Memorial Day and other things

You know, any reason to dress the baby up and take some pics... Baby's first Memorial Day? Sure, that counts.

Well, there isn't much else to say about Memorial Day I guess. Except that we are spending it alone, trapped in the house due to thunderstorms (and nowhere to go)...

Otherwise there is not a lot going on right now. Saturday night we did spend our first night of the summer at Strong Rock. Daniel is living out there full-time now, so we will be heading back and forth for the next couple of months. Luckily, the first night went smoothly so hopefully it will continue to go well. It is an unavoidable hassle that in order to see Daniel we have to go out to camp to see him and hope he can find time in his day to see Carver some. Part of the camp life which I am actually quite accustomed to now.

Which brings me to my next thought. Even though Strong Rock is not the camp I anticipated my children attending, it is exciting to me that Carver and any other children we might have will be raised in the camp environment, year round. What an incredible way for a child to grow up-- lakes, fields, horses, fishing, hiking, etc. I am also very thankful that Carver will be able to see first-hand what his Daddy does and why he does it. One of the biggest things I love about Daniel, and why I fell in love with him so many years ago, is because of his work in this industry and the ministry it provides. So, even though his love of this job moved us away from Asheville (which I loved) I am still thankful that he is devoted to facilitating the camp experience for kids. Attending camp myself changed me immeasurably as a child. I am a huge believer that all children need the experience of a good, Christian, "sleep-away" camp.

So, this time of year is super busy for us and I am always relieved when August rolls around again and we are all back together full-time. But, I'm praying for a great summer, for us, and especially for Strong Rock.

My poor child

In the five minutes between when I checked on him and when he fell asleep, Carver managed to do this....

Which created my constant dilemma...do I leave him and let him sleep or move him so he isn't laying in a puddle (or several) of regurgitated milk? Ugh. I left him asleep and cleaned up around him.

Praying this spitting up "phase" ends soon. Can't take much more... But, I know I should be thankful that this is our biggest problem. Well, that and Carver's apparent very limited need for sleep.

Three days into the semester...

Summer classes have started and for the first time I am teaching three, yes three, courses. And, since the classes are the same they run on the same schedule. That means that when a class submits a paper I will have THREE sets of papers to grade, or three sets of exams, and so on. In the next 8 weeks I will grade 4 exams, 2 essays assignments, and five discussions, multiplied by THREE and about 25+ students per class.

Great.

So, it is only day three of the semester and already I have identified a few oddballs. Every semester there is at least one in every class.

Here is a little background information to explain the first one: When students have a discussion assignment they have to post to the original prompt and respond to a posting made by one of their classmates. The first "assignment" of the semester is to introduce yourself to the class and this is done within the discussion forum. Well, this is not a graded assignment, yet some students feel like they have to respond to every single student's post. Which is annoying because I have to read them all. Anyway, one guy did this (respond to every single post) and it was so odd. He started by saying, "Hello ________, by name is _____________." Every. Single. Time. I wonder if he realizes that the entire class sees these postings, not just the student he is addressing. Anyway, it got weirder. If a student had any grammatical, punctuation, or other errors in their post he pointed it out, corrected it, and then stated something along the lines of: "I hope you are more careful in the future because the instructor takes off points for grammar and punctuation." I mean, seriously, how bizarre is that? For one thing, the reduction in points is on the essays and that is for excessive errors. Not on discussions, and certainly not on the one where they are merely introducing themselves the class....

Then I have a student who went to my virtual "office hours" last night. Which I didn't actually have because I never hold because no one actually goes to them. I mean, I have had these office hours at the same time, every semester, for about 8 semesters now and have NEVER had a student attend. So, now I don't either. This particular student sent me an email distressed because she was in there alone. She wanted to chat. She was really distraught when I explained that it is not a virtual classroom but rather office hours, meaning you can go and ask me a question, but there isn't going to be some huge class debate. I guess she could debate with me... The downside of this is that I now have to actually log in to my office hours. I hate that.

More stories to come. Just wait until papers start being due. Then the real fun begins.

Needs, wants, and things I covet

Okay, mostly wants...

Seven years and 150,000 miles later it is time for a new car! This one please.


I'll take the second from the left. Thanks.

Green is good on blonds... (these are David Yurman too!)




It's a Rolex. No explanation needed.

This is a need. Unless Daniel wants Carver to stay in our room indefinitely. I need to be able to see him at night...



And finally, something I love. This website-- super cute handmade stuff. Fun things for babies and fun things for me :)

Carver's new favorite thing:

(Sucking on his fingers)

Five Months

Today Carver is five months old. These first five months of his life have gone much faster than the last five months of my pregnancy. I think that what these last five months have taught me is that I am not a perfect parent, as much as I would like to be, and I never will be. But, I do the best I can, I love him with every fiber of my being, and each day I try to do better than the day before. As each day, week, and month has passed we have fallen more and more into a routine, and found predictability in the unpredictable. We bond more every day as he grows and learns and develops. I have been more overwhelmed and exhausted in these last five months than ever before, but I wouldn't trade a moment of it. Even the bad days are still pretty good.

Five month happenings:

* Trying to pull into a sitting position (and can sit with help).
* Rolling, and rolling, and rolling...
* Rice cereal-- the jury is still out on whether he likes it or not...
* Sucking on his fingers (and his mom wishing he would take a pacifier instead)
* No more nighttime sleep! That's right, our sweet son has regressed to waking up every two hours. Yay.
* Nap times are (sort of) established. Usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon, though he prefers relatively short naps.
* New found l.o.v.e. of toys. And he gets agitated when one is out of his reach.
* He is very vocal. Laughing, squealing, cooing, and recently screaming. He screams when he is angry. His daddy and I fear this is a precursor to all out tantrums. Can't wait.
* He wakes up happy every single morning now. Smiling and "talking" to himself. It helps get me through my sleep deprivation.
* He smiles all the time.
* Carver has started putting his hands on my face. Exploring I guess, but it's sweet :)
* As mentioned in an earlier blog, he loves the dogs and watches them all the time.
* We have a set bedtime now! Usually around 7:30.
* The little blond hairs on his head are trying to grow (slowly).
* Anything and everything goes straight to his mouth.
* Laughing-- a lot!
* He has a very short attention span, and likes to be constantly entertained these days. No more sitting and rocking. I miss those days.
* Approximately 16+ lbs, and 26 or so inches. He wears 6-9 month clothes now! And size 3 diapers.

Carver is changing so incredibly fast. I can't wait to see what the next couple of months will bring. Probably sitting unassisted and maybe even crawling. I love to watch him develop and grow. He is a bundle of energy, and usually, joy. What more can I say? I'm blessed.

First attempt at rice cereal...

I'm still not sure if this first attempt at giving Carver cereal was a success or not. He probably only took about 10 bites and didn't seem all that interested. Though he was interested in the spoon. I had to hold his hands down to try to get the spoon all the way to his mouth without him grabbing it.

I really did not want to start rice cereal until he was a full six months old. Instead he is one week short of five months. But, his doctor has been suggesting it for awhile now, as an attempt at curbing some of his spitting-up (which has reached epic proportions). We'll keep trying the (organic!) rice cereal and pray and pray that it helps. The amount he spits up is seriously shocking, and I admit, incredibly irritating. Luckily, it doesn't seem to bother him all that much.

But, I feel like we need to have a sign made for Carver to wear around his neck. So many people (we know) want to hold him but he really needs a disclaimer, something along the lines of, "Hold at your own risk, you will be covered in regurgitated breast milk," it's not a question of if, but when.

Our little hoarder

This is Lea's crate. It should be noted that not only is Lea a hoarder, she is also a thief. Her stash always includes some of Baby Winston's toys, as well as all the toys she shares with Delia. Lately she has also started stealing Carver's toys--her favorite is his "baby." (see blue bear blanket on the left). Don't worry, it is machine washable. Other things she has stolen for her stash: ink pens, paper towels or napkins, dryer sheets, soft tortillas (still in the bag), paper muffin cups, socks, underwear, and more. And, she gets very upset when I clean out her crate and just leave her with her own belongings.

Think Green

I meant to jump on the Earth Day bandwagon and post stuff then, but of course I didn't get to it in time. I've already talked about cloth diapers, which is one major way we are trying to be environmentally friendly. But, there are some others too.

First, we recycle. (Credit for this must go to Ellen-- the recycling Nazi of Baird St.) I started recycling in Asheville, which was a good place to start since the city makes it super easy. There we were provided with recycling containers that we filled and the city picked up every other week-- simple!

Here it is a little more involved. We have to take it over to the recycling place ourselves and then sort it and dump it. They have really odd hours too, which makes it even more of a hassle. However, I've really become committed to this practice. I know I could do more, recycle more items, but this is a start. I am also committed to buying products made with recycled or environmentally friendly products, even if they happen to be slightly more expensive, sorry Daniel.

For the last three years we have also had our own (small) garden. This year we are growing tomatoes, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, and cucumbers. Plus several herbs. This has not always been an organic garden though it was last year and will be this year also. I like having a garden, it's both fun and rewarding.

One more thing-- for the past several years I have been enmeshed in an epic battle with a pack (clan, swarm, herd?) of slugs that like to invade my flower beds and eat all of my carefully cultivated flowers. Now, at first I tried to coexist, but that quickly got out of hand. Then I tried collecting the slugs and moving them out of my flower beds and yard. (Picture me, usually at night, with a stick and a plastic container gathering slugs). But, they always found their way back. I promise I did all I could to get rid of them humanely. (Daniel doused them with salt-- evil). Eventually, I had to take more drastic measures. I searched high and low for a slug killer that was environmentally friendly and pet safe. Which I did find and can now declare the ultimate defeat of the pesky slugs.

Though Daniel has only begrudgingly participated in my environmentally friendly endeavors, I am hopeful that we can teach Carver to respect the Earth as God's creation and gift to us, and for the need to try to "tread lightly" here. (Thanks Dillon for introducing me to that phrase). I want Carver to have a healthy Earth to live in so we are trying to do our part to help.

I do have a confession, however. I l.o.v.e. styrofoam cups. I mean I really love them. I don't buy them in bulk or use them at home or anything. But, I am secretly thrilled when McDonald's gives me my Coke in a big styrofoam cup...I'm pretty sure they are not environmentally friendly...

A little game I like to play...

It's like "Where's Waldo?," only much cuter.

(Sorry the pics are a bit blurred-- Carver was particularly wiggly this morning)

BFFs

It has been awhile since the girls were featured on the blog. Don't worry-- they have not been forgotten! The big news this week is that all of the female members of the family are going on a diet. Apparently the girls decided to be sympathetic with me and gain weight also... a lot of weight. So, we are dieting. Well, trying to diet. Daniel and Carver should probably prepare themselves for some grumpy girls because, you know, being hungry makes you cranky.

Anyway, also new in the last couple of weeks is Carver's new found interest in all of the dogs (but baby Winston wasn't home for the photo shoot). He even often squeals happily when they walk into the room or get anywhere near him. He watches them, and laughs at them, or smiles hugely when he sees them. I LOVE this. They are his best friends :)

Carver even likes to "pet" them when they get close enough...which isn't all that often. The girls like to keep their distance, which is probably for the best. They have been great with him so far, but now that he is becoming more interactive they may not be quite so patient. The other day I looked over and Carver had a fistful of hair he had removed from Delia's tail... It is quite likely that our new job is going to be protecting the girls from Carver. (Baby Winston won't mind losing a few hairs to the baby-- he likes any form of attention).

Delia only rarely pays Carver any attention these days, but Lea does still like to check him out and lick his head or ears. Neither one of them particularly likes it when he cries. Though, I do often find them napping in the bedroom with him :)

( I really like Carver's expression in the above picture. Think he is already sick of the camera always in his face?)

I'm a bad parent...

Well, hopefully not in all areas but I definitely dropped the ball in one-- I never sent out Carver's birth announcements. I know, I know. I feel terrible about it. My lame excuse is that his birth was sort of traumatic, then I was deathly sick and eventually time just got away from me.

Regardless of the reasons I really feel awful about this. Mostly because I assume that I will have things more together for any future children we might have and will probably send out announcements then, so how could I so blatantly not send them out for Carver? Plus without an announcement he will have a big gaping hole in his baby book specifically for birth announcements (from good on-the-ball parents).

So, four months later I decided to order announcements. Not really to send them out at this late date, but rather to have in his baby book and to frame for his nursery. (A few select people will get one in the mail-- I had extras).

I really should have done this in a timely fashion and sent them out to many more people because they turned out SUPER cute. Check it out:

First Mother's Day

Thanks to Daniel and Carver my first mother's day was very sweet. The day started with Daniel waking up with Carver and letting me sleep until-- 9:30 a.m.!!

We spent a quiet family day at home. Carver "wrote" me a very sweet letter and Daniel and Carver got me a massage-- which I am super excited about. I also got a lot of sweet cards and text messages from friends and family members.

All in all it was a really fun, relaxing weekend that we got to spend together as a family. Which doesn't happen often, especially this time of year. Carver and I like having Daddy home with us sometimes :)

Nap time...

Sometimes we are successful...

And sometimes we are not :)

For my Mama

I think that becoming a mother myself this year has made me appreciate my own mother more than ever. I have been blessed by incredible parents, as I've said over and over on this blog. Both of my parents have been a constant in my life, a safe harbor. I can't even truly put into words the security I have felt over the years, in both tangible and intangible ways, because of how present they have always been in my life.

As the years pass my mom and I get closer and closer. It's true that at some point once you reach adulthood you just simply realize one day that you and your mom are friends. I talk to my mom every day (or just about). She is the first person I call with news, big or small. She is the first person I call when I have a question, or need to vent, or am just simply bored and want to talk. And, she always has time, no matter how long, to just talk about everything and nothing. I appreciate that.

Over the years we would make fun of my mother for various things (usually playfully). As an adult I realize that I do (or would do) 90% of the things we used to tease her about. Like getting up several times during the night to check on us (gasp! I do this too. A lot). Or, worrying excessively about small things--if it involved one of her kids... Or, being fiercely protective of each of us. She wasn't crazy, she was just a mom-- and a good one at that. (I also love that Carver is probably safer when left in her care than he is with me. It's nice to know that).

I trust my mom implicitly. I know that she always, without fail, has our best interest at heart. Do we always get along? No. Do we always agree? Heck no. But, I have never, not for one moment, had reason to doubt that my mom loved me. That she would do anything in her power for us.

That is what I hope for Carver. That he will never, not even for the most fleeting of moments, ever doubt how much I love him. That he will always feel safe, secure, and whole because he is much loved by me. That I will give him reason to respect me and my opinion. That he will grow up to be proud that I am his mother.

Just like I am proud of my mom. I wouldn't be the person I am today without the role she has played in my life. She loved me so well that she gave me the confidence to do anything I wanted to do. The world was never a scary place because I had parents to catch me if I fell. So this Mother's Day I am celebrating my mom. May she always know how much I love her and how thankful I am that because of her example I think I will do okay by Carver :)

Mama, I am richly blessed because of you.

Bath time!

PETA, Animals, Hunting, and Vegetarianism

I spend a lot of time thinking about various things. Usually when I can't sleep. One of the things I always come back to is animal rights. Why? I'm honestly not sure. There is the obvious reason that I truly love animals. Though, I am not indiscriminate. (Not a big fan of reptiles). The next reason, I guess, is that there just aren't that many things I feel passionate about. Sad, but true. Animal rights is one of the few things I actually have a strong opinion about. So, I think about it a lot. And, not to be controversial or confrontational, I decided to blog about it.

Two years ago I spent about six months as a pseudo-vegetarian. Meaning, I ate seafood. There is a word for "vegetarians" that eat seafood, but I can't think of it and don't want to look it up. I am most certainly not vegan. I love cheese. I mean, I really, really, love cheese. It may be the perfect food. But, I digress.

I liked being a vegetarian. It made me feel oddly self-righteous, though that is not necessarily a positive thing I know. Maybe it would be better to say it made me feel less guilty. Because I do often feel guilty because I eat meat. It is not so much that I do not agree that animals are here for our use. It is rather a moral issue I have with the practices of slaughterhouses, and the way in which animals are abominably treated by those that produce animal products in any capacity.

There must be a better way to provide meat, eggs, cheese, etc. without succumbing to the horrific treatment of animals. I believe that God provided animals for our use and nourishment, to some extent, but I also believe that He must be outraged by the way in with they are mistreated. While I am not prepared, at this time, to jump on the PETA bandwagon, I do think it is good practice to try to support organic farmers, those that raise free range and cage-free animals. I think it is a good idea to find protein in sources that are not always meat, and to boycott companies that continue to test on animals, or are degrading and abusive to their animals, any animals. At least this is a start. I can't point fingers because I still eat meat, but I am hoping to make a real effort in eating less meat and even cheese, and to raise Carver eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and less meat than most kids. This will be a goal of mine.

On a similar note is my feeling toward the "sport" of hunting. I know, I know, I'm going to get a lot of attacks because of this. But, I am opposed to hunting, I really am. Now, as a disclaimer I know that most hunters use the meat and are good stewards of what they have. However, I am just going to say it: I think most hunters enjoy the sport of it more than the result (meat). This is my problem. I find it so utterly barbaric that people take pride in killing animals. That they then mount them on their walls to show others what they have done. My mind doesn't understand this. If you need the meat to feed your family, by all means hunt and provide for them. But, how much money is really saved by hunting? Once all of the "trappings" of the sport are in hand are you really saving a lot of money? Do slaughterhouses kill more mercifully than hunters? Probably not. I really have no idea. But the difference I am making is one between business and pleasure. Do I hate slaughterhouses also? Absolutely.

(Disclaimer: I have both friends and family members that avidly hunt. This is not meant to be a character attack. I love you all. I'm just sayin'...)

g diapers

One of the contributions I am trying to make to the environment is using cloth diapers. Of course, leave it to me to choose probably the most expensive cloth diapers. But, they are SO cute. Plus, they are convenient. You can flush, throw away, or compost the insert. Or, you can use the cloth inserts and simply wash them. We do all of the above, except compost, I'm not there yet...

I have been really pleased with these diapers. Though, I admit, when we are away from the house we cave and use disposable.

So, I sort of love all the "trappings" that go with parenthood so far. I like choosing diapers that work well for Carver and are good for the environment. I even like changing his diapers, doing his laundry, etc. I'm not sure why I enjoy these things, but I do. Next up: making baby food. Which I am oddly excited about. I've been reading up on the whole process, and I'm looking forward to hitting produce stands this summer to find fresh, organic foods to prepare for him. It's really important to me to know exactly what he is eating, and to be able to control all his foods-- so I think this will work out well for us. I'm excited for him to try foods and see what he likes and doesn't like. Still a couple of months to go but I'm looking forward to the whole process.

Never fear though, we will absolutely be buying "store-bought" (organic) baby food for when we are away from home :)

Mornings...

Dear Carver,

Your mama is really not a morning person. Which, I know you don't understand yet, and maybe by the time you are older I will have reinvented myself into a morning person. We'll see.
Sometimes when you wake me up at 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning you are definitely NOT happy. You awaken s.t.a.r.v.i.n.g and I can't get you fed fast enough... Not today, however. This morning you woke me up giggling and "talking" to yourself. I probably would have left you there, playing in your pack n' play and slept a little longer if I hadn't noticed your diaper had leaked and you were positively soaked-- only you would choose to wake up happy on the morning when you are dripping wet.
You have changed me in so many ways already, and waking me up early in the morning and putting me in a good mood is only one. I can't believe that at this time last year we had only just learned of your existence. Your daddy and I were both so excited and terribly nervous. You were wanted so badly from the very start.
Everyday you gift me with something new, a new expression, or sound, or advancement. I thought it would be sad to watch you pass through phases, but not so! I love watching you change and grow and learn. Only a parent could be SO excited when their baby grabs their feet for the first time, or begins to notice toys. Even the small things are a big deal to us, and I promise they always will be. Your daddy and I will never take you for granted, we will celebrate and cherish every single moment, the big and the small.
So, even though there are days when you and I are both reduced to tears, or your mama gets frustrated with you (not fair, I know), or I don't hold you quite enough, each and every day blesses my heart in a new way, and I hope it does yours also. You are a precious boy and your daddy and I simply adore you.

Love,
Mama