5 months old!!

Yah. Way Late on this one. Sorry, friends.

Norah is 5 months old! (On June 12th that is...) Some shots of my sweet girl

• I love her sweet disposition. Most of the time she is laid back and go-with-the-flow.
• She absolutely LOVES her daddy. He can almost always make her smile.
•  I love how her legs are getting just a little bit chunky and how she has wrist creases.
• She enjoys the water, both the bath and the pool. Though when we first enter the pool the shock of the heat to cold gets her everytime. Her head jerks sideways as she looks to me for reassurance, brow furrowed and concern in her eyes. I laugh and smile and she recovers instantly.
• She loves to roll around and gets frustrated when she can't get where she wants. 
• She has recently started testing me when I put her down. I will lay her down somewhere and she will scream and squeal as if I'd never hold her again. After a few seconds of this tantrum, she looks at me, smiles and starts playing. (Oh boy...here we go!!)
• She has developed a new squeal. Gone are the days of the newborn "warble." Now I hear that "all too soon to be tween squeal." You know, the one that makes most adults' faces screw up into all kinds of nastiness. Hopefully, we can nip that in bud before my face gets stuck. :-) (I can hear all you parents of daughters laughing and saying "good luck" under your breath.)
• She is reaching for everything. Food on my plate, coupons in my hand, dust bunnies, toys, blankets and...well...you name it. My mommy reflexes are daily being honed.
• She has a tooth! Geez..I almost forgot!! She got her first tooth two days before she turned 5 months old. Ahead of the curve on height and teeth, but weighs the same as one of my friends two month old.
• Still bald. There is a little fur up there, but not much. She is definitely a Forman.

I'm enjoying being this sweet souls' mama. It's true what they say. It does go too fast.

Father's Day!!

Well, Happy belated Father's Day to all you wonderful dads out there!! Dave and I celebrated over multiple days because he had to work this weekend. It all started Friday afternoon with a little fingerpainting action with me and the Ninja. There aren't many pictures because once she realized there was goop on her fingers, choas ensued. Screaming, big fat crocodile tears. Not. A. Fan. But you can see the before and after anyway...

The sweetness, being all swallowed by her swimmy diaper. Yeah, I know, not going swimming, but it was the only disposable in the house. :-)

The Canvas and the Artist. Watch out world, here she comes!

Enjoying the green. (Which subsequently made her hand look cyanotic. Note to self.)

The closest-to-the-end-without-the-hysterics picture I got. Yes. She did eat a little green. Yes. It was non-toxic. No. I do not plan to make a habit of it. ;-)

The masterful finished product. Oh. Yeah. I said masterful. She is an artistic genius. :-)

As I mentioned, Daddy Dave had to work Friday night, so when he got home 'round midnight, he got to see his present.I was a terrible wife and would NOT let him open it. He just had to stare at it! muhahahahaha!  The pics with lil miss were shot the next morning, but this is (essentially) what he saw:

For all the NJ fans on my little space, here are some more shots of her enjoying the feel of the slick paper and the crazy colors.

So, after Dave opened his gift on Saturday morning, we ran off to have breakfast with his dad. It's always a great time with him, so that was wonderful. Then on Sunday, we celebrated fatherhood and children with our Chirst Church Brenham community (blog coming later about that) then with lunch with sweet friends and a grand dinner at home just the two of us. It was a great weekend of celebrating this new season in life.

And just so I don't forget what my fridge looks like with her very first picture on it:



Epic Fail. Epic Truth.

Epic. Fail. I was appalled when I opened my blog page and saw that the last post I put up was May 9. Really, Jules? Over a month? Even when you know how much this silly act of putting pen to page feeds your soul?! For those who are immediately concerned that my soul is dry, I assure you it is not. I'm learning to maximize the little moments and stick to the schedule our home so efficiently runs around.

I think a large issue that plagues most moms, especially new moms like your truely, is the boring routine of the day to day. I think thats why we get so much joy from planning birthday parties, baby showers and meeting for coffee or a swim in the pool. A break. A break from the everyday.

I'm thankful for women like Sally Clarkson. In her book, Mission of Motherhood, I found myself staring back from the pages.

"The truth is, serving others in the ordinary moments of life is not something that comes easily to me. I'm the kind of person who tends to be attracted to the grand sweeping accomplishments in life. I am challenged by stories that offer great vision and depth of commitment. When it comes to motherhood, I like the idea of being a mom who inspires my children to great accomplishments...The everyday realities of running a household just don't have the same appeal.


But the humdrum activities, of course, comprise the majority of a mother's experience. Before I had children, I never realized this. I really had no clue that admiring a Beanie Baby's pen, taking a picture, finding a T-shirt, and helping to unlock a gas cap would be the kinds of sacrificial acts required of me most often while I attempted to fulfill the mission of motherhood."

Anybody out there resonating with me? Feel the vibes, sister-friends. I want GREATNESS in my life! (Can you see me? Arms outstretched at the top of some magnificent peak, overlooking grand mountain ranges shouting to all creation?)



Never mind that I would have probably stumbled by way to that mountain top in my old ratty T-shirt, with a Charlie horse and one of those awful “stitches in my side.” And of course I would carry with me my constant companion these days: a dried up smelly sour milk stain over my left shoulder and down my back.

Before I feel too sorry for myself that I will not be climbing any mountains anytime soon, Sally saves my outlook….

“I’ve come to appreciate the importance of the many thousands of routine moments in a mother’s life, for it is in these moments that real greatness tends to be taught and caught. It is certainly important to grasp the great calling of motherhood and respond to a vision for what a family can be. But it’s the way I respond to my children in everyday moments that gives me the best chance of winning their hearts.”

John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

Thanks for the redirect, Sally.