A new horizon for Lou

Ah Louisa.

You are a two year old who has learned the fine art of chair-dragging. You are so cute, and so sweet but I anticipate a new era in your exploration of the world. You can now reach counter tops. You need not wait around for mama to lift you up to see. Mama is afraid of the implications of this. Yesterday you were adorable when you wanted to "help" clean the dishes. But what will today bring? I must keep my eyes and ears peeled because now I cannot help but imagine you hurting yourself. And I can't very well take all the chairs in the apartment away...

I think this would be a good opportunity to say the Guardian Angel prayer for your safety my darling girl.

Angel of God,

my guardian dear,

To whom God's love

commits me here,

Ever this day,

be at my side,

To light and guard,

Rule and guide.

Amen.

"From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their (the angels) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united to God."

- from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 336.

Friday stuffs

(eating markers. yumm..?)

I think I'll pass on doing the Quick Takes Friday today. Since I only had two posts in between, I figure it would be a little redundant.

This week actually went by fast for me. We had several commitments in the evenings so I feel like we didn't get much down time. I got a hold of the book Unplanned (the one I was talking about before) on Monday and I finished it by Thursday. It was very good, but very sad. I personally think Planned Parenthood is one of the worst, most deceitful organizations out there right now. They claim they are just there to help women in crisis - to promote reproductive "choice" but it's simply a lie. Ugh. Anyway, I guess this is not the place to go into it - but if you're curious please go buy this book and check out Abby's story.

So even though this week went by quickly - I did have a few rough patches. Yesterday was a roller-coaster kind of day. Ups and downs, let me tell you! Louisa had a bad cough Wednesday evening and was up much of the night. So Thursday I was expecting to be extremely tired...but somehow I had lots of energy in the morning. (Weird how that happens sometimes) later I was to totally crash and be uber cranky, but during the morning us girls had fun. I told myself not to worry about any chores because I knew I was running on very little sleep. That helped because I did not even try to juggle anything like I usually do. So yes, we had a good morning. Later though, Louisa started to crash herself and became difficult to-the-max. When she gets tired and cranky these days it's obviously more challenging for me to deal with her. I only have two hands. I have to get more...creative. As a result of this - and of course because she is getting older - our mommy-toddler communication is evolving by becoming more sophisticated. I sometimes hate that I have to say to her "Just a minute Lou - I just have to finish with Josie" or "Let me first put Josephine in her crib then I can help you with your tantrum" Ugh! Enter mommy guilt. Of course, this comes with the territory of having more than one. I try to remember that Louisa is going to be perfectly fine even if she has to wait a little. Same with Josephine. There are many-a-times she has to be the patient one, too :) Overall, despite my roller coaster type days and my moments of feeling tired (beyond any kind of tired I've ever felt in my life) I actually really do love having two children. Honestly. It brings such a fun new dynamic to everything. I was afraid of so many things, but I'm learning (and many other mommy's assured me) that it all works out somehow at the end of the day. Oh and it helped tremendously that Mike did the all those dishes when he got home from work :)

Thank goodness for baby-wearing!

She Sells Sea Shells

My mom picked some sea shells up for Lou from a gift shop on the Oregon coast (we have family down there.) Pretty pretty. I taught her how to listen to the ocean.
Thanks nana! I'm sure if Louisa wanted to, she could easily sell lots of them by the sea shore. :)

Let's go a ridin'

Here we are on a little walk the other evening. I thought I would show off the double stroller again, only this time you can see how Josephine is actually able to ride. We ordered a little insert for her to use until she is a little bigger. It's quite fun being out on a walk with the two of them, I have to say. Mike took them out last weekend and he said he saw two other double strollers at the park. All the cool people have one. The stroller is from philandteds.com :)

it was coooooold out!

7 Quick Takes Friday

1 Every year, around the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, there are pro-life marches that take place all around the country. I have yet to be able to take part in the one here in Washington (it happened earlier this week) but plan on doing so one day. As most people know, we are pro-lifers around here and my sincere hope is that one day abortion will be considered a black mark on our nation's history. Abby Johnson was a Planned Parenthood supervisor for 9 years when she watched an abortion being done on an ultrasound, and walked out to join the pro-life movement . Here is an article about her. She just wrote a book and I plan on purchasing it.

"Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted, and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child, and be loved by the child. From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3,000 children from abortions. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents, and have grown up so full of love and joy!"

- Mother Theresa

2. This week seemed easier in terms of parenting two. Two under two, as they say :) I have learned one very important thing; One cup of coffee in the morning may no longer be sufficient. Okay, so I'm kind of joking. Actually, I think I'm learning to smile through my tiredness more. It seems as though the days of feeling completely well rested are gone for a while, and instead of fighting that, I'm starting to accept it.

3. I had been looking for some prints for my house (I wanted to change up the art in here a little) and I discovered that Costco.com has a great gallery of art and prints! (Go to the Photo Center) There is a pretty good selection of famous art that you can order and go pick up at your local Costco. I filled two walls with these prints by Jesse Willcox Smith (the new pics on my blogs are hers) and Mike and I love the fresh new look! The prints were only 5.99 and I reused frames I had! Yay, cheap way to fill your house with art!

4. Another good idea I've had lately is to use stickers to entertain Lousia. I actually came up with this a few months ago...but it's still being used around here as a form of entertainment that lasts more than a few minutes. I discovered that a sheet of stickers keeps her busy about 3 times longer than just crayons or markers. I would recommend this for kids during church. Try it and see! (Stickers are surprisingly fun for adults too :) I'm planning to have her make Valentine cards with some cute stickers I just picked up.

5. Josie is growing out of newborn size! I was all worried that she had nothing to wear for the first few weeks after she was born. She has been growing, though, and fast! By no means is she growing out of all her newborn stuff. It's just that she fits into them snugly, and there are one or two things that are starting to be too small. She is such a sweet baby. I love her and want to eat her!

6. I picked up a cheapy cribbage board so Mike and I have been playing. I was getting annoyed with him because he was counting sooo fast and jumping in counting my hands for me. I was like "hey, give me a chance! I haven't played in a while" Then I got mad at him for being so smart and fast. He then pulled out his phone and said "I'm not smart, I've just been playing cribbage on my phone!" Haha; he's still smart though.

7. This song has been stuck in my head this week! It's a cute song, so I haven't minded much. Makes me want to learn the harmonica. I think my mother in law can play...

"If you were a wink I'd be a nod

and if you were a seed well I'd be a pod"

:) Happy weekend ya'll!

Love ya!

xoxo

oh my goodness....

...look at this child.

....she is too cute.

I can't stand it!

We want to eat her up

Josephine's Baptism

In the Eastern rite, unlike in Roman Catholicism or in Protestant denominations, a baby receives all her Sacraments of initiation at once. This includes baptism, confirmation, and first communion or Eucharist. I wish I could explain each one on here and go into detail as to why Mike and I believe in this route. Frankly though, I don't think I have the writing skills necessary to adequately explain everything. I am much better in a setting where we could have a conversation, and would gladly engage anyone interested. Also, if you click on the picture of Mike Louisa and I over there on the bottom left, it takes you to just one great resource for more information about Byzantine Catholicism.

If you prefer to just sit back and enjoy some pictures from this beautiful ceremony, here you go. We did not have our camera ready so these photos are from Mike's sister's cameras. Some photos were taken by Kelly, others by our friends, and one or two were by me. It was an open camera day, apparently :) It was a wonderful Sunday! We had much of our family there, some friends, and just got to participate in God's amazing gifts to us in the Sacraments. We also had a perfect little reception afterwards. I feel tremendously blessed to be part of a community that loves our children, prays for us, and supports us in many different ways. I love it. Alright, on to the pictures :)

baptism

Chrismation (or Confirmation)

About to receive Communion (which Catholics believe is the true Body and Blood of Christ!)

With Josie's godparents - Katie and Pat. And Fr. Josef of course

Pat holding his goddaughter

& must get in a shot in of the big sister. She looked so cute, and behaved pretty well considering all that was going on!

***

coffee Time

7 Quick takes

1. This is My first time doing "7 Quick Takes Friday!" The link is to one of my favorite blogs, Conversion Diary, which I end up getting a crazy amount of great information from. If you go visit her blog I would recommend visiting a. How I became pro-life b. Yaya (She has links on the left side of the page) She is hysterical and also, again, a source of great information on a variety of topics from contraception, to atheism, to scorpions (yeah, she lives in Texas :)

2. I awoke with one of my nasty headaches. (I believe I have mentioned them before on here.) I have some new theories as to what's causing them. (Skip ahead to number 3 if you don't want TMI) might be related to digestive health. I looked it up, and sure enough, headaches can be caused by being "stopped up" I did not know that! I clearly need to drink more water. It's such a challenge for me. If you see me the first question you need to ask me is "Kayleen, when was the last time you drank water?!" And then hound me until I have a glass.

3. Because of my headache, it has been a very bad day so far. All morning I laid on the couch or in bed. How do you do this with two babies? It's called Caillou for Lou and nursing for Jo. Louisa is obsessed with that show. But it helped me survive the morning. Finally, as of about 30 minutes ago, my pain killers started kicking in and Louisa went down for a nap. Now I feel like blogging because I haven't done anything all day but I don't have enough energy for anything else like housework.

4. The garbage really needs to be taken down. That's just one hard aspect of having two kids with poopy diapers throughout the day. It's getting very stinky in here. :P Mike and I can't wait to have a house so that taking down the garbage isn't a huge chore. Instead of having to go out, where you potentially meet your neighbors going down the elevator and also having to leave the babies (which is why I can't really tak

e it down during the day), we could simply go into the garage, or the side of the house.

5. I'm sorry this quick takes is turning out to be very boring! I realize I'm just complaining. I'm truly sorry. I will make the last two positive and cheerful.

6. Josephine smiles now! Social smiles, that is. She likes watching Louisa and already responds with little smiles and by following her sister with her eyes around the room. Lou's favorite things to do with Josie are showing off her bellybutton, showing her toys (like two inches from Josie's face :) and stealing her binky. Even though my s.i.l told me that it wouldn't be too long before they'd be interact

ing with one another, I'm still amazed at how quickly it has happened.

7. I have a very handsome, loving Husband who I can't wait to spend the weekend with. I feel like lately I've been just looking forward to having Mike get home so I could have help, and a break. But when I stop to think about it, it's really also because I do love him and his company. With the stress and demands of parenthood, I never want to forget our friendship. I like thinking about pre-baby days sometimes, not because I don't love my children, but precisely because I do love them. Our love created our babies, and it does me well to remember why and how we fell in love in the first place. So hurry home honey...I need you!

Have a lovely weekend! Go Seahawks!

Toddler gym

A few months ago I was at one of the many nice parks in my area talking to a dad (I swear there are tons of stay-at-home dads around here!) and he told me about "toddler time" at the community center up the hill from our apartment. So a few weeks later me and my mom took Louisa there. It was awesome! If I was a toddler I would have a grand time. As it turns out, they have a few days a week set aside where they fill the big gym with toys, bikes, slides, and even a bounce house thing and you can drop by to let your toddler play. You stay there with them, and it's only 2 bucks! Also, about half the moms that bring their toddlers there also have a young baby which they have strapped to them :) So I fit right in with Josephine now. We have really been taking advantage of this with the colder weather. Louisa enjoys herself immensely. I think another great aspect of going is that she is getting interaction time with other children her age. I am so grateful that Lou doesn't have to go to daycare, where she would be around other kids constantly. I'm just not convinced that's the best thing for children. I have heard that it's very stressful for them because they are at the same place developmentally which creates friction (toy sharing, etc.) But obviously, it's good to have time to play with other 2 year olds on a regular basis. My observation is that Louisa does exceptionally well. She is not too aggressive, nor too shy, around the other children. She tends to walk into a situation (say she wants to play on a toy with other kids) cautiously. After observing for a bit, she will then attempt to communicate.

She makes eye contact - and depending on how the other kid reacts - she will act appropriately. I am actually quite proud of her social skills so far. I have never seen her aggressively grab a toy from a child she doesn't know (and trust me, there are many toddlers there who do this!) or be excessively withdrawn or bashful. She is a little different around children she knows, which makes sense. For example, with her cousin Jamie, I have noticed that since they have been spending more time together, they are much bolder with one another. Which makes sense as they are more comfortable and know that they can steal (I mean share) each other's toys :) Anyway - I honestly think Louisa does have social skills that match her age, if not slightly above. I love hearing her talk to other kids when she feels comfortable doing so. She is very sweet. But then again, it makes me sad sometimes when other children react badly because she will get a hurt look on her face (at least that's how I interpret it) I wish all children could be as sweet as she is. She is growing up though - and learning about the world. I do my best to step aside and let her experience things; while still knowing when I need to step in and help.

(my sister took these photos with her iphone)

Daybook - for 1/11/11

(since I cannot get the picture to link - click here for Daybook)

Outside my window… There is talk of snow. There is no precipitation...yet. But it is plenty cold enough!

I am thinking… about Louisa's birthday next month. I woke up this morning planning a party in my head.

I am thankful for… newborn babies, vanilla latte's, my faith

From the kitchen… Michael bear is making Swiss pancakes for dinner! Which is why I get to have some time online :) yum

I am wearing… a mustard yellow soft sweater, grey yoga pants, white lacy tank. (oh, and a baby! hehe :)

I am creating… a re-organized living room after all the Christmas decorations were taken down. I would love to buy some inexpensive frames and put in black and white family photos for something new on one of the walls.

I am going… to go help set the table in a minute, talk with my husband about our days, try to feed Lou dinner then probably fold laundry :)

I am reading…. First Things (a Catholic magazine) and The CCL magazine (an NFP publication)

I am hoping… Mike and I are able to close on a house this year.

I am hearing… the Kitchen Aid whirring from the kitchen

Around the house… It's pretty tidy but feels very bare

One of my favorite things… nursing Josie :)

A few plans for the rest of the week: Dinner at a famil

y member's house...Dinner with friends from college...shopping at Trader Joe's...watching the Seahawks play....

Here is picture I thought of sharing….Josie all snuggled up after a bath

finally, friday.

I thought it would never get here...!

happy girl

look who caught a smile! After a rough day its moments like this that get me through.

Here's to many millions more smiles!

***

Sweet Josie and mommy's brain

This is a cool new study. At least I think so. Even if I'm feeling tired, emotional, or upset - at least I can brag that my brain is getting bigger! :)

Amazing how they change so quickly, right?!

Louisa is interacting a lot with her and Josie is responding! She uses her eyes now to follow Lou around the room. Louisa loves this game where she hides behind the couch and Josie plays "peek a boo" with her. It's seriously cute. I still have to be careful because she is a little reckless around her little sis, but I noticed she is getting more conscientious by the day. We are also definitely seeing more behavioral differences with Louisa :( She is vying for my attention more, especially while I am nursing. So far I haven't found a good fix, she doesn't usually want to be read to. She will want to hold Josie as soon as I start nursing her, or she will start running around acting wild. I am trying my very best to spend one on one time with Louisa during the day when I can, when Josie is sleeping. It's difficult though since I either am holding her in the Mobi or I am tired so I want to take a little break. But yesterday and today I managed to have Josie fall asleep in our room so I could actually get on the floor and play with Louisa. An upside is that I have seen Lou up her attention span while playing by herself. For example today she played with her stickers and coloring books for a good long time while I made dinner.

Right now Louisa is on my lap watching a cartoon on half the screen while I blog on the other :) Mike is spending time with his youngest daughter. I am so tired though. My back aches. And I have a serious craving for something sweet which I'm trying to battle. I should go munch on some carrot sticks instead.

Goodness - what are you up to?

Resolving to be better

Some New Years resolutions:

Save our pennies.

i.e. spend less money! We should be able to get by with spending less on incidentals. I am the worst offender, Mike isn't so bad. I buy little trinkets here and there, including coffee, inexpensive clothes, treats, toys for Louisa, lunch; whatever it may be. I think it's one of the hardest aspects of being a stay at home mom. It's easy to feel like I'm not spending that much money because it's usually on small daily items, when really it does add up. I would like to seriously work on this.

Eat healthier. Mike and I have discovered that we both like a lot of food Trader Joe's sells. The closest one is still a bit of a trek - but we both agree that shopping here will probably become more frequent anyway. Maybe it will get us on track to healthier eating habits, too. We hope that when we move we will be much closer to a Trader Joe's so that it doesn't have to be a big outing every time we do go. (Have you tried their yogurt? sooo tasty!)

Pray more

Something we are always working on. I really liked our priest's homily this week. He said he understood that it's sometimes hard for us to get to church (our church parishioners are spread out quite a bit geographically - since it's the only Byzantine church in the area) but that we should keep in mind that it's worth it to be there. Why are we even here on this earth? What could be more important than going to pray and worship God in his house. Receiving the Sacraments and prayer is what keeps us able to do the rest of our duties in life. Even with small children that make it so difficult sometimes, it's what we need so we should be there as much as possible. Mike and I are pretty good about making it to church when we need to be there, but we do need to work on our daily prayer routine.

Be a better, more self-giving mother.

Another goal that I am working on continually. But really - it's good we have adorable children.

***

Pretty lofty resolutions, eh? Oh well, I could have set smaller more attainable goals, but these to me are more just general aspects of life that I am continually working on. It's what gets me up in the morning.