Uncles...

Camille got to meet her uncle Kyle last weekend when he and Jessica came to visit. We all went camping and had a good visit. Kyle was nervous around the baby, but did eventually hold her for a few minutes (until she got fussy) and we were able to get great pictures. I cannot wait for her to meet all of her aunts and uncles on Matt's side too! 

We also got to see Kim and her kiddos last week and had a good time. I was so super glad to see her, it has been way too long, but it is always nice to see old friends who are still comfortable after a long seperation. We got fun pictures of Camille and Gracie, they are about a month apart, Grace being older.  

Random morning thoughts and a good picture...

Yesterday was a really, REALLY tough day. Camille cried all day long and would not sleep. By the end of the day Matt and I were mad at each other and we both did not want to deal with the baby. She made up for her day of horror by sleeping from 9:30pm until 6am, I needed that, and apparently she did too. She woke up in a really good mood and I am hoping today will be a better day. She is doing some new and amazing things, though, she has brought her hands to midline and is aware of them as her own (I think). She just stares at them like they are the neatest toy. She is reaching for things in front of her and trying to bring them to her mouth. I cannot wait for her hands to actually become HER hands that she can control instead of random, flying baby-face smackers. It is funny to watch her try so hard to reach and grab something. She gets so focused that she sticks her tongue out grunts.  I keep seeing glimpses of this amazing personality and it is both exciting and scary. She is sooo stubborn and focused and hard sometimes, I can imagine that we are going to have a time taming her temper. It is funny because I do not think that she looks like me much at all, but I can see so much of my personality in her, good and bad. I can honestly say that this week I love my baby, not just because she is my baby and I should love her, but because I love her and excited about being around her....does that make any sense to anyone but me?? My sister-in-law just hit 37 weeks (woohoo Stefanie!!)  and I am so excited for her, and I am soooo glad that we are not there anymore. The learning curve is steep, but right now I finally feel like we are getting to a bit of a plateau. 

Pleasure of the Process

I am soooo excited! I have been really struggling with ME, with who am I am, what defines me, what makes me a beautiful and unique snowflake....Moving from Tahoe to Texas really stripped away alot of what I used to define Me as a person. I know, or at least I feel, it sounds shallow, but I was a hiker, a backpacker, a friend, a therapist, a native. I lived to be outside surrounded by Sugar Pines, smelling the warm dirt as my hiking boots moved along the trail towards a mountain lake, feeling the air, seeing the beauty. It was all right outside my back door and now I feel physical aching for that place. It was more than just an activity, it cleared my soul, it was my best communion with God, it was Me, and now it is a tormenting image in my minds eye.  So, to say I have been struggling is a understatement, but today, I made a move to fill that hole with my first love. I am going to start taking horseback riding lessons here: http://touchstonefarmtx.com/default.aspx, I feel giddy like a little girl. I cannot wait to get out there and smell the leather and the dirt and the horse. I am smiling now as I as write this. It is important for me to have passion all my own, something  I do because I love it, not because it is good for the family, or my health, or because I have to, but for the simple pleasure of the process. I am so excited! 

Victory..and these are a few of our favorite things...

We have been working on this skill for a long time, and today during her nap, she finally mastered her thumb, atleast for that second. It disappeared into her hand as quickly as it could, and who knows if she will be able to find it next time, but it made her the happiest baby for a little while. I am borrowing a topic that I loved reading from Kimmie and sharing it with you, these are a few of our current favorite things...

The TinyLove Mobile, particularly the yellow rabbit, she can watch that thing for thirty minutes straight, it is amazing! 

The spice cabinet with all the colors, any ceiling fan, putting her feet under running water (this is an instant cry stopper, she LOVES water) and outside. We also love the Grouchiest Lady Bug and Touch and Feel Pets (Thanks Kyle and Jess!). We are smiling more and more, so I think pretty soon I may get a good picture, and we 'talk' all the time. She is definitely going to be a very vocal little lady.  

Getting this blog up to speed...

I have neglected this blog and so much has happened in my life. I feel the need to do a "dear blog, I am sorry I have not written on you in a while, you just would not believe what has happened to me..." However I am not going to recap, because the only people reading this know the basics. I do want to update on some of the current craziness of my life. First off my aunt Judy is in the hospital. That is a huge statement, because the truth is that she put herself there through her abuse of drugs and alcohol. She has lied, stolen, and betrayed every family member that I love, and I am having a really hard time feeling the least bit sympathetic for her state. Ironically, I have been memorizing 1 Corinthians 13, because I feel like part of the reason God has seen it fit to place me in Texas is to learn to love people that are difficult for me. How can you love someone, and be totally disgusted with their actions? We are living next door to Judy, which could be considered immersion therapy to some. I sigh a heavy sigh, and move on to the next thought. 

My baby slept through the night last night, and there was much rejoicing, however I felt like my boobs were going to pop, and that is not even fair! I actually woke her up so that I could get some sweet relief, because there was no was that I was going to sleep with those swollen watermelons affixed to my chest. We are working on the 'let her cry herself to sleep so she can figure out how to self-calm' thing, it is less easy than I had believed it would be. She does okay sometimes, but always seems to wake up after about 30-45 minutes which is totally frustrating, because then she is hungry and still has quite a bit of time before the next feeding. Oooh wise mothers that have gone before me, what do I do about this? And how long should I let her cry before I go in there and save her from her bed, I have such a stubborn Irish baby....I need some wisdom here. 

On a very positive note, we are FINALLY through with thrush! Praise Jesus, that stuff is awful! Camille now has a lovely mouth with no white spots. She is totally enamoured with her tongue, though, and is constantly sticking it out, it is cute for a little bit, but then leads to copious amounts of baby drool. I am hoping this is a phase that passes. With the resolved thrush, and ear infection, we are getting quite a few more baby smiles, which have an amazing property of making everything better. I am totally looking forward to the laughs to come! 

Matt has been working on my parents roof, actually he just finished it today, and has found a possible business partner for the time being. They are talking about picking up several more roofs in the next month or two, which will give Matt time to figure out what he wants to do here. He still wants to do the training, but is also interested in doing some construction stuff, so we will see where God leads us. I am in the process of getting my therapy license in Texas....actually, I am procrastinating getting my therapy license in Texas....because I REALLY do not want to go back to work. I love my job, but staying home is so nice. I am glad that I do not have to work full time, or I would really be depressed. I am thinking about opening my own business here, where I do home evaluations for fall prevention and home modification assessment for those who want to age in place. I think if I could do the consultation and Matt could do the construction, we could have a lovely little moneymaker on our hands. I have to do quite a bit more research, but my goal is to start doing the consultations by the start of 2009. 

Okay...that is enough updates. This blog is officially up to speed and I will hopefully maintain at least a once a week topical post schedule. Here's to hoping!!