sunshine on a Monday

Sep 292008
 
It’s a beautiful Monday morning.  I have French bread rising for the bread crumbs I need for the salad I’m going to take to the church ladies’ salad luncheon tomorrow.  My husband is out draining the irrigation system for the year.  My pumpkin has awakened much too soon from a nap which began much too early.  (Waking up at 6:30 will do that to a girl.) 

Marlys and I were comparing notes yesterday.  All her friends are getting married.  All mine are having babies.  We know six people that are due to have a baby in the next month…two cousins, four friends.  And the first just arrived!  Congrats to my penpal whom I met through New Attitude many years ago: Rebecca is now the mommy of Grace Anne!  Girls seem to be in style right now, as I know that two of the other five are supposed to be girls.  But of course, Ruth did just have a new second cousin born last month, and Braedon Alan was all boy!  So we’ll see what the others turn out to be.  (Merritt and I were kind of wondering what was going on nine months ago…  But we concluded we’re just at the age where all our friends are having babies…!)

It’s hard to believe the year is so close to being over.  Tomorrow marks the twelfth anniversary of when Merritt and I met.  We’ve known each other nearly half our lives!  How time flies…

Pumpkin is calling, and it appears that my bread dough is ready to be shaped into loaves.  And then there’s that Monday laundry that always needs attending to!  At least today there’s sunshine to dry the clothes…

And a final piece of news–Merritt found the first green egg this morning!  Our four Ameraucanas decided to start laying green eggs after all.  Yayness!  Oh yes, I better add making custard to my list of things to do today.  We seem to have a never-ending supply of cracked eggs.  At least Ruth and Merritt seem to love custard…  We’ll see if they still do by the time the winter’s out!

Pumpkin’s autumn firsts

Sep 252008
 
Dear Little Pumpkin,

You’re taking advantage of the new season to try out a lot of new things this fall.  Like killing bugs and eating chicken food.  Daddy said you were sitting on your potty chair last week when he spotted a bug crawling across the floor in front of you.  Before he could get to it, you’d spotted it, and squished it with your finger.  I think you’re going to be a good hunter when you get bigger! 

Last night you helped Daddy feed the chickens before dinner.  During dinner, when you were rather full, Daddy was listing all the things you’d eaten and included “chicken food.”  At Mommy’s raised eyebrows he explained that you’d reached right into the can and helped yourself to one of the little feed pellets while he was collecting eggs, and by the time he noticed it was much too late to get it out of your mouth.  “At least it’s all natural,” he informed me!

Yesterday your second bottom left finally came through the gums.  The top one, which has only been working at it for several months, is looking nearly through today, but not quite.  Your left teeth are stubborn little things–or maybe it’s the gums that are stubborn. 

We love you, Pumpkin.  And we’re so proud of how big you’re getting!

Lots of love,
Mommy

French Toast and Wrapping Paper

Sep 232008
 
I think Little Pumpkin had about as much fun celebrating my birthday yesterday as I did.  She started off the morning by sampling the yummy French toast Daddy made with my leftover cinnamon bread.  And she ended the day by tearing the wrapping paper into little bits and sorting it in piles, while trying to see how many envelopes from my cards she could hold in her hand at once.  In between she and I had fun hanging out around the house, picking all the cherry tomatoes (red and green, since frost was forecast–I wonder about a green tomato pie?), and answering all the delightful phone calls I received.  She’s such a grown-up girl, she sits in her high chair all through dinner with us.  Even if she doesn’t care to try the food we happen to be enjoying (which last night was baked potato, baked fish, corn on the cob, and sauteed summer squash).

Having our birthdays close together seems to enable us to actually spread the celebration out more.  I had all my cards to open, and another gift from hubby (some Carharrt women’s clothing–I’m wearing the shirt at work this morning!), and an assortment of chocolate from Pumpkin (which I have a feeling her daddy helped her pick out, because it was nice dark chocolate, not stuff with bright wrappers like Pumpkin would have chosen).  As always, I had a sweet card from my hubby.  And there was a very bright, bright, bright Dr. Seuss card from a little person, with a whole corner nearly chewed off.  She seems to have taken to card shopping like her daddy does (except he doesn’t eat the cards!).

Thank you all for your phone calls, emails, cards, and numerous FaceBook messages.  I feel very loved.  And not very much older!

The first day of autumn (which often coincides with my birthday) brought with it the first rain and frost of the season, all within twenty-four hours.  But it didn’t frost nearly as hard as they had said it would (in truth, it barely frosted), so we might get a few more veggies from the garden before it dies completely.

But it’s the season for corduroy pants and fleecey vests.  Merritt and I went through our clothes on Sunday afternoon (there’s a whole bag for you to try on, Jess!) and got out our fall apparel.  I was delighted to find that my clothes fit me much better than they did at the beginning of the summer.  In fact, the shirts I never even tried on all summer long now fit beautifully.  Ah well, there’s always next summer, as long as I’m not fat again by then.  (Oh wait, that wasn’t fat, that was pregnant!)

Sunday just felt like a day for tea, so while Pumpkin slept Merritt and I set the table like a proper antique Chinese restaurant.  Stoneware plates with sunflowers on them, Fireking tea cups filled with double spice Chai tea (poured from my beautiful antique tea pot the brand of which I can’t at the moment recall), stir fry and rice in a Pyrex casserole, and sweet and sour chicken served in a “drip-drop” cast iron skillet.  So maybe it wasn’t that authentic…  But we had fun!  And we went to our favorite second hand store since Pumpkin didn’t want another nap that afternoon.  She has lots of fun second hand shopping.

The cold, clear nights bring with them beautiful sunny days with beautiful blue skies.  And that rain Sunday night was so refreshing–this valley was getting rather dusty.  As much as I don’t like the cold, I’m glad for the changing of seasons it signifies…  Besides, autumn is our favorite season of the whole year.

grumpy babies and busy pullets

Sep 192008
 

Whether it’s a sudden need to see if we still have our pretty new pj’s on (brown with pink polka dots–thank you, Grandma!) or it’s that the new tooth suddenly starts pushing its way through every night at 2 a.m….we haven’t been getting any sleep at night between 2 and 3.  Not that normal people sleep during those hours or anything.  We’re just strange. 

Merritt’s been good about getting up with Pumpkin, giving some attitude adjustment (aka spankings) when necessary, changing the diaper just in case that was the problem, etc.  But she spends most of the hour crying, then finally goes night night again.  Without any food.  And sleeps until between 8 or 9 the next morning.  So obviously we weren’t starving…  Just have the 2 a.m. habit again. 

Right now, it feels like this quote:

“It’s when you’re trying to actively parent that nobody gets any rest,” she said. “We’re so tired we only ‘try’ to parent like this once or twice a week.”
-Ms. Costello quoted in the NY Times

But it’s not like when she’s sick, either, and just wants to snuggle with Mommy.  She doesn’t really want anything or anyone in the middle of the night except whatever or whomever she doesn’t have at the moment.  Not that our child is human or anything!

This morning I got out Babywise II to see what it had to say about grumpy babies.  (Daytimes aren’t the happiest with such little nighttime sleep, let me tell you.)  The attitude was such that she got really mad at the baby boy on the cover and had to get out of the high chair and get a spanking.  Whether he looked too happy or she couldn’t get her hands on him (and the book) I’m not sure.  But we need some serious attitude adjustment around here.  As soon as Mom gets done being a walking zombie from lack of sleep and having to share half the coffee pot…

It was a pretty funny day to be asked if we were going to have any more children.  I guess as a newly expectant mom (who is probably several years older than us) it was on her mind.  But we’re only 25 years old, with a not-even-10-month-old child.  Does it look like we’ve decided to quit having kids? 

Sometimes, you just have to laugh. 

In farm news, we got two loads of gravel on Monday and my amazing hubby spread it out all over and set more railroad ties, so we have a nice defined driveway and lots of room to park and turn around.  Not to mention that the recycled asphalt is finally set up inside the shed, so we can park in the shade and have a cool car to get into!  What a concept.  My hubby is amazing.

And, our pullets have started laying.  We got them the middle of April, and they were probably about a week old then.  We found the first egg Labor Day weekend, and now we’re up to 13 or 14 a day.  We have yet to find any green eggs, so I’m guessing Ameraucana pullets take longer to mature?  We should be getting two dozen a day once they all start laying (we had one randomly die on us, and we took care of the goofy crested one who turned out to be a rooster).  The few old hens we have left have apparently gone on strike, because we’re only getting one big egg a day.  I smell chicken soup…!

Punkin and I are both annoyed with the flies today, too.  She had one that kept buzzing her and landing on her head.  She got so worried, I thought she had to go potty!  The next time he came buzzing, Mommy the great hunter got the fly swatter and took care of things. 

But it’s Friday, so that means Katie is cooking dinner.  And being the Friday between our birthdays, that means there’s a birthday party to have!  Ruth had so much fun helping her daddy open his gifts from her and me on Tuesday night, the additional wrapping paper and tissue will be sure to bring a smile tonight.  (And unlike the newspaper Mommy used which turned Punkin an odd gray shade, especially in the regions of hands and feet, this will be brightly colored fun stuff tonight!)

seven years…

Sep 152008
 
My dearest little Pumpkin,

I wish Mommy had brought her camera with her tonight.  And yet, the camera lens would only have captured the cute little redheaded baby girl eating tortilla chips at the Mexican restaurant.  The camera might have caught her daddy and mommy sitting next to her.  But it wouldn’t have been able to record all the memories flooding through your mommy’s mind.

Papa took us all out to eat at the local Mexican restaurant tonight, September 14, 2008.  Just like he did seven years ago, after church on Sunday, September 16, 2001.  Your daddy and mommy sat next to each other then, too.  Only they turned red with embarassment when Papa made them sit together because they were the people with birthdays.  Little did we know that seven years later we’d sit in nearly the same spot in the same restaurant with our little baby girl…and more in love than we ever imagined back then.

You see, little Pumpkin, on that tragic day for our nation of September 11, 2001, your mommy, Uncle Will, and Grandpa were driving up to see your daddy’s family.  Grandpa was going to help Papa with all the electrical stuff in Papa and Nanna’s house (it was just being built back then!).  We heard the news about the Twin Towers on the radio, and turned around and went back home and watched the scenes unfold on television.  When it looked like things had quieted down, we called Papa and Nanna, and found out your Aunt Megan had been in a wreck with a semi truck the day before!  But we decided to get back on the road to their house.  It still had to be wired.  And Mommy could help with the cooking since Aunt Megan had to take it easy.

That Sunday lunch at the Mexican restaurant was on your daddy’s eighteenth birthday.  Mommy was going to turn 18 just six days later, so they made both of us wear sombreros while everyone sang to us.  We do have a picture of that.  Our faces are nearly as red as Mommy’s sombrero.

Your daddy has always been the bestest friend to mommy.  He wrote her a little note during that visit just asking how she was doing, and telling her he prayed for her every day.  It made your mommy cry.  I knew I would always count your daddy as one of my dearest friends.  Four and a half years later we got married so we could keep getting to be better friends for the rest of our lives.

All those memories were flooding Mommy’s mind as she watched you tonight.  You were wide-eyed, taking in everything and everyone in the restaurant.  A nice old man came around and gave you a dollar bill for your piggy bank.  Then he came back, saying you needed another.  You loved the tortilla chips.  You ate quite a few.  And even more ended up on the floor under your high chair.  The rice and tortilla were okay, but crunchy chips were the best.  You even found a bit of cabbage salsa on the table and sampled it, too.  You smiled at the lady sitting behind Mommy.  She came up as she left and just had to know how old you were.

I know to everyone else we were just an ordinary family with an extraordinarily cute little baby girl.  But to mommy, we were celebrating more than just a good year for the farm.  We were celebrating she and daddy, the years they’ve shared together and the years they hope to share, their upcoming birthdays, and their precious baby girl…you!

Daddy’s out baling third cutting.  You’re sleeping soundly in your crib.  And mommy’s sitting here, her eyes overflowing with tears, as she recounts the way God has been so faithful to us through these past seven years.  God has been so good to us, my little Pumpkin.  He’s always faithful.  Don’t ever forget that.

Goodnight, my little Pumpkin.  I love you.

Love,
Your mommy

flies and birthdays

Sep 112008
 
It didn’t frost last night.  The guys covered the summer squash just in case…  But it’s the time of year when the flies can tell they’re about to freeze to death, and so they rush into any open door or window.  Which means my house is populated by more flies than people.  And you don’t even want to know how many hang out at Dad and Mom’s, with the close proximity of the pig pen…  There were three flies within a square foot of each other yesterday on my kitchen table and a chair.  I managed to kill two before the third got smart and ran away.  The worst is the ones that land on my face when I’m trying to sleep.  They must like the smell of my hair conditioner?  I know God made every little creature for a purpose…but I’m still wondering about the purpose of flies.  Maybe they were made pesky as part of the curse?

In happier news, we slept through the night again.  Punkin woke up a bit after six, and after guzzling a bottle we all snuggled together and then fell back asleep for another hour.  As much as I like having my baby girl snuggle with us sometimes, the times she does make me realize that I’m too jealous of my time spent cuddling with my hubby to ever adopt the family bed idea.  Not to mention that Daddy and Mommy cramp Ruth’s style because we’re always in just the spot she wants to roll! 

Little girl is napping and then she and mommy are going to run away to town to try and find something for her daddy’s birthday.  How he can always find things for me so easily is a mystery to me.  Maybe it has more to do with the fact that if he needs something, he buys it.  And I don’t need anything, but he always finds something I’ll like.  I mean, the man bought gloves on Tuesday.  Gloves he’s been needing all summer because his others were worn out.  But he bought them the week before his birthday.  Alas, what difficulties a wife has!  We’ll go take a gander in the book store, though…  There ought to be one more title he just can’t do without.  Or something for him to read to Pumpkin.  We love our Daddy so much.  He’s just impossible to shop for. 

Speaking of time and birthdays, it is so hard to believe it’s been seven years since that September…  We were driving up here to help out with wiring Merritt’s folks’ house when we heard the news on the radio.  Megan had been in a car wreck the day before.  But it was a special visit…  Complete with dinner out at a Mexican restaurant and everyone singing happy birthday to the two of us (we got to sit next to each other).  Could we have been just 18 back then?  It seems so much longer ago, and yet it other ways like yesterday.  But the fact remains that we’re going to be a quarter of a century old this month.  And that is really hard to believe. 

thank You, God, for a good nights’ rest

Sep 102008
 
Maybe I should blog about our eating and sleeping troubles more often.  Some of you must have been praying for us.  Ruth had a better day yesterday as far as appetite goes.  I even felt good enough about how her day had gone that we joined Daddy at a meeting, since we knew it would be relatively short last night.  We got home and got Pumpkin to bed about 9:30.  Merritt said he woke up at midnight, at 3, at 5….but I only woke up at 5.  And Pumpkin didn’t wake up until 6:30 a.m.  But when she awoke, she drank around seven ounces!  Which is better than we’ve done in any single feeding so far, by a long shot.

Thank, You, God for a good nights’ rest.  And thanks to those of you who were lifting us up towards the throne…  It’s amazing how much a good nights’ sleep helps the next day.  I’m optimistic Pumpkin is finally feeling better and we’re back on the right track.

The scale was encouraging this morning, too.  She weighed 15 pounds, 4 ounces–which is up 10 ounces from the doctor visit three weeks ago!  And as she’s currently consuming a lovely blend of avocado, apple juice, and formula…I’m guessing we’re going to keep putting on the ounces.  Yay!

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