Day 31- The Coldest Day of My Life (literally)

Well, tomorrow is going to be the coldest day of my life. Note Tuesday's forecast. Yes, I have been in -20 degree temps, but that was as a low. The HIGH is -2! At least we'll be back up into the 40's by the end of the week. I.hate.cold. I'm praying for a snow day so that I don't have to go outside!

PS- To demonstrate how bipolar Denver's weather is- on the news they said that between Tuesday's low and last Friday's high, there was a 71 degree difference!

Day 28- 4 Months!

I can't believe that Caleb turned 4 months old on Wednesday! I waited to post about it until he had his 4 month check-up today. He now weighs 14 lbs 13 oz, is 25.5 inches long, and his head is 16.75 inches around. His percentiles evened out a bit this time. He's now in the 75th percentile for height, 50th for weight, and 50th for head circumference. He is right on target with all his milestones! He did get a referral to the neurosurgeon about his crooked head (plagiocephaly) just to make sure that it's not being caused by premature closing of the sutures. Dearest Caleb,
I love you sooooo much. You really bring joy and meaning to my days. Sometimes I need a little coffee to enjoy your smiles (since you stopped sleeping regularly through the night when we stopped swaddling you). But, you still sleep through the night about 1 time a week and go to sleep easily in general. You tend to get tired around 7 or 8 and wake up around the same time in the morning! You LOVE to put things in your mouth and drool is your new best friend. You're quite the trooper. You've been on hikes with mom and dad, you've hung out while we painted, you've gotten used to going to Grandma's and taking a bottle 2-3x's a week, and you've been easy going through it all. You still love standing and sitting with support, you've just started rolling from tummy to back and onto your sides from your back. Bathtime is not your favorite, although you love being changed these days. Poop is sometimes an issue (or not an issue), since you only do it every 7-10 days! You love your links, looking at lights (still), playing in your jumper, reading books, and singing songs. You're now wearing 6 month and 9 month clothes! Every morning we read about Jesus and how he came to earth to rescue you. Recently I've been thinking that I want my life to show you that truth, in addition to reading you stories. I hope and pray that your daddy and I will be instrumental in helping you understand and accept Jesus' love and grace for you. And in showing you how to live in that love and grace. This is such a fun stage in your life and I can see you learning everyday. Sometimes I almost think I can see neurons dividing and sending connections in your brain as you observe the world around you.
All my love,
Mama

Day 24- How to prevent "mom jeans butt"

So, I stole this link from a friend, Julie, but I'm sure she won't mind. She's been in the hospital and apparently had enough time to find a hilarious article about "Mom jeans butt" and how to prevent it. Thanks Julie!

The original article demonstrates how this horrible faux paux can be avoided or caused by the type of jeans you select. The sequel demonstrates how mom jeans butt can be avoided in women over 50. Since, I have recently become a mom, this is of great interest to me. I now have the compulsive urge to go through all my jeans and examine pocket placement, length, etc :). Hopefully you all find this as humorous/helpful as me. Friends don't let friends wear mom butt jeans :).

An example from the article. These two pictures are of the same person- a 27 year old mother of 1. The first picture is her in mom jeans. The second is her normal jeans. Admire the difference!

Day 23- Hiking (and vanity)

Hiking in Boulder during Sarah's last weekend in Colorado:

Caleb even came on the hike- we had him super-bundled.The whole group

The girls

(The vanity part of the post is that I'm so sad that my hat was pulled so far back on my head in all the pictures- not sure why :). My husband says I'm too vain, and I probably am. I was hoping to get some frame-worthy pictures, but I seem to have ruined that opportunity. sigh. Oh well, life is best lived in the moment and not in pictures. And we had LOTS of fun. By the way- this is not a cry for affirmation, just being real.)

Day 21- I heart MOPS

I truly do heart MOPS! Something changes when you have a baby. Something more than just the physical change. You have this whole new, crazy world open up to you, but at the same time the old world gets closed off to a certain extent. I think we connect so well because we've all taken the dive and embraced the land of mommy. It's a beautiful, exhausting, growing, precious thing. We need each other for encouragement, reassurance that we're not the only one that feels that way, and for ideas to take better care of ourselves and our kids. We also know that over everything else, Jesus is the one that we really need.