Houdini

Swaddles? I laugh in the face of swaddles. Mwahahaha!

Belly Laughs

Hands down, my favorite moment yet (except for holding her in my arms for the first time, of course):

Yesterday afternoon, I was trying unsuccessfully to get her to go to sleep. It is a little game we play. I try to soothe her, she alternately screams or smiles. But never goes to sleep.

She had been trying to decide if she was really upset, or just really excited. She finally decided on screaming, so I picked her up and tried to soothe her. She let out little fussy sounds, and wouldn't settle down. I got extremely frustrated and impatient. You see, we had been playing this game all day. I was holding her on my chest, and finally laid down on my back on the bed. I give up, I thought. Ava was still fussing, until she raised her head and saw my face. Immediately, she smiled and squealed with delight. Mom! she thought. This is a fun game! she thought. This made me laugh out loud. Which prompted her to let out the cutest baby giggle I have ever heard. Her first real laugh. And so we laid there for several minutes, belly to belly, just giggling. Her bouncing up and down as I laughed so hard that I cried.

I love her. This is what I'm doing instead of teaching. And it's better.

Where I'm Not

Believe it or not, school started yesterday in Hawaii. I don't know what else to say except that I am happy I am home. She is getting more delightful everyday. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Olimpiks

Advice

Whoever said, "Sleep when your baby sleeps" had a dishwasher.

And no blog.

Oh, and a baby that sleeps.

July in Pictures

Here's what's going on in our neck of the woods:

Gettin' big

Tummy time!

Thumb suckin'

Sleeping gas

At the Kemps' for the Fourth of July Parade

Beachin' it with Dad

This is Your Brain...

This is your brain on baby:


Any questions?

Mommy Tip of the Day

Do not attempt to change a diaper in the dark. The end.

Oh the Irony!

Saw this on Sunday. Made me laugh.

Update: Last week, the movers came to take all of "the Fred's" stuff to Washington state. They inadvertently packed the modem that we had been connecting to. We've had *very* intermittent signal over the past week--only that which we could pirate from a house down the street until the cable guy came. I tried to upload the image and fix the post, but to no avail. (Thanks to Brian for posting the link in the comments!) I couldn't post to my blog. The world goes on.

Losing Your Life

I remember being in college and telling people that I was planning on being a stay at home mom. "What about you? What will you do to find happiness and fulfillment?" they would ask. The question always put me off because it assumes so much. My life is about more than just me. I could do a lot of things, but the most important thing I can do is to nurture the faith of my family.

Well, here is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Ava needs me, and no matter how much I would like to read a book, watch a movie, or go to bed early, she is more important. And no matter how good it feels to be appreciated, to be lauded for my work, it is much more important to me to give my life to her (and my future kids) and teach them to love Christ.

I was reminded of this when I read a blog post by Carolyn Mahaney. In it, she responds to a woman who asked her what she does for personal fulfillment. She tells the story of a Sunday School teacher she had.

Dorothy was a woman who knew the secret of true “personal fulfillment.” A single mom whose husband left her with a son to raise, Dorothy didn’t spend time worrying about herself. Instead, she was always serving and caring for others. I knew her because she was my Sunday School teacher. And Dorothy was one of the most joyful women I knew.

At my bridal shower everyone wrote down a piece of advice on a slip of paper. I only remember one, and it was Dorothy’s. Her secret to a fulfilled life? “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

It sure is hard to give your life for other people. I know that I don't have the heart of service I should have for my husband, and even for Ava. Christ commands that we give our lives--it certainly applies to me as a wife and mother, but its scope is much greater than that. I am not to live my life for myself, but for Christ and his glory.