Flip book

If you scroll through the below photos really fast, you might get a taste of how darn active our little guy is on his play gym these days:

CHEESE!

It is so much fun to see him learning how to play. I love all his facial expressions, I love his focus, I love to see him kick his little legs and flap his arms as he swats at his toys. Gah!

King Fletcher nappeth

The past few nights Fletcher has only been waking up once in the middle of the night, sleeping for six to eight hours before waking up for food. It's been great!

One side effect to the new sleep schedule however is that he is wide awake by 5 or 6 and there is no soothing him back to sleep for one more round of zzz's. I sort of don't mind though. While I would love if he slept in until 7, there are definite perks to the early morning wake up call:

• Fletcher is SUPER happy to see me when I scoop him up out of his crib and his smiles are miles wide.
• He is really energetic and loves to play, either with me on the bed as we make fun of the ceiling fan together, or on his play gym.
• The morning is crisp and cool, and it feels very special to be awake with my sweet baby while we open up all the windows, make coffee, and listen to sesame street or veggie tales songs together.
• Plus, by the time 8 o'clock rolls around, Fletcher is pooped from all the playing, and he takes about a 30 minute nap, allowing Mommy to eat breakfast and look on the computer.

It's a win/win!

I love how focused he gets

Thank you, Charlotte!

Man oh man, my blogging habits have certainly changed since I no longer sit at a computer all day. Mommyhood has me on my feet with a baby in my arms most of the time, and though it never feels like much time has passed between blog visits, inevitably it has been at least a few days since I last checked in.

I really enjoy catching up on all the blogs I follow, but lately I find myself reading in bulk as I catch up on the multiple posts that have appeared since my last visit.

Turns out, if I had been more attentive to my reader, I would have realized that Charlotte nominated me for a  Liebster Blog award waaaay back on August 9th.

Even though I'm late to join the game, I'd still like to play. Below are my answers to the questions that Charlotte provided:


1.  Bath wash or bar soap?
Dove bar soap. I like that it moisturizes and I feel more clean with bar soap than with bath wash for some weird reason.

2.  What did you have for dinner last night?
Butternut squash ravioli with pesto sauce. (Don't be too impressed, I literally stuck the ravioli directly from the package into the microwave to heat it up and scarf it down as fast as possible while I had the chance to eat.)

3.  Do you normally remember your dreams?  If so, what do you typically dream about?  If not, do you wish you did?
Lately I have been remembering my dreams more because the baby wakes me up in the middle of them when he's hungry. I don't have any one dream genre, although one of my more recent dreams involved actor William H. Macy trying to kill us all. (I don't know...?) 

4.  What is your most recent obsession - TV show, song, book, food, whatever?
The Fun. album Some Nights that came out a few months ago. I can't get enough. I'm sure I'm driving Greg nuts listening to it over and over again. (Click on the link to sample the album, it's soooo goooood)

5.  What was one of the quirkiest things you did as a kid?
I did the standard "kid things." Everything from swallowed a penny to gave myself a haircut. Apparently I was more cliche than quirky as a child. 

6.  What is one of your bad habits?  Are you trying to break it?
One of my bad habits is snacking on sweets just because they're there and they're easy. I am trying to break it by having more healthy options available, and I've given up sugar this month. Which is kinda killing me... Come on, September!

7.  What is one of your favorite smells?
Plumeria flowers. Reminds me of my childhood.

8.  If you could adopt any (child) fictional character, who would you adopt?
Boo from Monsters Inc. because, come on, she's adorable.

9.  Tell me one thing you absolutely love about the city you live in.
I love that there are lots of things to do in LA, many of them free. And I love the entertainment history that Hollywood has to offer. I find it so interesting to see how popular culture has evolved from the old studio system days.

10.  What is one thing you wish you were better at?
Dancing. I am a terrible dancer and I have a husband who is a willing partner. Seems like such a waste whenever we go to weddings and such.

11.  If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be?
Cinnamon Life. Because it's so darn good and satisfying.

Okay, now I know that I'm technically supposed to pass this award forward to some other bloggers, but I have no idea who might like to play so if I tag you and you're not into it: No pressure! Also, if you read this and want to play, please do! Just leave me a comment letting me know so that I'm sure to read your answers.

I tag:

Althea from A Place for Things

Danae from At Home in the Woods

Karisse from Musings

Here are your questions:
1. Would you rather have the ability to fly or to become invisible? Why?
2. What is your favorite go-to dinner option?
3. Most quotable thing that YOU have ever said.
4. What is your greatest strength, or something that you are most proud of?
5. What was the best vacation you ever took and what made it so incredible?
6. If you had to relive a time in your life, what would you go back and do again?
7. Tell me something you feel your parent(s) taught you that you still value to this day.
8. If you had to bury a time capsule to represent this year, what three things would you put in it?
9. Biggest pet peeve.
10. Name your favorite non-major holiday and tell me why it's special to you.
11. What do you wish people would ask you about?

Reflection

I recently shared with a friend an experience I had during Fletcher's 5th week in the NICU and I wanted to document it here as well so that I don't forget it. Sometimes it's difficult for me to pin moments like this down in words, but there's something about seeing an experience in black and white that solidifies it and sometimes even helps me see it from different angles.


During the weeks that our baby was being cared for in the NICU, Greg and I were showered with such tremendous support. I still can't put in words what it felt like. Meals showed up, visits, coffee dates, baby clothes, tangible prayers. My friend Karla cleaned my bathtub for goodness sake!

Greg and I were vulnerable in our situation, and for some reason it was hard for me to accept such love. In some ways I would have preferred to muscle through it all ourselves than continually accept kindness when I had nothing to offer in return. By week five, accepting help actually made me feel ashamed because I didn't feel that we deserved the outpouring of love that we were experiencing. I wanted to hide my face, but God took me to the end of myself and showed me new depths of his love for me.

In this raw stage of acceptance, I went to a local eatery to grab a bite one morning while the NICU was closed to visitors for rounds. As I went inside, I noticed a kid around 20 years old or so sitting against the wall in the shade. I felt that I needed to buy him something inside, and as I passed I asked him if he was hungry and what sort of thing did he like to eat. He didn't quite meet my eyes, but he replied: "Something small, just a snack." In his soft, almost apologetic request I recognized that same shame that I was feeling as well.

I brought him a sandwich and a lemonade, and I asked him if I could join him for a moment. We talked. His name was Ethan, had lost his job in a factory and the previous month he ran out of rent. Living in his car. No family.

I just listened, but I felt an overwhelming desire to introduce this kid to the community that had enveloped my husband and me for a month plus. I shared that my son was in the hospital and that people had brought us countless meals. I told him how difficult it was for me to have to accept help, and for the first time he met my eyes. He exhaled a knowing: "Yes."

I told him that it was a privilege to pay it forward by buying him a sandwich today, and I invited him to church to meet the community that I'd told him about. All of a sudden, just like that, we were the same. Both beggars. Both hungry for sustenance.

Ethan let me pray for him, and as I stood to go he made full eye contact with me and smiled this killer smile that made my heart melt inside my chest. He thanked me for sitting with him and I told him I hoped to see him again, and that if he ever made it to Ecclesia my husband and I would love to take him to lunch and introduce him around. We parted as old friends. I still look for him in the lobby each week.

God is good and faithful, and that encounter was such an incredible blessing to me during that delicate time in my life. It spoke volumes to me, and it's something I still think about often. How lovely that God was able to take something like my shame and gently turn it to reflect his glory.

My heart filled with a blessed assurance of God's promises as I confidently stood on the knowledge that he was bigger than my situation, that he was bigger than Ethan's homelessness, and that he is mighty to save.

As I told my friend when I shared this story with her the other day, it was as if the Holy Spirit was telling me: "Watch this, Beth" and somehow at the same time "See what I have done, Beth."

As I recall my meeting with Ethan, and even as I type this memory up to remember it in my little blog for safe keeping, I am filled to the brim with worship for my God, who hasn't forgotten his children. Oh praise his holy name.

Heat rant

Los Angeles, in spite of all your bells and whistles you still have a thing or two to learn about central AC.

For the past week I've been holed up in the bedroom with a sweaty baby running our window unit like it's going out of style. It will get nice and cool and then in an effort to save some money on what I'm sure will be a doozie of an electric bill, I'll occasionally turn the AC off only to flip it right back on again 15 minutes later when the sun beats in through the stucco walls and bakes us in our stuffy 12' x 12' perimeter like greasy muffins in a pan.

I've got a little case of cabin fever tonight, but when the rest of the apartment is 94 degrees (yes, literally, 94 degrees inside), can you blame me for being a willing prisoner in the only cool room in the apartment?

Sweet Los Angeles, I really like you for about 11 months out of the year, but there are 4 weeks out of every summer that make me want to pack everything up and high tail it back to Oklahoma.

Yes, that's right: Oklahoma! And not because the weather is any better, it's hot as fire there too, but at least the Okies have figured out central AC. In college I knew a girl who had cardboard windows instead of glass, but even her place had central AC.

Not to further insult you, LA, but I'd also like to point out that Oklahoma is most prominently known to every other state in this blessed nation as the bone dry slab of flat land from the Dust Bowl era.

Get it together, California.

Afternoon out

Fletcher and I escaped our stifling apartment this afternoon by packing up and heading to Starbucks to soak in the cool AC and a decaf iced latte (for mommy).

It's nice here right now. The baby was lulled to sleep by the hum and whirs of all the equipment and I'm enjoying the moments of quiet to myself for a bit.

Well look at that

Greg finally caught one of Fletcher's toothless grins on film! (Er... I mean, memory card)

CHEEEEESE!!!

I'm sure you can imagine what this little face does to this mommy. I melt!

My heart just can't take it anymore, I'm afraid Greg is going to come home one day and find me a giant happiness puddle on the floor.

In other news, Fletcher is also becoming much more vocal. He's starting to coo in a way that makes him sound like a little owl. It is music to my ears.

Who is this little boy and what has he done with my tiny baby?  ;)