Admittedly, they’re not real sit-ups, but it sure does make us laugh for real!
The day Hana Kate turned two, Eden also turned 11 weeks. But sorry Eden, no cake for you yet! 
Milestones: Eden laughed for the first time on Monday. My sister was over and playing with Hana Kate, and apparently Eden thought it was funny. She has laughed one other time when tickled, but can’t get her to repeat it! She is also very close to rolling over from her back to tummy. She gets all twisted up and it looks quite funny!
We also have our first thumb sucker in the family! Eden started sucking her thumb this past week, and I usually find her at naptime with her thumb in her mouth. read more…
Hana Kate was so happy to have her cousins Esther, Elijah, and Charity come over this morning. Hana Kate talks about Esther and Elijah every day, so it was nice to have them here (and for her to talk about other things while they were here.) They all played suspiciously quietly in Hana Kate’s room for a good while while the mommies and little babies enjoyed time together, too. And then they played together making LOTS of noise, running around just yelling cheerfully and laughing!
She still loves dusting! She is so particular, it cracks me up! Sometimes she likes to name off each object she is dusting, too. read more…
She held my left hand, he held my right.
On my left, midwife Amy smiles down saying,
“You can push now.”
Our eyes meet, and we fight back glad tears. God gave us a precious baby girl.
She holds my left hand, he holds her left.
Ahead in the middle, she pulls us along,
“Mommy, Daddy, come.”
Our eyes meet, and we grin. Two years.
Twenty-four months to us. A lifetime for her. A lifetime.
Yesterday she was one. I take a breath, her age doubles, and now she is two.
Two years have flown by, but I remember a few things.
Over 40 hours of labor, a planned home birth, but born in the hospital. 11:01p.m., Saturday night. Brought home on Sunday to a house full of people just in time for supper, where in 2 weeks we would live without heat for the next 3 months. She learned to walk at 10 months while her grandpa was dying, and cheered his dimming face by toddling into his room to say, “Bem-pa.” An impromptu first birthday celebration with my mom and sisters after coming home from her grandpa’s funeral. Happy days, sad days, precious day, but gone by all too quickly.
I’ve learned a few things about her.
She has a tender heart that already empathizes. Tears come to her eyes if she senses someone in pain, hurt, or sees a sad face. Yet in her innocence, she doesn’t know this world is full of pain. The greatest evil she knows is someone not sharing with her…or not allowing her to share with them.
She speaks well for her age, already pasting her words together as sentences, humoring us with her verbal concoctions. A girl she is, loving shoes and purses and making cookies all day long; but all the while with a heart for adventure almost as big as her Daddy’s. She’d have us spin in circles all day if she could; but we are far too dizzy, even sharing the spinning between the two of us. Usually, there’s a screw or two in her pockets or purse, and Daddy’s tool bag always has something fun.
She’ll always be our first, so long as God grants her life and health. Our first second birthday.
We’ll tuck her in tonight as two. What will she be tomorrow?
Happy Birthday number two, sweet Hana Kate.
Forget “Feed Reads,” I should just call it closing tabs that I have open in my browser.
Couch Potato to 5K. This is really cool: a program to help you go from couch to 5K in 9 weeks. Or in my case, from having a baby to running a 5K. I am taking a semi-hiatus until February, and then jumping in!
Taking Back Childbirth. As someone who recently gave birth at home, this article caught my eye. A fairly good article on why there is a segment returning to natural childbirth in the U.S.
The Pond. My husband sent me a link to this video posted on the The Gospel Coalition blog. Basically a good illustration that sin is gross, but people keep wanting to go back.
Not So Smart. The eight-grade final exam from 1895. Guess only having an eight-grade education wasn’t so bad after all. Not sure I’d pass; at least, not without a calculator.
Dapper Snappers. A solution to saggy pants if your kid is tall and skinny. Thanks to Shannon for the link.
The Amish Exception. The Amish will be exempt from fines for not having insurance under the new health care.
Zero Tolerance. Chris Anderson speaks on the importance of guarding the pulpit.
Trust in God. The words of Trust in God, My Soul, which have been running through my head lately.
Feed Reads are one way I plan on cataloging notable online reads I find. Doesn’t mean I necessarily agree with everything I read or the authors.
Tonight I glanced in the girls room, and felt older. I feel old seeing 2 beds for 2 girls. I feel old seeing a twin bed for Hana Kate.
Hana Kate and Daddy the morning after her first night's sleep in the big girl bed.
Last night we put Hana Kate in her big girl bed, and put Eden in Hana Kate’s old crib. Eden has already been sleeping in Hana Kate’s room at night (which I suppose is now “the girls room”) in her little sleeper, but taking some naps in the crib by day. A new bed for Hana Kate was well overdue. Hana Kate was sooooo excited to get a new bed. She was running up and down the hall yelling, “new bed!” “Hana Kate, new bed!” while Daddy put it together. Both girls did great with the initial transition and slept all night! Apparently all the excitement wore Hana Kate out, as she slept all the way until 8:30a.m.!
Eden, smiling in her sleep.
Thanks to our good friends the Kindstedts for passing along an unneeded bed back when my sister lived with us a couple of years ago. It’s being put to good use once again! We’ve since rearranged the room, so the bed is no longer in front of the window.
“Jesus, come back?” she asks. Her eyes light up, and again she questions, “Jesus? Coming? Later?”
Where she learned this question, or latched onto this constant desire for knowing about Jesus, I do not know. But every day, she asks.
We play together.
“Jesus, play?”
She hears her sister start to stir.
“Jesus, cry?”
We sit at the table.
“Jesus, eat?”
Throughout the day, her thoughts return to Him, to Jesus. To other favorite friends, yes; but He is always included.
Family and friends come and go as the day progresses, and she asks of Him. When is He coming?
Furrowed eyebrows, and concern in her voice ask again,
“Jesus, coming?”
Her eyes light up at the prospect. Her eyes sometimes water.
This not-yet-two-year old, this not-yet-theologian asks me what my mind otherwise fails to ask even once a day. She wants to know. Does He cry? Does He get boo boos. Does He go to the playground? Is He happy? She wants to be with Him.
I want to want Jesus like she does.
Eden is now 9 weeks old. Hard to believe she’s 2 months old now. Whoever told me things go more quickly with the second was right. But I am soaking up these special days. read more…
I love this picture of Hana Kate from Christmastime holding her only stuffed character, a yard sale treat (she picked it out–it was so cute!) for being good while yard saleing this past year.
A year ago today, my dad went to heaven, just before the inaugural address aired on TV. We like to think he did that on purpose. (If you knew my dad, you would think that was funny. ) It was a sunny day, and Hana Kate were playing in the living room while my mom was in the bedroom with him. Hana Kate and I had both seen him that morning, and I think even greeted him. We didn’t know it would be so soon. Those last few days together were so precious, and I am thankful Hana Kate and I stayed over that weekend. In the hours after my dad’s death, we had several visitors, and Hana Kate kept us all entertained. It was a special, precious time.
Here is a cute video of Hana Kate with my dad in September 2008, 4 months before he passed away:
