Precious Mommy Moments

Christmas morning, Traye asked Tye to hug her baby sister.  The sweetness in this shot makes my heart melt.  Thank you, Traye.  

On your marks...

There's a thought that during the third trimester, our bodies' job is to make us so uncomfortable that by the time labor arrives, we will do whatever it takes- even pushing a large head through a very small space- to get the baby out.  


I'm there.  I'm very, very ready to have this baby.  Last week, I wasn't sure, and I even told Tyler that I wasn't sure I was ready emotionally.  I kept wondering if I was ready to be done being pregnant even if this is the last time I'm ever pregnant.  But this week?  Something shifted in my brain, and I am ready.  


Perhaps it's the never-ending contractions that are stronger than any practice contractions I remember with Tye (I keep telling myself they have to be doing something in there, as many as I'm having...).  Or maybe it's Baby Girl's head so low in my belly that every movement is uncomfortable, and many are downright impossible.  Or maybe it has to do with the crazy nesting urges I've been succumbing to all week that have encouraged me to launder every fabric item in our home, stuff our freezer full of reheatable meals, knit two hats, and re-organize every pocket of clutter, all between random cleaning binges.   I even have a half-made recipe of almond flour scones on the counter, ready to mix and bake so I'll have some delicious protein during and after the birth.  I'm ready.


But I'm afraid I'm the only one.  Tyler told me he has a week's worth of work he'd like to do before he takes paternity leave.  I'm not sure Tye is really ready or that she ever will be, but she's coming off of a nasty cold and any extra days towards healthy would benefit her transition to Big SIsterhood.  And most importantly, I need to wait until Baby GIrl is ready.  I keep reminding myself that she'll join us when she is ready, and until then, she's still growing and storing up fat for those first days out of the womb.  Thinking about her adding chub to her little legs and arms makes being patient simultaneously easier and harder.  I just want to kiss those tiny limbs already.  


Whenever I've run races, whether it's a local 5k or a huge marathon, I'm always one of the people rushing to the starting corrals at the very last minute or in some cases, even running to make it to the starting line before the chip timer is turned off.  But at each race, someone is the first runner to show up.  I'm sure she isn't alone- there are support personnel around preparing the stage and tents and others marking the course and directing traffic.  That first runner at the race is prepared; she's well-trained, her shoes are laced, her number is pinned to her shirt, and her bars and gels are tucked away neatly into pockets.  She's just waiting for someone to pull the trigger and start the race already.

The Christmas Book

Several years ago, I was given a Christmas themed scrapbooking kit.  I didn't do anything with it immediately, or even for the next few years.  Honestly, it stayed packed in Rubbermaid tubs among our Christmas decorations.  Until this year.

Perhaps it's the pregnancy hormones, or perhaps it was the recent celebration of Tye's second (!) birthday.  It may also have been the time I spent reminiscing about meaningful gifts, like the 12 Days of Christmas photo book my brothers and I made for my parents one year- which is proudly displayed on the coffee table each holiday season for us to flip through and laugh over.  Whatever brought it on, this year, that scrapbooking kit was speaking to me when I opened the green and red Rubbermaid.  

I decided to start a history of our Christmases together as a family.  Each year, we can look at our past Christmases, remember how we celebrated, and then add a few pages of new photos.  

Seriously, Tye was so stinkin' cute, I could look at these all day every day, all season long....

The thought of Tye and her sister sitting around our Christmas book- in a few years as kids excited for the return of Christmas, in many years as young adults reminiscing over years past- makes my heart incredibly happy.  

Upcycled Christmas Cards

Last year, I saved all the holiday cards we received from friends and family and packed them away with our Christmas decorations.  This year, I cut out pictures from the cards and Tye used them to make her own Christmas cards to send to parents and grandparents.  She and I teamed up to put glue on the paper, and then she applied the pictures along with some snowflake glitter cutouts and star stickers.  She especially loved applying smaller photos of objects she recognized, like deer, candles, bows, and butterflies.

I added greetings on Tye's behalf, she added her signature to most of them, and then we mailed off the cards- each one far more cheerful, spirited, and adorable than the sum of their many parts.  

If you happened to have sent us a card this year, next year, you just may see portions of your card reborn in another post here.

Merry Christmas!

Oh Christmas Tree...

During the Christmas season that we lived in Germany, Tyler and I started a collection of beautiful Christmas ornaments.  It was our Christmas married and there are few places better for buying ornaments than Germany.  Each year when I unpack our ornaments to put on the tree, I'm reminded of that first Christmas we spent together and, even more, I'm reminded to be grateful for the opportunity to celebrate this year with our families.  

This year, I knew our tree probably wouldn't withstand being trimmed by Tye or the jostling of a toddler and a 115 pound dog (especially one chasing the other at high speeds), so we decided to put only non-breakable ornaments on our tree.  We didn't buy anything new, just edited what we normally put on the tree.  The result might be my favorite family tree ever.   

Homemade cinnamon-scented ornaments made last year as Tye watched:

 A collection of straw ornaments that are so common on Scandinavian trees,

 alongside some red felt angel cutout ornaments;

pine cones, to bring a little of the outdoors in;

 

meaningful but non-fragile ornaments, like the wooden angels from my childhood and this Scandinavian doll from my grandparents;

 Danish hearts, just like the ones we made to hang on the tree growing up;

 and red wooden bead garland handed down to me by my parents.

The result feels like it fits us very well- very nature-inspired and steeped with tradition and family connections that go back even further than our fragile German ornaments.  Next year perhaps we'll be able to hang our collection of German nutcracker ornaments on the tree as well, but this year, Tye has made them her new favorite dolls to play with daily.  Hearing Tye talk to and about her nutcrackers every day is well worth a slightly barer tree.  

Friday Favorite- Kale Chips

I've been making veggie chips using this method for a long time, but Heather Crosby at YumUniverse put together an awesome video tutorial for kale chips.  Check it out here.  The almond flour (you can also use almond meal, available at Trader Joe's) makes the kale chips taste almost breaded and deep fried- they taste completely unhealthy, but are absolutely the opposite.  I've used the same idea to make zucchini and spinach chips in the food dehydrator with great success.  


When Tye was newer to solids, I made sure the chips she ate were really crunchy and crumbly and it was an easy way to incorporate otherwise stringy, chewy leafy greens into her diet.  Now when I pull a batch of kale chips out of the oven, Tye gasps with delight and barely waits for them to cool before stuffing them in her mouth.  They're a salty, delicious snack to feel really good about.