The one where Reed's Aunt Jessie comes to visit

Reed sure did love his Aunt Jessie! She came for Easter, and what timing that was!  Since my sister was coming from Wyoming, I was excited that she could leave her frosty weather behind and join us for some 80 and sunny days.  However, that's not what happened. Of course, the day she flew in we had a sharp turn in our weather pattern and our days were grey and rainy.  Not only did the weather disappoint but Reed had come down with the croup and his cranky twin took his place for the weekend.  He still found some reasons to smile, but over-all I was heartbroken because I was searching everywhere for my happy baby, but he was nowhere to be found.
Sunday, I wanted to go to church in the morning and show my sister Reed's Sunday School classroom and the song they do for the kids at the beginning of second service. But Reed was too sick.  We accepted an Easter Sunday lunch invitations from our neighbors across the street, but Reed's cough was out of control.  The Easter egg hunt at church was planned for 2 o'clock, but he didn't have the energy and I didn't feel right having him around other kids. I took him back to the doctor on Monday and learned he'd gotten an upper respiratory infection so we got his antibiotic and a couple days later, after Aunt Jessie had gone home, he was back to his joyful self!  
He sure loved her.  When she was packing up and getting ready to leave he was fussing and I knew he was tired but he wouldn't wind down. He climbed into her arms, buried his head into her neck, and fell fast asleep.

We did sneak in some fun activities! We had dinner at Saturn Grill (a tradition) and dropped in at the horse track for some live racing!  Jessie and I made a couple bets and cheered our horses on.  Reed was snuggled into the Baby Bjorn on Mike's chest and absorbed the whole thing.
We had lunch with Mel and Ty at the bagel shop- her final weekend of pregnancy (baby Kinley was born the following Wednesday.)  And we attended a friend's going away party, too.
I love having my sister here.  I wish I could just call her up at the drop of a hat and ask her to run and get pedicures with me.  I'd love to be able to drive a few blocks and have lunch with her, or drop Reed off for an evening every once in a while.  I think about her moving here quite often and picture her living in different neighborhoods around town and how convenient it would be for me and wonder what the cost of rent is...
I know I'm the one who moved away, but can't everyone just follow me around?

The one about latching on to the affirmative

I love my life.
Sometimes it feels like I'm not completely in control, which is hard for me.  Sometimes I catch myself wishing something here or there was different. However, when I just sit back and take it all in, I realize how totally blessed I really am.  Where I came from, where I've been and where I'm going- it is so completely obvious what an amazing and wonderful journey my life is!
I am acutely aware of the forks that I came to along the road of my life and I can see where I could have chosen a different path which would have led me to a much darker place of struggle.  I've made choices, worked hard and tried to direct myself to an enjoyable life.  Of course, I have been lucky, too.  Lucky but also blessed and I'm thankful to The Lord for rewarding me the way He has.
Just because I'm happy with my life doesn't mean I am going to set the cruise control.  I continue to challenge myself, continue to bring a sense of "newness" to each day, because I don't want my life to go stale.  If you know me, then you know how I love to have a plan.  You also know that I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I feel that if I'm going to put my name on something then I better be proud to represent it.  That applies to my school grades, my projects at work, my home, my family and most of all myself.  I'm a firm believer in the "love yourself first" motto.  It surprises me how this can be something so hard for some and then so easy for others (which is a negative thing at that point.)  I struggle with it, I always have.  I doubt myself, catch myself doing some negative self talk, and I argue with people who believe in me.  When I find myself doing that I have to grab a trowel and start digging my way out of it.  I love positive affirmations!  What a great idea!  Oh yes, I totally buy into it and I have a couple.  I will share a sample:
"I am strong and able enough to attain my goals."
"I am loving and affectionate to my deserving husband."
"I am a patient wife and mother."
"I am a generous and loyal friend."
"I have a kind heart and am nice to all whom I encounter."
I recite these to myself as needed.  It's a good way to remind myself to be the person I want to be, because it's easy to forget, let me tell you.  It is easy to go about your day just totally wrapped up in yourself and not thinking about how you're treating other people.  But, I can do something about it.  And if I tell myself something enough times and really focus on it and believe it then I will BE it.

It works, if you've never tried positive affirmation, you should give it a shot.  Remember to create "I am"s and not "I will"s.  The key is believing that it IS true, not that it CAN BE true.

Judgement day

Were you aware that when you have a baby you not only signed up to change your life by adding the sweetest kind of love God created, but also you get to be judged on a daily basis.

Maybe you didn't realize this, I sure didn't, but it's true. When you procreate, you are telling the world that it's their responsibility to narrow their eyes at that pacifier you picked up off the floor, to roll their eyes at the books and articles you read and then go by, to shun the way you discipline.

Mike and I try to make the best decisions for our family. We read a variety of information and we seek advice from friends we trust, then we form our opinions and go with our choices. I'm not saying that my way is the only right way and anyone else's way is wrong. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and brings their own experiences to the table.

So yes, I've been told that I shouldn't believe everything I read. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me that we didn't have that when we were kids and we all turned out fine, I'd be a wealthy woman. Even when I'm not directly being judged I feel judged through seemingly innocent comments. Maybe I shouldn't take it all so personally, but my baby is as personal as it gets! oh and I play fair. If I'm going to be judged, I'm going to do some judging, too. I'm all ears and very open minded to why someone does things differently than I do. I love to learn now things and people with helpful and knowledgeable insight are judged favorably. People who pop out "accidents" they don't pay attention to and are lazy parents- they can forget about giving me advice.

Toothless days are behind us.

Reed started cutting his first tooth. Its like he has a piece of shrapnel imbedded in his gums, it's razor sharp! He slept pretty well last night, only woke up twice and was easy(er) to put back to bed. Today he's whiny and needy but I'm here for him. He's the cutest little monster ever. Recently I've amazed myself with how hypnotized I am by him. I thought it was supposed to wear off, but here we are more than 7 months after his birth and my heart still skips a beat when he looks into my eyes and smiles. I get a pang of jealousy when someone else is holding him and I miss him when I'm away. Reed is the sweetest boy, he's snuggly and smiles easily. He's so curious about the tiny world around him. With the newfound skill of pulling himself to a stand, he's got a new perspective on life and is motivated to keep busy more than ever. His smiles are pure joy, no holding back. He's got nothing to hide and isn't ashamed of what makes him happy.

Each milestone that he passes, I can't help but think about the fact that there is no going back. Once this tooth breaks, it means the end of the toothless grins. Once he started crawling, it meant the end of the rolling from place to place days.

Last Friday, I was picking him up at school and his teachers told me that he'd pulled himself up using a little bookshelf that day. I didn't believe it! I didn't think he was ready for that, but as soon as I got him home I had to see it. I set him on the floor in front of his music station and after a little while, sure enough, he pulled himself first to his knees- then pushed his butt up in the air and he was on his feet! It was amazing. Then of course, he had to do it again and again and now we can't leave the room because he'll try to pull himself up on virtually anything. He's still pretty unstable so I don't want him crashing on his head. I'm tempted to wrap his head in bubble wrap so I know he's safe. We thought we had more time, but we were wrong - so we had to move his crib that night. His mattress is now safely at the bottom of the crib so he can stand up without doing a swan-dive to the carpet. The pack-n-play was the next thing to modify. Now he has a little play "pen". He's okay in there as long as he can't see us. He'll play by himself peacefully unless he knows you're available to play with.

His favorite song is still "On top of spaghetti." It's my secret weapon because Reed will forget that he is sad just long enough for me to finish out the song. I love his little personality. Last week at book club, he was trying to suck on Piper's face- who is about 3 months older than him. I hadn't really thought about him sucking on other people's faces. I thought he just loved mine! When I asked his teachers at school if he tried to suck on his classmates' faces, they said, "No. It's usually the feet." Silly boy!

The one that's all about Reed

Name: Reed Michael Franklin

Birthday: August 28th

Age: 7 months

Hair color: Golden brown

Eye Color: Hazelish brown

Unique features: My 2nd and 3rd toes grew together.

Freckles?: No. No freckles, no moles. Just clear, soft, baby skin! Tan like my mom!

Height: 26" Weight: 17.5lbs

Clothing size: 6-9 mo Diaper size: 3

Siblings: None Pets: none :o( we gave Cautia away when I was 5 months old.

Hometown: Oklahoma City

Favorite color: White, the color of milk!

Favorite song: On Top of Spaghetti - hands down.

Favorite Book: Gallop! My Uncle Coy got it for me and it's amazing.

Favorite food: Squash, by a landslide. But a new love has come around- cheerios!

Least favorite food: Avocado

Favorite drink: Milk! Water is pretty great tho. Especially ice-water from Mom's straw.

Places I've been: Tulsa, OK. Ft Worth, TX. Mineral Wells, TX. Phoenix, AZ (Cornville, Jerome, Cottonwood, too!) Next week- Indianapolis!

Best feature: My smile and my laugh. That is pure joy!

Skills: Sitting unsupported, crawling, pulling myself to a stand

Favorite sport: Jumping or swimming

Favorite sport to watch: Football (Go Giants!)

Things I think are funny: Dad's mysterious smile, Mom's barking hand, fake sneezes, Mom jump squatting with me, Dad bouncing me on his knees.

Personality type: Fun loving, easy to smile, pretty chill

Favorite time of day: morning!!

Price of a gallon of gas: $3.69 (3.99 for the Cayenne!) Milk: $3.39 (Mom & Dad love Braums)