Pool Party!

Last weekend we were in Crawfordsville for my cousin Arica's graduation open house. (She's the oldest of my Mom's sister Becky's 8 kids.) It's hard to believe she's already graduating because she was just five years old yesterday, right? The pictures we took with her are all on my parents' camera, so I don't have them yet. But, we did stay one night at a hotel down there and swam in the pool with some of the cousins. Mom bought a float for Julia and she did better than I thought in it! Sooo cute!

I swear she smiles differently now that she has a tooth. Love this picture!

Mom also brought some diving sticks that were a soft, rubbery kind of plastic. Jules had fun chewing on those. That's Brian playing with her.

Uncle Brian decided to give her some spikey hair. Those eyes...they were as blue as the water.

First Tooth

We first caught sight of Julia's first tooth about a month ago, and it's been coming in little by little since then. This is the first picture I managed to get. Hope you can squint and see it in there!

Random

I've been tagged by my friend Stephanie to share five random things about myself. Here it goes...



One: I've lived in the same town my whole life. Will I ever escape "The Region"? Doubtful.

Two: My dear husband John is the only boy I ever dated. That's one area of my life that God made easy for me. He led me straight to the man I'd marry, and for that I have always been grateful.

Three: I'm hopelessly addicted to reruns of the Family Feud. The DVR records them, and I zip through an episode, skipping the commercials, when I get a chance. I can't explain why I like it so much. Probably because it's a gameshow you don't have be very smart or good with trivia to play.

Four: My least favorite task as a mother, that I would gladly never have to do again, is clipping teeny little baby nails. I HATE it! Sure, poopy diapers are stinky and crabby bedtime can be a chore, but nothing compares to clipping microscopic nails twice a week. I think it's so stressful because I know I can hurt her if I mess up. Not the case with things like poop and crabbiness.

Five: I'm nearly blind. I don't know the actual criteria for being "legally blind", but I have to be close. I'm near-sighted, and I honestly can't read a clock five feet from my face if I don't have glasses on or contacts in. My dream is to have it corrected someday.

Okay, the only people that I know that have blogs and haven't already been tagged are my brother Brian and my cousin Jennifer. So, post five random things guys and then tag someone else!

Hosta Highlights

On Saturday, Julia made her first trip over to my Aunt Kathy's house to see her gorgeous garden. It was so beautiful outside that I didn't want to sit in the house all day, and when I called to see what she was up to, I got three guesses...but I didn't need them. Since she was out in the yard, we stopped by for an impromptu photo session. (And came home with a few things to plant, naturally!) Kathy is most into daylilies and hostas, but the daylilies weren't blooming so we propped Jules up by a pretty hosta. We got a few shots before she started tearing into the one in front of her.

After that, I laid her down in the grass for a second so I could look at the pictures on my camera without her grabbing it. When I saw the look on her face, I realized that was the first time she'd ever felt grass. She made a funny face and stuck her legs straight out and lifted them up so they weren't touching. It was hilarious. By the time I got down to take the picture, she had all bare skin in the air and was giving me this look, wimpering, pleading with her eyes for me to rescue her. So, while she loves to be outside in the fresh air and pick flowers and leaves, she apparently does not love to roll in the grass. Maybe with some effort we can warm her up to it this summer.

These next pictures were a fluke, as the best ones often are. I set her in a wicker chair, and she looked so cute that we both started taking pictures. Then Kathy handed her this little baby hosta she had sitting there. Adorable! We didn't really get any big smiles because she was sleepy, but those serious looks are to die for, too! I was telling Kathy how I thought these would look good in sepia (like black and white, but with shades of brown). She discovered she had that setting on her camera and didn't know it. The last picture here is one she took in sepia. Love it! Why isn't this child on a magazine cover yet?

(A thought... I am going to spend a fortune on prints in my lifetime.)

"The Pink Stuff"

Well, I finally broke down and took Julia to the doctor. I didn't want to be that paranoid first time Mom that rushes off to the pediatrician just because her baby has the sniffles, but I also know how guilty I'd feel if she ended up getting horribly sick when I could have taken her in long before she got that bad. She's had the runny nose/congestion forever, it seems like, but then when she woke up on Saturday I could feel a rattle in her chest, and that scared me. Of course, I had to wait 'til Monday to call (actually, Daddy gets credit for that because I was at work so he called), and we got an appointment for Tuesday. She said she agreed with my thinking. There's nothing really to do for the runny nose, just keep sucking, and steam her (that's fun), but the rattle in the chest would be what she's most concerned about. She listened to her chest and said she could hear it. Then she gagged her a little to make her cough, and listened again. That time it went away. She said that was great because if it was truly in her lungs, it wouldn't go away when she coughs, so it must just be nasal drainage. Productive coughing is good to get it out. The mystery diagnosis came when she finished up the exam, checking all the things she does at a well baby visit. Turns out, the baby girl has a full blown ear infection in her right ear. Go figure. She never pulled at her ear, never had a fever, and she's been acting just fine. I never would have guessed. We were there for something totally different that turned out to be untreatable anyway. God was looking out for her, because I probably wouldn't have known anything was up until it got a lot worse, since my sweet baby never complains. Bless her, she must have a high pain tolerance. We got a prescription for amoxicillan, the same stuff I took as a kid. We called it "the pink stuff". I almost died when John pulled that pink liquid out of the bag. I said, "Yep, that's it, same stuff. I bet it has to be refrigerated, right?" Sure enough, the label said yes. When I popped that bottle open the first time and got a whiff, boy did it bring back memories. Mom, Brian, you're welcome to come sniff and take a trip down memory lane with "the pink stuff". They say history repeats itself. I'd have to agree.

(PS: Julia weighs 16 lbs., 12 oz. - still long and lean at 7 1/2 mos.)

My First Mother's Day

My dear husband did a great job on Mother's Day. When I woke up Sunday morning to get ready for church, he was already gone. Just as I was getting out of the shower, I heard a little knock on the bathroom door. I opened it to discover him holding a card and yellow roses (my favorite). He had gone to get breakfast - a skillet with everything imaginable in it and a side of french toast - and he'd already poured me a glass of milk. Of course, by the time I ate the thick slice of french toast, I was full. (I can't eat a big meal early in the morning.) So, my dinner was taken care of for later - bonus! Then I got to finish getting myself ready while he dressed the baby. Impressive, I know! And we were only our usual 10 minutes late for Worship Team practice at 8:30. (I don't think I'll ever be on time again.) We spent the afternoon at my parents' house lounging around. Kristen fed the baby lunch. After evening church, Brandon & Missy and Kristen came over to play games. And I just realized, Kristen fed Julia dinner, too. I never fed her all day, besides nursing of course. Daddy and Julia did a great job! While I occasionally get breakfast when John finishes up midnights, I can't remember the last time he got me flowers, so that was a surprise! Good job Daddy. My last, most labor-intensive gift came today. The stove/oven that came with our house is unfixable. I've gotten by with it, but only because I had to. It doesn't cook evenly, never gets up to the temperature it's supposed to (we checked by putting a thermometer inside), the numbers are worn of the knobs, the clock and timer don't work, and the door only opens halfway (that is, if you want to be able to close it again). It's not that he didn't try fixing it. He's pretty handy, but the thing just needed to go. So, today he pulled it out and then took off to go buy a new one. (I helped pick it out on Saturday.) Somehow I got the fun job of cleaning the void while he was gone. You have no idea what grime was under and behind that stove. I told John I draw the line at dead things, so he checked and gave the all clear before I would look. (Hey, with the people that lived in our house before us, you never know.) So as I scrubbed while he was gone doing the difficult job of purchasing the new one (poor guy), I sang Happy Mother's Day to myself. But how could I complain? When he came back, he grouted the section of tile back splash that is behind where the stove sits. For some reason, that is the only section they never did, and it bugs me. Then he painted the hood white because it was a nasty yellowing color and we can't buy a new one because it's a weird size. Then he hooked up the stove. I'm so excited! I want to bake something, but it's kinda late. John will probably have a five course meal tomorrow!

Everybody say, "Oooooh, Ahhhhh!"

(Or more likely, "Mom, what's for dinner?")

The Mehok Homestead

We celebrated Mother's Day with the Mehok's on Saturday. While John and I were sitting on the porch swing, we decided that their place really needs a name. I said, "It's not really a farm or a ranch, but it's more than your average suburban house." He came up with "homestead" and I think it's perfect! They have 17 acres with a little orchard, flower garden, ducks & chickens, a pole barn, blackberries in summer, a couple dogs, a front porch swing, and even a tractor. Speaking of which...

Julia had fun with Grandpa Tony on his big, red tractor. Her instinct was to grab the wheel of course!
Happy Mother's Day, Mommy! I love these pictures. We sat down by the Bleeding Hearts to pose, but of course Julia wanted to touch. She picked me some flowers for Mother's Day, isn't that sweet? I pressed them for her scrapbook.

I live with this face, and it still gets me every time. I have the most beautiful baby in all creation. Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong... I dare you!
Nothing better than relaxing on the porch swing. Julia loved to watch and listen to the traffic. There's plenty of it, with the homestead being right on 41.
Mehok Mothers. Nana, Jessica, Marlene, and of course Julia.