what little boys are made of...

It has been a while since the last entry.  So long in fact, that we have since added a baby boy to our family.  I still can't believe he is almost six months old.  It's so cliche, but time really does fly.  It has not only been six months since Grady was born, but six months since my "Poppy" passed away.  It's sometimes hard to wrap my brain around the reality that he isn't a phone call away anymore.  My fondest memory of him was coming home from the grocery store with my grandmother and she would tell him there was a "sack of potatoes" in the trunk.  I would hide and wait until he would open the trunk, sling me over his shoulder, and carry me in the house.  Okay, I'm crying.  Needless to say, he was one of my favorite people and I will forever miss him until the day I see him again in Heaven.  I thank the Lord that I told him that if the baby was a boy, we were going to name him Grady Coleman, his dad's name.  My Poppy died suddenly on Wednesday, April 11th before Grady was born Monday, April 16th.  He wasn't feeling well and went to lay down.  He never got up.  I'd like to believe that him and Grady met "in passing".  Talk about the circle of life!  Jesus called him home and sent us Grady within a five day span.  We buried him on Saturday and you can imagine the emotional, hormonal mess I was at the funeral.

We were scheduled to go to the hospital Monday around 9 am, but Grady had different plans.  At 1 am I woke up to intense contractions.  When I told Murray at 3 am that I thought we needed to head to the hospital, he told me to...and I quote..."Go back to bed, we're going in six hours anyway".  Any woman who has ever been in labor knows my response.  After I almost ripped his face off, he got the point that we needed to go.  At 9:44 am we met our baby boy...A BOY!  It was the best surprise ever and I highly recommend not finding out the sex.  I don't think I will ever forget Murray's face when he said "It's a boy...Holly, it's a boy!"  Six months later, I still can't believe "it's a boy".  A cuddly, sweet, smiley little boy.

So what are little boys made of?  The nursery rhyme would say frogs and snails and puppy dogs tails.  But it's so much more.  This special little boy is made of God's sweetness and goodness that blessed our family, just as we said goodbye to a special man.  Grady's birth made my Poppy's passing bittersweet and I know he is smiling down on our Grady boy!

 Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.

baby on board

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged and we can all thank mother nausea for that one.  This pregnancy has been a lot different so far.  I have felt nauseous all day long and nothing seems to help. Add an active toddler to the equation and it has made for one crazy tired mama.  The doctor gave me a prescription for Zofran but I’m trying to hold off on taking medications and it does seem to be getting a little better now that I’m done with the first trimester.

It all started with a nauseated feeling and I was taking naps everyday while Lila napped, something I never do! I knew something was up so I decided to take a pregnancy test.  And you guessed it, positive!  This was on a Thursday night and Murray was out of town for work, so I had to keep this huge secret all to myself for a whole 24 hours.  I did tell Lila because I knew she wouldn’t blab or care.  When Murray came home Friday night I had the test on the bedside table on his side of the bed.  The funny part is he didn’t even pay attention to it, so I finally had to grab it and hold it in front of his face.  At first he thought it was an old one that I kept from when I was pregnant with Lila, but finally realized that would be a stupid joke.  He was excited…a lot better reaction than the first time I got a positive pregnancy test.  With Lila, he made me go back to the store and get more tests, so that five pregnancy tests later I think he got it.  The funny thing is I think it took up until the minute she arrived for him to realize there was actually a baby in there! 

I think we are both a lot more relaxed this time around.  With Lila we were so clueless and shocked to find out we were pregnant.  I mean, we obviously knew how it happened, but I just thought it would take a lot longer and we’d have more time to mentally prepare.  Nine short months later we were parents.  When she was born Murray said, “She’s like a real person” and the nurse said, “Uh, yeah”….I have it all on video.  Priceless!  

I love this picture because Murray had never held a baby before.  Hilarious.  He’s all tense and holding her super weird.  We’ve come a long way since November 17, 2009...

I found out I was pregnant with baby #2 at four weeks, but wasn’t ready to tell anyone until I went to the doctor.  Plus we are in Virginia and I wanted to see my doctor in South Carolina.  So after six long weeks I finally had an appointment and the baby looked great on the ultrasound.  We ended up telling his family and my family at ten weeks by wrapping up this picture:

It was so funny because none of them got it right away.  They all smiled and even mouthed “Aww, I’m the big sister”. It took a good 30 seconds for them to look up in shock and ask “Wait, are you pregnant?” 

I’m pretty sure Lila will not have this excited expression on her face come April.  The child will not let me even hold a baby without throwing an all out tantrum.  I’ve even tried holding her baby doll to get her used to something in my arms, but she will have none of it.  It’s going to be a rude awakening when she is not the center of the universe anymore, but I know it will be wonderful for her and she’ll eventually be a great big sister.  I just feel sorry for this little baby.  I mean, can you imagine seeing this wild thing staring back at you?

If baby #2 makes it through “Life with Lila” it will be nothing short of a miracle.  Lila rules the roost and I’ll be interested to see her reaction to the new addition.  When I ask her where the baby is she points to my stomach.  I also asked yesterday if it was a boy or girl and she said “gir”.  We’re not going to find out this time, which is probably a shock to most who know me because I’m such a planner.  I’ll be excited either way because with a boy I’d have one of each, but I also think there is something super special between sisters.  So we’ll just have to wait and see.  Either way, Murray is pretty sure it’ll be a “real person” this time!



MASH

MASH is a game we used to play in the car on the way to the beach.  I had perfected my life through this game.  I lived in a mansion with Brad Pitt and our 2.2 kids, had a hot pink wedding, lived in Malibu, and drove a BMW.  In reality, I really wanted to get married right out of college to a dark-headed guy (my “type”), have 3 children and, okay I’ll admit it, live in a mansion.  It’s funny that girls tend to play MASH with real life.  We want to plan out every detail of our lives, like God doesn’t already hold the plan.  When I did finally meet the right guy, I was 24 and he was a blonde.  One year later we were married and, as they say, the rest is history.  Murray and I were just talking the other day about how we’d never have thought we’d be living in Virginia with our 20 month old daughter just three short years after getting married.  I was supposed to be living in Malibu, for goodness sake!  And speaking of those three short years, we just celebrated our anniversary on July 26^th.  As cliché as it sounds, he is my best friend and I think he is a spectacular man.  That’s not to say our marriage is perfect…he can annoy me more than anyone else I know! We argue about the smallest of things.  I tend to pout and he tends to ignore me, which makes my pouting even worse.  But most importantly, we know how to say I’m sorry.  We just work.  He will probably never read this, so I’ll just have to tell him in person:  I love you, Murray Davis, and am forever thankful you chose me to be your partner in this life...even if you didn’t make all of my MASH dreams come true. J  

togetherness

Lila is a toddler.  A busy toddler.  Which makes me a busy toddler’s mom.  I don’t have anything to compare her to, but I think Lila is busier than the average child.  She’s also smarter than the average bear, according to Yogi.  But that’s a mother’s bias speaking.  Back to the point:  Lila isn’t the child who will just sit and be content.  In fact, the only thing she will sit somewhat still for is Barney.

And not just any Barney…the “Round and Round” episode is all she’ll watch.  Over and Over.  So much so that Murray and I find ourselves quoting it in everyday life and singing the songs to annoy each other.  We have the script memorized. 

However, the other day Annie was on.  Lila was entranced.  She sat in my lap eating Special K flakes for a full 45 minutes.  She would stick her hand in the snack bag every couple of minutes without taking her eyes off the screen, just like she was snacking on popcorn at a theater.  This is why we went to Walmart, then Target, and finally Best Buy in search for Annie.  Best Buy ordered it for us and we patiently waited for it in the mail.  The glorious day came and Annie is ours…

We hope to not hear “The Wheels on the Bus” quite as often.

Another activity that I use to keep her occupied is pool time.  Baby blow up pool time.  The first time we got the pool out, I could not figure out how to turn the hose on.  Hello, 1935?

Call me city-fied but I have never used a well pump.  Ten minutes and a phone call to Murray later, I finally figured out I didn’t have to “pump” it…I just pulled up the handle and freezing cold water filled up Lila’s pool.  Even though her lips were turning purple, she had a blast.

The child loves water.  At the park near our house, there is a pole that blows mist.  As hot as it has been up here she spend most of the park time running in the mist in between sliding, swinging, and eating bark.  Every time I look she’s putting a piece of bark in her mouth…we’re at that stage.

Our new tradition is Saturday morning pancakes.  They are so good, but the brand name does not sound very appetizing.  Brace yourselves…

Krusteaz?  I’m not even joking.  Probably not the best brand name ever used, but trust me, they are good and fluffy.  Daddy makes Lila’s mini-style and with no syrup.  My busy child doesn’t need any extra sugaryness to add to her busyness.

Speaking of daddy, we have a major daddy’s girl on our hands.  Lila absolutely adores her daddy and vice versa.  I am the one that gave her life, nourishes her at every meal, changes her out of soiled diapers, but daddy hung the moon.  No offense taken, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  But I hope to have a mama’s boy at some point.

On Tuesday nights we go to Chick-fil-A for kid’s night.  They have free kid’s meals, balloons, a magician, and of course the famous cow walking around.  Lila stares and smiles from across the restaurant, but as soon as the cow starts making his way over she’s practically crawling up me trying to get away. She enjoys watching kids run around everywhere, but honestly kids night is more for us.  It means we don’t have to keep her super quiet in a restaurant and if she throws a bit of food on the floor, so is everyone else’s kid.  I think it more adult therapy than anything.

More adult therapy occurs at Rockabye Readers on Wednesdays at the library.  We sing, dance, read alound, and play.  I never knew a library could be so therapeutic.  I also joined a mom’s group on meetup.com and that has helped me meet other moms and is a great way for Lila to be around other kids.  Some of the moms are interesting, some are boring, and some are just old.  But it’s still nice to talk to people that can understand all of the JOYS (said with some sarcasm) of motherhood. 

I think one day I’ll miss doing all of these activities with my busy girl.  One day she’ll rather be going to the movies or eating with friends instead of dear ole mom and dad.  So we'll keep on with our busy schedule of activities together...while she still likes the togetherness.   

Bedford, VA

In case you can’t see the sign, it reads “Welcome to Bedford:  The Christmas Capital of the World”.  Not really sure why it is deemed the Christmas capital of the world…but we shall see in December.  We moved here 2 weeks ago and I am finally not crying daily.  The first week was a bit “iffy” and I think I cried enough to fill a gallon jug.  It is one thing to say you’re moving 5 hours away and another to actually drive the 5 hours.  On Monday, Murray took me to Chick-fil-a to lift my spirits.  We drove the 30 minutes to Lynchburg for a chicken salad sandwich and sweet tea.  And it did lift my spirits, somewhat! 

Our Virginia house is very INTERESTING.  It is a 125 year old farmhouse with a SPOOKY basement.



Lila has loved exploring around the house.  We are just renting it because we kept our house back in South Carolina.  Our neighbors to the left are Jake and Janie, a very sweet, very old couple.



Our neighbors to the right are the cows in the pasture.

It really is like we’ve stepped back in time.  The cows come to the lower pasture around 5:30 in the evening, so Lila goes out to say hello. 

We pick vegetables from the garden, but I’m definitely still learning how to prepare them. Yesterday I sautéed some of our cucumbers in olive oil before realizing I should have put them in vinegar.  INTERESTING.  Atleast we got some greens in. 

I also took Lila on a wagon ride before realizing that cars fly down this old country road and that Virginia has HILLS.  INTERESTING.  I definitely got my cardio in for the week with that stroll.  We have baby bunnies that live in the bushes at the back door.  They are fun to watch and we tried to leave some cantaloupe out for them.  However, Buffy found the cantaloupe before the bunnies did. 

While playing outside in the driveway, Lila fell down and skinned her knee.  Mother-of-the-year here did not have any bandaids handy so I had to tape a piece of paper towel to her knee. INTERESTING. 

Another interesting thing is that I long for my Spartanburg Walmart (crazy, I know) and the familiar faces I used to see.  Back home, I would avoid Walmart and Food Lion like the plague because of who I might run into and have to chit chat with forever.  I was always on a mission to just run in and get the things on my list.  Now I find it sad that I won’t see any familiar faces on aisles 5, 6, or 7. 

We finally have television, but I couldn’t find anyone who provides internet service way out here…except for a company called “Wild Blue Yonder”.  INTERESTING.  The interesting part is they wanted to charge a $150 installation fee and $70/month.  Um…no.  For now I’ll use my dinky phone and occasionally the free Wi-Fi at Arby’s. 

What cracks me up is that none of these little “stories” are INTERESTING at all.  And I love it.  Life has definitely slowed down and the best part of all is that I’m starting to enjoy the little things.  Instead of rushing through the day, I’m actually taking time to sit and watch Barney.  I play the keyboard for Lila and we walk to the mailbox atleast twice a day to check the mail (even though we never get anything).  We go to the park and watch the birds fly by.  We moo at the cows when we pass by in the car.  Yes, Bedford is INTERESTING.  It is definitely not home, but I am TRYING to embrace the moments we have here because “this too shall pass.”  I’ve had some great phone therapy sessions with Erin and Ashley and have come to realize that they might just be right.  I am going to make memories while here and enjoy my sweet little family in Bedford:  the Christmas capital of the world.          

Here's to...

Health and happiness.  It's in every wedding toast, every graduation send-off, and every mother's wish for her children.  I've recently been thinking that, for Lila, I'd like to add one more wish.  Not only do I pray for her personal happiness, but I pray she will continue to make others happy, as well.  It's fairly easy for her now.  Everything from a new word to blowing kisses makes those around her happy, especially the grandparents that worship the ground she walks on.  

Aside from the grandparents, Murray and I want other people to like our child.  We try to keep her fairly quiet in restaurants and pick up food off the floor before leaving.  We cross our fingers that she gets a good "report" from the Sunday School teachers at church, and we are trying to instill manners in her early.  When I pop her with the Home Depot paint stick :), it is totally out of love and in hopes that she'll learn wrong from right.  We do these things so that she won't be the child people dread coming.  She won't be the child teachers sigh when seeing her name on the class roster (and, yes, teachers do that).  I want the reputation that precedes her to be one of being a blessing.  

As she grows, I hope Lila realizes that by blessing others, she will in turn become happier herself.  How many times did I hear my dad say, "You reap what you sow."  I pray Lila sows into other people's lives.  I pray she is the friend they can call, the student they can count on, the wife that God wants her to be, and the mother that will love her children as much as I love her.  

So to get off my Mother Teresa soap box, I will end by toasting my daughter.  "Here's to a lifetime of health, happiness, and loving others just as much as you love yourself." 



Girlfriends

I think I'm getting all sappy watching the girls on Sex and the City.  It's making me think about my girlfriends and how much I'm going to miss them in the coming months.  Then, sappy me, started looking through old pictures.  I have so many in albums from pre-digital days, but these are a few pictures for my girls :) Love you...



From the rocking horse to the rocking chair, friendship keeps teaching us about being human.
~Letty Cottin