More of Topher’s Expressions …

I was looking through the pictures we have on our computer and I came across this one of Topher that I just had to share:

Topherface

He's so dramatic …

A real post is coming one of these days, I swear!  I've just been … not in the greatest frame of mind, shall we say.   This whole "mom" thing?  It's not what I expected, to say the least.  I mean, I knew it would be a huge change, I knew my life would be different – but I feel like I've completely lost ME.  All I am now is a mom – and I'm not okay with that.  But I guess I'll share more of what I've been dealing with whenever I manage to find time to sit down and actually write about it …

Who I Am (Today)

Tophershower2 

I am …

… looking forward to Lindsay's wedding shower tonight.  (Lindsay's in the picture above!) Well, to be more accurate, I'm looking forward to Lindsay's wedding shower tonight, and a couple of hours without Topher!  As much as I love my little pickle, I need a break.  I'm leaving Nathan with a bottle and detailed instructions for bathtime and bedtime and I'm going out!  Sad, that I'm so excited to be going to a shower where I don't really know anyone apart from the bride-to-be and my mother-in-law … 

… loving Anthropologie, though I highly doubt I'll ever be able to bring myself to purchase anything from there.  $200 for a dress?  No thanks …

… also loving the summer weather we've been getting lately and enjoying the opportunity to experiment with the smoothie maker we got as a wedding gift :)

… riding again after being off since October. (!!!)  No, I'm not completely healed, and no, I don't have my doctor's permission (she actually told me to wait another 6 weeks …) – but oh well.  The exciting thing?  Nathan was planning to stop riding once I started up again (since he was originally only doing it to keep Ariel in shape) but he's decided he likes it too much - so we're both taking lessons :D   I knew I'd turn him into a horse nut …

… itching to redecorate our condo.  I say "redecorate" but I really mean decorate, period – we haven't really done any decorating since we moved in and that was almost two years ago.  Seriously, we have one picture on the living room wall and one in our room and that's it.  I want to make it homey!

… counting down the days until my family gets here!  I haven't seen my parents and oldest sister since the first week of May last year.

… finally starting to feel "caught up" when it comes to having a clean house.  Everything was spotless before Topher was born but since getting home from the hospital it's been an absolute disaster.  I still need to do some serious purging but at least the kitchen, living room and dining room are more or less presentable.  Most of the time …

… thankful for all the baby shower gifts Topher's received in the past few weeks but not at all keen on writing thank-you cards.  It's like our wedding all over again, but this time I know NOT to give any cards to Nathan to write on.  He found some from our wedding in his desk at work about three months ago that he had never finished/mailed – we got married in August of 2008.  Yeah.

… slowly working away on my website!  (Switching to WordPress, a new layout, and other exciting things …) I only get time to work on it when Topher naps in the afternoon, hence the "slowly" … maybe I'll be finished with it by the time I go back to work next spring?  Of course, by then I'll be bored with the layout I'm working on …  

Idea filched from Your Wishcake.

 

Smiles!

Tophersmiles 

My boy started smiling last week!  This isn't the greatest picture – I can't seem to grab the camera quick enough! –  but you get the general idea of how cute his little grin is!  He smiles for both Nathan and me but his biggest smile – the one where he absolutely beams – is reserved for the lamp in our living room.   Heaven forbid we ever let the bulb burn out …

Uncertainty

Found in one of my journals from 2005, when I had just dropped out of the college I had moved across the country to attend and had absolutely no idea what was next:

"Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing … Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life;  gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.  To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth.  This is generally said with a sign of sadness; it should rather be an expression of breathless expectation."  (Oswald Chambers)

Chloe the Water Dog

One of the things on my weekend to-do list was buying Chloe a kiddie pool to put on our balcony.  She absolutely loves the water – she runs to the bathroom as soon as she hears the water running in the tub and if we're not careful she'll jump right in – usually ruining a perfectly good bubble bath!!!  We found one at Petsmart for $10 – cheaper than we would have paid for a similar one at Toys R Us.  Poor Topher's going to be swimming in a pool with dog bones on the bottom next summer …

At first, she wasn't too sure about the whole swimming pool idea …

Chloepool1

So Nathan suggested I throw her ball in …

Chloepool2

She still wasn't too keen on actually getting in the pool.  She pushed the ball around the outside perimeter for a good five minutes or so before I got bored and decided to pick her up and throw her in myself :)

003 - Copy (3)

Once she was in, all was well!  She pushed the ball around with her nose for a bit …

 004 - Copy (2)

Then started using her paws, splashing me and completely soaking the balcony! 

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Eventually she forgot about her ball and started splashing just for the heck of it! 

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 I wish we lived closer to "real" water.  Oh, how I miss my ocean …

Topher’s Expressions…

Tophersfaces

This Weekend

I only have a few minutes to blog and nothing remotely exciting to blog about – so I'm going to copy Amber's post for today and let you know what I'm going to be doing this weekend! 

This weekend I plan to:

  • Sleep in.  Well, as much as you can "sleep in" with a 4-week-old baby!  (I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already!  Wow!)
  • Set up a video chat with my parents so they can finally "meet" their grandson. 
  • Plant my Four Little Pots seeds!
  • Buy window boxes (and flowers!) and convince Nathan to install them on our balcony.
  • Mail the baby announcements that have been sitting on our kitchen table for the past 3 weeks.
  • Buy Chloe a kiddie pool to play in since it's supposed to be really hot all weekend!
  • Attempt to ride Ariel for the first time since October. 
  • Actually make it to church! 
  • Attend the worship team picnic/barbecue Sunday afternoon.

Hm.  I wonder how much of that I'll actually get accomplished …

Confession

Last week I felt like I was surviving – this week I feel like I'm drowning.

Topher's going through a growth spurt, meaning he's eating practically non-stop – and when he's not eating, he's ridiculously fussy.  Neither Nathan or I got any sleep last night.  I managed to nap for an hour or so this afternoon – but with Topher in my arms, because he's decided that he won't sleep in his bassinet or crib – he has to be held.  I try and put him down once he's asleep but as soon as his head hits the mattress his eyes pop open and the screaming starts … It's hard to decide whether to hold him so we get some sleep or to put him in his bed and let him cry, so he'll learn to sleep there … funny, though, it's never been a problem until two days ago.  Ugh.   My to-do list keeps getting longer and longer …

Sigh.

"This too shall pass" … isn't that what they say?

 

100 Books in 365 Days

The lovely Cassie posted about her "100 Books in 365 Days" challenge in one of the groups I follow on 20sb and I thought it was a great idea!  The rules?

1. You must not have read this previously.
2. Audiobooks (up to 50 of the 100) will count.
3. Remain open-minded and read things that you normally wouldn't.

You can read whatever you want and make up your own list!  I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have to read with a newborn, but I'm game to give it a shot!  Here's my list of books to read so far:

  1. Dewey:  The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (Vicki Myron and Bret Witter)
  2. Under the Tuscan Sun (Frances Mayes)
  3. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Francis Chan)
  4. Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan)
  5. Her Mother's Hope (Francine Rivers)
  6. The Shack (William P. Young)
  7. Searching for God Knows What: Reflections on the Gospel of Jesus (Donald Miller)
  8. Dear John (Nicholas Sparks)
  9. Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
  10. The Lucky One (Nicholas Sparks)
  11. The Choice (Nicholas Sparks)
  12. Julie and Julia:  My Year of Cooking Dangerously (Julie Powell)
  13. The Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin)

I'll add more as I find them, I suppose … Feel free to make recommendations!!! 
 

Topher

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After his bath.  He hates bathtime … but if he'd stop peeing on his head he wouldn't have to be bathed as often!!! 

Topher1

A lovely gas smile.  Nathan's parents swear he smiles at them but he won't be able to really smile for another couple of weeks. 

Topher2 

My chubby boy!  He weighed 9 lbs 10 oz when I took him in on Tuesday … he has fat rolls.  Thunder thighs. 

Topher3

So peaceful …