In a Funk

Yup that's right I am in a funk. Not sure why though I suspect a series of events put me in my funk. I am going to do my best to get out of this funk and not make my husband and son miserable in the process. Bless my husband's heart, he is a saint for putting up with me. Which is why I am glad my pastor mentioned on Sunday that though we love our spouses, we sometimes have to put up with them. Actually his exact words were "bear with them". My husband was already doing a good job of this Sunday before the pastor said that. :) Have I mentioned I love him?! OK, that is all I have for now. I need to go try to get out of this funk.

Living with a Toddler

Our son has been an overachiever from the beginning. A little too smart for his own good. He learned to crawl at six months and by the time he was 9 1/2 months he was walking. I knew I was in for it when he became more mobile because he was just too curious. In the last two places we lived he was a little more contained. Baby gates were set up to where he was pretty much in his room if ever left to his own devices. This worked for him and me both because it allowed me to get things done and him to have some alone time. Now that we have moved to our new home I wanted him to feel like it is his home to because well, it is! This has led to a series of events that have either shaved years off my life or dissolved me into laughter.

Our first night in our new home our son had to sleep in our bed because we didn't have his set up yet. If you read my previous blogs then you know we went on vacation right after moving but before unpacking. Anyway, as I was saying the first night in our new home our son woke up and sat up in bed screaming and crying. He was inconsolable. We tried to hug or pat him and he would shove our hands away and continue to scream. I got up to get him a sippy cup of water. He grabbed it and drank it as if he hadn't drank in weeks. And then all was fine with the world. I laugh about it now but at the time when he was screaming I was so worried that something was wrong because he has been sick. All he really wanted was a drink of water and was too upset to tell us!

Our second day in our new home our son had been wandering around wherever he pleased. Which was fine with us, we just had to keep an eye or ear on his where abouts. I was in the kitchen and heard him in our bedroom opening my dresser drawers. I told my husband he might want to check on him and shortly after I said that we both heard a loud awful bang. We both took off running for the bedroom. My son sat calmly in the floor with a fruit cup of applesauce dipping his fingers in it and eating it. That same cup of applesauce had been on top of my dresser (I don't know or remember why). He had pulled out the drawers to climb up and get it. In doing that he caused the dresser to fall over. Fortunately it was caught by another dresser or it would have landed on him. He didn't cry or anything just sat where he had landed eating the applesauce. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I just turned and walked out of the room after assuring myself he was ok and let my husband pick him up. After I had composed myself I scooped him up and simultaneously hugged and scolded him.

That same day, after the dresser episode, my husband scooted my son's dresser in his room closer to the wall and where it would fall on the changing table if we had a repeat. I was in his room playing with him and turned my back to pick up something. Next thing I know he is crying and all I can think is I didn't hear him do anything. I turn around and found him wedged between his dresser and the wall. I had to pull the dresser out to get him out.

Tonight after the jewelry show/open house I had here he had another fun adventure. I had made chocolate cupcakes for my guests and the leftovers were sitting on the counter near the edge. I came out of another room into the hallway and my son ran by with chocolate on his face. My husband came runing after him with a baby wipe. I got on to my husband for feeding our son a cupcake. He said, "I nothing, go look for yourself." There was a cupcake that had little finger swipes in the icing and a bit pinched off. Our son had been reaching up and grabbing at the cupcake. Nothing is safe in this house!

Now we haven't even been in this house a week and I am already questioning his freedom but I know it is good for him. I have had a glimpse into the many adventures I am sure to have with my curious little boy. I am glad that God has a watch over him and has saved him from sure disasters. That way I can look back and chuckle at him. Afterall, he is just being a little boy. Be prepared for blogging about the adventures of my son. For now I believe I shall go watch the little angel sleep. That is really the only time he is still for very long :)

Unpacking.....

So when you move you have to pack quickly because you usually have a deadline to get out of the current house. But the new house it's going to be with you for awhile. So what do you do? Unpack ever so slowly; preferrably after having taken a week long vacation. What that isn't what you did? Well this is my story!

Yea so we got home from vacation and didn't even have a bed unpacked to sleep on yet. Rest assured that happened right away. The other large furniture gradually made its way in because we had another warm body here and had to take advantage of that. But the rest is still neatly stacked in the basement and garage still in boxes. My method has been to grab a box every time I go down to the basement and unpack it. However, I have a goal. Really I do! By Thursday I need to have the bathroom, living room and kitchen liveable. Because we lead small group on Thursdays and childcare is at our house. No pressure there right?! It's ok I'm not stressing over it.....well maybe a little.

For now I am going to go cuddle with a cute little boy. Unpacking boxes is over-rated in comparison to cuddling!

Already blown it with the resolution but we have a new house!

Yeah, so my resolution to blog more frequently hasn't happened yet! Something about closing on a house 3 days before Christmas, then moving everything in 2 days before going on vacation, oh yeah and being on vacation that keeps one from blogging. That's right I got excuses!

As soon as I get back from this vacation though I am excited to get to put our house together and do some painting. My awesome hardworking husband already refinished the hardwood floors(which are in every room but the bathroom and kitchen yay!). I am just so excited for us to have a place that is ours. We can do whatever we want to it without calling the landlord for permission. We made a list of all the things we want to do to the house. It's long and it is going to take years to do it all but we are ok with that because we plan on being there for awhile.

When I get back I plan to take some pictures of the house and post them. I am not making any promises that it will happen quickly because we won't have internet right away. So that is my valid excuse for not blogging right away. We won't have internet up an running because our service could not be transferred over. Which baffles me because we live in the middle of town and had it two streets over but that is another story all together.

So stay tuned and hopefully in between chasing a toddler, setting up house and life in general you are going to hear more from me!

Early New Year Resolution

I am going to make an early resolution for this coming year. I might even try to act on it earlier. I am going to try to blog with more frequency. Even if it is just to say what I did that day or to share something deep from my heart. I have so much to say but with a young one I find it hard to sit down for any period of time to blog. I might just have to start a post, save it as a draft and continue adding to it throughout the day. This could be an interesting technique for me but I have a feeling it is something that many other more devoted bloggers do. Here is to hoping for the best!

My nephew is coming....

Well he will be coming. My sister is scheduled for an induction tomorrow! I can hardly believe it's time for him to be here. I am nearly as excited for his birth as I was for the birth of my own son. If he comes tomorrow then my son will be exactly 14 months older than him. My baby sister having a baby......my where have the years gone. Granted I am only three years older than her but my gosh! I can remember (just barely) the day mom and dad brought her home. She was my own baby. To hear mom and dad tell it I acted as if she were my own. Now we get to raise our little boys together. I hope they are the best of friends. I am praying for a short and uneventful labor that produces a healthy baby. I am going to go reminisce the birth of my own son now!

Grace for our children...

While I was still pregnant I had this disillusioned dream of how perfect our son was going to be not only physically but he was going to be as close to Jesus perfect as a human can get. Of course, this was prideful sin on my part for which I have repented. I have also learned, especially in the last couple weeks, how as parents we need to have grace for our children and their faults or bad habits. This last week we have completely weaned B from nursing. A week ago tonight he nursed his last time. It was bittersweet for me. That was our time together. Time that could not be duplicated by anyone but momma. It has been a difficult transition. He still wants to nurse; particularly at night time. We have had a hard time getting him to sleep. My husband has slept a few times on the couch with him. I couldn't sit in the rocker with him because that is where I nursed him. It is so easy to get frustrated at times like this. But I find myself thinking what it must be like for him. I mean the thing that comforts him most we are taking away from him. I haven't come up with a good substitute yet. He is too young to understand why we are doing this or how it benefits all involved.

Tonight as I was rocking him to sleep (for the first time in a week I was able to do this without him trying to nurse or screaming his head off because I would not let him)I was reminded by God of the Grace He has for His children. As a parent, I need to emulate that grace. I need to have grace for B as he struggles with this new transition. I need to have grace as he learns that he should not do something and what No means. I should continue this grace as he grows up and even into adulthood. Now I am not saying that there will not be consequences for his actions if he knowingly and repeatedly does something wrong but neither am I going to browbeat him as he is learning. There will be a learning curve for both him and myself; since we are both new to this. But I am going to try to discipline and disciple (ever noticed how close those words are; I accidentally put disciple first and kept it because it fits too) with the grace and unconditional love God shows us as His children. I am not perfect and I will make mistakes but I pray that God will help me with this and teach me. I am going to try to have an open and willing heart.

PS:
I have learned just how much nutrition he was getting from nursing. He, in the past week, has developed a veracious appetite. Can we say bottomless pit!!