Radio Static and Thunderstorms

Sometimes when dealing hour to hour and day to day with a very independent and strong-willed three-year old little girl, I find myself forgetting that she is just that - a little girl. Rather, I often find myself thinking that I'm dealing with what I imagine it is like parenting a teenager. . .the attitudes, the demanding, the blatant acts of disobedience. But enter radio static and thunderstorms and I'm quickly reminded that my little Maia is still a little girl. Last night, Maia accidently hit the "tuner" button on her CD player with the volume turned up loud and the tuner not tuned into a station at all and you guessed it, Maia got blasted with radio static. This scared her so much that she tore out of her room with sheer terror on her face, trying to utter some words about whatever was happening in her room, but was so scared that she could only half mumble and half scream. I scooped her up in my arms where she just clung to me and sobbed for a good couple minutes (which is a long, long time for this little girl). Later that night, after Maia had been asleep, a big thunderstorm rolled through and with the first crash of loud thunder Maia was calling out for us. I went over to her room to find her hiding under her blankets and crying. So I crawled into bed with her and she snuggled up as close as she could, and there we slept until the storm passed. Although I'm not happy to see my daughter frightened, these moments, for some reason, do stir up compassion in my heart and desire to be patient with her in the midst of her sinfulness. I'm thankful that these occasions remind me that my Maia is just a little girl, and yes, she is a sinner just like me, in need of an abundance of patience and grace.

Growing Boy

Our lil' buddy is growing up fast! At his 2 month check-up he weighed 14lbs 9 oz. A 2 lb weight gain in the past month and a 5 lb weight gain since birth. He is a much more content babe since starting on Zantac for reflux several weeks ago. He loves to go for walks outside, look at books and lie under his activity mat. Matt, Maia and I love having him as part of our family and after just 2 months we can't imagine life without him.



Caden (R) and his friend Asher McGuire (L)

The Dreaded 24 hour bug

Yes, Maia has again had the 24 hour stomach flu, for the SECOND time in two months. For the past 24 hours we have set up camp on the living room floor with blankets, buckets, movies and books. What is up with the stomach flu going around in the summer????? Apparently it is, according to our MD. My hunch is that Maia picked it up at our doctor's office where she accompained me 2 days ago for Caden's 2 month check-up. It is amazing that almost excatly 24 hours after she started feeling yucky in her stomach, it abruptly stopped and she asked for something to eat for the first time in over 24 hours. So she had a yummy dinner of popsicles, toast and crackers. The doctor thinks Maia may just be more prone to the stomach flu as other kids are more prone to colds. . .not an encouraging statement for this Mom who has a fear of the stomach flu that borders on the line of a phobia.

Corn on the Cob Film

Kelli's recent post inspired me to finish this video about Maia's first corn on the cob. The footage was recorded on May 4, 2008 (pre-Caden).

Smiley Boy

Corn on the Cob

One of our favorite things about summer is corn on the cob. What a great excuse to indulge in lots of buttery goodness! If Maia had her say, it would be called "butter on the cob." She takes after her Pop-Pop in her love for butter and would eat spoonfuls of it straight if we let her.
Maia husking the corn
Spreading on the butter
Big bite!
Yes, Matt is eating corn on the cob with Caden in the Baby Bjorn

Now I Understand

When I (Kelli) was young, my family would go skiing many weekends throughout the winter. My Mom would spend all evening on the beginners slope by herself while the rest of us explored the rest of the slopes on the mountain. Occasionally we (my brother, sister, and Dad) would ski over to her slopes and check in with her before speeding off again. I remember asking her if she was bored skiing by herself and she would always say something to the effect that she was just happy knowing we were having a good time. When we went to amusement parks, Mom didn't like to get on most of the rides and would spend much of the day waiting for us as we waited in line for the rides. Again, she said it brought her such joy to see us kids having such fun. I never understood this until recently and now I understand. It hit me a few weeks ago when we went to the Missouri Botanical Gardens and Maia was playing in a fountain. She was just bursting with excitement as she splashed around in the water with the other kids. I found myself almost crying as I watched her having so much fun and I remembered what my Mom said years ago. I experienced the joy it does bring to watch your kids having fun. It hit me again on the 4th of July as we watched a parade and Maia began jumping up and down as she saw the parade approaching. I just couldn't take my eyes off her because it brought me such joy to see her excitement. So here are a few pictures to share with you of what brings me such joy.