Mommy Mush-Brain

Before becoming pregnant with Leah, I had heard about Mommy mush-brain, but I was skeptical. "That won't happen to me," I thought. But then, I slowly began losing my mind (or at least misplacing it). While teaching, I'd blank mid-sentence or thought. Previously I'd easily come up with literary or grammatical examples for students, but that skill soon eluded me. "What is happening to me?" Mommy mush-brain was setting in.

"Surely this will pass once Leah arrives," I naively assumed. Silly me. Those first few weeks were filled with mush-brain moments... at least, I think so. After all, I don't really REMEMBER that time due to the sleep deprivation. Maybe that's proof in and of itself.

Fast forward to present day. Instead of diminishing, the mush-brain has intensified, and has now infiltrated my adult-world (as in conversations, people). For instance, the difference between the verbs "bring" and "take" cause me daily anguish. (When do I use which one? I used to know this!!!) And of course I find myself tongue-tied too often to count. If I'm not mixing up words ("Shake a hand's friend;" "slap a cap back"), I'm completely at a loss for them (and that's not saying much considering my rather minuscule vocabulary to begin with).

I used to be (somewhat) informed. Now I'm clueless about what's going on in the world. (Confession: it was days before I actually heard about the oil spill in the Gulf.) I used to have meaningful conversations about non-kid related topics (not that kid-related topics aren't meaningful), and now I struggle to think of something to discuss.

Oh, to be cured of this Mommy mush-brain affliction... but still have the perk of being a Mommy!

Worth a 1,000 Words

Need I say more?

Happy Father's Day... a Bit Early

Yes, this is a few days early, but I have the time now. Just wanted to take a moment to say how grateful I am for my husband, Scott. He willingly gives up his days to provide for us so that I don't have to work, and then when he gets home, exhausted though he might be, he jumps right in with taking care of Leah. He's a phenomenal dad, and Leah just lights up when she sees him. Guess who's already a daddy's girl at the age of 15 months?

In honor of my hubby and all that he does for me and Leah, here are a few photos.

Leah didn't want to sit still for this photo; guess it's because she's ready to ride the HD on her own.

Snacking on trail mix (well, just the Cheerios) and watching hockey with Daddy.

Leah's first car... yeah, right!

Going for a zebra ride with Daddy's help.

Leah loves her shoulder rides!

Scott helps Leah work on her walking.

Taking time to enjoy Leah's favorite activity: reading. (Funny how Scott's version of the stories is quite different from the text on the page.)

Safe in Daddy's arms as they check out the falls.

Memorial Day

Leah & Connor enjoy the water table.

Leah mistakes the water table for a drinking fountain.

Leah wasn't sure what to make of this bug mask.

Leah finally had a chance to meet Aunt Megan

Memorial Day weekend found us in South Carolina visiting some dear friends who moved down there last year. Our trip down was uneventful... until we passed High Point, NC. Then we hit traffic all the way down to Charlotte thanks to the big race that weekend (which I hadn't known about). I guess the traffic wouldn't have been so bad had it just been Scott and me, but poor Leah was ready to be out of her carseat by then. Thankfully, she settled down and took a nap; unfortunately, because of the heavy traffic, we didn't make much progress while she napped.

The rest of the weekend was restful and uneventful. Connor thoroughly enjoyed having Scott around to play with, especially once Scott started firing off Connor's Nerf dart gun. (Saturday night, after Connor had his bath, he came downstairs with Jason to watch Chuggington, but instead of settling down with Jason or Amelia, he cuddled on the couch with Scott, much to everyone's surprise.) That Saturday we went to a nature museum that's tailored to children. Leah and Connor enjoyed looking at all the animals, and especially enjoyed the play area complete with tunnels and a water table. All the excitement and activity wore out both kids, so the four of us had a chance to relax that afternoon while the kids slept.

We went out for BBQ for dinner that night, and Leah made friends with the gentlemen sitting behind us. Hmmm, maybe Scott's going to have to keep a better eye on her much earlier than anticipated!

Though we had initially planned on staying with Jason and Amelia until Monday, we decided to head home on Sunday to avoid some of the inevitable Memorial Day traffic. This was definitely the right decision! We actually made better time heading home than we did on the way down, and that was with a two-hour visit with Megan, Bob, and Norma in Greensboro (well, Burlington)! Yes, knowing that we would be driving by Greensboro, I had told Megan that I wanted to get together, even if it was for a brief period of time. We met up for lunch, and had a good time visiting. The time flew by (as it always does!), and then we were on our way.

Funny how all of this seems ages ago, now. Guess that's what the pictures are for, right?

Thankful

"Thankful" probably isn't the title one might expect to see for this post, especially considering the catalyst. Our family just experienced an unexpected loss, and the family members it affects most immediately have yet to have a chance to mourn it. Yet somehow, in the midst of this sadness, I am thankful.

I am thankful for a God who is bigger than I am. For a God who grants peace and healing. For a God who holds His precious children in His hands, offering comfort. For a God who is strong enough to endure the punches that we throw at Him in the midst of our struggles, our pain, our loss. For a God who is our Father, holding on, protecting us, allowing us to experience the full range of emotions yet reassuring us that we won't experience them alone.

At times like this, I wonder how those who don't believe manage. When life seems out-of-control or we're faced with tragedy, how does someone without faith cope? I honestly wonder.

Faith isn't about weakness. It's about confidence in a God who loves us in spite of our flaws. It's recognizing our own imperfections and deficiencies and inadequacies, and realizing that we can bring them before our God, our Father. Like an earthly father who should protect and love his family, our Heavenly Father allows us freedom to grow and develop as individuals, and loves us even when we misstep or fail. And even better than an earthly father, God completely understands our heartaches and pain because He knows us even better than we know ourselves.

So I thank you, Father God, for being there in the midst of the pain and the heartache. Your presence doesn't lessen the sadness, but it carries me through it, bringing hope.

Great Falls

Happy baby-- on our way home from Great Falls

Leah was too interested in the Falls to be bothered with a family photo.

Freedom!!

This post is a bit belated, but better late than never, right?

Like many of our friends' weekends, ours fill up rather quickly, so I've been trying to "schedule" at least one "free" weekend a month where we don't have any other obligations. This isn't always easy, but I think it's important for us as a family. On those weekends, I like for us to go and do something as a family. This doesn't have to be an all-day affair, but I want us to get in the habit of doing this regularly. I know that Scott likes to use the weekends to relax or catch up on projects, but every so often we need to get out as family.

Mother's Day weekend happened to be our free/ family weekend last month. After viewing a friend's photos on Facebook (thanks for the idea, Christina!), I had decided that we needed to take a trip out to Great Falls. That morning, our venture wasn't looking too certain; it started to rain while Scott was mowing the lawn, and the sky still looked a bit overcast. Still, I convinced Scott that we should stick to the plan.

We packed a picnic lunch and headed out. Surprisingly, traffic wasn't bad (for those of you who don't live around here, traffic is ALWAYS bad on the weekend, especially a nice one), and we made it to the Falls right around lunch.

After lunch, we made our way over to the overlooks to view the Falls. Wow! They were spectacular! Every time we paused to take in the view, Scott would get Leah out of her stroller and let her walk around (which she LOVED). She also loved looking at the Falls; when trying to take her picture in front of them, we couldn't get her to look at the camera because she was mesmerized by the water.

We ventured along the trails for a bit, but they soon narrowed too much for the jogging stroller. Plus, by that time, Leah was exhausted (she did a lot of walking), so we headed back home.

All in all, it was a great way to spend the day. Here's to many more family outings!