A Few Pictures from Easter

As seems to always be the case, Easter day was wet and cold. Fortunately, Shepherd's expectations of an Easter egg hunt are pretty much non-existent, so we just did a little hunt down our house's hallway. Each egg had a chocolate graham cracker bunny in it, so he just made his way through his afternoon snack one egg at a time.
Shepherd also got some an Easter package from his Mamm and Pap. Here he is opening it!
One last picture. This is Shepherd all after we got home from church. Isn't he so cute in his little suit?!?

The Family Tree

Shepherd and I are spending a few days in Menard so that we can help my dad celebrate his 60th birthday tomorrow. Being around family has reminded me of the gene pool where my son's eclectic personality comes from. So, briefly, here is a list of the parts of our immediate families that I see in Shepherd:

BJ: Just look at them.

BJ's Dad (Papa): Inquisitiveness. Papa is a chemist.

BJ's Mom (Nana): An outie. Everyone else in the family tree has an innie belly button. Incidentally, this is the feature of which Shepherd is by far the most proud and the most apt to show off.

BJ's Sister (Auntie Al): Busyness. Just plain old busyness.

Me: A shy streak. When meeting new people he always breifly looks down at his shoes before offering them a smile.

My Dad (Pap): Gluttony.

My Mom (Mamm): Sociability. Mom is the only other person I know who socializes as much as Shepherd when they go to church.

My Brother (Uncle Bro): A love of books.

Sock Man

Every week of toddlerhood brings new developments, obsessions, and (in our son, anyways) quirks. This past week, Shepherd kept pulling BJ's socks out of his sock drawer and bringing them to me. I couldn't figure out what his wanted, so eventually, I just decided to put the socks on him.

He thought this was pretty great, so he brought me another pair. Since he only has two feet (both of which already had socks), I put them on he hands.

Now, socks are officially the coolest toy in the house. Here is a picture from a few days ago when he brought a pair to his father. BJ calls it "Socks on the Go":

I don't know how long socks will hold a fascination with Shepherd. All I know is that toddlers are wonderfully weird little people, which makes them really fun to live with.

A Muddy Puddle

After five days of rain, my little out-doors-man son nearly went in sane this past week. Only once during the week did the rain let up enough for us to run outside. Here's what happened during our brief outing.

Shepherd immediately noticed the giant rain puddle outside our backdoor, so he did what any self-respecting toddler boy would do. He stepped in it.

Then, he squatted down and ran his fingers through the murky waters.

Soon, he realized that muddy puddles were capable of being splashed much like his bath water.

Of course, he isn't allowed to stand in his bath, but he eventually realized that the muddy puddle was a perfect spot to experiment with step splashing.

And the splashing-by-jumping technique.

Then he found a stick.

And he found that you can splash muddy puddles with sticks.

So he set in the middle of the puddle and splashed the muddy waters with his stick for a good fifteen minutes.
As a result of everything I have hereto mentioned, this is what his face looked like prior to me stripping him down in the yard and carrying him at arm's length to the bath tub.

Needless to say, in Shepherd's book, this was the greatest of all great days, and he finds most days to be pretty great.

Mommy's little farmer

This summer, we are hoping to have a garden in a raised bed in our backyard. Currently, the bed is full of very tall grass, but yesterday afternoon, BJ and Shepherd worked together on remedying that problem.

During the afternoon of hard work, it is possible (that is, if the muddy drool is any indication) that Shepherd ate some (or a lot) of the soil.

He ran circles around BJ while BJ pulled and pulled and pulled.

He examined the integrity of the bed walls while the wind blew his hair in a super-model way that makes me giggle.

This photo is only here to demonstrate the general cuteness of dimpled elbows on toddlers.

He also talked and talked and talked about gardening. Of course, his 'talking' has very few actual words in it, but it still all sounds very important.

All in all, it was a good day outside. All this boy wants to do these days is play outside, and when he is happily playing with rocks, sticks, and dirt, I can't help but think that is exactly where little boys belong.

A totally inappropriate blogpost

Words of wisdom I overheard passed from father to son tonight while BJ gave Shepherd a bath:

"Trust me son. That is the last place you want an infection."

The Wedding

As of Saturday, my brother is officially married. When I sat down to write this post, I quickly found that a day and an occasion this momentous and joyful is hard to put into words, so for the sake of ease, here is a top ten list (in no particular order) of my favorite things/moments about Bro's wedding.

1. the rehearsal dinner. Of course, the rehearsal dinner was my family's 'job', and we had a blast doing it. We gave out paper-back classics for party favors, had handmade bookmarks for the place cards, and had beautiful, handmade menus. And the food! The food was a feast of Egyptian food. Sounds odd, I know, but Egyptian food really should be more popular. It is amazing!

2. playing dress up. It had been a while since I had the opportunity to put on a formal dress and really do my hair. Despite being the size of a small fishing boat, there is a little girl within who just wants to be pretty. Also, it was fun seeing my family dressed up. Mom, Dad, and Bro all looked pretty dang spiffy.
3. seeing Shep in a tie. Being a product of BJ's gene pool, this is sure to be a rare thing, so I am choosing to enjoy it while he is too young to protest.
4. catching up with old friends and family. After three years of being secluded in Kentucky, there were a whole lot of people at this wedding who I hadn't seen for years. Also, I'd never met the one-year-old son of my brother's best man, Will. It was a treat both catching up with the old and meeting the new.

5. being a 'groomswoman'. I stood with my brother and Will for the wedding. As cliche as it sounds, it was truly an honor. When I was first asked to be a groomsman, Mom declared that I would be the prettiest groomsman ever. I responded that while I didn't know about that, I was quite sure I'd be the most pregnant. I was right. (As an added bonus, Will was happy to stand next to me because I made him look taller and skinnier.)

6. watching BJ officiate the ceremony. BJ did a wonderful job officiating the wedding. He shared the job with a wonderful minister from the Methodist church were the wedding was held, and they matched up perfectly. BJ gave the sermonette at the beginning of the ceremony, and it was about how marriage is one of the 'thin places' where we see the character of God and the good he intended for us. Hearing my spouse's view on marriage was pleasantly eye-opening. Basically, I'm really glad I'm married to someone who sees marriage the way BJ sees it.

7. BJ dropping the ring. In a priceless oops, BJ dropped one of the rings while he was praying a blessing over them. After amen-ing, he announced, "I just dropped one of the rings, and it is right there (pointing at the bottom of Stephanie's full skirt)." It was easily retrieved, and things moved on.

8. imagining incredibly cute nieces and nephews. Stephanie was a breath-takingly gorgeous bride, so what can I say? My mind went there.

9. taking communion. Bro and Stephanie decided to take communion as their first act as a married couple, and the rest of the church was invited to join them. It was a perfect reminder of the sacredness of marriage, the beauty of our faith, and the generosity of God. Simply put, it was one of those moments when the presence of God was tangible.

10. seeing my brother happy. Honestly, is there anything better?

The Difference Between a Mother and a Father

On learning our second child is a girl...

One of the first things I said was, "Yay! I get to plan a wedding one day!"

At that exact moment, BJ later informed me that he had been thinking, "Oh crap, I have to pay for a wedding one day."

Forget Super Tuesday: Here is the really important news of the day!

Last time, I let BJ share the news, so this time, I'll let Shepherd do the honors.


She is healthy and beautiful and wonderful. She never stopped moving the whole ultrasound. What an unbelievable blessing!

A gift

A couple of weeks ago, one of the wonderful ladies at our church offered to buy BJ a clerical robe. For those of you unfamiliar with these robes, it is a huge deal to get one. Most ministers are given one by the church they grew up in when they are first ordained, and these robes are pretty much used for the rest of one's career. For the next thirty something years, BJ will look like this on Sunday mornings.


Seeing BJ in the robe means so much to me. For one thing, it represents the generosity and kindness of the people at our church. It reminds me that they have taken us in as more than just an employee, but as a treasured member of their family. It is also an outside symbol of what BJ has been constantly being formed into for the past five years of our marriage: a man of God's ministry. Of course, he is that without the robe, but the robe, in all of it's old-world quirkiness, reminds us that this is a calling different from any other God gives, and that it is to be taken seriously by the one who is called and those who support him or her. Perhaps I'm reading a bit much into a robe, but I am very glad BJ was bless with this gift.

*sniff, sniff*

This pregnancy has been quite different from my first. I was more nauseated and more hungry the first trimester than at any other time in my life. I started showing a lot earlier. But mostly, I've just been much more emotional than I remember being with Shepherd. Crying is becoming a daily occurrence. Here are just a handful of the things that are making me cry these days:

1. One of Shepherd's favorite books is Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. Since it is a favorite, I read it 3 to 5 times every single day. The last line of the book is the daddy bunny saying to his son, "I love you all the way to the the moon and back." Everytime I read that last line, all 3 to 5 times a day, 21 to 35 times a week, and 90 to 150 times a month, I cry.

2. If you've ever been around me and BJ, you know that we do a lot of psuedo-argumentative, playful banter pretty much every moment we are together. It is just who we are. During dinner the other night, we were in the middle of some verbal jousting when all of the sudden I broke down crying. Whatever little joke BJ had said apparently hit too close to home, and it hurt my feelings. So like a complete idiot, I started gushing tears in between bites in the middle of a nice evening meal. When BJ started panicking and asking me what was wrong, I simply responded, "I'm just so pregnant."

3. For the past couple of months, BJ and I have been watching through Frasier on Netflix. We just got to the episode where a major character, Niles, has heart bypass surgery. When his wife, Daphne, was telling him goodbye before the surgery, I broke down crying. During what should have been a relaxing lunch hour, BJ paused the episode to see what was wrong with me, I sobbed, "I just can't stop thinking about what it would be like if you ever have heart surgery." I probably should have just made the I'm-so-pregnant excuse again.

On that note, here is a picture of the 4-month bump. It is sizeable.

A few things I love about my 16-month-old son

When we have our outdoor time every day, he relishes everything about it. I guess it is one of those things where I'm seeing the world again through his eyes, but whatever is going on, I find I enjoy doing nothing more than standing outside a lot more than I ever have before.

He has a handsome face. I apologize in advance for broken hearts that might occur as a result of this face.

He has the tiniest bit of a shy streak. It is the part of me that snuck into his gene pool.

My Monday morning grocery shopping took over an hour this morning, and he quietly set in the grocery cart an chomped on some snacks the whole time. As every mother knows, this is something to really, really love.

Happy Valentine's Day from Shepherd

Last year, Shepherd was too small to do much more than wear a cute onesie for Valentine's Day. This year, he got his first official Valentine's gift! It was a card and a box of chocolate's from his Mamm and Pap Pierce. Here are a few pictures of my kiddo enjoying the loot. If he likes eating the box this much, just think how happy he'll be when I let him open it!



Also, as a side note, Tuesdays happen to be laundry day at our house, and laundry day happens to be Shepherd's favorite day. The fact that Valentine's Day landed on a Tuesday is just icing on the cake for Shepherd. So here are some pictures of Shepherd doing what Shepherd loves doing the most: playing with dirty laundry.

On expecting my second child

I just did the pony-tail band loop on my blue jean's button for the first time this pregnancy. It is one of those we-really-are-having-a-baby moments.

Pregnancy number two has been much more surreal than my pregnancy with Shepherd. I don't know if it is because it happened so much sooner than we expected or because we had a miscarriage scare early on (a long story for another time), but it is really hard to believe that we will soon be the four of us. Perhaps, that is why I haven't blogged on this pregnancy quite as much. It hasn't sunk in yet.

That being said, the important things have been the same with this pregnancy. I find myself day-dreaming about who he or she might be. I love reading what size it is with each passing week (right now, he or she is the size of an avocado). I am itching to start the nesting process and get a space and essential items ready (this will kick off in a few weeks when we find out gender). But mostly, I just find myself in the mushy process of falling for a child I can only imagine, a process also known as pregnancy. Despite the surreal-ness of the pregnancy, this is exactly were I want to be.

Oh no.

Shepherd learned how to take his pants off a couple of months ago. He learned how to take his shirt off this evening. We are in a world of trouble. Suffice it to say that for the next five years or so, my kid will be the naked one.

Why we probably shouldn't get a real puppy until Shepherd is a little older

"All done" my foot

Late Sunday evening, BJ, Shepherd, and I returned from a week long trip visiting BJ's family in Northern Indiana. I would like to say is was a lovely trip, and it was in that we got to spend time with family, but other than that, it was a disaster in every way. I'm talking delayed flights, flying all over the country, lost luggage, and lots and lots of vomiting. I'll leave out the gore-y details and stop there.

Suffice it to say, Shepherd was still fighting the Gensic Stomach Bug of 2012 when we arrived home. After a week of periodically being thrown up on and just plain hurting for my son who had been sick for a week, I've been extremely strict about his diet over the past two days. Small amounts of bland food every few hours. That's it. Shepherd, who has always had a healthy appetite, has just about had enough. He is starting to communicate his frustration.

Tuesday morning, I prepared a small bowl of oatmeal. After Shepherd had consumed two thirds of it, I decided he should probably step on the brakes. After I declared, "All done," and put down the spoon, Shepherd stretched as tall as he could in his high chair, peeked over the edge of the bowl, saw the remaining oatmeal, looked up at me, and pointed quite clearly. His look was nothing if not accusatory. I ended up feeding him the rest of the oatmeal, and thankfully, he managed to keep it down.

Despite the general disaster of our vacation, there were some fun times. It snowed significantly while we were up there, so Shepherd got to play in the snow for a while. In closing, here is a picture of my little guy in the snow. Maybe it will erase the image of so very many people up-chucking.

Payback

Here are some of the things my brother did to me when I was a child:

1. Throw me across the living room.

2. Stand me between two trees and kick soccer balls at me as hard as he possible could.

3. Built a house out of couch cushions, put me in it, and jump on it with as much force as he could possibly muster.

4. Leave me outside in a wheel barrel I could not get out of while he ran to the bathroom (aka watched a Cubs game).

5. Lock me in our bathroom during my favorite cartoons with the entirely nonsensical outside lock on our bathroom door.

6. Pelt me with pecans anytime I ventured outdoors.

I could go on, but we'll leave it at that. Suffice it to say, payback has come to greet my brother. This payback comes in the form of a cute little boy who has no concept of personal space. It comes in the form of my son.

So after years and years of torture, justice has been served. As I have mentioned before, my son doesn't exactly smell good, so trust me, my brother is in a world of hurt in that second photo. And as for me, I'm just sitting back enjoy the view of all thing being put right by mamma's little boy.

Who is this toddler, and what did he do with my sweet baby?

It is becoming increasingly more evident that I'm no longer dealing with a baby. Somewhere along the way in these past 14-1/2 months, my baby became a toddler. It is a terrifying development, but it is impossible to deny. Here are just a handful of things that babies don't do that my son does, and thus, leads me to the conclusion that he is now a toddler:

1. Babies don't run as fast as they can from their mothers when they have acquired some little treasure they don't won't to relinquish, such as chokeable-sized rocks or dried dog poop.

2. Babies don't lift the lid on the toilet and splash the water or drop toys in it to save for later.

3. Babies don't smell this bad. What is it about little boys that they smell so bad?

4. Babies don't scream, "Da!" and try to wiggle out of their mothers grasp in the middle of church because they just discovered their dad is the preacher.

5. Babies don't demand that you read the same 4 or 5 books 5 or 20 times a day every day. And reading a book to your son isn't exactly something you can say no to.

Given that babies do none of these things and my son does all of these things, I'd say I have a toddler on my hands. I really don't know when he grew up. But the good news is, despite all the ornery behavior, he has somehow managed to become cuter than ever. Also, babies don't run up to you and give you tight hugs and wet kisses about every half hour, which is food for my nauseated, exhausted, first-trimester-of-pregnancy soul. Overall, I guess I can learn to live with this particular development.

Christmas 2011

This Christmas has been a blessing in many ways. In no particular order, here are five blessings of this holiday season.

1. On the first Sunday of advent season, BJ and I got this:If the joy and anticipation of a second child isn't a blessing, I don't know what is. I am 9-1/2 weeks along, and our due date is July 23rd!

2. This was my first Christmas hosting at my own home. Due to all-day morning sickness for the past four weeks, I was totally useless, but it was still wonderful having my family in my home for a holiday. And of course, my work horses of a mother and father made up for my inability to do much more than lay around and moan.

3. This was also our first Christmas with my brother's fiance, Stephanie. She entertained Shepherd during the moments my nausea subsided enough for me to get in the kitchen, did a lot of her own delicious cooking to contribute to our feast, and washed lots and lots of dishes. Like I said, this is a list of blessings.
4. Yet another first, this was our first Christmas to share with our new church family. The Christmas Eve service was touching and a wonderful reminder of what we were all celebrating in the first place. Just in case you were wondering, we did wake Shepherd up and take him to the service. He was in a daze the whole hour, so we are pretty sure he thought it was a really bazaar dream. Here is a picture of our family at church Christmas morning, and for the record, my appearance in this picture is not due to over-indulgence over the holidays, but rather to the fact that woman show a lot earlier in second pregnancies.
5. And last but not least, Shepherd was, as always, a blessing to watch this Christmas. He still is too young to really get the whole present thing, but his personality is developing in big ways, and he did really enjoy studying all of his new toys. So on that note, here are some pictures of our little guy playing with his loot.

A Very Important Announcement

Just in case you haven't heard yet, my brother and his girlfriend, Stephanie, got engaged last weekend. Wedding plans have begun, and we are all so excited! Shepherd is so very happy to be gaining an aunt. The more people to dote on him, the happier he is.

So congratulations Bro and Stephanie! We love you guys! Here is a not-so-good picture of all of us from last summer.

It couldn't possibly be two weeks

It is amazing how fast time flies between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm sorry it has been 2 weeks since I posted, but I'm afraid I've spent the last week in the nearly internet-less abyss of Menard. It was relaxing and wonderful, but I guess I better get back on the ball.

My mother got on to me while I was in Menard for not bringing my camera and for never doing blog posts on my trips down there. So to make up for it, here are a few poignant and deeply moving (though pictureless) points about my week in Menard.

1. Shepherd's cheeks are a little chubbier after a week in Menard. For every meal, he had total access to three plates as well as his own. And if you know anything about my son, you know that where there is food, he is there to eat it.

2. I got to eat all the Southern food I love that BJ is not too keen on. One night, we had pinto beans and corn bread. It was divine. Shepherd ate a full serving and then some.

3. I was lazier than any one has a right to be last week. One day, Shepherd and I were both still in our pajamas when Mom and Dad got home for their lunch hour. That just isn't like me.

4. While Shepherd relentlessly ran around creating complete and total chaos, my parents kept marveling that they don't remember me ever doing these things. I have already concluded that Shepherd got almost nothing from me, but I've also concluded that I'm perfectly fine with that. He is so his own person, and it is just fascinating to watch the big personality God made growing in Shepherd. He is a hand full, but we are all having fun chasing him.

5. Speaking of Shepherd being a hand full, he has decided that he does not like having poopy diapers changed. His response is to cry while doing everything in his power to escape. One day, I was needing to make some phone calls, so Mom and Dad were watching him. When I was done, I walked in their room to find them changing a poopy diaper. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, Shepherd was hanging halfway off the bed screaming with his little naked hind end sticking up in the air, and Mom and Dad where just trying to get wet wipes out as quickly as possible. By the time they finally finished, my Dad said, "I don't remember you or your brother doing that." I have a funny feeling we never did.