Correction

Thank you, Anne, for reminding me that I can't even differentiate my left from my right.... so I probably shouldn't complain about MO drivers. No. I stand by my soap box. :)

Maybe I'm just a "pass me on the right" magnet around here! It's always in the FAR right lane too. It just doesn't make sense.....

Maybe I'll get used to it like I've gotten used to the fact that no one stops at stop signs in Webster Groves.

My driving rant

Why do people in Missouri think it's a good idea to pass on the LEFT?

It seriously makes me crazy when I drive.

And why don't people move over to the left lane? GO PEOPLE.

Driving on 270 actually makes me miss driving in Atlanta traffic.

People drive crazy in Atlanta, but at least they move.

That's all I've got.

Enjoy the sunny, warm weather. I love it!

Heavy Heart

My heart is very heavy today. A great man, Mike Sweeney, went to be with the Lord this morning after battling (and I mean BATTLING) cancer for some time now.

Pray for his sweet wife, Cabell. I haven't known them well but I've had the great pleasure of working along side them on YL staff in Georgia and spending time with them with other friends.

The impact this couple has made on other people is nothing short of amazing.

Baby pictures

This is a picture of my sister and I. It's one of my favorites and it hangs in my house.
Jerry (Jeremy's Dad), Jeremy, and I were talking about who Claire looks more like.
Yes, her hair and eyes favor Jeremy. But she is a good combination when you get down to it.
And yes, she's looking more like me... but not quite.
Jerry had pointed out that she is looking less and less like Jeremy,
especially compared to his baby pictures.
We pulled out my baby pictures; she really doesn't look like mine either.
Then I remembered this picture on my wall.
We've decided Claire definitely favors Amy. I love it.

Soup

I made this soup today and it turned out amazing! I think I found the recipe on allrecipes.com.

Tortilla Soup

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• vegetable oil

Directions

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

***My modifications:
1. I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes in place of the can of whole tomatoes. And I didn't mash them; I just dumped them in.
2. I used to cooked chicken breasts for the chicken.
3. I also tossed in a can of black beans.
4. I didn't make the tortillas and used some tortilla chips that I had.

Enjoy!

Friends

How cute are they?

Two from the weekend

Claire loved snuggling with her Aunt Amy this past weekend. It was cute to watch Claire look between me and my sister, looking a little confused by the resemblance.

I love this. Claire was snuggled in a blanket, eating cheerios, and reading with her daddy.

Hopeful storms

Life has felt crazy lately. I'm working a lot. It's a combination of new responsibilities, difficult situations, exciting work, and some chaos. I'm not upset by this; I know that it's temporary and good at the core of everything. I'm just tired. In every way. I feel like I'm in a tornado and everything is flying around me.

Today I was driving my sister and mom to the airport. The weather was yucky, the kind of rain that makes it hard to see. And the fact that I hate driving the highways here in STL because I can't stand STL drivers is a whole other post. :)

So back in my car. I looked over my shoulder at one point to change lanes, and I noticed Claire. She was completely content, eating cheerios and snuggled under a blanket. I was feeling a little tense due to the weather and roads, and she was perfectly at peace. I couldn't help but think of Jesus in Luke 8:22-25.

I'll let you go read the reference because I'm too tired/lazy to type it out. It is the story of Jesus in the boat with the disciples when the big storm happens. As they are traveling, Jesus falls asleep. As the storm rages, the disciples start freaking out (rightfully so) and wake up Jesus.

What is Jesus' response? He rebukes the wind and waves, the storm stops, and Jesus asks the disciples where their faith is. Of course, the disciples are amazed, questioning who this great man is.

I started thinking about the craziness of life. I know it's not going to get less chaotic. I know things will always be busy, things will change, and adding another kid or two in the future will create new chaos. I think I am even harder on my self because I'm good at walking with people through their own craziness.

And I can't get passed the thoughts of friends and folks that I know going through major life changes, serious illnesses, and life altering events. I know so many people who walk through trauma and awful things with faith that is nothing less than inspiring. And I whine about my day.

And this is where I got stuck today: how do I react? I'm exactly like the disciples, totally freaking out. I question, worry, and obsess. Sure the disciples in the story got upset and scared, but they also went to Jesus.

That's all I've got. My prayer for the week (or year) will be for my response to be to trust. To relax in the midst of chaos. Acknowledge that my emotions are real but trust in the God of the universe. He was in the disciples' storm, He's in mine, and He's in yours. And I'm so thankful.

Happy 1st Birthday, baby girl!

Happy 1st Birthday, Claire!
One of my best friends, Holly, sent Claire two books for her birthday-
she loves them!!!!
Thank you for thinking of Claire, Holly. I miss you very much!

Thanks, Mis!

Claire spent most of the day at the Lang's today. Missy was gracious enough to help me out at the last minute AND took amazing pictures of Claire! Check it out here.

You're awesome, Missy!

Blue vs Pink

I was surprisingly offended at Target today.

I was looking at toys, trying to find a good dump truck. Yes, that will be one of Claire's birthday presents. Anyway, so I take a truck off of the shelf which is red and yellow. I look behind it and what is the "girl version" of this toy?

A bright pink SUV.

Really, toy companies? I'm already annoyed by the amount of bright pink there is in the "girl aisles" of stores.

So I didn't get either toy. And bought an even bigger truck that was blue and orange.

My YL Soundtrack

Songs that make me miss being a Young Life leader in Columbus:

1: Free Fallin'
2: What's Left of Me
3: Live Like You Were Dyin'
4: Since You've Been Gone
5: Theme Song from the OC
6: Great Day to be Alive
7: Hero (Enrique Iglesias)

There are a million others.... but those are some of my favorites.

And I've spent a lot of time singing Prince of Peace to Claire because it's a song that I know EVERY word without thinking about it due to singing it a bazillion times.

My March Madness

So I've known that I would write this post for a while. I knew there wouldn't be a way around it, so here goes....

I've hated March for a few years now. Like 6 years. To me, it's the grayest, longest, yuckiest month. I'm definitely one of those people who's mood is greatly affected by the weather.

I think I really noticed it in 2005, the year that Jeremy was deployed to Iraq. His unit had just arrived in Iraq the month before, and for some reason, that month seemed soooooo long. Even when I look back, that was the slowest time during that whole year I was counting down days. Maybe it was just adjusting to the deployment way of life... maybe it was because the scary stuff started to happen.

I also remember that, on Young Life staff, some times that month seemed long just because I was paid once a month. 5 weeks is a long time to stretch a paycheck!

Then 3 years ago my Dad passed away VERY unexpectedly at 55 years old. In March. So not only do I normally just not like this month, suddenly it turned into a very sad month. The whole thing.

Now, here is the reason why I write this post: because I HAVE to honor God's faithfulness in turning something dark into something great. I HAVE to acknowledge God's hand in bringing Claire into this world 6 weeks earlier than her due date.

Claire's due date was April 29th, 2009. One year ago, I started to feel really yucky. A year ago this weekend, I was in Chicago for a family baby shower, not realizing that I was swelling up, my blood pressure was rising, my blood platelets were going down, and my liver was beginning to fail. I went into the hospital on March 16th because I thought my indigestion was becoming unbearable. Little did I know that I would find out that all those other things were happening and I was actually having contractions 5 minutes a part.

After two days of having my blood taken almost every hour and being on Mag Sulfate, my body just couldn't take it any more. HELLP Syndrome reared it's ugly head one last time and the doctor said he had to get Claire.

She was born at 10 pm on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, exactly six weeks early and exactly 48 hours after I was given steroids to help her lungs improve. She was perfect. We were told to not expect her to scream because she would probably have trouble breathing. She was yelling almost instantly, breathing room air on her own. Claire was perfect, and was apparently ready to make her appearance. She only stayed in the hospital 5 days after me in order to get her body temperature more regulated and to gain a little weight.

I thank God for Claire's birth. Of course, I'm just thankful for her, my first born. I'll be honest, I still struggle with the way she was born. I don't remember a lot of that week because I was so sick.

I see now the blessing of the experience. In the midst of a month I REALLY dislike, God gave me a daughter to celebrate every year. I really believe that He orchestrated this to turn some of my own sadness into celebration of new life. To not feel overwhelmed by feelings I deserve to have but to have joy in the midst.

Of course, I still tend to feel "icky" this month, and I miss my Dad terribly, but Claire is a wonderful blessing and has changed my feelings about this month. So thank you, Lord, for taking care of me and my family. For protecting me and my daughter through a scary time, and for Your perfect plan.

Psalm 139:13-18:

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you."

I'm so excited to celebrate Claire this week and have her party next weekend. We're eating cake at 1pm next Saturday, so come on by if you're around!!!

Is it Spring yet????

On Thursday morning we discovered the source of Claire's new found love of cuddling: she woke up with a high fever, was very sleepy, and her cough was worse. We called the doctor and got an appointment just a little while later (one of the many reasons why I love C's doctor!). Poor baby either had a new (horrible) double ear infection or they just didn't get better from her previous cold which she had just finished antibiotics for. She spent all of Thursday and Friday cuddling in my lap. I've loved the cuddle time but have hated having her so sick.

Today she's perked up which is great news! She ate like a horse at lunch, I guess making up for the past few days. She's also back to her playful self although I still get some longer cuddling moments in.

I hope that the yucky symptoms of her bad cold go away, and that cuddling isn't also a side effect but a new phase!

Nap time

This morning Claire and I woke up Jeremy, a pretty normal occurrence. She thinks it's really fun to crawl all over the bed and all over us. Lately she's been doing some "speed snuggling": she lays her head on you or hugs you for about 3 seconds and then moves on. Sometimes we get a little more than that. I guess Claire woke up feeling more generous because she ACTUALLY snuggled, and she and I fell back asleep. Unfortunately, I had to get ready for work so I had to transport her to her own crib. I stole some more snuggles on the way though.

On a side note, I'm glad she got a good nap in to prepare for her big day at her babysitters: they played outside ALL DAY LONG. She was a dirty mess and so happy! She did get her first little goose egg on her head; she can stand very well but gets a little too overconfident. I know this will be her first of many. Claire's loves playing with the boys while I'm at work. I'm so thankful for such great friends to watch Claire.

Just say no

I've decided that a baby transitioning from a bottle and formula is very much like an adult quitting smoking.
Here's why:

1. You're very irritable.
2. It's hard to think of anything else.
3. The sight of the forbidden object makes you unbelievably excited.
4. You snack a lot.
5. You're pretty much miserable.

Welcome to our world right now. Over the weekend we stopped Claire's daytime bottle so she's down to morning and night. She's not loving it. And it's been hard on me which I didn't expect. It is awfully cute to see her with her sippy cup more often though. And it made our impromptu trip to the playground yesterday even easier.

1st REAL trip to the park

Today we went to the park with several other families after church to eat lunch and play. Claire and I shared a grilled chicken sub from Subway and some apples, and then she was ALL OVER the playground. She climbed the little climbing wall, climbed a small slide, and was basically everywhere. She loved that slide though. Sadly, we didn't have a camera with us to capture the day. Although, I'm not sure how many pictures we could have taken while we were running after her. :) Next time!

Side note: Claire isn't walking yet so she has almost worn out the knees to her leggings just on today's outing alone!

Cheesin'

The girl LOVES macaroni and cheese.
I can no longer share a serving with her.
I had to make another lunch for myself today.
By the way, this new smile of hers is hilarious.

C's Skunk

Claire has a new love in her life.

It's her skunk.

My mom gave this to her back when she was first born. Mom told me that she had a skunk like it when she was little, saw this one, and wanted to give it to Claire.

Claire picked it up a few weeks ago and she is in LOVE with it. She carries it around by the tail.

The white parts are already gray. It's already been washed a few times. (And needs to be again!)

She sleeps with, plays with it, drags it around the house, and as you can see from this picture, she insisted on eating breakfast with it this morning. She had a death grip on it and would not let me take it. I managed to distract her with some grapes (a current favorite of hers) and hid it so she'd focus a little more on eating.

Oh, and another thing about the skunk: I call it Daisy and refer to it as a "him" and Mr. Skunk. I really don't know why.

Okay, one LAST thing: notice our new high chair. LOVE IT.

Mama's girl

Claire has been extra cuddly today. I love it. She has been crawling up to me when I'm sitting on the floor, laying her head in my lap or on my shoulder, and smiling at me. I love it, and I love her so much.

That's all for today. Enjoy the sunshine; we certainly are!

The happy couple

Uh, HELLO. Can we say, mini-Josh and mini-Jeremy, here???

Teddy came over to play this morning, and we had so much fun! Claire and Teddy were so cute. They followed each other around, climbed on Jack together, tortured the cat (who you could tell was secretly enjoying two babies to play with), shared cheerios, and destroyed my house. Come back again soon, Teddy!

By the way, I do realize this is my 2nd reference to Josh on my blog this week. The Lang's are great friends of ours, and you can check out Missy's blog here. Missy's an amazing mom and becoming a really talented photographer!

Cuddle bug

Claire has never slept with blankets. As a tiny (and I mean, TINY) baby we read that we shouldn't put loose covers on her. So we didn't, and we swaddled her (which she loved). Then, as soon as she could roll over, she would wake up in a different spot in her crib. And we weren't sure she wouldn't get all caught up in a blanket if we gave her one.

So now that Claire's bigger, I started to wonder if MAYBE I should try one now. So I covered her up last night.




This is how I found her in the morning: using the blanket as a pillow and facing the total OPPOSITE end of the crib.

So cute.