Featured Word: Egregious

Egregious

Adjective

Extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant

Heart List: Apricots

Ladies and gentlemen, the happiest time of year has arrived! Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration. Still, I love it when the apricots on my grandpa's tree start to ripen. I grew up picking them off the tree and eating them right there. No washing necessary. ;) I remember the first time I ate an apricot that I purchased from the store. The horror! I'm afraid the excellent quality of my grandpa's apricots has ruined me forever to the sad replicas sold in grocery stores. There's something indescribable in the flavor of sun-ripened fruit. Yum! I just might live underneath my grandpa's tree for the next couple of weeks and live on nothing but those delicious little fruits!

Heart List: Campfires

I love a good campfire! I grew up going camping every summer, and the smell of a good fire takes me back to those carefree days. I loved watching my brothers see how big they could make the flames (which they still do to this day), roasting the perfect marshmallow, singing camping songs (usually songs sung by the Muppets in "Rocky Mountain Holiday" with John Denver), burning marshmallows to see how big we can get them before they fall off of our sticks, making tinfoil dinners, etc. More than all of that, I loved how we would sit around a campfire to talk and laugh for hours at a time. I never grow tired of staring at a fire's beautiful flames, and the loving company that surrounds a good fire makes it the best place to pass an evening.

Confessions of a New Mother

I don’t really know what I was expecting of motherhood. I knew that it would be hard, but I didn’t know how hard it would be. I honestly thought that having some good life experience behind me and having a bevy of nieces and nephews would make having a baby relatively easy.

Wrong.

My husband said that, for him, the panic started to set in as we drove away from the hospital. I was still feeling pretty confident at that point. (Confident = clueless) Even the first couple of days at home seemed pretty smooth—like the calm before the storm.

Then I cried for a week.

I was convinced that I had made a huge mistake in thinking that I was cut out to be a mother. What was I thinking?! I was never angry or resentful towards my baby, but I certainly felt frustrated and helpless on the days he wouldn’t stop crying. How could I be expected to take care of him as he grew older when I couldn’t even soothe his crying as a newborn? I mean, really! Newborns only eat, sleep, and soil diapers. How hard is it to see to their needs?

My Mom assured me that I was doing just fine, but I was convinced that I was the worst mother in the whole entire world. My husband did his best to help out, and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without him.

Week 2 went a little better, and Week 3 was a bit better than that.

My son is now almost 3 months old, and I finally feel like I have a handle on things. That isn’t to say that there aren’t hard days, but I feel I know how to deal with them better. I talk about my experience with other mothers, and their response is always the same: their experience as first-time mothers was exactly like mine. My reply to this statement is, “WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME?”

So, here is my warning to all of those who are considering becoming parents, or are awaiting the arrival of your little one: Nothing will adequately prepare you for the change that will take place in your life.

I have never worked harder in my entire life, especially on so little sleep, but I have also never been a part of anything so wonderful. And that is the real point I want to make.

There is nothing more precious than having those clear eyes look up at you with love and absolute trust. There is nothing more joyful than the smile on their face when they wake up in the morning. There is no sound more beautiful than their very first laugh.

No matter how much sleep I lose, or how often he cries (or spits up on me or poops on me, etc), no matter how long it took for him to be born (30 hours of labor)—every moment of frustration and tears is worth it. The honor and joy of being the mother of such a sweet and loving soul makes everything worth it.

I wouldn’t give up any of it for the world.

Heart List: Strawberries

I have been having major cravings for fresh fruit over the past few weeks. (Probably the only healthy craving I've experienced this entire pregnancy!) The star of these cravings seem to be the strawberry. This is a problem, being that they are rather expensive to buy this time of year. Sigh. 

I love a good strawberry. I don't know if they're my favorite fruit, but they're definitely top five. Not too sweet, not too tart, and bite-size for my convenience! Strawberries are also one of the fruits that I really only like when they're fresh. I'll eat them frozen or canned, but they aren't nearly as tasty. My Mom used to buy large flats of them during the summer from local produce stands, so they were almost always on hand. It was simply heavenly. That may be a tradition that I need to carry on! :) Love them!

I Live!

Hello again! I am back, after a successful move. Our new home is awesome, and I'm so excited to be all settled. The boxes are unpacked, and I feel my life has gone back to normal. There are still a couple of things that need to be done, but we're looking golden all in all. Now I can resume my blogging without any external hindrances (other than the fact that I don't have internet at my home, and I had to go to my Mom's house to use hers). Your patience shall be richly rewarded! Well, at least you will get a new entry today. That's something, right?

Poor Planning

My husband and I just bought a condo! We have never owned a place of our own, so we are very excited. My husband keeps talking about all the things we can do once we are no longer renters. I can't say I blame him. I have my own little list of things I'm looking forward to.

I bring this up because we are moving this weekend, and we haven't set up internet at our new place. I am not sure how long it will be before I will be posting my next blog entry. (Please, try not to cry!) I'm not really one of those people who has to have internet access, so I'm not even in a hurry to set it up. It may also interest you to know that I am now 8 months pregnant, which is another factor in the delay of any upcoming posts.

Why are we moving when I'm 8 months pregnant? I have no idea. Poor planning on our part. However, that means that it will take me even longer to get my new home situated, which will push back any future blogging. Being that I am also a procrastinator, the birth of our first child may occur before I get around to posting a new entry.

To sum up: I may post something next week, but it might take me over a month to get around to it. Don't hold your breath either way. I'll try to be productive in my editing of "The Threshold Child," and I'll definitely let all of you know when it becomes available online. Until then, have a lovely February (and possibly March)!