Strawberries!

We have been so busy around here lately! My mentor (we will refer to her as MG) and I made plans a month or so ago to conquer our fear of canning this summer. We decided that our first feat would be to go to a local farm and pick strawberries and then can some jam for our families. This would be fun and save us some money on jam that doesn't have any weird stuff in it. Well, MG and her family are also in the middle of their second adoption journey and found out that at any moment they might be able to go to Ethiopia and pick up their little girl. Then about 10 days ago we found out that they would be leaving in two weeks. So, the last two weeks we have both been going around like crazy people trying to get them ready... and by them I mean mom, dad and three children under five! It has been so fun. In the process I found out that there were strawberries ready for picking but I figured this would super duper stress out MG and didn't want her to feel obligated to go and so I decided not to worry her and that I would just go and can some for the both of us. Well, I get a call Tuesday night from MG saying, DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE STRAWBERRIES?!?! Umm... yes? So she is game on and wants to go and so we go the next day with her three and my one and pick 30lbs of strawberries in 30 minutes.... with four children! That has to be some sort of record. This was by far SJ's hottest life experience to date. She was a bit cranky but overall she did really wonderful and even drank some water from a sippy cup to stay cool. Then the next day we started canning at 11am and I left her house at 630pm with still a batch or two to go. We canned about 30 jars of jam plus had more that we froze and more that we are dehydrating. It was crazy! I am so excited to see how our jam turned out.
In other news, Stella has two teeth starting to poke through! Her bottom left front tooth is pretty much completely broken through and the right one is about half way through the gum! I am so glad after 2+ months of teething to see her getting some progress and hopefully some relief. On the other hand, I hate seeing her grow up. I LOVE gummy grins and would have been fine to wait on those teeth until she was closer to a year. But like I said, I am happy for her to hopefully have some relief. I guess it's because of the teeth but she has been a terrible napper lately. Her already short naps have become even shorter and she is super fussy during them. Sometimes I'll put her right back to bed after getting her up and feeding her b/c she is just so obviously tired. I'm hoping to resume our schedule once these teeth are in but we'll see.
We are finally finishing up some long over due presents to the gmas and here is a sneak peek at the second half of SJ's photo shoot.

sneak peek

We went strawberry picking! More to come about that and the 30 jars of jam it resulted in!

7 Months!

Stella Jane is 7 Months old today!
I don't know how much she weighs or how tall she is because we don't have another appointment until her 9 month check up. I would guess that she is around 18-19lbs and probably 30ish inches tall. She is wearing anywhere from 6-12 month clothes depending on what it is.
Month seven was a little rougher on SJ and mommy because our nap routine some how got lost and the little missy decided she didn't need much of a nap in the morning or afternoon and thus was often a very tired and fussy little girl. However, she is usually pretty reliable when it comes to night sleep and will usually sleep 12ish hours a night.
She is still teething but those suckers seem pretty allusive, which is okay with me as long as we are nursing.
She loves her mommy and daddy but is becoming better and better about being around other people and has even found some little friends that she will let play with her too (London and Liam being at the top of that list).
We have been cloth diapering more and more this month and hope to continue to do that more often in the coming months (after we get the next size up!).
Stella said mama and baba starting on mother's day and has since made some noises that sound a little like pa and da and la but that mostly happens when her mouth is full of food and she is rolling it around on her tongue.
Speaking of food, Stella has had sweet potato puree several times and liked it and she loves gnawing on slices of apple or pear. We are hoping to try peas and some other veggies in the next month. We are still nursing four or five times a day.
Yesterday Stella started getting up on her hands and knees on her very own and doing a little rocking/bouncing motion before falling back on her belly. She will only do this when no one seems to be looking and so it's very hard to catch on camera. If she sees you looking at her she will just lay there and kick her legs and smile. She definitely likes the attention. I did sneak some pictures though (they are bad b/c I literally grabbed the camera and pointed it in her direction and started clicking).



She can roll or scoot to just about anything she wants and so I think this is the beginning of the end... no more leaving her on the mat to do the laundry or dinner, she is curious about everything.
To celebrate her 7 month birthday (ok, not really because of that) we let her have a slumber party with my mentor and her three kids! They took her last night at bed time and let Drew and I have an overnight date and it was GLORIOUS. We went to this great pizza place and then came home and watched a movie. Then we got to sleep in (8 oclock!) and then went to this great breakfast place. We got to sit on the patio in the sun and it was about 65-70 degrees. Drew got the Hearty Breakfast which was three eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pancakes, fruit and a biscuit!! WOW! He was gracious enough to share some of it with me and the pancakes tasted like funnel cake! I got a breakfast taco that was amazing and biscuits and gravy. It was the best breakfast outing ever! Then we went to pick up the little muffin and took her on a walk in their gorgeous neighborhood. She was so happy to see us.
Now she is napping and we are off to do yard work.
Happy Saturday!


(this is the same cabbage patch face I was famous for as a baby)

The Good, The Bad and...The Fussy?

So this weekend was a whirlwind of craziness... but in a good sort of way. Saturday I attended a baby shower in honor of my dear friend and mentor's baby that they are adopting from Ethiopia. I had to get Stella up from a nap to go since Drew was working and so I cleverly put her down a little early so she would get at least an hour in before having to go. This worked like a charm and she was so wonderful and friendly the entire time. She came home and ate well and then took a monster nap in the afternoon. Success!! Sunday we had to attend morning services because we had a meeting at the evening service we usually attend and so we did the same trick with Stella Sunday morning but actually allotted her an hour and a half before church... she woke up after an hour. Oh no no no! She is so easy to train negatively but so hard to train positively (as far as sleep in concerned at least). So we left her in her crib until the hour and a half was up and then took her to church and she was still really great, though really hyper the whole time. Then we went out to lunch with a lot of friends, which was super fun for us but a bit of a stretch for the babe with only an hour of nap under her belt. She let me know this by peeing out of her diaper and all on my leg..yum! So we put her down for a nap and she took another decently long nap before night church... where she successfully stayed in the nursery during our entire meeting! YESSS! She only got upset when the other babies were crying and once they removed her from them she did fine! WOO HOO! The nursery workers were just as excited as we were!
So I knew that after this crazy weekend we would need a day to get back in sync with our real schedule so I only scheduled really calm things for us to do and left plenty of time for her usual naps. Thankfully it was also rainy outside, which helps keep the room dark for her nap. So she woke up super early, which threw off the schedule a bit but then went down well for her nap.. but then.. woke up after an hour. *sense the mother dread sinking in" I left her in there for a while (she wasn't crying, just talking to herself) and after a pretty long while she fell back asleep for about 30 minutes before it was time to eat. Then we went to the store and chilled a bit before going down for the next nap... I thought she'd take a nice long one again after such a short morning nap... but no... ONE. HOUR. AGAIN! Nooooo!
So I fed her, started a meal for some friends who just had a baby and went over to B-girl's house to have tea and bake my bread while we hung out. It was a lovely time, minus a slightly cranky baby. I came home, finished the dinner and drove it to the home of the family. On my way home with a hungry babe I started to hear this thud thud thud thud thud... and the car starts bumping and shaking and oh.no.you.have.to.be.kidding.me.this.feels.like.a.flat....
I have never... ever...ever gotten a flat tire while in the middle of driving somewhere. Did I mention that a few weeks ago we had about 5 flat tires (the same tire) over the course of about a week. UGH! Well, this was a different tire... but that previous tire is still not fixed and thus our spare is already in commission. It wasn't just low, or going flat... it was F.L.A.T! I couldn't even drive it with out the car going bazerk and was stuck in the middle of a road with no shoulder... really it was more of a bridge. And... it was pouring rain. Great!
So I get a hold of Drew and thankfully he was able to leave work since it was right at 7 and I was able to get ahold of road side service and had a friend come and get SJ and me so I could go home and feed her since it was already past her bed time by now.
So the bad news... flat tire, rain, no spare, no shoulder
The fussy... obviously, a hungry SJ
The good? I had just stopped at Sonic, there was a rainbow right in front of me, I had Harry Potter on CD to listen to, dinner was already fixed and our road side service is free! (and I have an amazing hubby and great friends!)
Not quite the laid back Monday I was hoping for.... but as far as unplanned adventures go, it could have been way worse!!

Movie Monday

SJ likes to suck on her toes more than her thumb these days...

Toes... from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

Proof!

Talking from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

Workin' on her "ba-ba's" and "ma-ma's"... and being cute, all at the same time!

Happy Mother's Day II

So... What is Mother's Day like with a baby? I didn't have any expectations really, and this is a good and surprising thing if you know me!
Sunday morning I woke up with a little light gleaming in on me through the window... this is a good sign... it means the babe slept past 7am! Thank you baby Stella!
I hear a sudden cry and head up the stairs to feed her. Instantly the smell of poop hit me in the face. Oh goodness. Back down the stairs to get supplies (louder crying) and back up again. I pick up the babe and realize... oh my, wet wet wet. She has peed/pooped through her diaper, through her onesie, through her pants, through her sleeper, through the sheets and through the mattress pad. Yuck! Back down the stairs, with the supplies and wake up Drew to help me out. We get her cleaned up, a bath and head back up the stairs for breakfast. Happy Mother's Day? hmmmm...
After her breakfast we head back down stairs where Drew had a great breakfast of eggs and an english muffin! YUM! Happy Mother's Day!
Then after SJ goes back down for a nap, we headed upstairs to take a nap in the guest bed (SJ naps in our room). HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I am terrible at taking a nap but really awesome at needing one and this was the best mother's day present any one could have given me! I took a long nap and woke up in time to feed the babe her lunch. After this we ate at Qdoba b/c they had a BOGO for mother's. Some friends joined us and we had a great time up until time for SJs nap.
During the nap we sat outside and talked and then watched part of a movie.
SJ had dinner and we were off to church. They were taking free family photos and mailing them to people for Mother's Day. Then Drew treated me by holding SJ the whole time and taking her to the nursery. When they paged us (b/c she was so upset) he even went and got her. During communion we found out some of our best friends were in labor (a month early)!!
We came home and ate a small dinner and finished our movie. We cleaned up a little and went to bed!
What a wonderful Mother's Day. The best gift of all was a restful day with my wonderful Husband... there is seriously nothing better in my book!
It's hard to get back into the Monday groove (our longest day usually) after such fun and pampering!
Here's a little sneak peek at the sleeping babe about a month ago...

6 months from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

Happy Mother's Day!

I can't believe that it's Mother's Day already... where did March and April go? I also can't believe that I actually get to celebrate this day as an actual Mother! This time last year I was barely barely starting to show and still not really feeling a whole lot different or mother-y.
This year I have been initiated into the club... I have been pooped on, spit up on, stayed up all night, held an infant for 12hrs straight, made baby food, changed a diaper or two, given baths, enjoyed sweet smiles and slobbery kisses, heard the first coos and made a fool of myself in song and dance just to win another gummy smile. I have cried, laughed, sweated and given just about my all to this little baby. I am definitely a mother and there's no turnin' back.
I am so thankful on this day for a number of different people.
First of all... my own mom. Being a mom has made me look at her in a whole new light. I picture her young and pregnant with a little toddler already in the house. Then giving birth, nursing, working and taking care of her home. I know that there were times when she probably watched me sleep and stroked my skin and maybe gagged at a diaper or two. Her sacrifices are so evident now that I know what all it takes to be a mom. She was/is always always there for us... ready to listen or help. She stayed up to help me finish many a school project and run me to kinkos at 2am. She has always been my biggest cheerleader. She inspired me to love cooking and to take time to put love into every meal. She taught me to host others and to look for ways to bless others.
I am also thankful for my mother-in-law, who birthed my amazing husband (at home none-the-less!). She has extended loving arms to me since the very first time we met and I am so thankful to have such an amazing family through marriage... many are not as blessed. She is quick to lift us up in prayer and offers her support in every way she can. I am so thankful for her love for Jesus and for our family!
I am also thankful to the many moms here in Louisville who have let me be their shadow... they have taught me hands-on how to take care of little ones. They have shown me the joys and the sorrows and there is no way to express the value of these lessons. Courtney, Mandy, Meghan, Ginger, Heather... the list could go on... but I really am thankful for these women b/c though they are a step ahead in life, they have let me come alongside and treated me as a friend and have encouraged me in my journey of motherhood from the very beginning.
We aren't doing anything spectacular for Mother's Day but I'm sure we'll have some good eats and enjoy the amazing cool weather we are having!
Here's a sneak peek at our garden and our little Spring Chick!


Our first strawberry buds!

We are growing, strawberries, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes and in the tires there are potatoes and a melon!
Thanks Gigi for my great sunglasses!