Updates

Update #1 : Emersen is ridiculous. Daily. And we LOVE it.

Update #2: I will be leaving my current job at the end of June. I haven't finalized the date. Through much prayer and thought, then with some confirmation through circumstances, I gave a couple months notice. Ultimately, the reason for this decision/action is to pursue our goal of me being an at-home mom.What prompted the action finally was actually the book we've been going through in our connect group. It's called In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, by Mark Batterson, that offered the challenge to really rely on faith instead of risk management. Some point from the book include living in such as way that you have stories to tell about your life, to live on purpose, to seize opportunities as they present themselves, and to adjust your lens through which you view situations so as to see them as opportunities. God created us on purpose and for a purpose. The author challenges us to do a gut check on if we're really living for God's purpose or our own. Often the things God calls us to do, through His word or the interests/passions He has given us, seem like the wrong thing at the wrong time. Instead, it's through the impossible odds that it becomes obvious that anything good is from God.

Through reading the book, I had to confront the reality that we had goals that we weren't meeting and we weren't relying on God to provide a way to achieve our goal. Additionally, I'm not in a job position that I would describe as my dream job. Now, I'm sure some think this sounds idealistic or even naive to discuss a dream job or stupid to pursue your dream job despite obvious risk. I really feel that being a stay-at-home mom is my dream job, right now. If I could do anything and not have to think about money or responsibility, that is what I would do. But more than this, through my involvement in our new church, I've been introduced to the idea of a "sweet spot." The idea that God created us on purpose and for a purpose, and created us in His image, has become a reality to me through my positions at church. I am getting to be the person God created me to be, i.e. be myself, and do work in His name, and ENJOY it at the same time. This is the definition of a dream job to me. I am hoping to find some non-traditional work to do to supplement our income that will allow me to be home with Em, and Lord willing, additional children. We don't know what this looks like yet, but we've always been provided for and know this will continue.

Wes told our small group last week that he is praying big prayers in this situation. He is praying that there will be a job I love beyond my wildest dreams. He is praying that we will learn about our priorities and goals through this situation. He is praying for big things for our family. I love this man.

Update #3: Emersen is 18 months old now! We had her check up today with the doctor I've come to appreciate at PAA - Dr. Hood. Em was AMAZING at the doctor today. The past few times that she has been, she started crying as soon as she got behind the door. Today the big girl stood on the scale herself (well baby doll helped), and was awesome being measured, waiting, and didn't cry until she actually received her shot. What a champ!

Weight: 27 lbs (83%)

Height: 34 1/2 inches (97%)

Yes, my 18 month old is almost 3 feet tall. Wow. We talked with the doctor about talking and verbal development. Emersen has been adding words at a much faster rate the past 2 weeks or so. In her vocab currently:

mama

dadda

gaga (my mom)

pappap (my dad)

gigi (great grandma)

ruff (sound dog makes)

quack quack (sound duck makes)

ooh ooh aah aah (sound monkey makes)

E I O (sound old macdonald makes)

dots (polka dots)

clock (points to it)

bye bye

night night

ice (says when she hears the ice maker)

grass

Jesus

down

yes

pee pee

go go

garbage (when there is a diaper to throw away)

uh oh (probably like 50 times a day)

At this age, Dr. Hood says its normal for them to have their own word for items. Items that she has words for that I can't spell/say:

down please

help please

diaper

blanket

up

please

thank you

airplane

jellybean

She still signs "please" and "more" for the most part. But she understands almost everything. I'm AMAZED regularly by what she comprehends. And she is mimicing much more these days. Push ups, sit ups, putting on earrings, rubbing hands together, eating, cleaning ears, putting on lotion.

Other weird/funny things she does: when someone besides Wes or I pick her up when she asks to be picked up, she points to her shoes to show the person. She often kisses others on the lips. She likes to watch our cars leave the driveway from the front sidelight windows. She helps my mom with laundry by taking clothes out of the dryer. She is still afraid of the vaccuum cleaner, and maybe the salad spinner. But she didn't hesitate in touching a wooly worm. She's on the fence about stickers. We're working on her running skills, but let's be honest, if she got my genes, she's probably out of luck.

I think that covers enough for now. Had to make up for not posting for a week. I was without a camera battery for a while, but have it back. I'll have pictures soon.

Oh and about the picture of Em on a potty. She's showing interest so we're going to start working with her on potty training ready-ness. Doing pull up diapers. Letting her pee without a diaper to learn what peeing is and that she doesn't like to do it on herself. Stay tuned!

Is it Spring or Summer?

So it was 80 degrees on Sunday. I work a sleeveless dress for most of the morning at church. It's going to be a high of 53 degrees this weekend. COME ON KENTUCKY!

Part of the reason I love Kentucky IS the definition of seasons - I like to experience each season and am usually ready for it when it come around. But especially this year, with the tastes of summer so early, am I itching for shorts, tank tops and buying a kiddie pool for me...I mean Emersen.

What are you looking forward to this summer? Favorite past times? Planned trips? Life changes? 

What should I add to our to-do-with-a-toddler-in-Lexington list?

Things we're looking forward to:

The new playground at Masterson Station Park - we haven't been yet, but have been admiring it's presence on top of the hill from Leestown Road since winter.

Lexington Farmer's Market which is now open every Saturday in Cheapside Park. Have you HAD the Kettle Korn? Delish. And there are often free samples as well as recipe ideas for your purchases.

Triangle Park which was recently revamped (and looks pretty awesome) will be hosting Movie Nights this Summer (May) starting with Pretty in Pink. And apparently, there will be board games and reading materials available, and a Cafe will be opening soon. I LOVE the downtown area. Not sure what it is but I love walking around down there.

I noticed on Facebook, during the summer, people are flocking to concerts. I used to love going to concerts (under my breath - until I got "old"). In high school I saw Ben Folds and John Mayer at Jillian's...before John Mayer was famous famous and it was AMAZING. Almost saw Coldplay too, but it didn't work out. This summer there are some mega concert tours - Pearl Jam, Beach Boys, Coldplay, Black Keys, Taylor Swift, Smashing Pumpkins, & Dave Matthews Band. Gosh, a lot of "comeback" tours I think. The State Fair always hosts some awesome country concerts too. I myself am a summer only country fan - for some reason, I love country music once it gets warm and sunny! Some links below are for some of the concert tours this summer. As a nod to the men, WWE is is listed. Not my man, but other men...your welcome.

Ticketamerica.com has tickets for Coldplay and the WWE wrestling plus Jason Aldean concerts. 

coldplay tickets wwe tickets jason aldean tickets

Now that we're all pining for the 80's (degrees that is, not the decade) and craving lazy warm days filled with watermelon, sweet tea and freeze pops (if you're my husband), I'll leave you to plan your outdoor activities and trips. But don't miss Spring - I tend to wish for what is coming instead of enjoying where I am. Do that, not what I do. You'll miss something and Spring is beautiful in the bluegrass, right? If you can see it through the sneezing and watery eyes...

Baby Needs, Part 2

Now, hear me out on the monitor advice.  You don't need a video monitor until they start rolling around. I promise. When they're tiny, they don't move. No worries. However, when they start moving around, and particularly when they can roll over, they get stuck in some positions. Babies usually learn to roll over first, but it takes awhile to learn how to roll back over. On purpose. And they can roll over against the slats and it hurts their head. Hurts like it's uncomfortable, not hurts them really. Anyway, we got the monitor that is the picture I've shown. It's the Summer Infant 02620 Day Night Baby Video Monitor. And I feel pretty confident telling you that it's the most inexpensive video monitor out there. It was when I bought ours (around $80) and when I Googled it, the lowest price was $57. It works wonderfully as well. You can see so clearly what your baby is doing. We didn't like the tiny screens on the other monitors. And trust me, it's loud. We actually have a sound monitor that we use for audio and sit away from the bed. I sit the video monitor on my nightstand for easy access. There is a on/off button for the screen so the monitor can be on, but the screen doesn't have to be lit up.

We researched the car seats a bit, including Consumer Reports I believe. The Key Fit 30 by Chicco was highly rated and pretty affordable. Additionally, and THANK THE LORD given the large size of our child, a friend had a smaller weight limit and had to get a new carseat before hers was ready for the big seat. Glad for THAT advice. Plus, forget ANY of the warnings about installing the base/carseat and taking it to the fire department, etc. This one is very easy to get installed in your car yourself, and to take the carrier part in and out as well.

I've included the Pack N Play on my list because we've used ours a lot. We actually had two hand me downs when Emersen was born. We put one in our room and one downstairs. This allowed her to nap in something other than someone's arms but not be all the way upstairs. We had Em in our room until she was cleared to be left to sleep "through the night" once she got her weight back up. Thank you Jesus because I'm a light sleeper and her squeaks/breathing kept me up. Now, if we had had to purchase this ourselves, I'm not sure now if I would pay extra for the bassinet/diaper changing attachments/abilities. But they were nice to have, though only used for a month or so. The diaper changing area (on the right - white) was nice at night in our room, but pointless really once she was in her crib obviously. Similarly for the bassinet ability - the floor of the pack n play basically just raises up - we only used this while she was sleeping in our room and then lowered it after. And the other "pack n play" which was a Jeep brand was only one level and worked fine. The best thing about having one was traveling to my parents or taking Em to work and on vacation. Traveling bed. I didn't use mine as a playpen like I should have. DO THAT. Teach them to entertain themselves while sitting in there playing so you can have them stay put more.

Some other advice on what to get, based on personal experience only remember, is to buy a chest of drawers/dresser that is lower. We just added the diaper changing pad/cover to create a changing table out of the dresser. It seemed pointless to buy a changing table to use for like a year; instead we have the dresser for her to use as she grows up. 

As for a crib, there are some super duper pretty and sturdy and massive cribs. We did not get one of those. We went pretty basic, made sure it wasn't drop side (which of course you can't even buy anymore), and were good with it. Our dresser and crib were Graco and ordered from Walmart.com, which is cheaper than buying in store at places like Toys R Us. My only complaint on ours is the stain is coming off on the rail where Emersen chewed on it. We didn't plan ahead to get the rail cover in place. Oops.

Other things we loved:

The jungle mat was the first thing Em could really play with as a baby. She got this for Christmas and we put her on it and she LOVED it. She laughed, kicked, flailed about, etc and she was only 2 months old! And she loved it even once she started rolling over some. This would keep her occupied for 20 - 30 minutes at a time. It makes sounds and lights up. Plus she fell in love with Mr. Giraffe as we called him.

The Bumbo looks super weird. And you might think it's weird and silly to get. But I really thought it was a handy purchase given it's affordability. It obviously is easy to clean. And they can start using it early on to stay put and work on sitting up. Plus, it's easy to take along as a portable high chair and sit on the table. There is even a little tray you can attach but Em was pretty good at getting it off. 

My last suggestion on what TO GET is to register for/purchase items that are fairly gender nuetral when it's a big ticket item. For example, the car seat, bath tub, bumbo, and strollers, which could all be used with subsequent children. You add children, but don't often get additional baby showers so be practical and plan as if there could be more and they might not all be princesses or vice versa.

I'll add a what not to get post eventually. May link up with a friend who wants to do a similar post next month as well so stay tuned!

Baby Needs - Part 1

As a result of posting pictures of Emersen with watermelon juice running down her face, another mom asked if I had found something to get watermelon juice stains out of clothes. I can't say that I've tried specifically to get watermelon juice out of clothes, but I have gotten strawberry juice out of white clothing as well as spit up, baby food and baby poop. And Dreft Stain Remover is always my answer. For all clothes for all sized people. 

When we bought our house, the couple moving out had a toddler. She ever so kindly brought me a baby present at our closing on the house (yes, they were special. Hope you're doing well Mays family!) that included the Dreft Stain Remover. I've used it ever since and make it a staple baby shower present as often as possible. Thinking about this reminded me of some other items I would recommend for new moms and babies, and often friends having their first child ask me what I used for laundry or what I included on our registry. With lovely sites like Facebook, I often put out a poll when I was experiencing something new or a problem with Emersen. So, I thought I'd just go ahead and put these out there. I may already have done this actually, especially because I talk about the Dreft a lot. But I'm including some items we "swore by" as new parents. Of course, they are also unique to our child for the most part - each baby is different and likes different things!

Trust me, you don't have to use Dreft detergent on your baby. Emersen has sensitive skin, and had HORRIBLE eczema as a baby. The All Free & Clear works just fine. And I'm fairly certain Up & Up for Target has a similar version that we've used successfully as well.

Yes it is different than Vaseline. Vaseline is like Kleenex - it's the brand of something, not the actual product. And Vaseline is petroleum jelly that has fragrance, which is sensitive skin's enemy. Therefore, Aquaphor works awesome because it soaks in pretty well and has no fragrance. Now, recently we did pick up some 100% petroleum jelly and have used it. It seems fine and is fragrance free. I just couldn't find it when I had been looking for something to use. Ultimately, the solution to Em's skin problems was getting of regular formula because of a milk protein allergy, but this did help some.

We had to start using bottles very early with Emersen because she wasn't gaining weight and I wanted to know exactly how much she was getting to be sure she was getting enough milk. We had some bottles already from hand-me-downs, but she would gag, choke and it would run everywhere. Until there was NUK, the orthodontic nipple, which is very similar for a baby that is breastfeeding. AMAZING difference for Emersen and drinking from a bottle. 

I had heard the pacifiers from the hospital were amazing. Emersen disagreed apparently. She never cared for it too much. It wouldn't stay in (which is common). So we tried brand loyalty and found that these worked for Emersen. She was such an oral oriented baby that we pushed the pacifier on her when she was very young. She was always sucking but wasn't always hungry. Trust me, I gave her all she wanted and she spit it all back up on me. Now, we never allowed Emersen to get attached to the pacifier. As she got older, we used it sometimes if she was upset. At the doctor, for example. Some naps she got it. And particularly when her first teeth were coming, we would give it to her to suck/chew on. After a week of not using it, unintentionally, I just put them away and never got them back out again. The pacifiers with this loop on the outside match up with pacifier holders better than the hospital ones as well.

The nightgowns that are zip sacks with arms are the best thing ever for newborns who don't like to be swaddled. Which Em would immediately get her arms out of her blanket. Then, she was so active even as a baby that she would wake herself up getting out of the blanket. We had one nightgown like this and loved it. They're VERY hard to find in this form, with the sleeves. But if you can, its just the best. As a parent, I'm a strict rule follower for all recommendations by pediatricians regarding blankets and stuffed animals, etc. Why risk what could happen with a blanket in the crib when you can get them cozy with layers. The sleep sack below is more common. In this case, it serves AS the blanket. You put them in pj's, then put them into the sack. When they're tiny babies, they don't move that much so not that big of a deal. But as they start kicking, and especially rolling, I can't imagine adding a blanket into the mix for them to get wrapped up in but unable to get themselves out. I'll say more about this below in regards to the monitor.

So baby socks. They're annoying. They do not stay on well AT ALL. I said all the time that you could be a millionaire if you could figure out how to get them to stay on without being very tight. None are perfect but there are a few we really liked. We only realized which we liked best because we had a bag full of hand me down socks to do trial and error tests. Old Navy, Baby Gap and Children's Place, in my opinion, have the best socks. They stay on well and obviously last a long time because ours are hand me downs and in great condition. Once they get old enough to stand/walk (even with assistance) get the kind with the size/brand in rubber writing on the bottom. Even know when Emersen can walk really well, we only put this type of sock on because without the rubber, it's simply too slippery. Toddlers are horribly clumsy and she falls all over the place without the help of a slippery situation.

Now, this was going to be one post. But once I got started, I thought of other things I would recommend. And things I would say you don't need. And these are both questions I've received from a couple friend who have had babies recently. Do I really need a diaper jeanie? Do I need a wipes warmer? Bassinet? Crib? Changing table? Pack n Play? I polled moms/parents on Facebook about a couple of these items myself. SO - I'll post again with additional items. It's like when you get married - you think you need every kitchen gadget known to man to start your home. But how many of you out there have a gadget drawer full of cool, but unused, stuff? Quesadilla maker - it's called a small skillet? Smoothie maker - called a blender? Fine China - get real. I'll try to prevent you from getting a Quesadilla maker for your baby if I can. 

Watermelon Crawl

 

Doesn't eating watermelon on the porch just take you back? To 4th of July celebrations? Summer? Picnics? Warm weather? Being a kid? Not caring if you have juice running down your face?

A definitely for JUICY that doesn't involve WORDS ON YOUR BEHIND! Sorry - I got off topic and on to a soap box for a moment.

This was a random moment for Em, but as soon as I saw her cute little self sit down on the step and chomp into the snack, I KNEW this was going to be perfect for pictures. You can tell when Em is enjoying something. She doesn't hold back on her "yums", "yummy" and "mmmms". 

I look at these pictures and just cannot believe that she is 18 months old. I can't believe HOW MUCH I LOVE HER and HOW MUCH I LIKE HER! I truly enjoy her company. I think she's hilarious. I love seeing what she does on a daily basis - habits, funny stories and what she has learned. It's an awesome responsibility, that's for sure. And it's a hard job. We were blessed by someone complimenting Emersen's behavior this weekend. I gave a genuine thanks and explained that we work very hard to teach her listening and obedience. It's not easy. It would be easier to just let her have stuff when she whines, or let her do "big girl" stuff because it's cute to see a little kid doing it, but she shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of freedoms she's not ready for just because we didn't feel like saying no. That's our parenting philosophy thus far. We've only been parents for 18 months so....

The light shines in the morning

I. Love. Her. 

One morning, in the kitchen, Emersen was gazing out at the backyard, just dying to go outside. It was one of those outrageously warm and lovely days already. And the sun coming in our back door was awesome, so I snapped some of her ridiculous-ness as it came. You shall see below...

Aww....just drinking her little drink.

Slurping it on up...

Aww, I'm so sweet.

Just looking outside at the pretty yard...

And suddenly I'm a sumo wrestler....or a frog.....

Aww, sweet again... 

LOVE the colors in this picture, right? She IS my daughter and is pointing at the lounge chair still in our backyard. Thank goodness for fences or I'd probably get a fine or something from the neighborhood association. 

Mommy and Emersen. This means it was a Wednesday, which is currently Mommy & Emersen day. LOVE LOVE LOVE Wednesdays. And you can see why.

Kiddie Book Review

No, not a book review by the kiddo, but a review of a book for kids.

This book has an interesting premise. The author, growing up as a child, had a quilt of Bible stories. Someone had quilted her a blanket and the various squares/pieces included pictures depicting Bible stories. I think this is a super cute idea! What a great way to always have the Bible in front of you in a way that appeals to kids, big and small. I hope to find a way to do something like this for Emersen. 

The author wanted to recreate the pieces of her quilt in book format to tell the story of the creation. To be honest, when I got the book, I was disappointed to find that it wasn't a board book. I ordered it because it was hardback, but the pages are typically book pages. Which is fine unless you have a toddler - they're not quite graceful enough for thin paper pages. Also, the artwork in the book wasn't what a typical children's book looks like; as in, it looks like the cover. Sort of different looking, not bright colors, big shapes, etc. 

However, to my surprise, Emersen sat through the book until the last page, which did have a lot of text. This book is geared toward maybe children over 3 years old. But Emersen really enjoyed the pictures and artwork. And it was interesting how that looked as pieces of a quilt! 

Of course, the story of creation doesn't need any review. It was fun to begin telling Emersen that story. And what better a story to tell a small child than one filled with animals, the sun, water, etc. Those are all favorite things by our tiny friends. 

I'd recommend this book to parents: it's different, it's Biblical, and in the back are instructions on how to have your kids design their own quilt pieces of the Bible stories and make it into a quilt. Call me old fashioned, but you can put your own contemporary spin on the project. 

As I mentioned previously, I am providing a book review for this book in exchange for free books to read via bookcrash.com. But I also enjoy hearing others thoughts on a book before reading it, so hopefully this will open up new type of books for reading to those who read the blog! Happy reading fellow nerds.

Let's Chat A Bit...

On the topic of a new.....controversy....and stupidity, if I may so boldly add: after-birth abortion. The wording used, with absence of feeling, emotion and common sense, on behalf of two philosophers,  truly frightens me. Frightens me like a sociopath/psychopath does; they can seem normal, but beneath it all, are evil to the core. I've interjected a bit of commentary below, following the tasty morsels these philosophers include to propose their idea of after-birth abortion.


Let me first explain to any of you who may not know this about me: I am 100%, no exceptions, against abortion of any kind. It's my "one issue." I vote based on it. I will not budge on it, regardless, and especially not because of anecdotal evidence. I am not the creator of life and therefore I shouldn't be the eliminator of life. If there is a gray area, you err toward's life. So you can't decide if a fetus is truly a "person" at 1 day vs 1 week vs 1 month and for these philosophers even 1 day post-partum? Then choose life. 


But “after-birth abortion” is a term invented by two philosophers, Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva. In the Journal of Medical Ethics, they propose:

[W]hen circumstances occur after birth such that they would have justified abortion, what we call after-birth abortion should be permissible. … [W]e propose to call this practice ‘after-birth abortion’, rather than ‘infanticide’, to emphasize that the moral status of the individual killed is comparable with that of a fetus … rather than to that of a child. Therefore, we claim that killing a newborn could be ethically permissible in all the circumstances where abortion would be. Such circumstances include cases where the newborn has the potential to have an (at least) acceptable life, but the well-being of the family is at risk.

By proposing to use their invented term in lieu of infanticide is essentially equating the two concepts. However, if you called it something prettier, it will be easier to swallow? That which we call crap by any other name still stinks. You can fancy it up, but it's still a morally reprehensible idea. Additionally, and thank you to the philosophers for scoring one for our team, by saying this after-birth abortion is justifiable by the reasons they deem abortion justifiable, also equates abortion and after-birth abortion, or infanticide if you prefer, as similar actions. Finally, they justify this behavior by the potential, not proven/guaranteed (as if that makes a difference anyway) risk to the well being of the family. What type of well-being would a family have as a result of choosing a child and eliminating it's life because the burden of a typically voluntary action is too great on the family? With this rational, I would hypothesize that issues such as bullying and teen suicide, as well as drug use and sexual activity, will all increase dramatically. Additionally, instances of eating disorders and violence, would rise. Children are already suffering from instability due to divorce and broken families. What is demonstrated by divorce is that marital love has conditions. And children draw a conclusion that parental love might also be based on something the child does and doesn't do. Imagine how a child would feel to see that a little baby puts the "well-being of the family at risk," and the potential for them to think their own choices/actions could have such dire consequences as well. 


"Merely being human is not in itself a reason for ascribing someone a right to life,” they write. “Indeed, many humans are not considered subjects of a right to life,” such as “spare embryos where research on embryo stem cells is permitted” or “fetuses where abortion is permitted.”


I don't even have words for this statement. Wouldn't you expect to hear these words from the likes of slave traders prior to the 1900's, from Adolf Hitler, from Hilly the white righteous "lady" in the book/movie The Help, or a sociopathic/psychopathic serial killer? If God, creator of the universe, deems it necessary that our life be created, then we have reason to ascribe the right to life. 

“Actual people's well-being could be threatened by the new (even if healthy) child requiring energy, money and care which the family might happen to be in short supply of,” they observe. Accordingly, “if economical, social or psychological circumstances change such that taking care of the offspring becomes an unbearable burden on someone, then people should be given the chance of not being forced to do something they cannot afford.” An after-birth abortion might be warranted by any “interests of actual people (parents, family, society) to pursue their own well-being”—including “the interests of the mother who might suffer psychological distress from giving her child up for adoption.”


It hurts my heart that children might hear these words, that Emersen could ever hear something like this and ascribe these words to me. I can't keep her ears covered and we plan to plant words of unconditional & Christ-like (not human) love in her heart and life. She HAS to know that, no matter what, God loves her. He created her, and therefore her life has a purpose. She MUST understand that we love her more than life itself. That it doesn't matter what someone says, or doesn't say, that the creator of the universe knows her name and loves her. And within our household, we will not ever allow circumstances to determine our love for her. She will not be deemed a burden because of the requirement of energy, money or care. And the idea that the psychological distress of giving up a child for adoption is  less traumatic than committing infanticide is absolutely laughable. I can't fathom the turmoil involved in giving a child up for adoption - there is a bittersweet taste I would imagine, depending on the situation. But why argue for infanticide/after-birth abortion, or any abortion, on the basis of people being given a chance of not being forced to do something they cannot afford? And then acknowledge adoption as an option for a child? 

My favorite line of the article, by William Saleton, in his own words: "It challenges us [pro-choicers], implicitly and explicitly, to explain why, if abortion is permissible, infanticide isn’t." 


Well there might be a silver lining in that point being made. Praise God if, through their serious, but unbelievable, argument for after-birth abortion those who supported any abortion may realize the other side of the equation and see things from the perspective of "pro-lifers." I want the change in mind to be truly towards being pro-life, not just a weak pro-choicer or a hateful anti-abortionist. Part of the outrage I feel towards the statements made by the philosophers is the lack of respect for life behind their statements. Saying that being human doesn't give you a right to life is a dangerous comment for others than just newborns or fetuses. Too many people feel like they're "not enough," and we don't need these "educated" folks making thoughtless claims. I wish that more folks would focus less on what NOT to do and instead on what TO do. In other words, I want people to focus on being purely pro-life: pro fetus life, pro newborn life, pro handicapped life, pro addict life, pro liar life, pro elderly life, pro any person's life.

Lady Em

Poor baby....

"Show me your pretty smile" = this picture

I was going to post how it's finally Spring - flowers in bloom. It's been sunny and warm. And this morning it's COLD!

She was saying "go, go, go cats!" and holding her hand up. Also, this shirt she has on is a hand me down from Old Navy. SIZE 4T. Oh my...

And there I am, lounging in the yard on an unseasonably warm day. 

LOVE those first days of warm weather and sunshine.