I love my life!

Jaely with the first ever made Loopy by Lindsey. Because it is the first , it is lacking a bit. It has fewer loops and two loops that are made from fleece (not a good idea!). I actually never made a loopy for Jaely. She just has the first ever and another one that wasn't textured on either side. Oh well! I bring that loopy everywhere. She loves to suck on it in her car seat. And if it is with her and you pick her up, she clutches onto the loopy , so it comes too.Here i have to hold her hand back from her mouth. Her left hand is almost always in her mouth.

Let's Walk about a Bit

I could be a hermit if people would just let me. I always think it sounds better to stay at home and to not make any phone calls. The thing is is that i always feel better when i am social. I went for a walk today with the neighbors on either side of me. You would think- what's the big deal.? Well, i hardly know my neighbors. I am really making an effort to get to know one of them . . . i even called her! So, she invited me out for a walk and then we invited the other neighbor. It was kind of funny. . . she said "i'll meet you at the end of your driveway in ten minutes." Jaely and i were waiting in the mosquito infested road, when nicole came with jackson in his stroller we then met Jessica with Kaden in his stroller. The three of us strolled down the street- taking up the entire half of the road. Jaely stayed awake just long enough to look cute and smile at them before she fell asleep.

It was a nice walk. I got some exercise. Had conversations with adults. And am getting to know my neighbors. Once i am out and about with people, i am always glad. . . it is just getting there that is the hard part for me.

I really should go to bed, but. . .

I feel like if i don't sit down and write, i will never sleep. Today has been a day where i drift in and out of gloom, happiness, joy, and memories. It is probably a good thing that TJ and i hung out in Grand Rapids for the day. Early this morning i learned of a teacher who worked at montague had passed away, leaving behind a husband and kids. I knew the woman, not super well, but knew her. I taught her son, who i keep thinking about all day. He was gone on a camping trip and returned home to learn that his mom died suddenly of a clot in her lungs. I think of my neighbor, also a teacher at montague who was with her all day at a conference. . . went out to the parking lot to find her in distress- tried to help, called 911, but couldn't save her. What an awful thing to experience. I mostly think of her family. How TJ and i can be out enjoying a day, a very normal day and how her family is experiencing a far from normal day- trying to wade through thoughts, emotions, events, what-ifs, and whys. I have been there. I think of how quickly ones life can change. How it might seem like we are in control, but so far from it. How life is so fragile. I think of my mom and how suddenly my life changed when she passed away and i think of the hole i still have because of it- and i was not a young kid like the teacher's. I still occasionally reach for the phone to call my mom. I so often think of how much joy my mom would get being a grandma to Jealy- all the things jaely will miss out on and what my mom was not given the opportunity to experience. I think of how perfect it would have been to go out shopping- just the three of us. And to try on really fancy dresses like we used to and laugh at ourselves in the mirrors of the fitting rooms. I think of my mom being able to see me be a mom- her daughter grown up and having a kid of her own. I think of the love my mom would have had for Whitney and how truly happy she would have been for my brother. I think of the family having to pick something for their mom/wife to wear as she is being buried. I remember, when i had this responsibility for my mom, asking if she was supposed to wear shoes and undergarments. I remember moving each hanger to the left of her closet as i went through her outfits. . . then moved on to her jewelry and shoes. Far from a normal day.

What a normal day i have had. We all know that someday we will lose our mom- that someday will not be normal for us. And i am sure that all the moms prefer it that way, rather than lose their children first, but it is just so hard when the timing doesn't seem "right" to us. When it seems that person has so much more to experience, so much more to give. It has been a normal day where i have been drifting to memories, reflecting on moments, and enjoying what i have. For i have so very very much. Life is fragile.

Ribilicious

Ever since we missed the rib special at Pekadills by a few hours, my mouth has been watering for ribs. I politly hinted that ribs sometime this week for dinner would be awesome. Since i don't cook, the hint was for TJ. Okay, so it may not have been a hint, but rather a request. . . a non-whining request. TJ loves to cook, so after my request he went to his Bon Apetite collection in the guest room closet, got out all the BBQ issues that he had and started looking up rib recipes. He wanted something a little different than just typical ribs. These are what he made. . . They were wonderful and accompanied by a huge potato from the grill. Yum. I enjoyed the rub on the ribs, but i absolutely loved the sauce- the perfect balance between sweet and spicy. We have extra sauce that might make its way onto grilled chicken. I am such a foodie. Kind of a high point weight watcher dish, but sometimes you just have to give in to cravings. . . that is why weight watchers works for me.

Picture Sharing

Jason and Whitney electronically shared some pictures of their trip to michigan. . . here are some of the highlights of when they visited us.

We went to Pekadills, of course.
Jason rocked Jaely to keep her happy.
There are a lot of couch pictures because we sat around a lot. Jaely was our entertainment. We did play clue, but for some reason there are no action shots of us playing. Jason pretty much sucked at the game and cheated. Jered takes crazy notes, but they seem to work for him.

I am so incredibly in love

TJ puts jaely to bed almost every night. He starts by reading her a book and then a sheep he named Samantha the sleep sheep gives jaelynne a kiss good night. Sometimes, i turn the monitor on to listen in on their conversations. It melts my heart, makes me smile or makes me cry. Listening and watching TJ be a daddy is one of the greatest things i think i will experience. These are the two loves of my life.

Random goings on

• i lost 7 pounds in ten days when i weighed in at weight watchers on Thursday. I started back on it. Need to get healthy again.
• We went to the farmers market this morning for some strawberries and came back with giant pea pods, lettuce, and asparagus.
• Whenever uncle Jered holds jaely, she loudly fills her diaper. Jered- we need you . . . Jaely hasn't pooped since monday!
• Jaely's gas smells like cheerios.
• I got flowers delivered to me from Jered for my birthday. They make me smile.
• We ate at Pekadills thinking that because it is Saturday they would have their bbq ribs. They do, but not until 5. We had delicious sandwiches instead. I love the garden there.
• We went to weesies greenhouse. I bought a clematis with my birthday money from grandma howell. Thanks grandma! We are going to plant it in the back garden and let it climb up a trellis along the garage wall.

Locking the Door

I went into school yesterday to clean out my room of my things. I left mostly furniture behind. . . with my name on it with hopes of getting it when i return in a year. As i was locking my door, mine and tj's arms full of odds and ends of things to take to the car for the last time, i cried. I am going to miss the people next year, my friends. I am going to miss the smiling anxious students on the first day of school. Leaving reminds my of just how much i truly love what i do. When i was packing things up, i thought of the students. . . not the ridiculously intense curriculum, or the pressure from the top, or the incompetent "boss". I thought of the kids and of teaching. I packed away so many silly and fun things that helped me teach somewhat boring content. I packed up countless organizers, caddies, and tubs. . . a true reflection of how i run my classroom- ORGANIZED. The things that i often dreaded i will probably miss in a weird sort of way. I always complained of library day because i didn't get planning, but i will greatly miss hanging out with the Grini the librarian and eating chocolate that she always had in her bottom drawer. I always dreaded our third grade meetings on Monday, but i will miss goofing around with the other third grade teachers. I won't miss staff meetings- no good ever comes from them. I will in a weird sort of way miss recess. I dreaded having recess duty, but it allowed me to see my students in a different environment- unstructured and free.

Don't get me wrong. I am looking forward to next year and i am so grateful for the opportunity to stay home with the cutest baby ever.

I couldn't have packed up my room without TJ and definitely not without gail, who stayed home with jaely so we could actually get things done. Thank you gail. Thank you TJ.

Father's Day

I think i found father's day to be just as meaningful to me as mother's day. TJ has waited so long to be a dad. He was built and created to be a dad. He is a natural with kids. . . at ease around them and so so so patient. To be able to celebrate this day with him was awesome. I love that he is off of work for the summer. It gives him so much more time to interact with jaely and to help me out with her too. Today we gave her a bath after her uncle jered and grandpa jer left. She was kind of stinky and it wasn't quite bed time yet, so it was the perfect time. I am glad that jered and dad live fairly close that they are able to see jaely (and me and tj) when they want to.

A Night with Jaely

Not going to Traverse City today was probably one of the best decisions i have made. Jaely and i did not get a lot of sleep last night. Hopefully today we can catch up on our sleep. She did go 8 and a half hours between eating, but was up many many many times throughout the night with gas. I think this was the worse night we have had with her. We finally moved into the living room at 4:30, where she could be in her swing and i could sleep on the couch. Poor girl. It is going to be a sleepy birthday. I decided to let the house be messy today and take naps instead.

Another reason i am glad i did not venture up to Traverse is the main road (31) going up there is closed. It got completely washed out in the 10 inches of rain ludington received. That means when tj comes home tonight, he is going to have to go a round about way. Yuck! I just want him home!

Well, today i am 30. If you know me well, you know that i love my birthday. I normally get super excited in May and then am excited the whole week after my birthday. This year is different. I am not sure if it is because i am turning 30 or because my big birthday party vision that i had is not happening. I just feel kind of old and i am home alone all day with a person who isn't even 30 weeks old yet. She has no concept- although i was told that she got me a present. I might venture out to Target and spend a gift card i got for there. i might just stay home and sleep whenever i get the chance. I won't be celebrating too much with food because i am on weight watchers again and tj and i are celebrating on Saturday, so i want to save some of my bonus points. I think we are going to go shopping in holland and probably grab a bite to eat at a baby friendly place.

I am so thankful that i was able to fit a shower in between the crying last night or i would truly be miserable. The poor bug. I hope when she wakes up, her tummy feels better.

A Day with Jaely

i know every day is a day with Jaely, but this one was different. I knew we weren't going anywhere, so i was in comfy clothes all day. I made the beds in the guest bedroom and brough jaelynne with me. I put her on a blanket on the bed i wasn't making and ran the pillow cases over her face, sang her silly songs, and played peek-a-boo. She smiled a lot and made a ton of little sounds. I was determined not to be negative just because i am the only one taking care of her all day today, yesterday, and tomorrow. I decided to make the best of it. I spent time holding her a lot today and we looked in the mirror at ourselves a lot today too. During tummy time, she had her head, shoulders, and legs up. She was pretty stiff, so i was able to rock her back and forth- kind of like a rocking horse, only it was a rocking jaely. Right now she is in her swing looking at herself in the mirror making all kinds of noises. . . sometimes sounding upset, sometimes sounding brilliant. She should be sleeping, but she has hiccups and is working on farting. I guess i wouldn't be able to sleep either.

Today i got birthday card from TJ in the mail. He was hoping it would come tomorrow on my birthday, but i was so happy to get it. It made my day. He'll get home late tomorrow. I cannot wait!

Trip to Gail's

Last weekend we took Jaely on her first extended car trip to her grandma's house. The trip was wonderful . . . the only thing that could have made it better is if we did not leave the bag behind that held my camera and computer and if we had closed the freezer door ALL the way closed before we left. Because of those two things, we have no pictures of our fun weekend and we had a huge mess to clean up when we got home at 9:00 at night on Sunday.

I really need to clear off our table. I brought stuff home from school that i need to go through. The boxes have been piled high on our table since friday. It won't get done today because Jaely and i are going to hang out by a pool with some friends and their kids. TJ is gone until Friday night. I got a good night's sleep so i should be good today. here are some pictures to catch you on Jaely

Out for a Drink

I have an outing today that i am pretty excited about. A few of us are meeting at hobos for some end of the year drinks. I am hoping to get the scoop on what is going on at school, relax with some friends, and be out of my house. TJ is so understanding and knows how important it is for me to get out. I am hoping to feed Jaely and then leave right away to get the most of my time, but if i go long, TJ can feed her a bottle. I hope to be back in time to feed her though and have TJ use that bottle late tonight. It is crazy how timed everything has to be.

Tomorrow i am going to the staff breakfast with Jaely, then coming home and packing for Grandma gail's. I am amazed at how much more we need to bring now that we have jaely.

What a Beautiful Day

This morning our day started with visiting with Jason and Whitney before they headed out to dad's place. We took them to our favorite sandwich place. . . pekadils. TJ and i went there this weekend when they had ribs. We could smell and see the ribs on the grill as we approached the place. The ribs were unbelievable. . . they fell right off the bone and the sauce was delicious. They came with cheesy potatoes too and a big salad.

Today i got a salad and a milkshake. Jason got a wonderful looking sundae with Mackinaw island fudge ice cream. After we said our goodbyes TJ and i headed to the library that over looks the wooded bike trail so that i could feed Jaely. It was a great setting for a feeding. Tj got to hang out in the library and we got to listen to the birds. Then we went to Weesies for some Jacob's ladder, a fern (can you believe it dad?) and more phlox. TJ picked up some mulch the other day and he got that spread today (oh yeah, he didn't go to school today). It looks great. . . finished and it will keep the weeds down.




I dressed jaely in her pink and brown tye dyed onsie that i bought when i was out with lori and gail before jaely was even born. TJ tried dressing her in it when she first came home and she was swimming in it, now it fits perfectly. My how she has grown!

Family!

Tonight Jason and Whitney are coming from San Fran to visit. Jaely is very excited to meet her uncle jason and aunt whitney. Then tomorrow aunt carol, uncle mike, jered, and maybe dad? are coming to visit jason, whitney, and jaely. I love having family over. It makes my day. Jason and whitney are staying for a couple of nights. Then next weekend Jaely is going grandma and grandpa's house. It will be her first visit there. The three of us got invited to a graduation party on that side of the state, so off we go! Grandma has a bedroom stocked full of things for Jaely to make our travels a little lighter! Exciting weekends. . .

Could have been at Camp

Every year on the tuesday after memorial day the third grade teachers take their students to camp for an extended day. I was so glad to be home with Jaely instead. Other than taking care of her, i have been weeding a little, enjoying the garden that we planted last year, filling 18 picture frames with black and white pictures, and trying to keep the house somewhat clean. It still amazes me how my days get filled. I don't know really what i do, but i do know that i stay busy.

Gorgeous Day

I love this weather. I love sitting on the deck in the sun and watching the leaves flutter in the breeze. I love feeling the sun come out from behind a cloud. And i absolutely love spending time with family and friends, eating grilled food, and holding my daughter while relaxing outside. We went to Noah's birthday party and hung out with friends and watched all the crazy little kids get dirty and have fun. Lori and Trevor came to visit. I am so glad we had visitors over this long weekend. It was wonderful just to hang out and talk and catch up. We looked at their house plan and gave out opinions and asked a ton of questions. I am so excited for them. The plan looks beautiful. They should start a blog and post pictures of the progression of the house being built. . . from the first hole dug to the last piece of furniture being moved in. Jaely's tummy is full, she had a long nap and now she can relax in her Uncle Trevor's lap. . . if it wasn't for that gas. . .Here Jaely is sucking on her aunt lori's arm. Yum! Jaely is saying goodbye to aunt lori before she heads to the birthday party. . . in her party dress!

Missing Family

Maybe it is because TJ is gone. Maybe it is because we now have a daughter. Maybe it is because i am at home all day. Whatever it is, i miss my family. So many of my friends go shopping with their sisters, hop over to their mom's for a dinner, meet their brothers for lunch during their lunch hour, hang out at grandma's for a barbecue, go fishing early in the morning with grandpa, and it is just considered a little outing. Not something they have to pack for or something they have to save up for (with current gas prices a trip across the state can be expensive). They can be spontaneous. At least weekly they have their families seeing their children grow. They can go to sporting events or all hang out on a sunday. When i grew up my grandma and aunts and cousins were so close in proximity. We could walk to my aunts to be watched while my mom ran an errand or we could go and borrow flour. We would stop there on our way home from places just to chat. i look at Jaely asleep in her swing, and i can't help but feel like we are cheating her of having wonderful relationships with her family. Sure there will be many visits, but is that enough? Would that have been enough for me when i was growing up?

I know i just go on and on. I am not looking for a solution because there really isn't one. My family is so spread out. . . moving wouldn't solve anything. And everything else about where we live is perfect. Jaely will love growing up here. I just want her to have deep relationships with her family. I want her aunts and uncles to really be a part of her life. I guess that is asking a lot.

Well, i gotta go feed her. I think i really need an outing. Because TJ is out of town my night will be the same as my day. . . the same feeding, changing, watching TJ, rocking kind of pattern with nothing to break it up. My friend offered to have a sleep over at my house tonight. . . i am thinking i should have taken her up on that. I am tired. Haven't talked much to people today. Maybe after i feed her, i will run up to meijer to get a picture that is ready for our frame. This would be the perfect situation to bop over to a family member's house. . . only none are in bopping distance. Again, i complain. Bye.

Summer is coming!

Yesterday we visited Weesies in Montague for our hanging baskets for the porch. It was a different experience with Jaely. We couldn't get all of our flowers because with the car seat and stroller, there was scarcely room for flats of flowers. We did get all of our hanging baskets thought. Next time we might just walk around with her in the carrier and leave her stroller at home. She isn't used to it enough, so i didn't want to take a chance. Because we drove into montague, we ate at Pekidils. Yum.

Today, we are on our way to school to visit my students. They haven't all met jaelynne yet. A few did at the music program. They have a surprise for me. They all wrote me letters and told me there is a surprise. . . one person slipped and said it was cake. I will act surprised of course.

Tomorrow, TJ is on his way to Traverse City. This time he is spending the night. Yuck. I am going to be so tired by the time Friday night rolls around. And on Saturday he should probably spend all day in the garage working on the built-in.

Well, i better get going. I want to try to feed Jaely before we leave. It will be an hour early, but if i don't she will get really fussy with the kids. I don't think they need a lesson on nursing.

Anticipating Mother's Day

The last few mother's days have not been the greatest. They were full of the pain of missing my mom and not being a mom after trying so hard. This year i am excited. It will still be bittersweet. This is the first mothers day without my granna. I miss her giggle. i always think it is neat to get the generations of mothers together. One year we went to a brunch with my mom and my granna. I wish we could do that again, only this time with jaely. I wish my mom could watch me be a mom.

I think of my dad and my aunt, as this is their first year without their mom. I am sure that they have thought about her and missed her everyday, but mother's day can make it especially hard.

I am so lucky to be a mom. I have wanted to for so long. It has been challenging, yet so rewarding. I feel like i have so much to learn, yet that i have learned so much.

I think of how blessed i am that gail is in my life as a mom, too. And now a grandma. I am thankful for how she raised her son with such an amazing heart, awesome work ethic, unconditional love, and hugs.

I am thankful for all the "i love yous" that are freely expressed with the moms that have been a part of my life. Some families rarely speak those words.

Tomorrow is a special day. TJ is making me mac and cheese, but not just ordinary mac and cheese (i have been craving mac and cheese ever since i left the hospital- they had the best baked mac and cheese). This mac and cheese has asparagus and ham. It has white cheddar cheese, Gruyere, and , of course, a lot of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. YUM! I cannot wait.

Last night was much needed. I only got one page done in my scrapbook, but the conversation and company was great. Jealy gave TJ quite the fussiness. All my friends didn't even notice it. They said it was like white noise to them. They also said that there children fussed and cried for like three hours every night. We will see if jaely makes this a habit or if it is an occasional event.

Here are some pictures of my very attractive friends from last night. . .

Friends

Today five friends are coming over to scrapbook. We have dinner, chat, and maybe get some scrapbooking done. It is at my house this month because i need to be around jaely to feed her. I could go to another house, but then i wouldn't be able to stay for very long. TJ has kindly offered to be on jaely duty while the girls and i talk and scrapbook. I am looking forward to some adult interaction and seeing my friends again. I used to see them every day at work, but it has been awhile. I can't wait!

Freedom!

Yesterday gail and steve came to visit. Gail said TJ and i could have an outing and she and steve would watch Jaely. I, of course, was anxious for an outing. We wanted to go see Baby Mama, but the showing didn't work with our schedule of feedings, so we went to target, circuit city and Traverse Pie company. It was nice, but i must admit i wanted to call and check on jaely a ton. It was relaxing not to take the stroller in and out and not to worry if her binky would fall out of her mouth during the car ride. It was wonderful just to hang out with family. As soon as gail got to our house she scooped jaely right up. Jaelynne was extremely fussy during the night TJ had to fall asleep with her on his chest. She wanted nothing to do with laying down, especially in her crib. I think it was gas. Tomorrow grandpa jer comes.

Gail also made us an awesome pot roast and a delicious cake (Jaely turned a month old). I just ate the leftovers. Yum.

It is still so strange for it to be Sunday and for me not to be busy correcting papers. Rather i am busy taking care of jaely and doing our laundry. Next i can either take a shower or a nap before her next feeding. Hummmm decisions, decisions.

Greek Salad Anyone?

Yesterday my aunt, uncle, and brother stopped at Panera bread on their way to visit. I kindly requested soup and a greek salad. I love feta cheese. I poured my dressing on and was mixing it around when i spotted something that didn't look right. At closer inspection (moving aside a big hunk of lettuce) there was a dead, hairy, big moth laying on my lettuce. Panera has let me down. I spent last summer there writing my thesis, eating and drinking. TJ and i love that place. It has let me down. Nasty! My aunt decided not to eat her greek salad.

Visitors!

Yesterday, instead of going to my breastfeeding class, i hung out with friends. One friend just had a baby a week after Jaely was born and the other friend already has two kids. It was so nice to get out, sit outside in the beautiful weather and talk about babies, school, and life. Jaely was awake for most of the outing.

Today was wonderful. My aunt carol, uncle mike and my brother jered came over to visit me and jaely. . . I think primarily Jaely. She was fussier than normal, but i don't think they minded. It really makes me sad that family is not close by to see Jaely more, but i am so thankful people are making the effort to see her. My other brother and his wife are coming to stay in June. I am super excited.

On Saturday gail and steve are coming and then on monday my dad is coming. I love my family.

Right now Jaely is wearing an adorable dress. It is so cute. Of course, after family leaves, she becomes content and plays on her blanket. I wish they had gotten to see it. She is alert and not crying, but kicking, tooting, and looking everywhere.

Yikes!

Yesterday evening, while Jaely was sleeping, we met with two guys about the land behind our house that is for sale. I want that land so bad for a couple of reasons. I don't want anyone building back there, it seems like a good investment, and it would be nice to have two acres as opposed to one. However, they would not budge on their price last night. Or at least they didn't pick up on the fact that we want to negotiate when i said the price is too high. 28,900 is a ton of money. Of course, one guy figured out our monthly budget and he said we should easily be able to make payments of 137.00 a month. I said that we could, but it is the balloon payment at the end that we are worried about. Then i told him that i will not be working next year. He punched the numbers and said "yikes, that would be very tight. Maybe you should work." We knew that we would have to sacrifice some things for me to stay home with Jaely next year. It is just hard to pass up such a good opportunity. But if they won't come down at all on the price, we are going to have to pass it up. We don't want to stretch ourselves and cause extra stress.

Weird day

My day has consisted of sleeping and nursing. I am so sick. . . i never knew my body could produce so much mucus. My head feels all cloudy, my throat hurts, and my head is pounding. I really have slept most of the day, waking to feed Jaely, change her diaper, and put her back down. I haven't changed out of my pajamas in two days. Poor Jaely. I have had to stop mid feeding to blow my nose, and she really doesn't like me sneezing when she is latched on. Hopefully, tomorrow i will wake up and feel completely better. . . hopefully. Sorry for all the whining!

Food

It all started with dad and his shrimp casserole. Then. . .
Jered and his Thai curry chicken
Charity and Party chicken
Corrie and chicken pot pie
Sarah, nate, and corbin with pizza hut
Rob, Kim, Noah, and ryan with lee's chicken (i am eating leftovers as i type!)
Tonight. . . The Bailey's are providing dinner.

TJ and i cannot believe how much it helps to not have to worry about meals. . . and we both love leftovers, so lunches are basically taken care of too. Thanks everyone!

The cards are pouring in. The gifts are still coming. Visitors are sharing their love with Jaely as they hold and cuddle her. Life is good. We are blessed beyond belief.

Beautiful Day

I am currently typing on TJ's laptop. . .my mac went crazy when TJ was connecting our video camera up to it. My beloved mac. This morning, i took Jaely in her stroller outside and raked and weeded our side garden and our massive back garden. It felt so good to be outside, to get fresh air and to get something accomplished. She basically slept the entire time. I bundled her up and made sure she was out of direct sunlight. We had a great day together. TJ got the fallen tree almost all cleaned up. We are both sleep deprived. I probably should be sleeping right now, instead of blogging. I just put Jaelynne down in her swing. I held her for a long time while she slept, but decided i should probably do something with my time. . . other than stare at my beautiful daughter. Don't get me wrong, i did stare for a considerable amount of time. . . so long in fact that she has sleep marks on her cute little cheeks. I need to write more thank you notes. They are never ending because the love and thoughtfulness of our friends and family doesn't end. It is wonderful! TJ had to make a trip to meijers early this morning because we found out the hard way that huggies diapers are slightly larger than pampers diapers. The "slightly" matters a lot when you are only 6 pounds 14 ounces. Explosions of nastiness can occur. We will have to save the huggies for when she is a little bit bigger. You can tell my level of sleepiness by how often and quickly i change subjects. I also laugh at the dumbest things. . . laughs so hard i have tears streaming down my face. Life is crazy, but oh so good!

Normal

Life is starting to feel normal again. . . like we have always had jaelynne. We are still learning, but we are definitely settling in. We even went for a walk today and we are making sure that we don't become hermits by going to meijers and target and such. TJ is overwhelmed with going back to work, finishing the built-in, and preparing the yard for spring. The tree that fell on our cars has left behind a big stump and plenty of sticks. Gail suggested we invite every child we know and have a big stick gathering party. Sounds fun! Right now Jaely is in her swing. Friends are bringing over pizza and TJ is reading the paper. I am so thankful that last night Jaely nursed at 2 and 6, no 4. I got a little more sleep last night than the night before. And i got a nap in, too. It took me all morning to write a thank-you note to our builder. He sent the nicest cookies that came in an adorable "It's a Girl" tin that plays music when you open it up. They are the best cookies i think i have ever had. I need to remember the company when i went to send a little something to someone. Of course, we are wondering if he is just buttering us up before we meet about that land contract, but i think he is genuinely a nice guy. . . he did after all give us our first christmas in our new home ornament and passes to the home show every year. Anyway, it took awhile to write him a thank you note between nursing, sleeping, and taking care of some phone calls. Thankfully, i was able to get more thank you notes done in the afternoon. Well, i better go and try to get things accomplished. I can't post without pictures. . .