Maris' quilt

My dear friend Kate made this quilt for Maris. It's been months in the making. She poured so much love into this and it's exquisitely beautiful. I'll post more pictures when it stops raining.

The view from my side..

We sleep in all kinds of positions in this house! It's amazing how many people you can fit on a king-sized bed...

This little girl was sleepy

I have to admit that I'm pretty much a flop at bedtime routines for babies. Our children have only recently settled into any kind of bedtime routine - necessitated by the rigid schedule of public school (that's another post entirely). I prefer to cuddle and love on them until they fall asleep.

So tonight after Mike, Wyatt, Maris and I returned from the Artsy thing at the Destin Commons (Maddie hung out with her Mimi at the Destin house) - I brought my so very sleepy girl upstairs to get ready for bed. After wrestling with her to get out of her diaper and clothes and into a nighttime diaper (the baby arm jail move was necessary) - I swooped her up and plopped us both into bed.

Maris reached for the front of my shirt and pulled it towards her - peeking inside. She then started giggling - she knew there was milk in there! I nursed her for a little while and when she was finished she took her paci and threw herself back onto the bed. After much flailing around she finally settled into some kind of sleep draped over my shoulder. 

She fell asleep hugging my shoulder - with one hand protectively on her milk... She then migrated into various positions before I helped her settle on the mattress.

And then after my littlest lovie fell asleep - my other little girl climbed into bed with me for some mama time snuggles. Life is wonderful.

House progress day 3

Now you can clearly see why we can't live in the house while the foundation work is being done! I haven't heard from the contractor yet but they certainly dug a huge hole in my kitchen!

Nighttime sillies and cuddles

One of my favorite times in the day are the moments before Maris falls asleep. Last night we shared some ice cream - she took tiny licks from my spoon. She made silly faces and crawled crazily over the bed. She gave me some sweet cuddles and eventually fell asleep. I love her so much!

Deconstruction begins!

Finally! Mike tore out the old floors last night and I met with the plumber and building contractor to go over details. They started disconnecting the appliances and sink and will hopefully start on the foundation tomorrow.

Winds of Change

As the cooler breezes begin to grace the Gulf Coast I have gathered the courage to free myself from Facebook and focus instead on mothering and writing.

Sometime very soon my Facebook account will be deactivated and I will no longer feel the chains of obligation to respond in groups, add comments and "like" and post. I began this journey a few months ago after reading an enlightening journal by Hands Free Mama. One particular entry rocked me to my core. It's called "How to Miss a Childhood."

I started by deleting the Facebook app from my smart phone.

How convenient it was to check on Facebook by swiping my finger over the icon - and how inconvenient it was to be interrupted with a "Look, Mom!" when I was busy doing this.

My priorities were misplaced.

In addition to this problem was my realization of how mean people can be in online communities. How easy is it to be passive aggressive or downright mean when you never have to see the hurt or anger on the recipient's face? It's too easy. While I've always tried to keep my words from being harsh - when you are online you lose control of the ability to add emotion. Something you said jokingly is very easily taken as an insult or offense.

Facebook was a great place for anyone who didn't like me to treat me like crap and get away with it as well.

So I've decided that Facebook is overrated and what is more important are relationships - preferably in person. I have many who I want to keep in touch with and I hope that this blog will serve as a replacement for the pictures and posts on FB. I want to hear voices and see faces!

We will see how long I can last without Facebook - as it seems that life itself is dependent on it these days. But I think I will be pretty happy without the added distraction!

Little friends

Maris is so lucky to have a group of little friends to play with! We love them and their mommies so much!

Surfing lessons

Last night we met my friend Stephanie and her kids Seven and Isla at the beach for surfing lessons. The kids had a blast and the babies hung out!

First steps

Today Maris took her first steps. She's not quite 11 months old. She took two, then six and has been taking a few here and there on her own volition tonight. My baby is toddling!