Confessions of a SAHM

Today our friend Julie came over after work to hang out and play with babies. Julie herself is 8 months pregnant and loves her some babies so we are a great place to come a get a fix. So the three of us sat (me, Jules and Court) and the babies played on the floor. Jolene was discovering the fun of packing paper while Amelia was engrossed by standing at the window. Girl has croup right now and has not seen the outside world in a few days, she is now pulling up on everything and was in awe of the view at 2.5 ft.

 We're chatting about what Julie is in for when she asks..."What do y'all do all day?" A legitimate question right? I'm stunned? What did I do today? I felt like the whole day was gone and I couldn't remember what I was doing while time passed. There were things I planned to do, and some were done, the rest we're half done.  

What I did today:

*I reheated my coffee 4 times, I eventually just put ice, a little soy milk and chai in it (which is what happens when its noon and I'm still not finished drinking it)

*Put a bra under the shirt I slept in and exchanged boxers for a pair of jeans.

 *I probably did the dishes and watch Court do them (we are convinced dishes are capable of reproduction)

*I swept under the highchair at least 3 times

*checked my email (nothing interesting except Abby's spam and emails from Joe Biden, how he got my address I am unsure, but I'm sure he has better things to do. Joe if you read my blog as well you should know I just delete them and you are cluttering my inbox)

*did some laundry (sort of: does dying onsies and trying to get stained clothes clean count)

*I stopped Amelia at least a dozen times on her quest to knock out her teeth. She is determined to pull up on moving things (girl likes a challenge).

* I rearranged some furniture

*Played the drums on an empty formula can with Amelia

*Cleaned toys

*read books that have no more than 5 words to a page

Lets see its easier to think about what I didn't do:

*shower (definitely didn't do that today), maybe didn't even brush my teeth

*I probably didn't get out of my pj's till after 12 

maybe tomorrow

I've been convicted to use my time better. I am very thankful for this time that have at home with Amelia and realize I may not always have it. So I'm going to keep myself accountable to not be lazy (especially with my parenting). My goal is to engage Amelia better in simple meaningful activities, she is an active child and I realize I need to do a better job stimulating her and me, I only have 30 plastic bins of early childhood education materials. And learn all the things I said I would do if I had the time (like sewing, freezer paper stenciling, knitting). I dont plan on making any large changes, like showering daily but some baby steps would do me good.

Carmel, California & Milestones

I feel like there are 100 things I could update you guys on. I'll start with some 9 month stats.

That's right, no typo, I have a 9 month old. She looks older, not so babyish and its killing me!!!! I realize I should start with some major 7 & 8 month milestones. This is long but the story at the end is worth it. Its total Bender luck.

7 months
* commando crawling on her belly
* She is flying around in her walker. She reverses, turn around in it and follows everywhere. We've been playing a lot of hide and go seek with her in it.
* she started clapping.
* her first tooth broke through on the bottom
* learned object permanence
* recognized herself in the mirror

8 months

* crawling on all fours

*waving bye-bye (Jolene actually taught her that, so cute)

* climbing over small barriers (like people laying on the floor)
* pulling up on things to her knees to obtain an object
* cut 5 more teeth (we have 6 now: 4 on top, two on the bottom)
* Her personality really changed from laid back observer to busy-busy bee. Always moving, changing diapers or clothes is a complete work-out. She is a climber and a diver...
* began moving around barriers to find a toy
* reproduces part of a game to continue playing 
* walking when you hold her hands

Carmel

For the second year in a row we have visited Luke and Courtney in California during September. It is always a blast!Lets look at a couple before and after shots...

Here is Court and I last year

We are holding mangos because that was the size of Amelia and Jolene (says baby center) at the time (they were due the same day).

This was us this year...

A lot has changed since then, and its not just the shorter hair do.


Kyle and Luke last year...

and then this year they were packing a few extra pounds...

and for the group shot...

and this year we've added a few more players...

and they look thrilled!

The other fun thing about this year is that Lanie came with us!!! It was so great having her there and she came in very handy on the plane ride home! (Kyle drove back with Luke from Cali and Lanie helped Court and I fly home with the babies!!) Which brings me to the best story ever...AMELIA'S FIRST PLANE RIDE.


So when you are flying with a kid there is a little nervousness to the adventure. You hope they don't cry and annoy everyone or get sick etc... So Kyle and I are half way through the flight, really enjoying everything and are amazed at how smooth it has all gone. Amelia has been great, I even got her to sleep an hour in the Moby Wrap! She's making friends and wooing the crowd and staff. She is laying on her back on my knees and we're playing. She rips one and I lift the side of the diaper to see if it was a loaded one and Kyle and I see poop rushing out like a tidal wave. I close the diaper quickly and we laugh in relief at the disaster we avoided. We continue playing and I reach behind her head and feel that its wet. I then notice a few other odd things, like that my pants are soaked on the inside of both legs (knee to crotch) the length of Amelia's back which is also soaked...I lift her up and realized the diaper did not contain the madness and was spilling out causing her to drip everywhere (grossing out every passenger around us). Code Blue (or Brown) and we move into action... I wrap her in 2 burp cloths and Kyle carries her to the bathroom where a dad holding and infant, a seasoned father and a flight attendant greet him with laughter and willingness to help. This is far better than the looks I got. I was following them with large brown spots all over my white shirt and jeans. I get her in the bathroom and send Kyle for back up clothes. Girl has poop everywhere!!! In her hair, hands, legs, feet, on her FOREHEAD!! The flight attendant brought me hazmat gloves, a trash sack and a stack of paper towels. I strip her down and bath her in the sink with the hand soap. She loved it! I Kept having to press the thing for more water, and keep her from diving out! Dress her in new dudes and clean the bathroom. Kyle was able to find him a new shirt to replace his now very soiled shirt (thanks to our bag being a few pounds over he threw some of his clothes in the carry-on). I however, was not so lucky. SO what is a girl to do than strip down and wash her clothes with airplane hand soap and blot it dry with paper towels.

the girls love each other so much and always have a blast playing.

We went hiking and picniced on the beach

Thanks Bourlons for letting us come visit!


A few shots of A on the plane ride home which was great and involved less poop.

last final thought...RANGERS, can you believe it! I'm so excited I cant even take it!!! What an amazing year for a team that has been through a lot. This team has so much personality and tenacity! And side note upon side note, how amazing must it be to have Nolan Ryan as your boss...World Series here we come!

...whew I did it, massive post done! Katrina, yet another blog post gets crossed off the list.
coming up
pumpkin patch

waiting

So yesterday I was doing my Bible Study and the truth of scripture hit me in a very hard way. One of the application questions was...

"Have you ever experienced a "water turning into wine" moment when God's power was made very evident in the life of someone else?"

Tears welled up in my eyes. Pretty regularly I used to witness big miracles! I'm talking huge, "water to wine" moments through my job working with kids with disabilities. Things that Doctors deemed impossible I was watching children achieve! What an honor! These were moments that could only be explained by recognizing the power of God! I'm talking kids once paralyzed, walking...children who were never expected to speak, talking intelligibly...children who were labeled Mentally Retarded displaying a higher order of thinking, problem solving, following directions, telling jokes. I had meaningful conversations with kids who have Autism and watched as they began to understand the correlation of emotions to actions! I loved my job, it was never mundane or routine, I never took these moments for granted. I drew near to these moments, to God and the work He was doing all around me. I pushed my kids hard for these moments because I knew with God all things were possible, and I knew that He had a plan for their lives and I couldn't wait to see what it was! We waited for one child to achieve a goal while another gave us hope with their achievement. These moments were frequent and I felt blessed! 


Now I am without the frequency of these moments. I have moved away from my job to Austin and I stay at home with Amelia. This is what I've always wanted and I love it (I would never trade this), but I have felt over these last few months that something is missing in my life, I felt a void. There was something about working I desperately missed. Today I realized it was seeing these miracles, experiencing the work of God. I get to watch Amelia develop and its wonderful, it brings me joy and I cherish it, but I also expect it. What I miss is seeing the unexpected, above and beyond work of God and because of it I began to feel distant from him.


In the first half of John 20:29 Jesus asks "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Yes, Lord I have! I have seen You! 
Then the gut punch...
the second says half Jesus goes on to say, "Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."  
And then deflate like a balloon and realize that is where I am. I do not see, and I am fighting the anxiety of Satan to have the faith to believe. I'm waiting, and listening and praying for the voice of God. To give me direction in this new season of life. To know His plan for me. For so long, I've been praying for things I want...job, school, house and the last few inches of Amelia off my waist wouldn't be so bad :) (I mean honestly I just want the top half of my waist, you know the part that goes rogue after you have a baby to fit back in my jeans...that's all :) 
 So now I'm just waiting and it's no fun to do the things you're not good at. I'm not a patient person, it's why I dont like amusement parks. I'm not thrilled to wait 45 minutes for a 1 minute ride. Even if I love that 1 minute of jolting and extreme speed its not enough for me to remember past the agonizing dread of standing in the heat like cattle, in a line that looks like an endless paper clip. 
It's like when we went to Disney World with Kyle's family last October, it was doable because we had the "fast pass." You basically make an appointment to ride and you get a ticket that allows you to bypass everyone else and get on quicker. We got to where we only did rides if we had a fast pass. I remember Kyle's little nephew yelling one time while we were in a backed up fast pass line "fast pass! fast pass!! I want a fast pass!!" He understood that the ticket allowed him quick access and was confused with the hold up. We laughed, cause it was funny, but that's me. Crying out, wanting to know what the hold up is. I dont want to wait I want the "fast pass." I dont really even know what I'm waiting for, I'm in the dark and sometimes I admit I wonder about God's plan. Will I like it? Is it better than mine?


I realized how small this seems when I look at people who are also waiting on the Lord. Like my friend Kara, who is faithfully waiting for the Lord to cure the constant migraine she's lived with for 8 years. Or my friend who has been praying for a better job and someone to share her life with. Or my dear friend Rachel whose 8 yr old son, Joel has Duchenne Muscular  Dystrophy. She is waiting, praying, fund-raising money in hopes to find a CURE that will save (do you understand the power in those words, A CURE TO SAVE) not just her son's life but the lives of the other boys whose families she is constantly ministering to. She is Paul in prison trying to give hope and explain how good our God is to other families feeling persecuted. Blessed is Rachel and Joel who both believe when they can not see.


 There are two sides to this analogy. 
1. Our minds are feeble as well and can not understand the depths as to which God's all knowing, infinite wisdom can. We can not see the bigger picture like He can. His wisdom transcends all that we know to be relevant, like time. Our lack of ability to understand is what calls us to have faith. Like when Jesus raised Lazarus, 4 days later! Mary and Martha wanted to know where He had been, but we needed a grand miracle and this was how He chose to bring glory God.

2. The second is simple. I fuss like an infant, when I need to be getting ready, preparing myself for what God has for me and realize its worth waiting for.

Thanks for letting me dump my thoughts out into the abyss that is blogging, I thought I might drown in them if they stayed in my head.

Zeringue Family Reunion

So over labor day we were able to visit with the ENTIRE Zeringue family (Kyle's mom's side) on Lake Granbury! It was so much fun to visit and catch up with everyone. 

Amelia loved being spoiled by her aunts Katie and Kari. Her great-grandpa could always get her laughing.  Aunt Katie and second cousin Lauren took on the task of feeding Amelia.

She talked and talked with her Gramma and found out just how silly her Pa Pa could be. He let her play with his hat and chain, she was in heaven!

This little girl is very well loved!

It was so great to see everyone and catch up. Thankfully the holiday season is just around the corner! See you all again soon.

life savers revised with walker

So I have many friends who are prego my ego right now. I've had countless conversation about my favorite things that have helped me survive over the last few months. So I decided to make a post about it and that way all of you fantastic mothers can add your two cents in the comments section and help these mommas out. SO Abby, Julie, Megan, Taylor and Susan this is for you and your bump. 

disclaimer: this is what worked for me and solely my opinion, I am by no means an expert just passing along what I learned and am still learning.

1. NUMERO UNO...The miracle blanket. This is sliced bread, washing machine, light bulb, the idea to ferment grapes, noble peace prize winning invention type of stuff we're talking about.  Those cute sweet swaddle blankets were great to lay on the floor and have tummy time on but when it comes to keeping your baby swaddled none of these cut it for Amelia Bedelia. The Miracle Blanket gave countless nights of sleep. Yes it looks crazy when you wrap them up in a straight jacket of a thing but they love it and finally they are comforted so they can sleep!!! www.miracleblanket.com

Ask Deb, who used to walk for an hour with Annie in the Bjorn and then sleep on the couch with her till she woke up, no madam, miracle blanket was just that. Mike (her hubby) texted Kyle that  Deb just woke him up to talk about what great sleep they were getting. 

2. SWING, I have the fisher price lamb swing and liked it, but I wish I would have gotten the sweet peace (Graco), the graco car seat (and others as well) will snap right in, so you dont have to get them out when they fall asleep...genius, (not miracle blanket genius but close). That would have been nice, Amelia always woke up when we stopped. You can also plug your ipod in for music. 

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3692930

3. SLING/ BABY CARRIER, I got the serena and lily and loved it, but it didn't last long for my bertha a of a baby. I love the Bjorn, it fantastical. Any one have an adjustable sling recommendation? 

4. Mobile, I love tiny love. I have their mobile for the crib which is great and has tons of great black and white images. Babies dont see color for some time. More about that here... http://www.babycenter.com/0_developmental-milestones-sight_6508.bc

The mobile's I loved were:

 http://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=237&state=toyTypeId=13@elementId=0@ageId=0

and I also loved the clip and go stroller mobile...It also was great to clip onto the pack and play...This helped us eat out a little longer and made me feel good about stimulating her brain on the go. The music can be turned off as well. 

http://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspxtoyId=42&state=toyTypeId=13@elementId=0@ageId=0


5. The Baby Bargain Book was very helpful to find out how other parents rated every baby product imaginable and to find out about safety ratings. 

6. Diapers: when I tried cloth diapers (before our nomad lifestyle began), I really liked G diapers because you could use then as cloth diapers or put a flushable insert in) I also put a liner on top that I got from Nappy Liners so that I didn't have to mess with the poop. They are from the Mio Cloth Diaper Brand ( really liked these too, because the diaper is a liner that can be wiped down easily.

http://www.giggle.com/cc/892/c/692/Bambino-Mio.aspx 


This website giggle is so fun. 


7. Monitor, Okay I dont have a particular brand but I can say if you can splurge for the video monitor. We just borrowed an extra one that the Bourlon's had and it has changed our world. We are now better informed and know when to go in and when to let her work it out. And its so fun to watch them sleep, sounds boring but its fun to watch them roll around, talk in their sleep, eat their toes, talk to their hands etc... I'd check Baby Bargains Book for which one to get.


8. Sleep Sheep, so cute and sounds like a great idea but we switched to a sound machine that doesn't cut off. Bed, Bath and Beyond ($20, works like a charm). I think the sleep sheep will be fun for her later. 


9. Boppy, love it. Sophie, she really started using it and loving it around 5 months. 

http://www.giggle.com/p/24497/c/565/cl/612/Sophie-The-Giraffe.aspx?&s=2&keyword=612


10. Beaba Baby Cooker, love it, love it but not necessary you could just steam and then puree in a food processor, immersion blender, blender etc...

http://www.giggle.com/search.aspx


11. Diaper bag, I have a few great ones, Kyle has a messenger bag from Columbia, I typically use a stork sak one, but I'm kinda wishing I had one of those that also has straps so it can be a backpack as well. 


12. Pack and play. Chicco/ Graco pretty much the same, although I feel like the graco ones are a bit easier to put together. I would prefer the ones with a bassinet, but if you dont need that then the Phil and Ted Traveller or the Baby Bjorn one are pretty amazing. Very compact, light easy to put together for a hefty price. Check ebay, they were super cheap at Costco one time.


13. These Medela steam sanitize bags were awesome for sanitizing bottles super quick in the microwave. One box lasts months

http://www.giggle.com/p/18197/Medela-Quick-Clean-Micro-Steam-Bags.aspx?s=1&keyword=what+happened+bag


14. I've heard people like Itzbeen to help keep track of breast feeding, diapers and all the others stuff, but there are also great apps for that.

http://www.giggle.com/p/20579/c/562/cl/635/Baby-Care-Timer.aspx?&s=2&keyword=635&itemFilter=4294966975

15. NoseFrida, this thing is awesome. Recommended by our pediatrician (who I'm sort of obsessed with and drove back to Htown for our 6 month appointment. As I've blogged about before they have the best resource website). I had the hardest time getting the snot out, Georgie chewed up our snot sucker from the hospital, big mistake...huge! Dont loose that one, nothing on the market compares...except this odd contraption

No the snot does not go in your mouth! You just use the suction, silly.


okay that's all I can think of right now, what else do you have people???


*****Pam reminded me about the walker! Amelia loves her walker and races all around in that thing. She has learned a lot about problem solving with that thing; running into the wall, backing up and turning around, moving around barriers...I love development!

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2835095

Second Half of August

Continuing in the effort to catch everyone up on the life of The Bender's we will continue onto the second half of August, I dont know maybe we'll get to September, "I just dont know if there will be time." Keeping up with us can be as difficult as being us. Things are starting to slow down and come together though. We are back from Carmel (pictures to come) and gearing up for next week. Kyle will be in Atlanta and so I'm going to spend a few days with my Grandparents.

We got to see a few folks while we were in Houston. Abby got to practice feeding a baby, Amelia put her skills to the test, gotta get ready (February will be here soon Abigail!!!)

We stayed with the Poysky's for a few days. Joel and Hallie (really Rachel) kept Amelia for me while I worked. Amelia loved being with the big kids. They were so great with her! Hallie even shared her Hawaii dress with Amelia (pictured above). Joel Happy late birthday!!!! 

Catching up with baby Gordon! We were so excited to meet baby Hannah Noel! Amelia couldn't take her eyes off Hannah's big brother Caleb! She was really excited he let her play guitar with him. 

 Hello Annie Lynn Turner!!! We've been waiting for you! Amelia couldn't keep her hands off Annie, she was giddy over Mike and Deb's bundle of JOY! We also were able to catch up with Nichole. Amelia loved having some time with Mijo. 

We also were able to go to dinner with Brett and Caleb. Brett worked with Kyle (and married us, 5 yrs ago!!). Caleb was in the youth group and last time we saw him Kyle was taller, not the case anymore. Their family means so much to us and we jump at the chance to get to hang with The Hurst Fam (Kellie and Sarah we missed you).

This was the day that we  moved. Amelia loved move day! She had the entire house to zoom around in her walker. She would chase the guys moving us squealing the whole way. She would follow them as they moved boxes into the truck and then she waited at the door for them to return, to follow them again. She was so excited to see that they came to Austin to move everything in.  Well September will have to wait till another time...