Momcation

So you may be wondering where we've been.

The answer is enjoying sleeping in until 8:30, cooking without worrying about the meat thermometer going in someone's eye, walking around without an extra 25 pounds on my hip, taking two-hour afternoon naps, having more than myself to depend on during middle-of-the-night meltdowns, shopping without entertaining, etc.

It's true. I've been on a glorious MOMCATION. Otherwise known as nearly two weeks at my in-laws. When I think about it too hard I start to feel guilty, but then I consider what life will be like in just three short months and I just enjoy it and soak it all in. I also remember how awesome it must be for those who don't get to see Maggie very often to spend so much time with her. (It's been three months since her grandmother saw her!)

My lack of posting has not been due to being overly busy, obviously. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera cord at home, and I know that pics of Maggie are one of the only reasons people read my blog...so I figured it was better to just not post at all.

Now that we are home I am planning on catching up on the updates of Christmas and life in general with our little girl on the go (also a reason for the lack of pictures...she is hard to keep up with, let alone sit still!). It's been an awesome few weeks of being together. I don't think any of us are ready for "real life" to hit again next week.

As for right now...I'm off to figure out what it means to do be productive during naps again...

Thankful

One week ago at this time I was sitting thinking about how thankful I am. I say "I am" and not "I was" because those thoughts have stayed with me every day since, and I continue to ponder more and more ways each day. This is a season of life that I have found myself discovering the reality of God's mercies being new every morning. Almost always in ways I don't expect, and ranging from the simple to the very, very deep.

Last Wednesday Maggie and I were on our daily post-nap get-out-of-the-house-before-we-both-go-crazy outing. I was very excited, as the plan was to go to the mall where we could a) be productive and run some errands that I needed to do, and b) hopefully find a playplace or something fun for Maggie.

Unfortunately, our little outing was curtailed when a car pulled out of an adjacent lot in the mall and didn't see us coming.


Thus begins my rant of thankfulness...

Fortunately, I saw the car and was able to at least brake. Not in time for her not to hit me, but at least I wasn't going full-speed. It was not a hard hit, but as soon as I saw it coming I knew I wouldn't be able to drive our car home. Amazingly enough, Maggie and I were hardly jostled.

Maggie didn't even know what happened. When I turned around to see/ask her if she was ok, she just smiled at me, reached her hand out and said "Gook?" As in, "Can I have another cookie?" Which I gladly gave her.

My mom was due to leave town in two days. She was able to come "rescue" us immediately, and due to her trip, we have been able to use her car all week.

Insurance. As many horror stories as you hear, our experience was a dream, and has continued to go smoother than I ever expected. This is also an even bigger deal than it sounds as Gary would usually be our go-to person to handle things like this...not exactly my forte, but so far so good.

(I could go on and on about the "little" details of the day. On to the bigger things...)

My son. My head spins when I think what could have happened to him. Just earlier that day I had my first moment of, "I can't wait to meet this little person!" What an amazing week of bonding this has been since then.

My daughter. I am actually thankful that she was with me that day. The fact that she was totally unaware of what happened, in addition to her happy spirit and need for me to entertain her while all of the details were being hashed out was a wonderful distraction from a situation that should have been very stressful for me. I am daily thankful for Maggie's companionship and presence in my life...what a little ray of sunshine she is!

My husband. Even hundreds of miles away he is my biggest support and a wonderful friend. This experience has also heightened my thankfulness for his own safety, as he travels so much each week and even each day.

My friends. Like I said, since the accident I have been reflecting on so many things that God has put in my life each day that I am thankful for. This week we have been kept wonderfully busy with great friends. And while staying busy (especially on cold days when Dad is gone) is something to be thankful for in and of itself, these individuals are true gifts! This week I found myself especially thankful for friends who are going through similar spousal separation situations. How nice to have someone to relate to! Also for friends who make you feel a little more normal for having a picky eater (and actually say how awesome it is that she loves chicken nuggets!) Also for friends who are not afraid of a spontaneous phone call to see if we are available for lunch or play...etc, etc.

Really my heart is just bursting with thankfulness, These things don't even scratch the surface. In the middle of this presently dark/hard time for our little family, it is wonderful to be reminded that I have so much - circumstantially and at large - to be thankful for.

First Snow

The first snow of the season was technically earlier this week, but today was the first day of actual accumulation. I was very curious how Maggie would react to the snow, as she tends to be a bit hesitant at first about things she doesn't know. We didn't stay out very long, but she LOVED it. Especially when her dad showed her that she could eat it.



This is not the greatest pic - it's a little blurry - but I just love her face in the shot! She is so excited!

Da-Dad

Recently Maggie has taken to walking around the house (or sitting in her car seat...or in her high chair...or anywhere really) singing a tune-less song containing only the words "Da-da-da-da-da-da-daaaaaaaaaaaddd!" It is really one of my favorite parts of my day.

I LOVE watching her and her dad play together.


(I also just love how she sits on her knees with her feet curled under her!)

Evening the Score

In case you haven't heard...It's a...


That's right...girls no longer outnumber the boys in our house! We couldn't be more thrilled (not that our emotion would be any different if it was a girl), and can't wait to meet our little man in just a few months!

Oh, and in case you think that Maggie looks a little bored and uninterested in the above picture it's because I took the sign away from her. She was much more excited when she could rip it apart.