First Crib

Today was a milestone for my baby and for ME.

I set up my daughter’s crib! This is the first crib I have ever had for my children. I am so happy to have a cute white wooden crib the third time around! My first two babes spent their entire babyhood in a pack n’ play travel bed, which was fine. But it’s nice to have a proper crib (a gift!)  with proper crib bedding (scored at a garage sale) too. The bargains make it all the sweeter…

Baby girl doesn’t have her own room. She shares our room and will for quite awhile still. Her crib has a spot right in the corner.

Lately Lil’ A has been lookin’ kinda big to me. She’s my best grower yet, to be sure. She was filling up her bassinet. But now she’s tiny again in her new bed. Glory!

Also, I love how long babies keep their little curly legs. Reminds me that she was in my womb not so long ago. Nine months all curled up inside and not even four months outside yet. No wonder she’s still curly.

She likes it. Fell asleep before 10 without a peep. And I probably won’t hear from her until 6 or 7am. Yeah… she loves her Mama and is more than kind to me at night.

Good night baby. Happy to share this ‘first crib’ milestone with you, my sweet third child!

Goodbye Tours–Our Home

For this one I hardly have words.

Goodbye dear, dear home.

He Needs Me

My man left today for two weeks in Africa. I hate seeing him go… life is just so good with him here! But I’m happy for this opportunity for him and the faces he’ll get to see.

In some ways I’m a little jealous of his trip.  But then I remember that he’ll be sleeping in a mud hut possibly shared with rats and snakes and then I’m a little less jealous. But then I think of a dear friend or two or fifteen that I’d love to visit with and I’m a little jealous again. And then I think of the food that will be served to him and I’m once again a little less jealous. It’s a cycle, obviously.

Aaaanyway, I usually help him pack. But yesterday was super busy and there wasn’t much time. I did the laundry and then threw some toiletries on his half of the bed and that was about the extent of my involvement. He did his packing at who-knows-what-awful-hour-of-the-night last night and I was snoozin’ up a storm so I missed it.

And what happened when I missed it? Serves him right I suppose for his procrastination…

The man forgot to pack a jacket. So he’s quite possibly freeeezing on his transatlantic flight right now and being cold on an airplane is such an awful form of torture that I could just cry if I think about it too much. I want him to be comfortable and cozy warm in a fleece.

He also forgot a flashlight. So when he is lying down to sleep in his mud hut and hears rustling under his bed he will be fumbling with matches and a propane lantern instead of flicking the button on a nice LED flashlight. Ack! I can hardly stand it.

And he forgot deodorant. Which I assure him isn’t a problem because I have never ever known him to be a stinky man with or without deodorant. That one doesn’t worry me like the other two. But generally I think a western man feels better about himself if able to apply deodorant in the morning when in Africa in the summer. On the other hand, it is Africa and he may be the only one for a hundred miles that uses the stuff so I think it’ll be okay.

I just hope he gets a jacket en-route. And a flashlight.

If not for his sake, at least for mine! I hate the thoughts…

So that is what happens when the man packs without me. He obviously needs me in his life.

I love him so. Safe travels babe.

Personal Translator

My kids spend a lot of time together. And my older girlie is three and a half and talks a LOT. A lot a lot.

Most of the time we can understand her. We are her parents after all and we listen to her a lot! But sometimes we just don’t quite understand a word or two here and there of what she is trying to say. SO, if we are struggling to understand, we just ask her older brother, her personal translator, and he can tell us every time what she is saying.

He knows her so well. He understands her so well.

And I love it.

Her Nicknames

There are quite a few names we call our lil’ girlie. What is it about this age that keeps the made-up, silly, endearing names just flow off the tongue? I dunno?! But I kinda love it…

Squeakers

Scooter

Frog Legs

Pirate Eye

Squirmy Worm

Kicker Legs

Peanut

Sugar Butt

Snorters

Sweat Pea McGee

And the one that stuck more than all the rest… Boo Boo Baby.

You are so loved Lil’ A!

How Rude

My lil’ girlie sticks her tongue out at me all day long.

It’s her new favorite thing.

At some point this behavior becomes rude…

…but right now she’s just darn cute.

Eat Up!

Here is a meal that a friend of mine was served in Africa.

Lord have mercy.

I am thoroughly disgusted and rather confused. WHAT in the world is there to eat on that thing? Nevermind. Don’t answer that. To answer that you have to take a long hard look at it and then come even more repulsion...

Forget I said anything.