Rhett is 7 Months!

November 5, 2012

Dear Rhett,

There is something about the seven month mark that gives me a little lump in my throat, buddy!  The fact that you are over halfway through your first year drives home the reality that you will not be a squishy little baby much longer.  Having your big brother around is a constant reminder of how little you still are, however, so I am soaking up my bitty baby as much as I can!

At seven months you weigh 18 pounds, wear 6-9 month clothing, 12 month pajamas, and a size 3 diaper.  You nurse every 3-4 hours during the day and once or twice at night.  You sleep from about 7:30 to 8:00 each night and typically take two naps.  Your morning nap isn't always at a consistent time due to activities with your big brother, but you take a nap after lunch each day.  You are rarely game for a third catnap and usually prefer just to go to bed early.  New skills this month include sleeping on your tummy, blowing raspberries, rolling and scooting more than ever, grabbing toys (much to Riggins' chagrin) pushing up onto your hands and tippy toes, and sitting up completely unassisted.  My favorite trick is when you push your little booty in the air and then jut your legs out behind you to scoot backwards like a little confused inch worm!  

Solid foods were introduced this month, and you are not impressed!  When given a bite of food--any food--you look as though we are attempting to poison you, making the most disgusted faces, shuddering, squeezing your eyes shut, gagging, thrusting it out with your tongue...the works!  It has caught me a bit off guard (your mama LOVES food Rhett, so I find it hard to relate!) but I am trying to be patient and trust that at some point you'll want to eat something other than milk.     

Several other "firsts" occurred this month.  You took your first road trip to Colorado for my grandmother's funeral.  Although the circumstances were not the best, your family members were so excited to meet you and I think your presence and snuggles brightened everyone's moods.  The other big first was your first illness; you had an ear infection that spiked up to a 104 degree fever and you were just pitiful and so, so hot.  You took your antibiotics like a champ and improved within a week, and I was so happy to have my cheerful little sweetheart back again!  Finally, we celebrated your first Halloween!  I dressed you in an adorable little donkey costume and you tagged along in the wagon as Riggins trick-or-treated with friends.  Needless to say, you were the cutest donkey I've ever laid eyes on!

You love bath time and have figured out how to splash.  If you're lucky enough for Riggs to join you in the bath you get positively giddy, belly laughing and splashing like crazy!  When you're feeling silly you shake your head side to side really fast and it cracks us up.  You also love time in your Jumparoo, riding in a shopping cart, laying outside on a blanket watching Weber and Riggins, or chatting yourself up in the mirrored closet doors in Riggs' room.  You are still a remarkably content baby and are perfectly happy to just sit with a toy and watch the action.  Other "loves" include your pacifier, the remote control, your little car toy, and Sophie the Giraffe.  Just about the only thing you really dislike other than solid food is getting your nose wiped or aspirated; it makes you madder than a hornet!

I love you, Rhett.  I love your bright blue eyes with their long, dark lashes.  I love your rosy cheeks.  I love your scrunchy-nosed smile.  I love the way you hold my thumb when you're nursing.  I love our Tuesdays and Thursdays when it's just the two of us.  I love the way you blow raspberries.  I love your calm, peaceful spirit and what it teaches me about contentment.  You're still my little Peach, Rhettaroo, and I love you so!

Love,
Momma
 

BOO!

We had a great time trick-or-treating with friends last night and celebrating Rhett's first Halloween!  I was just commenting to a friend that I think Halloween is one of the best perks of parenting.  You get to dress up your kid however you like, laugh at their expense, use them as a lure to get candy, and then eat it after they go to bed!  Of course, someday my boys will insist on plastic super hero costumes and will want to run around the neighborhood with their buddies and then refuse to share their Reeses pumpkins with me.  So I'm having my fun while I can!   

Warning: if you bring a donkey home, he will ruin your pansies...

Where's Riggins?  

There he is!  And that, my friends, was the end of wearing the giraffe hood.

This little costume was perfect for Rhett since I think his personality resembles a happy little Eeyore.  Laid back, easy, quiet, sweet, and just happy to have someone look his way.  

"Thanks for noticin' me..."

Got anything for me in there, Riggs?

Riggins got the hang of saying "trick-or-treat," but when I reminded him to say "thank you" at one house, he turned over his shoulder and yelled, "SEE YA!!!"  I guess he's partial to the tricks....  

Riggs made a few new friends on Halloween, chatting up a fake zombie sitting in a lawn chair in one driveway, and striking up a conversation with this scarecrow ("Hi, boy!").  

Best shot of my little animals, and the only shot where they are both wearing their hoods!

Love my donkey baby.

The drive home is only about 8 minutes, but that was plenty of time for the little critter to call it a day.

It's always a strange moment in parenting when your kids start doing something that you remember doing.  I always LOVED sorting through my Halloween candy and assessing the loot!

Hope you all had a wonderful evening of making memories with your family!

Letters to Riggins: 2.5

October 29, 2012

Dear Riggins,

Happy half-birthday!  In the six months since your last letter you have continued to shock us with the rapid pace at which you are transforming into a big kid.  As quickly as you are changing, each aspect of development is only bringing a new layer of depth the same personality we've seen in you since the day to joined our family.  You are sweet yet stubborn, affectionate yet independent, extroverted yet content on your own.  In short, you are a joy and we love you more today than we did two and a half years ago.

You are a talker, and I have no idea where that came from! ;)  You have never met a stranger and you particularly love to tell other people about what you're doing.  Just recently you have started inviting them along.  Today as we carved a pumpkin on the front porch you yelled across the street to the teenage neighbor boy, "Hey wan make punkin wit us?"  You have a few regular Riggins-isms that crack us up: "Thank you.  Thank you so much."  When answering a question: "Yes...I tink so."  When something isn't working: "No batteries!"  When you've figured something out: "Oh! Oh yes!"  "Maisy-I-N-G" (an attempt to spell 'amazing' based on a song from VBS last summer),  (when you wake up and waiting for us to get you or when you're hiding?): "Wheh ah yoooo?" "Get you!"  If you want us to chase you: "Get you!"  When you ask a question about doing something, you'll follow it with "Otay" as though you are giving yourself permission to do whatever it is you're asking about.  I'm keeping a journal of all the other funny little things you say, but you certainly keep us laughing and amazed by all you soak up!  

You know your entire alphabet and can sing the song, identify your letters, and say their sounds.  You can also count to twenty.  I would like to claim credit for that, but your love for Leap Frog DVDs and Starfall.com are responsible!  You love to sing, your favorites being ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Jesus Loves Me, The Wheels on the Bus, Big Red Car, Hot Potato, and This is the Day.  You love listening to music and are pretty particular about your favorites: "bible songs" (the VBS cd), Veggie Tales, Praise Baby, and Hide 'Em in Your Heart.  You still enjoy reading, and your favorites include Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Llama Llama books, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  Favorite shows are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Super Why, Thomas and Friends, Sesame Street, and Cedarmont Kids.  

You weigh 32 pounds and are still tall and lean, wearing size 2T-3T clothing.  That sweet round baby face is starting to disappear and the big kid face that is replacing it sometimes takes my breath away.  You sleep from 7 or 8 to 7 or 8 each night and nap from 1 to 3 or 4 each afternoon (Unless, of course, you are at MDO where you really struggle to lay down and take a nap in a room full of friends!).  You still take comfort in nigh nigh, hippo, and sucking your thumb.  You are a decent eater, always loving fruit, yogurt, bread, cheese, hot dogs, "choo choo snacks," animal crackers, cereal bars, and Goldfish.  You have a weakness for donuts like your mama.  You have no interest in potty training and are still in size 5 diapers.

A classic boy, you love trucks, trains, tractors, and animals.  Running, jumping, dancing, and being loud are your default settings.  You started Mother's Day Out in June and you love it, although you still resist taking a nap there.  We also started BSF again and you love that too.  It's fun that you are at an age where you can learn simple bible verses from our study of Genesis.  All of your teachers are frequently mentioned in your nightly prayers of thanks; sweet boy!  You are also the biggest fan of all of your grandparents and get so excited about any time you can get with your Papa Tom and Mama Anne or Bampy and Grammy.  You also love Uncle Todd and his dog Jett and recently got to know your Uncle Ramsey a bit better during our trip to Colorado.  You still love your baby brother and can be very sweet with him, although in many ways the honeymoon stage is over now that Rhett can reach for your things.  We are starting to hear a lot more "Mine!" from you these days!  ;)

As sweet and personable as you are, you are definitely strong-willed.  When we are diligent to give you clear instructions and expectations and reinforce it with praise, you frequently rise to the situation with obedience.  Even still, sometimes you are just a typical two-year old toot who has his heart set on his own way!  Frustrating as it may be at times, I am thankful for your strong personality and pray that God will refine it into a great asset.  

When I think of you at two and a half years old, I will think of you asking Daddy to "tickle neck" each night before you go to sleep; of you dancing like a maniac in front of the mirrored doors in your room; of you "running fast" up and down the hall and across the yard; of you asking for a "kiss" before going to play with your friends at MDO; of you singing "Jesus Loves Me" over and over after waking from your nap; of you "driving" the car; of you playing the air guitar and doing the bees knees to "bible songs" at Mama Anne and Papa's house; of you squealing with glee as you dipped your toes into a mountain stream in Colorado; of you double-fisting donut holes in your jammies on a Saturday morning; of you saying "hi" and "bye bye" to everything--animate and inanimate--you see.

I am so proud to be your mom, Riggins.  There are days when you wear me slick, and yet as soon as you're asleep I find myself missing you and laughing about all the funny things you've said and done that day.  We love you more than you will ever know and are so thankful for the blessing of getting to watch you grow!

Love,
Momma

Interruptions

Things are a bit nutty at our house these days.  

We made a whirlwind trip to Colorado for Grammy's funeral services, driving ten hours each way with two kids under 2 1/2.  They did remarkably well, and I was so thankful to have my little family with me as we celebrated Grammy's life.  And what a celebration it was!  Picture my entire extended family around her graveside singing "I'll Fly Away" complete with clapping and foot-tapping.  We will miss her terribly, but she is finally home and we are truly rejoicing over her rich life.  My dad and his sisters asked me to adapt my "Who Will Pray?" post and give it as part of her eulogy.  It was a great honor to share my thoughts on my remarkable grandmother with all of you and with those who came to honor her memory.  Thank you for your kind comments and prayers for our family during this time.    

Our days in the Springs were blessed with classic, sunny, crisp Colorado weather, and we were fortunate to grab just a bit of time in Garden of the Gods and Manitou Springs before hitting the road back to Oklahoma on Sunday.  It was nice to at least pretend to be on a mountain vacation for a few hours, and we captured some beautiful photos of my favorite people in one of my favorite places.  

Unfortunately, our return home only heralded the beginning of a rough week.  Rhett has an ear infection, Riggins has a little health issue that I'm sure his grown up self will appreciate me keeping off the internet, and one of our cars is pooping out on us.  Add all that to the piles of post-trip laundry and general disarray and we're feeling a bit discombobulated around here!  

A couple of weeks ago, a girl in my BSF discussion group mentioned that God has been teaching her to embrace the interruptions in her days.  What a timely message that was for me!  From an unexpected death in the family to a child's illness and a broken down car, God is teaching me to roll with the punches, to choose gratitude, and to seize the opportunities to trust him for our material, emotional, and physical needs.  Granted, it usually takes me way too long to make that connection and cry out to him for help, but little by little he is giving me the grace to embrace the crazy!  

Who Will Pray?

She could recap Downton Abbey better than any of my girlfriends.  She loved Barack Obama and the nightly news.  She never missed a Broncos game on television.  She sang the silliest songs, and when I was a little girl she told me my hair was made of gold (I believed her).  She taught me to make pie crust and cream puffs.  She passed on her love for Singing in the Rain, Somewhere in Time, and Garrison Keillor.  She gave me her hammer-head thumbs, her pun-filled sense of humor and her opal ring.  She taught me that ministry could be as simple as a card, a stamp, and a thoughtfully chosen clipping from a newspaper.  She raised an adorable little boy to be my wonderful daddy.  She taught me to value my family and my history.  She showed me what it means to love unconditionally for a lifetime and beyond, and to serve selflessly without expectation.    

Meeting Riggins in September 2010

 

Yesterday my beloved Grammy, my friend, left this broken world and her broken body and was united with Jesus.  She was also reunited with the love of her life, Bobby.  Since his passing two and a half years ago, she still mentioned how much she missed him every time we spoke on the phone.  She thought Rhett had Bobby's lips, her favorite feature of his; the thought of those lips still made her swoon at 89 years old!  

I had plane tickets to take the boys out to Colorado Springs for a visit in November.  How I had hoped she would hang on until then!  But I know how ready she was to go home, so while I selfishly wish I could have seen her once more and shown her these beautiful boys, I can hardly hold it against her. 

In these last weeks, she and my aunt had many conversations about this closing chapter of her life's journey.  She articulated that she was so tired and so ready, but that she had one lingering concern:

Who will pray for my family?  

I could write a novel on the legacy my grandmother has left for me, but this one question captures her heart.  I know for certain that my Grammy prayed for each of her family members by name and in detail every day, and that she had personally shared her testimony of the Gospel with each member of our family.  Her body may have slowly failed her, but her mind and spirit never did, and she would spend her days sitting in her chair pouring out her heart to God over the lives of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  In her final days, her one concern was that someone would continue to carry the torch, daily laying the lives of her precious loved ones out before the Lord.

Can you imagine being so dedicated to prayer for your family that its continuation was your one outstanding concern at the end of your days?  I don't pray like that, but I want to.  So even though she has taught me many, many things in my thirty years, I hope that her final concern will spur one last lifelong lesson in me: to be a woman of fervent prayer for those I love.   

I love you, Grammy, and will miss our late night chats.  Enjoy giving Bobby a big smooch on those pretty lips :)  

Rhett: Six Months

October 5, 2012

Dear Rhett,

Happy Half-Birthday!  Half a year has gone by since you joined our family, Rhett, and you have brought such great joy to our lives in that short span of time.  Your sweet, laid back personality continued to shine this month with even more smiles and giggles.  Everyone you meet comments on your content, sweet spirit, and easy smile; I am so proud to be your mama!

At six months old, you weigh 17.9 pounds (50%) and are 28 inches long (90%).  You wear size 6-9 month clothing and a size 3 diaper.  You nurse every 3-4 hours during the day but are showing all the signs of being ready for solid foods, which we will begin next month.  Sleeping is still not your forte, although your naps have gotten longer and more consistent over the last month.  Night time is another story.  You are just a restless sleeper, waking frequently and struggling to fall back asleep on your own.    I look forward to the day when you can sleep through the night like a champ, but you're so sweet when you're awake that it's hard to hold your one flaw against you!

You are now able to push all the way up on your arms and off of your hips, getting ready to crawl.  You can almost sit up on your own, although you're still pretty wobbly.  You can roll every which way and you can perform a frightening yet impressive dismount from your Bumbo seat.  The jumparoo is your favorite hangout, so much so that I have to keep track of how long you've been in it because you could literally jump for over an hour without ever complaining.  Other favorite activities include being outside, watching your big brother and your puppy dog, reading time with Riggins, getting tickled on your armpits and thighs, enjoying tummy time in front of our big mirrored doors, and riding in the Ergo carrier.  You also love your pacifier, Sophie the giraffe, your elephant lovie, and board books.

This month you began attending your own class at Bible Study Fellowship; it may look like any other nursery, but those ladies are praying for you, singing to you, and speaking God's word over you as they care for you.  We also enjoyed a visit to Fort Smith and a visit from Grammy and Grampy this month when they came to celebrate my 30th birthday.  Other fun activities included the Oklahoma State Fair and the Oklahoma Regatta Festival.

Rhett, you are seriously the happiest, easiest baby.  Your smiles and giggles are such a light in our lives, and they bring contagious joy to everyone you meet.  You're sweet as can be, my little Peaches (yes, teenage Rhett, I know you're shaking your head at me but I don't care!!! ;), and I love you more than you will ever know.  Thank you for giving me a new perspective on contentment and joy through your precious little spirit.

Love,
Momma

The Little Things

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Jazzercise.  It gave me the energy and strength I needed after becoming a mom, provided a fun outlet for stress, and gave me a grown up version of my college dorm room dance parties to enjoy multiple times a week!  After finding my ideal workout, Jazzercise was another aspect of Memphis that I hated leave.  It didn't hurt that our class met in the church across the street from my house; it doesn't get much more convenient than that!  

Just a few of the ladies from my Midtown Jazzercise class in Memphis with newborn Rhett.  After watching my entire pregnancy, you can imagine how thrilled they were that my water broke in class! They dubbed him their first "Jazzerbaby!"

In the Oklahoma City area, there were only Jazzercise centers in Edmond and in Northwest OKC, both way too far from my home to be practical as a regular part of my routine.  To make matters worse, my area of town doesn't have many good options when it comes to gyms, and the few options we do have did not offer group classes that worked with my schedule.  (I know for a fact that group exercise is the only form of fitness that works for me.  Apparently I have enough pride that working out with others is the only thing that will keep me from quitting! ;)  Even if I had been able to find a Jazzercise class here, I worried that I just had a really great instructor in Memphis and that maybe Jazzercise wasn't that great after all.

Jody, my amazing instructor, who pushed me to my limits when I was trying to get in shape after Riggins, and who encouraged me to keep going throughout my pregnancy with Rhett.  

Last month, I was officially discouraged.  Five months after having Rhett, I felt in worse shape than I did at 9 months pregnant when I was still doing Jazzercise a few times a week.  I had lost the baby weight, but my energy and strength were depleted; the muscle tone I had built over the last year and a half was quickly softening.  The lack of options had me frustrated and the whole situation began to represent some of my overall discontented feelings with this current transitional stage in our lives. 

Finally, I had a come to Jesus moment.  I told myself to stop making excuses, to accept the situation for what it was, and to buck it up and go join a gym that next week and make the most of it.  I told myself that my situation in Memphs--my ideal workout, across the street from my house--was a unique situation that was unlikely to ever happen again and that I could not make comparisons.  I also repented for clinging to another stronghold of discontent with what God has given us and where he has led us.  

The next day, I got a postcard in the mail from Jazzercise.  Assuming it was forwarded mail from Memphis, I was immediately annoyed at the reminder of what I was missing.  Then I flipped it over and realized that it was not from Memphis at all; it was an invitation to join the new Jazzercise center that was forming in our new town!  I looked at the address and recognized the street name as the one that runs perpendicular to ours.  I plugged it into Google maps, and when the results popped on the screen my eyes filled with tears.

It is right behind our house, just a two minute walk away!  

In that moment, it was as if God was saying, "Yeah, it probably was unrealistic to expect me to give you a Jazzercise center across the street from your house...but I can do around the corner!"  

Now I realize that my workout plans are a tiny, unimportant aspect of life.  In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.  And I certainly don't proclaim a Gospel in which God constantly gives us the petty things that we want all the time.  But in that moment, I received a reminder that God cares about the intimate details of our lives, about the tiniest things that matter to our hearts.  I received a reminder that God sees me.  He knows me.  I had been feeling the sting of all our life changes so keenly, and something small like my favorite workout class around the corner was a sweet reminder that God provides for everything I need, and exceeds that by providing sweet blessings in the little things that matter to me.  

I am happy to say that Jazzercise is great wherever you go!  This new center has great instructors and I am loving being back in the groove of dancing my cares away several times a week.  If you're in my area and would like to join, they are running a great special through the end of the year.  Let me know if you'd like information on the class!