happy anniversary

Upon viewing our wedding video and marveling at our first dance recently, Pink said we looked like two penguins when we dance.

Happy anniversary to the only man I'd want to dance with on video, my life-long dancing penguin.

ughhhhh

"How does BG get out of your tummy?"
"The doctor takes her out, sweetie."
"But HOW?"
"I just go to the hospital and Dr. Khan just takes her out."
"But HOW? I really want to go to the hospital and see the doctor take her out! Please, mommy?"

Praying that avoidance tactics will get me through the next few weeks.

oh well

12:55 pm
A text to Beloved: "I am one blessed mama. Lizzie fell asleep in the car & wouldn't wake up @ preschool. Still asleep, which kills afternoon nap. So we're havin quiet time early, together downstairs, Lizzie on my chest, Pink reading quietly, and me w/ a cup of chai. So cozy!"

12:59 pm
Second text to Beloved: "Just kidding. she woke up as soon as I sat down w/ her. No nap time, no quiet time. C'est la vie."

in honor of our pre-BG anniversary weekend

I never imagined having a partner like you. I thought you'd be always happy. I thought you'd always be perfectly shaven or perfectly scruffy, but never in between where you can scratch my cheeks. I thought you'd be always dressed to impress me and always smell good. I thought you'd always like my company. I thought you'd always like the children we'd have someday. I thought you'd always control your temper like a gentleman. I thought you'd always charm me, and that your kisses would always taste good. I didn't get any of those things. I got so much more.

I got a man who is happier with me than I ever saw when we were dating, or imagined before we met. And that man is all the sweeter to me for the times when he's not happy and he is comfortable enough to not put on a facade.

I got a man who scratches my cheeks, as well as our daughters' cheeks, because he's in this home around the clock and his very manly scruff grows faster than even a daily shave can keep up with, and I love that I get to feel the "in between" scruff.

I got a man who sometimes wears sweats and old workout clothes because even though he appreciates fashion and showing off his fantastic body, he knows there are other things in life to worry about than looks. And as far as smelling good? Well, I'll take the just-worked-out or just-woke-up or haven't-thought-of-cologne-in-a-month man over the one I dated, any day. I didn't get to wake up next to that man, and every cologne-scented date came to an end.

I got a man who doesn't always like me, or our children, and isn't afraid to tell me that occasionally. It reminds me that life is real, and not from the movies, and that our marriage is real, and not from my dreams, and that I can always trust his word, because he isn't afraid to tell me truthful things that might hurt my feelings. This man is perfectly content to not like each other at times, knowing that those feelings end quickly and that love and marriage are so much more than temporary likes and dislikes. He has taught me more about love than I could have imagined I needed to learn. And I rest in the understanding of love and marriage that he has given me.

I got a man who sometimes gets furious with me, with life, with our daughters, with other people. His anger is fierce and powerful. But he controls himself enough to keep himself and others from harm, knowing that the emotion of anger is also temporary, and that "this, too, shall pass" is true in life. He has shown me that anger, even when it's directed at me, isn't necessarily destructive. That it can bring health and healing and growth and passion. And he reveals his strength in his anger, both with his fierceness and his powerful restraint. He brings the masculinity our home needs when he's angry.

I got a man who charms me often, but not always, because he knows that in the real world there are floors to clean and cars to repair and work to attend and ... He also knows the sweetness of the occasional - the word he only brings out once in a while, or the deed that is a treat for me. And he knows the power in charming me on a daily basis through simply loving me with his actions, his expressions, and his words, even if they aren't all the stuff of the next romantic comedy. His kisses almost always taste sweet, except for the few that come when I'm too hurt or too exhausted to enjoy them. And when that happens, he kisses my cheek and hugs me instead, until I'm in a place where the kisses I love will taste sweet again. And I am all the better for knowing both kinds of kisses because I am able to cherish every single one of the many, many sweet ones.

I got a man who is so far beyond what I could have imagined - who buys several nights worth of frozen dinners and offers to prepare each one, each night, because I'm exhausted and totally out of creative cooking juices. I didn't bargain for that.

I got a man who tosses aside the sheets in frustration when he has to get up, again, to tend to a crying baby. He then lifts her ever-so-gently, whispers in her ear, and tenderly rocks her back to sleep. All so I can get some extra rest.

I got a man who was praised by a neighbor a few blocks away one morning during our family walk. "You have a great man there!" she said to me. "I remember him out here yesterday with those two girls, really early in the cold, so you could get some sleep. Now I see why, with that pregnant belly. Good man, that one!" I didn't bargain for that, either.

I got a man who isn't full of sermons or religious philosophy like the pastor-type I thought I'd marry. This man is real, and his faith is raw, won through many battles that started when he was very young. He teaches me more about God and about faith than a sermon ever could.

I got a man who could fill not one post, or even a week's worth of posts, but an entire blog. I could make it a tribute to him. But then I'd spend all my time writing about him rather than living life with him and he's just too good to miss out on. He's not at all what I wanted -- he's so very, very much more.

Happy Anniversary, Babe

for lack of a more private place to document this...

Pink, you read your first word! Mark the date: Saturday, Dec. 4. We were on our way to Christmas on the Prado and you saw the Coco's sign (we'd been there recently with Grandma & Papa Bob), and you said, "Hey, there's a Coco's! We went there!" When Daddy and I asked you about it, you said, "It says Coco's: C-O-C-O-S and that spells Coco's like the restaurant we went to where I learned how to spell Coco's with mama on my menu."

So there you have it. You can read two words with 100% accuracy: your name, and Coco's.

helpful tip for little ones

I admit this is random and a tad bit gross, but this one thing has saved Lizzie dozens of tears and saved us lots of stress. It's the how-to for nasal aspirators, aka snot suckers.

One day when Beloved was at home with the girls and Lizzie was sick, and he was unable to deny her need for a little suction, he reluctantly got out the sucker. Always one to avoid headaches of any kind if possible, and always one to turn any situation into a game, Beloved did an entire snot-sucking routine for Lizzie while Pink looked on. Lizzie was in stitches. He over-exaggerated the process of sucking on himself with an over-the-top reaction and a bit of song and dance. Then he demonstrated on Pink. Lizzie could hardly wait for her turn. When the moment of truth came, she wasn't just compliant, she was entertained. By snot-sucking! I'd never seen such a thing in my life!

Now when she gets stuffy, she actually puts her finger up by her nose (at the ripe ol' age of 13 months) and sniffs, letting us know that she's got an abundance of snot. She leans into when we do it, she's never shed a single tear since this all started, and it's over in a heartbeat. No restraints necessary.

Try it if you have one who's too small to blow effectively. It's magic, I tell ya. And now I promise to never type the word "snot" again for a long, long time.

things i heard today

"Mama, this is my favorite part (of the football game) where they all just starting tumbling into each other and hitting each other."

"Mama, do you want some chapstick? Your lips look a little gray."

"Ah-bah! Ah-bah! Ah-bah! Ah-bah! AAAAHHH-BAAHHH!" (Lizzie calling for Pink)

"Daddy, when WE get married then you can call ME Babe, too!"