Ramblings
Right now I'm sitting in my daughter's bedroom, a room that she'll use eventually, in a rocking chair listening to the cars pass and the birds chirping in the tall trees behind our townhouse. It's a beautiful morning, cold, but it's going to be very warm today. I had some coffee with two oatmeal chocolate chip cookies made just last night. Claire is sleeping in the other bedroom on this floor in our bed so I'll be able to hear her when she wakes up. I'm taking advantage of this quiet time. I wrote an e-mail to my French host family with whom I stayed during the 1995-96 school year when I studied in Lyon, France. Their daughter, now 16 probably, is coming to Portland this summer to spend six weeks or more with my parents and with us for part of the time. I feel grateful that we've been able to stay in contact with this family! They are very kind and I have many great memories from my time spent in France with them. I hope Noemie will have the same kind of memories!
This Sunday Claire is going to be baptized. I'm looking forward to that event, but I'm also looking forward to having lots of our family at our church. For most it'll be the first time they've seen our church and who knows for some when the last time they went to church was. It's a way to share our faith with them without words. We feel blessed to have found our church and I feel blessed that we have so much family in the area! Speaking of which, I better e-mail everyone with directions to the church and ideas for what to bring to the potluck afterwards!!!
Thank you Claire for taking a nice long nap this morning...
This weekend Claire got to see three out of four of her aunts, her grandparents (my parents), her paternal grandma, her paternal grandpa and his wife, her great uncle and aunt, and a first cousin once removed! Claire is a lucky little girl, but I think she made everyone who got to see her very happy with her whole-body smiles.
Next weekend they (at least most of the immediate family) will be at her baptism. Their presence will be noticed at our church because new attendees are always recognized! I like that about our church, its smallness.
We found out that our pastor who is taking a year off to spend more time with her family is going to be replaced by another woman. I think that is exciting for our church! We weren't members for the previous pastor change 6-7 years ago, but I believe there was a woman pastor before. I wonder if there are more female ministers in the Methodist church right now or if our church body has regularly requested women?
My sister's boyfriend and my sister go to a very big Presbyterian church. I used to go there because it was walking distance from my apartment and had evening services on the weekends so I could sleep in without guilt! I got connected with my current Bible study through that church's singles group and I'm still a member of the study group since January of 2000 I think. Obviously, the church worked for me for awhile. Unfortunately, I could always go and leave without saying "hi" to anyone. I wasn't accountable to anyone aside from a few people I knew that I'd see occasionally. It is too big for me! Around the time when I met my husband they were starting a fund-raiser to build a gigantic new sanctuary dangerously close to a wetlands area. I was happy to stop attending that church because I'd much rather give my money to a more worthy cause than allowing a church to become even more daunting in size. Not to mention the fact that I have a little bit of a green streak in me and felt for the Portland area's diminishing wetlands areas!
As Claire exercises her arms, legs and face under the little play gym she's become familiar with, I'm stealing a few seconds to write.
Last night I woke up--not sure why? Claire was a little more restless than normal, but I was also stressed about today's plans. I scheduled too much in one day. Silly to think about teaching full-time, being at of the house earlier than 7am and now, not wanting to leave the house before 10am. So before I could get comfortable and go back to sleep I had to solve my problem of scheduling. Of course, the answer's simple, just don't do one or two of the activities. Life will go on! We'll all be happier! Spending a long day in the car with a little baby who needs to nurse frequently and who, if crying, can't be held!!!
Claire's squirming a little so it's time to change her morning, poopy diaper and get on with our day! One of the morning's activities (after calling 2 people to reschedule flexible play date appointments) is to finish watching Mona Lisa Smile in French with French subtitles. Hopefully, Claire will pick up on some of the French I speak to her as well as the French heard in the background on various movies. Only time will tell.
This is a test of my comment function.
nursing...such a beautiful, powerful action... who would have thought i could keep another alive this long just by offering her my breast! how easy, yet monumental... God was the tremendous architect of our bodies to design such a feature. the entire childbearing process is amazing to me. each time i sing "amazing grace" i'm in awe of God's thoughtfulness, kindness and love he gave to us so we might share it with others... sounds cliche, repeatative, but having a baby made me truly learn how to love and nurture someone other than myself...selfishness isn't an option nearly as often for me now! unless it's selfish to want a happy, healthy baby...
I'd like to write a book someday. I think many people say that, but then, the question is, what to write about?
Right now, my baby is laying down on the floor beside me, looking up at a multli-colored, multi-patterned quilt as she talks to it and wildly kicks her legs and waves her arms. She was under a Lamaze play gym type of thing while I checked e-mail so honestly, her time of self-entertaining is coming to an end. She's 2 1/2 months tomorrow and it has felt like, at times, that she'll open her mouth and start talking.
holding a new baby in my arms in wonderful... 2 months & 11 days old, it's still so easy to just hold her especially when i don't have too many chores to get done. she's so beautiful and peaceful, sleeping here in my arms.
i resigned my teaching job and have colleagues who are expecting and planning to return to work... hard to choose for some. i'm relieved that i chose to stay home. i am more at peace since i've made that decision and have been thankful for all the support i've received from friends, family & even colleagues!
We're two of a kind. Read what my husband thinks at
"Who writes this stuff, anyway?"
Baby is getting squirmy so this may be short. She's two months old this Monday and very cute. I think she's hungry so I'll be back later.
+July+Network.JPG)
+July+Network.JPG)
