Friday, August 20, 2010

Closer to 1st Birthday than Birth

Samantha turned 6 months yesterday. This means that at 6 months and 1 day, we are officially closer to her first birthday than to the day she was born. She has grown and changed so much so far. She now sits unassisted quite stably, only falling over when she gets really excited and throws herself back or tries to reach for something just out of reach. She has learned many new sounds, though is still a pretty quiet little girl. She loves to jump up and down and play with all of her toys on her supersaucer. She has done all of her growing off of mama's milk and is about to start trying other foods more regularly. She has learned that food is yummy though by randomly reaching out and grabbing mommy's food- yesterday she grabbed my ice cream sandwich...ooops, but boy did she love it! She also went on a swing at the playground yesterday which she seemed to really like, though every time the swing came forward she closed her eyes and looked like she was going to fall asleep. She is much more interested in her environment and definitely wants interaction, though she is also still a snuggle bug.

In less than 6 months time, we will be seeing crawling, all sorts of food, first teeth, and maybe first words and first steps. In less than 6 months, we will be taking the traditional birthday cake mess pictures. It is crazy to think that a year ago, I was still struggling with first trimester issues, wondering what this little bean inside me would look like or even if it was a boy or girl. Now, I know my beautiful little girl has a great personality, gorgeous observant eyes and enough hair for pigtails. I am excited for the time to come.



Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Sleeping Like A Baby

I have always found that phrase to be misleading. Everyone knows new parents don't get to sleep much thanks to their little bundles of joy. Rather, these little ones come out sleeping for 2 hour stretches, waking to nurse and meet their snuggle needs. New mothers are told to "sleep when the baby sleeps." Nice in theory- if you are capable of napping but unfortunately I do not have that skill.
Then, magically the baby starts sleeping more, like a 6 hour stretch and we are told we are lucky that the baby is "sleeping through the night." I don't know about you, but I have never thought 10pm-4am was a good night's sleep. But since we just came from a land of only 2 hour stretches we appreciate what we can get.

Along comes the wonderful world of sleep regression and many moms find themselves up every 1-2 hours or if they are lucky 3 hours. To me, that 6 hours I was enjoying the week before now seems like a mean tease. I pry my eyes open wondering how it could be possible that the baby has already forgotten how to sleep. I hope it is just a stage...but no...at least not a short one.

Now, sleep is unpredictable at best. Samantha is now trying to learn to sleep and this means I am getting even less sleep. For her, at six months old, sleeping like a baby means going to bed at 10 and me praying "please god let her sleep!" The last several nights it has been anything from 30 minute stretches to almost 4 hours. I miss terribly sleeping longer stretches. I know the day will come, in the not too distant future hopefully, when she is sleeping for 10-11 hours straight but that seems like a dream at this point.

Tonight, I will go to bed, praying that she will sleep hours, plural. And I dream of the day when she doesn't sleep like a baby, but instead sleeps like a teenager- when I have to wake her up instead of the other way around.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Thrifty Mama

I am always looking for ways to make life a little more affordable. This year, I plan to consign a bunch of Brianna's gently used clothes through the JBF Sale in Denver. I also like to look for good buys for both my girls. Personally, I don't see the point of spending an arm and a leg on children's clothes and items that they are just going to outgrow tomorrow. Check out the information below and join me in being a thrifty mama this fall.

Just Between Friends of Denver will hold it's Fall & Winter Kids' Gear & Clothing ReSale event Sept 17-19th at the National Western Complex. This event provides families with the convenient opportunity to buy and sell quality, gent...ly-used items for preemies through teens. From Gymboree clothing to Jumparoo exercisers and from Little Tikes playground equipment to Little People toys, Just Between Friends sales events offer pretty much everything needed to clothe, entertain, teach and enjoy your children. Consignors make up to 70% on their sold items and volunteers, who shop first before the public and earn a higher percentage on their sold items, help make the sales run smoothly for everyone. Just Between Friends brings the community together for a fun, unique and environmentally–friendly event. Please visit the JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS website to learn more: http://www.jbfsale.com/denver.

Redeeming God- Adopting Father


Over 11 years ago, my daughter Brianna and I started a journey. The two of us set off as a family, navigating this world ahead of us. I loved being a mom, and personally thought I rocked at it most of the time. However, we both dreamed of a day when there would be more than just the two of us.

Even as I was pregnant, I prayed that my daughter would one day have a father. Her own biological father hadn't stepped up for the job and I believed that God had a plan for her to have a father. I taught her that God was her father when she was little as asked about a daddy. When she was three, in the fall of 2002, she prayed that God would bring her a human daddy, a prayer filled with faith, without a single doubt that God would indeed answer her prayer. The next day a gentleman came up to us at church and without thinking said, "what a cute family! Where's your daddy?" She looked at him as if he had just asked the most absurd question. "Silly, I don't have a daddy yet. God's still working on him." How right she was!!! At that point in time, while I was in my first year at Seminary, the man who would step up for the job of "daddy" was in his senior year of High School. God was indeed still working on him. It would be years before he would be ready for the job God had for him.

Over 5 years later, I met a young man who I almost wrote off due to his youth. However, he was surprisingly mature for a man of only 22, almost 23 years. We hit it off and he was great with Brianna. It wasn't long before we both realized where it was heading. In the morning of April 27, 2008, Mike approached Brianna in secret to ask her if she would be ok with him proposing to me, and then becoming my husband and her father. She was definitely ok with it. September 28, 2008 Mike said vows to me and then turned and said vows to my beautiful daughter. I don't think there was a dry eye in the church.

It took forever it seemed to complete the process of Mike officially adopting Brianna, but on Monday, August 9, 2010 (Also known as 8-9-10) Brianna walked into court with my Maiden name as her last name and walked out as a Wheeler. She had officially been adopted. Mike has been a great dad to her for almost 2 years anyway, so it was mostly just a formality, but he is now her father in every sense that matters.

It reminds me of a journey we all take. We wander around for years looking for something to fill a hole in our lives- often a "daddy-sized hole." When we find God, it is the perfect fit. He adopts us as his own and as we accept him as our father, then he gives us his name. I am no longer just Amy...I am God's child. Brianna knew God as her father long before she knew anyone else as one and I pray that she will always know just how much both her Daddies love her.