When the Stars Do Not Align

When you have your first baby, it seems that the most common advice people give you is the cliche' (but oh so true) "Sleep when the baby sleeps."

When you have two babies back-to-back, those same people seem to realize that you no longer have the luxury of sleeping when the baby sleeps, for you are also responsible for caring for an energetic toddler as well.  The advice becomes, "You've gotta get them on the same schedule!"

I'll admit that having Isabelle and Lacey on the same schedule helps immensely.  And most days, that's what I strive to do.  Because if I can get them to sleep at the same time, I have the choice of uninterrupted showering, cleaning house, reading, knitting, taking a nap, and even blogging!  (And judging by the scarcity of my posts over the last several months, I'm sure you can see that blogging hasn't been high on my list lately).  It's absolutely true that when the stars align and you have both babies sleeping, you can get a lot done.

Yesterday, the stars did not align.  Lacey took a good, long morning nap, and Isabelle wasn't ready for a nap until mid-afternoon.  But instead of being frustrated, I chose to see it as an opportunity to spend some much-needed quality one-on-one time with each of the girls.  Instead of "Me" time, I got to have "Momma-and-Isabelle" time and "Momma-and-Lacey" time.  Isabelle helped me do some chores and fold clothes while Lacey napped, and me and Lacey practiced eating from a spoon and walking while Isabelle napped.  And during those times, neither had to compete for my attention.  It was exhausting, but wonderful.

Sometimes the stars align and things work out perfectly.  But sometimes when the stars to not align, things can work out better.  I forget that a lot.  And I think yesterday, God reminded me that I cannot control the stars.  But I can control myself, and choose to do God's will anyway.  I may not have had time to read, knit, watch a movie, or even clean my bathroom.  But God provided me with all the time I needed to do His will, and what more could I ask for?

Our Second Anniversary

Blake and I celebrated two years of marriage yesterday!

While he was at work, Mrs. Michelle dropped off John Michael to hang out with me and Isabelle while she went to her doctor's appointment.  She brought us lunch, and then sent me off to get a pedicure, do some shopping for baskets (for the changing table), and go to my doctor's appointment.  Meanwhile, she and John took care of Isabelle and helped me out with housework!  How sweet of them was that??

(Just in case you're wondering, my doctor's appointment went well - I'm 2 cm dilated, still about halfway effaced, and Lacey's head dropped some!  If I don't have her this week we might start talking about induction or other methods of getting labor started at my appointment next week.)

Anyway, after I got home from running errands and Blake got home from work, everyone cleared the house (by that time Ariel and Catherine had come over too, lol).  We put Isabelle to bed early, and I got dinner ready.  I brought out our nice china and crystal, and set up a romantic candlelight dinner of one of Blake's favorite meals, spaghetti (I actually had some frozen from the last time I made some, so I got away with not having to cook - which is great, because my spaghetti takes a good 4-5 hours to make)!  Blake had brought home a bottle of wine and a cigar, which he enjoyed sitting on the porch while it rained.  We had coffee with whipped cream on top for dessert, and then spent the rest of the night cuddling, laughing, and watching our wedding video.  We really didn't have room in our new budget to buy each other gifts this year, but we had a wonderful anniversary.  I would much rather spend a nice, quiet, romantic evening together anyway reliving our wedding memories!

Looking back on the past two years, it seems like yesterday that we got married, and it seems like we've been married forever!  I mean, how many life-experiences can one couple squeeze into two years?  We got married, moved out of our parents' houses (I moved to a different city), I had to have gallbladder surgery, we got pregnant with Isabelle, moved to a new house, had our beautiful baby girl and then got pregnant again four months later, Blake changed careers, and now we're expecting another baby girl any day now!  Whew!

Life has given us so many struggles, and so many, many blessings!  I'm so thankful for the past two years, and I can't wait to see what the future will bring!

A Very Happy Birthday to Me!

Well yesterday was my birthday, and I had a wonderful day!

Since we go to Blake's parents' house just about every Wednesday for Family Night, we celebrated my birthday then.  Blake's mom was there, as well as Ariel, Catherine, Ethan, John Michael, Maw-Maw Gerry and Paw-Paw Harry, and Blake (of course).  My wonderful mother-in-law made my favorite dinner, rice and gravy (with macaroni and cheese and green beans on the side).  I got some wonderful presents and had very delicious and addicting ice cream cake for dessert! 

Yesterday, my actual birthday, Isabelle had an extra-stinky present for me when I woke up (but she did let me sleep late, so I can't complain too much)!  After making a quick donut run to Meche's, we came home and ate our breakfast before heading out again.  I've been wanting a new Miraculous Medal for a while, so we went to the Rosary House to look.  By the time I picked one out and we were leaving, Isabelle had made friends with everyone who worked there (especially the nice old lady in the red shirt).  Isabelle was literally clinging to this woman (who didn't mind in the least, I'm pretty sure Isabelle made her day) and did not want to come home with me!  It was too funny!

We did a little grocery shopping, errand-running, and housework.  I also found some baskets that will be perfect for my changing station (I'm majorly nesting right now, but I'll write about that in a different post).  Thanks to the rice and gravy leftovers Mrs. Michelle sent, I didn't have to cook!  In the evening, I took Isabelle out for a little walk around the block to enjoy the beautiful cool weather and the amazing sunset! 

The day's only bummer was that Blake had to stay at work late to be at a meeting.  But he got out a little earlier than he thought, and made it home in time to catch the end of a little family dinner with me and Isabelle.  He wanted to take me out to eat or bring home some take-out from Chili's, but since he didn't know what time he was getting out of his meeting, it was a little difficult to plan.  But he said he's going to take me out to dinner soon (hopefully before Lacey comes, lol)!

I love checking facebook on my birthday.  It means so much to me that my family and friends took the time to call, text, or write on my wall wishing me a happy birthday!  Even the people I haven't seen since middle-school made me smile yesterday.  I had a wonderful day, and I'm so thankful for my life, my family, and my friends!

First Day of Fall!

So apparently today is the first official day of Fall!  (I'm going to ignore the fact that it's very hot, not to mention humid, outside right now.)

Last week, Ariel and I went shopping at Hobby Lobby, and it was like Fall had exploded everywhere.  And it was kinda nice.  Those Fall decorations and colors always remind me of how much I love this season.  I love the changes in the weather.  I love that my birthday is in October.  I love feeling like I get an extra hour of sleep when we have Daylight Savings Time (good luck with that this year, lol!).  I love Thanksgiving dinner, and spending time with family.  I love candy corn, and sweet potato casserole.  I love that Blake and I will be celebrating two years of marriage this November.  And this year, we'll have two new things to celebrate: Isabelle's first birthday, and the birth of our second precious little girl, Lacey!

We don't need Thanksgiving to remind us of all we have to be thankful for, especially this time of year.  We're so blessed!

P.S.  Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents, celebrating 25 years of marriage today!  I love you Mom and Dad!