The Haps

So, what’s happening lately?

Andy and I are finishing Whole30 tomorrow!  I had this hair-brained idea to do a video with him talking about how it has been for us.  Now I’ve just gotta convince him ;)

Drew is doing great.  He’s been sleeping through the night (like 11-7) for almost a month now!  It has made the whole newborn thing feel so much more manageable.  He’s nursing about 6 times a day (roughly every 3 hours) and seems to be growing and gaining weight beautifully.  I wish I knew his exact stats, but our 2 month well visit has gotten bumped twice, so I’ll have to wait till the 18th to get the specifics.

 

Avery seems to have grown up overnight.  She is talking up A STORM and regularly cracks us all up.  Her facial expressions and comedic timing are insanely cute.  Some of her top phrases are:

In response to I love you: I love you soooo much!

In response to face washing: Stop! That hurs (hurts) me.

Any time of day: Naming ALL the Disney Princesses

Upon waking up: Good morning mama! I want brefast…cereal, toast, cheerios, cereal!

Usually the morning, but often later too: I want juicy mamaaaa…juice pwease!

When looking at ANY picture on my phone: Cuuuute!

When surprised about something: Oh my dear!

I wish I had a recording of her saying each one of these things in her sweet little deep voice.  She makes me melt every day.

Grace is also super grown up these days.  She asks the most mature questions and really wants to know what’s going on all the time.  When I was recently faced with a dilemma and uttered an “Uh oh!” she wanted to know what was up and as I was telling her about it I trailed off, distracted with getting everyone out of the car.  I started up again and she finished my sentence, having already figured out where I was headed with the whole explanation.  It was so “adult” the way she did it and it totally blew my mind. LOL

She has been resisting preschool almost every day lately.  It’s generally the first thing she talks about in the morning…either, “Do I have school today?” or “I don’t want to go to school!”

I can’t exactly figure this out, except that she HATES winter (as much as a crotchety old man desperate to be a snowbird in Florida!) and she likes to wear whatever she wants (which always involves short sleeves and bare legs).  I think she might be happy to go to school everyday if she could wear what she wanted and be transported to and from in 60+ degree weather.

Other than the daily school battle, she’s come really far with many of her behavior struggles.  She’s sharing with Avery almost all the time now which is a WELCOME change from where we were 6 months to a year ago.  She is an incredibly good eater, especially when things are plain.  She likes meat with no sauce, veggies with no seasoning, and “separates” meals like meat/potato/veg rather than casseroles, rice or pasta dishes.  She loves tidying up and will frequently straighten the living room or go upstairs to make her bed.  Her love of reading is propelling her into identifying and sounding out letters all the time.  She’s developed an interest in math too, and I think she’s going to really enjoy stepping up her learning next year in kindergarten.

Such a smart and spunky little thing :)

Andy continues to work hard at each of his rotations and with his exams.  He makes it all look so easy that I often forget how much is really on his plate.  He’s such a disciplined hardworking guy, it’s incredible.  He’s also very helpful around here and so thoughtful about each one of us.  He’ll frequently come home from running errands and surprise the girls with something fun that caught his eye.  Everything from Frozen socks to wooden puzzles to Lego sets he just knows they will love.

Lately he’s been including items from my Amazon wish list on each order that he places.  I’ve been surprised with an eyeshadow palette, hand cream, and just today this cuticle oil I’ve been pining for.

You guys, I don’t deserve him.  He’s so patient and gracious and forgiving with me that it makes me want to cry.  Plus, I can never seem to out do him!  He’s always one step ahead of me, giving and serving.

Oh how I do not want to ever take him for granted…

Me?

I’m doing pretty well.  Constantly in my head about everything.

Thankfully I’m starting to turn the mental gymnastics over to God, asking Him to help me slow down and trust his sovereignty.  It really helps.

I’ve realized recently that I white-knuckle my life.  My daily routines, my parenting, my housekeeping, my goals, even my relationships.  I’m just so damn focused and intense about everything all the time.  I usually feel like I’m treading water, just keeping my face above the surface of the ocean of expectation I place on myself.

This is not the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

No matter how many things I accomplish as I white-knuckle my way through every day, it doesn’t accomplish the one thing my heart aches for.

Intimacy with God.

Deep knowledge of his mercy and truth.

Security in my identity as His daughter.

Only my desperation for Him brings that kind of freedom.

Instead of being desperate about so many things that don’t even matter, I want to be desperate for the One who does.

Oh the freedom that will flow forth when that happens.

He is so good.

All the time.