This is a hard one

I usually check the Washington Post at least 10 times a day. Being that it was our area paper for 3 years and I typically agree with most of the editorials and frequently enjoy its different columns, maybe my devotion to it is understandable.

Anyway, I clicked on this link to an article about photographers who go into hospitals to take picture of babies who are stillborn or are too sick to ever make it home. This is their site. They're apparently in the middle of a fundraising campaign right now. I wanted to urge everyone (all two of you) who reads this to go to the site and donate what you can to this truly remarkable ministry. These people are amazing.

Settling in

So we are officially "Mobilians" or "people who live in Mobile" and that privilege has come with the added bonus of another title: homeowners!!!

The home search was not quite long, or arduous, considering we had a whopping 3 days to do it, but we were still quite relieved when it was over and after all the negotiations we had a house! It's a 3br/2ba with a fenced in backyard that has a neat little playground with a swing that Amelia already loves (now if we could just do something about the mosquitoes...). It's still a mess due to our couch and cable arriving within days of each other (what--everyone deserves a little break, right?). Every wall in the house with the exception of the bedrooms and kitchen was yellow, so last Sunday I took advantage of Grandma coming to visit to get her to help me paint the living room. It's now a kind of light taupe and I like it much better. I will post pictures when we get everything put away and hung. We also had new carpet installed and are getting the hang of our fancy hardwood floors (i.e. my heart has ceased skipping a beat when Amelia drops a toy on the floor).

The road to the house was kind of a (semi) interesting one...we moved out of our Valdosta house on 8/31, but couldn't move in HERE until 9/15, so we spent the next two weeks shuttling between Waynesboro and Columbus, then down here for a night, then to Orange Beach (which was awesome), then camping out at Ben's boss's house, then a hotel, and then BACK to Ben's boss's house. I don't think we could have gotten through all this if not for Ben's boss, John, and his wonderful family. They have been beyond generous and wonderful to us.

The church is really great so far. It's huge, with 2500 people on the rolls, and they've got all kinds of stuff going on. Everyone has been very kind and welcoming to us (case in point: the day we moved in women from the church dropped off a basket and 2 coolers full of food, wine, beer and things like paper towels and sponges and cleanser--it was AMAZING), and man, are they in love with Amelia. She toddles around--she's pretty much always going full tilt--almost running--and people just watch her and comment on how great she is. We, of course, agree.

I've put her name on the list for 2 Mother's Day Out programs in town. Now, I'm not even fully comfortable still leaving her in the nursery at church, but we both agreed it was time she got more interaction with other children. Plus, there's no denying that it'll be nice for me to have some time to myself for several hours a week. Both programs have a waiting list, so we'll just see what happens. I've thought about getting a job, and have submitted some resumes, but I'm content to stay at home for now. Or, I should say, I plan to take advantage of our situation and actually go back to school. I miss working like it's nobody's business--I mean, I actually get physical pangs of envy when Ben starts describing his day at the office--but I think this is a good opportunity for me to figure what I want to do.

I think that's about it. All is good. I have a lot to say about the political situation in this country and that kind of thing, but anyone checking my facebook can see how I feel about that. Plus, this is Amelia's blog, so I won't bore with my stuff.

Oh! There is one more thing. Dawgs play Bama tomorrow in a blackout at Sanford Stadium (you know, in case you were living under a rock and didn't know). Of course, we are knee deep in Bama country here (and not Auburn, surprisingly), and are looking for ways to, you know, alienate our friends and neighbors. We have a flag to fly and Amelia is wearing her special gameday outfit to church on Sunday, win or lose. Should be a great game! Here's a special sneak peek:

We're getting Internet!

...because we're moving. I have been the most faithless of bloggers for the past 2 months because of our lack of Internet, but maybe this announcement will make it worth it. As of August 31st (Amelia's 1st birthday, incidentally), we will no longer be residents of Valdosta. Ben has been offered a job as Assistant to the Rector of St. Paul's in Mobile, Alabama. Never, ever thought we'd be moving to Alabama, but that's ok! We are buying a house that we love, and we both really like Mobile. This seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we're just glad we've been able to take it.

Lots more details and pictures once we've settled in, I promise!

This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen

Read it now

They ran out of the Interwebs

No, it's not a joke. We have successfully (for the most part) moved into our new house, and it's great, BUT--apparently, when Bellsouth started their DSL service out there, they didn't account for how popular it would be. As such, they have run out of bandwidth for our neighborhood and we are currently without internet and cable. We have The West Wing Season One and lots of books to keep us company (not to mention unpacking...), but I'm having withdrawals. I'm in Ben's office right now, but this is a treat that I don't expect to get very often. Lots of pictures of our growing girl when they find more internets...

The dog

Remember the Shel Silverstein poem "Sister for Sale"? I always laughed at it--mainly because I had a younger sister. Now, as I listen to Lily whine and cry to get outside and in the pool--DURING A LIGHTNING STORM--I keep thinking of that poem.

If you're reading this, Reuben, I don't even care. She is driving me nuts!

Oh, yes, I'm going there...

How Safe Are Vaccines?

This is probably the one area of parenting where I just have no clue. Amelia is up to date on all her vaccinations, and honestly, while I am nervous about each one, I've never been so freaked out that she doesn't get it.

I read pro- and anti-vaccine literature with a grain of salt. I have experience working in a field that is highly controversial, so I have learned to recognize that each side will present their case with unflinching (most of the time) logic and fact, meant to support their conclusions. And I have learned that the truth is usually located somewhere in the middle. However, arguments I learned to recognize and respond to were always in the hypothetical...When I came up with talking points about why making EC available over the counter was good, and why arguments arguing against it were specious or incorrect, I knew my facts. I trusted my information, and I had science to back it up.

But this is my child. This is her health and her life. And I guess there's just enough out there to scare the hell out of me and make me think "what if?". I have no answers, and I don't really know who I can trust. Wow. What fun.

Catching Up--the longest blog post ever

I promised to be more faithful with this blog, and I'm just not. It seems like every time I go to do a post, Amelia wakes up or Lily starts barking and I have to stop and by the time I get back to it, it just doesn't seem relevant anymore. So, I'll try to compress all those saved but unpublished posts into this one.

First, a huge welcome to one of the world's newest Dawgs (and certainly the newest one WE care about!): Jasper Lee Cameron. Jasper is the son of my old roommate Jordan, and her husband, Jeb. He was born Thursday, May 7 and we cannot wait to meet him. He is already quite the handsome little guy. We are also very jealous of his full head of hair!

Second, we are in the process of a move...This will very hopefully be for the better, because the house is only 3.5 miles from the church (as opposed to our current 15 miles), and has a very large fenced in yard. We're hoping the big backyard will be good for Lily--give her some space to run around in and we won't have to worry about her trying to run away. We may, however, have to worry about alligators and snakes, apparently (I was told this today when I dropped our lease off--yikes!). I am also looking forward to establishing some order to our house. This one was never organized and some stuff was never even unpacked--because seven months pregnant in June in south Georgia is really a less than ideal time to move. Since I am very happily no longer in that state, maybe we can have some order. We'll see, right?

We're also hoping that the move will cut down on our gas expenses. We've been spending so much in gas, and really having to coordinate our trips to town because it's so expensive. Ben will be close enough to ride his bike, which is great, and we'll be much closer to everything else.

Speaking of gas and expenses, I have begun looking for a job. I am ambivalent about working--on the one hand, being a SAHM with Amelia is wonderful--I love being with her and seeing all her new tricks (and boy, are there a lot), and I love the flexibility of it--not having a boss to get permission from to go on vacation, stuff like that; but then, on the other, I miss working. I miss feeling productive and finishing projects and interacting with adults.

We also have the little problem--or rather the BIG problem--of debt. As in, lots of debt. For reasons I have been urged to forget and/or forgive and/or stop being bitter about, we amassed quite a lot of debt during the course of seminary. If we are on a road to paying it down, it's like I-95 to Miami and we're stuck in traffic in Maryland. On Ben's current salary, paying it at our current rate, we're looking to be out by the time Amelia graduates from grad school. With a doctorate. That took her 15 years to get.

Seriously, it's not that bad, but it feels like it sometimes. And especially when we start crunching numbers and realize that if I worked and got paid anywhere in the neighborhood of what I was making in Washington, we could be totally OUT of credit card debt in less than 2 years. That's a pretty tempting reason to get a job, if you ask me.

To that end, I am still being picky. I refuse to go down the administrative assistant/secretary route (been there, not doing it again), and I would rather not be a claims representative again. I would love, love, LOVE to get a job where I could work at home and possibly make enough to have someone come in and watch Amelia, but I haven't found anything yet. So, I'm looking and pretty much focusing on the university. One of the good things about working there is that I could get free tuition, and I've been thinking about a drastic career change (if 1 year of lobbying can be called a "career") that would require some post-baccalaureate work. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, while at the same time realizing that none of this is really in my hands...and that everything works out the way it's supposed to.

So one of the posts I started that never got posted was about tv shows coming with more than the standard warning labels. We've all seen the warnings about sex, violence, drugs, language, etc. For my part, I couldn't care less about most of that stuff (except violence). Anyone who knows me well is very well-acquainted with my fondness for words of the four letter variety (note to self: a priest's kid should probably NOT have any of these words as a part of their vocabulary). Anyway, I was thinking a few weeks ago that I wish the warnings were more specific or explicit or something. I was watching ER a few weeks ago on TNT and an episode was on that showed a pregnant mother developing eclampsia and eventually dying. Her son made it out in time, but she didn't.

This episode reduced me to tears, as I'm sure it did lots of people. Anytime a mother dies, especially without ever knowing her child, it's incredibly sad and tragic. I don't even think there are words for it. But my tears were for another reason. I never posted it here, although I think I have alluded to it, and I know most of you know, but I was severely pre-eclamptic with Amelia. My bps while I was pushing got as high as the 150s/100s range (my mom said the nurse started standing in front of the machine so she couldn't see how high they were). I was on magnesium sulfate (affectionately called "the mag" by those of us lucky enough to have become acquainted with it) to prevent seizures. I also had the added bonus of having developed HELLP Syndrome
so my liver and kidneys were failing, and my platelets were too low for me to even get an epidural. Then, on top of all that, Amelia came out with the cord wrapped around her neck twice and had to be under oxygen for 2 hours before Ben or I got to even hold her.

Obviously our story had a happy ending. My platelets and liver function corrected themselves back to normal within less than a week after her birth. My bp seems to be going steadily down (it can take up to a year), and the internist has cleared me of any underlying conditions like liver or kidney disease that could have contributed to the HELLP. And my risk of developing it again is only slightly higher than someone else who had never gotten it. And, most importantly, Amelia is no worse for the wear. That kid has quite a set of lungs, and doesn't have any problem demonstrating them!

I think the episode upset me so much because it was like a glimpse of what could have been. I was incredibly lucky--on all fronts. My doctor recognized my HELLP and was able to treat it, my daughter came out gray, but breathing. Our relationship didn't even suffer because of our lack of "bonding" right away. Hell, even the mag made her so sleepy the first few days that we got to get more sleep than one should be allowed with a newborn.

But, still, I worry. I am as ambivalent about having another biological child as I am about working. I am desperately afraid that next time things may not go as well. I am worried I could get sick again--this time earlier, and at the risk of the baby. I am worried I could die and leave my precious family. I am worried I could lose the baby--from a cord accident or premature birth or any number of things.

I know these are possibilities every woman faces with pregnancy...I guess I just feel them now because it came close to happening before. It's like "why risk it?". But then, as my mother-in-law put it: we do make beautiful and wonderful babies. I am certain God will let us know what the best choice for our family will be. I have confidence in that. I guess I just sometimes wish those choices and the plan were a little clearer to me!

Speaking of beautiful and wonderful babies, I need to close this monumental post with an update on what the point of this blog is doing. Amelia is almost 9 months old and is crawling like a mad woman, climbing up on anything that is stationary for more than 2 seconds (including legs), and is even starting to let go for a few seconds at a time (much to my horror). She is babbling like crazy and REALLY wants to carry on conversations, but we're still not sure we've heard any discernible words. She had her first temper tantrum the other day over something she was reaching for that I then took out of her reach (she sat down and started hollering, crocodile tears and all). We also learned the other day why priests' kids get such reputations: because they are often the center of attention and when they are misbehaving, they are more often than not encouraged to keep misbehaving.

Most importantly, she is just such a constant delight. She is always smiling and laughing and happy. We could not have asked for a more wonderful little girl. I love these newest pictures that we took the other day--I think they capture her personality so well.

The difference two years makes....

Tomorrow marks two years since the day we found out about Peanut. We know Peanut was never meant to be, and obviously if Peanut had been born we would not have Amelia, so if a miscarriage can ever be called a blessing, ours was one. In a very real way, it brought our precious daughter to us.

Getting pregnant with Peanut was kind of a whim. I had not yet found an OB/GYN in DC yet, and my prescription for birth control was about to expire. I remember it so clearly--it was a Saturday Ben was taking me to the Metro--I was going to a mall in Silver Spring to attend a reading of the book Prep (the author's aunt was a co-worker of mine at the time). We were discussing my prescription and somehow came to the decision that we would suspend the b.c. for a little while and see what happened. We were officially "not officially" trying.

I got pregnant before I ever got a period, and it seemed right from the very beginning that things were not ok. First, I didn't get a positive result until a week after my period was due. Then, a week later I started getting horrible, woke-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night pains very low in my abdomen (cyst from the pregnancy). When I went to the doctor to see what it was, the sonographer was unable to find Peanut's hearbeat on the ultrasound. She was a little worried and I was VERY worried. I also hadn't been able to reach Ben, so I had no one to calm me down. I think I spent half the day in that doctor's office.

We went in together the next week and lo and behold, Peanut had a heartbeat. It was 113, which seemed low, but no one seemed worried. I remember saying that it was now safe to tell people, even though I was only six weeks, because we had seen a heartbeat. I had read somewhere that once a heartbeat is detected the chance of miscarriage goes down to like 2%. We went to Borders afterwards and bought some baby books.

I had never been pregnant before, obviously, so I didn't know what a NORMAL pregnancy felt like. I was exhausted all the time with Peanut, but that's a first trimester thing, right? No matter that there were days I didn't want to move I was so tired. I felt like I was starting to show earlier, but that was just neat. I didn't feel quite right at all when I was pregnant with Peanut, and I was totally preocuppied with miscarriage, but I chalked that up to first-time mother stuff.

I was looking forward to my 12 week appointment because I would get to hear Peanut's heartbeat on the doppler. People at work kept asking if I was going to get an ultrasound and I said that I hoped not, because that would mean they couldn't find the heartbeat. My mom miscarried at 11 weeks and they found out because they had taken me and Annie to the OB to hear the heartbeat, the doctor couldn't find it, and an ultrasound revealed the baby had died. I was terrified of that happening.

When the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat she wasn't concerned. She said it was normal, could be due to baby's position, etc. So she sent us in for an ultrasound "just to be sure". It was a different one than the earlier one, a man. He turned on everything and there was Peanut, looking like a baby. But no heartbeat. He looked at the screen and said "well, folks, I don't have good news for you today." Just like that. While our hopes and dreams for that baby collapsed, he pressured me to have an amnio (because the risk of miscarriage was now negligible--his words--and he could see there were chromosomal abnormalities).

We walked a little through the city after that to get to the Metro. We got the car at Pentagon City, called our parents, went to lunch. I wanted a turkey sandwich because I had abstained for so long (lunchmeat, you know?), so we went to Panera. Then we got home and I ran straight to the bed and collapsed. I think I cried myself to sleep that night. I know I did the next night. Ben wrote a sermon--one of the most beautiful ones I've ever read--about Doubting Thomas and feeling God's presence even when it seems He's gone.

The second half of Peanut's story is one of the reasons I am so passionate about causes related to women's health. My doctor couldn't perform second trimester D&Cs, even though ours was a confirmed intrauterine demise. So I was referred to another doctor, but even that was a nightmare. I ended up on the phone with my old doctor's office, begging their help in getting an appointment. I was terrified that I would begin to bleed and miscarry at home before I could get surgery.

God was looking out for us with the doctor He sent us. Dr. Larson was wonderful. He showed us on the ultrasound what was wrong with Peanut--pointed out all the things he saw that indicated Peanut was never meant for this world. It was a great healing time for us. He performed the surgery without a hitch and I was feeling better--physically--in no time, and 8 months later I was pregnant with our little Amelia.

Women are so secretive about miscarriage...it's almost as if it's something to be ashamed of, rather than something that happens in 25% of all known pregnancies. I made a conscious effort to tell people I'd had one, rather than admit it in a whisper, like so many women did to me. I have often wondered if it has something to do with the fact that in the past 100 years or so women's medicine and pregnancy, especially, have come to be ruled by men, rather than women. A man can never know the way it feels to feel like your body has betrayed you, like it's done something wrong--hasn't protected the way it should. I watched The Business of Being Born today. Maybe I've drunk the kool-aid. All I know is that when I would hear of women who'd miscarried and were referred to our Planned Parenthood affiliate for the D&C--because Kaiser didn't want to pay for a hospital, or they didn't have insurance--and they had to walk through the gauntlet of protesters begging them not to kill their babies---that I would feel sick inside. I wish there was something better for everyone.

I'm in a mood tonight. Maybe I need to go wake up a sleeping baby. She's so big now---crawling, babbling like crazy, pulling up and standing. We fall more in love each day. She is so amazing.

If anyone's made it this far, thanks for reading my disjointed ramblings...

Savoring every moment...

If you read this, do it with lots of tissue. Just reminder 10,000,001 to savor every moment in life.

Been a busy few weeks

We've been non-stop for the past few weeks...

First, we took a trip to Columbus after Easter (well, actually Easter Day). We got to spend some time with Uncle Eric and Aunt Allison and Scout, and that was a great time. Even Lily got to join in the fun because we went to Kiesel Park in Auburn. Lily really enjoyed her first visit to a dog park in more than a year. Unfortunately, it was really cold that day, so we didn't get to stay long. Then Ben got to visit an old friend in Newnan and I got my first haircut since August.

Then when we got home Aunt Loren was there for a visit (well, an interview). We were hoping she would decide to take a job here in Valdosta, but, nope, she chose the bigger and better city of Augusta. At least we get over to that part of the state pretty frequently---and Augusta is much closer than Alexandria. It was great spending some time with her and Amelia had a lot of fun with her godmother. Uncle Stephen also decided to come visit on his Spring Break, so it was great to see him, too.

The next weekend we went up to Athens to (briefly) see Aunt Annie and Aunt Melissa and go to the G-Day game. We got to have lunch with Kristi (my old roommate from college) on Friday at Five Guys (soo good!) and catch up with her. She really made us want to move back up there! Then we went to see Dann at the Episcopal Center and ended up hanging out there for a few hours. It was good to be back. That place has so many memories for us, and not just because it's where we got married. That night we just hung out at Annie's and ordered pizza from Papa John's (a double treat for us because that's the Papa John's we got pizza from for such a long time AND because we don't eat a lot of it here because they don't deliver to Hahira) and watched a documentary. Amelia, who had not slept very well the night before, slept great that night. The next day was rainy, so we went to lunch with Aunt Sissy and her girlfriend Sylvia and then drove around Athens to see how it had changed. When the rain stopped we ended up finding a space up from the stadium and go to catch the last 1:10 of the game. Oh well. It was really great being there, and, as a bonus, we missed a turn in Eatonton, ended up in Milledgeville, and got to see Stephen again for dinner!

This past weekend we headed to Waynesboro so Ben and I could go to the Masters and Amelia could spend some time with her grandparents. Despite getting so sunburned that my face is literally SWOLLEN right now, we had a great time at the tournament. I even got a ball! We sat on the fifth green and were right up to the rope, so we saw most everyone come through, including Tiger, Phil, Ernie, etc. It's funny, though, because we missed the guy who ended up winning! Anyway, we were so grateful to Papa Rocky for giving us his badges, and hope we're offered them again in the future...and we know he can't wait to take his Amelia with him in a few years (so maybe she can get a ball of her own!). Ben's parents said she was wonderful. She and Nana went for a walk and met a lot of people, and she smiled at all of them. Maybe this means she's outgrowing her fear of strangers. We'll see!

This week will hopefully be a little slower...we'll get a little break this weekend from traveling, although we are still looking for a place to live, so we'll be busy doing that. Next weekend we head to Atlanta by way of Columbus for Joey's wedding. I'll post pics of our adventures soon!

Quick Question

I wanted to present this question to those of you who read this, especially those with girls (and this now includes you, Chris! Just have to give a shout-out to VTS's newest baby, Ms. Layna Nicole, born on the best day of the year--besides August 31, that is--for a birthday!). Anyway, lately we've been discussing what we can do to be more environmentally-friendly and safe as consumers. We're doing things like using those curly bulbs (forgive my forgetfulness regarding their true name--I'm a little tired) instead of regular light bulbs, using cloth diapers as much as possible, buying what we can locally, etc. But one thing I've been wondering about lately is the meat we eat. In Virginia I tried to buy organic meat whenever possible--and the organic food movement was really big in stores like Safeway and Harris Teeter, so it was possible to buy free-range poultry and beef for moderate prices. In Valdosta, however, the organic meat is REALLY expensive, and I've been getting just regular. Then last week I was talking to a friend who is also the father of two girls, and he told me he wasn't going to give them regular beef or milk because of all the hormones given to the cows. We already drink organic milk and eat organic eggs, but I'm wondering now if it wouldn't be worth it in the long run to start looking into buying organic meat and skimping on other things. Any thoughts? What do y'all do?

I'll have another update soon! Hope everyone had a terrific Easter and congratulations again, Chris, Nicole and Brayden!

Solid Food

We started on the solid food a little over a week ago. Her first taste was of rice cereal thinned with some breastmilk (the pump is finally being used after like 4 months!). She didn't seem like that huge a fan, to be honest. So the next day I tried bananas with no cereal. Still not a fan. So the third day I tried rice cereal, bananas and breastmilk. She seemed to like that a little more...and I have to admit that I'm so paranoid that I'll just dry up that as soon as she's done eating the solid food, I'll put her on the boob for a few minutes just to make sure she still knows what to do!

This weekend Ben worked at Valdosta's Azalea Festival, where Saint Barnabas had a booth. Because we were out and about on Friday and Saturday she hadn't had any solids in two days, so I decided to bring a banana with me yesterday while we hung out with him to see if she'd take it alone. I brought her bib, a small bowl and a spoon and mushed up the banana. That little monkey ate the whole thing! So now I feel confident that she is liking this solid food thing enough to move on to other things. I would love suggestions from you experienced parents about what to give next. I'm thinking avocados or mashed up peas--just to get her used to green vegetables. She also decided for herself she wanted a taste of some "non-baby friendly" food on Saturday--Ben was eating from a plate with potato chips while he was holding her and she reached over and actually put a small piece of chip in her mouth! She choked on it right away and immediately spit it out. The face she made was hilarious, but it was also a good lesson for us to remember--she can reach, so we need to keep the food away from her little hands!

This week is going to be busy--Wednesday is my birthday and then my grandmother's is Thursday, so we're spending some time with her and my mom and sister are coming for Easter, and then we're all heading to Columbus for some R&R and time with friends. Lily even gets to visit a dog park in Auburn with her good friend Scout! Pictures to come!

A new post!

I have been very neglectful of this space for that past 3 months--mainly because I update my facebook page with pictures and am too lazy to actually write a real post. Well, an old friend with two kids and a full time job who still has the energy to update HER blog has inspired me to try updating more with the actual goings on in our lives.

So, as far as goings on go, it's really the same ol', same ol'. Amelia is growing--still skinny, but doing all the impressive things six month olds do, like starting to sit up and generally being more aware of the world around her. She's becoming so much fun. I have thought many times that I would do anything just to hear her laugh. It is so great.

We're starting solids sometime soon. I think the poor kid is ready for them. We were at Chick-fil-a the other day and she was watching us eat like a hawk. It was like eating with Lily, except without the overt attempts to grab the food. She was sucking on her hand, drooling, reaching--everything they say to look for. Her pediatrician gave us the go-ahead the other day, so now it's just a matter of buying the cereal and figuring out where she's going to be, because we still don't have a highchair. The pediatrician also told us we can speed through the cereal, which is good, because I didn't really want to do cereal at all (I wanted to start with sweet potatoes so she could feed herself). I'm sure I'll be posting pictures soon of this new foray!

I am still staying home with her. I haven't found any jobs I'm totally interested in pursuing yet, and I promised myself I wouldn't do anything I didn't want to. I am planning on applying for a Masters in History starting this Fall, so that may be my job for the rest of our time here. It's hard and semi-stressful living on just Ben's paycheck, and I would love to be able to pay down all our seminary debt, but I know God is in control and everything will work out, even if we're still paying down credit card debt from 2005 in 2030. :) And besides, I really do love being with her everyday. I miss a lot of my old working life, and I still think working would be a nice way to make some friends here, but we'll just see what happens.

I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks. My birthday is 2 weeks from yesterday, and then my grandmother's is the next day. Amelia and I are planning on going down to Tallahassee to meet Momma and Sarah for a birthday dinner for her (Ben can't go because it's Maundy Thursday), then Momma and Sarah will be here for Sarah to visit VSU and to attend Ben's first Easter service. And then, Ben gets some days off! Yay! Those have been a real rarity in this house during Lent. We're going to Columbus to hopefully buy a highchair and hang out with the Liles Family and an old friend of Ben's who will be visiting Atlanta. THEN, Loren comes for a few days! Then the next week we'll be going to the G-Day game in Athens (sooo excited about this!!!) and will get to see Annie for a little while, as she is generously allowing us to stay in her apartment. And then that next week, Ben and I get to be extremely grown-up and go to the Masters by ourselves. We haven't been since 2002 or 2003, I think, so we're really excited! Anyway, all this to say that I'll have some cool updates soon. In the meantime, here's my beautiful girl! Ben was doing laundry and she was helping. She looks kind of freaked out here, but there are more where she's laughing, so I think it was just the camera!