Katie's a Child of God, Too!

Katie was baptised this morning!

Pastor Hall

My sister, Dora, and her husband, Mike (Godparents set #1)

Ron and Carolyn (Godparents set #2)

Linda and Robert Dale (Godparents set #3)

Wes and Robbie and the Traditional Baptism Family Picture.  :)

Those guys sure do make some good looking kids!

And us.

A proposal

My friend, Ashley, proposed to his long time girlfriend last night.  He asked me to document the event.  I could NOT have been more pleased.  I've known Ashley almost my entire life, and when I say that I have 3 "past lives", Ashley has been an integral part of all three of them.  And Brooke is pretty swell herself.

the lovely couple

I hope that they live happily ever after.

This Mama

does not, in any way, deserve the beautiful children and wonderful husband that have been loaned to me to care for.

Ahem.

To Whom It May Concern -

Yes, it is my goal to be the best mom I can be, and I will not apologize for it.  I assume that your* goal is/was to be the best parent that you can be as well.  I stand by most of the parenting decisions that my husband and I have made, but I do not think that yours are any less valid than mine, just because they are different. 

Of course, if you think that there is something that I have overlooked or could do better, I invite you to share those thoughts with me.  However, if your reasoning is that whatever I'm doing is "wierd" or "not what they did 20, 30 or whatever years ago" and you don't have any more concrete reasoning than that to back it up with. I'm probably going to disregard it.  In fact, I reserve the right to disregard any suggestions/advice/whatever without further discussion with anyone, including you. 

You* have/had your own children (or not) and are/were entitled to parent them the best way that you see fit.  In turn, these two little girls are the Wonderful Husband's and mine, and we get to parent them the best way that we see fit.  Which means - we outrank every single other person on the planet when it comes to Callie and Katie.  Even you.

Love and kisses,
Me

*general you, of course, because this wouldn't be directed at any one person in particular, would it?

I feel...

...snarktastic today.  Just thought I'd share.

Going back to work

sucks.

just smile and nod, -  let's not repeat this, again, okay?  The Wonderful Husband and I have got a Plan, and assuming God doesn't use us to demonstrate His sense of humor again, I'll be home soon enough.

On the plus side, pumping hasn't been a problem.

Moo.

My Week in Facebook Status Updates

MooreMama  thinks that I'll go and visit my friend that is two states away.  Tomorrow.  With an infant and a toddler, but otherwise by myself.

Monday 2:34 pm

MooreMama  is on the road.  This isn't so bad.  :)

Tuesday  10:56 am

MooreMama  just realised that I'm going to have to stop somewhere on this road trip.  Maybe I should pray for protection from the creepies.

Tuesday  10:59 am

MooreMama  's babies want out of their carseats.  I really should have stopped at that last travel stop and gotten them some lunch.

Tuesday  12:34 pm

MooreMama  is thanking God for the gaggle of  Mennonite women on a playdate at the McDonald's.  I was debating whether to go thirsty, carry both babies back in to the other part of the resteraunt, or take my eyes off of the Toddler long enough to go... one of the Mennonite ladies saw my delima and offered to go get my drink for me.  :)

Tuesday  1:40 pm

MooreMama  is happy that her daughter took so well to the Gauntlet children and parents.  And is even happier that the Toddler fell (almost) right asleep in a strange bed in a strange house. 

Tuesday  8:22 pm

MooreMama  enjoyed conversating with Mr. and Mrs. Gauntlets.  :)  And wishes that our towns were closer so it could be a more frequent happening.

Tuesday  11:31 pm

MooreMama  is on her way to the park with my friend and her children.  The Toddler is very much wishing that the train tracks would be beside the highway for the entire trip.  "Train!  Train!"

Wednesday  8:07 am

MooreMama  really likes those Gauntlets.  Toddler agrees.  She wanted to go home with them.  "Bye, bye, Mama!"

Wednesday  10:48 am

MooreMama  's girls were both asleep befor we got to the Interstate.  :)

Wednesday  11:06 am

MooreMama  's girls think that this trip should be ending about now.  And whoever designed the travel station restroom with the hand dryers right next to the baby changing station was obviously not the mother of small children.

Wednesday  4:49 pm

MooreMama  and her girls are home, safe and sound and hungry and tired and happy.

Wednesday  6:33 pm

MooreMama  's girls are making up for the disruption of their schedules.  The Toddler is on her second very long nap of the day and the Newbie has been nursing every two hours and sleeping most of the time in between.

Thursday  4:16 pm

Just for Sue. :)

My precious little girls on Tuesday night.  :)

The one of Callie is a bit out of focus because, well, it was dark in her room.  I can't believe the flash didn't wake her up, but I needed the photographic proof of how she was sleeping.

Monday

sucked.*

First, I had a bad attitude, which meant that I was less than my usual lovable self, and Callie fed off of it, which meant that she was less than her usual lovable self.  And since I was not very patient, and she was less than lovable, naps were a struggle.  And she (happily) played very loudly.  All day.  Keeping her sister awake.  Which made Katie less than lovable.  And (loudly) cranky.

So, by dinnertime, we were all tired and cranky and short-fused.

But both girls went to bed easily, within a couple of minutes of each other.  And then, I found this:

Courtesy of the owner of a red vehicle in the Ross parking lot who was apparently caught in that one super strong gust of wind on an otherwise windless day (in Oklahoma, I know) and was either so busy helping a elderly grandmother into the car that they didn't notice or were called away on a Very Important Emergency and forgot to leave their insurance information.

Then, my sewing machine needle broke.  In 6 years of owning this machine, I have never broken a needle.  I don't have any spares.

* It's just now Wednesday and I'm almost over the trauma.  A road trip, some sewing, and two very cuddly, lovable girls have helped immensely.

How to clean the bathroom when you have a helpful toddler(s)

1) Gather supplies.  It's helpful if your cleaning products don't have harmful fumes, but we can see where it could be entertaining...

2) Fill the bathtub to an appropiate water level.  If you toddler is anything like mine, she'll come running as soon as you turn the faucet.  Put the toddler into the tub.  Tell her that she can splash as much as she wants.  :)

3) Clean the bathroom. 

4) When the toddler is sufficiantly pruny, let her out.

5) Clean the bathtub.

6) While the toddler naps, indulge in the chocolate of your choice.  You've earned it.

Katie

is napping on a blanket in the middle of the floor.  Every now and then, she smacks her lips and smiles.  She makes my heart happy.

Got ees good.

All dee time.  (says an African Pastor via my friend Joy)

The pulmonary artery going from Katie's heart to her left lung is "kinked", sort of like a garden hose.  And, like a garden hose, the kink is making the flow loud, but the important part is that all of the blood that is supposed to be going to the left lung is getting there.  As she grows, she'll get more room in her chest cavity and it should allow the blood vessel to spread out a little and unkink.  We go back in a year to check it out. 

The answered prayer that I didn't even know I was praying?  The cardiologist mentioned that when our pediatrition called him, they had JUST had a cancellation and we got that slot.  Otherwise, the next available appointment would have been late August.  Pretty sure I would have been a wreck for the rest of the summer if we would have had to wait that long.

Scratch that

We have an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist and an echocardiagram tomorrow morning.

Miracle Gro

Katie had her one month well baby check.  As a refresher, she was 20 1/4 inches long and 7 lbs, .06 ozs at birth. 

Her big sister, Callie, was 6 lbs, 11.8 ozs and 19 inches long at birth and at one month was 20 3/4 inches long and 9 lbs even at one month.  Callie has slid down the lower half of the percentile charty dodad for her entire life.  I think that she's currently at about 20%.

Yesterday, Katie tipped the scales at NINE POUNDS, 11 ozs.  Then she nursed.  And then the nurse asked if I wasnted to weigh her again and she was a smidge under ten pounds.  And she's 22 inches long.  This little growth spurt puts her in the 79th percentile for height and 61st for weight.

In Other News, she also has a heart murmur.  Our pediatrician sent us straight to the hospital for an EKG and a chest xray.  The EKG was normal and I haven't heard back about the chest xray.  I don't actually know what they would have been looking for on an xray.  I'm assuming that if there was anything glaring, they wouldn't have let us leave yesterday and/or we would have heard something by now.  Right?

Ever wonder why your baking never turns out as well as your Grandma's?

It's because she had all the best recipes.

fudge icing, sandwiched between butter cookies

recipe from the 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook