14 January, 2013

Out of my mind

When I became a mom I had no idea that motherhood=worry. It actually started with pregnancy and then increased 10 fold for birth and then when I thought nothing is going to be as bad a birth I have a baby that I am in charge of. All of a sudden my whole goal in life it to keep another human alive!!!! I can't think of more stressful job! I am so thankful for The Lord.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"-Philippians 4:7

And thank goodness for Google.

11 January, 2013

It is All I Talk About

Everyone keeps asking me, "how is it being home?"  Well, I thought I would share what the day and the life of Evangeline and Tiffany look like. 

It starts about 3-4am, snack time and again 5-6am-ish.  Oh and we LOVE to sleep in so we get up around 9-10am (although this morning I got up before Evangeline and worked out, it was a great decision). Then our day begins.  We stare at each other for a while and I do everything under the sun to earn a smile.  My next goal is a giggle, I am working on finding those ticklish spots.  We walk about the house and I explain everything to her. What the sun looks like, why I drink water, who certain people are.  We will do some diaper changes where I obsess over the slightest diaper rash or if I have only seen one poop for the day.  And, someone help me if her poop is green, what could that possibly mean, green poop?!! Then I google whatever is "out of the norm" for the day.  I look at the clock and count how many hours until Kev gets home.  We walk about the house some more, bounce on the ball, try out the moby and try the sneak a shower or bathroom break with out her noticing I put her down. The visit from USPS is always exciting and we LOVE to Facetime or Skype with anyone else who is home during the day (Megs, don't forget to write "Read Tiff's blog" to your paper agenda for today!) And we always attempt to have a hot dinner on the table when we hear the front door open, which is the highlight of both of our days!

I now know why mom's only talk about their kids! Well, it is because it is all we do.  All we think about and the only pictures we take are a million shots of the same adorable smile or pose(sorry social media friends!) Us mom's are learning a new career and just when we think we've nailed it down, think again.  But, you know what?  I really like being home and I LOVE being a mom.
My Mom
Kev's Mom
Glad I have amazing moms to learn from!

10 January, 2013

A Good Godly Man

Yesterday when Kev got home he asked if he could read something to me.  This is what he read:

In June of 1971, just days before his 26-year-old son, Michael, got married, future-U.S. President Ronald Reagan sent him the following letter of advice. It really is quite stunning.

(
Source: Reagan: A Life In Letters; Image: Ronald Reagan, via.)
Michael Reagan
Manhattan Beach, California
June 1971

Dear Mike:


Enclosed is the item I mentioned (with which goes a torn up IOU). I could stop here but I won't.


You've heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the "unhappy marrieds" and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.


Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three A.M., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears. There are more men griping about marriage who kicked the whole thing away themselves than there can ever be wives deserving of blame. There is an old law of physics that you can only get out of a thing as much as you put in it. The man who puts into the marriage only half of what he owns will get that out. Sure, there will be moments when you will see someone or think back to an earlier time and you will be challenged to see if you can still make the grade, but let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life. Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. If you truly love a girl, you shouldn't ever want her to feel, when she sees you greet a secretary or a girl you both know, that humiliation of wondering if she was someone who caused you to be late coming home, nor should you want any other woman to be able to meet your wife and know she was smiling behind her eyes as she looked at her, the woman you love, remembering this was the woman you rejected even momentarily for her favors.


Mike, you know better than many what an unhappy home is and what it can do to others. Now you have a chance to make it come out the way it should. There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.


Love,


Dad


P.S. You'll never get in trouble if you say "I love you" at least once a day.

I was stunned at this letter and actually started to cry.  The reason being is because my husband, read this letter and not only liked this letter but he wanted to share its contents with me. This showed me two things.
1.  He agreed with what Ronald Reagan was saying.
2. My husband is a good man.

There ARE good decent men out there that LOVE their wives.  There are good men out there that are not only satisfied with their wives they only want and desire their wives.  I have one of those men.  Thank you, Lord for my good, Godly, man.

Love you, Kev-0.

09 January, 2013

Sleeping

When Kevin and I found out I was pregnant we started praying for specific traits in our babe.  One of those traits was to receive a babe that liked to sleep.  Well our prayer has been heard and answered! Our baby does like to sleep!  But, we didn't pray specifically on how and when we wanted her to sleep! Hahahaha but praise the Lord she sleeps at all!

I am sitting her typing one handed while I cuddle little Evangeline as she sleeps. This kid could sleep for days my arms and only minutes in her co-sleeper.  We are rejoicing in her little solo sleep victories. For example yesterday Evangeline slept 20 minutes in her swing! A PR for sure.  Oh and last night she slept 5 hours!! 11pm-4am, I know she is amazing.  She must have sensed I needed the extra sleep last night.  We have tried everything under the wazoo to try and get this little cuddle bug to sleep in her co-sleeper(that is connected to my side of bed, literally NEXT TO ME) but she prefers to sleep on us or nestle up to by body.  She gets her extra large cuddle cup from me. Instead of thinking about all the stuff I can't do while she wants to be in my arms.  I need to think about how she wants to be in my arms, one day this won't be the case. 

Wish us luck as we are trying to show little Evangeline how awesome sleeping in her very own co-sleeper can be!

Don't be fooled..she woke up about a second later.
Sometimes I can get a shower in after we get back from an errand and she's sleeping.
Believe it or not she actually sleeps the best inside her boppy! (Thanks for the suggestion Pip)
A queen bed isn't big enough for three
Curled up and snuggled next to mama seems to work.


08 January, 2013

Juggling

One thing I am learning as a new mom is how to juggle. Some days I walk out the door  think, "Yes, so far so good.  Baby is changed and fed, I even got a shower in!"  Then I remember, I forgot to put on deodorant... and brush my teeth.

At dinner, after Evangeline has had enough of her swing, Kev throws her over his shoulder and masters the one handed eating.  I am grateful to be eating a meal at all.  Most days I am happy to munch on a few carrots and throw a couple pieces of lunch meat in my mouth while trying to entertain the sweet babe.

Our laundry room in downstairs in the basement.  Evangeline doesn't seem to mind her ride back up the stairs in a basket filled with clean laundry. 

I am so thankful for Moby wrap.  This is the only way I have been able to accomplish a hot dinner every night.

Everyone said being a mom was a tough job, I had no idea.  They also said it was the most rewarding job, I had no idea.