Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A week of Thankfulness- Thursday (Thanksgiving)

When I first started this, I couldn't imagine filling all these days up with things, but the more I'm thankful for, the more I'm reminded of everything I have to be thankful for. I'd love to hear from more of you . . . for what you are thankful for.

Here is my Thanksgiving Day list:


  • I'm thankful for enough (more than enough) food to eat today and a loving family to share it with.
  • I'm thankful for my dad and brother. I was taking a bath this morning and heard the sounds of people hunting behind our house and was reminded of them. I'm thankful for their convictions and for the example of hardworking men that they are.
  • I'm thankful for my grandparents. They are givers, pure and simple, and have set a wonderful example for me to follow.
  • I'm thankful for my husband and daughter. My husband has been helping me all morning with stuff and my daughter went down as easy as could be for her nap.
  • I'm thankful for the memories that came to me this morning. . . of large Walter family gatherings and the fun that we had getting together with extended family. I have such fond memories of going to (invading) my Great Aunt and Uncle's house in Hutchinson, playing with their pin-ball machine, playing in their leaf pile, watching football, torturing all the nice relatives, who would sit and listen, with our musical selections! :) Ha!

What are you thankful for today?

A Week of Thankfulness - Wednesday

Thanks for the comments. I love reading all of them. It is good to practice thankfulness. It is something that I have been working very hard on.

Here is my edition for today:
  • I am thankful for my family. I cannot begin to express the wonderful family that I grew up in. I am privilaged to have been raised in a loving, caring, and mostly importantly Christ-following family. That is the most important legacy that I could have ever asked for and one that I hope to pass on to my children.
  • I am thankful for my mom. She is always a phone call away for support, advice, encouragement, etc. She does research for me with regards to baby matters, health matters, mothering, etc. Most importantly, she prays for me consistently and often (and lets me know she will pray). I hope I can continue this legacy with my daughter, that she will always know, as I do, that I will go before the throne of grace on her behalf.
  • I am thankful for my doggy. He drives me nuts sometimes (ok, a lot) but he is a wonderful companion and will be a very fun pet for Abigail to play with in the future.
  • I am thankful for my church. I love my church. I love the people, the mission, the music, the sermons (yeah, they're awesome), etc, etc, etc!
What are you thankful for today?

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Week of Thankfulness - Tuesday


Ok y'all. When I checked my stat meter at 9:00 pm on Monday, it said I had 30 hits for the day and only 3 comments! So, if you are thankful for something, leave a comment.
  • I am thankful for technology that allows me to stay so well connected to my family. We enjoy video conferencing with my parents, usually once a week. This is such a wonderful way for us to stay connected. I can't wait until Abigail is old enough to really chat with her grandparents. It is a great way to say hello. We can also keep my Grandparents updated by using a digital picture frame, since they don't have internet.

  • I am thankful for my wonderful husband (everyday!). When he got home from work he played with Abigail, fed her, and put her in her PJ's for the night - he is a great daddy. Then he headed off to Bible study. I am also thankful that he is a godly man. He is always willing to listen and offer support.
  • I am thankful for my sister and my new brother-in-law, Luke. I promise to visit you guys soon!

  • I am thankful for enough food to eat and enough money to buy food. Check out this link: http://embracingandbeingembraced.blogspot.com/2008/05/america-says-im-poor.html

  • I am thankful for Andrew's grandma who cooks us all a big yummy meal every Sunday and always makes us feel welcome and at home at her house.

  • I am thankful for Abigail. Her newest adventure (as of today) is to be totally into playing with trucks at the babysitters house. Hmm! :)

  • I am thankful for my space heater at work. I have it running right now so my feet are nice and toasty!

What are you thankful for today?

A Week of Thankfulness

It is no secret that Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday. I'm just not a fan of cold weather, winter, and everything that entails and Thanksgiving falls during that season. I do like Christmas because of family get-togethers and the fact that the holiday is celebrating the birth of my Savior.

This year, I have decided to try to help myself get into the Thanksgiving spirit by hosting a whole week of Thankfulness on my blog. I want to encourage everyone who reads this (not just the regular commenters, although I want them to join in as well) to post a comment at some point during the week, to share what you are thankful for. This will help me! :) So, I'll start my list and continue it throughout the week. I'll probably mix in a few other posts as well.

Today (November 24) I am thankful for:
  • My in-law's who are lovingly taking care of Abigail right now. My mother-in-law willingly changed Abigail's poopy diaper yesterday at lunch. Ah, we love grandparents! :)
  • Abigail has been sleeping through the night all week long (like 7 days straight)! I'm not taking any night for granted and am celebrating every single one of them.
  • My job. They are so flexible, fun, loving, and enjoyable to be around. It's a busy season right now but I enjoy getting things ready for people . . . to help them worship on Sunday morning.
  • Good books.
  • Watching 24 with my husband last night. It was tense but fun!
What are you thankful for today?

Sunday, November 23, 2008

I wish I had written this but . . .

I wish I had written this but I didn't. It was the most beautiful and inspiring thing I have read today, so please go over and read it. My heart does love to hear Abigail "talk" as she begins to make sounds (her favorite being "da da") and this is such a wonderful post about that. Enjoy!

http://onething.typepad.com/one_thing/2008/11/out-of-the-mouths-of-babes.html

Friday, November 21, 2008

Grateful Friday

I'm grateful for:
  • My husband who works so hard, knows how to have fun and enjoy life, and let me win our bet on the Bengals game last night (um, sorry but I bet that they would lose).
  • Our beautiful daughter who is learning new things every day!
  • Having Fridays off (have I said this yet?)!!!
  • Our nice warm house!
  • Thanksgiving is next week then . . .it's Christmas season!
  • Good friends and fellowship.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Winter's Curse for Babies

I have a dilemma that I need advice on. Ok, here's the problem.

Problem: It's cold outside. Yes, VERY cold.
Solution: Abigail needs to wear a snow suit to protect herself from the cold.

Problem. Abigail HATES her snowsuit. In fact, she really hates to be bundled up by anything very long, even blankets at night.
Solution: ???

So, what do I do? I know that this problem will probably fall under one of those things where we do what is best for our kids, even if they don't like it, because we're protecting them. I just want to check and see if there is an alternative.

When I say that she HATES her snowsuit, I mean she cries when I put her in it, she cries, screams, kicks, and squirms when I carry her to the car. Then she proceeds to scream, throw her body around, scream again, and cry while I buckle her into the car. This continues until she arrives at the destination. I had to pull over on the way to the babysitters yesterday because she was crying so hard. I gave her a pacifier and a book and she was better, but still. Part of it was that she was tired. I kept her awake by talking to her. I wanted her to have a good morning nap when she got there (which she did).

I wish they made a lightweight and flexible (she just wants to be able to get to things) material that protected babies from the cold and the wind. Any suggestions?

We returned her Bundleme to the car seat but really, she needs to graduate to a new carseat as she has technically out grown her pumpkin seat. Which brings of the whole issue of having to buy two new carseats (we have one already). That's a post for another day. Kids are so expensive (in America, anyway)!

So, if any of you have advice on how to keep her warm, yet (for my own selfishness) keep her from screaming her head off all the way to and from the sitters in the car, I'd love to know. Perhaps this will have to be the time that I learn to deal with her crying and screaming (I've never been able to stand to listen very long in the past).

In the grand scheme of things, I suppose this isn't a very bad dilemma to have!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Best Ice Skating Teacher in the Tri-State . . . maybe the world!

I accidentally forgot one of the greatest family businesses in my post a few days ago. My sister-in-law, Jennie Schechter, has her own business teaching ice dancing in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. I don't know much about ice dancing but I have always really enjoyed watching Jennie perform. Please check out her website! If you're looking for an ice skating teacher in the Cincinnati area, I know of a great one! :) I am very excited for the day when my daughter is old enough to take skating lessons from her Aunt Jennie.

http://jenniferschechter.com/default.aspx

Monday, November 17, 2008

Not a whole lot. . . .

Not a whole lot to write about today, so I'll just give a few updates:

  • After two weeks (or so) of some pretty bad sleep at our house, we all slept through the night. I had to wake Abigail at 7:15 am to leave for work and drop her off with Grandma. I wonder how long she would have slept. I slept from 10 pm (I think) until about 6:15 am but still feel tired. Perhaps I need an even earlier bedtime.
  • We made an IKEA run last night with Andrew's saved "blow money" (i saved it when he didn't spend it) and got a small cabinet for our mud room.
  • Abigail's nose is still a bit stuffy. Could she have allergies? Just a long-running cold? Hmm.
  • My house is much cleaner thanks to a little motivation last night. I cleaned off our kitchen pennisula (a major hot spot for clutter) and the kitchen looks great. If I just spend 5 minutes or less every day, I think I can keep it clutter free.
  • The office needs some major decluttering and cleaning. If I can get to that this week, our house will be in a pretty clean state.
  • I created a toy box from a basket in the living room and it looks much neater as well. Abigail loves to pull toys out so this will be an added bonus.
  • Andrew and I got out to a movie on Saturday. I think that's the first one we've seen (together) since April or May. I can't remember. This is an astonishing fact if you think about how many movies we used to see. We have a pretty low entertainment budget but since we never hardly use it, it has built up over these few months. :)
  • It's snowing here. Yes, I said it and I can't believe it. Cold - winter - snow - being inside all the time - not my favorite time of year (besides Christmas, of course).
Ok, that's all. Scattered brain = scattered post, I guess.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

All I want for Christmas

Andrew and I have decided (and done this many times in the past) to not get each other gifts for Christmas. We'd rather give each other the gift of not spending money, so that's what we're doing. It's no big deal to us. However, I do like to think about gifts I can give him that are free. He loves back rubs, back scratches, certain meals (corn chowder), nights with the guys, etc. I love making coupons and giving those as gifts. I think they are thoughtful yet inexpensive.

So . . .

If any of you happen to talk to my husband, you could let him in on a little secret. All I want for Christmas is . . . a clean house! Seriously, I feel like I fight this all the time. I work and work and don't get very far with my house. The main reason is that when I do have the time to clean (on Fridays & Saturdays) I am also dealing with a little person who has a very short attention span and nap period. I can do things that take 10 minutes but I can't, say . . . move furniture, sweep, and then mop the floor. It has been so long since that's been done. I swiffer often, since that takes 10 minutes.

Folks, I'm not asking my husband to clean because I want a deep clean and I want it done a certain way. All I'm asking for is an hour or two of uninterrupted time at home to clean. For this gift to come from him would mean so much! I feel like the last time my house was clean was when Abigail was born and we had the best gift given to us in the world by Susan (mother-in-law), Maggie (cousin-in-law), and Anne (aunt-in-law), when they cleaned our whole house. I hope I didn't leave anyone out in that list! Let me know if I did.

If I have another baby, will you guys come clean my house again? Hmm, it might be worth that! Ha ha ha ha ha!

Andrew does read this blog, occasionally, by the way. So I will admit that I'm putting in a shameless plug for what I want. :)

Friday, November 14, 2008

Grateful Friday - What a day!

I am grateful for:

  • A great check up at the doctor. He said she couldn't be any healthier (even though she has a stuffy nose still). She weighed in at 19 lbs, was 29 1/2 inches long, and has a big head (18 1/2 inches). She is in the 99% for height and head but has dropped down to 50% for weight. The doctor said, "Look at her though, she weighs enough." Ha ha!
  • I am grateful for the day off. Got laundry done, some cleaning, and some shopping.
  • I am grateful for my father-in-law who installed our baby gate upstairs. It allowed me to clean the whole upstairs while Abigail was "loose". We both had fun! :)
  • I am grateful for my nice warm bed. Since Abigail has been getting up at night for the past week or so, I'm going to hit the sack EARLY!
  • I am grateful for my washer and dryer. I really am! I was just thinking how lucky we are to have all these things that wash and dry for us. Just imagine how people spent their time before these appliances were invented. Lots of work!

I am pretty much on my own today. Andrew is at a guys night tonight. I am grateful (should have put this above) that he has the chance to hang out with friends. He came home for 45 minutes or so and fed and bathed the baby to give me a break. I'm grateful for that too!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Links, Blogs, Etc.

Please take note of some changes to my sidebar. I listed my church website, my work website (also a church), and some family member websites. These are random and varied but if you are looking for any of these services, I can highly recommend these people.

If you are in need of some fine woodworking or handyman skills, please check out my father-in-law (Wayne Schechter)'s website: www.yankeeww.com. He is an awesome woodworker (I have benefited from many a Christmas present from him) and can fix/install/repair pretty much anything! You will not be disappointed if you order one of his products.

You will also find my mother-in-law and sister-in-law's tea website (Susan Schechter and Jennie Schechter): www.theteaparlor.net to the right. One of my favorite relaxing activities is to enjoy an afternoon tea in their tea room with friends or family members. Their food is absolutely delicious and there is a wide variety of tea choices to choose from. If you live in the area and get a chance to visit their tea room, I promise you will want to be a repeat customer! If you have children and don't think it is possible for you to come because of them, I'll even offer to keep them occupied so you can have tea. How's that for an offer?!

Also Andrew's Aunt Wilma Mathews has her own business has well. She is a horse trainer and offering boarding at their very cool barn (which is also part house - very cool). Check out: www.barw.net. I don't know much about horse training but I have never met anyone so dedicated and in love with horses as she is and I grew up around farmers and ranchers, so that's saying a lot.

If you get a chance, check out these family websites. I hope I didn't leave anyone else out!

TV and Honesty

Here is a link to one of the articles regarding TV and infants/toddlers. Go read it and then come back.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html

Ok, you read that, right?

Good. In all honesty, Abigail has the opportunity to watch TV. We do not turn on kids programming "for her" at home. That's all the detail I'm going into . . . on purpose!

That being said, I must admit (to the shock and horror of some in my family) that there are times I wish Abigail would watch TV. Let me explain:

There is a race that I run every. single. day. It is the race between arriving home at 5:30 pm, getting dinner, getting Abigail's dinner, and getting her to bed. My daughter is a very good baby. She is generally happy and content - except when she's tired and then . . . oh my, can the child whine any more?!

When she has a bedtime (her choice, not ours) at 6 pm to 6:30 pm, the 1/2 hour between 5:30 pm and 6:00 pm when I'm trying to make dinner and get things around is HAIRY! Usually she spends that time whining while sitting on the floor by my feet, distracted in my arms (hmm, hard to manuver carrying a baby and cooking), crying in the exersaucer, or if by some significant stroke of luck that Daddy is home, she can be distracted by playing while I cook.

Many days I just wish I could pop in a DVD and have her sit there and watch for some peace! That is my honesty dose for the day. I haven't done it and I will try my hardest not too but still . . . the wishfulness is still there. I'm not writing this post to judge others who may choose to let their kids watch TV. Believe me, I understand the draw!

*Scheduled post*

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Zombie World

I am a walking zombie at work today. Between Andrew not being able to fall asleep (his tossing and turning and getting out of bed kept me up until about 11 pm), and Abigail waking up twice (12:30 am and 5:20 am for the record) and not going back to sleep easily, I am very tired.

I wonder why she's waking up. I certainly hope she's not getting sick (again), which is usually the reason. Other reasons, that are not as probable, include a very wet diaper, missing mommy, maybe hungry, growth spurt, and lastly, teeth. Doubtful that it's the teeth.

Guessing . . . always guessing when it comes to the baby.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Baby #2

Did I scare you or thrill you with my title?! Ha ha ha! I hope so.

Nope, I'm not pregnant. Thank goodness. Several of my bloggy friends have written about this subject lately and instead of copy what they say in my own words, I'll let you read their posts because I'm lazy. Enjoy!

Just for the record . . . THIS IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL:

http://jayesel.net/20081110/number-two/

I am in awe of those mom's who have many children or who have them close together. Seriously, if you survived, please tell me how... Cause I have one who is a good baby, and I have a LOT of help and still feel overwhelmed by all I have to do to keep her safe, healthy, and happy. Perhaps I'm just extremely selfish. That is a definite possibility.

We had MOPS tonight and the speaker was great. She talked about how truly loving someone else is not placing responsibility on them for your happiness. Therefore, she was getting at the fact that taking care of yourself (within reason - it can be taken too far, I think) is very important. She also talked about not striving to be perfect and letting God co-parent.

All things I'm pondering this morning.

Monday, November 10, 2008

So little to say . . .

I don't have much to say today so I guess I'll give a weekend update. We had a good time together (Abigail and I) on Friday with good naps and getting some stuff accomplished in the house. We picked up Andrew from work and then went to spend time with his family and also attend an organ concert. We took turns playing with Abigail in the hall during the concert. Turns out that keeping her up that late is probably a bad idea. She always sleeps better if she's asleep before 7:30 pm and this night it was around 9 pm before she fell asleep. Bad night!

Saturday we worked a lot and then enjoyed visiting with more family and a game of upwords (which I must admit to you all that I won!).

We had a nice Sunday with church (Andrew kept Abigail in the lobby during the sermon), lunch at Grandma's, and then a nice nap for Abigail. I got some reading and a bit of cleaning done.

Ok, I guess I'm wordier than I thought. Abigail's sleep seems to be getting into a pattern. I feel that it is safe to say that she is consistently sleeping through the night (for the last month). She has been going about 11 to 12 hours at a time (yes!) unless she's sick or doesn't eat food for supper (only milk). It's nice, let me tell you.

Just a regular week planned. Abigail has a 9 month check-up on Friday, so we'll see how much she weigh, how tall she is, and other developmental things. Have a good Monday folks!

Friday, November 07, 2008

Grateful Friday and Other Updates

I'm grateful for:
  • Abigail sleeping 12+ hours last night (straight through). She's still sleeping.
  • Getting to be home with her today!
  • Andrew staying home with Abigail yesterday so I could finish things at work.
  • This weather. It's been beautiful.
  • The upcoming weekend!
  • The elections are over; no more ads, phone calls, etc. Yuck!

Abigail seems to be improving. She had a bit of a cough last night, so I assumed we'd be in for a long night together. I stayed home with her while Andrew went to our small group. He was leading, so he had to. She fell asleep at 6:30 pm and I straightened up, ate supper, and headed to bed myself. I read until 8:30 pm, then turned out the light. I must have fallen asleep quickly. I did wake up when Andrew got home (mainly because he kept talking and talking to me!) but slept the rest of the night. Yeah!

Andrew and I both have sniffly noses. I think his is a tad worse than mine. It doesn't seem to be getting very bad, however. I have been taking mega doses of vitamin c and some zinc, so hopefully that will hold this at bay.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Another song

Here is my attempt to imbed a YouTube video. I haven't had any luck with this before. We sang this song on Sunday and I really love it. I also love the singer's voice on this video. It's not the clipped "popish" sound but pure and sweet (more on this another time).







I'm reevaluating where I serve at church. I've taught Sunday School for three years now and I have never felt gifted at it. I'm not terribly creative and I love the kids but I'm not good at coming up with new ideas for them (I use a lot of my mom's stuff). I've been thinking about seeing if they need my help in music. I feel like I need to be doing something with music, except exposing Abigail to the good ole' hymns, new praise songs, and classical arias that I sing around the house! :) We'll see. . .

*Scheduled Post*

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

These Six Weeks - Not my Favorite

These six weeks, the ones that follow daylight savings time, and head towards the shortest day of the year (Dec 21, I think) are some of my least favorite of the year. I like sunlight and I like warmth and both of these things seem to be lacking during this period. After the 21st hits, the days gradually start getting warmer and "hello" it's Christmas time again! Yeah!

**These posts are on auto-post. I'm writing a few in one day to give myself a few days to sit back and collect my thoughts, to work on discipline, and to get my house/life in a bit more order (ha!).**

Stuffy Girl

Miss Abigail has picked up another cold. No fever (I think), so that's good but we had a rough night. I was up with her at 12:30, 2:00, and 5:00. She slept until 7:45 am, so that's good. If you want to know where Daddy was . . . he was sleeping but I will given him credit. He accomplished what I thought was impossible. He was the one who actually got Abigail to sleep in the first place . . . without a pacifier! It's easier to do this during the middle of the night, instead of initially.

I'm staying home with her this morning and we'll see how she is by lunch time. It came upon her so quickly yesterday!

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Discipline

Discipline is an activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training.

Discipline seems to be a theme that is recurring in my life lately. Hmm, could it be that God is trying to teach me something? I have heard this theme over and over again for about a month. I am not talking about disciplining my child (although I'm starting to ponder all the ins and outs of how to handle this as she grows) but I'm talking about my own discipline; yikes!

The subject first came up in our young marrieds group with regards to money. We talked about how it is all well and good to know about a subject, to understand it and to comprehend its meaning but unless you actually do it, practice it, day-in and day-out, the knowledge is generally worthless. We have been on the Dave Ramsey plan since May. . . sort-of. We didn't empty our savings accounts and put it all on debt and we still over-spent in areas. I also struggled with working with the budget and keeping my bank account balanced each month. I can see clearly now that the issue here is discipline. I feel like we're back on track but I don't want to get off track again!

Also, in our sermon yesterday, the issue of discipline came up. I struggled to think of an area in my life where I consistently (isn't that the point?) practice discipline.

Again, this morning when I was listening to my book on tape, the subject came up about discipline. The writer spoke again of having knowledge of a subject, understanding a subject, but both of those are rather pointless without the practicing of a subject.

Galatians 5:22 says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

This morning we will go to the polls and vote. I am continually challenged by the fact that we must take responsibility for our own issues. I don't believe it is the government's responsibility to save us from ourselves. For the most part, financial responsibility and self-control will "fix" the economy, not being bailed out by corrupt politicians who do not listen to the very people that they work for. This is not a political blog, nor do I want it to become one. I'm talking about everyone, myself included...and all politicians, no matter what party. Our freedom to make our own choices is what shaped this great nation in the first place!

I believe that a self-controlled person is one who God is able to use more effectively. I have a long ways to go, but step #1 is to be consistent in reading God's word every day. I need to choose a time when I am less likely to be interrupted. I have been trying to do it in the morning but I never know when Abigail will wake up or when I will accidentally hit my snooze 10 times (like this morning). I have a huge list of other things that need disciplining in my life but I won't bore you with the details. Today I'm so thankful that I'm still being changed.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Happy 9 month birthday!

Dear Abigail,

Happy 9 month birthday. It is hard to believe that you have been outside just as long as you were inside! Most of my "reminders" of your time inside me are fading. I no longer have thumb joints that pop out of place, carpal tunnel pain in my wrists, or a numb leg! It was all worth it!

You are growing in leaps and bounds and you continually amaze me and Daddy with your ability to stand like a big girl (yesterday you just stood up in the middle of the room), your little personality emerging, and you are finally sleeping regularly at night.


You are beginning to show us little glimpses of your personality. You generally listen when we tell you "no" but you are beginning to show your independence and preference when you don't like something, like being left alone in a room!



You are turning into such a good eater. You just gobble up lots of good, healthy foods each day, like carrots, peas, pears, bananas, prunes (yes!), squash, peaches, sweet potatoes, and sometimes chicken. We're working on those proteins. Mommy is having a difficult time keeping up with how much you are eating but that is a wonderful problem to have!



You are becoming so adventurous. Your newest thing is to "attempt" to climb the stairs. You want to go up them so badly but can't quite figure out how to lift that knee to go up. We're not about to show you how! :)


I love it that you're a mommy's girl, although it makes it hard to leave you sometimes. Soon you will realize that there are many people who love you and want to care for you and you'll start to go to other people.


We love doing cool and crazy things with you. But you'll always be safe with us and we'll always do our best to protect you. We are so excited to watch you grow up!


It was so neat that our sermon at church was about the story of Abigail in the Bible . . . on your 9 month birthday (although you were in the nursery and didn't hear it). They read one of my favorite verses during church: 1 Sam 25:3b - his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman."

You are a pill, you fight naps, you get fussy, yes . . . but we love you and we wouldn't trade you for the world.

Love,

Mommy