Reading

LHR loves books. She loves to sit on my lap and hear her favorite stories. She loves to sit surrounded by her books, turning the pages, babbling. She loves to have her books recited/sung to her at any time - bath time, at the park, in the car.... anywhere. When she is having a hard time at her gym class, I pull a book out of my pocket to give to her and she immediately calms down (and at least doesn't disrupt circle time, even though she may not be participating). I love that she loves books, it is something that we will always share.

Watching Olivia

Sweet girl loves her Olivia. I don't know exactly understand the appeal.... I tried to "push" Octonauts and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for a while to no avail, but Olivia is definitely her preference. Here are some shots of her laughing at episodes she has seen about a million and one times. :-)

Where are you going Mom?

My sweet girl on the inside looking out.

Birthday Pics - The Second Cupcake

We were able to go home for a quick visit, and at the Woodman residence, the pink cupcake was introduced. She was pink for days, and B's shorts have a permanent pink stain that makes him smile with the memory every time he wears them. She had a lot of fun hanging out with her cousins and the rest of her family.

Birthday Pics - Friends

Some wonderful friends were on hand to spend some time together with us.

Birthday Pics

"How amazing. She is already one. What a precious person she has become."

Sleepy girl

Our little family

Our little family.We have a lot of fun.

My sweet darling. She brings a smile to my face every time I see her or think about her.

we love to be outside

We love to be outside. When weather permits, you will find us walking in the neighborhood, hanging out at the pond. The geese love to see us coming since we always bring treats.


hanging with Mom


sweet little girl


Watching her Dad feed the geese

to the pond

She seems to like to be outside.... or maybe she senses that I like to be outside, how calm I am when outdoors, and it calms her also. Who knows? Either way, here are some shots from our trips to our little neighborhood pond.

tears

you produce enough moisture to coat your eyes
to ensure lids and eyes work in concert to view this new world

you cry with enough volume to pierce my ears
even resonating with other matter at times; did you know you can make stuff vibrate just by causing your own vocal folds to vibrate?

you have many different cries by now, even though you have only been here for six short weeks.
your adorable hungry cry makes me laugh, and i'm sure you don't think that is funny at all.
but your "i'm in pain" cry makes me hurt, physically hurt.

and i'm so glad that you produce enough moisture to coat your eyes
but you are not yet mature enough to produce tears.
i don't know how my heart will handle it when they arrive.
i'm already producing the tears for you.

some happy moments in parenting

It has been a pretty rough road with breastfeeding issues, gastrointestinal problems, etc. And Brent has hardly been around... not because he hasn't wanted to be of course, but between work and school and guard duty, he has not been home much at all.
So, I've needed some happy moments in parenting.
And today I received some.
The first moment occurred this afternoon. My beautiful daughter was made even more beautiful when she offered her first social smile to me. Wow. It took my breath away. A real smile, not in response to gas or in her sleep, lasting more than a second or two. It lit up her eyes, she held it for a bit. Wow. I can't wait to photograph it for you, it is truly beautiful.
The second moment occured on our ride home. She was in the back seat by herself, and began to cry.... and we still had a good 10 minutes or so to go. I was singing to her songs from the radio, talking to her, nothing seemed to work. Then I began to sing one of the songs I sing to her every night, "Baby Mine." She immediately calmed. Wow. To know that she recognizes a song I sing to her every night, that it is comforting to her, even at this early age.... I felt like a total hero.
I really needed today.

that arm must be free

Here is a picture of Lenorah in a nightgown, sleeping peacefully on her Dad. No, it is not intended to be an off-the-shoulder garment. But she MUST have at least one of her arms free at all times - when clothes are in her way, this is her solution. When a good swaddle impedes the freedom, believe us, she will fight and scream to free it.
I love that she already has a mind of her own.

my love song for Lenorah Hope

"To Make You Feel My Love"

When the rain is blowing in your face,
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
Though winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet

Make you happy, Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love, To make you feel my love

Too cute

It is amazing how much time we can spend staring at the beautiful faces of innocent little babies.

Sleepy little girl

Light and Hope

Lenorah Hope Richardson decided to arrive on August the 10th.

She gave us quite a scare - and that is an understatement, as I still start to shake when I think of the events of the afternoon - but she is here safe and sound.

She tried to come naturally, but something stopped her. Everytime I had long intense contractions, her heart rate would drop drastically..... even off the grid for nearly 5 minutes.

Terror. Desperation. That is what I knew in those moments. And Brent's eyes. And prayer.

She stabilized. Then it happened again. She stabilized. Then it happened again.

Five minutes later, I was on the table receiving an emergency C-section. And the doctor says "No wonder!" And Brent goes away. And I hear a cry. Finally.

It ends up her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck 3 times. And when I would have a contraction and she would descend, it was choking her. Hence the "No wonder!"

But she is here. And she is wonderful and beautiful. And she has brought more light into our world. And she is everything we had hoped for.

Bitter and Sweet

"Life at best is bittersweet." ~Jack Kirby

I was not sure what today would bring. I approached it with no small amount of disquiet, as the combination of bitter and sweet and pregnancy hormones did not seem very promising for a successful work day. Today my heart was focused on one we lost a year ago today, one we never got to meet..... while also eagerly awaiting the one very soon to arrive. How to deal with such conflicting emotions?

The day was quite distracting, so that certainly helped.... and I know two people in particular were sending special prayers my way.... and I work with amazing people.... and I have a husband who is God-sent. Still, the distractions and the workload were not enough. During the time that I did have to reflect, I thought of all of the things we take for granted, the little miracles that happen everyday and thus seem so commonplace. Until, boom, something stops the miracle in its tracks.

And I don't want to take things for granted, especially this child of ours. Who knows what the future holds? Who knows how long we will have each other? Certainly not me. So, I need to cherish each day, as if there were no more days.

This is not a new life blueprint.....quotes abound about this topic, movies and songs too. But sometimes it takes the combination of bitter and sweet for it to really be understood.

So, I sit here, writing to no one, writing cathartically, with Baby Girl moving around, getting herself positioned for entry into this world, and I thank her for every movement, every painful twinge, every late night and early morning bathroom break, every stretch mark.... for I am so glad for the opportunity to be part of this little miracle.

Blessings

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." ~Eric Hoffer

I remember a song from one of my favorite movies, "White Christmas" - "When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep...." When I count my blessings of late, they just go on and on and on. And probably they always did, but maybe I just notice them more now? Perhaps an advantage of more years behind me, more perspective.... who knows....

Career, friends, money, spiritual, health/physical, gifts, family, etc.... Blessings abound in all of these areas. And it is so overwhelming. Who am I, who are we, to deserve such goodness? And the outpouring of love, gifts, thoughtfulness, time, travel, etc., from those in our lives is so very humbling. Who am I, who are we, to deserve such goodness?

My first instinct is to figure out how to repay it. But I'm learning about the beauty of love and generosity...... When we give it to others, it is not something that we expect back, but something that is given because it is right to do so and/or it is needed. Along with that, we are also learning that it is not something you have to instantly repay with something tangible, but rather something that you should vow to do everyday, a way of life.

A life of love and generosity. What could be better?

We are so excited for our little girl to arrive. And so happy that she is already surrounded by love and thoughtfulness. How lucky and blessed she is already.