekend and I was exhausted, I didn't do much on Friday evening. The weatherman called for snow beginning after midnight, but Saturday started out snow free and uneventful. I set out to sanitize my kitchen which had taken quite the hit from the mid-week snow day we had already had. By late morning however, we had two sets of visitors and the snow was pouring down. Mary Beth and Ella dropped by for a quick exchange of goods and were off to Dahlonega to see Kappa Delta's recruitment practice. Then Chris' uncle, Micheal came in from Augusta with two of his five girls, Ruthie and Lucia. They were debating spending the night in the mountains, but the forecast of freezing temperatures for that night and the next day sent them packing.
They did get to play in the snow before they left though which was such a blessing since Chase got to play with them. They had such a good time and were so fun to watch I almost forgot that my kitchen had been clean at one point that morning. Oh well, the photographers from Better Homes and Gardens didn't stop by so what does it really matter. Once again, Noel missed out on fun in the snow. I really wanted to take him out for at least a picture, but he was sound asleep.
By that afternoon, I felt horrible. My nose was running like a river and it was just bad. Noel's little nose was all stopped up too. Sunday found us not much better. We ventured out to church and the drugstore, but that was it. Chase was the only family member that felt good and he was cooped up inside all day. For those who don't know, this makes 6 yr. olds hard on the nerves of tired, sick people. The great news to report from this day is that Noel did sleep for a 5 hr. stretch Sunday night from 1am to 6am. Have we turned a corner? Maybe but maybe not, on Monday poor little Noel felt horrible. His little nose was so stuffy and he just wanted to be held. He got gas everytime he ate b/c he couldn't breathe through his little nose. I hope this blog doesn't sound like a pity party. Just trying to give an accurate account of our nice, long weekend! New pictures soon I promise.
Because it was a long weekend and I was exhausted, I didn't do much on Friday evening. The weatherman called for snow beginning after midnight, but Saturday started out snow free and uneventful. I set out to sanitize my kitchen which had taken quite the hit from the mid-week snow day we had already had. By late morning however, we had two sets of visitors and the snow was pouring down. Mary Beth and Ella dropped by for a quick exchange of goods and were off to Dahlonega to see Kappa Delta's recruitment practice. Then Chris' uncle, Micheal came in from Augusta with two of his five girls, Ruthie and Lucia. They were debating spending the night in the mountains, but the forecast of freezing temperatures for that night and the next day sent them packing.
They did get to play in the snow before they left though which was such a blessing since Chase got to play with them. They had such a good time and were so fun to watch I almost forgot that my kitchen had been clean at one point that morning. Oh well, the photographers from Better Homes and Gardens didn't stop by so what does it really matter. Once again, Noel missed out on fun in the snow. I really wanted to take him out for at least a picture, but he was sound asleep.
By that afternoon, I felt horrible. My nose was running like a river and it was just bad. Noel's little nose was all stopped up too. Sunday found us not much better. We ventured out to church and the drugstore, but that was it. Chase was the only family member that felt good and he was cooped up inside all day. For those who don't know, this makes 6 yr. olds hard on the nerves of tired, sick people. The great news to report from this day is that Noel did sleep for a 5 hr. stretch Sunday night from 1am to 6am. Have we turned a corner? Maybe but maybe not, on Monday poor little Noel felt horrible. His little nose was so stuffy and he just wanted to be held. He got gas everytime he ate b/c he couldn't breathe through his little nose. I hope this blog doesn't sound like a pity party. Just trying to give an accurate account of our nice, long weekend! New pictures soon I promise.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Snow Far, So Good
Well, most who read this already know that yesterday was a snow day! That only translated into a late opening for my University. Boo! It was more than suffiicient excitement for Chase though. He conned his father ( not a hard sell) to go out with him Wednesday night. Then headed back out first thing Thursday morning. He couldn't understand why Noel couldn't come out and play too. He then went up to the farm to hang out with PeePaw Lyle since Chris and I had to work. I made him promise best behavior before he left because the snow excitement was causing him to forget his manners. When he made it home last night he reported that he had tried to be good but PeePaw kept "arguvating" him. I probably shouldn't have, but I let it slide. He was way too tired to do any more harm that night.
Dear, wonderful Jessica (my husband's sister who is nannying for us until she makes her next career move) spent the night Wednesday and valiantly offered to do an overnight shift. I was not feeling well at all so I took some cold medicine and went to bed around 8pm. I told Jessica not to try and be a hero and come get me when she needed relief. She said she would but that I needed rest and she could handle it. I got 9 or so hours of amazing, uninterupted, much needed sleep!!! Jessica got a new perspective on motherhood. "He doesn't act like this during the day", she said. She was NOT complaining mind you, just shocked. It is hard to sell a novice on the merits of motherhood. The job description, when taken out of context, is really not all that appealing. Yet, I never question, no matter how tired I am, why I longed for this again.
Dear, wonderful Jessica (my husband's sister who is nannying for us until she makes her next career move) spent the night Wednesday and valiantly offered to do an overnight shift. I was not feeling well at all so I took some cold medicine and went to bed around 8pm. I told Jessica not to try and be a hero and come get me when she needed relief. She said she would but that I needed rest and she could handle it. I got 9 or so hours of amazing, uninterupted, much needed sleep!!! Jessica got a new perspective on motherhood. "He doesn't act like this during the day", she said. She was NOT complaining mind you, just shocked. It is hard to sell a novice on the merits of motherhood. The job description, when taken out of context, is really not all that appealing. Yet, I never question, no matter how tired I am, why I longed for this again.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Welcome Home
Even though I knew Christmas night would be my last good night's rest for a while, I couldn't sleep. I was way to nervous and excited. I was having a baby...tomorrow. I was up at the crack of dawn. We had kept a good bit of stuff from Chase's babyhood, but it had been in our attic for about 6 yrs. Christmas night we pulled down everything we could find and deemed useful and began the cleaning process. I didn't have any unscented detergent so the first order of business the next morning was to purchase some. The second order was to find an attorney so we could actually bring the baby home. It was the day after Christmas and I was not sure that was going to be an easy task.
Fortunately, the attorney that was reccomended to us opened her office that day. She did not intend to come in but her staff was there. They called her at home and she graciously put aside her plans to help us. She is an adoptive mom as well so she knew how important this day was to us. We scrambled to locate and clean all parts of the car seat and get him an outfit to come home in then meet her at the hospital by noon. We met in front of the gift shop and the next thing I know Chris disappears and returns with a stuffed blue puppy. You have to know what a rant he goes on regarding the over abundance of toys at our house to appreciate the sentiment in this action. We also got a very important "I'm the big brother" shirt for Chase.
As it turns out, all that scrambling was unnecessary , as that day was hurry up and wait. Mostly wait. We finally got to leave the hospital around 6:30pm with our new baby.
Meanwhile back at our house, Chris' dear family Mom, Dad, and 2 sisters had been working all day. Not only had they looked after the big brother but they had also washed massive amounts of baby clothes and gear and unburied the Christmas disaster as best they could. We could actually function with the new baby because of their hard work. It was just incredible.
When we finally arrived home family and friends had gathered to welcome the newest member of our family and shower him with gifts. It was such a happy, warm feeling. I had the opportunity to see love in action, and that is an amazing thing. There without any planning (and I am a PLANNER) was an impromptu party to celebrate our joy and it could not have been any better. Though not as tired as if I had physically given birth, it was a long emotionally exhausting day. It was great to be home and surrounded by the most important people in life.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
That was easy
Creating a blog that is...
Well, I am new to the blogging world but I am trying to keep up with technology and use this as an electronic baby book for my newly adopted son. My best friend is a blogger and it gives me great joy to read abouot their misadventures so I figure why not. Here is the brief version of our amazing adventure that brough us baby Noel.
My older son is six and from the time he turned two I have felt those very strong desires to be a mother again. I had no inclination that it would be difficult as it was certainly easy to concieve number one (6 months into our marriage). Years went by and the doctors could find nothing physically wrong with Chris or I. Aggressive fertility treatments did not feel right for either of us, so we left it up to God. I say this as though that were a simple thing to do. I should say I have argued with God a lot over the issue. But as usual, the process taught me much and God always knows best. But at the vigil Mass on Christmas Eve I logged one more petition God's way. First I thanked him for the baby he sends each of us every year on Christmas in the Christ child, but then I told him I needed a real live baby too. I asked if there was a baby up there who was sick, would have been aborted or abused to send it to me instead.
So, on Christmas day at 10:30 am I got a phone call from my dear friend who is a mid-wife. There was an 8lb. 2oz. baby boy at the hospital whose mother could not take him home. She was very young and already had three other children. My friend encouraged us to talk and think about it and to not feel pressure. There are no words to describe how I felt at that moment. It is not often our prayers are answered so specifically and so fast. We excitedly consulted our families and went to see our precious child that afternoon.
That was one of the most emotional hours of my life. I was ecstatic and instantly in love with this baby boy, but I felt such compassion for his mother. As a mother, I could not imagine what she was going through. We answered a lot of questions and returned home to finish celebrating Christmas and prepare to bring home a brand new baby the very next day. The above photo was taken on that first visit.
My older son is six and from the time he turned two I have felt those very strong desires to be a mother again. I had no inclination that it would be difficult as it was certainly easy to concieve number one (6 months into our marriage). Years went by and the doctors could find nothing physically wrong with Chris or I. Aggressive fertility treatments did not feel right for either of us, so we left it up to God. I say this as though that were a simple thing to do. I should say I have argued with God a lot over the issue. But as usual, the process taught me much and God always knows best. But at the vigil Mass on Christmas Eve I logged one more petition God's way. First I thanked him for the baby he sends each of us every year on Christmas in the Christ child, but then I told him I needed a real live baby too. I asked if there was a baby up there who was sick, would have been aborted or abused to send it to me instead.
So, on Christmas day at 10:30 am I got a phone call from my dear friend who is a mid-wife. There was an 8lb. 2oz. baby boy at the hospital whose mother could not take him home. She was very young and already had three other children. My friend encouraged us to talk and think about it and to not feel pressure. There are no words to describe how I felt at that moment. It is not often our prayers are answered so specifically and so fast. We excitedly consulted our families and went to see our precious child that afternoon.
That was one of the most emotional hours of my life. I was ecstatic and instantly in love with this baby boy, but I felt such compassion for his mother. As a mother, I could not imagine what she was going through. We answered a lot of questions and returned home to finish celebrating Christmas and prepare to bring home a brand new baby the very next day. The above photo was taken on that first visit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
