David, Michele and … Piper

Herb and Lulie Thomas are in our community group.  They signed up two years ago to be a “mentor couple” while we went through a Tim Keller Bible study with two other couples (Jennifer & Grant Farrell, and Jackie & Adam Tarnow) and have since moved into an “advisory role” in the group.  Basically, they love us too much to leave us and the feeling is mutual–but they also have their own community group that they attend weekly!

This couple is amazing.  They have a wonderful story of redemption–as individuals and as a couple.  Lulie is known around town for the awesome post-abortion recovery ministry she started at our church called Someone Cares–after going through one herself many years ago.  She was a very wounded woman when Herb wooed her 30+ years ago, and she didn’t decide to work through the damage until 10+ years into their marriage.  But God restored what the locusts had eaten.  He healed Lulie’s broken heart and set it on fire for Him.  And Herb stuck with her–through thick and thin–and found the Lord along the way!  Precious.  And so they comfort others who have been where they have been–both in the post-abortion recovery ministry and doing pre-marital (and post-marital!) counseling for couples just like us.  We aren’t exactly sure when they sleep because they also stay quite busy with The Thomas Law Firm.

Anyway, Lulie met a girl who knows someone who knows someone somewhere, and somehow she’s been asked to go to Taipei, Taiwan for two weeks and speak about post-abortion healing to all the women that the Lord rounds up there.  Herb is not going to be left behind.  No sir!  He’s going, too.  And it’s only fitting because they belong together.  They are like peas and carrots.  Anyway, we are so fired up for them and this HUGE opportunity that the Lord has put before them.  I have been praying one of my favorite verses for them–Isaiah 61:1-4:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on Herb & Lulie, because the LORD has anointed them to preach good news to the poor. He has sent them to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.  They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

They are scheduled to leave on February 23rd and there are many details that need to fall in place between now and then–from curriculum for the program to travel logistics to work coverage while they are away.  Please join us in praying for safe passage for this couple and their friend, Angel, and for the Lord to gather crowds of hurting women to hear His message of redemption and begin healing their wounded souls.

We also asked Pip to get a little pep rally going for them (see photo above).  She showed up for the photo shoot looking cute.  As usual.  And we are anxiously awaiting the full report when they return. Herb is a professional iPhone photographer so we are expecting at least a few snapshots when they get back.

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.  Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.  How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! -Psalm 127:4 & 5

Doriann Kimaya Fontenot was born January 27, 2010 at 2:12 pm.  She weighed a whopping 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19.5 inches long.  Mama and baby are doing great, and hanging out at Presby Dallas for another day or two. Doriann is already the apple of her Daddy’s eye!

Proud Papa, full of smiles:

Adoring Mama:

Joy and amazement!!

Congratulations on your precious little gift from the Lord, Rashaad and Valerie!  We love you guys!

We tried on a headband yesterday that was a gift from our friend Andrea when Pip was a baby.  I always said “no big bows or flowers”.  I’m a tomboy like that.  But this looks more like work-out wear (as my cousin Courtney so kindly pointed out) and looked cute.  So we had to take some pics.  The boxes in the background are yet another wonderful piece of our floor installation project that I will be very excited to have wrapped up in two weeks.

I don’t think Pip likes stuff on her head.  Here’s how she feels about it:

I love Play Group.  Piper loves Play Group.  Play Group loves Play Group.  Every Thursday morning is a lovefest of moms and babies, hanging out together and having fun in various locations.  Back in November (yes, NOVEMBER) we went to Northpark Mall and then to “Baby Bounce”, which is a fun, half hour, sing-along program hosted by the book store there.  Here are some pics from that event:

Squeaks and Mommy (some of us appear to be having more fun than others).

Erika and Raylee.

Casey and Marshall Mellow (and Marshall’s shoe).

Lisa and Jack.

Natalie and Peyton.

Jennifer and Mia.

Mia, Marshall and Pip.

We also met our good friends Berit and Sloan for lunch at Northpark one day in November and had lots of fun.  Berit showed us how to go up and down on the escalator with the stroller.  Breakin’ the rules, breakin’ the rules!  Sloan taught me that I was far too concerned about the bite size that Pip is capable of eating without choking.  Sloan can fit a whole chicken nugget in that tiny little mouth of hers.  Pip’s bite sizes have increased by about 50% since that day.  Thank you, Sloan!  Berit is the kind of friend that you can hang out with and learn something new every time–either about yourself or the world or both.  We love spending time with them and wish we had more of it!  Here’s an action shot of little Sloany at the table (she’s getting SO BIG):

For Thanksgiving, we had all the family members (who were in town and not working) from both sides at our house.  I think there were 14 adults, 2 kids and 2 babies, including Pip.  It was stressful getting all the food on the table and everyone seated, but after that it was pretty relaxing and fun.  Here is the cast of characters in attendance:

Pip’s cousin, Cece Wiener.

Cece’s sister, Stella.

Stella’s brother, Luke (who is three days older than The Pip).  His face is a little messy, but yours would be, too, if you were almost 10 months old and eating a big dinner!

Dave Wiener, Father of Three.

Lizzie Wiener, Wonder Mom.

David’s other sister, Dede.

Dede’s new-ish beau, Orion.

David’s brother, Charlie.

Charlie’s sweet sweetie, Brandy.

David’s mom, Sheila Peters (a.k.a. Sheesh or She-She).

David’s dad, Paul Peters (a.k.a. Cutie Pie).

My aunt Linda, cousin Jeremy (turning 18 today) and cousin Courtney.

Strangely enough, I don’t have a single photo of my handsome husband from that day.  He was looking good, though!  Anyway, here’s a pic of the spread in the dining room.  We had two other eating areas that day.  This is the only one we captured on film.

And here’s a post-grub partial family pile-up on the sofa.  Charlie and Lizzie are twins–and you can tell by the matching iPhone obsession.  Lizzie is working on a high-score and Charlie is showing Lizzie’s kids a movie or something.  Dede is affectionately rubbing Mr. Clean’s head.  Makes me want to make a big family of my own, but we might be a little too old to start trying for all that.  Haven’t ruled out adoption yet.

It was a beautiful day, so some of us went for a walk to work off the gravy and potatoes.  We went to the playground at the elementary school down the street, where Pip will hopefully attend–unless we home school or she goes to the magnet school down the way.  Who knows?  We’re not even potty trained yet.  We have a few things to work on before we start talking schools.

The day before Thanksgiving, I vowed we would never have it at our house again.  But it ended up turning out so well and everyone seemed to have such a good time…  that I think we should have it at our house again next year.

A couple of days later, we all got together at my in-laws’ house and got a good shot of Dede with her sweet boyfriend, Orion.  He is a very welcomed addition to the family.  We were hoping we wouldn’t scare him off at Thanksgiving, but he fit right in and, clearly, doesn’t scare easily.  He lived in a teepee when he was really little.  Very impressive.  We sure hope to keep him around for a long time.  He’s not only VERY good to Dede, but he can cook, too!  Happy Birthday, Orion!  He shares my cousin Jeremy’s birthday.

While we were over there, cousin Luke took a swing at our little Pipsqueak.  Here’s a shot of Luke’s best innocent face… seems harmless doesn’t he?

But here is the photo evidence to prove that little boys are VERY different from little girls, in more ways than one.

The next week, for Play Group we met at Collin Creek Mall to hang out with Santa.  Pip doesn’t like Santa yet.  He wanted her to SIT in his lap.  She’s a stander.  She only stands these days.  Santa knows lots of stuff, but he didn’t know that.  Silly Santa.

Anyway, this is a pic of the proud parents-to-be (Valerie is scheduled to be induced next week–can’t wait to meet Baby Fontenot!)

The following Play Group was held at Lisa’s house and we all brought a holiday dish to pass and did a gift exchange for the moms.  Our photographer in the bunch, Whitney, took a picture of all the kids together and did quite well in light of the mayhem.  The sofa was a couple of inches too short to fit everyone, so Pip ended up a little smooshed on the far left.  She also didn’t nap that morning, so she was NOT happy.  Poor baby!

Randomness.  This is one of my favorite pics of The Squeaks and me, taken some time around the holidays.

Speaking of the holidays, here’s a picture of our tree (and the few measly gifts under it).  This photo doesn’t do it justice.  I will have to ask my photographer friend, Whitney, how to best capture this object on film next year.

And here’s a picture of our new stockings.  I love them!

It snowed this year on Christmas.  David took this shot that morning.  It was so fun to have snow!  That’s Pip’s swing in the back yard.  She LOVES it.  And she loves the back yard.  She stares longingly out the window when we’re inside.

We went to David’s parents’ house for Christmas dinner.  David’s brother, Chris, is a five star chef.  We LOVE it when he cooks.  He made beef tenderloin.  David’s mom made a twice baked potato casserole and David made green beans.  One thing that stands out about Peters Family Cooking is the bacon.  Lots of it.  In everything.  Notice the bacon flecks in everything?

Here’s the fam, stuffing face.

In more recent events…  Piper kind of bear crawls these days.  It’s not a full crawl, it’s just a way to move a couple of feet until she can pull herself up and start cruising around.  She can circle around the coffee table at an amazing speed.  We should start timing her.  I think she hits a new speed every day.  She can now walk being assisted with only one hand.  Everyone seems to think that she’ll be walking by herself in no time.  I am incredulous.  Especially since we mostly skipped the crawling.  Here are two rare shot of her in Crawl Position.

We have had quite a few photo shoots lately–here are two shots that are too cute NOT to share.  The cute little pink outfit is from her Great Auntie Linda who has been giving us a hand with babysitting lately.  Man, we appreciate her a whole bunch!

We found her standing up in her crib last week.  We didn’t get a picture of it, but the next day David got this hilarious shot.

In addition to Mama and Dada (and she seems to know which one is which), Piper can now say “buh” for ball and “kuh” for book.  Every time David changes her diaper, they review her name on the wall, spelling “P-I-P-E-R… Piper!”  So David went in the other morning to get her and she was sitting up in her crib, facing the wall where the letters to her name are hung.  He said, “Good mooooorning!” and she looked at the wall and said, “Pie-puh”.  All I heard through the monitor was screaming: “Babe!  She said her name!”  She has KNOWN her name for quite a while, but the association with the name on the wall PLUS saying it aloud was so fun.

This one warms my heart:

Someone got some new walking shoes:

And a new coat for Christmas from Uncle David and Miss Keri:

That’s why I haven’t posted in a while.

Piper,

You are such a treasure to us.  The Lord has been using you in a big way to refine your daddy and me.  Thanks to you, we are learning new communication skills and problem-solving within our relationship. This tends to be an area of weakness, but God is making us better through your presence in our lives!  We are kinder and more tender with each.  We are less selfish, more other-centered.  Don’t get me wrong, we are a long way from perfect–and by the time you are old enough to read this, you will see daily examples of our huge imperfections!  But our lives are so much richer, thanks to you.  Oh, so much richer!

You have been amazing to watch these past eight weeks.  You gain new skills and master new noises and sounds almost daily, including clicks and clucks and tsks, etc.  The first “word” you said is “Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma” (despite my repeated attempts at teaching you to say “Dada” when he wasn’t looking).  However, you quickly moved on to “Da-da-da-da” and even said “Pie-pa” the other day!!  We have wooden letters of your name hanging above your changing table and every time he changes your diaper, Daddy says your name and then spells it to you, pointing to each letter.  You LOVE it.  And you love to try to touch the letters, but we won’t let you because you knock them off the wall.  Anyway, Daddy was changing your diaper and I was spectating.  He said “I’m going to spell your name now.  P-I-P-E-R.  That spells Piper!”  And then  you said “Pie-pa” right back to him.  And we both looked at each other, shocked!  You’ve done it a couple of times since.

Side note:  one of your favorite things in the whole wide world is mimicking your daddy.  It’s one of his favorite things in the whole wide world, too.  And seeing the two of you together is one of MY favorite things in the whole wide world.  Be still, my beating heart!  Here’s a clip of my two favorite people reading the paper together:

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Back to your new words…  This morning you said “Ba-ba” as Daddy was leaving for work.  You haven’t mastered the wave yet, but you shake your arm up and down a little bit sometimes.  You also do that when you want milk–the sign language word for “milk” involves moving your hand up and down.  Sometimes, out of nowhere, you have the funniest random bursts of words–a string of babbley consonants and vowels!  You are growing so much in your verbal skills!  We are pretty sure that you know the following words and their meanings: Up (as in stand up, sit up, get up), Piper, Milk and Daddy.

I almost forgot…  You talk with your mouth full.  All the time.  Every meal.  Throughout the whole meal.  This morning, we went in to talk to Daddy while he was taking a shower.  I was eating an apple while you sat on the bathroom counter.  Because you showed interest, I quietly handed you a little piece of apple and you started chewing it… and chattering.  From behind the shower curtain, your daddy said, “Piper, are you eating?  I recognize that chatter!”  You aren’t going to be any good at sneaking food from the candy dish.  You give yourself away every time!

Speaking of food…  You had your first ear infection about a month ago and got sick of me shoving stuff in your face.  We had to give you antibiotics (twice a day), saline in your nose and suction (a few times a day), Tylenol/Motrin (a few times a day), food (three times a day), face washings (waaay too many times)…  So you decided that you had had enough.  And you went on a hunger strike.  I think you just plain didn’t feel well for the first couple of days so your appetite was low.  But then you flat-out refused everything, even when you started feeling better.  Thanks to my friend, Dee, we discovered that you wanted to be able to do it yourself–and you were BORED to tears with your food.  So we started introducing real solid foods that you could pick up with your little hands (and amazing pincer-like fingers!) and eat–all by yourself!  For the most part, the only pureed foods you eat are applesauce, sweet potatoes and pears with your cereal at breakfast and dinner.  All the rest is Big Girl Food.  You are now eating real green beans, carrots, peas, little chunks of bread and butter, banana, apple, shredded chicken stew (that I make in the crock pot with potatoes, carrots and spices), pasta, cheddar, string and cottage cheeses, yogurt (though I don’t think you like it all that much), deli meat, Honey Baked Ham (for Thanksgiving), spinach and banana pancakes (that I don’t think you liked that much either, but I gladly ate the rest of them for you!)  I’m sure there’s more but that’s all I can think of right now.

Speaking of bored…  you were also getting pretty bored of the little shoebox full of toys that we had for you.  So, despite our initial fears of “spoiling” you with too many toys, we took a couple of trips to Toys R Us and bought you some new gear.  We put the old stuff away for a couple of weeks so that we can switch stuff out from time to time and help alleviate the boredom.  So far, so good.  Here’s the video clip of the inaugural playtime with the farm blocks (this is a long one, specifically for “the Yankees”, as David says):

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At your Aunt Lizzie’s prompting, I am also trying to get a little more creative in giving you ordinary household things to investigate.  Here is one such instance:

Of course it helps that you are really connecting the dots in your motor skills–there’s a lot of twisting, reaching, bending and stretching going on, and that helps keep you a little more occupied until you are totally mobile.  You are also finally rolling over, though you mostly only do it to dodge a diaper change, when you get sleepy or when you’re alone in your crib.  Many times in the past couple of weeks, I have found you on your tummy after naptime and you smile up at me like the cat who swallowed the canary.  It is priceless!  You prefer to be sitting or–even better–standing, which is your new favorite thing.  Here’s a couple of pictures of you standing, holding yourself up on the ottoman (Daddy’s idea):

You are a huge fan of “cruising” around on the sofas, reaching for and moving toward things that are out of reach.  You also like The Assisted Walking Program, where Mommy or Daddy holds your extended arms while you cruise around.  This is your new, modified “Walker”, which means that the walker we bought for you on Amazon.com is no longer holding your interest.  That’s okay, though.  We LOVE holding your hands!  I think you would stand or walk around all day if your muscles and your parents would let you.

When we DO put you on your tummy and put before you an object that can hold your interest, you are now pulling yourself toward it with your hands.  You have begun to work yourself from a sitting position to your tummy–very, very carefully and tentatively–but you can do it!  You are trying to tuck your knees under you, but you haven’t quite figured out how to crawl.  It’s close, though!

Yesterday you took one of your plastic blocks from your own mouth and tried to put it in Daddy’s mouth.  You then did it to me today and it made me laugh.  I think that’s your most recent trick.

My heart thrills to see you growing and learning these skills that you will need for the rest of your life.  It is so amazing to watch your personality unfold its wings–to learn all of your likes, interests, dislikes, tendencies…  You are such a little miracle!

Daddy is already talking about you needing a little brother or sister…

We love you so much, punkin! Happy Nine Months!

Mommy & Daddy

Every year we try to plan what David calls our “Annual Pilgrimage” to my home town in New York.  Well, we lived in Horseheads growing up, but my parents moved to Corning not long after I moved to Dallas.  Corning is the headquarters for Corning, Inc. which is the company for whom my dad worked in one capacity or another for most of his working life.  They are known for making Corelle and Corningware cookware, among other things.  It’s only about 20 minutes from Horseheads and it is beautiful country this time of year.  We were really excited to take Pip and were really hoping that David would FINALLY get to see the leaves at their peak of change.  Fortunately, the leaves DID turn while we were there.  UNfortunately, David wasn’t there to see them because he had to stay home and work.  I was pretty sad.  Not just because he was going to miss the leaves.  Not just because he REALLY needed a vacation, too.  Not just because I was going to miss the stuffing out of him.  But also because I knew he was going to miss us and miss out on two weeks of Pip’s life.  This is how Pip felt about it:

Well, after all the tears, we ended up having a REALLY good time.  REALLY good.  It ended up being a nice vacation for me.  I loved having the extra set of hands with Pip.  I loved seeing my relatives bond with her.  She really brings out the fun and tenderness in everyone.  And I loved being in the country and watching God’s majesty unfold in the changing leaves.  Though the leaves were a little dull this year by comparison, He still did a lovely job.  A much better job than if I were God, that’s for sure!

My dad predicted that the leaves would reach their peak on the second Friday that we were there.  And they did.  So during nap time the next day, he piled me into the Jeep and we went hauling through town.  He knew ALL the best places with all the best trees.  Because of the nap deadline and the fact that Pip’s meal wagon was riding around in the Jeep snapping photos, we had to make it quick.  I think we were on two wheels a few times.  But we hit all the spots and still managed to grab a cup of coffee on the run at one of his usual stops.  Here are some photos from that day:

Something we did NOT expect the weather to do when we were there... SNOW!  And snow it did.  We had 4-6 inches the second day that we were there.  Pip's first snow!!

Of course we weren’t expecting such cold temperatures so I didn’t pack the right gear for Piper.  I brought the knit hat but the flimsy little pink coat that she’s wearing in the picture above was all she had in the way of coats.  It appears that she also grew a whole bunch when I wasn’t looking, because the other slightly heavier jacket that I brought didn’t even come close to fitting her!  Consequently, my mom made a trip to this precious little second-hand shop in town called Pookie’s Little Britches to buy her a coat.  She didn’t find a coat on the first trip but she found a couple of warm fleece goodies–a shirt and some really cute pants.  And this little clown outfit that makes me giggle:

Because of this unnoticed and unannounced (are they ever announced?) growth spurt, she also BARELY fit into her infant car seat.  She hated being strapped into it and she cried after about 10 minutes in the car.  So we stayed at the house a lot, which was fine with me because I liked having the time to rest and relax.  I actually read a fiction novel while there!!  My mom got to soak up some good, unadulterated Pip Time–and handled most of the baths and a lot of the solid feedings.  They had a blast together!  Grandma made a little snow duck for Pip, which she liked sucking on, but didn’t really want to touch it with her hands.  I think that might have been what got Grandma to thinking that an ice cube might feel good on those sore gums:

Here are some more great shots with Grandma:

During feeding times, Piper sat in what used to be my mom’s highchair as a little girl.  It actually folded in half to make a little activity table with a chair, and that’s where she sat at mealtime.  Here are a couple of shots:

My dad got to see her in the eveningtime and on the weekends.  She really loves his deep, baritone deejay voice.  He would come home from work at about the same time she was winding down for the night–which often meant the fussies were setting in–and he could pull a smile out of thin air with just two words: “Hiiiiiiiiiii, cookie!”  One night after my dad had gone in to change out of his work clothes, we sat on the bed with my mom and their shih-tzu, Chloe.  I was flipping through pictures on their camera, and Pip leaned in to get a good look herself.  She was mesmerized by what was on the screen and we thought it was the cutest thing:

My Uncle Larry and Auntie Carol came to visit one afternoon before we left.  We had a great time catching up, and Piper had a great time laughing at her uncle’s funny faces–and he had a lot of them!

And here’s a shot that’s just too funny NOT to share:

The hardest part about the whole trip was being away from Daddy for so long.  It was too long, actually, and we don’t plan to do that again any time soon.  She went from giggling with glee when I put him on speakerphone at the beginning of the trip to kind of just looking at the phone with a little interest at the end of the trip.  She went to him at the airport, but there was a moment of hesitation and then it took a day or so to rekindle the bond.  Since then, however, he has become Piper’s Favorite Person in the Whole Wide World and she often tries to climb out of my arms to get to him.  Sweeeeet!

I’m glad to be home but sad to be away from my family.

I have no business typing this post.  I have emails to respond to, dinner to start prepping, laundry to finish, filing to do (I thought I left that when I left Oncor–alas, it has followed me!), etc.  The list is always long with me.  But I don’t want to forget this.  It’s a good reminder to me of who I am on the inside, apart from the Lord.

This morning Pip and I ventured out to wrap up some grocery shopping.  Have you ever shopped for groceries on a Monday morning?  Seriously.  Try it.  It’s the best time to grocery shop EVER.  Anyway, it has been raining cats and dogs and small horses in Dallas for the past couple of days, but we left the house in a rare, rain-free moment.  I recently purchased one of those cool fabric grocery cart floppy things that you put your baby in while you shop–it supposedly keeps baby a little more germ-free and comfortable… and it looks cute.  You know, one of the trillion baby-oriented products out there that suck you in like a vacuum cleaner and leave you feeling like you just have to have to have to have it or else…  Or else what?  I dunno.  Call me sucker.  Anyway, I bought this one used at Once Upon A Child and it’s cute, so that’s how I justify the purchase.  Used and cute.

So we roll up to Whole Foods at Belt Line and Coit Road, and I plop Pip into her groovy new seat cushion.  This is only our third time to use it, but this is the first time I got her latched in properly so I was feeling pretty good about myself–and her.  Have you seen how cute she is? Just in case you’ve forgotten, below is a picture that was taken on a nice, non-raining day not long ago:

Anyway, we did all of our shopping and were standing in the checkout line when I looked up and out the big bay window in front of me… at a monsoon that had descended upon Dallas in the 14.25 minutes that we were in the store.  In all my excitement to get Pip in her new gear, I neglected to consider the possibility of MORE rain, so the umbrella was left in the car.

Leaving her in the grocery cart in front of the store was not an option.  We were getting dangerously close to naptime and the rain had been coming down for about 48 hours straight (except for the one window when we left this morning and a ten minute period yesterday), so I wasn’t hopeful that we could wait it out.  Instead, I sprinted to the car pushing the shopping cart after hitting the “unlock” button on my keychain.  I parked the cart on the passenger side, yanked Pip and the floppy cushion thingy and the bag of groceries out of the cart, and jumped in the back seat on the driver side in order to strap her in the car seat on the passenger side.  Once finished, I got in the front, started the car and noticed a shopping cart parked not far from my car, almost blocking the way out.

Before I continue, I have to lay out the back story on this.  I was raised in a “Do The Right Thing” kind of household where “The Right Thing” is to always park your shopping cart in one of those little cart receptacles or in the front of the store.  David will often tote one or more carts back with him when he drops his off and I like to do the same thing, or offer to take someone’s cart from them when it looks like they’ve just finished unpacking their groceries into the car.  Now this isn’t because I’m a nice person.  I’ll let David speak for himself, but I’m pretty sure he does it because he’s a nice person.  And sometimes I really AM a nice person, but this isn’t one of those times.  This kind of act makes me feel good–and even look good if someone else is paying attention.  And it’s fun to get a good “I Did The Right Thing” kind of adrenile rush out of being “right”.  But it’s not because I’m nice.  I’m not proud of this, but it’s the truth.

So when I see a grocery cart parked in the middle of the parking lot–or blocking my car like today–I get a little hot under the collar and more than a little uppity at the audacity of the Lazy Shopper who left it there.  Especially if it is blocking my exit route.  Did I mention how many carts I’ve moved in my lifetime?  I shouldn’t have to move THIS one, too, should I?  And who ARE these people that leave their carts?  Is there EVER an acceptable time to leave your cart willy-nilly in the middle of the road?

In my irritation, I pulled around this particular cart and was starting to gun it in the rain (the mature thing to do when you have a 6-month old in the back) when I realized that–GASP!–this was MY cart!  This was not someone else’s cart, this was MY grocery cart.  In the flurry and the frenzy and the madness of the rain, I had left MY cart parked next to MY car and it was blocking MY exit from the parking lot!  Oh MY!  The Unthinkable…  So THIS is how it happens that the parking lot is full of carts that aren’t where they belong!  I had pulled my self-righteous finger out of my pocket and was waving it in the imaginary face of this Lazy Shopper (other than lazy, what excuse is there?) with an ugly, smug holier-than-thou attitude, only to realize that the face looking back at me in the mirror was my own.  Mmm-mmm-mmm.

And still He loves me.  In all of my sin.  In all of my empty attempts to look good, feel good, do “good” apart from Him.  In all of my blaming, finger-wagging, ugly sin.  And still He loves me.

I wish I could say that I went back and moved the cart.  I didn’t.  But the lesson was there and I didn’t miss it.  I will move someone else’s cart out of the way the next time I’m in a grocery store parking lot.  Hopefully, it won’t be because I’m “clearly a better than the person who left it there”.  Hopefully, it will be because He first loved this wretched sinner who repeatedly finds her worth in the wrong things and ends up hurting other people–even if only in her head–in the process.

This morning Piper straightened out her otherwise-”clockwise” ways and managed to put down and use her right foot while in the walker!!! She cruised around the dining room table a couple of times and all around the kitchen and living room with a look of sheer bliss and glee on her face, while David and I stood on the sidelines screaming, “C’mon, Piper! Good girl!  You can do it!  Come here!”  She scattered a herd of resting cats at about 7:15 am.  I can only imagine their dismay at their least favorite person in the house now being somewhat mobile.  Be still, my beating tail.  More than once we had to straighten her out when she got stuck on a door frame or kitchen cabinet, but she’s starting to problem-solve her way out of the easier pickles, so I’m thinking she won’t need us much at all in no-time.  Once we get the replacement floors installed, I’m thinking about moving some sticks of furniture around to make a clear path for Little Miss On-the-Move.

Yes, I know that I can’t leave her alone in that thing and that the house needs to be baby-proofed.  Yes, I know you thought those devices were outlawed because that’s what everyone says, but you can buy ANYthing on Amazon.com these days…  Her walker also plays really great tunes and she likes to soothe her sore gums by chewing on one of the dials.

After working up a big appetite in her walker, we served pumpkin-infused rice cereal with a side of peaches for breakfast.  After gagging and puckering up those cute little lips, the peaches were used for finger-painting on the highchair tray rather than eating.  The lunch time green beans were raspberried all over her shirt.  My world is a messy place to live in.

At her Aunt Lizzie’s prompting, we also did some Tummy Time on the activity mat that’s on-loan from our buddy, Sloan Johnson.  We are hoping that Piper learns how to crawl–in addition to walking!  Here’s a fun shot from Tummy Time the other day.

And a cute shot with her Daddy yesterday after the Play Group Girls left.

Play Group is a separate blogging moment for another day.  The Biscuit is stirring in her crib…   I have the best job in the world (sorry, Don, Kevin & Jennifer).

Note to readers: we opted out of doing a baby book, so skip this blog entry if you don’t care about all of Piper’s little milestones–that’s what this one is about!

Doggonit is our little punkinhead cute!  I can’t kiss her or hold her enough.  Call me crazy, but I love the smell of her skin and her breath…  I just want to inhale all of her sweetness.  She is SO precious!  And growing like a weed…  My goodness!  Her motor skills are growing in leaps and bounds and she giggles or wiggles (or both!) with delight whenever she’s given the opportunity to practice any of her new tricks.

Pip is tipping the scales at 15 pounds, 11.5 ounces and is 28″ long.  She is in the 75th percentile in height and head circumference and 50th in weight.  Of course the weight might go up now that we’re adding in THREE solid meals a day in addition to nursing 3-4 times a day!  We were already giving her rice cereal mixed with mama’s milk and various fruits or veggies, but the doc told us to start adding a lot more straight fruits and veggies.  She also said it is a good time to start adding in those “biter biscuits” and the puffy little flavored star-shaped treats.  She loves the biter biscuits and screams when I take it away.  She gags on the puffy stars.  Thankfully, the doctor warned us that she would do that and reassured me that she’s not likely choking–she’s just learning to a new maneuver.

Her newest tricks are:

• Reaching for and batting at toys, and generally building some good coordination (unlike her mommy)
• Batting my hand away when I try to put saline drops in her nose
• Sitting up by herself for long periods of time
• Drinking (and dribbling) water from my glass–she reaches for it every time
• Paying attention to her surroundings when out for a walk–she seems to enjoy herself more
• Putting one foot in front of the other and walking while someone holds her hands (timid, awkward and sometimes backward steps, but steps nonetheless!)
• She has been standing up for the past six weeks or so and we could easily pull her to a sitting or standing position, but last week she pulled herself up from the sitting position–that’s new and different! Very exciting!  And she is so cute standing there holding onto the edge of the tub while her bath is drawn!
• Blowing raspberries–often with stuff in her mouth

On Pip’s “I Love” List:

• Gazing into the mirror at herself and sometimes locking lips with herself (I haven’t captured this on film yet, but I plan to!)
• Baby Einstein CD’s, which we listen to at mealtime and in the car
• Pears, sweet potatoes, rice cereal
• Daddy’s funny faces, his airplane rides and having him go in to get her out of bed in the morning
• Having Mommy carry her while doing chores (vacuuming is a favorite)
• Her Happy Apple (which we call the Magic Apple)–a toy that was mine when I was little

On Pip’s “I Hate” List:

• Pumpkin!  Yuck!
• Teething pain
• Getting strapped into the car seat

Last night at 10 pm, Pip woke up screaming bloody murder and was inconsolable.  She wakes up from time to time in the evening, but a diaper change and kiss on the cheek tend to put her back to sleep.  Not last night.  This was different.  And awful.  DP and I were both concerned.  But no fever, thankfully…  Running through the events of the day, I panicked, thinking “Could she have gotten a concussion when she tipped over from sitting up?  She didn’t hit hard enough…”  So this afternoon I spied another pearly white sprouting up through her bottom gum, and when she screamed the same way during her third nap rather than sleeping (and this girl LOVES and NEEDS her sleep!), I smacked my forehead.  Not hard, but I smacked it.  Pip doesn’t miss a nap over just any little thing.

Happy Six Months + 3!  We love you, sweet Biscuit!

Dear Pip,

Apart from knowing the Lord, you are the greatest joy in our lives.  Each day is a new, magical day of wonders for all three of us as we watch you explore and discover the world.  Your fresh eyes and gleeful delight give me new perspective about life and living in the moment–right this minute.  Not tomorrow.  Not two hours from now.  Right this minute.  And it is smack-yourself-silly, pinch-me-cuz-I’m-scared-to-wake-up fun.  Fun. Fun. FUN!  We thank the Lord daily for the precious gift of your life, and I pray often that I will not take a minute of it for granted.

I saw a really great speaker last week at a church function for young moms.  Her name is Janet Pope and  her talk encouraged me to begin devoting my otherwise “thoughtless” moments (when doing chores, getting ready in the morning) each day to scripture memorization.  Not just verses that are centered around “me me me” but long, sequential passages that really capture the heart and personality of God.  She has a whole bunch of BOOKS of the Bible memorized and it was impressive to hear her recite.  I started memorizing Psalm 1 last week and some of the girls in my group for mommies are going to start memorizing with me, too.  I want to teach you to love the Lord, baby girl, and to “delight in His law”.  That means that I need to lead by example and start delighting in it regularly myself!

God has been so good to your daddy and me–first by bringing us together, then by pulling us apart in order to draw us to Him, and then by drawing us back to each other again.  We really needed Him and He showed up when we were desperate for Him–and He keeps on doing that.  All the time.  Undeserved grace.  I hope you will see Him in me as you grow older, and I pray that you do not learn to walk with the same limp that I have.  You will have your own struggles and hardships, but I pray that God has mercy on us and breaks some of the patterns that have afflicted our families on both sides for many years.  Your daddy and I, with the Lord’s help, are working really hard to become more like Jesus.  While we repeatedly fall pitifully short, I hope we leave you a legacy of good things.  I pray you grow up watching us love each other deeply and well, in spite of our flaws and character defects.  I hope you can learn what a healthy but imperfect marriage and family look like–by watching us and our close friends as we raise you and each others’ kids.  By the way, beware the Tarnow and the Farrell boys–you can’t date until you’re in your 30’s–no matter HOW cute they are!

As for recent events, you were a great traveler and companion on the trip we took to New York two weeks ago.  I was very anxious about finding a way to meet your needs while we were traveling but you were a little road warrior, and most of my anxiety-ridden concerns were wasted time worrying and planning.  We did have a pretty funny moment in the bathroom on the plane while going through turbulence where you were squirming in my arms as I was trying to hover over and aim for that tiny little hole in that tiny little plane toilet…  Thankfully, no one came out wet (and you got a clean diaper while we were in there), but we lost a pacifier and a burp cloth in the process…  I love having that memory of us together.  Needless to say, we went out and bought you a pacifier clip once we got to New York.  And I decided to carry you in the Bjorn for the trip back so I could do some hands-free stuff if I needed to.

You also did great sleeping in a new bed (a borrowed pack-n-play) in a new room in a different house that Daddy wasn’t in.  Boy, we missed him like crazy, didn’t we?  He said the house was waaaay too big without the two of us in it.  That’s the longest I have ever been away from him since we got married and I don’t like it very much.  Neither does he.  In spite of all of our shortcomings, we really like being together.  God sure knew what He was doing when He matched us up.

Your Grandma Whitney did a wonderful job of setting up our rooms and putting together a comfy changing table for you.  She is a wonderful hostess; always trying to anticipate and take care of every need that her guests might have.  She is also a terribly smitten grandma who couldn’t get enough of you!  She taught you to make the kissing motion with your lips and you squealed with delight whenever she made the face at you.  Long after she had moved on to a new fun thing with you, you would wrinkle your lower lip as if to say “Do it again, Grandma!  Blow me another kiss!”  It was soooo cute!  And Grandma loved feeding you baby carrots mixed in with some of Mommy’s milk and some rice cereal.  Your sweet little bird mouth gets going and you just eat and eat and eat.  So far, you’ve had carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, green beans…  I think there’s something else, but I can’t remember.   I will have to look at our daily log where I write down everything we do and keep track of your sleep schedule.  That’s a real work of art if you can read my handwriting!  Anyway, you finally got to meet Grandpa Whitney, too, and he made really fun Donald Duck noises that you liked.  You also liked to stare with amazement at his bed head hair in the morning–it made us all laugh!

You also got to see your great Gramma Huff again and you met your great Auntie Carol and great Uncle Larry for the very first time (they are great, in addition to being great).  They fell in love with you immediately, of course.  Uncle Larry made the best and silliest faces at you, and you had a strange obsession with Auntie Carol.  In this picture you’re trying to eat the side of her face–which we hadn’t seen before that day and haven’t seen much since.

By the way, you love to talk while you’re eating, which had your Grandma and me cracking up hysterically.  Daddy thinks you get the talking part from me.  That’s up for debate, though.  He’s not exactly a quiet guy.  Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

*video clip to be added*

Unfortunately, you had your first fever the day before we left for New York.  Your doctor said we were okay to travel but to keep an eye on you.  You were better for a couple of days, but the fever unfortunately came back on Friday and we decided it was best for you that we NOT drive to the city for cousin Heather’s wedding.  I cried really hard to have to miss such a wonderful event, but I still think it was the best thing for you.  When she gets home from her fabulous honeymoon trip, cousin Heather promised to call us and send pictures!  We dressed you up in your sweet little yellow outfit from Aunt Lizzie and took you to church on Sunday instead.  You sure were cute!

Your walker arrived the day after we got back from New York, and it plays a ton of music at the slightest touch, which you absolutely LOVE!  Daddy calls you “clockwise” because your right leg doesn’t quite touch the ground all the way, so you only use your left leg to push yourself…  that leaves you always going in a circle.  You don’t seem to mind too much, though.  And I just love watching you explore in that thing.  We put you out on the back patio and you just play your tunes and go in circles, looking at shrubs and grass and leaves and the cats.

We also bought a blow up pool with a little cabana on top, so you and I go out and sit in it once or twice a day.  You like to splash splash splash and giggle at the water.  You just LOVE the outside–ever since you were a baby, it has been a calming, distracting influence for you.  When you had colic and couldn’t stop crying, Daddy’s secret weapon was always to take you outside–regardless of the weather.

Speaking of Daddy.  Boy, is he crazy about you.  He goes in to check on you at least once a night while you’re sleeping and I often catch him holding your hand and beaming at you.  I give him a hard time about not waking you up, but it is the most precious thing in the world to see how you melt his heart.  I can’t imagine what it will be like in another couple of years if the Lord grants us all that long together.  You have expanded our hearts in ways that we couldn’t imagine possible.  I know you’re going to break our hearts a thousand times, but we are going to do our very best to keep them tender toward you.  We are praying for the Lord’s help in this, because our human tendency is to harden up in order to keep out the pain and we have seen the destruction that this causes.  I think we will need to do a lot of praying when you get to be about 14 years old…

Speaking of being old.  Your daddy turned 40 last month and we celebrated by going to brunch at Mi Cocina.  You were the star of the party, of course, and you made it all the way through brunch without getting upset until the very end.  I am amazed at how much longer you are able to stay awake and am so thankful that you are still getting a lot of good sleep.  You are so much happier now!  Here’s a picture of the three of us that day:

Shashin error: Photo not found.

Your bottom left tooth is finally breaking through the skin after rumbling beneath the surface and agitating you for two months now!  That might be the slowest-arriving tooth in the history of pipsqueaks!  I can’t wait until it gets all the way in.  It has been bothering you all day.  It seems impossible that you could get any cuter, but I think the tooth will add a whole new level of cuteness to your repertoire.  You are also making these really adorable jibber jabber noises these days and they are so cute!  We are trying to learn the Language of Pip, but I’m teaching you sign language in the meantime to help bridge the gap.

I  put you to bed not long ago–after a long, eventful day together–and I’m already excited to see you in the morning!  Daddy and I will go into your room together to greet you, and you’re going to be thumping your arms on the mattress and kicking your feet with delight the minute you see us.   You’re like having Christmas every morning.  Sigh.  You’re just the best, Pip.  The best.

To the moon and back,

Mommy