This video made me cry. I can be quite emotionally volatile when pregnant, especially when it comes to babies. Thank goodness the baby survived!
These Days September 29, 2009
September has been one of the busiest months I remember having in my life. In between taking care of the baby (2 yr old…still a baby? Yes, yes she is.), I’ve been working quite a few 12-14 hour days. Not my cup of tea. Husband keeps trying to get me to take breaks, but it’s hard, knowing there’s no one else there to pick up the slack (self-employment is great, but has some down-sides).
This business God has given me (because truly, I never went looking for it; I really feel that He’s pushed me through one open door after another) has been blessed beyond what I could have imagined, and I owe it all to him. That said, it has come with its stresses.
Other things I’ve been able to squeeze into September:
- A haircut (nothing exciting, just a much-needed trim)
- Bible study
- A MOPS meeting
- A visit to an apple orchard
- An overnight visit from an old friend and her baby girl
- A meal out with friends at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try
- A couple morning trips to the zoo with Anja, which she loved
Today I took the day off from processing photos and cleaned up the house and did some Autumn decorating. I told Husband that even though cleaning is not really a break, it seemed like one, so that counts, right?
So far I’ve gained about the same amount of pregnancy weight as I did with Anja (which was more than I wanted to gain, but still in healthy range). I can’t imagine the weight gain will slow down with my typical menu of hearty soups, yummy breads and fall baked goods coming up, followed by the holiday season. Yikes! But friends have reassured me that it is oh so cozy to have a big belly keeping you warm in January, unlike in August where you just wish you could remove it and get the swelling in your legs to go down… 
October will likely be less busy with photo shoots (though I have four this coming weekend), but more busy with client orders. Can’t promise I’ll be around a lot, but I’d love to hear what you’re up to this fall!
Drug-related Violence September 11, 2009
This one made me laugh so hard…I had to post it. It’s so “classic cat fight.”
Anja, 23 months July 30, 2009
I refuse to acknowledge that less than a month from now you will be two. Nope, just a very tall, very smart one-year-old you will be forever.
Yet here I am, celebrating your 23 months of life. You are:
- Incredibly tall for your age, still. Several times lately you’ve been mistaken for an almost-3-yr-old. You can reach the light switches in our house, a responsibility that 23 months cannot handle. Showers in the dark are not my favorite thing.
- Very interested in babying your puppy (actually, MY puppy) Sherman. He has his own special blanket that we dare not leave out of the crib at naptime, or you cry on his behalf.
- Impetuous. Not always, because you still have your sweet moments, but often you act rashly, boldly, and headstrongly. Your daddy was like this, and sometimes I wonder (aloud to him) what I have done to deserve his payback. J
- Identifying more numbers and letters. A and B still remain your favorites, as well as the number 5.
- Constantly drawing. You get out your crayons multiple times every day, and have nearly depleted our scratch paper supply (note to self: bring some home from my recycling bin at work). Your drawings have a very distinct quality to them—I could pick them out easily among other toddler drawings. You favor your red crayon, black being a distant second. You still taste your crayons occasionally, evidenced by color stuck to your teeth (doh!). And when you use your coloring books, everyone gets a black or brown face. Why, I do not know. When you get bored making your own drawings, you bring your paper or book to Mommy or Daddy and implore, “Draw circle? Draw triangle? Draw heart?” until we have satisfactorily filled the page with shapes. I love your little quirks.
- Not a very good help in the kitchen. You like to throw things and put onions (whole ones) where they don’t belong. I don’t expect much from 23 months, though, so don’t feel too badly. You may never care to cook, and that’s okay, too.
- Can sing quite a few songs to the point that one can identify what they are. Sometimes songs bleed into each other, becoming a medley: “Farmer take a wife, farmer take a wife, hi ho, farmer take a mommy, mommy on the bus goes ‘I love you, I love you, I love you,’ all through the town, Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the weerld…” and so on. I think it is so precious when you make up your own words, such as “The daddies on the bus go ‘shh shh shh’.” Haha!
- Liking to take off your own bibs. We have a conversation many times daily about how Mommy and Daddy decide when the bibs should come off, but it has yet to do any good. You have stained some of my favorite shirts of yours, you little booger!
- Increasingly affectionate. Mommy, Daddy and Baby P never tire of your kisses!
Popcorn “pops” even more inside your belly… July 20, 2009
Or at least, it sure feels like it! I just made this phenomenal (and easy!) kettle corn for the second time this month, and ate probably 4 cups of it. Ouch! That’s hard for an already-squished belly to take. But Joy’s right…it’s like an addictive drug.
Tip: Don’t use old kernels. We bought new before we made it a second time and they popped up SO much lighter and fluffier.
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Pregnant rant: Why is it that, when I tell people I’ve popped a lot earlier with this baby than I did with Anja, they feel compelled to console me with, “Oh, I don’t think you’re even showing…” That is NOT comforting, people! At 14 weeks, I’ve gained 8 pounds, and a lot of it is in my hinder and my thighs, just like last time, but my belly is already far enough out that I have resorted to maternity skirts (no pants yet…still using my Bella Bands and waiting it out) for comfort, and most of my normal shirts are a smidge too tight to be appropriate. So to gain 6 inches in the waist and be told I’m not showing…that’s just an insult to how I looked before. I was not this fat! I swear! End rant. The hormones, they made me do it.
More Weirdness from Husband July 17, 2009
He sends me the most odd links throughout the day. These don’t really have any political point, they’re just funny.
Lame Excuse for a Post July 16, 2009
But I have nothing better right now. Husband just sent me a link to this story, along with the comment, “Wow, a girl in science class shows up the doctors. Way to go doctors.”
Independence, Mr. Smith-style July 3, 2009
Husband and I just rang in the 4th of July by watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It’s been years since I’ve seen that film, and it was even better than I remember it being.
Political machines are run much the same today–powerful lobbies, bribery, blackmail–and we have few people in Congress like Jefferson Smith (the film’s main character) to stand for truth and “loving thy neighbor.”
When Smith took the oath of office* to become a senator, I turned to Husband, shocked, and asked, “Is that still the oath they use today?” He nodded affirmation.
“But they said he had to support and defend the Constitution; hardly anyone even knows what it says! It’s like a joke!” He sadly agreed.
I am thankful for a day like Independence Day, when we can look upon the oppression from which our ancestors came, no matter what their origin, and embraced the ideals of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” I am thankful for the many, the brave, who defend those unalienable rights to this day in combat and on peace-keeping missions around the world. I am thankful for the few, the brave, who have kept their oaths of office and defend those same unalienable rights before the wolves in Washington.
Please, take some time today to be thankful, and to pray for our country’s future.
*I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
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Edited to add: I don’t necessarily support any of the bills proposed in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; it is moreso the “standing behind what one believes is right with one’s entire being” to which I relate so passionately.
Also, my hyperbole gets the better of me: certainly most Senators know, or have at least read, the bulk of the Constitution; it is simply ignored or treated as obsolete.
2009 Goals Update 07.02.09 July 2, 2009
1. Spend daily time in prayer and the Word (I used to do this no problem, but since Anja was born, my discipline in this area has slipped)
Off and on.
2. Read 2 photography books
Finished with one. Started a second.
3. Read 1 Photoshop book
Started it!
4. Book an average of 4 on-location sessions and 1 wedding each month
Have booked more weddings and more sessions. Praise God!
5. Sell our townhome and purchase a home with a $500 less per month payment
Got a yard sign and a tube for flyers tonight. Still no legitimate bites from our online ads.
6. Organize an office for myself (instead of using the dining room table…)
Still waiting for the house in which to do it.
7. Have a baby or get pregnant
Second part of this goal attained!
8. Lose 10-15 lbs.
Um, not really worrying about this anymore.
9. Make healthier meals most nights each week
Depends. Most of the time, when I’ve planned, we eat well, but sometimes my cravings get the better of me and we’ll have pancakes (though I do throw some fresh berries on them at least) or order a pizza. I’ve also been on a big Mexican kick, whether it’s some guacamole for a snack or Gluten-Free Chicken Enchiladas or Chicken Flautas (Mom, you should try this one–I used up the rest of the corn tortillas, and they were yummy!) for supper. Thankfully, most Mexican recipes can be interpreted in a healthy fashion.
10. Reduce grocery bill to $250/month (this could be the hardest one…seriously)
I have a feeling this is just a big FAIL for the year. Nigh impossible unless we plan on cutting all fresh produce out of our diets (which is not happening!).
Anja, 22 mos. July 1, 2009
As I write this, you are in the middle of one of your I-don’t-want-to-go-to-bed meltdowns with Daddy, a recent trend. Here are some other notables about this month:
- You are becoming increasingly affectionate. We get hugs all the time, and now kisses and snuggles, for no reason we can decipher other than you might be figuring out that you like it.
- Your temper tantrums are becoming more frequent and more strong by the day (twos, I am NOT ready for you!).
- You still love to color, and you highly favor your red crayon.
- You have figured out how to let yourself into and out of the screen door to the deck, so Mommy has to keep a pretty close eye on you.
- You love kissing the baby in Mommy’s tummy already. I show you pictures in my pregnancy books, and you legitimately seem to understand that there’s a baby growing in me. I didn’t really expect that.
- You are bored with all your puzzles because you can put them all together in under a minute.
- We think you’re about to hit another growth spurt, because you’ve been teething and fussy and eating like crazy. When Grandma was here, she couldn’t believe how much food you can put away.
- You love going down any slide at any park at which we stop. Mommy and Daddy get good work-outs climbing after you on the play structures.
- You are starting to make your stuffed animals interact with each other, carrying on conversations.
- We leave your fake cell phone (one of our old ones) in the cupholder of your carseat, and almost every car trip, you are “on the phone” the entire time, giving play-by-play of the scenery. Yeah, basically, you talk non-stop all the time.
- One of my favorite things to watch you do is “read” to yourself. You really grasp the storyline; I can pick up words here and there that match what is actually written on the page. Your daycare provider has noticed the same thing when you “read” her books.
