Twirl Me, Tickle Me.

So, Noah is gone this week for work. It just amazes me, only a man would pack for a week’s trip the morning of. Monday morning is when he started packing, right before he had to leave (not to mention that he woke up late)!

Cutting Onions – I hate onions. I hate the smell of them (let alone the taste)..but If Noah wants onions I offer to cut them for him. Then I smell like onion afterward. If that isn’t true love and sacrifice in marriage, I don’t know what is?

Baby Names – Well, this has been an ongoing battle within my head. I must be honest and say that there are truly no boy names that I love. Noah likes Henry the best and I really like it to, but I really like Luke the best. We also like Benjamin, Gabriel and some others. I guess we just go in to the situation with a small list, look at the kid and know what’s is right at that time. Im a planner and I like to know things, have things set and ready…but since I have no absolute, I can’t force it. I had a strong dream a few months back that we should name the baby: Elijah. I am not fond of the name Elijah. I think that dream was meant to go to someone else.

Our Garden. So this is what we have gotten from the garden recently: Strawberries (just a few), Black Raspberries, Cabbage, Cauliflower and PEAS. Isabelle enjoys getting to carry the basket and help pick berries and peas.

Toddler Musings & recent things I have learned by being a parent:
Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets taste better then regular shape.
You can take a toddler to the potty 87 a day. (or at least it feels like it).

Isabelle’s favorite thing to do lately is catch Butterflies. When she wakes up in the morning the first thing she says is : Let’s go catch Butterflies!, so we do (well, after I have a cup of coffee and wake up a bit).

So, I bought Isabelle some tinkerbell underwear yesterday. Later in the day after we were home for a while, a thought suddenly hit her and she asked in desperation: Where’s my Fairy Wears?

Isabelle has definitely noticed and taken an interest in my growing Belly. She likes to look at my belly button and ask, Baby in there? And I answer yes. Then she puts her eye up to my belly button and says: Awww, he’s cute! Then she screams, Baby Come Out!

Speaking of belly’s – Isabelle insisted the other day that her belly hurt and she needed a band aid to make it feel better. I tried to tell her she did not need a band-aid for her belly but she insisted. So, I gave her one and she put it right across her bellybutton and said, Better Now!

When Isabelle does get an ouch somewhere she asks me to kiss on her ouch. Example: She got an ouch on her hand and asked me to “kiss on her hand”. Well, yesterday, she pulled down her pants in back and told me to “Kiss on her Butt”.

Marathon Runner – Somewhere Isabelle picked up this little running routine (which I love cuz she gets tired). But it is so funny because She gets in this stance with her arm behind her back (like the professional Olympic athletes) and she yells: Ready. Set. Go. And she takes off for a sprint! She reaches her destination, turns around and does the same thing. And if you have ever seen Isabelle run in the first place it’s the funniest thing…cuz she shakes her butt/hips and moves her arms in full stride.

I asked Isabelle what she wanted for lunch yesterday and she answered: “Coffee”…(then she changed her mind) “Um no, Tea pease”!

Everyday Isabelle tells me to “Twirl Me!, Tickle Me !” Everyday she tells me: “I love you, Mommy.” That is when it makes all the tiredness, the chaos…the challenges…it makes it all worth it. It reminds me, what is most important and that I am so very blessed. Not to get mushy and sentimental and all...It's just I really feel I need a brake lately, like I want to run away to a quiet place and that being a parent is really hard sometimes. I think because I feel so tired and sore lately that I am just getting kind of worn. I feel kind of selfish because I get upset that I dont have time & energy to do the things that I want to get done. A child needs constant attention and care. I dont function well in chaos and clutter and noise, yet I am forced to. I need to remember that I am so lucky and so blessed in so many ways and that I can do this. Not only can I do this, but I love this. Every day I must try my very best for this little person and never give up. Being a parent is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. But, being a parent is the most wonderful thing I have ever done in my life. I recently read a quote that said, "being a mother is the greatest privilage a woman can have." I believe with all my heart this to be true.