15 days and counting...

SEPTEMBER 23rd

15 days and counting until the beginning of the autumn season - one of my favorite times of the year. Autumn brings cooler temperatures, leaves changing from green to red to orange to yellow, cool crisp mornings where you need a sweater, cuddling up next to the fireplace, pumpkin patches, the home welcoming smells of Thanksgiving dinner....

I went for a walk on my lunch hour with one of my good friends and I felt that cool crisp air. 15 days and counting...

nudge, nudge..
"The babe's awake. I'm gonna get her in a minute."
groan and roll over...
[Alarm clock reads: 4:20 a.m.]
"She's awake? She doesn't sound upset, sounds like she's just talking to herself - give her a few minutes."
2 minutes pass...
get out of bed and head down the hall
"Don't get her up yet. She's having fun talking to herself."
angry groan
"Just making sure she isn't standing up. You can get her!"
laying there silently listening to the sounds coming over the baby monitor, suddenly I hear "wahwahwah..."
[Alarm clocks reads: 4:39 a.m.]
She wants to be fed!
-----
Waking up every morning (weekend or not) at 4:30 a.m. isn't something I am accustomed to and this will be the fourth month of it. But, this morning was different. Brooklyn woke up and didn't want us right away - she wanted to play and talk to herself. How sweet it was to hear!

** ** ** NEWS FLASH ** ** **

Brooklyn Marie has taken to her hands and knees!! Yes, that's right, she is crawling!! When she sees a toy, or air conditioning/heating vent, she wants she goes after it. She gets her motor running (blowing bubbles and making a razzing sound) and off she goes across the floor. She might make a couple stops along the way to investigate the carpet or to check to make sure we are watching her, then she's off again. When she finally reaches her destination, she grabs whatever she was after, sits up, looks at us, smiles, starts making the razzing sounds and does her happy dance - moving her little body up and down, side to side, like she is dancing.

She hasn't quite figured out that she can crawl wherever, but we're sure that will come real soon and we have to be prepared so what did we do last night? We went baby gate shopping. Now that our lil' punkin' is mobile, there's no telling what she will try to get in to. She's just growing up SO fast!

How can I protect her from this?

You want to know my biggest fear - raising my daughter in a world full of hate.

Even though my daughter will only be 8 months, the thought of sending her to school terrifies me simply because I can't be there to protect her from the violence, the hateful words and the bullying. In 2000, a first-grade boy in Michigan fatally shot his 6 year-old classmate after the two children had a verbal spat. He was only in first-grade, but he brought a gun to school that he took from his uncle's home where he was living. How can I protect her from this?

When I was in eighth grade, I was made the target of a nasty rumor started by the popular girls. What was the reason? To this day, I still don't know. But, I remember the first part of my eighth grade year sucked simply because I ate lunch in the bathroom behind a stall and had no real friends because everyone was so engrossed in the rumor. From that moment on, I tried to follow what my parents told me "who cares what others think of you." Mid-year, I made friends and the rumor died down and eventually went away, but the memory didn't. How can I protect her from this?

When people attack a person for who they are and what they believe, instead of having a heated discussion about their opinions, it makes me wonder what this world is coming to. I whole-heartedly believe it's okay to disagree with a person's point of view and to discuss the topic at hand. But, I do not agree with taking someone down by personally attacking them through words or actions. Every one has feelings and no matter how strong they seem on the outside, words can hurt. How can I protect her from this?

I don't have the answers. I don't know who does. What I do know is it's my responsiblity to protect her the best way I can by helping her have high self-esteem and self worth. By setting an example for her, I can only hope that this world's hate won't get her down. I would kid myself if I said that it won't from time to time, but I simply have to trust in the Lord that He will protect her when I am unable.

Pucker up!

My lil' girl has learned to give kisses. If you have ever been kissed by a baby, then you know what I mean when I say - it's the sweetest thing in the world! I ask for a kiss and she leans forward with her mouth open - she doesn't have the puckering motion figured out - and plants one on me. Ahhh... the sweeter moments in life!

Wordless Wednesday

As inspired by Jess over at O Mama Mia...

Brooklyn, our precious daughter, was born six days before Christmas. Talk about the BEST present ever!

A job?!?

Okay. I have to vent. One question: "How in the world can watching my lil' girl, the most precious girl to grace this Earth, be a JOB?" I am befuddled at the mere thought. What I would give to spend every day - all day long - with my lil' girl watching her grow, watching her learn new things while she's playing, watching as her puppy fascinates her, comforting her when she's upset, feeding her, taking her for walks, changing her diapers, putting her down for naps...and the list goes on. I would love to do it all every day. I love being her Mama - nothing in the world is more satisfying and rewarding. But, I have to work. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because it's something I am doing with Kevin to support our family and give Brooklyn all that she ever needs, and usually more. And, as Kevin pointed out to me as I was crying and crying at home before I had to return to work after my maternity leave, I worked hard to get to where I am at, and he didn't want to see me loose that. I respect that I have to work and that my lil' girl's care has to be in the hands of another, but when I hear day after day that it's a job - that's simply more than I can take. Caring for my lil' girl cranky or happy, is NOT a JOB, it's a GIFT!