Unexpected Smiles

Don't get me wrong. I knew before I began this whole adventure called motherhood that there would be many happy times. I expected them in fact. There have been moments on this journey that I have looked forward to with great anticipation and I've not been disappointed. As an expectant mother I anxiously awaited that first moment that I could feel the small life inside me moving, and when that moment came, I smiled to myself. I counted the days until I would get to hold her in my arms, and when I did, I smiled. And in the year and a half since Julia's arrival, the smiles haven't stopped coming. Watching her grow and play, passing all those important milestones, she has brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart, just as I had hoped she would. But... There have been many unexpected smiles along the way, too. Moments I couldn't have predicted. Things that have caught me by surprise and so tickled me that I smile to myself or even laugh out loud. So here they are, some snapshots that I carry in my mind and pull up from my memory whenever I need to remember just how much I love my job.

John and I chose to find out the sex of our baby at my first ultrasound, about halfway through the pregnancy. We were too impatient to wait for a surprise and it was nice to be able to refer to her as a "she" instead of "it", and even call her by name before she arrived. There was a downside to this knowledge, however. We are blessed with a large family, church family, and group of friends, most of which heard the word "girl" and immediately ran out to buy something pink. I will never forget the first time I laundered a load of baby clothes. When I pulled the lint trap out of the dryer, I laughed out loud. Pink. Completely pink. And even now, a year and a half later, it's just now getting to where it isn't so totally pink anymore. To be honest, I look forward to seeing the pink lint, and I smile to myself each time I do. I even enjoy folding all the tiny clothes, because I am reminded of how blessed I am to have a daughter and how fortunate we are to be able to provide for her. God is good. (All these emotions from a wad of dryer lint, tell me motherhood hasn't made me go soft!) ~

Picture this. A young mother, desperate for a moment of privacy from a daughter who is now mobile, crawling after said mother everywhere she goes to try to get some bit of housework accomplished, locks herself in the bathroom, contemplating whether it's safe to take a shower while dear daughter is roaming about the house. Thinking she has pulled one over on the child and managed to sneak away, she sits down on the toilet in the quiet bathroom to enjoy her moment alone. Lost in her thoughts, staring blankly ahead, she notices something move out of the corner of her eye. Snapping out of her trance, she turns her head quickly to the door, to the gap at the bottom of the door, where a tiny hand is moving from side to side, trying in vain to reach her. Suddenly, the moment alone isn't so important at all, and not nearly as fun as getting down on her hands and knees and pressing her face to the floor to peer at the infant on the other side of the door doing the same thing. And the look of joy on the child's face as her eyes connect with her mother's, realizing she has found what she is looking for... forever etched in my memory bank right alongside the image of the tiny hand reaching for me. ~

I'm sure, if they're honest, most people would have to admit that they sing aloud when they're alone in the car, whether or not it is a joyful noise to anyone but our dear heavenly Father! I'm guilty of this, of course, the only difference being that I'm rarely alone in the car anymore. No matter though, I sing out for my dear daughter to hear, thankful that she's still to young to tell me I sound bad or get embarrassed and ask me to stop. I will never forget the day that she did make make me stop, though, right in middle of a line, I paused to hear the most beautiful sound. My daughter was singing! Barely old enough to speak, with a vocabulary of only a few words, she showed me that you don't need words to sing, only a willing heart. And the monotone "ah's" ringing out in my child's sweet, small voice are the loveliest lyrics I've ever heard. She brought a tear to my eye that day, and a smile to my heart. ~

A Swing and a Slide

More from St.Patty's Day. We played in the back yard for a while, too. Julia wasn't thrilled with the swing. She mostly whined and reached for me to take her out, but she liked to watch Kristen swing high next to her. So she'd look at me and whine, then look over at Kristen and smile, then look at me and whine, etc. What a goofball.

The slide, on the other hand, she loved. I would think that would have been scarier than the swing, but what do I know? Maybe she's a thrill-seeker, uh oh!

Remember, you can click on these to enlarge them and see the anticipation on her face as Kristen starts to pull her down.

Ready...

Set...

Go!

She would laugh the whole way down, skidding sideways, one foot stuck, or whatever, didn't matter.

Julia's most favorite thing in the back yard? You guessed it, rocks! Little pea gravel to be exact. She would get a whole handful of rocks, carry them around, throw them down the slide, get some more, on and on.
Thought process... Hmmm...I really think I'd like to play with that ball, but then I might have to let go of some of these rocks. It sure is a fun looking ball, but no, these rocks are too valuable and new and exciting to part with. Besides, they're covered in...

DIRT! And I love dirt!

It's okay because Mommy says, "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt!"

Good news... the slide is considerably cleaner!

Peep! (translation: Beep Beep!)

On St.Patty's Day last week, Kristen was on spring break so she watched Julia at her house while I was at work. When I got there to pick her up, we took out somes toys that were still in my trunk from the day before when I had picked them up from my Aunt Kathy. She was cleaning out her basement and she gave us some awesome toys that her grandchildren have outgrown. (Thanks Kathy!) Julia's favorite? The car of course! She hasn't quite figured out how to move forward in it, but she can back up and spin in circles really fast, and it's fun to watch her get in and out, open and close the door, and beep the horn! When she tries to say "Beep Beep", out comes "Peep"!

An Itch

I have an itch. An itch I can't scratch. It's that most dangerous sort of itch...an itch to have a newborn again.

You will not believe what I did this afternoon. I held a five pound baby girl, only a few hours old. Seriously. I'm still a little high from the experience, I must confess. There is nothing more precious to behold in this life, I'm convinced. The only natural way for me to feel, with a rambunctious toddler at home that is far beyond her newborn days...anxious to have another, of course! If only it were that easy, Jess!

Congratulations Brandon and Missy! She is absolutely gorgeous, and I wouldn't lie! Per Brandon's request, I will not post any pictures yet, but I'm not sure I would have anyway, they don't do her any justice. She's much more beautiful that any candids I got! I'm also going to refrain from sharing her name until they've decided on a spelling, because I don't want to spread the wrong info...but I must say, I love it. Cute, creative name and I can't wait to share it with the world. (Or at least, my small world of readers out there!) You're on the edge of your seats, I know!

Now, about this baby itch...what must I do to scratch it? Hmmm...

Back and Forth

These were taken when we had those first few warm days at the beginning of the month. Julia was so funny. I opened the sliding door to the deck and she walked up to it with her hands out in front of her, leaned forward, and fell right outside. I don't think she knew it opened! She stands there every day, looking out the glass into the yard. I didn't even think that she'd try to lean on it like that and fall, poor kid! Anywho, once we got out there, it was as if I had just freed a caged animal. She'd "run" from one side of the deck to the other, back and forth, back and forth. We took a few toys out, so she'd push (or pull) her shopping cart, back and forth. She'd throw her ball and chase after it, back and forth. She'd sit in her little chair for three whole seconds, then get up to go bark at the neighbor dogs, back and forth. She'd find a tiny leaf or twig and have to take it to the railing and throw it in the grass, back and forth. It made me tired just watching her!

An ever so brief moment of rest.

(Probably only because she fell and had to get back up again!)

Oh! A leaf! Let me just return this to it's rightful place in the yard! (At least we won't ever have to sweep the deck!)

After playing on the deck, we took a walk as a family, thinking she would sleep in her comfy stroller since it was nap time. Thought wrong. Apparantly napping in the stroller was only cool last year. Little miss toddler Julia is beyond that now I guess. Therefore, the trip "forth" on the bike trail was fine and dandy. The trip back, on the other hand, was quite miserable. Oh, well. Live and learn.

Pigtails!

Julia's first pigtails! I tried so hard to get her to look and smile for a picture, but she is just too busy anymore. If she sees or hears the camera, she splits. John saw my frustration and told me to grab her, and he took one of both of us. Good thing. The best one I ended up with was this one with drool hanging out of her mouth! Oh well, her hair looks cute!

Eskimo in the Snow!

I'm ready, Mom, let's go! I can even walk in my boots!

Santa got Julia a sled for Christmas, Nana Gulley got her snow pants and boots, and Grandma Mehok got her the gloves. She thought they'd be big, which they were, but we would have been in trouble without them because none of her tiny ones are waterproof. So they had to go on the outside of the coat, oh well! Mommy thinks it's cute!

Waist deep snow!

I thought maybe she would walk where we'd packed it down with the sled, but I couldn't get her to try. Can't blame her, though. I got tired trudging through that deep stuff!

I love close-ups.

Daddy's eyelashes, lucky girl!

You couldn't be more beautiful, baby girl.