A Gift

           In the (nearly) four years and 9 months that I have been a mother, I've been given many "Mother's" gifts. Every year, at this time, my thoughtful husband has sought out some sweet card, cooked some delicious meal or made brunch or dinner plans, and given me some generous and often sacrificial gift.

He's a real keeper, that man of mine.

He's the kind of husband that makes being a mother to small children so much more... doable. He is kind. He helps. He anticipates the need for an occasional pizza night based on the days' events. He sacrifices his own comfort on a regular basis to allow me bits of quiet time by myself. He knows how much this energizes me. He knows that just a bit of time to be alone and think.. or read... or write or browse Target with an Iced Coffee in hand literally helps me be a better mother. He doesn't expect or desire that I "do it all" all the time. He is my best friend and my teammate at this parenting thing. Being a mother next to a father like him, it's the kind of gift I would wish for every mom.

I remember the night I became a mother (well, the night she was born... technically I became a mother about 9 months before that.) It was 9:19PM when I saw and heard this little bundle of pink burst into this world with a very sweet and disgruntled cry. The Dr. (whom I'll always believe saved both our lives) lifted her up and I saw her tiny mouth drawn up in displeasure at being pulled from her nice warm spot.

She turns four in two weeks. FOUR. (This mama is in denial like you wouldn't believe.)

Three years later she was joined by another little pink one, also displeased at being evicted from her cozy spot. Except this time, there was no polite cry. She screamed her blessed head off. So much so that I distinctly remember hearing the nurse and the anesthesiologist say, "Whoa. She is MAD."

She turned 15 months old this week and she has a zest for life and everything in it like I never imagined.

They are growing so much faster than I would choose. But isn't that one of the greatest gifts of all? Being able to witness them growing? Sometimes at night, I peek in on them. Watch them sleeping. Pull up the covers under their little chins and whisper things I want them to know. Those moments usually catch in my throat and I leave their room quietly, soberly thanking God for entrusting them to us.

I think one of the basic common lamentations of all mothers of small children is how fast they grow. Everyone always told me (and still tells me!)

"Hold on to every precious moment."
"They'll be in college before you know it." 
"Enjoy these days. They won't always be so small."


I've tried to heed their advice. Really, I have. I try to take the pictures. Write the blog posts. Write the funny things they say in my little book of quotes. Play "Go Fish" and leave the laundry a bit longer.

But what no one ever prepared me for was the heart-wrenching beauty and wonder of actually witnessing them grow. As in, grow before my very eyes. Like watching a flower bloom in elevated speed. 

That's enough to make you feel like your heart's going to burst wide open with joy, pride and pain all at the same time.

It's obvious when I look at pictures of a few years or even months ago. It's clear when I fold up last season's clothes that were practically hanging off them at the beginning of the quarter. It's ever so evident when I notice them doing or saying something new.

But it is so very startling when I see traces of my babies still in these faces that are changing every day. As Lucy's face becomes more and more that of a little girl (mere months from going to school!) and less of a sweet, round baby-faced toddler-- I want to stop time right in its tracks. Lately I have noticed it more when she laughs or cries. Funny, how those two emotions, so different from one another, but they both have been seen on her face since she was a wee baby. I hope she keeps those traits all her life. I hope she keeps a bit of innocence and delight for the rest of her days.

Sometimes I instigate tickle fights just to see her face light up with the hilarious laughter that reminds me of my little cherub faced itty bitty thing.

And I know that she will just continue to grow and change and grow and change. As will her sister.

I know I am powerless to keep them small. I would never want to. (Well, okay sometimes I do.) But I never want to clutch my fingers around their "baby-ness" in mock ownership of two little people who belong to HIM and have merely been entrusted to us for a season. I never, ever want to stand in the way of His teaching and growing and drawing them to Himself. 

I only hope to be WORTHY and FAITHFUL and point them to God one day at a time. 

So for all the Mother's Day gifts I've been given. All the times I've been praised or encouraged or blessed for being a mom--

The greatest gift of all,

is simply being used.  The best honor I could ever be given is this role.

This seemingly (to some) insignificant task of leading little ones.

This front row seat of watching these little souls grow (every day) to know a little bit more of who they are, and why they are here.

Let us all love them LAVISHLY and be humbled at the GIFT of raising them up.

Because I cannot have coffee with each one of you...

Grab a cup, (or one of those 8-10 glasses of water we're supposed to be drinking!) and know this is what I would say to you if we could hang out today. 

For the Mommies:

Today is Wednesday, the mid point in the week-- because by now, most of us have forgotten... You are so very valuable to your little children. Do you know what a difference for Christ you are making in these little ones? You're not just a band-aid applier and PB&J fixer, you are the one who gets to help them see JESUS on a daily basis!

Some of you got up and put on yoga pants as you prepared for another day of wiping runny noses and navigating a minefield of Cheerios. While others' mornings consisted of slamming coffee, getting the whole family dressed at break-neck speed and seeing to everyone else's needs while you somehow squeezed in a few minutes to get yourself ready for work. (Bonus points if you had time to accessorize.)

We will all spend the day tackling a to-do list. Whether from your kitchen counter or a desk in an office, remember that what you are doing matters. God has given it to you to do, no matter how insignificant the task seems. You will either spend the day looking into little faces while you work or breathing silent prayers that God watch over them and keep them safe and healthy until you see them at the end of the day. 

Whether you will spend the day distributing multiple Sippy cups or sending countless emails, use your tasks as a way to Worship the One who gave you them to do.  Worship Him with your attitude when something unreasonable is asked of you. Worship Him with your mind when explaining how something works to your preschooler. Worship Him with your emotions when your silence is interrupted by children who cat-nap and wake up cranky. Worship Him by being a witness to those you work alongside when they are catty and difficult to deal with.

Don't try to be perfect. Just be a Mommy who loves Jesus. Trust in His Grace every hour, every moment. 

Do it all, (both scrubbing toilets and navigating corporate politics) to the glory of God. 

Three Birthdays and So Much love...

Today my little girl had her THIRD birthday. Her third. How did that happen? When did that happen? (Later this summer, I will have my THIRTIETH birthday. Ahem, when did that happen?!)

Anyway, I have developed this little tradition of taking photos of her birthday breakfasts each year. So, as I go over the huge task of weeding out photos from the Minnie Mouse Extravaganza (so much fun!)--here is a little teaser. :)

 Lucy's actual BIRTH Day.. 2009

Her first Birthday... 2010 (In Wake Forest!)

 2nd Birthday-- 2011 Bringing in Two years old with Chocolate Chip "Stones" and Strawberry "Smooties"

My Beautiful Three year old this morning. What a little girl she has become!!!

Catch up and Recap

We've been a little "busy" over the past 2-3 months. First, we were surviving--but just barely. Then, we were living day to day and finally we are thriving as a family of FOUR! There have been some crazy, crazy moments. Some quite comical, others not the least bit funny. But, mostly, it's just been many moments of life that we love to live.

We've been cuddling and snuggling...

 

We've been celebrating milestones and fun days...

 Guess who is turning three in 2 weeks???

Abby's Baby Dedication

We've been Crafty and Creative...

We've spent much-needed time with close friends and family...

And, most importantly, we have been grateful to watch our two little girls grow!

Introducing: (a little late..)

Abigail Grace Stuckey

Born 02.09.12 at 7:46am

7lbs. 2oz. and 20 inches long

sorry for the delay!!! I had every intention of doing birth announcements but 

haven't the time for that at the moment-- so this will do I guess!

You might have a newborn if...

You might have a newborn (and a toddler!) if...

• Taking a shower in a 24-hour period requires Dad being home to hold down the fort,  is considered a REAL accomplishment and means you had a "good day."
• 90% of your meals are eaten left-handed and with great care not to spill food on a tiny, sweet head and you often find crumbs from meals she did not eat on her little clothes.
• The minute your children go to sleep (if they do) you do crazy adventurous things like go to the bathroom and see how fast you can "straighten up" in 15 minutes before the little one changes her mind about napping.
• You and your husband truly understand what is meant by the phrase, "Ships passing in the Night" except that 'night' usually means the wee small hours of the morning and 'passing' means groggily sharing snippets of conversation while trying to get baby girl back to sleep.
• You find yourself daily torn between relishing in the exhausting weeks of newborn sweetness and looking hopefully ahead to the spring, "when we will all feel more normal."
• When you thought about writing this post, the points you wanted to mention were completely different and now totally escape you.
• You have a renewed appreciation for being married to "the right man" as you travel through these days of weariness and lean on one another on a daily basis. 
• You have a renewed appreciation for the promises of God's daily provision of strength and sustenance. He has been faithful to help us in this "survival stage."
• You hurriedly wrote the last two bullet points of this post while a certain someone began to stir and request their next meal. :)

 

We appreciate the prayers and the kind words many of you have sent our way! 

A Lesson in Laundry

This week I learned something whilst doing laundry. ( I also learned I would like to use the word, "whilst" more often. It feels so much more Jane Austen than just your everyday "while")

Upon doing the first in what will be many, many loads of little girl laundry in which the clothes belong to TWO little girls instead of just one, I was struck with several realizations. First, time really does fly. So fast I can hardly fathom where the last 2.5 years have gone since I was folding, preparing, re-folding these tiny newborn sleepers for Lucy before her arrival. Second, the sizes are so much more obviously different when they are side by side! My skinny minnie's clothes look HUGE next to her baby sister's! Not to mention for her I'm folding pajamas, play clothes, socks and underwear-- no more diapers for her! She has gotten to be such a big girl overnight!

The difference is what concerns me most. I think it's easy when you have only one child of one gender and then you know you are having another of the same, to fall into this auto-pilot mode of expecting everything to be just as it was before, just a repeat. This is something I've noticed about my own heart and mind lately that I am having to condition myself to having TWO completely different little girls, with TWO completely different sets of needs.

Though Lucy has been fairly calm and such an "easy" child with all major milestones, I know we may get a real firecracker with little Abby. If her movement in-utero is any indication, that is exactly what is in store for us.

So back to the laundry, I realized how great an opportunity folding the clothes of these little dear hearts is to pray for them and their specific needs. I pray that God gives us what we need to parent two different, though possibly similar, children and that we do it with His grace, patience and love. I also pray He reminds me of these little lessons and opportunities in a few days when I'm buried beneath a sea of onesies and pajamas-- must remember the fact that babies go through multiple changes of clothing as opposed to my, "Mommy, I need a napkin, I have a crumb on my hand" daughter.

Here's to seasons of change!!!

To miss or not to miss, that is the question. (Thankful Thursday)

Being that we are about to meet our 2nd daughter next week (yay!) I already find myself torn between wanting just a little more time of being pregnant and wanting her to come now, TODAY and not next week. I wouldn't say that this pregnancy has been easier or harder, just different for different reasons. But as I sit at the end of a 9-month road, about to enter into a new season of life, I cannot help but ponder what things I will and will not miss. Funny how big changes always prompt that in us. I had to write this all down for myself so I remember!

To miss:
* The movements. All the little kicks and feelings that remind me of the beautiful one God has created in His image in my growing belly. From the first little flutters months ago to the full-on conga line the last few days, I have LOVED being constantly reminded from our little girl, "Hey mom! I'm in here! Take good care of me!"
* The affinity for food. This sounds funny, but any currently pregnant woman will attest, you either hate food or you LOVE it. As ferociously as I despised having to think about cooking, eating, meal planning in the beginning, the 2nd half of the pregnancy has brought with it, a fresh appreciation for all things culinary! There are only a few things I really cannot stand but mostly, there are so many things I liked before that I can't get enough of now! Luckily, they are (mostly) all healthy things. :)
*My time with Lucy though I know I will still have this to some degree, we have been just inseparable the last little bit, as I have been soaking up the time with her. We have made some great memories and I though I greatly look forward to time with TWO little girls, I will miss the "just she and I" time.
*Having clothes that fit like they're supposed to. This may seem like it's in the wrong category but I have really enjoyed Maternity clothes this time around-- much more than last time. And I was reminded of the awkward stage that comes immediately after when your clothes don't fit right yet but the maternity clothes look a little strange without the cute belly sticking out. BUT, we have a double stroller, and this mama will be hitting the pavement as soon as the Dr. gives me the ok. :)
*My predictable time with Lance as much as this is no where what it was before we had kids, every night we know bedtime for the little one is coming and as soon as it does, we can sit and be uninterrupted for as long as we like, usually until we both fall asleep these days. :) I will enjoy getting into a new normal and establishing our new routine of "us" time.
*My rockstar parking spot at the Grocery Store. Really. Once I got big enough to really show, I have completely used the "stork" parking every time we go--especially when I have little Lu with me. Lifesaver!

NOT to Miss:
* My lack of gracefulness. Seriously, I have never dropped so much, knocked so much over, and spilled things in my life.
* The many embarrassing, uncomfortable, and very often painful symptoms that remind you, "By the way-- you are growing another life and you probably won't feel normal until you are finished doing so." These are the things that you forget about from one pregnancy to the next. That's the selective memory that allows us all to keep having children. :)
*Sleeping propped up. Honestly, I've never had Heartburn or anything else that always seems like something your grandpa gets, but this pregnancy, whoa buddy.
*My energy level decline.  Though I know this will only sink further over the next 6-9 weeks-- I look forward to being able to do things all day long without having to take multiple breaks.
*Not being able to pass a bathroom without a visit. The funniest thing about this is, Lucy recently became potty trained and so every time she goes, I go just in case. So between my having to go every 15 minutes, her going every 30 and all the time in between, we don't get very much done when we leave the house. HA! Too much information? sorry.
*Expecting some weight gain on a regular basis. I mean really, who WANTS to keep gaining weight? Thankfully, I have gained WAY less this time than last. Chasing a toddler vs. sitting at a desk will do that to you. :)

All in all, this has been a great pregnancy and I'm just so happy to be having another Healthy baby that I think I should be rejoicing no matter the discomforts. Praise God for sustaining us and for my wonderful Husband. He has been a true knight in shining armor through the whole experience and I am SO very thankful to be able to walk WADDLE this road with him at my side.

And just for fun, let's take a brief look at where the PREVIOUS 9 months of pregnancy took us:

 From Here... 05/26/09

 To here... 

 To here: 11/2009

To here--  05/2010

 To here 04/2011 (Sassy Pants)

To here! 01/2012

Publix Baby Club Freebie!

If you live in a state that has a Publix Grocery Store, (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee) and you have a child under the age of two, you should join the Publix Baby Club!

As soon as we moved here, I joined online and though they do send you some nice little money-saving coupons, the real deal was this FREE book they sent me. It's a encyclopedia-size American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to caring for children from Birth to Age 5. The book has a $20.00 value but I received it at no charge a couple of weeks after I went online and joined the Publix Baby Club. I would imagine that most of you that live in one of these states know about this deal already-- but I was really shocked at how nice the book was! And in our house, FREE Books are better any day!

Mother's Day... Then and Now

2009--- Just days to go! 

(WOW, by the way-- It's easy to forget how huge one can be and feel!)

2010-- Loving being a mother!

Baby Stuff: Part One-- Maternity

Now that my little L is quickly moving out of the "itty bitty baby stage" and into the "let me see what I can get into stage," I have decided to share some of the products that worked, or did not work for me. A lot of people gave very helpful advice during my pregnancy and after L was born and I would like to pass on what I have learned.. even if it only affects a small handful of 1st-time moms!

My plan is to do this in several segments, the first being Maternity (Clothes and Products)

Disclaimer: Let me say at the beginning that I strongly believe that what worked for me may not work at all for another mom. That's perfectly fine-- I do NOT claim to be an expert, how could I be, after all I have only one child! :) I merely want to share "what works for me." Enjoy.


Maternity Clothes:
I once heard a joke that goes like this: "With your first child, you run right out and start buying maternity clothes as soon as the test is positive. With your second child, you wear your regular clothes as long as possible. With your third child, your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes."  HA! That first part was definitely true with me-- although, I hope the latter will not be for sure! Keep in mind that with your first PG you may not show nearly as early as you think you will, then again, you might. I felt like I hardly showed at all until I was all of a sudden, as big as a house. That being said, I was pregnant from September to May so where I hardly needed winter MT clothes, I certainly needed Spring and Summer things. It all depends really.  Many of my regular clothes looked so much better than Maternity clothes until I really had a bonafide bump.

When it came to actually purchasing said PG clothes, I was pretty okay with making a few small investments hoping that I would have the chance to wear them with Baby #2. I got a great pair of jeans (on sale at a department store I think.) And I HAD to buy a couple of pairs of serviceable work pants for obvious reasons... but the majority of my maternity wardrobe was on sale at Old Navy or the Gap (definitely clearance!)

Several things to keep in mind:
1. Be patient with yourself as you shop. Don't try to hit the mall after a long and tiring day at work and find things you absolutely love on the first try. Shop in little spurts if possible.

2. Be prepared to get frustrated a time or two when you visit a store and find that in that whole huge store, the maternity section is this teeny tiny closet of three racks containing 2 pairs of pants and 5 shirts, 3 of which look like something your 3rd grade teacher wore. (See point 4 for a solution) If you are like me, and have shopped in the tiny corner of the store that is the petite section-- be warned, this is like that only worse. But it's SO worth it to have your little dear 9 months later!

3.  Try to find yourself a couple of really comfortable maternity camis to wear underneath things and you will have really stretched your current wardrobe. I found them in black and in white on sale at the Gap. I must confess, I still wear them on occasion because they are comfortable!

4. Be prepared to shop online with a store that has a great return policy. For example, OLD NAVY has a tiny little maternity section in the store, but they have a lot of stuff online. Cute stuff too. AND, if you visit their coupon site on Thursday after midnight, you can usually score a great coupon. I found several great things at Old Navy that did not have the smallest amount of frumpyness to them. Check out this little cutie---

 

pair that with these pants and voila! you are sporting that bump with all the style of your pre-preg self, 

not to mention the brand new glow! 

CUTE! 

(Brief Old Navy cheerleading session over.)

Unfortunately, I could not always find what I was looking for, so I did visit the little shop of Motherhood a time or two to find pants and the like. Let me go on record as saying that though I found several of my things there at somewhat reasonable prices, I was not thrilled with them in the least. I believe that they know they have somewhat of a monopoly on the impregnated world and they take it. You can only return non-clearance items within 10 days for an exchange with a receipt. WHO DOES THAT ANYMORE??????? Some of their items are not made very well. They just aren't. Several shirts I found there did not look nice after less than 3 washings. (yes, I used cold water, yes, I dried on low or hung dry.) I guess I often felt cheated because if I knew I needed something, I could find it there in a pinch-- but I did not often appreciate the quality as on par with the price. But, what can you do? It is what it is. I will be fair and say I found my favorite white capri's there!

All in all, keep in mind that you can get by with a few basic items at first and find things as you go along. You will not wake up one morning and be huge. Although, it may feel that way sometimes. :) There were many months in the beginning when I wore my fav. jeans longer than I should have by sticking a hair elastic through the button loop and wrapping it around the button. Instant extra inch!

I hope those of you that are or will become pregnant have found this at least a little helpful. Hopefully you will find what works for you right away too! And now for a little blast from the past (last year.) SINCE we are on the Maternity topic....

 

Here we are.. just weeks before the big day!