Last Blog of 2010 (Christmas Letter)

Dear Family & Friends,

Since we didn’t write a Christmas letter last year—-mainly because we had a newborn son, and we were in a sleep-deprived fog-—we figured we better write one this year. Our life in 2009-10 can be summed up in one word: CHANGE.

Jackson Ray Miller

We spent 2009-10 adjusting to parenthood. Jackson Ray Miller joined our family on November 12, 2009, measuring 7 lbs, 6 oz., 21 inches long. Since Jackson joined us, most of our energy has been spent surviving the first year. Our days were filled with the joys of parenting: changing diapers, doing laundry, wiping runny noses, washing bottles and breast pump parts, soothing coughs and sniffles… AND… enjoying every baby giggle, cherishing each drool-laced kiss, relishing moments spent snuggling in the rocking chair, and wondering how we ever lived without Jackson. It was very difficult to leave Jackson in daycare when he was 12 weeks old. However, God provided as He always does. He blessed us with Albre, a wonderful friend from church, who cared for Jackson in her home until August 2010 when he transitioned to the new daycare at our church.

Jackson is 13 months old. We celebrated his first birthday the day after we moved to Nashville (more on that later). He has 7 teeth (which appeared within 2 months), crawls all over the place, stands up while holding onto furniture, stands alone for brief periods, says “Hi” and “Uh oh,” and recently started waving “Hello” and “Good bye”. Jackson gets into everything he’s not supposed to touch, and he loves to play with toys, especially his drum and guitar that light up. God blessed us with a wonderful caregiver for Jackson. Miss Cheri lives in the apartments on the campus of Trevecca (where Melinda and John work – more on that later). Cheri watches Jackson Monday – Thursday, and Jackson stays home with Daddy on Fridays.
We are so grateful to God for blessing us with Jackson. Although parenthood has been the most difficult challenge we’ve ever faced, our hearts are overwhelmed this Christmas with even more love and joy... all because of our sweet Jackson boy.

Melinda

I graduated from Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in July 2009 with a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA). In the Fall 2009, I had the pleasure of teaching a business class at NNU. After Jackson’s birth, I spent the first part of 2010 on a 12-week maternity leave. Although I quickly fell in love with Jackson, I was overwhelmed by motherhood, and I struggled with some depression for the first few months. Thankfully, God brought me through that difficult time. The Lord continued to provide me with the strength I needed to return to work full-time in February. I enjoyed working at NNU while learning to balance motherhood with working full-time. I often joke that juggling being a mom and working full-time is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, even harder than Statistics and Financial Management! Whenever I have extra time, I enjoy taking pictures of Jackson and writing on my blog. My blog, “Exaggeration Station”, is full of humorous stories about motherhood and candid discussions about my struggles. I enjoy blogging because it provides an outlet for my thoughts and feelings.

John

John continues to enjoy his ministry as a children’s pastor. He taught a Children’s Ministry class at NNU last Fall, and he also taught beginning guitar lessons. I (Melinda) have truly enjoyed watching John develop as a father. He is patient and loving with Jackson, and Jackson absolutely adores his daddy. I just love watching them together. In his spare time, John enjoys riding his road bike, playing guitar, and listening to music and/or downloading music onto his mp3 player.

John went through a period of searching this past year, wondering how the Lord wanted him to continue in ministry. Ultimately, John sensed God leading him to continue in Children’s Ministry. He developed a renewed vision for the ministry at College Church in Nampa. That brings us to the rest of our life story for 2009-10...

The Move to Tennessee

Right around the time John sensed God leading him to continue in Children’s Ministry, John received a call from Dwight Gunter, Lead Pastor at Trevecca Community Church of the Nazarene (TCC) in Nashville, Tennessee. TCC’s former children’s pastor accepted an administrative position at Nazarene Headquarters, so Dwight was on the hunt for a new children’s pastor. Dwight had previously planned a trip to Nampa, so while he was in town, we met for breakfast to discuss the possibility. It quickly became clear that John fit TCC’s philosophy of ministry perfectly, and he really seemed to mesh well with Dwight’s leadership style. However, there were some significant hurtles to jump if we were to accept the call to TCC. Most importantly, we would have to move all the way across the country... with our 1-year-old son and John’s 78-year-old mother in tow! Not to mention that we enjoyed our ministry in Nampa. I (Melinda) loved my job and the new opportunities to teach classes, and John really enjoyed the families at Nampa College Church. In addition, we had some major financial obstacles to overcome, including a house that we couldn’t sell given the current housing market crisis, and also the fact that I had not completed my two years of service at NNU. If I left before I fulfilled the service requirement, we would have to pay back my entire MBA Program (about $19,000) within 2 years. We just couldn’t afford that. So we started praying...

After lots of prayer, we said “No” to TCC’s offer because we just felt like the timing wasn’t right. John was in tears after he called Dwight to decline TCC’s offer. In that moment, I knew this wasn’t over...

Two months later, the story continued. Dwight called again. He said he just couldn’t get us off his mind. As God often does, He was working in ways we could not see. To make a really long story short, God knocked down the hurdles one-by-one... even a job for me at Trevecca Nazarene University. Although not everything is resolved yet, God has worked in miraculous ways, and we’re trusting He will provide for our needs as we continue responding to God’s call on our life.

I will leave you with this... Last January, John and I had a long conversation about our life. I expressed some very specific needs that I felt had been unmet for the past few years. John admonished me to share those needs with God, and to ASK Him to provide. Less than one year later, God has provided several of the needs I mentioned in January, although not entirely without sacrifice. God’s provision is significant not because God answered my prayer, but because He recognized what I needed was a confirmation of faith at this stage in my spiritual journey. As you celebrate Jesus Christ (the reason for the season), remember this… God knows us… not just superficially like a Facebook friend who touches base once-in-awhile. God KNOWS us. He knows the needs of our hearts. He cries with us. He laughs with us. He KNOWS. Perhaps this is one of the greatest blessings in life… to be intimately known, understood, and LOVED by The Creator of the heavens and the earth.

Please know that we think of you often and pray for you. May you enjoy God’s richest blessings as you celebrate this sacred season. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Video

1 Year Old

Snuggles turned 1 year old on November 12, 2010!  After we got settled with our new health insurance in Tennessee, we got Snuggles an appointment to see his new pediatrician. Here are his stats from Snuggles' 1-year-old well check appointment last week:

Age	Weight (pounds, ounces)	Height (inches)
Birth	7 lbs, 6 oz	21
2 weeks	6 lbs, 11 oz	21
1 month	9 lbs, 14.5 oz (47%)	22 5/8 (82%)
2 months	11 lbs, 12.5 oz (52%)	23 (53%)
4 months	14 lbs, 9 oz	26 (83%)
6 months	16 lbs, 11.5 oz (34%)	26 1/2 (53%)
9 months	18 lbs, 15.5 oz (24%)	28 1/2 (59%)
12 months	22 lbs, 1.6 oz (35%)	29 1/2 (34%)

Snuggles is growing well. They tested his hemoglobin, and it's normal. He is a perfectly healthy little boy. We are blessed!

It goes without saying that Snuggles did NOT like his one-year-old vaccines. We had to hold him down while they gave him 5... count them... f-i-v-e shots! The poor little guy screamed in terror, and it was all I could do to hold it together, especially after I looked over and saw tears in Guitarman's eyes.  Snuggles was fine after a few minutes, but I think it's safe to say the shots were harder on Guitarman and me then they were on Snuggles!

Snuggles has changed so much in the past couple of months!  Here are a few highlights:

• Wears size 12-18 months clothes. 
• Helps put his own clothes on, although he would rather have them OFF, as you will notice in the photos posted here.
• Crawls all over the place.
• Pulls up from sitting to standing position
• "Cruises" around furniture.
• Gets into everything he's not suppose to touch!
• Refuses to lie still while we change his diaper. (He screams so loud, you'd think we were torturing him.)
• Prefers to sleep on his tummy hugging a blanket, sometimes with arms/legs hanging out between the crib slats.
• We often find him standing up in his crib in the morning.
• Says "Uh oh!" purposefully when he drops something on the floor. 
• Repeats "Uh oh" when prompted
• Doesn't say "Dada" or "Mama" intentionally yet. (We wish he'd hurry up!)
• Jabbers non-stop (Dada, Mama, Nana, Gaga, Baba, Rara and Yaya)
• Loves balls, tractors, and his new guitar and drum musical toys
• Loves pushing buttons, especially on things he's not suppose to touch.
• Drinks whole milk
• Eats almost anything off Mommy or Daddy's plate. He even likes lemons!
• Favorite food: Green beans, Chicken strips, Bananas, Pears, Ritz crackers 
• Shows no interest in desserts (Whose kid is this?!)
• Uses a sippy cup to drink water or apple juice
• Refuses to drink milk from anything but a bottle
• Takes a nap in the morning and afternoon
• Sleeps through the night, usually from about 8 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. (Thank you, God!)
• Loves for Momma to rock him at night and sing him lullabies (Favorite Christmas lullabies include "Away In A Manger "and "Silent Night")
• Loves music and books (although he won't leave the pages open long enough to read them)
• Responds by shaking head side to side when you tell him to "dance" 
• Loves to dance around the room with Momma (His favorite dance is "The Tango")
• Hates riding in the car seat!
• Loves every animal he sees, especially dogs.

Here are some picture highlights...

Snuggles loves balloons. Nana and Papa bought him a "singing" balloon for his b-day. 

He absolutely loved it!

 Snuggles really enjoyed his birthday celebration.

Especially the cake

He wasn't interested in eating the cake...

 Just making a mess of it.

He loves reading books.

 Loves cuddling with his blanket.

Loves his toys...

 Especially his new drum

 He doesn't like TV with the exception of "Yo Gabba Gabba".
We don't know what it is about it, but Yo Gabba Gabba puts Snuggles in a trance!

 Snuggles pulls up on everything now, and cruises around furniture.

We know we're a little biased, but we think he is the most beautiful boy in the world!

Home in Tennessee

It's been awhile since I updated my blog. I've been just a teeny bit busy.... like, oh say, MOVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY!

But no excuses.

The move was adventurous to say the least. Here are a few highlights from our move and arrival:

• Snuggles became ill with an upper respiratory infection as we were preparing to fly across the country. His worst day was (of course) the day we traveled. He coughed and wheezed so badly that I called my mom from the Denver Airport in an absolute panic. I was about to call 9-1-1 because Snuggles was really struggling to breathe. It was terrible! He had spiked a high fever on the flight from Boise to Denver, he was vomiting, and coughing/wheezing like an 3-pack-a-day smoker. My mom (who is a pediatric nurse) coached me through making a mask with a styrofoam cup and using my own asthma inhaler to give Snuggles some emergency medicine. The inhaler helped enough to get him through the flight to Nashville. I called ahead to arrange for a borrowed nebulizer (breathing machine) to be waiting for us when we landed in Nashville. I have never been so scared in my life!
• Before Snuggles got sick, I was already dreading traveling with him by myself.  It was way worse than I imagined because he was so sick. Just when I was about to lose my mind, God gave me an angel. Her name was Kay, and she sat in the seat next to me on the plane from Denver to Nashville. She was the embodiment of the sweet loving Grandmother. She took Snuggles and me under her wing, and cared for both of us on the flight from Denver to Nashville. I am so grateful for her because I was an absolute wreck at that point. God knew I needed help. I will never forget Kay.
• Guitarman and my parents drove across the country with the 26-foot Penske moving truck (pulling a car trailer loaded with the Corolla) and our X-Terra SUV pulling a U-Haul trailer with more of our stuff. They made it to St. Joseph, Missouri when the Penske truck broke down. Because God is a miracle worker, they were less than 2 miles from a Penske Diesel Repair Facility. Penske paid a crew to move all our stuff from the broken down truck to a new one.  Because this delayed the move an entire day, Guitarman drove the X-Terra to Nashville while my parents remained in Missouri with the Penske truck. This way Guitarman could meet Snuggles and me when we arrived in Nashville, and so we could be together on Snuggles' first b-day.
• We arrived at our house in Hermitage on Thursday evening to discover the church had not only stocked our refrigerator and pantry, they had a birthday cake waiting for Snuggles as well as all the fixin's for his 1st b-day party, including a wrapped gift, streamers, candles and 1st b-day plates and napkins. It was so awesome for the church to do that for us! 
• My parents arrived Friday with the Penske truck. Shortly after that, a bunch of men from church (including several of the pastors) arrived to help us unload the truck. It was almost 80 degrees outside, so in between hauling boxes, we handed out a lot of water bottles. We are so thankful for everyone who helped us pack and unload!
• I half-jokingly called my sister Michelle in Indiana and told her she should drive down to Nashville after work on Friday. She not only took me up on it, but at the spur of the moment, my sister Danae joined her for the drive down. So we got to spend the weekend (and celebrate Snuggles' 1st b-day) with Danae and Michelle! That really meant a lot to me.
• Snuggles was too sick on his birthday to be interested in celebrating, so we waited until Saturday when he was feeling better. We had a little family celebration, and gave him his miniature cake. It was his first time ever having anything sweet like that. He spit it out! Then he proceeded to "play" with the cake and made a mess. He didn't like the cake, but he sure had fun making a mess of it.
• Sunday evening, Snuggles started acting like he didn't feel well again. By Monday morning my Mom told us she suspected he had an ear infection.  We didn't have a doctor in Tennessee yet, so we took Snuggles to the ER at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  They were absolutely wonderful!  In no time at all, we were on our way home with an antibiotic to treat Snuggles' double ear infection and a new prescription for Albuterol to help his breathing while he recovered from the upper respiratory infection. It took several days for Snuggles to fully recover.  He was a sick little boy.
• On our way back home from Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, I received an e-mail from the property management company we hired to manage our house in Idaho. They already had a tenant for our house!  This was a major answer to prayer!

There have been so many notable things about our move to Nashville.  The Nampa College Church Family gave us a wonderful farewell where we were blessed with lots of heartfelt gratitude, including a generous love offering to help us with the move.  It was so difficult to say "goodbye" to them, especially the kids.

I could tell all kinds of stories about the hospitality and welcome we've received from Trevecca Community Church of the Nazarene (TCC) since we moved here.  Our new church family not only stocked our fridge and pantry, they have brought us meals, given us restaurant gift cards, and even gave us a gift card to Kroger for groceries. We've already been invited over to so many peoples' homes that we may not need to buy groceries for a month.  We are so thankful.

I will close with one more exciting thing.  Our welcome gift from the TCC kids was a one-year membership to the Nashville Zoo.  We can't wait to use it!

I promise to post a 1-year-old update on Snuggles soon.  Stay tuned!

Stress Mess

Stress.  Mess.  That pretty much sums up my life.

My house is a disaster of piles, boxes and dust.

I'm dealing with more stress now than I've ever dealt with in my 34 years of life....

If you believe in prayer, now would be a good time to send up a few on my behalf.

Dot-dot-dot

It's called an elipsis, the dot-dot-dot (...)at the end of a sentence.  The elipsis serves to indicate a pause in speech, trailing off into silence, or an unfinished thought...

I feel like my life right now is a series of dot-dot-dot's.  My life is an unfinished thought, an elipsis.  I'm not in Nashville yet, but in my mind, I'm starting to close the doors in Idaho to open the ones in Nashville.  I'm suppose to give my full attention to things here for the next few weeks, yet in the back of my mind, I know what's coming...

See, there it is again!  Dot-dot-dot!

It's the dot-dot-dot's that I think about when I'm lying awake at night.  It's the dot-dot-dot's that cloud my mind when I'm trying to focus on work.  The dot-dot-dot's are the STUFF I have to accomplish in the next two weeks.  Even worse are the dot-dot-dot's I shove down in my heart when I think about all the goodbye's that have to be said.

The dot-dot-dot's are why they say moving is one of the top ten most stressful events in life, along with starting a new job. Guitarman and I are doing both.... and we have a somewhat new baby, which also tops the list of life's most stressful events.

I'll be glad when all of this is over. The dot-dot-dot's are wearing me out.

On the Move

Snuggles is on the move!  The best way I know to describe how he "crawls" is to say he looks like a cross between a caterpillar and a hermit crab. It works! Check him out.

Obviously it's time to babyproof the house.

He is into everything, so Grandma came over today to help keep him occupied while we work on cleaning out the garage and packing.

Moving to Nashville

It's been two weeks since I last blogged, and the honest truth is I've been too busy to write.  Seriously.  After you read this blog, you'll believe me.

We're moving to Nashville next month.

Holy cow, I can't believe I just typed those words!

It all started in July. Guitarman received a call from Dwight Gunter, a friend of ours, asking if Guitarman would consider being the children's pastor at Trevecca Community Church of the Nazarene (TCC) in Nashville, Tennessee. We prayed about it, and we met with Dwight to discuss things.  After prayerful consideration, we told Dwight "No" because the timing just didn't seem right.

Fast forward a few weeks.  We were back into the swing of life, and things were going well.  Although we were confident we had made the right decision, we couldn't seem to get TCC off our minds.  That's when Dwight called us again.  He said we were still on his heart.  He just had a feeling we were the right fit for TCC.  So we agreed to pray about it again.

Fast forward again. (I'm skipping over a lot of details here.)  Dwight and Guitarman talked again, and Dwight asked if we would be more comfortable if I had a job.  We admitted that my being without a job was a major concern given the state of the economy and the fact that we would likely have to continue paying our mortgage in Idaho.  Dwight asked me to send him my resume, and said he would contact some folks at Trevecca Nazarene University (a sister school to Northwest Nazarene University - where I work now) to see what jobs might be available.

A few days later, I got a phone call from someone in leadership at TNU.  He had received my resume, and was very interested in talking with me about a position that might be opening up in the near future.  We discussed the position, he sent me the job description, and I was amazed at how well I seemed to fit the job requirements.  Within days, I received another call from the TNU leader, verifying the job had become available.

We recognized God's hand at work, so Guitarman and I agreed to fly to Nashville (with Snuggles) to interview at TCC.  While we were there, I planned to interview with various leaders at Trevecca for the job there.

The days in Nashville were a whirlwind of activity.  It felt like we raced around at 100mph the entire time. We ate dinner with the pastoral team, we met with the children's leadership team (they call it something else), and we met with the church board.  Guitarman interviewed with people.  I interviewed with people.  My parents drove down to meet us there, and helped us take care of Snuggles.

Although it was a whirlwind, we felt like we were breathing fresh air while we were in Nashville.  We sensed God's grace, and we felt the peace only He provides.  It became very clear over those days that the Lord was calling us to Nashville.  The Lord confirmed His call when TCC's church board voted unanimously to call John as their children's pastor.  The day after Guitarman accepted TCC's call, I received a call from Trevecca, offering me the job there.

During our interview with the church board, one of the board members asked us a really great question.  She said something to the effect of, "It sounds like things are going really well for you in Idaho.  If things are so great, why would you want to come here?"  I answered the question with a one-word answer:  God.

Why are we moving to Nashville?  GOD is calling us there.  Why would we willing to pack up our entire lives, including a baby and an elderly mother, and move 1,600 miles?  Because when GOD calls, we answer. 

Sometimes it's not logical to answer God's call.  The cost of obedience doesn't  always work out on paper.  The numbers may not balance, but faith does.

For Guitarman and me, our greatest aspiration is to be faithful to God's call on our lives.  Above all else, we want to be in the center of God's will.  We want to be WHO He calls us to be.  We're trusting GOD to provide everything we need to answer His call.

So, we're moving to Nashville in mid-November.  Please join us in prayer that the Lord will direct our path, and pray also for College Church of the Nazarene in Nampa. We believe God is already working on a new children's pastor to minister with CCN.

Just Another Saturday... or Not

Saturday started like most other Saturdays... I slept in as long as Snuggles would let me, which was about 9:15 a.m. I woke up to discover Guitarman had gone to the office to work on his day off.  (Don't get me started.)  So I got Snuggles up and fed him.  We decided we didn't feel like getting dressed quite yet, so Snuggles and I enjoyed hangin' out in our pj's.

Guitarman came home around noon, and we decided to head to "Five Guys Burgers and Fries" for lunch on our way to run some errands.  We needed to go to the mall to exchange some clothes for Snuggles, and I desperately needed a pedicure.  Seriously.  Dave Ramsey would have taken one look at my nasty feet and deemed the pedicure a "necessity".

We put Snuggles in his car seat, and loaded up the truck.  I fed Snuggles the rest of his bottle on the way just to save some time.  We made it about 10 minutes from our house when Snuggles had a coughing fit.

[Side note: Snuggles was very sick last week with a double ear infection and upper respiratory infection. He was so sick that we had to take him to the E.R. because he was having difficulty breathing.  I was too busy dealing with his illness to blog about it. Maybe later...]

Anyway, back to the story.

As Snuggles succumbed to the coughing fit, it triggered his gag reflex, and Snuggles vomited....  We're talking major fountain of formula.  I yelled for Guitarman to pull over by the side of the road.  This was not one of those messes you can clean up with a few swipes of a baby wipe.  This was a full blown Hazmat situation.

Guitarman pulled onto the side road, turned on the hazard lights (very fitting!), and we proceeded to clean up our first vomit-in-the-car disaster.  I peeled off Snuggles' clothes (thank goodness I packed an extra outfit before we left the house) while Guitarman used every available napkin and wipe to clean up the vomit. Dis-gus-ting!

After a lot of.... errrr....exclamations, we got back on the road.  When we got to "Five Guys," I unloaded Snuggles from the truck.  Somehow during that process, a full jar of baby food slipped out of the diaper bag... *smash*...shattering on the pavement beside the truck.

At that point, any normal person probably would have given up hope of having an enjoyable day.  I'll admit, part of me wanted to get back in the truck and go home while we were all intact... But the wonderful, greasy-good smell wafting across the parking lot was enough to coax us into "Five Guys".  I unwrapped the shiny package that held my juicy-carnivorous-piece-of-burger-art, only to discover they had put mayonnaise on it!  Of all the things to put on my burger... I would have let any other condiment go, but I just can't stomach mayo on a burger.  So I took it back, and they made me a new juicy-carnivorous-piece-of-burger art... burger, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup and mustard. No mayo.

Having had our fill of artery-clogging yumminess, we left "Five Guys" and headed for the salon where I get my feet doctored.  On the way there, Guitarman and I joked about our "uneventful" day.

Guitarman and Snuggles window-shopped at a nearby department store while I enjoyed some much-needed pampering at the salon. (I'm pretty sure heaven will be an endless line of massaging chairs with tiny women giving foot rubs. Maybe in heaven I'll be able to understand what they're saying.)

As Guitarman loaded Snuggles into the truck, I turned to fold up the stroller... *Smack*  The stroller tipped over backwards right in front of an unsuspecting passerby.  I apologized profusely, and the nice lady helped me right the stroller.  I realized when I pulled Snuggles out of the stroller, the weight of my purse and the diaper bag hanging from the handle caused it to tip over. I made a mental note not to do that again.

By now, Snuggles was way past time for his afternoon nap.  He fell asleep in the car seat as we headed for the mall.  We managed to get Snuggles loaded into the stroller without waking him, and we headed into the mall.  The Children's Place exchanged Snuggles' clothes for a size smaller, and we even got a $10 credit! Things were looking up.

We have a tradition that whenever we go to the mall (which is rare), we always stop by Orange Julius so I can get a pina colada-flavored smoothie.  It's my all-time favorite liquid treat.  So off we went to Orange Julius, happy that we had the $10 refund from Children's Place to spend at Orange Julius.  We happily sipped on our drinks as we headed back to the truck.  Guitarman drank his quickly, but I savored my smoothie, planning to enjoy the tropical goodness all the way home.

When we got back to the parking lot, Guitarman sent me to throw away the empty Five Guys cups so we had space for the Orange Julius cups.  I walked across the parking lot, tossed the empty cups into the trash can, and turned around....

Just in time to see Guitarman stomping around, shaking his head and fussing.  Although I was too far away to hear him, I knew right away what had happened.  Guitarman picked up Snuggles out of the stroller, and it tipped over like it had earlier, spilling my pina colada smoothie all over the asphalt.

"Nooooo!" (Think horror movie scream.)

I rushed to the truck, and found my suspicion was correct: An overturned stroller, a pina colada puddle and a very frustrated husband.

We both fussed and fumed for a minute, and then the hilarity of it all hit me... I started laughing.  Guitarman wasn't amused.  As we pulled out of the parking lot, he said, "I'm going back in to get another pina colada."  I said, "No! You don't need to do that. Let's just go!"  But Guitarman insisted.

I stayed in the car with Snuggles while my wonderful husband went back into the mall to get me another smoothie.  When he returned, I saw the frustration on his face as he handed me the fresh pina colada.  I was still giggling from the back seat, as the following conversation ensued.

          Me:  (*Slurp*) Ha ha ha!  We're a mess! 

          Guitarman: (No response.)

          Me: Ha ha ha! *Slurp*  Ha ha ha!

          Guitarman: (Trying not to smile... but relenting with a smurk.)

          Me:  This day is definitely blog-worthy.  *Slurp*

          Guitarman:  (Sarcastically)  Don't write the blog yet.... The day isn't over.

Then we both dissolved into laughter.

Ordinary Days

You know how some days are crazy, some days are bad, some days are crazy-great and some days are just ordinary?  I use to look forward to the crazy-great days.  And I use to get bored with the ordinary days.

That was back when I was young and carefree.  (Translation: single, kid-free, mortgage-free, etc.)

It seems like the past few years have been filled with some crazy days, a few bad days, even fewer crazy-great days and mostly lots of ordinary days.

When I was young and carefree, I use to get bored with ordinary days.  But now my ordinary days are filled with this...

 And this... 

 And this...

You know what....  Who needs crazy-great days?  I'm okay with the ordinary.

Toofers

Without further ado... introducing, Snuggles' first teeth!

And just in case you can't see them in the photo above, here's a close-up of the toofers.

If you look very closely, you can see a third tooth making an appearance on the right. That one showed up Sunday morning.  Three teeth in two weeks!

New Things

It seems like every day Snuggles learns (or does) something new.  Here are a few pictures to show you what Snuggles has been up to lately.

He figured out how to drink from a straw.

He's really trying to move around.  He mostly just scoots short distances on his rear end, but it's not really intentional. Did I mention he loves balls?

His hair is finally long enough to make a shampoo mohawk.

And he has mastered several variations of this cute flirty grin.

Lock up your daughters.  He's gonna be a lady killer!

10 Months

Can you believe this little booger is 10 months old?!

 The Tripod Pose

Snuggles isn't crawling or walking yet, but he does this weird balancing act on his crossed legs. Here's a picture of him at the daycare center last week, demonstrating what I call the "tripod pose".  That's what it looks like to me when he balances like this, like a strange yoga pose.  He also does pretty well standing supported or when holding onto something.

 Look, Mom... I'm cute!

We can't seem to keep Snuggles in clothing that fits because he's growing like a weed!  Thankfully we have friends who are kind enough to loan us clothes for Snuggles to wear.  The pjs in the photo above are size 12 months, although I think they run a little small for 12 months.  He's still a little too small for most 12 months clothes, but he has definitely outgrown his 9 months clothes.  So we either dress him in tight clothes that are too short or in baggy clothes that are too long.

 So happy together

I took this picture of Snuggles and Guitarman last Friday.  We had a family movie night in the park behind our church. All of us were bundled up in blankets and sweatshirts because it got chilly after the sun went down.  We had such a fun time watching "Monsters Inc.". (Snuggles was interested in the movie for a short time, but then he fell sleep in his stroller.)

I'm trying my best to capture a photo of Snuggles' two budding teeth, so stay tuned for the big reveal of his pearly whites.

My Son, The Thief

Until recently, I tried to avoid taking Snuggles to the store.  But Snuggles is big enough now that he loves riding in the cart... The busier the store, the more he enjoys it because busy spells lots of activity to observe and categorize in his little file cabinet brain.

After delaying the Wally World trip until the situation was desperate, I had to shop for baby essentials that we seem to run out of everyday, namely diapers, wipes, baby food, and now formula.  [Did I mention the little snot stopped nursing cold turkey, and he refuses to drink any formula except the expensive stuff?!  I'm a little bitter.]

So Snuggles (happily) and I (begrudgingly) went to the Big W while Guitarman taught a college class on children's ministries.  As soon as I piled his pudgy little bum into the shopping cart, Snuggles got really excited.  He bopped to an inaudible beat as we walked into the store...

and were met with utter chaos.

Carts teetered with groceries, lining the aisles 3-wide like the Daytona 500.  Small children darted out in front of overloaded carts.  Busy WalMart cronies unloaded gargantuan boxes of product onto endless rows of shelves.

Snuggles and I weaved around people, and squeezed our way into the baby food aisle.  I searched through rows of jars to locate the food I knew Snuggles wouldn't spit out: bananas (check), apples and oats (check), green beans (check), sweet potatoes (check).  I turned to load jars of pears and prunes into our cart just in time to see Snuggles had reached over as far as the child restraint belt would allow him, and had stolen what appeared to be a small bag of beef jerky from the cart beside us.  Fascinated, Snuggles turned the plastic bag around his hands... The man didn't seem to notice Snuggles had pilfered his jerky.  Dressed in dirty work clothes, the man was busy barking at someone on the other end of his cell phone, "I'm here at the formula section, but I don't see any blue cans!"  I grabbed the stolen beef jerky from Snuggles' sticky fingers and quietly returned it to its rightful owner.  Snuggles hollered at me for taking his stash.  Before Snuggles could blow my cover, I zipped the cart around Flustered Dad to the safety of the diaper aisle.

[I hope Snuggles actually stole the jerky from Flustered Dad, not someone else.  Otherwise poor Flustered Dad probably questioned his sanity when he reached the checkout lane with random beef jerky in his cart, and someone with a taste for shriveled beef byproducts missed their salty treat.]

Snuggles, the thief.  Guilty as charged.

Speaking of the checkout lanes, someone please explain to me why WalMart refuses to open more than 4 checkout lanes at a time!  No matter how long the lines are, nevermind the screaming children waging mini-mutinies around their mothers' ankles.  Forget the sickly-looking senior citizens leaning on their canes, strength waning as they wait in a line 5-carts deep.  Despite the sea of tired customers toting cartons of melting ice cream, WalMart refuses to open more lanes.  It's ridiculous.

Thankfully, we managed to leave WalMart without Snuggles committing additional felonies.  A short time later, I changed him into his footed pj's, and I wished my little jailbird "good night".

Love Thursday

Some time ago, one of my favorite bloggers posted a list of the things she loves about her family. She called it "Love Thursday".  I'm poaching her idea for today.

Because I need it. [Thinking about the blessings in my life helps me forget about my craptastic day.]

I love... 

.... finding Snuggles asleep in his crib first thing in the morning, curled up in his blanket like a twisty pretzel.

.... that I get a fluttering feeling in my chest when I look forward to an evening out with Guitarman.

.... salsa and queso at Jalapenos.

.... finding money in the pocket of jeans I haven't worn in awhile.

.... puppies.
 
.... sleeping in on Saturday morning.

.... flowers, notes and little gifts, reminders that Guitarman thinks about me when we're apart.

.... thunderstorms.

.... when Guitarman gets up with Snuggles so I can sleep in on Saturday morning.

.... watching old episodes of "Friends" and "Frazier".

.... hugging my family and friends after a lengthy time apart.

.... Guitarman's laugh, especially when I get to be the one who makes him laugh.

.... chocolate brownies right out of the oven.

.... that Snuggles' face lights up when I walk into the room.

.... receiving snail mail from my mom.

.... climbing into a big bed with clean, cool sheets.

.... long walks in the warm ocean surf.

.... how Snuggles' hair sticks up after his bedtime bath.

.... being invited to someone's house for dinner.

.... that Guitarman holds my hand when I'm too sad to speak.

.... the perfectly straight, brilliantly green lines on our freshly-mowed lawn.

.... rocking with Snuggles when he's sleepy and wants to cuddle.

.... a fresh stick of gum.

.... chatting with friends online.

.... reading a good book, preferably with a cup of coffee in hand.

.... pouring my heart out to Taco, knowing that somehow she understands the emotion behind the words.

.... sitting in front of a fireplace when it's cold outside.



Happy Love Thursday.

To Wean or Not to Wean...

[Warning: The following blog contains content related to breastfeeding.  If you're uncomfortable with this topic, you might want to stop reading now.]

To wean or not to wean... that is the question.

I woke up Friday morning to begin my usual routine with Snuggles... He began nursing, and then immediately let go and started screaming.  I recognized his "I'm hurting" cry, so I scrambled to figure out what happened.  I checked his hands and feet, his head, his legs, wondering if I accidentally sat on him or pulled his hair.  What's wrong with my Snuggle bug?!  Then, suddenly it occurred to me.... I wonder if he's teething?

I stuck my finger in his mouth, and sure enough!  There were two little buds of sharp teeth poking through his bottom gums!  Snuggles' pearly whites finally decided to make an appearance.

I guess this means I can cancel Snuggles' upcoming denture fitting.

I took Friday off work, and Monday was a holiday.  So I was home with Snuggles all weekend, which was the perfect time for him to start teething... depending on how you look at it, I guess.

Snuggles refused to nurse all weekend.  That means I spent the entire weekend pumping.  I'm not a huge fan of breastfeeding, but I'd rather do that then pump.  I hate being hooked up to that stupid machine, sitting there trapped like a cow on a milking carousel, listening to the monotonous *weee oosh, weee oosh* of the pump.  Ugh.

Knowing Snuggles was slowing starting to self-wean over the past few months, I've tried to feed Snuggles several different brands of powdered formula using samples I received in the mail.  I wanted to see if he would take formula so I could begin reducing the number of pumping sessions I have to do when I'm at work.  The little stinker refused every powdered formula I tried.  Since he refused to nurse last weekend, I turned to the last remaining option: ready-to-serve formula in a can.  [Translation: Ex-pen-sive!]

At first Snuggles refused the expensive stuff.  But when I didn't feed him anything else, he eventually got hungry enough to drink the formula... but only warm.  (I wonder where he gets being particular about his food?!)

I supplemented with expensive-formula over the weekend since I couldn't keep up with Snuggles' demand through pumping. As of today, Snuggles still refuses to nurse.  He starts crying and turning his head as soon as I put him into the nursing position.  He's just no longer interested.

I called my Mom/On-call Nurse this morning to ask her opinion. She confirmed what I suspected:  Snuggles is self-weaning.  He's done with nursing, on his way to whole milk.  Mom recommended I continue pumping as long as I can, and to supplement with formula when necessary.  In 2 months, when Snuggles is 12 months old, I can switch to whole milk.

I'm seriously considering weaning Snuggles off breastmilk entirely.  Please don't report me to the nursing nazis.

I'm so ready to be done!  I don't want to pump non-stop for the next two months.  I'm leaning toward pumping for a few more weeks while I transition Snuggles to formula.  (Cold turkey would reek havoc on his digestion and could cause mastitis for me. No thanks.)

I've read lots of literature.  I understand the benefits of breastfeeding for Snuggles and me, and I know the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastmilk through 12 months.  But I have to be honest, it's only by the grace of God I made it this far.

I think it's time.  The cow needs a break.

Fear (The Big Black Horse)

I remember having frequent nightmares as a child.  I'm not sure why, considering my parents closely monitored my television time, and limited my exposure to all-things "worldly".  Yet somehow my mind manufactured terrifying dreams that sent me running into my parents' bedroom for comfort. 

[ I read once that frequent childhood dreams (and nightmares) are a sign of high intelligence... I kept that article.  *smile* ]

Despite my childhood propensity for nightmares, I don't consider myself the fearful type.  Okay, so I do try to avoid heights... But other things that make most people shiver in their boots don't even phase me.  I'm not afraid of spiders or snakes or the dark.  I'm not afraid of meeting new people or needles or deep water or the dentist.  I even enjoy public speaking!

I don't consider myself a fearful person.  But sometimes fear does creep into my life, wrapping its gnarly fingers around my heart.

I'm dealing with something big in my life right now.  I'm not comfortable posting details here because this blog is open to the world.  So I'll just say this... it's BIG.  And I have to admit, I'm really scared.... 

I'm so frustrated with myself about being so afraid.  Because I know better.  I believe fear does not come from God. The Bible even says so!

Don't be afraid, for I am with you.

Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you. 

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41, NLT)


So why am I still fighting this fear?  It's not like I want to be afraid.  I've asked God to take it from me.  I've given this situation to Him.  But despite earnest prayer and soul-searching, I can't seem to get past it.  It's like the big black horse that chased me during my childhood dreams. 

This is the kind of fear that sent me running into my parents bedroom at night.  I can't do that now though...  because I'm 34...  And my parents live in Indiana.  And I'm pretty sure running into their bedroom in the middle of the night would result in a frantic 9-1-1 call.

He's a Screamer

Sometime during the last two weeks, Snuggles developed an affinity for screaming.  A LOT of screaming.

Unless I'm physically holding Snuggles, he cries.  Sometimes he even cries when I'm holding him.  I sit him on the floor with his toys and balls, he cries. I put him in the bathtub (his favorite!), he cries.  I put him in the highchair to feed him, he cries between bites of food.  I can even sit with him on the floor in front of me, and he cries.  It seems like the only time the kid isn't crying, fussy, or just being all-around disagreeable is when:

1. I'm holding him
2. He's sleeping
3. There's a boob in his mouth.

And no, he's not teething.  [I have a dentist on speed dial just in case we need to order dentures.]

At first I thought Snuggles was just screaming at me.  But then the daycare told me Monday that he has been screaming at them, and in the process scaring all the other babies half to death.  He did the same thing to the babysitter who watched him at our house the other night. (Guitarman was out of town.)

Great. My son is that-kid-the-caregivers-dread-seeing-walk-in-the-door.  Craptastic.

We need to figure out why Snuggles is screaming so we can stop it.  Soon.

I did some reading on the topic last night, and I have my suspicions.  Developmentally, Snuggles has reached the stage pediatricians call "object permanence".  In other words, when something (or someone) is removed from his environment, Snuggles now recognizes that object (or person) is missing. So when Mommy leaves the room (or even looks like she might leave the room), baby is scared.  Why?  Because while he understands she is missing, he doesn't yet grasp that Mommy is coming back.  The realization that Mommy will return develops later.  [By the way, God, thanks a lot for that.]

Snuggles has been in three different daycare situations during the past month, right when he reached object permanence.  On top of the changing daycare environments, Snuggles got sick in the middle of it.  And then several new kids joined the daycare this week.  So he's in a new environment with a bunch of new kids.  I'm guessing his little 9-month-old brain is overloaded... and he just wants to be held for comfort.  I can understand why he's a little freaked out.

All the Motherhood-For-Dummies-type books assure me Snuggles' screaming will eventually stop.  If not, I'll pack his cute little butt into a flat-rate box, and ship him off to Nana. (Just kidding.)  In the meantime, I'm praying God will give me patience... and that the daycare doesn't charge Snuggles with inciting a baby-riot.

9 Month Stats

Snuggles saw the pediatrician today for his 9-month check-up.  The doctor checked him over and tested his hemoglobin.  It's all good news.  Snuggles is completely healthy and on track.

Here are his stats:

Age	Weight (lbs, oz)	Height (inches)	Head (cm)
Birth	7 lbs, 6 oz	21	14 (OUCH!)
2 weeks	6 lbs, 11 oz	21	14
1 month	9 lbs, 14.5 oz (47%)	22 5/8 (82%)	14 5/8 (24%)
2 months	11 lbs, 12.5 oz (52%)	23 (53%)	15 1/2 (35%)
4 months	14 lbs, 9 oz	26 (83%)	16 1/2 (38%)
6 months	16 lbs, 11.5 oz (34%)	26 1/2 (53%)	16 3/4 (18%)
9 months	18 lbs, 15.5 oz (24%)	28 1/2 (59%)	17 7/8 (84%)

The pediatrician gave us the go-ahead to start introducing Snuggles to more table foods, including meat.  But no dairy, peanuts or shellfish yet. Since we have a family history of allergies, we will wait on those things until after Snuggles is one year old.

The doctor asked some questions to check on Snuggles' development, and I told her he's doing really great with his fine motor skills but seems to be a little slow on the gross motor skills.  She told me Jackson is at 12 months development for some of his fine motor skills (like the pincer grasp), so he's ahead on those.  And since he stands well (assisted), he's really doing fine on gross motor as well.  She said he may skip crawling all-together, and that's fine.  We'll keep encouraging it, despite how much he hates tummy time. 

Snuggles really enjoyed entertaining the doctor today. He is a ham!  I feel blessed and grateful to God that Snuggles is happy and healthy.

9 Months Old

Snuggles is 9 months old today! Here are a some Snuggles highlights at 9 months:

• Wears size 9 months clothes.
• Sits up on his own.
• Stands when holding onto someone or something.
• Rolls from front to back, but not often.
• Although capable, he chooses not to roll back to front.
• Hates tummy time.
• Rocks on hands/knees (when assisted), but he seems to get scared if we let go.
• Scoots a small distance on his bottom by rocking back and forth.
• Shows no interest in crawling.
• When sitting on a blanket, he drags the blanket toward him to retrieve out-of-reach objects.
• Claps his hands.
• Smiles and laughs all the time
• Says "Dada, Mama, Gaga, Baba, Rara and Yaya" (It's just jabber at this point.)
• Loves balls
• Has started "throwing" objects for fun.
• Picks up food between thumb and forefinger (pincher grasp)
• Grabs anything within reach (fast hands!) 
• Likes to be outside, but does not like to sit in the grass.
• Still breastfeeding.
• Eats solids for lunch and dinner (along with breastmilk).
• Baby food he likes: apples, pears, strawberries, peaches, mangoes, and bananas (his favorite), sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, green beans. 
• Baby food he dislikes: Peas! He absolutely refuses to eat peas or anything that contains peas.
• Snacks he likes: Cheerios and Banana puffs
• Grown-up food he likes: mashed potatoes, baked yams, baked potatoes, the insides of french fries, green beans, carrots, jello, ketchup, mustard, mexican rice, small pieces of tortilla chips
• Uses a sippy cup to drink water (when he's in the mood)
• We're avoiding dairy until after he is 1 year old due to family history of allergies.
• Says "Mmm! Mmm!" insistently when he wants more food.
• Sleeps through the night, usually from about 8 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. (Thank you, God!)
• Takes a nap in the morning and afternoon
• Sleeps on his side with his arms wrapped around a blanket
• Loves music, especially when someone sings to him
• Loves to ride in the stroller and grocery cart
• Doesn't like riding in the car
• Absolutely LOVES our dog, Taco. Unfortunately, Taco doesn't share his sentiment.

Snuggles has his 9-month doctor appointment tomorrow, so I'll post his stats later this week.

Pneumonia

Well, I've been offline for a few days because Snuggles was sick. Really sick.

I blogged last week about Snuggles catching another cold, and how we had to take him to the urgent care because he refused to eat. Well, Snuggles seemed to improve last week, although he never returned to normal. The cough and congestion continued. He couldn't breastfeed well because his nose was so stuffy.

Saturday morning, Snuggles was in a bad way. He was whiny and fussy and just basically unsettled. I could tell he was uncomfortable. He seemed warm, so I took his temperature, and was surprised to find he had a fever... again!  I called Nana-Nurse, and we decided to take Snuggles back to Quick Care.

[Side note: Why does this kid insist on being sickest on the weekends?!]

The doctor at Quick Care examined Snuggles, and didn't like the sound of his cough. The doctor tested him for RSV (negative). He suspected Snuggles had developed a secondary infection in the lower respiratory tract, pneumonia.  The best way to diagnose pneumonia is to do a chest x-ray and blood work.  But the doctor said he didn't want us to have to wait for 3 hours at the hospital for an x-ray and subject Snuggles to blood work. So he prescribed an antibiotic, and told us to follow up with Snuggles' pediatrician on Monday.

Snuggles was still very sick on Sunday, with a temperature over 101.

On Monday morning, Snuggles seemed to be doing a little better, although his temp was still around 100. I took him to see his pediatrician. She examined him and said one of two things was going on:

1) Snuggles had developed pneumonia, and the antibiotic was working. If this was the case, she suspected his fever would not return.
2) Snuggles didn't have pneumonia, but had contracted a second virus that caused more congestion and coughing. If that were the case, she suspected the fever would return Monday evening and then it would be over by Tuesday.

Either way, the pediatrician instructed us to continue the antibiotic.

Snuggles' fever never returned Monday.  He made a real turn-around that afternoon, exactly 48 hours after starting the antibiotic.

So we don't really know if Snuggles had pneumonia or if he just had another nasty virus. Whatever it was, Snuggles was one sick baby.

After 12 days of illness in varying degrees, Snuggles' personality finally returned.  He was back to smiling and laughing.  I'm so thankful to see those dimples again! I'm pretty sure Snuggles' laughter is the most beautiful sound in the world.

New Daycare

Our church started a new daycare this week.  Snuggles seems to be enjoying it so far. Albre, Snuggles' former in-home caregiver, is the director of the new learning center. So Snuggles is with his friends, Lyla and Ty, and still with Albre.  That makes me happy because he is comfortable with them.

Even better news is that the new learning center uses our church facilities, so Snuggles is literally in the same building as Guitarman and on the campus with me.  It's nice that Guitarman can drop in and check on Snuggles if he wants.

I spent most of my lunch hour with Snuggles today. While nursing, he fell asleep in my arms. Guitarman joined me, and we sat there watching Snuggles sleep. Working all day makes me appreciate the time I have with Snuggles, and I'm so grateful and blessed to have a daily lunch date with him.

One of Snuggles' favorite things about the new daycare is all the new toys he has to play with. He discovered something new this week... mobility!  Here's a picture of Snuggles in the walker. He's learning how to use his feet to cruise around...

So far, Snuggles shows no interest in crawling.  He does this little rocking/scooting thing that allows him to move on his rear end just a few fractions of an inch.  Maybe the walker will motivate him to move, and he will start to crawl...

I guess I shouldn't be anxious for Snuggles to crawl.  I have a feeling once this kid gets going, he's going to be unstoppable!

Rocking-Chair-Moment

Just when you think you've got a handle on things, life comes along and takes a big, stinky, craptastic dump on you.

When life gets craptastic, and I start to obsess and worry, God has a way of reminding me that the little things in life really are the BIG things.

I had to work until 6 p.m. last night.  When I picked Snuggles up from daycare, he was a mess.  He coughed and whined, and his sweet little baby-blue eyes were red-rimmed and teary.  He skipped his afternoon nap, and I'm sure that exhaustion made his cold feel worse.  When I walked into the room, he looked at me like, "Help me, Mama!"  It broke my heart.

So when I got Snuggles home, I focused on comforting him as much as I could for the brief 1 1/2 hours we had together. When it was time for bed, I indulged in a very special treat.  I rocked Snuggles to sleep.

Since Snuggles was very small, I have tried to teach Snuggles to self soothe.  Rather than nursing him to sleep or rocking him to sleep, I've tried to put him to bed slightly awake.  It worked!  At almost-nine months old, he goes to sleep easily at night, most of the time without any fussing.  But last night I made an exception to the bedtime routine because poor, sick little Snuggles needed comforting...

And to be honest, so did I.

Snuggles and I retreated to the nursery. I dimmed the lights, and we rocked in the glider chair.  He was so sad making that little whimpering sound he only makes when he's sick. We sat in the glider, rocking.  And I sang him our song. 

(To the tune of the Brahms Lullaby)

Go to sleep [Snuggles] Boy.
Go to sleep my little baby.
Go to slee-eep. Go to sleep.
Go to sleep my [Snuggles] Boy.
You are cute.
You are sweet.
But your mama needs her sleep.
You are cute.
You are sweet.
Go to sleep [Snuggles] Boy.

I've been singing this song to Snuggles pretty much since the day he was born.  I'm not sure where the silly lyrics came from. But it works.

As we rocked in the chair, Snuggles curled up his chubby little legs, and laid his sweet head on my chest.  What he did next brought tears to my eyes.

Snuggles lifted his little head, and with his nose almost touching mine, he looked me straight in the eyes... Snuggles can't talk, but his eyes said "I love you" louder than I've ever heard those words spoken.

Snuggles turned his head, and pressed his cheek against mine.  We sat there rocking cheek-to-cheek while I sang our song.  As Snuggles drifted off to sleep, his little head slowly slipped back onto my shoulder.

It was one of the most precious, pure moments I've ever experienced in my life.

No matter how craptastic life was before, I forgot all about it in one rocking-chair-moment.  It was just Snuggles and me rocking in the chair, holding each other... sharing an intimacy that only exists between a mother and her baby. 

Life doesn't get much better than that.

Test of Momability

Every once-in-awhile I reflect on my pregnancy, and I remember how badly I felt those last few weeks before Snuggles was born.  Nevertheless, I have to admit life was easier when Snuggles was on the inside!  Last weekend caused me to once again ask myself, "Am I really capable of doing this?!"

Poor Snuggles caught a cold last week.  He got worse over the weekend to the point that he stopped eating altogether.  He drank about 4 oz. Friday at 8 p.m., but then refused to nurse or drink from a bottle.  Finally around noon on Saturday, I resorted to force-feeding him with a syringe to avoid dehydration.  He was whiny and listless, obviously uncomfortable.  I called 1-800-ASK-NANA-NURSE (a.k.a. my mom), and she advised us to take him to the urgent care clinic just to rule out an ear infection or anything else that required treatment we couldn't provide.  The clinic examined Snuggles, confirmed he had a cold, advised us to continue forcing liquids, and charged us a $20 co-pay.

Saturday tested my momability to the point of breakdown.  There is just something W-R-O-N-G about having to *force* your baby to eat. Guitarman held down Snuggles' hands while I pried Snuggles' mouth open and squirted milk down his throat with a syringe. The whole time he screamed and gurgled with tears pouring down his cheeks... He must have wondered why we were torturing him.  It was horrible!  It was all I could do to hold back my own tears.

Here's the good news: Snuggles turned a corner late Saturday evening, and he started drinking milk from a bottle.  He's doing better now.  He still has a nasty cough, and although he is still too congested to nurse, at least he is eating again and on the mend.  The bad news is, Snuggles gave me his cold. I was in bed all afternoon yesterday with greasy-grimy-gopher-guts. 

Okay, so get this... They weighed Snuggles at the clinic on Saturday, and he weighed 18 pounds, 15 oz.  That means he has gained almost 3 pounds since his 6 month appointment. I was a little surprised he wasn't heavier. It seems like Snuggles is growing like a weed!

I can't believe I've made it almost 9 months as Snuggles' mom.  I guess that proves Philippians 4:13 is true.

Doggie Dilemma

I've been dreading this day.  No, scratch that.  I've been praying this day wouldn't come.

Snuggles is growing increasingly interested in Taco, our dog. Snuggles loves Taco. When Snuggles hears the *click, click, click* of Taco's feet on the floor, he turns to look for her.  He is fascinated by her.  He squeals with delight when she is near.  So whenever possible, I sit with Snuggles and Taco together, and I show Snuggles how to pet Taco gently on her back.  He reaches for her ears and her tail (because they move), but I always redirect Snuggles to pet Taco softly on her back. Taco has done really well with Snuggles. She gives him "kisses" all the time.

That's why, despite the fact that Snuggles has had problems with small children in the past, I was hoping Taco would be different with Snuggles.  After all, Snuggles is a member of Taco's pack.

Unfortunately, we discovered last Saturday that Taco is NOT okay with Snuggles.

Snuggles and I were sitting on the couch, and Taco was laying on the ottoman in front of us.  I helped Snuggles pet Taco for a few minutes, saying "Nice puppy. Gentle." and guiding him to pet her softly on the back.  Snuggles soon lost interest in Taco, transferring his attention to the remote control.  As he frequently does with his toys,  Snuggles patted his hands on the couch in front of him.  All of the sudden, Taco turned and snapped at Snuggles, baring her teeth with a quick *snarl*.  I immediately pushed Taco off the ottoman with my free hand.  My reaction was almost simultaneous with Taco's action.

Taco immediately shrunk to the floor, tail tucked apologetically.  She didn't mean to snap at Snuggles.  She didn't even touch him.  It was just a reaction, just a warning.  I understood that as soon as it happened.  I know Taco didn't mean any harm.  She was just scared.  But seeing her teeth with lips curled so close to Snuggles' face literally scared me to death!  All it would take is one bite from Taco's teeth, and Snuggles could be scarred forever.

In that moment, my protective mama instinct kicked in. Taco has been a loyal, faithful friend for 11 years.  But she threatened my baby, and that is NOT okay for any reason.

And so I'm faced with this terrible dilemma...  My beloved dog, Taco, has become a threat to Snuggles.  It's only going to get worse as Snuggles becomes more mobile.  At some point, it will be nearly impossible to keep Snuggles away from Taco.  I don't want to choose between my faithful friend and my son.  But it looks like I might have to do just that.

We've come a long way, baby

Dear Snuggles,

When you woke up to eat this morning and we enjoyed our 5 a.m. cuddle, I started thinking about how far we've come together....

• We've come a long way from the day I peed on the magic stick, and literally almost passed out on the bathroom floor when I realized you were growing inside me.
• We've come a long way since your Daddy and I stared in disbelief at the tiny blip on the ultrasound screen confirming that we were, in fact, going to be your parents.
• We've come a long way since the nights when I would lie awake in bed with your little feet drumming a rhythm on my ribs.
• We've come a long way since the day I checked into the hospital with a head cold and laryngitis, and pushed and pushed and pushed (for nearly 3 hours) to bring you into the world.
• We've come a long way from the first time we met. I was too exhausted to even open my eyes, but when they laid you on my chest, and I knew it was you. You had the softest skin I've ever felt.
• We've come a long way from the first few weeks of your life when my tears dropped onto your soft little head as you nursed.
• We've come a long way since the newborn diapers bagged around your tiny bum, and we squirted reflux medication into your (loudly) objecting mouth.
• We've come a long way since those sleepless nights when we sat on the sofa holding you upright for 20 minutes, delirious with exhaustion while you digested your latest meal. 
• We've come a long way from the liquid-disaster-Call-Hazmat poopie blowouts.
• We've come a long way since you hated your bath and wiggled out of the swaddle.

 We've come a long way, baby.

I love you,

Mama

Do we have to go back?

Guitarman and I have been out for two--count them--two dates since Snuggles was born eight months ago. The first post-Snuggles date was when my mom visited us in May. 

Saturday night we went out for our second post-Snuggles date.

We know a few teenie-boppers and tweens we could probably pay to babysit, but that costs money.  Guitarman's Mom is really the only family we have around that I feel comfortable asking for free child care. Unfortunately, she just isn't physically capable of babysitting for long periods of time.

Guitarman's Mom is a gracious, loving woman. Seriously. If I were more like her, I would be a better person. She loves Snuggles with a passion, and if she were able, she would babysit him all the time. Unfortunately though, at 78 years old Guitarman's Mom is legally blind, an insulin-dependent diabetic, and lives in a retirement center. What she can do is hold Snuggles, sing to him, and smother him in Grandma love. Snuggles loves her. While Snuggles is still small enough (and not mobile), we feel comfortable leaving him for brief periods with Grandma, especially when he's sleeping. 

So Saturday night, Guitarman's Mom stayed with Snuggles while we went on a...... wait for it...... D A T E.  We changed Snuggles into his PJs, left his bottle out on the counter, and left shortly before his bed time.

Since we're totally broke financially challenged right now, we needed a cheap date. So we went to our favorite bookstore where it's free to read.  This was our conversation on the way to the bookstore...

Guitarman: Do you hear that?

Me: What?

Guitarman: Exactly.

*Laughter*

Me: No fussing. 

Guitarman:  No "Da da da. Whaaaaaa!"
 

Me: (imitating noisy car seat toy) No bee-didleee-doot-doo-dooot. Rattle, rattle. 

*Laughter*

We arrived at the bookstore, and I stopped myself as I was about to open the door to retrieve Snuggles and his paraphernalia... We walked inside (sans stroller and diaper bag), and began to peruse the books. We made our selections, and sat down together at the cafe.

I looked at Guitarman's choices: A book on worship and "A Field Guide to Birds".

Me: (mockingly) A Field Guide to Birds?!  *laugh* 

Guitarman: (looking innocent and confused)  What?

Me: An entire store-full of books, and you choose "A Field Guide to Birrrds"?! *laughing*  I love you.

We bought two drinks (frappuccinno for me, tea for Guitarman) just so we weren't completely mooching off the bookstore. Then we sat at a table reading with only the whirrr of the espresso machine to punctuate our thoughts. 

It was lovely.

All too soon the store announced its pending closure. As we reluctantly walked across the parking lot toward the truck, I whined... 

Me:  Do we haaave to leeeaave?

Guitarman: Yep, time to go home to Snuggles.

Me: I know, but it was so nice not being Mom for awhile... I just get so exhausted with the constant demands of parenthood.

Guitarman: Well, we should've thought of that before we did The Nasty.

*Laughter*

Leave it to Guitarman to put things into perspective.