Sophie - I Just Love Her - 7 Months

I think I've written about this before.  I tend to write about the same things.  But, when we found out we were having a girl, so many emotions ran through my head.  I was shocked.  I was excited (she was the first granddaughter on both sides - and the first girl in two generations on one side).  I was a bit scared.  Silly?  Maybe.  But, I was.  Having had three boys, I considered myself a "boy mom."  If I'm being really honest, I have to admit I was worried about having the same kind of love for a little girl that I had for a little boy.  However, it might help to put my craziness in perspective...with each new baby, during pregnancy there were points I was worried sick that I wouldn't know how to love another as much as the last...and that my baby at the time would never feel as loved as he/she did as a baby (that a new one would take his/her place).  You'd think I would learn after four babies that it simply isn't true.  But, I don't know if I ever will learn.  

My point...I adore this little girl.  All of the worry was silly.

And, if she had been another little boy, I would have adored him, too!

m Her smile lights up a room.

And, I can already tell that she and her Daddy will have quite the bond. 

She's sweet as can be, and she's my precious little girl.

If we ever have another one, Sophie will still remain Sophie and will always be precious to me...just as her siblings are.

Each and every one is a gift.

She's been with us seven months (as of the 9th), and thinking about how fast it all goes gets me.  It will never be slow enough.

She's a little over 17 lbs, about 27 inches long, is wearing 9-12 month clothes, size 3 diapers and almost size 3 shoes (my first to wear shoes this young - still rarely).  She's eaten almost all veggies and fruits and is starting with puffs.   She has a 6 oz bottle about 4-5 times/day.

She's scooting around and sitting up for brief stints.  

And, while she smiles a lot for us, she doesn't laugh much.

Her brothers are the light of her life, and she's one of ours.

We love you, Miss Sophie Therese.

There's a Reason I'm Not a Fashion Blogger: Firmoo Review

A few weeks ago, Firmoo contacted me asking if I'd like to review their eye glasses.  Being that I already have (and love!) a pair, I jumped at the chance.  They allowed me to select any pair, and luckily I still had an unexpired prescription, so I ordered them in a hurry and had them at my door in just a few days.  

I've worn glasses since 1st grade.  However, I've never needed them to pass a driving test.  So, I can do without them, but I see a much crisper world with them.

A world that doesn't look like this...

That's what happened when I asked my sweet husband to take pictures of me in the cold.  Reason number one I'm not a fashion blogger.

Reason number two: I look like a goofball.

Nonetheless, there was no other way to let you know just how much I love these glasses, so here goes...

They are lightweight...

trendy...

and inexpensive!

Plus, you can try them on online!  Yes, you can.  Just upload a picture of yourself on their site, and voila!  Try on any pair before you buy.  How neat is that?!

These pictures are a bit more me...

Sophie is entranced.

 I think she'd like a pair someday.

And, a final quick close-up look...

Even if you don't need glasses, why not have a pair just for fun?!

Firmoo is the place to go.

Detachment

Last year, on the first of the new year, I wrote a post focusing on one word.  That world was patience. It was my goal to be more patient...with others and with myself.   I think I was from time to time, but I know I wasn't at other moments.  If I learned anything from my desire to be more patient it is that it's not a virtue that is simply given to me.  Instead, it's earned, and that earning isn't necessarily what I had envisioned.  For instance, I'd like to be more patient when I receive a phone call and all four kids need me at that very moment.  In asking for patience, I wouldn't necessarily just float about the room tending to each one's needs while carrying on that important phone conversion. Instead, I was tossing packs of fruit snacks at those crying for something to eat, picking up another crying for me and saying more "oh yeahs" than I really wanted to to that person on the other end of the line, all the while feeling the heat rise as I wish my kids new how to act when I was talking to someone else and wish that someone else had called at a better time.  Patient?  Not really.  Yet, with each of those little moments, I did realize something...that growing in that virtue, and any virtue for that matter, takes work.  I could get off the phone, explain to the kids old enough to understand that I needed them to take care of themselves for a minute while I was talking to someone else and myself be more generous with the time it took to actually be an active part of that conversation.  But when the next phone call came, it was typically more of the same.

*I just re-read this post and feel like I should explain.   In no way am I wanting people to not call me! I love hearing from family and friends.  I just wish I was better at sometimes handling the screaming in the background, ha!

It's a little thing, yes.  I have a whole host of other areas where my patience is lacking.  I'm not going to say that I'm even halfway where I want to be in that department, but I have grown in one area of it...recognizing I have a long way to go and taking tiny steps, day by day, to get there.

So for this year, it's something new I'd like to work on...

From worrying what others think...
From thinking I need so many things that I truly just want...
From wondering if I'll be good enough at whatever I'm doing...
From wanting constant affirmation...
From the desire to do it all...
From the fear of loss...
From the unrest that comes with worry...
From the need for acknowledgement...
From the tendency to have unrealistic expectations...
From the constant concern of failure...
From the need to know...
From the materialism...
From the drive to constantly be busy...

Detachment.

There are too many things in my mind that drive me from the one thing that truly matters...that I am His, and to Him alone am I accountable.  From everything that keeps me from that, I want to learn to detach.  It's a long road ahead.