In a recent weekly challenge posed by my women's Bible study group, we were charged to think about what the ideal temperature would be in our homes and then to think of ourselves as the thermostat. The goal was to create an atmosphere that felt like whatever temperature we thought was best. As in, if Mom is cold and uncaring, the temp was chilly, or if mad and riled up about something, it was steamy. Get the idea?
Anyone that knows me would expect my ideal temperature to be on the high side, think mid-80s. Or a nice cozy 78 at least, all warm and snugly with a fuzzy blanket and bowl of hot chocolate. But I think I surprised everyone when I said upper 50s to low 60s.....
My explanation was this: imagine that it's been a long, hot, muggy August and September. You know that first cool snap, when you walk outside and the wind has shifted? You may get a whiff of dry leaves, a hint of rain, the faint smell of a fire in the fireplace. You get to break out the boots, a light jacket, maybe a scarf. You find that you have a little more energy, a spring in your step, everything has a newness, a promise of something great just around the corner. And then, yes, you do get to come home to a warm house, a nice cup of hot cocoa, and a cuddly blanket.
That is what I want to be for my family. A breath of fresh air. The hope that the long hard summer is finally over. A great change is in store. And then something warm to come home to. Autumn is and forever will be my favorite season, for those reasons. And I will strive to create that atmosphere for my sweet family.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
7 months
Mr. Coleman Scott,
That's right, I'm using your middle name. Mostly because your little personality is becoming more and more apparent each day and you definitely have a bit of an attitude and know how to throw a fit. It's a really cute fit, but a fit none-the-less.
You have changed so much in the past month, it's unreal. Three major accomplishments stand out:
1. You now eat, and love, solid food. Well, I should say semi-solid because we are still on stage 1 foods. Although you don't really care for the traditional rice cereal, you do enjoy apples, pears, bananas, squash, and peas. The ladies at daycare may have fed you some other things, but I don't know what they are. So far I haven't heard of any disasters, so all must be well. You clean your plate at each meal and get a little mad when dinner time is over. You get excited and bang on the tray and so far we haven't had any major spills or messes. You are very good and don't reach for the spoon like I was afraid you would. It is a lot of fun to feed you and watch you eat- you have a very expressive face!
2. Rolling with a purpose. You have figured out how to roll to get somewhere or to something. This satisfies your curious, into-everything mind, but saves me from having to hand you toys that you have thrown across the room. If you are sitting in our laps or laying in bed, you waller around until you get to where you think you need to be going. It will be no time before you learn how to crawl, I just know it!
3. Sitting up on your own. You can't quite get there on your own yet, but can sit for a very long time without falling over. You do tend to forget sometimes and reach for something just beyond your grasp or look up quickly and fall back, so we can't leave you by yourself just yet.
I'm afraid you may be starting to show either some stranger anxiety or separation anxiety. Mostly I notice when someone else, including Daddy, is holding you- you always want me and fuss and even reach for me until I take you. I, of course, secretly love this. We still have major challenges with sleep, but hopefully that will soon change as I get your daycare workers on board with what we need to do to fix the problem and get you the sleep you need. And, no, those bottom teeth still haven't popped through yet!
Other fun things about you:
Your hair: it's starting to get long enough to lay down in the front and back, and it's growing over your ears, but still stands straight up on the crown of your head.
Your smile: Love that gummy, toothless grin. Sometimes you do a one-sided grin and wrinkle your nose like I do.
Your eyebrows: The Lively's are known for extremely expressive eyebrows and you definatly got that gene! One day I looked over at you and your daddy and you both had the same expression on your face :)
Your giggle: I will do almost anything to get you laughing, it's just soooo adorable!
You are really starting to fill out- your face is getting round and chubby (and looking more like me), you are getting fat and cellulite on your calves (again, like your Momma), and you have the dunlap syndrome (like Granddaddy). You weighed 16 pounds, 1 ounce, gaining a pound in less than a month, which may be a new record for you.
Little boy, you become more fun by the day! We love being your parents and thoroughly enjoy watching you grow and become the cute little person you are!!
That's right, I'm using your middle name. Mostly because your little personality is becoming more and more apparent each day and you definitely have a bit of an attitude and know how to throw a fit. It's a really cute fit, but a fit none-the-less.
You have changed so much in the past month, it's unreal. Three major accomplishments stand out:
1. You now eat, and love, solid food. Well, I should say semi-solid because we are still on stage 1 foods. Although you don't really care for the traditional rice cereal, you do enjoy apples, pears, bananas, squash, and peas. The ladies at daycare may have fed you some other things, but I don't know what they are. So far I haven't heard of any disasters, so all must be well. You clean your plate at each meal and get a little mad when dinner time is over. You get excited and bang on the tray and so far we haven't had any major spills or messes. You are very good and don't reach for the spoon like I was afraid you would. It is a lot of fun to feed you and watch you eat- you have a very expressive face!
2. Rolling with a purpose. You have figured out how to roll to get somewhere or to something. This satisfies your curious, into-everything mind, but saves me from having to hand you toys that you have thrown across the room. If you are sitting in our laps or laying in bed, you waller around until you get to where you think you need to be going. It will be no time before you learn how to crawl, I just know it!
3. Sitting up on your own. You can't quite get there on your own yet, but can sit for a very long time without falling over. You do tend to forget sometimes and reach for something just beyond your grasp or look up quickly and fall back, so we can't leave you by yourself just yet.
I'm afraid you may be starting to show either some stranger anxiety or separation anxiety. Mostly I notice when someone else, including Daddy, is holding you- you always want me and fuss and even reach for me until I take you. I, of course, secretly love this. We still have major challenges with sleep, but hopefully that will soon change as I get your daycare workers on board with what we need to do to fix the problem and get you the sleep you need. And, no, those bottom teeth still haven't popped through yet!
Other fun things about you:
Your hair: it's starting to get long enough to lay down in the front and back, and it's growing over your ears, but still stands straight up on the crown of your head.
Your smile: Love that gummy, toothless grin. Sometimes you do a one-sided grin and wrinkle your nose like I do.
Your eyebrows: The Lively's are known for extremely expressive eyebrows and you definatly got that gene! One day I looked over at you and your daddy and you both had the same expression on your face :)
Your giggle: I will do almost anything to get you laughing, it's just soooo adorable!
You are really starting to fill out- your face is getting round and chubby (and looking more like me), you are getting fat and cellulite on your calves (again, like your Momma), and you have the dunlap syndrome (like Granddaddy). You weighed 16 pounds, 1 ounce, gaining a pound in less than a month, which may be a new record for you.
Little boy, you become more fun by the day! We love being your parents and thoroughly enjoy watching you grow and become the cute little person you are!!
Monday, September 24, 2012
6+ Months
Dear Coleman,
I'm sorry this is ages late. It appears your Daddy has rubbed off on me more than I realize. It's not that I forgot to post, it's that every time I think about writing, I get so emotional that I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words.
You are absolutely amazing. Everything about you is just overwhelmingly awesome. Your smile, your laugh, your curiosity, your development. You are growing up and learning so many things. I want to slow down so I can savor it all and take it in.
On the other hand, oh man, are you getting to be a fun little person! You love playing games of peek-a-boo and patty-cake. You love other babies and kids and are doing very well at daycare, socially. You definitely have certain toys that are your favorites and you reach for them with such enthusiasm- I love watching your face light up. My favorite part of the day is picking you up after work and seeing that drooly, toothless grin get so wide when you recognize me. You are quite capable of sitting, but fall to the front or the side a lot either out of laziness or just not knowing that you can stay sitting up.
We have our challenges, though. For one, you are still teething- those front teeth just haven't popped through yet, and I don't know that they ever will! Some days, you soak your onsies in drool and gnaw on anything you can get in your mouth. You like your teething ring, especially when it's been in the freezer a while. Our other major challenge is still sleep. You are just too busy to take a proper nap! We are working on making some adjustments to your napping schedule, but it's hard to get you to settle down when there are 9 other babies in your class at daycare who are doing so many other things! And, you still have that lingering cough and pesky snotty nose- *sigh*
We started some semi-solid food on your 1/2 birthday and you really enjoy it. You are definitely not a fan of rice cereal by itself (can't say that I blame you) but will eat it up if bananas or applesauce are mixed in. They feed you some at daycare, too, but I'm not sure what. You tried squash the other day and seemed to like it. Next up are sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, pears and peaches. We are only introducing one thing at a time, and this is just so you can learn how to eat, not to replace breast milk.
Oh, I almost forgot! At your 6 month check-up, you weighed in at 15 pounds, 1 ounce, 27 1/2 inches, still holding at long and lean, but definitely growing right along. You got several immunizations, but as always, you were a trooper and recovered as soon as it was over.
We love you, little man!
I'm sorry this is ages late. It appears your Daddy has rubbed off on me more than I realize. It's not that I forgot to post, it's that every time I think about writing, I get so emotional that I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words.
You are absolutely amazing. Everything about you is just overwhelmingly awesome. Your smile, your laugh, your curiosity, your development. You are growing up and learning so many things. I want to slow down so I can savor it all and take it in.
On the other hand, oh man, are you getting to be a fun little person! You love playing games of peek-a-boo and patty-cake. You love other babies and kids and are doing very well at daycare, socially. You definitely have certain toys that are your favorites and you reach for them with such enthusiasm- I love watching your face light up. My favorite part of the day is picking you up after work and seeing that drooly, toothless grin get so wide when you recognize me. You are quite capable of sitting, but fall to the front or the side a lot either out of laziness or just not knowing that you can stay sitting up.
We have our challenges, though. For one, you are still teething- those front teeth just haven't popped through yet, and I don't know that they ever will! Some days, you soak your onsies in drool and gnaw on anything you can get in your mouth. You like your teething ring, especially when it's been in the freezer a while. Our other major challenge is still sleep. You are just too busy to take a proper nap! We are working on making some adjustments to your napping schedule, but it's hard to get you to settle down when there are 9 other babies in your class at daycare who are doing so many other things! And, you still have that lingering cough and pesky snotty nose- *sigh*
We started some semi-solid food on your 1/2 birthday and you really enjoy it. You are definitely not a fan of rice cereal by itself (can't say that I blame you) but will eat it up if bananas or applesauce are mixed in. They feed you some at daycare, too, but I'm not sure what. You tried squash the other day and seemed to like it. Next up are sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, pears and peaches. We are only introducing one thing at a time, and this is just so you can learn how to eat, not to replace breast milk.
Oh, I almost forgot! At your 6 month check-up, you weighed in at 15 pounds, 1 ounce, 27 1/2 inches, still holding at long and lean, but definitely growing right along. You got several immunizations, but as always, you were a trooper and recovered as soon as it was over.
We love you, little man!
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