(Lack of) Infant Sleep & Chronos vs. Kairos

Two nights ago I had a glorious sleep. Elliott went down at 9:30 after a long day of teething, crankiness and very little napping. Usually this means I'm in for a long night as well, but instead he only woke to nurse ONCE. He woke up a couple of other times but soothed himself back to sleep (aka: I didn't even get out of bed) So yesterday, I basically felt like Superwoman. He was in a great mood all day, had great naps and went to bed on time and easily.

Aaaahhh... sittin pretty.

He went down really easily at 9, and seemed to be completely passed out. I was fully prepared to have a night just as wonderful as the night before. We've really turned a real corner! I thought. Finally his sleep is getting better, and my nights can get back to normal. (Well, as normal as it's been since he was born)

Marriage: In The Trenches

I will tell anyone who asks that I have a passion for marriages. I believe it is a God placed desire in me to see successful marriages. Not just successful, but exceptional. It is nothing short of a blessing in my life when a friend or acquaintance wants to meet up for coffee or lunch and talk about marriage - each conversation and each shared prayer is like a training ground for the ministry I believe God has called me to.

I have had more than one friend tell me that they see my marriage as something to strive for or something that is intimidating. I think I need to be very clear here:

I come not from a place of expertise, but I am right down in the trenches with everyone else. Marriage is hard. Last night Chris and I had a fight over who was going to make dinner, and then after that was resolved we fought again at 1 am when I was woken to find him playing his (not so quiet) video games.

Elliott: Seven Months

Seven months! Elliott's personality shines through more and more each day and we love watching him grow and change. He is still a smiley little boy- to anyone that smiles at him or talks to him. He loves being in social settings, but can get overwhelmed when the room is too full of people or too loud. That being said he will still fall asleep in the middle of a loud worship service at church! Time is going by so quickly, but we're soaking up every single day and every single new thing he does. His last weigh in about 10 days ago was 20 lbs 5oz and his heights is up to 27 1/4 inches. His weight has leveled off a bit and he's stretched out. He seems leaner in the face and upper body, but is still holding onto those thunder thighs!

Ryan Adams Is Good

Chris and I went to see Ryan Adams live last week, and I just couldn't help myself from feeling nostalgic. Ryan Adams had a pretty integral role in our first days of flirting. Story time? I think so.

After our first couple of times hanging out at the pub, I was desperate to come up with an excuse to see Chris again. Make no mistake- I pursued him, not the other way around. We started chatting on Facebook and I told him I was planning on having people over at my house that coming Friday. He told me he was busy Friday, and being the smooth talker I was, I quickly followed up with "Oh did I say Friday? I definitely meant Saturday."

Shifting Focus Early In The Morning.

It wasn't even 8:30 am, but my chest was already tight and my shoulders tense. Elliott had woken up well before 7 (not my favourite thing) and as soon as I opened my computer I was met with the words s-t-r-e-s-s spelled out by half a dozen different family members and friends as they unravelled their stories upon me. Next, I spent half an hour on the phone with a family member who took those letters, italicized them and then retyped them in bold.

My sweet husband got out of bed halfway through that conversation, took our happy, chatty son from me, (who was probably wondering why Mommy's voice sounded so strained) made me a latte, and brought it to me as I cleaned up our room as I talked on the phone (I'm a hardcore stress cleaner. It's a bit of a problem) This man knows my heart oh so well.

Motherhood Surprises

It happened a few weeks ago, and I'm not even sure how. It was a typical evening. We had dinner, cleaned up, then went into the living room to relax. I was playing with Elliott while Chris decompressed a little on the laptop. He decided to go take a shower before one of our favourite shows came on (We have always both been night showerers) I happened to get up and go to the kitchen right as he was walking from the bedroom to the shower, and that's when it happened...