VP JB and the Coca-Cola 600

So, Vice President Joe Biden is in Charlotte today. It's also Speed Street this week in preparation for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. (It sounds like I really know my Nascar, right? Well, I don't. I had to look up what the name of the race is. That's how much I know about Nascar.) I work uptown, and apparently Joe must be driving right behind ImaginOn. They've closed the roads and won't let anyone leave - even if you're parked in the parking garage. And my curious co-worker and I even got shooed off the sidewalk. We thought we might catch a glimpse of ye old Vice President. I'm supposed to be going to a program. Instead, I'm taking a break and telling you all about the events happening in Charlotte. :)

Mother's Day 2012

I love being a mom.
I love my kids and my husband for making me a mom. I thanked them for that on Sunday.
I love my mom.
I wish I could've been with her on Mother's Day.
I have some amazing women in my life - my mom, mother-in-law, sister, family and friends .
They've helped me in this journey of motherhood.

This year, Mother's Day wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. I talked to my mom for a long time on the phone the other day and she reminded me that we can honor our mothers any day. It's nice to be reminded with a day like Mother's Day, but it's important to spend time and honor them other days of the year, too. I hope my mom knows how much she means to me. And I plan to show her that throughout the year. :)

Even though David had to work on Sunday (my poor husband had already logged 39.5 hours this week by yesterday at 4pm!) we had a wonderful time together on Saturday. We had a picnic in the park, played on the playground and played ball, took a long and beautiful walk through some lovely areas of Plaza Midwood, ate ice cream together, and loved on each other. I am certainly honored to be Amelia Jayne and Xander's mommy.

Thanks, family. I'm glad to be a mom.

Mirror Image

Looking at Amelia Jayne is like looking in the mirror sometimes. It's so bizarre to see someone who looks so much like me. The biggest differences are that she has my sister's ears and blue eyes (my sister got her blue eyes from our dad, so technically I guess AJ got hers from him, too?).  The next two pics are of Erin and me when I was about 6 or 7 months old, I think. They're not professional nor are they the best quality - I'll have to post some of those if I can get them from my mom.

We're even making the same face and head tilt. How funny is that??

Oh, sweet girl. :)

I had an instant connection with little Amelia Jayne when she was born. I loved Xander so much when he was born, but there's something different with Amelia Jayne. When she was born and we were in the hospital and I finally got a chance to really look at her, I felt like I'd known her my whole life. How is that? Maybe it's because she's a girl. Maybe it's because we do look so much alike. Maybe it was just God filling up my heart with the precious gift he's given to me.

Pictures

My family had pics made the other day. Here are some of my favorites! I know there's a lot, but I hope you enjoy!

Amelia Jayne talks

My drive home today

I never did get a great picture, but I was driving and this was the best I could do. It was the most vibrant rainbow I've ever seen!

The Day That You Were Born

This is the song that our music programming director at Ridge Church, Chris Kincaid, played during the slideshow at Amelia Jayne's Baby D. Absolutely beautiful.



The day that you were born 
I could have weathered any storm 
For I had never been 
As strong as I was then 
A flicker into a flame 
A life behind a name 
This babe, so wonderful 
That came and made us whole 

The love, the light 
The beauty of all that is sacred began 
With the touch of your hand 
My love, my life was changed from darkness 
To ravishing light, the day you were born 

Your eyes, deep as the sea 
Your breath, it's calming breeze 
And pulled by gravity 
Your hands, they reach for me 

When your heart is broken 
And your colors start to fade 
I'll pour my love upon you 
And wash the hurt away 
To me, my child, you've been given 
With you, I vow to stay 
This lovely tale will have no end 
In the light of Heaven's grace 
You're my miracle

Recuperating

Today I'm recuperating or at least I'm trying to. I need it after such a long weekend. It was a great weekend, but long since my kids didn't get enough sleep. And neither did I. My sweet kids need to recuperate too. Here's how they do that:

Xander has been talking to me nonstop today. About everything and nothing at the same time. And when my head hurt earlier today and I asked him if we could have some quiet time he stopped for about 20 seconds before he started up again. Most of our conversations have been about cars. Sometimes that makes my head hurt, too. He also wants me to play with him and becomes extremely whiny if I don't. A little while ago I decided to sit him in front of the TV to watch Clifford. Now he's engrossed and not talking incessantly. Why didn't I think to do that earlier?

Amelia Jayne had a 2-hour nap this morning and is currently sleeping again. She's going on 45 minutes this time. And when she hasn't been sleeping she's been insisting I hold her. If not, she cries. The ugly cry. So I pick her up. And attempt to talk to Xander and/or play with him at the same time.

I don't know how much I'm actually recuperating today. I did, however, text David today and told him that I need to go out tonight after he gets home. I told him I was going to the grocery store. Even if that doesn't sound like much fun, it may be just the break that I need.

Extroverts

So I was thinking about this post and how thankful I am to have a list helping me out with my introverts. It got me thinking that maybe the introverts around feel like they need a list for us, too! So I found the counterpart.

Even though I'm an extrovert, I'm not nearly as extreme as the younger me was. David and Xander are probably to blame the reason for that. They certainly are helping me grow as a person. :)


Numbers 3, 4, and 9 especially help me thrive. #3) I tend to be very enthusiastic about things and I very much appreciate people accepting that about me. #4) I also need to talk things out - extremely important for me. And # 9 - well, I LOVE affection of any kind. :)

Baby D

Yesterday we had Amelia Jayne's Baby Dedication at church. We call it Baby D. Each family invites people to join them on this day to support and encourage us in our walk as parents while we raise up our sweet babies in a Christian household. This whole thing was really more about David and I than Amelia Jayne. We had homework to complete where we listened to three talks. Each one specified the importance of a Godly marriage. For our children, that's where it starts. If David and I aren't praying together, growing spiritually on our own, and talking to each other about God, how are we going to do that with our children? So we sat down with our family and friends last night and committed to God that we will do just that.

The setting is very personal. Each family gets a table (with overflow seating if you needed it) and after a not-so-brief :) talk from our pastor, David and I shared what we had learned. We talked to our friends and family about our commitment, had them pray over us, and read to them a letter that David and I wrote for Amelia Jayne. There was a picture slideshow of our precious babies and a photographer took each family's pictures afterward. It was a beautiful day and I was so happy to dedicate my life and my child to our God. I have to get everyone's pictures, so I'll post those later on.

Here's the letter we wrote to our precious girl.

Dear Amelia Jayne,

We love you so very much and were so happy to welcome you to our family just a few months ago. Adjusting to having two kids has been easier than we thought it would be, and we owe so much of that to you. You’re such a good baby! We are truly blessed to have you in our lives. Best. Baby. Ever.

There are so many things we already love about you. Your sweet smile and little laugh. Your ticklish spots. Your bright eyes. The way your face lights up when you see your brother. How you never want to miss a thing that’s happening around you.

There are so many things we don’t want to forget about this time in your life either. How soft your hair is. How you lay your head on our shoulders like you’re trying to give hugs. The sloppy wet kisses you dole out. The way you nuzzle your face in the blankets when you’re sleepy.

We wrote one of these letters to your brother, too, you know. This one’s easier to write and harder at the same time. With him we had no idea what to expect. Now we’re wiser and we have a better understanding of what this parenting thing is all about. But now you’ve come along and you’re going to teach us just how little we really know. What we can tell you is that we will strive to be the best parents we can be for you.

We have so many hopes and dreams for you and we want to help make your own dreams come true. Among the many things that we hope to teach you are patience, respect, compassion, generosity, hard work, and the love of Jesus Christ. Through our marriage and our lives we hope to instill in you the value of a relationship with Christ. We pray that one day you will know Him in a personal way.

You’re named after two of the most amazing women we know – your grandmothers. They have blessed us in so many ways, which is why you, my dear, were named after them. They live up to the meanings of their names and we know you will, too. Amelia means “industrious.” Jayne means “God is gracious.”  We want you to be a hard-worker and do the best that you can do. We want you to know that God is abundantly gracious. Your grandmothers have influenced us in incredible ways, have been a source of guidance and support, and helped shape us into the parents that we are. We hope that you’ll remember, through your own name, what incredible, godly women they are and be inspired by them.

God is so very gracious because He gave us you.

We love you, little girl.

Daddy & Mommy

ImaginOn

I work at an amazing place. This video was on the news not too long ago and it is a great depiction of what ImaginOn is really about.



Here's another great video made by students at Studio i



Such a fun place!

Introverts

Since my man and my boy are both introverts I thought the list below would be a helpful tool for me to keep on hand.
My sister and mom agree with this list and since they're both introverts, I figure they're a good resource. :)

Where do I come from??

Come on, Amelia Jayne, help me balance this family out!!

I found an article (extremely credible - it's from wikipedia. Ha!) that describe my man and my boy to a T. (Highlights are mine and perfectly describe those two).

Introversion is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life".^[3] Some popular writers have characterized introverts as people whose energy tends to expand through reflection and dwindle during interaction.^[4] This is similar to Jung's view, although he focused on psychic energy rather than physical energy. Few modern conceptions make this distinction.

The common modern perception is that introverts tend to be more reserved and less outspoken in groups. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, using computers, hiking and fishing. The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, engineer, composer, and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people, though he or she may enjoy interactions with close friends. Trust is usually an issue of significance: a virtue of utmost importance to an introvert choosing a worthy companion. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate, especially observed in developing children and adolescents.^[5] They are more analytical before speaking.^[6] Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement, introversion having even been defined by some in terms of a preference for a quiet, more minimally stimulating environment.^[7]

Maybe this will be helpful for you, too, if you have introverts in your life. And if you are an introvert, maybe you can share this with those extroverts out there - we need all the help we can get!

Books I've read: Jan - April, 2012

Here's the list of books I've read so far this year. Not too shabby, considering I have quite a bit less time to read than I did last year at this time.
I would rather watch my littles smile and coo and play than read books anyway. Most of the time. :)

1. Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship and Life Together by Mark and Grace Driscoll
Interesting. Good information for those marrieds who are always looking to improve their marriage. I agree with much of what they say, not all. There's a great chapter at the end of the book about "reverse engineering" your marriage. It includes a questionnaire that I plan on looking at with David. There are some great questions about the future, where we are and where we'd like to be, making changes, that kind of thing. Overall I enjoyed it.

                 

           

2. The Hunger Games
3. Catching Fire
4. Mockingjay all by Suzanne Collins
I did not plan on reading the Hunger Games trilogy at this time. I'd been wanting to read it, but never got around to it. Then David said he really wanted to see the movie, so I figured I'd go ahead and read it. I always prefer reading books before watching their movie. I didn't anticipate reading all three of them before we went to the movie, though! I had to. Each story bled into the next and was riveting enough that I wanted to sit down and read the next one. I read all three of them in about 2 weeks. I love a good series and this one was great!

About AJ - Six months

Tuesday, April 24th, marked Amelia Jayne's half birthday! She's six months old now. It's so hard to imagine that she's not a newborn. Not even close to being a newborn really. I consider up to three months a newborn and she's twice that now...wow. Sigh.

Amelia Jayne visited the doctor for her 6-month well visit. She got three shots and one oral vaccine. :(
She was very sad this time. I mean, really sad. But I nursed her directly after the shots and that helped her feel better.

Here are her six-month stats:

Weight: 16 pounds, 5 ounces (59%)
Length: 26.5 inches (78%)
Head Circumference: 16.5 inches (36%)

As compared to Xander's at six months:

Weight: 15 pounds, 12 ounces (20%)
Length: 26.25 inches (45%)
Head Circumference: 17.5 inches (70%)

Her second tooth popped through about 3 weeks ago. I can't feel any other noticeably large bumps in her mouth right now, but those other teeth must be chomping at the bit (pun intended) to make an appearance because she's quite the drooler and chewer. :)

She's still getting cereal twice a day and we'll be adding in some fruits and vegetables over the next few weeks. We let her gnaw on an apple the other day which she seemed to enjoy. Then we put applesauce in her cereal this morning and she refused to eat it. I guess apples may take some getting used to. Weird since that's one of the only fruits her brother loves. I mentioned to her doctor that the cereals seem to be constipating her and he recommended we give her the "P" fruits (peaches, pears and plums). Apparently those help that issue. I hope so! However, with the experience I had with Xander and prunes, I'll be very careful about how much of those she gets. :)

I know I say it every time, but she absolutely LOVES her brother!! Her face lights up anytime he's near and she giggles when he gets in her face. She especially loves for him to run up to her, get right in her face and then run away again. She thinks that's the most hilarious thing she's ever seen. And it's downright adorable to see the love she has for him.

Her favorite toy is a stuffed soccer ball that actually belongs to Xander. She loves when you throw it to her and it hits her in the face or stomach. She'll grab it and pull it to her while burying her face in it. She giggles and smiles so big when she sees it. Maybe she'll be a soccer player?

She's sitting extremely well. In fact, the doctor was shocked to hear how long she's been sitting (for over a month now) and noticed on her 6-month questionnaire that she's quite advanced, especially physically. But how could she not be? She wants so badly to do everything her brother does! He's great incentive for her to get moving.

She's found her voice recently. She shrieks and squeals a lot of the time now. Depending on Xander's mood, he'll either join in and they'll have screaming conversations, or he gets really upset and tells her not to yell in the house and to use her inside voice. Ha! I guess he's heard that before!

She's still just the sweetest thing and I'm so very blessed to have such a beautiful, curious and fun little girl!