6moj

My Journal

Saturday, September 25, 1999

I was looking on the internet today for a Halloween costume for Rebecca. I decided on a costume called "Mary's Little Lamb". It's really cute. Rebecca has a stuffed lamb on her changing table with a heart on it. In the heart are the words "God's little lamb". The lamb was a gift from my mom and is my favorite of Rebecca's growing collection of stuffed animals. Julia has a lamb too, a gift from Grandma D. It is musical and plays "Jesus Loves Me." Both these lambs are so special to me. Somehow it's as though God is sending me a message through them, reminding me that I'm not alone in taking care of my precious charges.

Julia is starting to understand time now. She will say things like, "I did that last night." Or, "It will be lunch time soon." She is aware of bath time, nap time and meal times. Last night we went for a walk. When we got back I asked her if she would like to play on her swing set for a few minutes. She said, "No, Mama, it's time for supper" and marched right into the house. And she was right, it was time for supper.

It was warmer today in the high 80's. Julia swam in her pool this afternoon. We called to see if Kayla could come over and swim with her, but Kayla was at her Grandma's house. Maybe another time. Julia played with her puzzles a lot today. She is so much fun to watch with them. I have really seen her blossom in the last few months. I remember when she first started working puzzles she would get frustrated if she couldn't get a piece to fit in immediately. Now she is very patient, and she knows to turn the piece different ways until she gets it in. Her new puzzle that Jesse gave her for her birthday is animals. One of the animals is a guinea pig. She said, "I need to show this to Dwight" as she put it in the puzzle. She has two Alphabet puzzles. She knows the names of all the letters. She took both the R's and gave them to Rebecca today, and she gave me the P's. She picked up her J which has a picture of jelly beans on it and said, "Can I eat them?" So cute. She played with her lego blocks a lot today too. And she colored with her crayons. She knows the names of all the colors now. She'll say things like, "I need to color a picture for Grandma D". We need to get our birthday thank you notes mailed this week. I wanted to print some off the computer but something is wrong with Print Shop. And Mark still hasn't hooked up the scanner. Guess I will have to break down and buy some.

I want to go to church tomorrow so badly, but I'm not sure it's worth it. Just getting ready and getting there is a lot of effort. Guess I will see how I feel in the morning and how early we all get up.

Friday, September 24, 1999

We survived the doctor's office. Julia weighed in at 25 1/4 pounds and was 34 inches tall. Rebecca weighed in at 16 pounds and was 25 inches tall. Both were pronounced very healthy. Dr. Wahbeh was very kind and patient with the girls. He checked out Julia's baby doll's (Cindy Lou's) ears, heartbeat, etc. before he checked Julia's. Finally Julia warmed up to him. She gave him five right before he left. She had to get a finger prick to check her hemoglobin which she didn't like at all. But it was at a very good level of 14.7. She also got only one shot, for chicken pox, which she hated, but I had thought she was due for more. They said she was up to date. The nurse doing the finger prick and giving the shot had the personality of a mosquito. Julia cryed the whole time she was trying to weigh and measure her, but Rebecca was fine during that part. At one point while Dr. Wahbeh was checking Rebecca, both girls were screaming at the top of their lungs. Dr. Wahbeh seemed to take it in stride, but he did say his wife was expecting their second child and he was really dreading those first months. He has a boy that's three and this one will be a girl due in February. We had to pay $156.00 not covered by insurance. By the time we got out of there my nerves were shot. I needed to feed Rebecca, so we went over to the playground, conveniently located next to the doctor's office. Julia had spotted it on the way in, and we had promised her a trip over there after the doctor visit. There was a really nice bench swing next to the playground where I sat and nursed Rebecca and relaxed while Julia and Mark played on the climbing equipment and slides. It's another beautiful day. Very cool this morning and warm this afternoon. Julia and Rebecca are napping now, and we hope to play outside and go for a walk later this afternoon.

Well I thought Julia had gone to sleep, but when I passed by her room she was awake playing in her bed. Julia said she needed a diaper change. Rebecca had just woken up too, and I was holding her. So I lay Rebecca in Julia's crib, and picked up Julia. I changed Julia's diaper, and then I asked her, "When are you going to take your nap?" She replied,"Rebecca's going to take my nap." I thought this was so funny, I had to come and write it down.

Thursday, September 23, 1999 Part 2

Our wonderful day continued with a nice supper with daddy at 6:30 which is early for us. The crock pot is the way to go for me. Julia had "The Map of the World" placemat, and we all talked about different countries Daddy, Mommy, Grandma D, Mimi and Grandpa had visited. It was fun. Then the four of us went on a lovely walk around the neighborhood. A rare treat. Hope it will become a regular activity now that the weather is nicer. Julia played on her slide again for a little while when we got back. She goes right up the ladder and down the slide like a little pro. It is so amazing for me to watch her. She seems bigger and more grown up every single day.

Julia and Rebecca shared their bath time tonight. I put Rebecca in her baby tub in the big tub with Julia. They both really enjoyed it. Rebecca likes to splash and play now, so it is really better than the sink. Rebecca has been really happy all day today. What a relief. It is such a joy to see her smiling so much.

Miss Becky came by tonight and brought another framed cross stich for Rebecca. It is beautiful. It has the bible verse, "Children are a heritage from the Lord" on it along with her name, birthdate, and the cutest bear. We hung it over her changing table. A constant reminder of how blessed we truly are!

I must have been nuts to schedule doctor's appointment for both of them at 9:00 a.m. I am trying to get everything I can ready tonight to go.

Thursday, September 23, 1999

Today is about as good as it gets for a work-at-home mommy of two, I think. Gorgeous weather!!! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, just a perfectly comfortable and pretty day. Julia and Rebecca were both good as gold today. Julia had her friend, Kayla, over to play, and we all had a great time. It's 3:45 p.m. and both girls are asleep, dinner's in the crock pot (roast, potatoes, & carrots), even the house is pretty clean, and the laundry's almost caught up! Mark came home for lunch and found Julia and Kayla happily eating their food at the table, Rebecca swinging contentedly, and a smile on my face. Think he was surprised things were going so well too. In contrast, yesterday at lunch we were all shouting to be heard over the sound of the vacuum cleaner, which was the only thing keeping Rebecca from screaming. All part of the Roller Coaster Ride of Parenthhood, I guess. Julia and Kayla played so well together. They are sooo cute. They played in Julia's room first with her dolls, books, blocks, etc. They rode on her tricycle with one on the seat and the other standing up on the back steps holding onto the seated one's shoulders and me pushing. It was so much fun. They had a good time playing in Julia's sandbox and on the swings and slide. We even went for a walk with Julia and Kayla strapped in the Bike Stroller and Rebecca riding on top in her little baby seat. It worked out beautifully. Julia and Kayla have the same "big girl panties". And they both used the potty once and went in their pants once. Kayla's Mom, Heather, was glad to have a little break too, I think. Kayla's Daddy is out of town on business for three weeks. Know it must be really hard for them. She said she is trying to do a scrapbook photo album for Kayla too. So next week we are going to try to get together and work on our books sharing resources. Should be fun.

Probably the calm before the storm. Tomorrow is doctor day, and I am dreading it a lot. Thought it was a good idea to have them both go at the same time, now I'm not so sure. Hope it goes O.K. My health insurance payment is due at the Board of Ed office tomorrow. So will have to go up there or send Mark. Mark doesn't want me to go back to work. I'm not sure what I want to do. Will just have to wait and keep thinking it over, I guess.

I am very grateful that my Mom has found a Halloween costume for Julia. It is so hard for me to shop. I had to go to the grocery store last night. All these people were saying things to me like, "Gee, you've got your hands full" delivered with a wide array of sentiment ranging from pity to admiration. Julia was great, as usual, Rebecca was fussy, as usual. At one point I was pushing the shopping cart from the side with one hand and holding a bottle in Rebecca's mouth with the other. Julia was riding in the seat and their was hardly any room left to put the groceries. We went to Publix. And if I have to go, it is my favorite store. Their prices and selection are good, and the employees are exceptionally nice and helpful. One lady in the deli said she was actually a former baby nurse. She took the time to come out and talk to Julia and calm Rebecca down. She was a delightful lady. The guy working in produce, got what I told him I needed and put it in the cart for me. And the checkout girl and carryout guy were exceptionally helpful. Thank Goodness! Anyway, Julia will be a penguin. I love penguins! I was disappointed that the Indy Zoo Web Page doesn't have the dancing penguins on it any more. They were so cute. I still haven't had time to look for a costume for Rebecca. I will try to check out web site costumes after typing this. It is so quiet in the house right now, I can't believe it. It is 4:10 p.m., and I expect the girls will sleep a little bit longer. So I think I will go take a shower. Who would have ever thought I'd consider taking a shower a luxury? Awww Parenthood.

Wednesday, September 22, 1999

Awwww. Nap time once again. I finally feel rested and raring to go! Great feeling. I took a nap yesterday afternoon, and I went to bed early last night about 9:30 p.m. Fed Rebecca at 12:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Julia was awake at 6:00 a.m. too, which is very early for her, but she has been going to bed earlier too this week. Put Julia in bed with us, and we all went back to sleep until about 8:30 a.m. All three of us needed some good rest I think after all the planing and excitement of the birthday party. Rebecca has been a lot better today. I guess when I feel better I have more energy and creativity to put into caring for her. I souped up the old baby seat that I had purchased at a yard sale years ago to use at the studio. I lined it with a piece of egg crate and put the Noah's Ark cover on it. Rebecca liked it. It is a lot lighter than her other one, so I can take it around where ever I go much more easily. I think it sits up straighter too which she likes. I set her on top of the washer while I folded laundry, on the table while Julia ate her lunch, and beside me while reading to Julia on my lap. Also, figured out a way to fit it and Julia into the bike stroller, and it fits perfectly on the swing set swing. I stood in between the two swings and swang both girls at once, and they both were happy as can be. Rebecca went to sleep swinging. Julia and I had fun playing on her slide too. And Julia played in her sand box for a while. The weather is cool, and it feels really good. The house is messy, but it can wait.

Tuesday, September 21, 1999

Awwww. It's 2:30 p.m. and both girls are taking a nap. Julia used the potty before she lay down. We read, "Once Upon a Potty", which she calls "the Prudence book", "Bye Bye Diapers", the "Miss Piggy book", and "I Can Go Potty", the "Froggy Book". Before she went to sleep, she was laying down reading a book in her bed and she said, Mommy, I need my glasses". On The Big Comfy Couch TV show, Lounette the clown puts on a pair of really big glasses to read stories. She has really enjoyed her Legos today. And she requested another "Dance Party". She said, "Sing Mama!" I said, "What do you want to sing?" She said, "Zippy do da" and "Boom-D-A". I danced with Rebecca again which she liked. Julia requested different characters to sing, so I sang Zip a dee do da in Papa Bear's, Mama Bear's, Baby Bear's and Goldilocks voices. She laughed. Julia ate a good lunch of leftover chinese food.

Rebecca enjoyed playing with the Pooh Gym today. She didn't like her swing. We went outside for a little while and she liked that. We walked all the way around the yard. Julia picked flowers. Three: one for Mommy, one for Rebecca, and one for Julia. It was cool and cloudy here this morning. The sun has just come out! Hurray, first we've seen it in 3 days.

I am very tired and am going to take a nap too. I knew I'd had it when I started to put Julia's socks on my feet this morning. I laughed at myself. Rebecca was awake at 5:00 a.m. and wouldn't go back to sleep. She was laying in our bed just laughing at me, her eyes sparkling, mouth wide open. Beautiful, just wish it weren't so early. I got tickled at her, and got the giggles. She was just so cute and of course she has no concept of time. Night, night.

Monday, September 20, 1999

Well, the party's over. It seems strange that I looked forward to it for so long and now it's over. Really made it a bigger deal than necessary, I guess. Anyway, Julia enjoyed it, and it gave us an incentive to get a lot of work done on the house that we needed to do. It was another dreary day today. Rain all day. Rebecca was very fussy again, but we managed to have a good day anyway. Julia played with her new birthday gifts for hours and hours. She loves the lego blocks and the baby dolls. We watched the new Teletubbies and Pooh videos and we really liked both.

At one point all four of us girls, Julia, Rebecca, Annie and I sat dejectedly in front of the back door watching the rain. We had attempted to go out several times, but each time the rain stopped, it started again as soon as we went out. Guess we were feeling a little stir crazy. And Julia can see her swing set and sand box out there and is just itching to play. So I initiated a dance party. And we sang and danced around the kitchen for a while. I was holding Rebecca, and she really liked it. Julia and Annie followed me around and around. We sang, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", "Zip-a-dee-do-da", "Tomorrow" and "Tra-la-la Boom-De-Aye". Really lifted my mood.

I pushed Julia all over the house on her trike for a while. She still can't quite reach the pedals. She has gotten the hang of her new bell. We played with the Pooh beanbag toss that I made for the party. Julia really liked it. Sent the film off. Hope to have pictures back by Friday or first of next week. Julia ate all her lunch of deli turkey, cheese puffs, pickles, cheese, grapes and milk. She had an afternoon snack of left over birthday cake and ice-cream. Mark brought home Chinese food for dinner, and she ate a big plate full of chicken, rice and broccoli.

Rebecca has been very fussy lately. I tried giving her cereal for the first time today, but she hated it. She spit it out and screamed her head off, each of my two attempts to give it too her. She was calmed by the sound of the hairdryer this morning. I let it run for probably an hour. Every time I turned it off, she would start crying, and when I turned it back on she was fine. Weird. Julia really liked the hairdryer too when she was a baby. And they both like the vacuum cleaner noise. Rebecca loves pattycake and being sung too.

I dread Friday. Both girls have Doctor's appointments for check up and shots. Mark will have to take off work to go with us.

Both girls were asleep at about 10:30 tonight, and I just had to get out of the house for a while. I did laps around the back yard. It felt soooo good. I will be so glad when Rebecca is a little older and we can get out more.

The very best part of the day was before Julia's bed time. It's a special time we have always had together, and I don't always get to enjoy it lately if Rebecca is fussy or hungry at that time, which she often is. But today Rebecca was asleep. First Julia and I went outside to look for the moon and stars. We used to do this every night. I always think of the story, "Guess How Much I Love You". Where Big Nutbrown Hare tells Little Nutbrown Hair, "I love you to the moon...and back." Wonderful storybook. Tonight it was cloudy, so we didn't see the moon and stars. We went back in and played the Pooh & Friends bean bag toss, got a drink of water, read some more books, and then we had a time when we "talk about our day". Julia likes this time, and as bed time approaches each night she will say, "Mama, let's talk about our day." I hope this will be a long standing tradition for us. We talk about all the things we did. What we ate. People we saw. Upcoming events. Then we say prayers. Julia always says, "God bless Daddy" first. Annie is usually second, and sometimes gets numerous blessings. Mimi, Grandpa, Mema, Papa, Rebecca, Cindy Lou, Mommy, Aunt Starr, Tinkerbell (Aunt Starr's dog), Thomas, Grandma D & Grandpa Newton, Aunt Kellie, Uncle Jon & the upcoming Baby Ireland, Kayla, Ms. Becky & her Family are almost always included. Then we rock and sing for a while. Tonight was especially nice. I sang "Mommy Loves Julia" which she loves. She tells me all the people who love her, to include in the song. Finally I put her in her bed, and she was asleep in minutes.

Sunday, September 19, 1999

JULIA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY...

Julia got a lot of really nice gifts, and she had many of her family and friends together to celebrate her birthday. Guests were: Mema, Papa, Aunt Starr, Jesse & Suzy Adams, Kayla & Heather Sealy, Leslie & Gwen Pollock, Ridge & Vivian Williams, Miss Becky & Dwight Sauder, Kelly Dorsey, Miss Idna & Miss Gladys Rehberg and of course, Mommy, Daddy, and Rebecca. She got a new pair of pink and white Nike shoes from Mema and Papa. From Aunt Starr she got a Teletubbies Video, and a book from Tinkerbell (Aunt Starr's Dog). She got a really nice puzzle from Jesse and Suzy. She got a cute little doll, which she named "La La" and doll bottles from Ridge and Vivian. They also brought Rebecca a gift. It was a beautiful outfit and a little baby doll too, which Julia named "Karen". Kayla & Heather gave her an adorable plaid jumper with a shirt to go with it. Kayla came dressed in her Pooh overalls and was so adorable. Leslie and Gwen gave her a gorgeous fall dress too. And Ms. Idna gave her a darling Pink and white striped dress as well. Miss Gladys gave her a little doll too. Mark built her the swing set. He didn't know if he could do it, but he did with the help of Billy Horne, and it is really nice. We also got her a Pooh video, a pink and white bike basket, a bike bell, and Piglet and Eeyore Koosh balls. She opened her Lego blocks from Mimi and Grandpa. I'm sure they will provide hours of entertainment. She also got two Pooh outfits in the mail from the Disney store from Mimi and Grandpa. She got a wonderful doll with layette in the mail from Uncle Jon and Aunt Kellie. She named the doll Suzy. She has eyes that open and close, and she came with all kinds of accessories: a quilt, blanket, clothes, socks, a hat, hair bow, and rattle.. The piece de la resistance was from Miss Becky. She did a framed Cross Stitch with a bunny, Julia's name and birth date, and a bible verse: "For this Child I prayed, and God has granted my petition." from the book of Samuel. It is gorgeous and I know Julia and I will treasure it. It is hanging in her room next to the changing table, so I see it often, and every time I look at it I feel blessed.

The children enjoyed playing in Julia's room. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day, so the swimming and bike ride were out. But they all played very nicely. I had prepared several virtually do-it-yourself activities, the beanbag toss and a Pooh corner with all Julia's Pooh toys, ball, books, etc. They liked their shaker bottles filled with happy birthday, balloon, hearts and butterfly confetti. I tied a balloon to each bottle which they each got to take home with them. Julia passed out the party hats and hunny pot name tag stickers. She was so cute. We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Julia. She tried to blow out the candles on her cake, but they were hard for her to reach, so Mommy helped. Ms. Becky helped serve. In addition to the cake we had ice-cream, grapes, white cheddar cheese puffs, Teddy Grahams, Punch, White Grape Juice, and assorted soft drinks. The cake was cute and tasted good. It had Pooh and Tigger holding birthday gifts and wearing party hats, balloons, presents, tons of icing, and said "Happy Birthday Julia".

Gwen, Mark and I juggled Rebecca back and forth. She was very fussy. Thank goodness for Kelly. He did some video and helped with set up and clean up. Mrs. Harris and Starr kept Julia most of the day before the party, and they got her bathed and dressed. She looked so cute in her Pooh Jumper and Shirt, Pooh Socks, Pooh Shoes, and Pooh Hair Bow. Literally, Pooh from head to toe! She liked her party hat, and wore it most of the day.

Mark worked really hard to get the house and yard ready for the party. He made a lot of progress and it looks a lot better. Mrs. Harris let me borrow one of her bouganvilla's to hang on my planter with the butterfly feeder. It looks so pretty.

After the party, Mark, Kelly, Julia, Rebecca and I relaxed on the deck. It was the best part of the day for me. It had stopped raining, and Rebecca was finally happy. Kelly played games with Julia that made her smile and laugh, and he pushed her around on her tricycle to which we tied some of the birthday balloons. Mark helped her let some balloons go flying up into the sky which we all loved. We didn't get very many pictures, but hope the few we took will be good. We missed my Mom and Dad tremendously. Thomas was sick and didn't make it to the party either.

Things I learned to improve future parties:
1. Use primarily the Mylar balloons. They look better, and you can blow them up way in advance. The regular balloons just don't hold up, and you have to wait until the last minute to blow them up. I don't want anything I have to do at the last minute.
2. Test the stereo system in advance. Both this year and last I could not get the thing to work when I wanted it.
3. Take a picture of each guest when or shortly after they arrive. There may not be time or opportunity later. Also, set up a picture taking spot to do this. Julia's Pooh Corner would have been ideal for this. I don't think we got any pictures of her guests and they were soooo cute.
4. Have bags ready to put favors in to send home, so people aren't juggling trying to keep from dropping everything while corralling their little one.
5. Hire or designate video and photographer and have backups.
6. Pick up the Cake earlier. Our cake was good, and pretty, but they did it in red and I ordered pink and yellow. If I had picked it up early, this could have been corrected.
7. Collect quips or funny stories or thank yous to share about each of the guests relating to the birthday child. Write these down somewhere everyone can see, or tell to the group.
8. Leave the photo albums open. Many people didn't notice what they were until they were open.
9. Relax and visit with people more, instead of worrying about details. Delegate better and enlist a baby sitter for the child whose birthday it's not.
10. Put a box of wet wipes out for people to use to clean up their children.

Saturday, September 18th, 1999

Rebecca is 3 months old. She is big and beautiful. She is starting to roll over now, and she can scoot around on her back. She loves her swing, bicycling her legs, and patty caking her arms. She still hates her car seat most of the time. And she is usually quite a mama's girl. I have not left her much at all. And now I feel like I can't. Every time I come back, and I've not been gone longer than an hour, she's hysterical. Hopefully, it will get better. I left her with Starr and Mrs. Harris, while I went to pick up the birthday cake. She was O.K. they said, until about 5 minutes before I got back.

They took Julia to Albany to try on shoes today. Starr took her to the Dollar Tree store in the mall too and bought her some crayons and a coloring book. They also got a cute teether with balloons on it for Rebecca. Julia was so cute when they came home. She said, "I got Rebecca something." Julia has picked out Rebecca's dress for the birthday party. The other day I was getting out some of Julia's baby clothes that had been boxed up. Julia started saying, "There's Rebecca's party dress." I couldn't figure out what she was talking about. She spotted a dress with balloons and bears with party hats on. I didn't even notice it. It will be really cute for Rebecca to wear to the party. And she can wear the Pooh Shoes that were Julia's too. I got some new Pooh shoe laces to go in them. They are so cute. I stayed at the house with Mr. T.B. and worked on my Scrapbook photo album while Rebecca slept. Mark wanted us out of the way while the workers are at the house. They did a lot of painting today. It looks good.