Smarty pants

Samuel: "Mom, can we get a fan in each of our bedrooms?"
Me: "Are you going to pay for them?"
Samuel: "No, you are."
Me: "Where will I get the money?"
Samuel: "At the dollar store."

What a smarty pants!

Oh my gosh...it's a blog post!

I will blog again. Someday. Sometime. Somewhere.
I may be married to a Doctor by the time that occurs. Woohoo!

Tim is in the middle of finishing up his thesis and his defense is in 5 weeks. He is putting in insane hours and I'm trying to hold down the fort while starting up my lia sophia jewelry business again. Not what I want to do in this already stressful season but the checkbook demands it. Not to mention that I do not have any family or free babysitting service available. Gabby is still up multiple times at night (teething & a bad habit) and I am tired. This is not the season for sleep training though. Anyway, we are a bit weary and could use your prayers as we finish this 7 year marathon.

On a side note: Samuel asked if we could put away the high chair since Gabby was sitting in the booster seat. I said jokingly, "Not if we have another baby. Samuel, would you like another baby brother or sister?" He said emphatically, "NO!!!" So I asked, "Why not?" He replied, "Cause I would freak out and then I would have to bust around like that." Whatever that means.

Now don't you worry. I, unlike Rachel, am NOT having baby fever right now!!
No way! No how!

Photo Shoot

Earlier this summer we had the wonderful opportunity of doing a photo shoot with one of our favorite people, Miss Amanda! If you have not yet checked out her photography site, you really should do so. She's awesome!!! We laughed, we cried, we had the time of our lives...

Well almost.

Anyway, here's the finished product. Samuel was not totally cooperative and Gabrielle only balled her eyes out once. Amanda picked some interesting locations... a beautiful lake, a grassy knoll behind an Arby's drive thru, a wasp infested shack...

We really did have fun and we certainly laughed a lot!

Urgent Prayer Needed!!!

:::FRIDAY UPDATE:::

Sarah and Esther are finally heading home from the hospital. It is my understanding that they did not find anything conclusive but baby is doing much better. Both are very tired and Esther's tummy is rather upset from the antibiotics administered. Thank God for a good report and thanks for praying!

:::UPDATE:::

Esther is doing much better and the doctors now feel that she probably does not have sepsis as the cultures keep coming back negative - praise God!!! They are keeping her for one more night to observe her and hopefully mom and baby will go home tomorrow. They are both very tired and need some sleep!

Hello Friends!!!

This is the first chance I've had to update my blog. Would you please be praying for Sarah's newest addition, baby Esther! She was hospitalized last night with severe vomiting and lethargy. The doctors have run a multitude of tests and are trying to conclude if Esther has sepsis. As of Sarah's last text, Esther has stopped vomiting and the tests right now are coming back normal but it does take a few days for the cultures to be conclusive.

You can also pray for the entire family as they have just relocated over the past month, had a baby and do not have any family nearby to help them with Juli or Gabrielle. I'm sure they are all very exhausted. Let's ask the Lord for healing and favor upon their household during this time. And if you have any creative ideas of how we can bless them, please call me or send an email.

Thanks so much.

Rock on!

Date Night:
Dinner at Olive Garden, mini golf, browsing the furniture store and a little guitar hero to top off the evening.

(And no, I did not wear this out to dinner.)

To conceive or not to conceive...

That is the question.

Yes, that is the question that swirls around this brain of mine on a regular basis. For the record, we were NOT planning on having another child (at least biologically) after Gabrielle for various reasons...

#1 - I was pretty close to kicking the bucket at her birth
#2 -I hemorrhaged at both my children's births
#3 - I had threatened pre-term labor starting at 24 weeks with Samuel and was on strict bed rest
#4 - I had other absolutely crazy complications after Samuel's birth that in my wisdom I will not share on my blog. (If your dying to know then give me a call/email. I'd be happy to share)
#5 - I question whether my 35 year old body can handle more sleep deprivation. Let me tell you, it's been extreme.
#6 - Sometimes I wonder if I'm really cut out for more children. I can be severely type A at times.
#7 - We have a heart for adoption
#8 - I am not a homebody and I feel called to invest my life in a global manner.

We were so sure that we were not going to have any more babies that I sold ALL my baby stuff. If Gabby was done with it, it was out of here. I am so NOT a pack rat. We were so sure that we were not going to have any more babies that I began talking to my midwife about sterilization procedures. I remember feeling that if I was surprised with a pregnancy that I would be devastated. And then that's when it happened...

Everything became sacred. Every milestone Gabrielle reached became her first and my last. I became overly sentimental about a lot of things - like nursing and labor. I LOVE nursing and I can't imagine that she could be the last baby I get to nourish. Pregnancy and labor to me are such an amazing expression of who God created me to be as a woman - the good, the bad and the ugly! And Gabrielle - every time I smell the sweetness of strawberries on her breath, I want to bottle it. Every time she giggles, I want to record it. Is there anyway to take the softness of her skin and reproduce it? No! Babies are pure love!

And then it happened...







my period was 3 days late. My period is NEVER late...






And I was excited! Soooooooo excited!







And then I got my period.

Now, I am terribly confused about my emotions. Courtney says it's hormones. Our family thinks we would be out of our minds to have another baby. The lady at the amusement park says that I'll know for SURE when I'm done and that the mayhem of family life with lots of young children is totally worth it. A minister preached about the blessings of his very large family. My midwife said that just because I had 2 hemorrhages does not necessarily mean I'll have a third. I'm getting involved in an overseas project this fall. It's all rather schizophrenic right now if I might say so.

So, I will wait.

Maybe God is leaving room in our hearts for children that our not ours by nature. Maybe a mother's heart is what I need to do what God has called me to. Maybe I am to channel this affection more deeply with my children. Maybe God will surprise me.

Maybe...

It was bound to happen...

I finally joined facebook.

I decided it was time so I could stay in touch with some family and friends that live at a distance. Well all I have to say is Whoa Nelly!!!! Facebook is totally insane!!! I had no idea. I was warned, but just like childbirth, you have no clue until you actually do it. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole experince so far. I'm thinking I might just have to stop tweeting because how do you blog, tweet and facebook at the same time??? It's a bit overwhelming.

Meet the Sweet Potatoes

This past Sunday I had a Lia Sophia jewelry open house. I guess I can say I am officially back in business. So come on all you fashionistas, check out the new catalog. It's AMAZING!!!

Anyway, Samuel and I were killing some time waiting for a flood of Lia Sophia addicts to arrive at my door, when this happened...

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Sweet Potato.

This is their wedding photo.
Don't they look marvelous donning their new Lia Sophia bracelets necklaces. And please don't tell Mrs. sweet potato that she was rotting on her wedding day. It might ruin it for her and we wouldn't want that, would we?

Samuel and I - we had a lot of fun!

Samuel, always my little helper, left his mark on my jewelry display and I noticed it while I was cleaning up my table of giveaways. Can you see my meat thermometer in the Christmas tree? That's my boy - he just loves that meat thermometer.

Yes, you read it correctly... Christmas tree!
Yes, it was my Christmas in August sale. We had holiday music and I was giving away stuff just like Santa would. Aren't you sad you didn't come? So am I! So are Mr. and Mrs sweet potato!

Wordless Wednesday - Friends & Fun!

Proof

I just downloaded my photos to my computer and I came across this one of Gabby and Lila.

Do you know what this is proof of?

That my most wonderful friend, Courtney, came for a visit last week and we actually visited. We've been friends for around 8 years now and we've had a long distance relationship for 6 of those years. We talk on the phone way too much. We over share. We even have secret nicknames but we NEVER get to hang out. Most of the time she's in town, there is a conference or other engagement going on, so we get a brief hour or two. But not this visit!

This time Lila took a nap at my house (and so did Courtney). We ate lunch AND dinner, looked at photos. Heck, we even made it to the park with our kids. Levi became Samuel's best friend. I got to see several of Courtney's cute bright summer outfits. We talked, almost fought... we did the things girlfriends do and it was great.

One year older!

In my blogging absence, my sweet and spunky boy turned four years old! This monumental occasion occurred on June 21st and here I am posting a month later. Better late than never, right?

I think Samuel started the count down to his birthday on our fridge calendar sometime in April. So this was a BIG deal for the little guy. It rained all day but we made our own fun in the community center of our townhouse complex.

Curious George got decapitated.

The kiddos filled their goody bags.

We ate lots of chocolate cake.

Someone felt very special.

The greatest part of it all was that Samuel spoke more of who came to his party than what he got for gifts. That's one of the things I love about my boy - he really delights in his friends and family!


Our conversations before bed often go something like this... "I reeaally love my friend Juli. I will miss her so much when she moves but that's OK because we can take an airplane to see her in CANtucky." (He's totally sporting the western NY accent). or "I reeaally love my mimi, she's the best ever." I'm pretty sure each and ever family member has been "the best ever" at some point in time.

Four seems so BIG yet so small at the same time.

Samuel can be fiercely independent. God help me if I open or close the minivan slide door on my own. That's his job. After three swim lessons, Samuel told me he didn't need the instructor any more because he can swim all by himself now. Oh and by the way, Samuel told his instructor that he is superman and he's been sticking with the alter ego all through the lesson.

Even though he's "a big boy now", he still loves to snuggle with his mama in the morning, give me lots of kisses and asks to be held a few times each day. He really does love his mama. After all, he still thinks I know everything. Maybe someday I'll let him in on the truth.

Samuel is keenly observant. "Wow mom, that's a new shirt. It looks beautiful on you."

He's incredibly curious and inquisitive. In fact that's probably Samuel's hallmark. He must know how it works, why it does what it does, when it's going to happen, who's involved and what's next." I know it will serve him well in the future but it's hard work to keep my little guy from getting himself in trouble. No wonder his favorite storybook character is Curious George. As I'm typing this, he just asked me if butterflies have hearts?

Samuel gives out the love to his sister freely. He plays, teaches and even shares on occasion. When she's sad, he'll find a special stuffed animal for her and will make goofy faces to make her laugh. He always calls her an affectionate, Gabrielle Goo.

Right now, riding in the white car with dadio is the coolest. In fact doing anything with daddy is the coolest. I asked Samuel what he loves about his daddy for a poster we were making. He said, "I love that daddy does busy things with me in the basement." Samuel loves to tinker and take things apart and daddy has just the right amount of patience to do such tasks (ex: take apart the broken CD player to see how it works). Samuel no doubt has his daddy's brain. They are both insanely smart. Maybe I should start calling them my "geek squad." All in fun, my friends. All in fun!

Oh and did I mention that The Wiggles are all the rage right now. Samuel's favorite is Captain Feathersword. It really is a perfect fit.

Samuel, you are totally cute, completely sweet, a little bit quirky, full of energy, a lover of life, a good friend, sometimes stubborn, very bright and you are all mine. Oh how I love you my little/ big guy!

Samuel's prayer

If only oral hygiene were this easy...

"Dear God,

Thank you for Gabrielle, she is so sweet and please forgive her so she doesn't get any cavities.

Amen."

You just might think differently of me after reading this post

Warning: This is a real life post

I might be back. Maybe, or maybe not. It will eventually happen when time and sanity permit. I'll just keep you all in suspense.

Because I know you have all been waiting on the edge of your seat for my next post. Ha!

Well I thought I'd make my grand re-entrance with a real Life post for you all.

If you've been reading my posts about my sweet and sassy Gabby girl. You know she's a feisty one with a bit of a temper. I think the Long Island attitude might be genetic. Remember this? Yes, well that was rather MILD compared to the full blown, back arching temper tantrums she now throws.

Amanda and I went to Target the other day where Gabrielle promptly threw about a half-dozen tantrums just so I would put her down so she could walk. (Sorry sista, walking through the store at your pace could take about a lifetime) As I was carrying my flailing, scene making daughter to the check out, she found something in my cart that made everything all better...

the tears stopped,

the pleasant baby babble began,

shaking it became a fun game,

everyone around us thought she was so cute,

everyone around us knew my secret

and now you do too.

(Thanks to Amanda.)

One Year Old!

I interrupt this blogging break to make a very special announcement...


Gabrielle Grace turned one year old today!
I can hardly believe it. Where has the time gone???

Dear Gabby Girl,

You are the sweetest ever. You are full of kisses ALL the time. When you plant one, you give a big "mmmm...smooch" sound. It's your favorite thing to do when I come in to get you from a nap. We take turns kissing your purple hippo and your little lamby. You are most definitely my kissing girl (you must take after Daddy).


You've expanded your vocabulary quite a bit... mama, dada, more, all done, hi, bye bye, nurses, button, zipper, nose, mouth, no, night night, good girl, uh-oh, bless you. You are so expressive - always conversing with your toys and expressing your delight as you explore new things. I love when you point your finger and say "oh" with your lips all puckered up. It's a classic Gabrielle look.


You are also quite sassy and expressive in your frustration. You must take after mommy with that one. I hope we survive your teenage years. You have no qualms about throwing a full-on, back-arching, screaming temper tantrum when you don't get your way. Thanks for the public display at Verizon the other day. It was NOT awesome. I am praying that God will help me to guide that strong will toward His purposes.


You LOVE the men in your life. Daddy is the bomb! You cry when he leaves for work and you love to play airplane with him. Samuel is your buddy and you certainly hold your own with him. Heck, you wrestle him to the ground and you love it!


Aunt Linda said you were the happiest baby she's ever seen. You really are chipper when nothing's ailing you. Smiling all the time!


Some of your favorite things... singing the itsy bitsy spider or pat-a-cake, fake sneezing or yawning, critiquing Samuel's paintings on the easle, tearing paper, reading Good Night Gorilla, the ball-bopper, cruising around with your walker, singing in the microphone and banging just about everything.


I'm sure all parents say this about their kids, but you are quite bright...really! You pick things up really quickly. You love to mimick talking on the phone, putting on lotion, taking your temperature, feeding adults, making car sounds while playing matchbox cars with your brother and brushing your hair.


Gabrielle, you have a big personality and with it you bring big joy to our family. You make me smile and laugh more than I could have imagined. Everyday I think to myself, "I'm so happy we get to keep her!" What a precious gift you are. I love you, my big baby girl!

-Mama-