Wordful Wednesday – A letter to my daughter on becoming a big sister

I usually participate in Wordless Wednesday, but I’ve had much on my mind that needed to escape through my fingers to the computer. So today is instead a Wordful Wednesday.

To my dear daughter,

I don’t know if you will ever read this, and I am quite certain that at this tender age, you will not understand. But I feel that these things need to be said.

I want you to know that Mommy is very excited about having another baby. It is my hope that you and your baby brother or sister will be friends, care for each other, and have a relationship that will extend beyond our years of living together as a family.

Your baby brother or sister will bring many changes. At first, it may be hard, but in time, you will find that you have a new friend and playmate. You will have someone to boss around. You will pick on him or her at times, but you will not allow for anyone else to do so.

You have been given a responsibility, not by choice, but a responsibility nonetheless. Your baby sibling will look up to you, follow you, and learn from you. I am a big sister myself, and I will understand your feelings. You can always come to me.

Sometimes you may feel jealous, or you may feel sad, and that’s okay. Just realize that you matter more now than ever, and that my having someone else to love doesn’t mean that you are loved any less.

I could only love you more.

You are my firstborn, and that in and of itself is something special. It’s not something that you or I got to choose, but it happened that way, and it can never be taken back. We have had the kind of time that only a mother and her firstborn can have together. That is special and unique, and I am thankful for every moment.

I have never been afraid of being your mommy, even before you were born. I have never doubted my ability to parent you, nurture you, teach you or love you. But for some reason, I have fears about having another baby. I am not sure why. Maybe it’s because I still haven’t figured out how I will love another child as much as I love you. Or maybe I am just afraid that I may not be as good of a mommy with the added responsibility.

Just as I learned to be your mother, I will have to learn to be a mother of two. Please be patient with me. I promise I will always try my very best.

We still have a couple of months of just you and me. And though you will be too young to remember most of this time, I will forever cherish it. I am having another baby in part because of the love I have felt for you and from you. What a difference you have made in my life.

Love,
Mommy

"Be patient, my soul: thou hath suffered worse than this"

C has decided she “no like the potty” anymore.

Sigh.

Chinese Lantern

These were so easy to make.

For more great crafts,
be sure to visit No Time For Flashcards.

Crafty Tuesday

Today we are heading over to Mrs. M’s house to do crafts and have playtime with the kids. We are going to be learning about the Chinese New Year. I am planning on having the kids make these lanterns, and I got several Chinese New Year printouts from this website since I could not find a book that I liked.

I learned that I was born in the year of the Snake. In fact, I am a “Fire Snake” which is funny, because I sure felt like I had fangs yesterday…I had one of those awful Mommy days where nothing seemed good enough. I am hoping for a better day today!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Tarragon Chicken Casserole with steamed broccoli
Tuesday: BLT’s with Soup
Wednesday: Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast with green beans and pasta side
Thursday: BirdsEye Freezer Meals for Two with Baked Potatoes
Friday: Pork Wraps (see recipe below)
Saturday: Busy Day Baked Fish with spinach and side pasta
Sunday: Super Bowl Sunday – wings and other junk!

Here’s a super easy way to use up extra pork from the slow cooker:
Put shredded pork, sliced avocado, leaf lettuce and mandarin oranges in a whole wheat tortilla. Wrap and eat!

For more great recipes, visit Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday.

Hip Hip Hooray!

I have some exciting news!
This news may be exciting to some of you!
I know this news may only be exciting to a few of you me.

Nonetheless, I’m sharing:

C used the potty this week!

Ok, so she used her potty. The little pink one that has been sitting in the corner of the bathroom for months now. But she used it. Several times. For both pee and poo. Beggars can’t be choosers and I’ll take what I can get right now and we’ll move on to the big potty when we can.

I remember reading this a while back and thinking, I’m just going to take an easy approach to this. When she’s ready, she’ll let me know. No tears, no fits. I chose to ignore the wisdom of my elders who had their children potty trained “before they could walk.” I waited. We read books and we talked about it, but I never forced her. And still, I waited.

Then, last week, she pulled out her potty, sat on it and went.

There was not a happier mom on the block!

I am sure this rookie mom could be told by some of you veterans that this is just the beginning, that setbacks and accidents will happen. That’s okay. I’m ready. And open for any additional advice you’d like to give.

In the meantime, I need to go stock up on some more skittles.

I am sure that when she is older she will love the fact that I shared this particular milestone with the entire world. If you ever do read this, C, it’s just that I am proud of you. Oh, and I can’t wait to stop buying you diapers.

It’s Back!

The $20.00 Mommy and Me Ticket at the Georgia Aquarium is back and good through the end of March. I took advantage of this deal last fall, and C had such a wonderful time. To see photos of our trip, go here, and for more information on how to get your own Mommy and Me ticket, go here.

Wordless Wednesday

“Her Little Hands”

Perhaps it’s the pregnancy hormones, but I became a bit overly emotional when I came across this. Then I went and hugged C as she tried to squirm away to play.

As I looked at my own daughter’s hands, they were still a little sticky from lunch, with a bit of dirt under her all-too-long fingernails (where are those clippers?) and half her fingernails had lost the blue nail polish from our “manicure” we did together.

Oh well.

I kissed them anyhow and thanked God above for those little hands.

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Crafty Tuesday

Last week we made these dinosaurs and had a fun lesson on shapes.
The photo is C’s “Shape-o-Saurus.”

I love to take photos of C’s crafts, because I know it will be unrealistic for me to keep all of them. I do hang on to my favorites (like projects that include her hand prints), and our fridge is decorated with her most recent creations. But taking photos is a great way to “have” them, even when you can no longer keep them.

This week we will have two different activities: I found this simple, yet perfect lesson using eggs to teach the toddlers a lesson about Martin Luther King, Jr. and we’ll be making these parade sticks for the Inaugural parade today.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week’s menu plan went great. I never did make the spaghetti, so I’ll save that recipe for next week. The Black Bean Soup and the Chicken Fried Rice (I would use half the butter and half the garlic that this recipe calls for) made enough to freeze for another meal for another week. And the Asian Pork Tenderloin was delicious! To see links to all these recipes, see last week’s menu plan.

Monday: Taco Night (Publix is BOGO on Tostitos chips and salsa this week!)
Tuesday: Marinated Baked Pork Chops with peas and side pasta
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Chicken with potatoes and green beans
Thursday: Asparagus Beef Stir Fry
Friday: Chicken and Hummus Wraps with Soup
Saturday: Dinner out for mother-in-law’s birthday
Sunday: Salmon Patties with side salad

We usually don’t have many leftovers at my house, because we eat them for lunch. But I think we’ll have enough chicken leftover from Wednesday to do the wraps on Friday.

So, what’s on your menu? List yours and find others over at Organizing Junkie!