The latest

OK, so I'm sure the inside of my kitchen cabinets is probably about the last thing you expected (or cared) to see in a blog post from me, but HEY, this is big people. OK, it's really not that big probably, but humor me. Since moving into our house (ahem, May 2007) our kitchen cabinets have just been kind of, well, jumbled for lack of a better term. I think, amidst all the other joys that go with moving, the kitchen cabinets just were not a priority and so we just stuck stuff in them rather randomlyish, and, well, just dealt with it. Somewhat. To be honest, it has borderline driven me nuts for awhile, but the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was the day I decided Gemma needed her own cabinet (see two posts prior to this one).

Well, today the project reached it's culmination when I purchased my awesome spinny spice thing (I think that maybe is not what they're actually called) from Bed, Bath and Beyond. And so, during the wee-one's (thankfully) happy-nappy, I finished up and (lame, I know) took pictures of it all. So, seeing as how you've made it to this point, you might as well take a gander if you so desire.

Glassware and not-so-glass ware
Coffee cups and (organized) randomness
Cereal and baby-food cups
Spice cabinet with neat spinny thing (see bottom shelf)
Bowls, Gemma's stuff, plates
And last but not least, our pantry/Gemma-goo's very own cabinet (well, the bottom shelf that is)
Now it's time to RELAX!
Oh, and we've had several of THESE around here lately.
Happy weekend, my faithful readers!

What a week

OK, I'll admit, this teething business is getting just a tad bit frustrating for me. Gemma's such a trooper, but doggone-it mealtime is just awful more times than not, and her naps have been less than impressive over the past week. Then on Monday evening when Aaron was rocking her to sleep she puked. All over him. Like, gallons! It really didn't seem to phase her though, and she slept great that night...so whatever. But the eating and the napping business...or lack there-of... This too shall pass. Right??? On a more positive note though, the past two mornings she has put herself back to sleep. Yesterday I had been rocking her after nursing and she awoke when I laid her down (around 5:45a), but made it back to sleep with next to no fuss. Today she was going full throttle about 6:40a (too early) so I left her for a bit, but she was getting pretty insistent so I went in there and gave her her stinky (which she had tossed on the floor) and blankie, laid her down and started her musical seahorse, rubbed her tummy, said "night-night" and left. She fussed (more like "made noise" than actual crying) for about 5-7 minutes, then I didn't hear another thing from her until close to 8am. YAY. Baby steps, right??!! OK, no more pity-party. I just had to vent a bit. Thanks for listening! Next time I'll try to have cute pics and more positive commentary.

Peace out!

Gemma's cabinet, or: The really big small project

So, I have finally decided it was time Gemma got her "own" cabinet in the kitchen. My sis did this with her little guy, a cabinet that he can open and close, and have free reign over the contents, which consist mainly of plastic bowls, containers and maybe some spatulas and measuring spoons. I had wanted to do this all along, but there just really was no practical place in our kitchen. On one side there is a bank of drawers: nope, really need those for my stuff. Then there's the oven: uhhhh, no. Then we have two corner cabinets with kind of odd doors that would be very easy with which to pinch a finger: those were out. And then of course there's under the sink: oh, that would be just utterly brilliant. Last but not least there's the pantry, which is a quite tall cabinet consisting of two stationary shelves and two slide out shelves (which are way cool I might add). Well, that just didn't seem practical until I thought it out a bit more. As she's getting older, I like to let her "roam" and not always have to be confined to her high-chair or saucer when I'm cooking in the kitchen (I actually do that once in awhile), and she does have a Fridge Farm, but that only keeps her entertained for so long, and I feel like there are so many places in this house about which I already have to tell her "no", it would be nice to have something for "big people" that she could share too. Well, I thought to myself, we can do this. I'll put some of the bowls and other what-nots down there on the bottom of the pantry where the cereal was, and move the roller shelves up and the stationary shelf down (so she doesn't pull one out on herself) and we're good. Yeeeaaaaaaaaah...so here's how it really went.

Move cereal to upper cabinet, rearranging and throwing out no less than four mostly-empty boxes of Honey Crunchin' Oats. Hmmm, must have been one of those pregnancy cravings
Put bowls and other non-breakable, kiddo-proof things at bottom of pantry
Take all the cans off shelves
Remove rolling shelves (surprisingly easy)
Remove (errrr, attempt to remove) stationary shelf
Curse and get frustrated
Call for hubby
Hubby takes over and shelves are moved cheerfully and without loss of limb or sanity
Put groceries back in pantry, completely rearranging and reorganizing
Need new home for evaporated milk and several other various pregnancy-induced impulse buys from a year-and-a-half ago
Head to lazy-susan in corner with said items
Decide it needs rearranged
Both levels
Tackle the shelf above the fridge that is a pain to get to. Why I kept things up there that I use on a regular basis is still beyond me
Take a look at the grimy dust on my decorations above my cabinets
Try and actually succeed at ignoring it, at least for now
Begin to rearrange spice cabinet at which point hubby says, "Seriously, hun...you told me this was a 10-15 minute project." Errrrrrr, yeah.
At this point I've decided to wait on the spice cabinet until I can get some of those nifty turn-table things on which to put all the little bottles. THEN . . .

Who me, OCD??? Nevahhhhhhhh!

So, here are some pics of magoo and her new cabinet, which seems to be a success. She really gets a kick out of pulling things out, banging them around, stacking, etc. Good times, good times!!

Great week

Despite all the teething "fun" going on, we really have had a great week around here. Gemma is just so stinkin' cute these days. I love watching her play and discover things. She said her first sentence this past Sunday. We walked into the "mud-room" from the garage and she looked at our calendar and said, "It's a puppy, woof!" It was so cute. She also will say, "it's a baby" when she sees a baby or a picture of a baby. She has quite the handful of words she is saying now, and it's so fun to listen to her attempts to commute. Sometimes she just babbles off in her own little world. Sweetness. She has also been signing "finished" and "more", so that's been cool. Her appetite has been anything but good, but what do ya do? You feed her as much as you can at snacks and mealtime and hope for the best overnight, that's what you do. Her poor little gums, you can see the two teeth on their way in. It just looks painful, poor gal. As of today, she seems to have taken to cows' milk, so yay for that. She had between five and seven ounces this evening, and really seemed to enjoy it! Okay, one more cuteness and then I'm finished (for now). Promise. She has started changing positions in her sleep. When we were at my parents' the other night we went in to get her to go home and she was on her tummy with her little heiny sticking up in the air. Pure preciousness. And the past two nights Aaron and I will be sitting out in the family room and all of a sudden over the monitor we'll hear her little musical sea-horse thing playing. I checked her last night awhile after hearing it and she was just kind of collapsed in a heap in the corner of her crib. I think she wakes up, starts it, looks at it, and then just falls asleep and literally "falls" back down. Times like this it would be fun to have a video-monitor. I am currently listening to it play over the monitor now, but haven't heard a peep from her.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how blest I am. I have a great family and some wonderful friends. Be them friends (or cousins) who live far away and with whom my main means of keeping in touch is Facebook, or friends that live less than a mile away. Friends that I've known for years, or some of the "mommy" friends that I've recently made since Gemma's birth. I am so very grateful for the gift of friendship. Life is good. God is good.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Mercy of God

I wanted to share with you another poem by Jessica Powers. I actually ran across this one (again) cited in a book entitled Reconciliation by Robert Morneau, that I received for Christmas. The book really seems to have a lot of potential, I am excited to read more (I am but about 20 pages in). And of course I was just thrilled to see Jessica Powers' name. Anyways, without further ado, I shall share with you:

The Mercy of God
I am copying down in a book from my heart's archives
the day that I ceased to fear God with a shadowy fear.
Would you name it the day I measured my column of virtue
and sighted through windows of merit a crown that was near?
Ah, no, it was rather the day I began to see truly that I came forth from nothing and ever toward nothingness tend,
that the works of my hands are foolishness wrought in the presence of the worthiest king in a kingdom that never shall end.
I rose up from the acres of self that I tended with passion and defended with flurries of pride;
I walked out of myself and went into the woods of God's mercy, and here I abide.
There is greenness and calmness and coolness, a soft leafy covering from the judgment of sun overhead,
and the hush of His peace, and the moss of His mercy to tread.
I have naught but my will seeking God; even love burning in me is a fragment of infinite loving and never my own.
And I fear God no more; I go forward to wander forever in a wilderness made of His infinite mercy alone.
-- Jessica Powers

I italicized the line about 1/3 of the way down because I find it particularly poignant. I could use to meditate upon this line alone day in and day out...that we, of our own accord, are nothing. We have nothing which has not been given us by God. So many things in this life that we deem "important" or that "can't wait"...what are they?? Things. Inconsequentialities (if that's a word) and self-proclaimed priorities. "Silly Monica," I sometimes think. Put life into perspective. Maybe Gemma didn't eat a good lunch, or that trip to Target seems most imminent; or there are hand-prints in the dust on the television screen and a ring of dirt around the bathtub. " . . . The works of my hands are foolishness wrought in the presence of the worthiest king in a kingdom that never shall end . . . "

Peace!

Odds and ends

So, my daughter's first week as a one-year-old has been a good one. Thought I'd check in with some updates. Big news for Gemma involves the manner in which she rides in the car. We have now graduated to front-facing...which is a lot of fun for baby and momma!
Friday my sister Michelle and her hubby closed on their new home and moved. Poor little Ira (almost 3) was a little overwhelmed with the whole process, so he came over and napped and hung out at our house for awhile. He and Gemma are such sweet playmates. Here they are playing in Gemma's old bathtub. I was going to toss it when it got a hole in it, but decided it would make a great toy. I was right! I am so sad my sis is moving farther away, but they have a great house and I know they'll be happy...so I'm happy for them.
Today Gemma helped daddy put together her Christmas wagon from Grandma and Grandpa. We also went swimming at the gym! In the morning we got together with some good friends, so it has just been a great day all around.
And lastly, I have decided it's time that my daughter started helping out with the laundry around here. Not really, but when I was tossing stuff in the washer earlier, I turned around and this is what I saw. Pretty stinkin' cute I thought!
Eating is going well, still experimenting with new things. I think those darn teeth are just giving her some issues. Oh well, day at a time.

Well, dinner's almost ready (yay Aaron), so I'm gonna scoot. Thanks for checking in!

Brief food update

So, Miss G absolutely DEVOURED 1/4 of a quite large cheese and black-bean quesadilla for dinner last night. I am thinking maybe her issues may lie more with the fact that she is getting tired of the bland pureed stuff and ready for more texture and flavor rather than with teething. Possibly?? We'll see what today brings, those kiddos like to keep you guessing! :-) At any rate, I was a quite happy momma last night. And she had a much better night last night, too...even with the shots. Her last tylenol was at 7:30 last night, and she seems to be doing great. No fever and no pain...she had a fabulous day yesterday, and the only time she had it was 11:30a. Praise God! Well, gonna scoot and try to get ready for the day before she awakens.
Cheers!

Doctor visit

Gemma had her 12 month well-baby check today. She did great, the doctor said she was just fabulous (he's soooooo nice)! She had her shots, too, and really seems to be doing fine with them. I am always so sad when she gets so sad, but thank goodness the nurses are great. They do both shots at once (two nurses, one in each leg) and I pick her up just as soon as she has her band-aids stuck on. She, thankfully, always seems to calm down quite quickly. This time she got a cute little rubber ducky with a pink hat and shirt that says "Lucky Duck". Nurse Becky handed it to her before her shot, and she finally let go of it when we came in the house. Yes, she held on to it during the shots, while I dressed her and put her coat on, in the waiting room while I rescheduled her for her 15 month appt., and all the way home. It was too cute. So here are the stats.

Height: 29 1/4 inches - - 60th %ile
Weight: 19 lbs 8.5 oz. - - 25th %ile
Head Circumference: 17 inches - - 25th %ile

Pretty par for the course for her, although she has come down in %ile in regards to her height. She was running around the 90th, so guess she's starting to "even out"...although what's in an "average" anyways??!!

And a short update on our adventures into many new and tasty foods:
Wheat bread gets 5 stars
Cheddar cheese - 3.5 stars
Scrambled eggs - 4 stars
Cows milk - 1 star

Okay, maybe 2 stars on the milk. Aaron mixed it in with her oatmeal this morning and said she ate it pretty well. YAY! At any rate, we'll keep on keepin' on.

I believe toothies 7 and 8 are getting ready to make their grand entrance. Appetite has been fair at best, and last night when she woke up during the night she would just scream. Poor baby. And when I went to her she wasn't always even awake, just screaming in her sleep. So sad. I finally caved around 5am and gave her some tylenol. I really hate doing that, but I wanted her to get some good sleep. It seemed to help, and I figured since she was having shots today anyways we could get kind of a two-for-one. She's been down for her nap for two hours now, so I am thankful for that.

Okey-doke, that's all for now, folks! Later gators.

Birthday fun

We had a very fun day for Gemma's birthday. She slept in until almost 8:15 and we took the video camera in to get her up. She was in true form, jumping, barking and playing peek-a-boo. It was pretty cute. She was very thrilled when Max got to come in and wish her a happy birthday in her bedroom. :-) We all went to Mass together at 9:00 and that was nice. She was a very good girl at church. Saturday morning I took her to Target and she helped me pick out a very sweet birthday outfit. It was supposed to be a dress, but I thought it looked pretty sweet with the brown leggings.

Her party started at 4:00. It was lots of fun. Aaron did so much to get all the food and everything together, it was just awesome. What a husband!! Gemma had quite a good time opening presents. She got lots of books, and some neat toys, too. As I suspected may be the case, she wasn't incredibly interested in her cupcake. Well, not interested in eating it that is. She thought it was pretty cool to play with (she's very tactile), but she was more interested in feeding it to me than she was in eating it herself. It was her very first time to have anything with sugar in it. She did end up eating a little, but she wasn't totally nuts over it by any stretch. That's my cautious little girl!

We tried some cows milk this morning, and she didn't seem to be a huge fan of that either. Ergh! Advice, anyone??! I just want her to have good healthy eating habits...but between teething and her overly cautious attitude towards anything new or different...

But enough complaining. Her first birthday was a very special day that I will always remember.

Now onto the part everyone wants to see...party pictures!

Here are the cupcakes we made her, and her birthday flowers and card. To the right is the collage I made as party favors.
Close-up of the collageOPENING GIFTS!! Mommy and daddy got her a Cabbage Patch doll.
Oh boy! A puppy dog, WOOF!
Cousin Ira helping open her farm animal puzzle.
Now, onto the cake!
Hmmm, what is this??
Daddy had to help her try it.
Here mommy, you try it!
As with anything that involves something with letters and my family, we ended up with this by the end of the evening.
And if you think this is bad, just ask my mom about her MERRY CHRISTMAS letters. Let's just say they didn't spell "Merry Christmas" when my siblings/in-laws finished with them.

And lastly, here is a picture of Gemma at her birth moment, 8:11PM, sleeping in heavenly peace. I love you, magoo.

Happy Birthday Gemma-goo!

Looking back one year ago...

Getting ready to leave the hospital
Sleeping in her little "side-server" bed the first night home
Pretty girl ready to go to Mass her first time
Birth announcement pic (taken at 1wk)

What I've learned...one year later

On the eve of the birth of my precious baby girl, I reflect on the many things I've learned in the past year. I've learned...
...that labor and delivery is tough work (I have an entirely different perspective on pain now), but probably the single most amazing thing I have ever experienced. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, and I'll never forget that very first meeting of baby and momma. Oh the sweet, sweet memory.
...patience.
...that if you try to clean baby poop off carpet with OxiClean, the poopy part of the carpet will actually be cleaner than the rest of the carpet when you finish.
...an entirely new understanding of God's love for me through the unconditional love I have for my child.
...you can indeed run a baby's bath water too cold. And she will scream when you put her in it.
...that I never knew I could become so obsessed with things such as sleeping habits and eating habits.
...that name brand Desitin is way better than the store brand stuff.
...to eat my words.
...love.
...to savor and appreciate every hour of uninterrupted sleep I get.
...to put others' needs first.
...that sometimes you've just gotta sit down and play for awhile.
...the art of multitasking on a whole new level.
...that there truly is NOTHING on TV at 3am. Even the NEWS is boring at that hour. Although if you'd like to buy a ShamWow, I could give you one heck of a sales-pitch.
...that just about any job can be done with one hand if you try hard enough.
...that it's easy to judge until you've walked the proverbial "mile in their shoes".
...to truly appreciate how hard my husband works to provide for us.

I've learned that being a mom may be one of the toughest jobs on earth, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love you baby girl.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Gemma's one-year professional portraits