being beldens

{9} months

2012-01-26T22:01:00.001-06:00

I'm super anxious about it, so I'll just deal with it straight away: there was no 7 nor 8 month update for my Greybear. There's actually not even {GASP} 7 month chair pictures. You'd think I was really busy dealing with that 7/8/9 month old and his wild and crazy big sister, or something!

Fuzzy Bear Flat Top

8 months!

9 months!
Look at the difference... He's looking like a little boy now!

So, about my growing boy: It's already determined that this is the toughest child to ever grace American soil. Grey has faced so much discomfort {perpetual ear infections; colds and coughs; allergic reactions; thrush; and the list continues...}, and all the while with sparkling blue eyes and a jack-o-lantern smile. We're on to new formula for his oh-so-ridiculous tummy. Elecare, his prescription formula, has stopped his constant diarrhea (sorry, TMI, I know). It has been a GOD-send and has made a 180 degree difference in our sweet boy. Go figure: NO stomach cramping is really way easier than allergic reactions to the formula you drink four times a day. This formula change, although not easy on our wallets, is worth every penny - his afternoon naps have gone from maybe 45 minutes to 2-3 hours, and he easily sleeps 10-12 hours at night! The only downfall is my guilt for not trying it sooner... Live and learn, right fellow Moms?

Grey is such an active boy, as he always has been. He is crawling like the wind these days. He is so fast that I think it is keeping him from even trying to walk. I keep holding my breath waiting for the day he spends more than a second or two standing, and tries to take that first step. I might faint if it happens before 11 or 12 months. A crawler and a walker is bad enough - two walkers might be more than I can currently bear.

Laughing lil' Hillbilly

Teething has been ongoing... We have the original two bottom teeth, then one middle top tooth and the eye-tooth, both on the right (our right, Grey's left). He is, at this moment, cutting the other middle top tooth, which is comforting to me (I had been referring to him as a hillbilly, due to his random missing toofers). Naturally with all these darling and up-and-coming teeth he constantly shows them off with his ridiculous grin... When he isn't chewing on something, that is. He is totally in that chew-on-anything-I-can-get-my-paws-on stage, which, I have learned is much more interesting with two kids. With Carter, the first chewer, I was able to, for the most part, regulate what was chewed upon. With Grey, there is no telling. Between Carter's veritable smorgasbord of food and choking hazard toys, added to whatever has been dragged in by the dogs, Grey has nibbled on a little bit of everything.

chompin' on pears

Rusty and I entertain ourselves by wathcing The Bear try to get Carter's food {it's like a challenge inside Grey that only he knows about -- Your Mission, should you choose to accept it: Grab Any/All of Carter's Food. He seriously will stop at nothing to attain her feast.} The kids got a picnic table from Santa and so we have put it into the breakfast-room-turned-playroom. When we don't sit down at The Table (i.e. dining room) as a family, Carter eats at the picnic table. Since she pretty much hates to eat and finishing dinner is a looooong process, there is plenty of time for Grey to finish his bottle and whatever he snacks on and get down to roam around. He immediately beelines for the table where he cruises around (for your non-baby-movement-lingo speakers, cruising is walking while holding on to furniture) until he can grab a morsel (or more) of food, or, if left to his own devices, the entire plate. The dogs are let in ~~hourly~~ daily to clean up spilled food, needless to say. He has eaten so many things that are not friendly to his milk-protein allergy, and that are certainly not listed on the Things to Feed Your 7/8/9 Month Old. Carter often warns us of incoming trouble with either a simple, yet loud, "NO Wey!!! No take my food, Wey!", or "No Wey! No knock it over!"

Other fun facts about Grey that we get to enjoy each day:

* He has a contageous giggle. It could be the best sound of all time. He loves to be tickled, though finding the right spot can be finicky (top of the thigh is usualy a winner)

* He's a DANCER! Grey will bounce - sitting or standing - with a huge smile on his face when music comes on.

* Changing his diaper is the equivalent of an ironman for both my arms and my willpower. He is S.T.R.O.N.G. and becuase we struggle with awful skin (thanks, Dad) and thus diaper rash to the enth degree, the poor guy hates every single step of the changing process. ~~Can you potty train a one year old?~~

* We've officially got an open-mouth kisser (my favorite!!!)... I always make a big deal about "Kisses!" and usually, ableit not always, he will open right up and lean in for the kill. I love it!!!

Carter, Lately

2012-01-21T22:35:00.000-06:00

Life is so fun with Carter. I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom - well, maybe I am, but I genuinely think she is such joy to be around! There is something about her, I swear - she draws people in, and they can't help but love her.

The ridiculous face we get when prompted to "Smile!"

In the world of Carter, life is there for the taking. She wants to know everything about everything. I sometimes might feel ~~like I'm going to pull my hair out~~ frustrated when I hear, "Whus dat, Mom?", or "What you doing, Mom?", for the one millionth time, but ultimately I am so glad she's such a happy, inquisitive little girl. Every dog bark, every clanking plate, every creaking door is a mystery to be solved. Who? What? When? How? Where?
She wants to know about clouds and the moon and the sun. She wants to read book after book. She wants to flip through the pictures on my phone, or as she calls it, "play pictures", and knows how to work my iPhone better than I do. She wants to try everything she sees (for better or worse!), and isn't scared of anything. And it's so fun because Carter amazingly remembers so much of the answers I give or the things I say, even when I think it's trivial or that she wasn't really listening. I have found that if I follow old teacher notion of "wait until it hurts" for an answer to a question about something we've discussed, she'll usually come up with it, that smartypants.

Who says brushing teeth can't be fancy?

And lastly,

Things I Hope I Never Forget about Right Now:

* her cartoon-like, darling chirpy voice

* how she sings her favorite songs ("baa-baa bwack sheep" ::: "abd's" ::: "Jesus wubs me" ::: "winkle twinkle"), all the while swaying her head side-to-side

* her hilarious hair that is perpetually in her face {despite my best efforts at clips/bows/etc.}

* how she initiates "tickle time!" and starts to giggle even before she is tickled

* that she refers to her beloved cousins, Ben and Charlie, as one unit: "BenChawie"

* how she (fake) whines when she thinks I might cave in

* that she calls any candy "tiss tandy" (ahem... Kiss - as in Hershey's - candy...)
* how she will randomly walk over to Grey and kiss the top of his head

* how she tells me "dance, mommy!" when we listen to music... so I'll pick her up and 'ballroom dance' around the room... and if i forget she'll remind me, "hold my hand, mom!"
* how she calls me "Mags" is I don't respond to her quickly
* that she calls Band-Aids "ban-bans" and lip balm "chap-wips"

Yes, I was "that mom" who let her 2-year-old wear whatever she wanted to Old Navy

Bad Santa

2012-01-20T15:24:00.000-06:00

Originally written December 16, 2011

We've got a first-timer here, folks!

Actually, no, he wasn't. He was really a wonderful, patient, and sweet (& realistic, I might add) Santa who tried his darnedest to keep sweet Carter from panicking. But to no avail.

We had high hopes, once again... It's a new year, a new Santa, we naively thought. She's older and now she's a big sister. We really tried to play it up this year - after all she is SO in to Santa and "Wudolph the Wed Nose Weindeer" (although he part of the old school movie that she talks about the most is "the monster"... but I digress) So pre-Santa-visit we sang every Santa song in the book, we read story after story about the big fella, we even taught her Santa's tag line, which she says with great gusto: "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Tistmas!" (that's Carter's version, of course).

Running towards Santa with over-flowing excitement...

The morning of the big event I really played it up: Daddy is going to meet us to see Santa... You are going to have to help Grey - he might be scared and will need his brave big sister to show him how to meet Santa. After all, he hasn't ever met Santa before, and you have... What a big girl - you're going to sit on Santa's lap today!... ad nauseum.

Checking out the scene

We were the first to arrive - we beat Santa, actually. So the kids had plenty of time to scope out the scene. When Santa arrived the excitement mounted. Because Dad hadn't arrived yet, we ushered a family of three (mom, dad, baby) ahead of us. I was reminded what an unfathomably fabulous wife and mother I am because the wife in the said family had them all dressed alike - in identical ONESIE FOOTED pajamas. Yes, all three of them. And the jammie-clad trio ALL sat on Santa's lap, like the big happy family they apparently are. It takes moments like that to remind me that although I might need at least 3 day window to have all the laundry from a single load folded and put away and always cook the same 4 dishes for dinner, I am a darn good mom and wife for not forcing my family to traipse through the mall in matching p.j.s.

Back to our visit with Santa, though. While we wait for the people to take pictures in 45 several different poses, then pick out the pictures they want, Carter has plenty of time to scope out St. Nick. He is super sweet and, when not supporting a 200 lb grown father and husband on his knee, asks her name and talks to her about leaving him cookies and so forth. I think we've got in the bag...

Dad arrives and we walk over to Santa. All is happy and fine... until it's lap time. Sweet Grey ends up crying just because Big Sis is splashing crocodile tears his direction. Oh, the heartbreak of two crying children on Santa's lap. That Santa deserves a cold beer and a hot blonde Swedish masseuse on us.

Wise words keep replaying in my head: There's always next year.

A Very Griswald Adventure

2012-01-12T12:53:00.000-06:00

Originally written November 29, 2011

We're kicking off our fun old fashion family Christmas by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols. -Clark Griswald

Here's the deal: we were in desperate need of a new tree this year. When Rusty and I first got married his mom was super sweet to give us her fake tree. It worked great and we were glad to check it off the list of things a newlywed needs. However, when we moved there was about a 3' ceiling height difference. A 5' tree looks awfully silly in a room with 11' ceilings. We rolled with it for two years because my ~~cheap~~ frugal husband didn't see any need to spend hundreds of dollars on a nice new fake tree. The conversation(s) went something like this

Rusty: We already have a tree.

Maggie: Yes, but it's too short for our ceilings, and it's about 10 years old.

R: I think it looks fine.

M: Rusty, no it doesn't. It looks silly, and old!

R: It's free and it'll be fine for now.

So, I acquiesced for a couple of Christmas', then, this year it came to me in a moment more brilliant than most: This year we'll get...

A REAL TREE!!!

Here she is! The 1st Annual Belden Family Live Tree... Ain't she a a beaut?

Rusty was actually far more accepting of the idea than I had anticipated, and so the adventure began. We channeled our inner Clark Griswald and set out on a good old fashioned Christmas tree finding adventure. The destination: Devine Acres Farm in, you guessed it, Devine, TX, which is about 30 minutes outside of San Antonio.

While we didn't get stuck under a logging truck or have road rage with a beat-up old truck, the trip was everything I had hoped and more. It is run by a darling Christian family and was chalk full of fun things to see and do. Carter loved all the animals:

Duck, duck, goose! This pin was called the Chick-Inn.

So timid, that Carter...

Can I just go IN the pin, to save me from trying to persuade the animals from coming over to me?

It was also fun for her to see the big tractors:

This pic was taken moments before leaving... One might say she was "over it"

And we of course had to utilize the cardboard cut-outs:

Okay, kids! Look at Mom! Look here! Smile!! Hello!?... Never mind.

Truth be told, though, we didn't actually cut down (or dig out of the ground, roots and all) our tree. The kind I wanted doesn't grow in no-seasons hot south Texas, so it was shipped in from somewhere up north. Additionally, I wasn't aware that it was going to be so cold and windy that day, and my kids were not dressed for the weather, thus speeding up our tree-picking-process.

I cannot wait until we go back next year (dressed in layers!) and can go on the hay ride and see more of the farm. Year One of the Beldens Annual Trip to Devine Acres Farm: CHECK!

And what else to do while thawing out in the warm car while the tree is being loaded? Family hug time!

i'm stupid, but happy

2012-01-12T12:48:00.000-06:00

i found my camera... in my car.

still here

2012-01-11T13:01:00.000-06:00

wow. december was just a flat MISS for the ole blog, eh?
well, it's a new year {happy twenty twelve, by the by} and a fresh start for blogging. no need to go through the gamut of excuses (although i must say, i have more than a few) for not writing... i'll finish the few blog posts i started in december and post those soon -- though not all on the same day, per several readers' requests [your welcome, lauren].
topping the list of Why I Haven't Blogged is the fact that i left my camera in oklahoma when we went for christmas. i'm really upset about this (although truth be told i'm dying for a new one -- a Canon EOS Rebel t3i, if you're wondering), becuase it has all my novembrer, december and christmas pictures still on it... i can't even post the extraordinarily belated 7 AND 8 month updates for Grey if the camera isn't found.
i thought by this age i would have grown out of the "lose everything not firmly attached to my body" stage... but no. not so much. i'll blame it on being harried with two children. but really it's just a character flaw. if there was an LA (as in Losers Anonymous) i would be forced to join, saying, "Hi. I'm Maggie and I'm a Loser." not a loser in the teen slang definition of a dorky or pathetic [no snarky remarks, please], but loser in the sense of "if it is important, valuable, and imperative to the functioning of my daily life, i habitually and perpetually lose it".
anyways, prayers for a speedy recovery of my camera would be appreciated.
moving on, the year is starting off with a bang. Grey has thrush in his mouth and throat (ripe with ulcers, to boot) and on his poor little bottom... he has an ear infection... is teething... and is having to move to a prescription formula because his current specialty formula isn't expensive enough, apparently. all that to say he has been pretty sweet, all said considering.
carter, our very TWO year old, is becoming more ~~bossy, disobedient, and contrary~~ independent and willful. please, someone reassure me with "this stage won't last very long!", and "that means she'll be a self-assured leader!", and other such hyperbole. i've heard that there is almost a magic to kids' third birthday and how it affects their general demeanor and attitude... May 27th, come quickly.
otherwise, Grey and Carter have started to generally acknowledge one another's presence. it's so much fun to watch them interact, finally. among their favorite 'games' is peek-a-boo (Grey will literally belly laugh to the point of tears in his eyes); chase (Carter calling ~~bossily~~ assuredly, "follow me, Gwey, follow me!"; and family hug time, which basically just involves us squishing each other in a semblance of a group hug.
we are continuing to work on this absurd concept of "sharing", though Carter is making strides. she is getting pretty good about giving Grey one item from her collection (i.e. ONE block of her 98; ONE tool from her 15 piece tool set, etc.), though i wouldn't say with any certainty that her giving isn't done begrudgingly. Grey, bless is baby little heart, is the ~~pesky~~ typical younger brother who always wants to be in/on/with everything Carter does. i'll give more detailed updates on them individually later, though.

i am looking forward to twenty twelve. i'll be turning a new decade in march, we have a few fun family vacations in the works for this summer, and are using a friend's destination wedding as an anniversary trip in the fall. Grey will be ONE and Carter THREE. this summer will be so much fun with both of them walking and talking!!! i pray the Lord blesses us with health -- our kiddos especially!!! so, three cheers for '12 (and by the way, George Jetson and Marty McFly, you really had us fooled... i'm not so much upset about my non-flying car as much as not having a doting machine servant/maid like Rosie...) and thank you Lord for all the blessing we have to be grateful for as we embark on another fabulous year!!!

Rub-a-Dub: Two Kids in the Tub

2011-11-28T12:52:00.000-06:00

This might be a weird thing to look forward to as a mom, but from the time I knew we were pregnant with the child formerly known as Baby Dos, I looked forward to the day that he was old enough to play in the tub with Carter. What is more fun than babies in the bathtub?

It's as wonderful as I originally suspected.

Carter "washes" Grey's hair while he chews on the bath toys. They crawl back and forth to sit where the other one was sitting. They splash and splash and splash. It's a three towel event: one for Carter, one for Grey, and one for the floor/walls/parents caught in the splash zone.

The best part: I did not pose them this way.

Bath toys: "ABD's"

Yes, I added a shark "sticker" to make this a rated G blog.

Juuuust Right

2011-11-18T22:34:00.019-06:00

As I decorate my house for Christmas (yeah, just call me Hobby Lobby), and followed suit with the blog, it occurred to me that I did not post HALLOWEEN pics/post. What a terrible mommy blogger.

Without further ado:

I spent a ~~colossal~~ little bit of time thinking about what I wanted my kids to be for Halloween. I am all too aware that by next year Carter will be able to understand and thus ~~insist upon~~ vocalize her costume of choice. I had to get while the gettin' was good, and of course I wanted a coordinating "pair"... I mainly thought of children's movies and fairy tales. I'll be honest: Dorothy and Toto were my top pick. However, Toto is not such an easy costume to find in a 6 month size (or any size, I suppose), and frankly what I did find didn't match my small Halloween-costume budget. So I kept thinking... it's tough to find something that wasn't ruined by trashy girls in college and/or wasn't a 'romantic couple' (that's never a good bro/sis costume choice, even at this age).

Little Red Riding Hood (darling!) AND Big Bad Wolf (too Scary for such a cute boy)
Little Bo Peep (adorable!) AND Lost Sheep (a little to "froo-froo" for my tough-guy husband and son)
Raggedy Anne and Andy (not. gonna. happen. see previous post...)

And then it came to me. We call Grey, "GreyBear"... He's our little BEAR. He has to be a little bear. And not just any little bear, but BABY BEAR. And Carter's strawberry blonde curls? GOLDILOCKS perfection. Just give me some hair spray and a curling iron and its ON.

I challenge any duo to compete against these two!

Runaway Crawler Baby Bear

Carter's character, as it turns out, is a somewhat ambiguous costume. It might not have turned out exactly as I had hoped, but in the end it was just as my chipper little Goldilocks would say, "These costumes are JUUUUUUST RIGHT!"

Baby Bear, Goldilocks, and Gnome, ready for action Halloween night.

Momma Bear, Poppa Bear, Baby Bear and Goldilocks

Daddy Trick-or-Treat Duty

Carter's face upon seeing her first true Trick-or-Treaters. CLASSIC.

We enjoyed a perfectly temperate evening, and were pleased that Carter piped up, after some prodding, with "Trick or treat!" at each house we visited. Incidentally, any time she wants candy at our house she tells me the same thing... "Twick or tweat, Momma!"
We had so much fun with our dear friends and the spook-tacular night was only slightly blemished by our friend Kenny who dressed up as MegaMind (props, Kenny - it was an awesome costume!) and scared Carter and Lily. It did turn out to be the most classic picture of all time, though, so it was worth the money we'll have to pay a psychologist later when Carter has PTSD about Halloween.

{book review}: The Poisonwood Bible, etc

2011-11-18T21:41:00.008-06:00

I told you I wouldn't do these very often. I wasn't exaggerating. I have read several books, just none I felt the need on which to devote an entire blog post... Well except for The Help, which I read right after I finished Unbroken. That Kathryn Stockett wrote a book that was too good for words, but what with the movie coming out that same time, and the fact that everybody has already read it, I just let it speak for itself (but if for some crazy reason you haven't read it - get online and order it NOW!!!).

Here are a few books I've read with the short and sweet (sorta) version of my never-to-be-humble opinions.

1. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

I love psychological thrillers but I understand that it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. The problem with many of them is that if you really think about them too long, they don't add up. There are usually really unbelievable circumstances that lead to the final conclusion. It's the figuring out who's good/bad, edge-of-your-seat part that I love about mysteries and psychological thrillers, even if I roll my eyes a little bit at the end.

The story is about a woman with amnesia... each night when she goes to sleep she completely forgets everything. She lives with her husband, and he is having to get her to come to terms and daily remember him and their life together. While working with a doctor, she is encouraged to start writing a diary to try to help her remember what she experiences each day... and so it goes.

So, in the sense of rapid heartbeat, what's gonna happen next, this was a 9+; I was so anxious to read 'just one more page!'. However, I have to make myself not think too much about the details of the end, because that would lower the books rating significantly - like to a 3. At best.

All in all, if you are in to "dying to figure it out!" books, this is a good, fairly quick read (I took it to the coast and was done in about 3 days). If suspending a little bit of reality at the very end (up till the last few pages its mostly believable) will drive you too crazy, skip it.

2. Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon

Skip it. Oh wait. I should probably tell more before saying that.

Basically I just didn't like McMahon's writing. She used a lot of ( )... Says the blogger who also can get parenthesis happy, I know. But hers weren't clever or strategically placed, I felt; they seemed to be there because she isn't a good-enough writer to find another way to disseminate information.

I liked the idea of this book. Again, it was sort of in the mystery genre... A woman watches a little girl get kidnapped and is then thrown into finding the little girl. The story is told where every-other-chapter is a flashback, which doesn't in-and-of-itself bother me, but I didn't like it in this book.

It gets a scale rating of TWO. Don't bother.

3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The premise: A Baptist preacher takes his wife and four daughters to the Congo to do missionary work in 1959, a volatile time in Africa's history. I, of course, didn't know anything (historically speaking) that the book talked about - I was apparently comatose in every history class I ever took, and know nothing about African history circa 1960s... or ever. But anywho, the story is told from the perspective of five people - the wife and each of the daughters - which, for me, when done well, are the best books - hints my love fore Jodi Picoult!
There is much to be said about this book, and I have very mixed emotions about it. First my "YAYs": I absolutely LOVED Kinsolver's writing style. Her ability to tell a story from different perspectives was done incredibly well - unlike a book such as The Time Traveler's Wife, where you wouldn't know who was talking if the book didn't out-and-out tell you, each narrator in this story has a unique "voice", perspective, and way of telling her story. I was enormously impressed by her ability to weave the story together and to make each woman's perspective so believable and unique. I also liked that the story spanned several decades - you got to see how the major events and tragedies (no spoilers, I promise) ultimately shaped each life in a different way and how people deal with loss and devastation uniquely. Lastly, I did love the very last chapter and the way she wrapped it all up.

As for my "NAYs" (there always are nays, aren't there?!): I thought the book dragged on a little long, and here is why... the book is spilling over with political/ethical/cultural/religious themes. Some seam to be genuine and solid "story-telling", while other parts felt a little "soapbox-y". I felt the book was a page-turner till about the last 6-8 chapters or so, when I found myself thinking, "I get it! Enough already." It was evident to me at certain points that the author has very clear opinions about American and it's involvement with what has happened in Africa, and it felt the slightest bit "preach-y". Now like I said earlier, I truly don't know a thing about Mobutu and the diamond mines (I haven't even seen Blood Diamond, folks) or what the US did or did not do to/for/with Africa in the '60's and '70's, but I was left with the feeling I should learn more about it before assuming that what was in the book is purely fact with no sort of persuasion backing it.

Overall, I would for sure recommend this book. I ended it with tear-shed, which for me always means a book is a keeper.

Happy Reading!!!

Carter to a T

2011-10-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my monthly updates on Carter ended a long time ago, but I saw the idea of this cute-writing-on-the picture recently (I'm a copier, I'll freely admit it!) and I had to find a way to do it for The Bug... Here are some pictures of Carter in action... And while they wouldn't necessarily win a picture contest, are just SOOOO Carter:

And my FAVORITE:

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

2011-10-29T08:40:00.001-05:00

Holding Hands

Why are my kids so cute?!?!

{6} Months

2011-10-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

Always stickin' my tongue out...

Half a year? Are you KIDDING me? And let me just say... This kid is a freak of nature. I seriously mean that in the most complimentary way. He is crawling. Not just scooting or slightly moving. Full out fast crawling. It's absolutely wild. It has meant a whole new relationship between he and Carter (who isn't used to Grey being able to locate then navigate and seize so-called "MINE" toys), which is both exciting and one more thing to put on my List of Parenting Quandaries.

I'm a Roller & Runner when it comes to diaper changes... And I am known for my expert Bear Crawl and Yoga poses (Downward Facing Dog, anyone??)

Not only is Grey crawling, he is pulling up on things (as mentioned in my previous post...) Let's hope being physically astute and having athletic prowess continues throughout his youth. I think Rusty has already put a down payment on personal trainer. Let me be clear, though... Grey certainly does not need or have to be athletic (there will be no father-son Varsity Blues moment in our future... "I don't want your life!") - it's just that early mastering of motor skills sets up a precedence.

16.6 lbs (down to the 31%... probably because he is crawling and moving so much!); 27" tall (72%... tall boy!)

He is a Chatty-Cathy as well, doing much "fake coughing", and loves the "I make a squeally noise, and you mimic me" game. Carter joins in often which is hilarious because her little voice is so high that she often tries a pitch that even she can't attain, making her parroting of Grey just an airy whisper that only dogs and perhaps Superman can hear.

Just hangin' in my excer-saucer, eating a mum-mum. Life's good.

Moving on from the One Toof Wonder, Grey already has TWO pearly whites. I'm gonna have to get him a dang toothbrush before too long, I swear! But the good news is that both teeth are "cut" and so our nightly Orajel parties have stopped. Woo-hoo for mom. Grey is, however, an Early Bird. I've got news for him: there are no worms to be found at six a.m. in this household. He fails to heed my pleas for a later alarm clock so perhaps a later bedtime is in order?!

I am actually happy, despite what it appears. I am just mad because my mom takes so long to get the next bite in my mouth and I'm staaaarving!

Now that Grey is on his milk-protein-free diet he is like a whole new baby. We still struggle with some reflux issues (I basically just follow him around for about 30 minutes after he eats, cleaning up pools of "pit-up", as Carter, Miss Rules and Regs, often reports), but all in all we have made vast strides from our constant crying and perpetual grumpiness. We are working on Nap Time, but those struggles are negated by his snuggles, which we weren't sure he would ever do.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to be Grey's family here on earth. What a blessing he is to our lives! We can't imagine life without our GreyBear!!!

My ~~mom~~ sister may play dress-up with me, but I'm hangin' on to every bit of manliness I can!

We Heart Hearts

2011-10-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend the whole fam packed up the 'burb (yes... I now drive an enormous Yukon XL [formerly known as, and always known in my heart as, a Suburban]... it's the best and worst part of my every day... any false notions of youth or 'cool-ness' dissolved the moment it entered the garage, but boy howdy do I have room for EVERYTHING which is handy for as often as we road-trip-it to Oklahoma!).

Off to Brackenridge Park we ventured to participate in the Heart Walk put on by the American Heart Association. Our friends, The Johnsons, have a sweet boy, Field, who has undergone heart surgeries and who are super supporters of the AHA. It was awesome to support Feisty Fighter Field in our I Heart Field shirts. We also celebrated our cousin, Walker, who is a heart surgery survivor... And we celebrated me, too, I suppose :)

Other than the sunny sunshine in our eyes, a little sweat on our brows, and Carter's "Cheesy Smile", this is a great pic!

Three point one miles... and yes, I did wear Grey in the sling the whole time and he was happy as a clam (One lady that saw him commented, "He's got the best seat in the house!"). Carter rode in her stroller, and although at the end she was a bit restless we were able to entertain her by allowing her to stand backwards in her stroller (it was safe ~~enough~~, I swear). The last half mile was pretty much just her playing peek-a-boo with Rusty, saying, "Hi Dad!" while popping her head through the opening in the back, repeatedly.

It was such a nice morning and we were so glad we were able to support the Johnson family and all people who deal with heart issues. There were people camped along the trail cheering people on as they walked/ran. My favorite cheerleaders were two hilarious early-twenties guys simply chanting "We heart hearts! We heart hearts!" Couldn't have said it better myself.

Will the Real Grey Please Stand Up

2011-10-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

I would like to think that I am generally not an over-reactor. I pride myself (in a good, Christian way, of course) on not borrowing tomorrow's trouble by worrying unnecessarily about the "what ifs" with my children. God really taught me a lot when Carter was born, and I am always prayerful to remember the greatest of these lessons:STOP WORRYING - it won't change anything, nor will it prevent anything from happening. I heard someone say once, "Worrying is simply telling God that you don't think He can handle the small and large events of your life..." AMEN.

All that to say, though - I do have one area of unfounded worry that plagues me (well, maybe I have more, but I really try not to obsess... which is not easy when you're a mom). That is the crib. Car wrecks, drinking Clorox, vaccines. Why worry? But the crib. Oh my.

Little known fact: I used to wake up in a sweaty panic when Carter was a baby.. She, as you may remember, slept on The Wedge. All was well with this sleeping arrangement until she learned how to open the sling herself. Since this reflux-fighting sleeper was, as the name implies, shaped like a wedge, the top of it was almost even with top of the crib - even when the crib was at its lowest setting. Thus, my middle of the night terrors that Carter had unlatched her self and was crawling to the top of the wedge, where she would subsequently lean over the edge of the crib and plummet unhindered to the floor.

The Wedge in the Pre-Unlatch-By-Herself days

For all my groggy panic, this never actually happened. So time passes and allows us to forget many-a-fear, and I found myself a little more 'chill' with Grey. He did not have the wedge to aid his escape, and so enters the famous last words: there's nothing to worry about, he's only 5 months old. However, he was starting to crawl more and more I ~~became a nagging wife~~ asked Rusty to lower his crib from it's current and highest setting. As things go, however, the lowering did not actually happen.

So, Monday the 24th rolls around... Nap time is over, and I have been enjoying watching Grey wake up and play in his crib for a few minutes via the monitor. I set the monitor down, and by the time I get from the kitchen to his room, here he is... My 5 month old, proud as he can possibly be... STANDING... and seconds from a head first plummet...

Blame the image quality on my ancient (and perpetually dropped) iPhone 3... maybe Santa will bring me a 4S for Christmas?!? I've been really good this year.

Yes, my five month old is pulling up and trying to stand. Holy Moly.
And, yes, the crib was lowered to it's lowest setting that very day.

WWII Memorial Trip

2011-10-17T14:07:00.001-05:00

Last week my brother, Scott, got to go on an amazing trip to Washington, D.C., with my grandpa, known by all as Buddy. He was one of 103 WWII veterans that was able to attend this day-trip to see the monuments and memorials. Scott wrote about their day, including pictures, here. I wish I could have been there, but apparently my family thought the doctor was better suited to help my recently hospitalized grandfather than me. My history as an elementary school teacher and SAHM don't qualify me to assist with a plane full of octogenarians, it seems. All joking aside, though, I am so glad Buddy {winner of the Purple Heart, incidentally} was able to go - Thank you Lord for keeping him healthy enough!

... Stays Together

2011-10-17T13:41:00.002-05:00

The Family that
{Fill-in-the-Blank-with-Whatever-You're-Doing}
Together Stays Together

I'm not sure if other families used this saying as much The Waugh Family (i.e. my mom) did, but I heard that phrase as a child/teenager with almost anything we did as a family. And apparently it had some sort of magical effect on us, because we're all fairly normal functioning/contributing members of society. We all like each other, most days, and none of us have any outstanding warrants or a criminal record. Thus, I plan to say this phrase with whatever the activity-of-the-moment is with Carter and Grey (and any future Belden Babies that might join the fam).

And so...My first attempts:

The Family that Swings Together Stays Together.

The Family that Roots for the Baylor Bears (tough loss, by the way) Together Stays Together:

RGIII, We Heart You!

Yes, I am aware that Grey blends in with his white shirt and the white chair. Pale people are charming, okay?

One Toof Wonder

2011-10-17T12:39:00.001-05:00

It's officially here, folks. Grey's FIRST TOOFER {bottom left, if you want particulars}. While it has called for a fair share of middle-of-the-night wake-up calls for Orajel, it has been worth it. We are loving our very own little jack-o-lantern.

A. Yes, I did wash my hands first.
B. You'll have to look very closely to find that pearly white.

Keep smiling Grey Bear!!!

Forced Holiday Fun

2011-10-15T17:23:00.002-05:00

Maybe I'm expecting too much. Putting too much pressure on the kids. Perhaps they're too young. But I remember when I was a kid the Pumpkin Patch trips were a favorite. I'm sure I smiled merrily for pictures with the "me"-sized gourd while twirling around enthusiastically with my oversized-bowed hair and teased bangs. I have fond memories of this, and it is upsetting to me that my kids, thus far, had an apparent lack of joy for our Autumn-themed play date at the 'Patch.

See for yourself. It looks like I picked up some kids off the street and, while withholding their Zoloft, forced them to take pictures in what was apparently the most boring place on earth.

Pumpkin Patch Correctional Facility.
Pictured: Inmates Couldn't-Care-Less and Are-We-Done-Yet.

The only redeeming quality in this picture is the darling John Deere boots and very manly gingham button-up...

If I sit here for two seconds and let you take my picture can we leave?

The plan is to go back as a family with Dad. Hopefully Round II will be ~~less pathetic~~ sprinkled with all of the enthusiasm that Mom has for this time of year. Pumpkin Spice Latte, anyone? I know I could use one...

Mega-Milestone Month

2011-10-14T10:01:00.002-05:00

Line 'em up. Check 'em off. Grey is a milestone monster these days. Baby Center, you obviously haven't met my son. He is way past (some) of your milestone markers. He must be an athlete genius. I think we all know where he gets his affinity for strong hand-eye coordination and above-average-athletic skill {insert me, humbly smiling and waving}.

Look at me go!

So far, SO GOOD:

Can Sit for long periods of time without falling: Check.
Goes from Sitting to all fours: Check.
Goes from All fours back to sitting: Check.
Is Rocking on all fours: Check.
Is "Crawling" backwards: Check.
Is Scooting/non-fluidly crawls: Check.

a family affair

2011-10-01T11:52:00.000-05:00

Us Beldens take pride in our contributions towards the care and maintenance of Grey...

Blanket = lovingly placed over the ~~gross~~ well-used 'playroom' rug by MOM

Toys = 3 thoughtfully chosen, specifically placed to encourage reaching and mobility by MOM; the rest of the toys in the Grey Toy Bin dumped in one fail swoop by SISTER

Outfit = the result of DAD's very kind offer of "You sleep in, I'll take care of the kids..." (yes, to confirm your suspisions, he is wearing a diaper, leggings, and a long sleeve shirt)

{5} Months

2011-09-27T15:53:00.001-05:00

Grey is a busy busy boy. He has little time for sleep, what with his new found ability to get up on all fours. He'll be crawling in no time, which is both thrilling and terrifying. Ok, ok, so I know I probably have at least a couple of months before that'll happen, but he's in Crawl Ready Stance, just to make my heart beat faster. He is starting to sit, unassisted, for longer and longer. It's so fun to see how he is starting to learn to lean on his hands to steady himself.

Sitting up for a little while: check
Learning to put my hand palm-down: working on it

Nothin' like Guy Time with Dad, watching those Baylor Bears!

Grey continues to be... how should I say it... um - "a handful". Sleep is continuing to be an issue, but in a string of deja vu events we have moved him to a Carter-esqe mixture of acid reflux medicine combined with specialty formula for a milk-protein allergy. I began to twitch a little when our doctor gave us the news. No more ~~cheap~~ off-brand formula for us. Hopefully it will ease his tummy pains, help mommy to do less laundry by lessening our soaked-through-from-spit-up clothes, and help him to sleep longer than 30-40 min during naps and later than 4:45 in the morning.

Nugget

very pinteresting

2011-09-24T11:00:00.002-05:00

Ever since Carter starting going to MDO and making beautiful works of art, I have been meaning to find a place to display her talent. Carter loves, I mean adores painting and coloring. She'll say, "Paint, Momma? Paint?", or "Paint, Momma. Pay-poo!" (Pay-poo translation: paper - that one took me a while to figure out...) Thus with all the products of her daily obsession hobby, I decided enough was enough. There needs to be an ART display place in my house!

To add to my eagerness, I found an idea on Pinterest. Now, if you don't know what Pinterest is, I'll summarize: its a giant, never ending black whole of a time suck, in which you browse pictures people have posted. You "pin" the things you like, thus creating folders that you categorize. The idea is to get ideas about anything from home decorating to crafts, to kids anything, to the latest greatest accessories. Once you start, trust me, you cannot stop - so tread lightly.

Thank you, Pinterest... For this idea... Amongst a million others.

So, all that to say, I saw the above picture on there... I had actually seen if before on a blog and loved it, but just never got around to doing it because I just didn't know where I would put it. I was hesitant to put it on the blank wall in the hallway leading to my laundry room and the guest room... It's sort of a small nook that is easily spotted from the entry and dining area, and I wasn't sure if it would look cute or random... Here's how it went:

I forgot a "before" picture, but you can imagine this same nook area minus the lettering - just a very sad, blank wall.

I hung the line... Just some jute and colorful clothespins that I already had!
Don't you just love this quote?! Used my handy dandy die-cutting machine to cut sticky-backed vinyl letters.

I liked what I had done, but thought it looked too plain... And there wasn't going to be much artwork I could display because the wall isn't very long.

Then I remembered the burlap-covered cork board squares I used to have in our office...

And so I added those...

WA-LA! A perfect space for an art display without spending a single penny!

The ARTEEST, admiring her handiwork.

OBX, Part I

2011-09-22T10:29:00.004-05:00

Apparently my heartfelt letter to Irene worked. She's not so bad, after all, that Irene. Off to the Outer Banks (or, as you quickly learn, the cool way for the locals to write it , 'OBX') we went.

Packing for the trip... Does this hat make
me look fat?

A friend of mine always asks people to give three adjectives for any experience he or she has had, so here it goes:

1. wonderful

2. tiring

3. hilarious

There is literally so much to tell, and so I've decided its best to break up the trip (and pictures, since I designated myself stalker/annoying-family-picture-taker) into segments... to be added as time allows. I have been chomping at the bit to add ~~a ridiculous amount of~~ some posts, but since Carter is only going to MDO one day a week this semester (as apposed to two like last year and this summer) and Grey feels it necessary to be either held or held 90% of the time, it makes my blogging time a wildly narrow window. Plus I've been Super "Connie Crafter" as my ~~obnoxious~~ funny friends call me... A post on that to come...!

Jungle jammies and a
panama hat? Yes, please.

And it begins...

Sunday, September 4th

The Mission: Fly with a 27 month old (who was just potty trained) and 4 month old (who tends to be a bit of a cryer)... with a stroller, a rolling carry-on, a diaper bag (full of formula, milk, changes of clothes, a computer, snacks, water, and various other baby-essentials frowned upon by TSA and business men in line behind you at the security scanner), and lastly, Carter's backpack (which seemed fun to her to carry at home, while practicing for our flying adventure, but lost its luster somewhere around the security check-in line).

I did it.... and I will never {let me repeat: NEVER} do that long of a trip with two kids by myself again. Chinese water torture ain't got nothin' on me... Suffice it to say It. Was. A. LONG. DAY.

A special thanks to my P is for Princess library rental... Abby Cadabby, you are owed a large portion of my success.

We've got a first-timer, here, folks!

However, out of craziness the Good Lord can always teach us lessons (actually, that's when we can learn the very most, I think). I can say, without a doubt, people are intrinsically good. So eat that, William Golding! (Lord of the Flies, anyone? Anyone? I digress...) Seriously though, I cannot count the number of men and women who offered to push the stroller, carry a bag, or just put me out of my misery. Okay, not the last one, but seriously people were super sweet and generous and it was a morale booster for me (since I tend to be pretty cynical about the despicable state of our 'it's-all-about-me' culture).

In fact, and I whole-heartedly believe that God himself sent me the nicest man in the massive Chicago airport. He not only pulled his own carry-on, but BOTH of mine (so all I had to so was walk with Grey in the sling, and push the stroller with Carter in it). He walked me through 3 complete terminals - at least a 20 minute walk - and far past his luggage pick-up area, right up to my gate [because apparently there is a rule against the arilines, whom I just paid hundreds of dollars to, helping people out in the airports]. I literally could not have made my second flight without his help.

The captain has turned off the seat-belt sign, you are now free to attempt a sibling pic.

Carter, Grey and I got to our final stop in Virgina. Whew! I innocently thought. They announced our baggage claim was at Carousel 5, which didn't seem strange to me until I passed the 4 empty carousels, all of which were spread out incredibly far away from one another. The reason for which I never understood - even when it was crowded there was an absurd amount of room surrounding them. So, off we walk (and walk and walk) to Carousel 5, only to find that our post-plane Carter potty/Grey diaper change soiree left our two carseats and two bags the only luggage circling the lonely baggage claim area. So here I was, alone, with two tired/hungry/bored babies and 6 pieces of luggage (+ a stroller). Then, naturally, I couldn't get my phone to connect to the Internet, so I couldn't look up the flight the Waughs were on, so I had no clue when they would arrive. I finally just started hauling the luggage up, a few bags at a time. You think I am being dramatic about the distance, but my remaining luggage looked like a DOT by the time I dragged the first load to Carousel 2. First load: check. {Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.}

We then waited ~~an excruciatingly long period of time~~ a little while for what I would later learn was a delayed flight. Meanwhile I tried to entertain Carter, feed Grey, and not kill or gag at the 110 lb crated dog that was barking incessantly, while wallowing in his feces. Poor thing. I would have moved, but my former Herculean strength was long gone by that point.

What a good Pops!
Carrying a portion of the luggage
for TEN to the cars...

Finally (FINALLY!!!), a good majority of Carter's favorite people arrived all in one herd, fresh off their plane. I secretly despised their high spirits and general happy demeanor (after all, 4 adults to 3 kids is a ratio of bliss), but at least now I was an Army of One no more.

After that it was a rental car time (where the girl inappropriately asked me what my husband did for a living so that I could stay home with my kids - pretty sure that's not on the List of Questions to Ask People Renting from Thrifty), a food stop (a gas-station hoagie never tasted so good), and an hour's drive to our home-for-the-week.

Let the games begin.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-09-21T22:47:00.003-05:00

Or not.

But dang do I wish it was cold... cause this cutie patootie hat isn't going to fit Grey Bear come hat-wearing time in San An. So what's a mom to do? Have a photography session to commemorate the cuteness, of course. Carter isn't the only Belden kid to have to endure Crazy Dress-Up Picture Mom.

Will the insanity ever stop?

Oh, Mom, how you make me giggle!

FDOS: tWoS cLaSs!

2011-09-14T16:22:00.004-05:00

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go!

I'm not sure if you've heard, but I got moved up to the TWOs class. Yup, lil ole me - in with the big kids. They don't scare me, even if they have me by at least 10 lbs each. I really love my school and my teachers - they think I'm cute (wink) and I am showing them what a chatterbox I've become. I say so many words now that my mom can't even begin to count them. It's hard to imagine that just a year ago I started school as virtually a mute... But not this year, by golly. I am using 3 and 4 word sentences and repeating most everything I hear.

"Tarter Bewden"
(or "Tarter Waugh", depending on how feisty she's feeling)

Some of my favorite things right now:

* "Wucky" (i.e. Lucky) the neighbor dog. Mom says I have two dogs exactly like him, but there is something about that separating fence that makes him irresistible. I ask my mom "Wh Wucky go?" [i.e. "Where did Lucky go?"] ~~incessantly~~ several times a day. She usually says, "Where do you think he went?" and I'll say that I think he is "nigh-nigh", or "at house".

* Being a good sister. I always bring Grey is pacer, blankey, toys... I'll even put the pacer in his mouth for him. He smiles at me a lot and always watches me when I am bouncing around. The only thing is that he grabs at me and my clothes (and sometimes even my hair - ouch!). I usually ~~yell at~~ tell him to stop because although I'm told "he's just a baby" I think it's rude to grab other people.

* AB"D"s... I could listen to my mom sing that song... All. Day. Long. Not kidding. If mom had a 'repeat' button I would push it repetitively. I can sing the first few letters, too!

* Trucks and buses... Right now the only girly tendency I have is my love of PINK, but otherwise, if I am in the car, I am spending my time looking for "big truck, Momma" and "schoo bus, Momma". I tell mom if the big truck is boo, wewow, wed, or geen - and pretty often, I'm correct! Although there are times that everything is PINK! I really loving seeing buses, also. Mommy asked me the other day if I wanted to ride a school bus when I go to school or if I want Mommy to take me... I knew just ~~how to play her~~ the right answer: "Mommy take me!"

Wish me luck in this 2011/2012 school year. Mother's Day Out, I heart you (and so does Mommy)!

{4} months

2011-08-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

Am I the only mom who finds it annoying that the "weeks age" and "months age" don't coordinate? What I mean is, Grey was 16 weeks on Tuesday, August 16th... Now I may have barely made it through Coach Heath's algebra class, but I'm pretty sure 16 weeks = 4 months. But if you go purely by the calendar, as in Grey was born April 26, he wouldn't be considered 4 months old until August 26. That's almost a two week difference. So I give up. I've just decided to go by the date on the calendar. Thus, Friday Grey was officially 4 months old!

14.12 lbs (48%) and 25.25 in long (63%)!

As depicted in the earlier post, Grey is rolling from his back to him tummy like a champ. He is known for being happy happy happy about 90% of the time. The other 10%? It involves screaming, crying fits. But we focus on the majority - full of open-mouthed smiles, giggles, and jabbering. He loves his excersaucer and has mastered spinning the wheels and cushion-tower-thing, and can oscillate all the way around circle on his own. He holds on to the the star and the sun, and is no longer Mr. Bobble Head while in it.

My Favorites: blankey, pac-er, swing

In other news, he enjoys sitting in his Bumbo, as long as there is someone right there to talk to him and play with him. He is quite a social butterfly and gets really annoyed when the attention is not on him. He loves loves loves his big sister and keeps a close eye on her when she's near. He is very patient with her even when she pokes him in the eyes, steps on him, or lays on him. They were laying next to each other on the floor yesterday and I couldn't help but think about how much fun they will have together!

Blowing bubbles

Its been a great four months, Grey Bear! Thanks for the love and joy you add to our family!

Can you see me?

Irene, Why So Mean?

2011-08-26T16:46:00.002-05:00

Dear Irene,

I'm not sure what kind of stunt you are trying to pull, but I am NOT laughing. You think you're a real jokester, huh? Coming in with your gale-force winds, driving rains, flooding, and general pandemonium at this date in time...

As you might know, the Waugh family, party of 13, has been quite busy with the execution of the plan to visit the Outer Banks in North Carolina the week of September 4th thru 10th. The idea for a good old fashioned Family Vacation came up around Christmas time, and by Spring we were well into planning the "where-to's". We could have road trip-ed it to a theme park, Griswold-style. We could have partayed in Miami, Will Smith-style. Or perhaps done the cabin in Colorado (minus the Ol' 96-er) thing, Great Outdoors-style. But noooo, we thought. Let's be original.

Carolina.

The Beach.

The East Coast.

What could be better?

As it turns out, anywhere. Anywhere other than the East coast will be better if you don't go away. You see the map below? There's a little dot that says Norfolk in HOT PINK (refer to the Key, telling you that means Threat Level: EXTREME). The airport code for Norfolk is ORF. I know this because I have flights booked from SAT to ORF for next Sunday. Yes, next Sunday! And while I know you will most likely be done with the worst of your terror by that point, my main concern is your aftermath... What fun is walking on a beach full of debris, and boarded-up windows obscuring our views? And let us not forget there will be 5 children ages 4-and-under. Stuck. In. A. House. For. A. Week. {Is it hot in here to anyone else? I just broke into a sweat and I'm feeling a bit faint..}

Is it something we did or said, Irene? Please just tell us and we'll apologize and hug it out. Then you can let your friend and mine, The Sun, come out to play so that I can sing joyfully: "Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sunshine! Please shine down on me!" And if you are really in to this whole rain thing, head on down to Texas - we could use some precipitation here.

My visions of SPF 50, umbrella-clad frozen drinks, and slow motion jogs into the water are being replaced by raincoats and goulashes, canceled flights, and emergency evacuations and I am not happy about it. So please, pretty please with a cherry on top, go away. Leave North Carolina alone - she hasn't done anything to you. I'm not sure what language you speak, but, please... Goodbye. Adios. Ciao. and Au revior. We appreciate your attention in this matter and look forward to your immediate action to rectify all wrongs. Please cease and desist expeditiously.

Gratefully,
Maggie (on behalf of the Waugh Family Trip '11)

On a Roll

2011-08-24T16:41:00.000-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen! Children of All Ages!

I am proud to introduce to you:

The One... The Only...

Grey Belden, Rolling Master!!!

[enter crowd, cheering with reckless abandon]

Grey is a roly poly for sure... But humorously he rolls from his back to his stomach (both right and left sides!) but not from his tummy to his back. This makes for a very nervous mommy, come bedtime... It also makes for a very frustrated baby when he gets to his stomach, time and again, only to realize he doesn't like Tummy Time and is stuck.

Watch him in action...

How to Get Fat

2011-08-24T15:06:00.002-05:00

Who hasn't been looking for some no-fail way to get fat? I know I sure have! You try and you try, but still you keep staying super skinny or even losing weight!! This can't be! Let's make Sir Mix A Lot proud of your back, while putting the love in your handles and the saddle in your bags...

Folks, look no further! I have the answer to all your stick-thin woes - we call it the Carter is Too Dang Skinny Meal Plan: Duocal (soluble calorie powder - yes, a powder specifically designed to ADD calories to foods and drinks), Pediasure (whole milk? too light on the caloric count! we stick with the 240 calorie/8 oz stuff), olive oil (120 calories/tsp), and reeeeaaaal butter. We add any and all of these products to anything and everything we can, and then pray Carter actually eats it.

Other helpful hints for you skinny minnies out there trying to gain weight be sure you always check your labels: no fat? fewer calories? baked? Put that back on the shelf, Twiggy! Make sure the products you buy have more calories than their competitors. Poor ranch on everything, don't be afraid of the frying pan, and always always eat dessert.

In fact, if you're really desperate to gain weight, try some of my ~~sickening~~ fool-proof strategies: add a little olive oil to refried bean nachos, add duocal and several tablespoons of butter to mac'n'cheese, and always a classic - sprinkle olive oil on your morning bacon.

So eat up, Skin-and-Bones, and let me know when you need to go shopping for bigger clothes so I can congratulate you. And in return, I'll let you guys know when I am finally able to stop pinning all of Carter's pants so they don't fall off of her. Who hasn't had the problem of being a 27 month old too tall for 12 months pants, but too skinny for the 18 months size?

Parenthood: List of TEN

2011-08-23T13:49:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about parenting lately. Of course being a parent one would assume that I am constantly thinking about parenting - but no. I've found that thinking about parenting and the act of parenting are quite different. Normally my parenting is going along just fine and dandy. Carter is her happy self and Grey is cooing and smiling gleefully. But then ensues a meltdown/tantrum/frustration that causes me to momentarily think about parenting - i.e. what the heck am I supposed to do with/for my child in this situation so that he/she does not end up a murderous meth-addicted lunatic?

Here's an example, although this doesn't happen much anymore, what with Carter's verbal skills improving dramatically, but it was a good example of how I have had a melt-down:

The Situation: Unbeknownst to me, Carter needs help with a toy.

And {SCENE}

Carter: ['grunting' repeatedly, with no clear purpose] Uuhh, uuhh, uuhh...

Maggie: Yes, Carter? What do you need, babe?

C: Uuhh, uuhh, uuhh...

M: Use your words, Carter. What do you need? Do you want something to eat? Eat? [I hold up food in either hand] Apple? Crackers?

C: [shakes her head to indicate 'no'] Uuhh, uuhh, uuhh...

M: Are you thirsty? Juice? Water?

C: [again, a head shake indicating the negative] Uuhh, uuhh, uuhh...

M: Do you want to go outside? Play with the doggies?

C: [head shake] Uuhh, uuhh, uuhh...

M: Honey, tell mommy what you want.

C: Uuhh, uuhh, uuhh...

M: [loud, exasperated grunting sound, followed by...] CARTER!!! STOP IT! TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED! I DON'T UNDERSTAND GRUNTING!!! [I pause and take a deep breath - inhaling the sour smell of horrible parenting. I look around - did anyone hear me being an impatient, loathsome person to my innocent child? Ok, good. I'm home alone - it's just my child's psyche that heard.]

~ this is where my "perhaps I should have a parenting strategy/skill" awareness is heightened~

M: [pasting a please-forgive-me-for-hollering-in-frustration smile on my face...] Ok, honey, show mommy what you need. Do you need help? Say 'help'.

C: [pointing wide-eyed at a toy with which she needs assistance] Hep.

M: Ok, sure! I'd be glad to help. See? When you use your words mommy knows exactly what you need. Next time, just tell mommy 'help'.

End {SCENE}

Everyone has heard the saying that goes something like, "I was the perfect parent until I had kids". Well, I
sure was. Perfect with a capitol P. And I still am, when it comes to other parents and what they do with their children. I ~~constantly~~ sometimes think about how so-and-so should do such-and-such with their child. How is it that I can see so clearly how to parent from afar, yet often find myself having to do the "count to 10 and take deep breaths", while debating if spanking, yelling, time-out, or "a stern talking to" will land my child into an irreversible tailspin that will ultimately end in 20 years with me driving for our weekly visit in Huntsville.

It's no shock to anyone who has children that parenting is difficult. I'm not breaking any new ground with my search for decent parenting ticks/tips. There are so many books and experts that will all tell you exactly how to parent, and that everyone else is wrong wrong wrong.

I listened to a sermon at the church in which I grew up that had an impact on me. As a visual to his lesson, our pastor handed out laminated cards - the title: "9 Thing to Think About and 1 Thing to Know for Certain". I have held on to that paper since 7th grade. That's how awesome I thought it was.

So, in my quest to be the best parent I can be, I have decided that these are some basic truths that are ultimately the most important lessons I can teach my children. All the rest will fall into place. And, with the grace of God and a some hard work our kids won't wind up as the deviant on a Dateline: To Catch a Predator.

Nine Things to Think About

and One Thing to Know for Certain

1. Someone needs your permission to ruin your day.

2. You are one decision away from being happy.

3. No one can stop you permanently, except you.

4. You will never "have it all together".

5. Heaven is your destination, life is your journey.

6. Taking never fills up, giving never runs out.

7. Every moment in life is more valuable when it is shared.

8. The deadline for all complaints was yesterday.

9. Now is most interesting time of all.

10. God would rather go to the cross for you than spend eternity without you.

pictures schmictures

2011-08-21T21:54:00.001-05:00

trying to get a decent picture of my two children has become something like a life goal. feeling pretty good about my photography skills and the cuteness of my children, i began this Sibling Photo Quest with lofty ambitions of greatness. swiftly my goal fell to getting a good picture. now, i am aiming for decent. i feel i could more quickly and easily break in to Fort Knox with one arm tied behind my back and a blindfold firmly attached to my head than i could get a sweet, smiling, not-chewing-on-his-hands Grey next to (not on-top-of, nor with a 2 foot gap) a pretty-smiling (not this weird, "Cheese!" fake smile, or a frowny face) Carter.

here are a few of my painfully futile attempts..

When did my kids decide they hate family pictures? I was under the assumption that this rebellion didn't happen until adolescence...

Notice my hand, desperately trying to keep Grey's hands from obscuring his pretty face.

I give. You all win. I am a failure as a photographer, parent, and human.

P is for Potty

2011-08-20T09:29:00.012-05:00

I don't scrapbook - I've tried. I just can't get it done. I'm way to ADHD - I lose focus and I never know what to write (which is ironic, I realize, as I write this post...). So this blog is really just my diary and scrapbook of my life with my family. So this post, while perhaps inappropriate for the general masses, is important to me to commemorate. Yes, I am aware these are the posts my children will despise me for, but as a mother I feel that it is my duty to wholly fulfill my job as "Embarasser".

So, without further ado... Let the peeing and pooping in the POTTY commence!!!

The LAST picture of Carter in DIAPERS! Goodbye and good riddance. The unused will be saved for Greybear!

Operation No More Double Diaper Changes for Mommy [I purposefully didn't say Mommy and Daddy] will be starting today!!! Carter is going to officially be a BIG GIRL: in big girl panties (she picked out Dora panties, even though she's never seen the show), going on the big girl potty (a green frog). It's the new buzz word: Big Girl. It's running like wild fire around the Belden household.

Wish us luck! I'll keep y'all 'posted' (pun intended) on her progress.

en{courage}

2011-08-20T08:22:00.015-05:00

I recently received an email, completely out of the blue, from a friend with whom I have not spoken in quite sometime - not because there was a rift, just the result of two lives moving in different directions. In the email she simply said she had been thinking about me and that she was so proud of me for coming out of our trial with Carter stronger. The note brought tears to my eyes (and I'm not a tear-er-up-er) as I read her words of encouragement to me. She said that my children were lucky to have me as their mom.

Her words made a huge impact on me. I often feel inadequate to raise my children the way I pray to. I fear that I am not, indeed, stronger from the hardship of Carter's birth. I pray that I am, because I don't always feel strong.

I lose my temper. I get lazy. I don't give my all, all the time.

But then I get these seemingly random words of encouragement, and it strengthened my resolve to do more, be better, and give ceaselessly.

In addition to feeling stronger from her love, I also felt convicted... When is the last time I encouraged someone else? The last time I took time out of my "busy day" to do for another?

So I have resolved to be more mindful and purposeful. And I am urging you all to do the same thing.

Just try it:

Call, text, email, or message someone with whom you have not spoken in a while. It doesn't have to be long - the email I got was only 4 or 5 sentences, yet I have thought about it and been grateful for it every single day since it was received. Pray about who to write/call and how God can use you to encourage them. He can and will work through you if you let Him!!!

In the process, you might just change their attitude. You might put some wind in their sails. And if nothing else, it will make them smile. Who doesn't want to make another person smile?

Happy Encouraging!!

And, friend that wrote, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

decade

2011-08-19T12:49:00.016-05:00

never have i agreed with the saying "the more thing change, the more they stay the same" as i do post TEN-year-high-school-reunion. whew! what a trip. i honestly had so much fun i can't even describe it (i can't describe it partly because there's so much "you had to have been there", and partly because i started the evening with champagne). i was so worried, honestly, going into it that it would be the awkward "so... what have you been doing for the past ten years... {crickets}... ok, talk to you in 2021..." - a very Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber moment: "Big gulps, huh?... Welp, see ya later". but it totally wasn't that way! i spent the night laughing about inside jokes of the past, was reminded of long-forgotten moments of glory (and shame), and danced my heart out to, among other great songs, Single Ladies (which, ironically, few of us actually are).

pre-reunion hang out... Me and Grey, Sarah, Katie and Emma, Ashley and Charlotte

i wore a dress that was too short, had a glass (or more?) too many of wine, and stayed out waaaay past my usual 10 o'clock bedtime (which made Grey's 6:30 a.m. wake-up call quite difficult) and i wouldn't change a minute of it. in fact, the only regret i have is that i didn't talk to more people and that i forgot my camera - major frustration!!!

so in the end i realized there's nothing better than picking up where you left off - or even talking to people you wouldn't/didn't normally talk to. and i really can't express enough [warning: here comes cheesy-ness] how amazed i am that i still have best friends that have been a part of my life since middle school. its crazy to think about how much i've been through with a certain few girls -- and they still love me. i would be lost without the joy they each bring, individually and for different reasons, to my life.

we were asked in a questionnaire to list our favorite memories from high school. i did the goof-ball "there were so many great memories" answer and i regret it. here's what i should have said (and, yes, most of it is inside jokes/had to have been there moments, so if you didn't go to high school with me, you'll be lost!).

Favorite Memories from high school:

... driving in The Little Jimmy That Couldn't with a boom-box that never could pick up KJ103, even with the antenna all the way up... getting late passes from Chamlee even when i wasn't coming from his class... burgers from Kickingbird golf course for lunch... jammin' in Katie's tiny white car with, like, 8 sub woofers... sleep-overs at the Waugh's armed with nothing but a video camera and ridiculous questions (Ashley: "What is a 'smile'?", Sarah: "It's not 'smile', it's a 'simile'.")... seeing N'SYNC before they were anything at that tiny Tulsa theatre - third row, baby!... mudding behind the railroad tracks with or without a 'mudding truck'... getting the children's cheese pizza meal from Schlotzsky's with Karen before cheering at every home football game... going out to Josh's land... riding in 40 degree weather, heater on blast, with the top down in Ashley's mustang... rapping with Jen to B.I.G. and writing 2Pac lyrics in notes we wrote each other during class (mom stop reading this!)... finally getting to sit in the senior pit... approaching the opposing baseball team's dugout with Jill, completely covered in mud after mud volleyball, and telling them we thought their mascot was the Mud Dogs... listening to Matchbox 20 almost every morning of my freshman year on the way to school with Chris... hitchhiking while on the FCA ski trip... Sarah and her love (or hate?) of TUMS (not to be confused with gum)...

okay, so i could go on and on. and on. but i'll stop. the point is that while high school was not "the best days of my life", i am so thankful i have so much to look back on and smile about. so thanks, anyone mentioned (and those not mentioned) for making that season of my life great.

so cheers, HUSKIES, for a fantastic TEN, and i look forward to our TWENTY!

Okay, Okay. We look dorky on the front row, but our dresses would not allow for another pose... I swear.

simmin in tha poo

2011-08-08T12:44:00.014-05:00

carter had her first swim lesson this weekend. she loves loves loves swimming and being in 'wa-wa', but this was her first structured lesson. over all, she did really well. her enthusiasm and cooperation dwindled, not surprisingly, with the passing minutes. somehow, though, she persevered [enter sarcastic voice here] and made it through the half hour predominantly unscathed. her teacher thought she did great for her first lesson, as she was able to go under water and blow bubbles out of her nose. the main obstacles in the way of a smooth, tear/whine-free lesson were the extraneous gear she was ~~forced~~ asked to wear -- the good ole staple, ear plugs, plus the added villainous goggles, which made me want to say "how cuuuuute!" and "poooor thing!" all at the same time. she looked like a really darling version of the dorky kid in class. all in all, i was impressed with carter's participation and over-all performance in her lesson. i was surprised that the middle-school-boy water basketball game, teamed with the water slide a few feet away from her didn't drive carter to distraction. i'm sure we owe the focus to a combination of a good swim teacher and the ear plugs and "ear band-it" (yes, the '50's style swim headband she wears to help keep in those pesky ear plugs is officially branded the ear band-it... i'm almost too cool to allow my child to wear it, but i'll be darned if it doesn't work incredibly well). grey went along as a part of carter's spectator fan club, and while he did cheer for his big sis, he mainly just enjoyed relaxing by the pool with dad. it was so darn hot, though we just went sans-clothes, which we all know was a sly way for him to show off that bod of his to the older ladies around the pool area. i think i heard him use the line, "why yes, that is baby elmo on my diaper"... we're gonna have to work on his game.

{book review}: unbroken

2011-08-07T20:21:00.024-05:00

reading. oh the joy.

give me a good book - be it a novel, a memoir, anything - and i am happy. this hobby isn't the most convenient and conducive for a busy mom, but i covet the few moments i get to read unfettered. when i go to lay down at a day's end and crack open a story i've been excited to continue all day, its like a reward for a happily long days' work.

quite honestly, though, i am a picky reader. if i don't get 'hooked' after i've allowed myself time to get to know characters and general plot, it's hard for me to finish a book. there's a good number of books i've simply just stopped reading... truth is, i used to be really embarrassed about the fact that i'm a book quitter. what 'avid reader' doesn't finish books she doesn't like? but then i decided that there's too much yucky in life to spend my time finishing a book i don't love. and that's that.

with a recent string of luck reading books that have been interesting and enjoyable i have decided to start, at the great risk of being ridiculed by ~~my husband~~ people for being a Book NERD, a sort of book review via my blog. anyone remember Reading Rainbow? i'm going for that sort of thing... but a grown up version.

i will only do this sporadically when i feel that a book is worthy of my homage (or perhaps to warn you away from a bad one!)... or maybe just whenever i actually have time to not only finish a book, but to actually write about it, too ;)

and so it begins.

Book Review I

Unbroken, By Laura Hillenbrand

rarely have i read a book that has affected me on so many levels as Unbroken. the honest to goodness truth of it is this: i didn't really want to read this book. there. i said it. i had just read a fast-moving, edge-of-your-seat fiction novel and although i love love love memoirs, i wasn't sure how i felt about such a factual biography.

sounded boring.

but, it was raved about by a friend who's book opinions i trust, and was an 'assignment' from my monthly book club... so i picked it up.

at first, it was okay. 'keep going, mags' i told myself. and then, it just took off. i will try not to give spoilers in my book reviews, but suffice it to say that once this book gets going ... it does. not. stop.

the story is mainly about Louis Zamperini who is a record setting/breaking runner in the '30s and goes to the Berlin Olympics. of course then war runs rampant and he becomes a bombardier in World War II. his journey through the war is, for lack of a better word, incredible. interwoven is the journey of a few other fascinating men, also.

the author spent 7, yes seven, years researching and writing this book, and it shows. the way she weaves all the stories together of these men and their experiences is absolutely compelling. there are so many quotes, facts, and accurate descriptions you would swear there was a camera following the main characters throughout the mayhem.

additionally, if you're anything like me, i find history interesting, but frankly, i don't know that much about it [yes, i am embarrassed to admit this]. i truly didn't realize how much happened with japan during this time in our world's history [i repeat, i am ashamed to be publicly announcing this ignorance!]. but don't be fooled by the history lesson, you readers that shy away from anything heavier than "shopaholic"-type books - it's written in such a way that is easy to understand while keeping your interest piqued.

it might sound like overkill, but i truly think everyone - yes everyone - should read this story. if you find history, war, and especially human nature (for better or worse) intriguing, you will appreciate (dare i say love?) this book. it is absolutely amazing, inspiring, heart-wrenching, and triumphant.

aNyThInG gReY cAn dO...

2011-08-06T21:03:00.013-05:00

... I can do better.

Mom's been going on and on about how Grey is such a "big boy" for starting to utilize his excer-saucer.

See, it's not so tough. I mean, what's all the fuss about? Look how cute I look when I ~~insist~~ get in it. [This is my "cheese" face that I paste on every time I see a camera pointed in my general vicinity.]

Sit up, schmit up. Don't let Grey fool you with this "sitting in a chair" business... I'm here to tell you, this chair? It does all the work, people. All. The. Work.

Lastly, I fail to see why my mom laughs (or is she crying?) so much about me easily fitting and sitting in this chair - what's the big deal about a 26 month old fitting into a chair designed for ~~very tiny~~ babies?

** a note from mom: apologies for the poor image quality... our camera broke so I've been forced to use my old school iphone 3g (yes, i said 3g... everyone feel sorry for maggie) camera.

summer lovin'

2011-07-25T21:17:00.008-05:00

summer, to me, is flip flops with manicured pink toenails. it's lathering on sunscreen (or, if that fails, aloe vera). it's sand in your bathing suit and popsicle-sticky hands. it's driving with all the windows down while blaring a song you wouldn't listen to if your pastor was in the car. and summer, is, of course, the joyful beating of two hearts full of love...

{cue singing sandy and danny, please}

wait for it... wait for it...

there it is!

what's cookin, good lookin?

2011-07-25T14:01:00.014-05:00

table for two

Mommy isn't the only one channelling her inner Ina Garten. Carter is joining the Kiss the Cook Cooking Club with her newly built kitchen... Special thanks to our live-in "Assembly Required" go-to guy, Daddy! By Step 17 (and Carter the Cook knocking over tray of very small nuts and bolts) all the fun was lost on him. Our little talker is all about cooking, eating (sadly, only pretend eating, though), and sitting at the table. She points to her chair and says, "Carter chair. Eat, eat, eat!", then at the other chair... "Mommy chair. Sit, Mommy. Eat, eat, eat!" Then we usually talk about what we are 'pretend eating' (still working on not actually putting the plastic eggplant in her mouth...), and then we often 'bake' some chicken in the oven. Carter takes it out and blows on it to cool it off, saying "Hot!" a few dozen times. We drink from our cups and Carter is quick to refill the empties - milk from the pretend carton, or water from the pretend sink.

Although it hasn't occurred as of yet, our hope is that her culinary enthusiasm will continue into eating actual food... We have gotten to the point now where I actually have to add specialty calorie-packed powder to her already specialty highly-caloric milk. Who knew it would be so hard to fatten a person up, huh? If only Oliver had her appetite he never would have had to turn to thievery. But I digress... The point is, that within the pretend kitchen play is our secret mission to get her to like, and therefore eat, food (glorious food)!

busy little cook/waitress

What an apron! "Mommy's Sugar and Spice". Amen.

loaf at first sight

2011-07-25T13:25:00.010-05:00

I'm no cook. Not a baker. Never been a Betty Crocker. I mean, I can make spaghetti with canned marinara sauce, or bake a chicken with the best of them, but I'm not known for my innovative or, let's be honest, scrumptious concoctions. Because of this, I am not usually one to try something new in the ol' cocina. But alas, I received the gift of a ~~humorously ancient~~ gently-used bread machine. What could possibly be better than homemade bread [and by homemade I do mean measuring out the prescribed ingredients and pushing the 'start' button]?! I submit that nothing is better, indeed.

So with my rockin' 80's machine I grab my ingredients and get started.

The smell. Was. Incredible.

Now I know people who are masters in the culinary arts are shuddering at my claim to have made 'homemade bread', and that I won't find my efforts submited to Martha's Cook/Baker of the Week contest, but this is a big step for me. Obviously I'm ~~pathetically~~ proud of my efforts if it made a blog post...

And the best part? It was not only edible (which was a valid concern for all bread-eating members of the Belden household), but it was actually GOOD.

So there. I'm officially a bread maker. And I have my steady ingredient-pouring hands and measuring eye, along with my start-button-pushing pointer finger to thank.

tWo tHeN tHrEe

2011-07-22T10:48:00.007-05:00

it's true, all that talk about second (and so on) children not getting the same deluge of photos as the oldest. and, in my case, the same homage paid to them in blog posts. so i decided to take matters in to my own hands, since my mom is obviously not in a big hurry to let everyone know that i am already 12 weeks old! i am so much fun now, which nobody would know if left solely in the well intending hands of my grey-updating-negligent mother. i am super smiley (when i'm not crying) and i coo and goo all the time. talking with people is my favorite activity. and i love to be held... all. the. time.

you see, mom has great aspirations (which they say paves the road to a fiery eternity) with chronicling my life as she did carter's, but between my sometimes dramatic behavior and my energetic sister, little time is left to upload pictures, much less cleverly convey vignettes of our swiftly passing days.

i've seen on other blogs that some mothers have these cute onesies that say the month the child is currently. these other kids' ingenious moms cutely put their children in these for monthly pictures to document his/her growth in the first year. i just have to wear whatever i have on that day... mom says when carter was born, she had never seen these (and even if she had, the outfit wouldn't have fit that tiny little bug anyways...) now i'm here, yet no month-by-month onesies to wear in my chair each month. mom says that i should celebrate being an individual [and something else about if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would i do that too?], but i want the month-stating onesie. they're cool.

so her i am. in ~~boring~~ regular clothes. at least i'm getting pictures to document my growth on the rocker.

2 months!

3 months!

Like Sister Like Brother

2011-07-12T20:15:00.011-05:00

I was all about purchasing many gender neutral baby items - like the stroller, bumbo, high chair, swing, and the like -- stuff I knew I would use for more than just one child. I never understood why people buy pink (or blue) everything... My gender neutrality carried over to the occasional set of jammies, and even a onesie or two. My hope was that one day if we ever had a boy, he could enjoy these items, also. Well, I was right - Greybear is enjoying these items immensely - but too quickly...

Example 1: If you've followed our blog for any amount of time, you won't forget the classic Dallas Cowboys outfit... Oh, and the "bow". Don't worry - Grey just got the onesie.

Carter... February 2010... 9 months old

Grey... July 2011... 2 months Example 2: The classic Dino Jammies... one of our favs!

Carter... January 2010... 8 months old

Grey... June 2011... 2 months old

The Fourth

2011-07-11T11:04:00.003-05:00

Happy boy celebrating his first 4th!

Belden cousins!

Uuummm... Mom? He's leaning on me! Still, I'm trying to smile like you asked.
Thursday before... Off to MDO! And yes, this was the best picture I could get. She is definitely in a "I hate taking pictures" stage [and no, it couldn't be that she just didn't like the ridiculous star glasses... she wanted to wear them - i swear! ;) ].

That's more like it... Ready for the BBQ!
It was a stellar, albeit firework-less, 4th of July! We had a few cook-outs, played in the pool, shared good laughs with friends, and generally glowed with patriotic spirit. I, of course, spent ~~a pathetic and unnatural amount of~~ some time dressing and snapping pics of Carter and Grey in their Independence Day paraphernalia. Carter is waaay too busy looking at her newly acquired hand-me-down gold sparkly Toms (BEST accessory EVER) to smile or pose for the camera.

just to be near you

2011-06-23T12:38:00.008-05:00

the snuggles in the belden house are growing exponentially as carter's love for grey ("bubba") inflates. she tries to give him his paci when he cries, while saying (repeatedly and with great conviction) "don't cry!"... it sounds more like, "won't why!" but grey is grateful nonetheless. as i suspected, carter loves being a big sister and is often a huge help. and by often, i mean that there is still a 2-year-old rearing its head occassionally... like last week when we visited Oklahoma and my sis-in-law, Aunt Ash, asked carter to pick up a blanket and carter calmly looked right at her and simply said, "No." {Oh, twos... how you test me.} the majority of the time, though, carter is sure to spend at least part of her day loving her brother. hopefully this affection will make him a great future husband, being emotionally available, affectionate and in-tuned with his wife's needs. or it could just mean that he'll be a wuss. [i kid, i kid!]

smiley pants

2011-06-18T22:16:00.005-05:00

grey is really startin' to ham it up. there's nothing better than a smiley baby, and i love that he is starting to be more of a baby and less of a lump. there's really no offense to pre-6-week-old grey - it's certainly by no fault of his own that he was just a ball of mush. it's just so much more fun when you can make eye contact, sing, talk, and generally make a fool of yourself and you actually get a reaction. greybear's smile will melt his momma's pea-pickin' lil heart, i'll tell ya.

overalls rock

2011-06-16T15:21:00.001-05:00

dress distress

2011-06-15T15:25:00.007-05:00

carter is learning to dress herself. she is also learning the art of playing 'dress-up'.

more often than not, the two could easily be confused.

birthday bash

2011-06-05T22:04:00.013-05:00

cake-schmake! gimme that ice cream!!

a celebration was in order for miss c... and since i wasn't feeling up to a huge invite-the-world party we had a simple little ice cream social with close friends and family. it turned out so fun and perfect :) we missed my fam, of course, but otherwise it was a smashing success! everyone loaded up their waffle bowls with yummy treats (its a party - calories from a marshmallow, reece's pieces, sprinkles, cookie dough, and cherry-covered ice cream sundae don't count!) and we welcomed YEAR TWO with sweets for our sweetie {obviously the sugar is still in my system if i'm insisting on using such ridiculous cliches}

fam of four with the birthday girl... post candle blow-out! and carter was waaaay too busy eating ice cream to pose for a picture, but it was good of me the rest of us so i'm using it...

welcome to carter's creamery :)

fixin's, fixin's, and more fixin's

ever need something salty after you eat sweets? but then you need sweet again... and what's better 'toddler food' than cheese puffs???

i got a little carried away on my die-cutting machine - but i figured to make this an authentic-feeling creamery, labeling was a must!

nEw kId oN tHe bLoCk

2011-06-03T12:12:00.009-05:00

real men wear pink

what's shakin blog friends? grey here - making my debut. let me start by saying that while i am pleased my mom changed the name of the blog from Carter Grace Belden to Being Beldens, don't think i haven't duly noted that the web address is still my sister's name. talk about feeling like a tag-along. but i'm over it. pretty much. i guess i should start by telling you the latest about me... first of all, mom is all worried because the doctor told her i'm an "over-eater". i prefer to think that i simply have a very manly appetite. so i went from 7 lbs 6 oz to 9 lbs 12 oz in a shade over two weeks... what's all the commotion about? i mean, mom told me countless times while i was warm and snugly in her tummy that she wanted a chubby baby. i'm already wanting to make her happy, and then she says i shouldn't gain weight quite so quickly. is there any pleasing women?! i told her she should be careful what she wishes for! so now we are 'modifying' my eating habits in hopes that my rapid weight gain subsides. truthfully i like eating and all, but let's call a spade a spade: it's summer time and i know i'm gonna be around some ladies. i need to be lookin' my best. so no more ~~gluttony~~ large meals for this guy. i'm turning over a new leaf. look for poolside pictures soon... in other news, i'll have you know i'm a pretty chill guy. i'm still mainly doing the eat-poop-sleep thing, which is nice because my sister is ca-ray-zy and always running around and i'm pretty sure my mom would cry if i was mobile in any capacity. i know it'll happen one of these days, but let's give the lady a chance to adjust to two kids before we add in mobility, you know? basically my only other true love in life is my paci. mom's unaccustomed to this need, since my sister didn't like her pacifier, but boy do i like mine! mom says as long as its limited to my infancy, its alright. people ask a lot about who i look like. jury's out, i think. i definitely resemble my sister, but numerous people claim i look like my dad, too. i guess y'all will just have to watch as i grow for the final word on that. mainly i just like to hang out and try not to get ~~mortally wounded or beheaded by~~ bumped by my sister. she recently decided that she likes to pick me up (like a baby doll) and move me to the location of her choice - usually the floor. mom keeps close tabs on this and constantly tells carter that she can't hold or pick me up with out her help, but i'll be frank: i'm a little nervous about the inevitable moment where mom's ~~watching re-runs of america's next top model~~ preoccupied and i am swept up, then promptly dropped by my well-meaning and loving sister. i'll let yall know when it happens {i'm taking over/unders...} well, that's it for my first blog entry. i'll go ahead and say to myself: Officially Welcome to the Blog, Grey!

best friends forever

2011-06-02T15:07:00.006-05:00

i hope they always like each other...

talkin bout TWO

2011-06-02T13:57:00.013-05:00

ahhh - the joys of summer! boat time!!! don't worry that i'm still in the 6-9 month life preserver...

carter is officially TWO! although apparently she got the "start acting like a two-year-old" memo early - and right in time for baby brother's arrival, to boot. and i'll have to have a talk with the person in charge of pushing the i-don't-wanna-walk-so-i'll-turn-into-jello button. and the you-told-me-not-to-play-with-your-phone-so-i'm-gonna-stare-you-in-the-eyes-and-put-my-finger-one-inch-away-from-the-phone-to-see-what-you're-gonna-do button must be operated by the same trigger-happy person, cause its getting pushed a lot, too. but of course carter is, in my never to be humble opinion, the cutest girl around. she has got her daddy wrapped around her little finger and she is already turning into a daddy's girl. my days are numbered... sad sad (and inevitable) news for us moms of girls! she is talking more and more - what a relief! we weren't sure if we were gonna have a mute on our hands there for a while... {and you think im kidding!} we love her speech therapist and are focusing lately on thematic units - bugs are the hot topic this week. our goal is to get her to learn more verbs since she is doing well with putting two words together (mommy's shoes; bye-bye dadda; etc). we're going on at least 35-40 words, so we are pleased as punch.

some of carter's favorite things right now:

book: we're going on a bear hunt

animal: duck (its an obsession, really) - whether on tv, a stuffed animal, in a book, we hear "duck" at least 5,318 times per day toys: baby-doll sized stroller (with or without a stuffed animal or doll) and jax (no, she doesn't know how to play with them - and i can't teach her since i never learned myself - but apparently finds the utmost joy in seeing her mom and dad utter despicable words and jump up and down holding one shoeless foot when they are stepped upon)

kiddie pool from wally-word = $15; blue shades and bathing suit = $35; having fun in a tiny pool with freezing hose water while wearing ear plugs = priceless

activities: picking out rocks from the yard; sidewalk chalk; playing in the kiddie pool (or anything where she gets to splash in water); and dancing

song: still Jesus loves me, but he's got the whole world in his hands is swiftly gaining popularity.

splish-splash i was takin' a bath...

and to close, a note for carter:

our sweet girl, your bright smile is the happy in our -ness. you light up our world with your impish smirk and your playful personality. we love how you tease, already. i can't wait to see how you continue to infect the people around you with joy. i constantly hear how sweet, loving and funny you are and it's every parent's dream to have such a bubbly, kind, smart daughter. we are so proud of you for being a good sister (we know you don't mean to put your entire weight on grey's legs, or kick his head at least once a day... heehee!). we truly mean it when we say that grey is lucky to have you as his big sister. what a fabulous leader and loving friend you will be to him. we cherish our time with you. you make us laugh when stomp your feet, dance, and spin in circles to anything that even resembles music. you make us cringe when you fearlessly run down the hill in the backyard, not pausing (much less crying) when you skin your knee falling down the berm. you make us proud when you pat your brother and kiss him without being prompted - just to show you love him. you make us thankful when we remember our tiny sweet one pound newborn (that seems like yesterday and 10 years ago, all at once), and then see the magnificent, beautiful little girl God has created. we praise God and give Him thanks for picking us to be your parents. may God make us the best parents we can be - you deserve it! we hope age 2 is magical! happy happy birthday bug!!! all our love, mommy and dadda

being silly with daddy

sleeper

2011-05-18T15:48:00.011-05:00

i'm a sleeper. i always have been - my family laughs that as a child i used to approach my parents in the early evening and simply say, "it's time for me to go to bed". and this didn't subside... i love sleep. i crave it, require it. and when i don't get it (which is my current state, if you hadn't guessed) i don't function well. it's all i can do to accomplish the basic functions of taking care of two children and a home much less add posts and pictures to the blog. so... all apologies! i will make a concerted effort to start posting again (as i'm sure everyone is waiting expectantly for my pre-sleep-deprived blog enthusiasm to return).

Carter and "bubba gric" (brother grey, for the lay man)

Week One ~ Happy lil sleepy boy

oh brother, mom. not another picture!

Feeling Blessed

2011-05-18T14:01:00.002-05:00

I'm catching up on blogs I wrote but didn't post... This is from April 27, the day after we met our sweet boy.

I know that word is used a lot... Blessed. It's sort of the token word that is used nonchalantly when people talk about things are going right. But I can't think of a better word to use. The dictionary says it is defined as 'divinely or supremely favored; fortunate'. And that is just how I feel about our situation with our sweet Grey. We are fortunate (beyond so) and we feel that is truly been given to us from our Father in heaven! Truly, nothing could have prepared me for the wonderful way in which God orchestrated our sweet labor and delivery. It was the most peaceful, smooth, precious experience and Rusty and I feel really blessed to have been given these memories to associate with giving birth. Carter's story is precious to my heart because, after all, look at the darling miracle of a daughter we have - but her 'birth story' is enough to make me want to cry, should I think about it too long. It was a chaos-filled, scary moment that didn't subside for weeks. Of course, I would never take away our experience with our sweet girl - in that we learned so much, and because Carter did make it through virtually unscathed. However, with introduction of our newest member of the family it gave us a whole new lease on how things can go. I feel like today I woke up and could just breathe easier. We made it. We made it!!! We have a precious FULL TERM son to hold (and not stare at for a week in the incubator) and snuggle and love. We do not know what the Lord has in store for us and this precious child, but we can't wait for all the experiences to come! We have such overwhelming joy in our hearts and we sincerely thank each and every person who prayed for me, for Grey, and for our family! We DO believe in the power of prayer and we covet each time we are lifted up in faith. Thank you!!!

eye of the tiger

2011-05-17T22:55:00.001-05:00

I wrote this on April 16th, after the Masters, but apparently I forgot to post it.

So although old, it's a one I had to post...

ok, ok, i know tiger woods is low man on the totem pole when it comes to "people i'd like my child to emulate", but let's be honest... the man is one heck of a golfer. and, as we've all watched in awe and dismay, he had (has?) quite a way with the ladies. apparently our daughter is no exception. she watched the masters this past weekend with true interest. i'm totally not kidding - she stared at the tv for at least 30 minutes... if you know me well, you know i am not a tv watcher, and thus carter is unintentionally thrust into a world of little tv. because of this lack-of-exposure, she rarely, if ever, watches much more than 5 minutes of anything - she usually couldn't care less. but here she was, entranced by the golf tourney, and was all the while repeating the word "golf" over and over. as long as her admiration for tiger is corralled solely to that of the golf course, i guess i can live with this. i mean, lets be honest. carter could go on to do great things in the world of golf. i am not currently teaching and i'm pretty sure good old teacher retirement system isn't going to 'give me the hook-up' later in life, so i have to make alternate arrangements for a ~~plush~~ comfortable retirement. and if that means i have to sit through a few ~~devastatingly long and boring~~ golf rounds, so be it. i know the lpga isn't number one on any sane person's tivo list (and could possibly be on the U.N.'s list of "cruel and unusual punishment"), but those ladies can certainly bank (nike will be moving in quick to have such a cute spokesperson!). so, rusty is bound and determined (much like a very pale and much-less-obsessive earl woods) to create a tiger... er, uh, tigress {minus the sadly pathetic interpersonal social/emotional problems, of course}. so from now on rusty and i will be placing all the monies allotted monthly/yearly for 401ks, IRAs, and other such retirement avenues, into the best clubs, personal trainers, golf coaches, and a psychiatrist (for good measure) for carter's future as a pro-golfer. so, tee 'em up, carter. we'll see you at the masters [or whatever is the equivalent for women... if there is even one?], and we'll go ahead and check 'retirement' off our List of Things to Worry About.

and the beat goes on

2011-05-02T20:09:00.009-05:00

we're making it work, this parents-of-two thing. i'm not quite up to my usual ~~clever, informative, and wildly entertaining~~ long winded entries, but just a quick update on learning to survive with a an almost-two-year-old (acting, incidentally, every bit of the stereotypical 2...) and a newborn!

pretty content little man... just ate, and ready to nap!

our little helper! "holding" brother for the first time.

Grey... Day 1

2011-04-27T08:36:00.009-05:00

Hello, World. Lovin' our sweet boy!

First time to hold his son...

Everything went so smooth!

Fuzzy picture... Carter meeting Grey. Big sister KISS!

God is GOOD!

2011-04-26T19:38:00.010-05:00

He's here! He's here! He's here!

Greyson Scott Belden

April 26, 2011 at 3:58 PM

7 lbs 5 oz, 19 in. long

Mommy, Baby, Daddy, and Big Sister are happy and healthy!! Pictures to come...

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! - Phil. 4:4

better late...

2011-04-25T11:20:00.012-05:00

...than never, huh? well, it still has a long way to go, but grey's room will at least be complete (as in, has 4 walls, a bed, and a dresser) for his arrival home this week. not that he'll notice...

there is still much to be done: we are moving the rocking chair in where the swing is now... his mobile and wall decorations are on our list-of-things-to-do (and buy)... bedding is a must... shelves, baskets, and containers are waiting to be lovingly placed in their spots... but all of that will come. eventually.

in the mean time, the most important part of the room -- greyson -- is still holding out! looks like, unless the booger is really a jokester and comes today or in the middle of the night (which would not, incidentally, make me laugh), he will be joining us tomorrow. like i mentioned, i go in at 7:30 AM, so i sincerely hope we meet him mid-morning!!! i can't believe that i will get to meet him finally -- i am so excited!!!

About the pictures:

1. the "main view"... when you walk in the door. i can't wait to put stuff on the walls to make it complete!

2. the entrance to the room and the changing table/dresser

3. the completed (and painted) wall to the living room!

4. the curtains... i'm quite proud of these. i found the gingham curtains for which i had registered (for about 60% off at the pottery barn outlet) then i had that darling cowboy print fabric (that i discussed in a previous post) added to the bottom. i am having a pillow made for the rocking chair that will match... it's a perfect dash of little boy, dontcha think?

bUnNy sHmUnNy

2011-04-21T16:11:00.006-05:00

what's so great about the Easter bunny, anyways? i mean, here i am, minding my own business when my mom and gigi take me to the mall. that's all good and well, i'm thinking. the whole way they keep talking about this Easter bunny we're going to see. bunny? that's pretty fun, i think. they're cute and little and make wiggly motions with their pink noses. who doesn't love a puffy cotton tail? i dig floppy ears as much as the next toddler, ya know?

checkin' it out...

this was no cute bunny, as it turns out. they tricked me! i walked up to the ridiculously spring-motifed so-called 'bunny haven', fresh with hundreds of fake tulips, and see a giant brown thing. is this some sort of sick joke? you want me to snuggle up to that man-rabbit??? i. don't. think. so.

and mom, don't think that you're gonna fool me by saying that you and my brother are going to sit with that "bunny", too. and quit laughing. you are not helping the situation!!!

'grey'tness

2011-04-21T13:21:00.009-05:00

thirty eight weeks and counting, yall! i am shocked and amazed, frankly, that i'm still pregnant -- in a good way :) i definitely had a 'cry wolf' moment this past sunday night (well, actually monday morning, i guess) about 1 am... i woke up to strong, painful contractions and spent 40 minutes timing them. yup! 5 minutes apart... woo-hoo, i thought, it's GO time! i awoke rusty, grabbed my packed bag (its actually thrilling to be able to have packed my own hospital bag - last time my wonderful best friends had to get clothes for me...) and we loaded up a sleepy Carter to stay at pappy and robin's. we get to the hospital and -- you guessed it -- everything slowed down! now hindsight is 20/20, i know... i should have timed my contractions for longer. but, i have been told for the past two weeks, 'it'll happen soon!', so i just had that in my head! suffice it to say i felt a little silly driving home at 4 a.m. having been sent home for 'not making enough progress'. then, of course, all contractions have since been mild and sporadic. this kid is already messin' with mom's head! i guess rusty and i just produce strong willed babies -- one that wouldn't wait to arrive, and one that's diggin' his heals in and refusing to join us! and speaking of digging heals... grey's definitely getting more comfortable and taking over my mid-section. as with most ladies at the 9 1/2 month mark, my ribs are taking a beating! but only on my right side... he's not spreadin' the love and giving some relief to my right side, unfortunately. we visited the doctor today, and things with me continue to 'progress' nicely. basically, grey could choose to arrive at any moment now, but since he is feeling like a Rule Follower ("They said May 3rd, so I'm hanging out in here, by golly, till then!"), we have scheduled an induction for Tuesday, April 26th (when i'm 39 weeks). i am beyond excited!!! because my cervix, etc. is 'ready to go' my doctor suspects that things will move really quickly, since i am already teetering on the 'active labor' line. i will for sure update everyone if grey decides he doesn't like all the sweets i'm eating and gets moving sooner. we thought for sure we'd have the FOURTH member of our family by Easter, so you just never know. i'm thrilled my brother and sis-in-law, chris and gena, are coming with my dad this weekend for Easter so maybe with all the commotion we won't even have to wait till tuesday! always willing to solicit prayers, i ask that everyone ask simply for a safe and smooth delivery and that our sweet SON joins the world with no complications. we pray for the doctor and nurse that will be in the delivery - that the Lord work through them. we also ask for a quick prayer for our lil' BUG, carter, and her transition from only-child to big sister!

viva fiesta

2011-04-16T12:16:00.005-05:00

it's that time of year in good ole SA...

FIESTA!

this is the time of year, for those non-san antonians, that there is special mexican magic in the air. okay, okay, ill be honest. i don't know really all that much about fiesta, or why it's a tradition... but the general idea is that there is a week's worth of festivals, parades, food, beverages, and general tomfoolery in downtown san antonio. i actually don't think that i have ever even been to a fiesta event - no, no. i take that back. i think rusty and i went one time in college. but for some strange reason i don't have a vivid recollection of the transpirings of the evening. weird. but, i digress. the point is that this is a festive time in san an, and to celebrate, carter's school had family fiesta day... it afforded me the perfect opportunity to do my favorite thing: dress her up! i'm pretty sure there's never been a cuter little blond senorita!!

progress...

2011-04-16T12:04:00.005-05:00

it's coming along...

extra insulation stuff (of course i'm trying not to use overly technical verbiage... that, or i just have no clue what its really called) to help block noise from living room

goodbye door, hello wall!

{FINALLY} under construction

2011-04-11T20:50:00.006-05:00

the question i am asked most often is, 'how are you feeling?'. next on the list has to be, 'have you guys finished {or better yet, even started} grey's room?'. i always have to respond with a solemn lament such as: 'not yet'; or, 'soon!'; and then there's the occasional [frustrated], 'before he's graduated from high school for sure!'...

dust free zone!

but alas, the time has come! construction is under way! we are sure this will be the catalyst to get our guy headed home {pun intended}. the latest doctor report for the soon-to-be momma-of-two is that progress has been made in the 'preparing for labor' department. i won't share the details of this to the blogging world, but suffice it to say that grey is most likely gonna be an april baby... :) who doesn't love an april baby?!

i'll keep you posted on the progress of the office-to-nursery transformation!!!

room with a view: the new door into the hallway (left) and the wall that will be insulated and closed up tomorrow - no more entrance to the living room!

me and my belly

2011-03-29T21:55:00.010-05:00

i'm so excited... i took maternity pictures today and got a sneak peak (mom, click on the purple words to see them) of a few pictures already!!! i am thrilled with how they turned out and am so glad i used my sweet friend, ali! she made the session so fun and relaxed and easy. just ask her... i was reticent to even do maternity pictures in the first place, but this may very well be my last {and first, ironically} time to be big-bellied pregnant and i wanted to capture it. what fun to do the pictures with carter, too! we thought it would be a fun surprise to give daddy of his girls and soon-to-be son...

a HUGE thank you to a very talented ali dahlberg [leap year photography] for your art (and sweet words in her blog - i hardly feel deserving of them)!

thirty5

2011-03-29T20:48:00.011-05:00

i didn't think i would get here. really i didn't. it's not that i was being pessimistic, i don't think -- it was more that i just couldn't picture have such a HUGE leap from my first experience. i am officially 11 weeks past when i had Carter. eleven. that's no small number! i can do nothing but be thankful to the Lord for keeping this precious boy in my tummy for so long, and for the peace that He has given to me throughout it all. it's crazy to think that, at most, we have only 5 weeks until we meet our sweet Grey. i just get giddy thinking about it.

thanks for you continued prayers! we are really feeling 'home free' at this point. now i actually have to worry about taking a newborn home... i hardly feel ready! i know that's silly because this is my second go-round, but C was so tinsy and needy (and, let's face it --EASY) that i try to be realistic about having a full-term (or at least close to) baby that weighs more than 4 lbs and actually cries! additionally, i'll have Miss Priss who is used to quite a bit of attention, herself!

my prayer requests are moving away from 'keep Grey in my tummy' {CHECK!}, to the following:

1. a smooth, uncomplicated labor and delivery

2. wisdom to my physicians (both obgyn and cardiologist) that we make the best birth plan for both Grey and me (and my heart!)

3. easy transition for Carter Grace as she welcomes {ready or not!} a baby brother

4. Greyson Scott's health and happiness as he joins us on the outside

sleepy time girl

2011-03-29T12:33:00.002-05:00

designer's corner

2011-03-27T21:02:00.026-05:00

we love our house. really, we do. i do not mean that in a boastful manner, either. it is just the greatest house for us... its in a great location and is close to anything and everything, while still feeling somewhat out of the way and 'country-ish'. the main draw for us is that it just has so much potential. of course potential is just another word for 'needs money'... so projects and additions have and will come slowly. its fun though - it gives us things to work toward and to look forward to.

the main complaint i have of the house, though (there's always something, right?!), is that it was simply not built for a young family. the previous owners custom built the house to meet their specific needs. they were a nice retired couple with grown children, and they had a wheelchair-bound mother living with them as well. so, the house has wide door ways, is one story (which we love!), and has an entire 'mother-in-law suite' which is fantastic for our out-of-town guests. however, it does not have rooms that are made for kiddos! so we're making do.

off the living room is an office (but with a closet, so it was considered a 4th bedroom when we bought the house). now when i say off the living room i mean literally -- it has double doors that literally open in to the living room. the plan in the next couple of weeks is to close off the doorway (as to make a solid wall in the living room) and to put a door in the hallway that leads to Carter's room. C and G will share a bathroom for a while, which won't be an issue for quite some time, but might prove interesting in the future...

the progress on the nursery has been ~~excruciatingly frustrating~~ somewhat slow. i am sure it is combination of 'second child syndrome' and trying to be conscientious with money. and maybe a little procrastination. yes. definitely procrastination. maybe Rusty and i saw Field of Dreams one too many times as children... maybe there's the fear of {if you build it [Grey] will come...}

but alas in the past week or so i have actually bought a few things for Grey's room which is making the transformation from office to Grey's Room feel real. we also were unbelievably fortunate enough to have this gorgeous, circa 1930's, furniture given to us by Rusty's aunt... AH-MA-ZING!!!!!!!!! soooo, Carter's room is getting a makeover also! pictured right is her new furniture before it was moved to our house (obviously the bed won't be utilized for a little while! it's already made a home in our attic till The Bug is old enough to handle a double bed)... i can't wait to post before and after pictures... enjoy these little previews!

trying to be crafty... Grey's name, to be hung on a wall...

pottery barn outlet, you and your rug sale complete me.

fRoM cArTeR

2011-03-21T17:27:00.003-05:00

I haven't written on the blog much lately (Mommy has been ~~hogging~~ updating it) but I just thought I'd take the chance to say hello. Life is going really well. I love the warm weather and I have so much fun playing outside. From the minute I wake up I am asking my mom, "Out?"... She usually makes me wait till after I eat breakfast, which I find bor-ing! But I guess that's okay.

Me and my Daddy -- he's the BEST!!!

Here's a list of my most recent Tricks: * I can open doors now (although I can't quite reach the lock yet, so that's how Mom keeps tabs on me... that and the chime to alert her if I try to make a quick escape). I will say, though, I am usually very good about asking to go out -- can't you just see the halo above my head??? ;) * I am trying to talk more and more (speech therapy is helping, apparently!). Often my parents don't understand what I am saying, although I am clearly trying to communicate something! My most oft used words right now are: out, up, dog, eye, mama, dada, cheese, chip, more, & [my parents' favorite] 'hi baby'... * I love to sing Jesus Loves Me and I prompt this by repeating "jeez", which my parents know is my way of saying 'Jesus'. And lastly, I must address the fact that everyone around me is talking about this whole "little brother" and "baby Grey" business, but frankly, I just don't get it. I mean, what's a brother? I don't have any friends with brothers... I just can't picture it. I overheard my mom say that I won't know what hit me, and that I'm not going to have all the attention any more. I don't know if this is some sort of sick joke or what?! I've spent 22 months being the only apple in my parents' eyes and I have no intentions of changing that -- especially for whatever it is they keep telling me is in Mommy's HUGE tummy (and she insisted that we add the below picture for people we don't see us very often). In fact, my main qualm right now is that I barely fit onto Mommy's lap any more when we read... At least when this brother gets here there'll be more lap room, I should hope!

Mommy and Grey: 33 weeks, 3 days

Hold My Hand

2011-03-21T17:04:00.009-05:00

Today, while playing outside, Carter decided she wanted to walk down to the fence to see a neighbor dog that had wandered over. She started to walk, then turned around and simply held out her hand for me to hold. And together we went down the hill. It sounds simple (well, it is) and maybe a little silly - but I am usually the one to grab her hand and lead the way. Carter did this all on her own - it was a simple little Mommy Moment that melted my heart. These are the times that I am reminded, once again, just how blessed I am. This is what being a mommy is all about. Sure I could be working, making more money. It might cushion the bank account more. Working might make financial sense. It might buy cute stuff. But it could never replace a hand held out.

Thank you, Lord Jesus. I am overwhelmed by your gifts.

June, 2009 -- Just a reminder of the road our sweet Carter Grace has traveled...

Feelin' Green

2011-03-17T18:30:00.008-05:00

Happy St. Patty's Day from Carter!

Flippin' Out

2011-03-16T15:29:00.005-05:00

I was given a Flip camcorder for my birthday (what a fun gift!) The gifters insisted it's sole purpose was to share videos of Carter (and eventually Grey, too, of course)via the blog... So, as promised, here is our first officiall blog video -- of a thrilling adventure: Carter getting up from her nap...

Here's Lookin' at You, 32

2011-03-11T16:08:00.015-06:00

Thirty two, folks. It's a number that rolls easily off the tongue. I'm lovin' it. Here's the latest on sweet Grey...

* he has officially "dropped" which means added comfort [insert rolling eyes here] for mom

* at our doctor's appointment on tuesday he was measuring about 2 weeks small. this was told to me nonchalantly by my doctor (this is quite common when you carry low and the baby has dropped, he assures me). he simply wanted to do an ultrasound at my next appointment in two weeks to check grey's measurements/weight and my fluid levels. i was being Worried Wanda, though, and called back that afternoon to reschedule for the next day... with a history of a congenital heart defect and the other millions of possible causes (sometimes ridiculous, sometimes founded) that plagued my mind, i just needed to check things out. the result - grey's just really scrunched up in my belly :)

* he measured about 3 lbs, 15 oz as of wednesday (the gestational equivalent of about 32 wks, 6 days)... rusty and i feel, of course, that an almost 4 lb baby sounds pretty incredible (after all, carter was 4 and some change when we brought her home!)... but of course 6 or 7 pounds is preferable [and more than that is not-so-preferable, i might add)!

* we laughed because grey's head was measuring 33 weeks, and his abdomen was only 30 weeks. this is exactly how babies grow, of course, in spurts - first one part then the next - but it would be our luck to have a big-headed boy. more room for intelligent brains, right???

carter, mommy & grey, and gigi - 31 weeks, 5 days pregnant!

the only news that was not quite as exciting was that the fetal fibronectin test (pre-term labor indicator) came back positive... this does not mean that i am in, or will go into, pre-term labor (so mom, don't buy a plane ticket yet), it just means they can't rule it out with any certainty. obviously our prayer is that grey stays put for at least another 2-3 weeks (preferably 6+ though!) but it already feels like we are so far ahead of where we were with carter, its hard to feel too antsy. i completely feel the peace of the Lord - He has the ultimate plan and timing!!! i mean, the main thing i'm concerned about it the fact that grey doesn't have a room yet! i guess it's true - the second baby, etc. just doesn't get the same treatment and enthusiasm...

anyways, thanks for continued prayers for our little fella. i love him so much already its pathetic - i really just can't wait to meet him! to find out his quirks and his personality and just simply what he looks like... the sonographer showed us hair on his head, so i am predicting that he is dark haired like daddy! we all know carter's light hair drama (the bangs are growing, i will add quickly) so i know for sure we wouldn't have seen hair on her head if she had been in utero at 32 weeks!

last vignette -- if you see carter, ask her where baby grey is and she will lift up her shirt and point to her belly. stinkin' cute, i'll tell ya!

pig-ture perfect!

2011-02-23T09:23:00.009-06:00

it was only after the day was over and i was looking at the pictures that i realized you couldn't see my eyes in this hat... thanks for the heads-up jen!

as previously mentioned, the rodeo has been in san antonio for the past two weeks. Carter and I enjoyed a lovely day with our friends Jen and Lily on the grounds seeing all the stock! it was a day of cows, and pigs, and horses... oh my! carter was thrilled with all her new furry friends. she even got to pet a horse, a cow, and a goat - all without standing in line for an hour (with every 1st and 2nd grader in the san antonio independent school district) to get into the petting zoo - because people we very nice and couldn't say no to Carter and Lily's cute faces when asked, "Can she pet your [fill in the animal name blank]?" although you can't see him very well, this was us standing by Zeus, an aptly named Clydesdale horse... huge doesn't even touch how big this horse was! his head is up above the top of the pin.

if you know me at all, you know this was probably the greatest moment of my life. a mommy & baby pig with face cut-outs! pigs, you complete me. aaaand... could the title in the yellow banner be any more perfect??? I was in HOG HEAVEN... (sorry, I couldn't resist).

merry go-round! i swear C really did enjoy it, even if this picture it appears that she is annoyed. but i must say, whether due to being pregnant (can i blame every discomfort on that?!) or just getting old, it was a good thing that spinning only lasted a short time. it could have been problematic if the tasty deliciousness (i.e. nachos - gotta love FAIR FOOD) i had just devoured had come back to haunt us...

all in all it was a fun day of seeing Carter be thrilled by one animal after the next. i can't wait for next year when she doesn't call all the animals "dog"...

oH bAbY

2011-02-21T12:22:00.003-06:00

this last week two darling girls were born into this world... i'm sure my pregnancy hormones have made this the hardest thing ever -- i haven't even met these Oklahoma babies yet! they are both already stitched into my heart and i praise God for their safe, healthy, and happy arrivals!!!

without further ado, i am pleased to announce that i became both a 'real' aunt (again) and an 'I'm practically your' aunt -- within a few days of each other, even...

Ellodie Elizabeth Waugh was born at 2:25 PM on Thursday, February 17th to my wonderful (eldest) brother and fabulous SIL (sister in law), Scott and Ashlee. Ellie is my first niece - Carter won't be the only princess on my side of the family now! It'll be so fun to watch Ben (3) and Charlie (2) be big brothers to a little girl... And I can't wait for all the craziness of future Waugh -Belden get-togethers with FIVE kids under the age of 4! And to think my parents were complaining, just a few years ago, that all their friends had grandbabies and they didn't!

{...AND...}

Charlotte Lillian White was born at 2:20 AM on Saturday, February 12th to my best friend since 8th grade and her hubby - Ashley and Josh. Charlotte is already betrothed to Grey which we are all very excited about. Be looking for their wedding announcement in the paper around 2036.

CLW + GSB = True Love

oh the weather outside is...

2011-02-15T15:42:00.000-06:00

... DELIGHTFUL!

its funny to have a post about snow, then a little over a week later we're back to playin' outside, lovin' the warm weather! i am not sure how many of you do or have historically done this, but we have basically been trying to space out all of Carter's Christmas presents (for those of you who just had babies - i highly recommend this for the future!)... i mean, she got more gifts than she could shake a stick at, and there seemed to be no reason to throw them all at her at once - and of course that's easy at this stage because she is none-the-wiser. in fact, we get to look like the hero because we are sporadically showering Carter with a new fun toy/activity! so as the weather is tentatively getting nicer, daddy and mommy decided it was RADIO FLYER time! this was mainly for ~~our enjoyment~~ Carter to experience some old fashioned (and by 'old fashioned' i do mean early to mid '80s style...) fun! what's better than a classic red wagon?! and CG absolutely LOVES it! whenever i open the back door, the first place the heads is to the wagon and climbs right in. her first ride around the yard... emma jane alongside. {and yes, daddy is wearing a t-shirt from college - bless his heart. what's worse... it's not even his t-shirt, i'm pretty sure... i actually think ~~i stole it years ago~~ it belonged to one of my brothers...}

"L" is for the way...

2011-02-14T16:32:00.011-06:00

What's pink frills and red fluff and girly-all over? Carter Grace!!!

It would be wrong for me to let on that I am a big "V-Day" celebrator... But I am not so much a hater either. Perhaps I have fallen, in the past, into the 'apathetic' category. I could take it or leave it... I mean, I do subscribe to the notion that Valentine's is a bit of a Hallmark Holiday. But at this point in my life I am all about showing some love to my wonderful hubby and gorgeous little muffin (holidays are automatically more fun with kids!), so bring on the hearts and sappy music and cupids, I say!

And maybe, just maybe, I we like to have an excuse to play dress up...

Have a wonderful LOVE day :)

And yes, she still loves purses. Poor Daddy...

everybody's doing it...

2011-02-04T17:08:00.014-06:00

... posting SNOW pictures, that is. i know sometimes i get ~~really snobby and annoyed~~ overwhelmed by the number of people who insist, via social networking sites and blogs, that i look at their house/yard/pets and especially their children covered in snow. i think to myself, "yeah, i get it. it's snowing." (don't hate me - i'm just being honest.) but alas, here i am, putting up pictures of my little snow bunny in the snow (and i do use that term very lightly, as san antonio is not known for its blizzards... in fact we had to RUSH outside to take the pictures before it all melted).

tryin' on mommy's hat

so with that said, this post is mainly just for me. and my mom. and the, like, three other people that actually care. ;0) but you can't blame me. she's pretty darn cute!!!

Just walking up a snow bank... er, uh, the driveway... with my daddy!

we don't own gloves for The Bug... don't judge us.

let's rodeo, san antonio

2011-02-04T16:19:00.001-06:00

Practicing her "YEEEE-HAW!!!"

the title is the official slogan of the san antonio stock show and rodeo. i didn't just make it up. i wanted to clear the air before you non-san an people made fun of me.

You can't be serious.

anywho, the rodeo is all the buzz right now in our little metropolis. carter gets to go see the animals sometime this week - we have to wait for more accurate weather predictions before we make the trek out there, though. adding to the festivities, there was a dress up day at carter's mother's day out. here's our little cowgirl (our western-wear was limited, okay?). we're pretty sure she'll be ready for mutton busters next year.

one happy little cowgirl.

i get by with a little help from my friends

2011-02-02T12:10:00.006-06:00

okay, readers. help is needed...

i often have people say they have trouble leaving comments on my blog.

fellow bloggers - what have you advised your non-follower/non-blogging readers?

and non-bloggers who have succeeded in comment-leaving - how can this comment trouble be remedied? if the 'commenter' does not have a blog and is not a follower, which option should he/she choose (i think it gives three choices, though i couldn't even say what they are...) so they don't have to be 'anonymous'?

thanks for any advice/hints!

and baby makes... 4?

2011-01-31T09:36:00.002-06:00

Hugging "Baby Grey" --- Looks sweet and promising, right?

so we have been doing a lot of talking about "baby grey" to miss carter. as i have mentioned, she is not acquiring language quite as swiftly as we would like, so the conversation is purely one-sided. but as we are teaching body parts (eyes, noses, etc.) i have been showing her 'tummy'... along with pointing at 'mommy's tummy' and 'carter's tummy' -- and a slew of doll and stuffed animal's tummies -- i have been trying to tell her that her baby brother is in 'mommy's tummy'. we 'talk' about how fun it will be to have baby grey and how carter will be such a big helper and such a wonderful sister.

being around babies is not completely foreign to carter. in fact, i have a few friends with children a few months younger than carter. it has become the long running joke that carter is the "angelica" of the group. former Rugrats fans, anyone? yes, carter is the older girl that would walk around while the younger babies just lay there... we laughed picturing carter, like the dislikable angelica from the show, thinking "come on BABIES! can't you do anything???" and so began my fears of her being a bossy, unkind big sis...

so last night i decided to do a little 'hands on' activity with a baby doll - a sort of 'warm up', if you will. i wrapped him up in a blanket and hugged him and kissed him. i then handed him to carter, and said, "can you hug the baby?" and, so you see in the first picture, things began with a bang.

my heart soared.

tears came to my eyes.

this is going to be precious and magical, i think dreamily.

but that's where the record scratched, and i was swiftly brought out of my moment. typically, ~~wiggle worm~~ carter got tired of her little rocking chair, so i tried the big mommy and daddy rocking chair... enjoy the subsequent interaction between carter and her fake brother (and please excuse the terrible lighting/quality of the pics)...

I can see the wheels turning... [insert 'Angelica' voice]: "Why is this BABY in the chair with me???"

"Ummm excuse me, BABY, this is my chair. Scoot!"

And then... ... the final PUSH.

could be a long first few weeks, huh?

English Hothouse Cucumber

2011-01-26T09:23:00.009-06:00

Well, Grey is officially showing off. Two weeks past his sister's arrival, and things are going great! According the baby-growth guru website, he is about the size (in length) of, and I quote, "an English hothouse cucumber". I'll give $50 to anyone who can honestly say they can immediately picture the length of this vague veggie... Isn't the point, baby-growth website, to help the mother picture her unborn child's general size? Because random unheard-of vegetables rarely help one to imagine the size of anything. Of course, us Beldens don't have to imagine - we can just open the pictures of our little Carter Grace at what would have been 26 weeks and know generally what Grey's lookin' like (only hopefully fatter)! And as usual, God has a way of answering my prayers to never forget how far we have come with Carter... Just look at this picture! It's odd to have held her and seen her at this stage of of gestation. How can people not believe in miracles and the abounding Goodness of a Loving God?!?! On to belly business, though... The fetal fibronectin that was done on Tuesday came back negative (yay!) meaning that I once again can relax for a week or two. The maternal-fetal specialist has given me the following information:

The cause of my previous pre-term labor was not due to a cervical incompetence issue.
However, I am still at as much risk of having pre-term labor as I was before.
Any subsequent pregnancy (should there be another, which is a topic of debate between Russell and I) will have the same 'risk', even if Grey is a happy, healthy 40-weeker -- because the greatest risk of a preterm birth is a previous preterm birth (and apparently its completely erratic and unpredictable... as is my life).
I will no longer be seeing the specialist, because basically, there's no need. This makes us slightly nervous, naturally, but the thing they were monitoring weekly has proven to not be the cause of my problems, thus it no longer needs monitoring.

With all that said, we are just trying to keep healthy, which has been problematic, it seems. Rusty and I keep saying to each other, "I'm so tired of being sick!"... Add on to that the beginning of not sleeping well... Is this supposed to start already?!? My already racing ADHD mind is going nuts at night. When I finally get to sleep I wake up an hour or two later, obsessively focused on something that is ridiculously silly and/or unimportant, yet I cannot stop thinking about it. I had always heard women had a hard time sleeping when pregnant, but this seems a bit early, in my opinion! It's not even a discomfort issue of a big belly... Hopefully when I can once again breathe through my nose my sleep patterns will get back to my normal comatose, sleep-through-a-train-wreck self.

And, by popular demand - a BELLY PICTURE... Greyson Scott, 26 weeks:

Don't mind the p.j.s, tired eyes, swollen sinuses, and sad-looking hair... Focus on the rapidly expanding belly!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2011-01-25T20:50:00.021-06:00

Other moms, give me some love here... I'm not too proud to say I am needing some encouragement. Take a look at the pictures... they tell the story. First, a mini photo shoot of Carter with "pig-tails", which I was known for, as a child. Too cute, huh? I took this photo shoot because the mini piggies lasted 31.8 seconds before they were effectively yanked out by the little nugget.

So not my best photography...

You see the problems we have had are many... First, as most of you remember, Carter has pretty much NOT had hair up until the last few months. This is common amongst us 'fair hairs' -- I didn't have hair until approximately age 10 -- but it caused us much grief as Carter was oft mistaken for a boy (due only, I assure you, to the combination of her lack of hair and people's gross ignorance). I mean she could literally be in solid glittery pink from head to toe and people would ask, "How old is HE?" Naturally I was supremely offended by this ridiculousness. Sooo - we were really thrilled when Carter started to get hair. Therein, however, lies the second problem... her hair is sort of growing in mullet-ish. Rusty keeps telling people that she's "party in the back; business in the front"... And really the baby mullet is fine and cute to a certain extent - I can handle it, if it means hair growth. Lastly, however, is problem three: the bangs were unevenly growing, so as to create a sort of 'arrow' in the middle. I was trying to comb them to one side, but that definitely looked boy-ish. These three problems led me to my fateful decision...

Cut the bangs. It's true. I took scissors to her bangs... I couldn't cut more than that! She barely has much to begin with, and it took so long to achieve... but now we have a little Buster Brown... Or is it closer to He-Man??? If we aren't careful we'll end up as a Jeff Foxworthy 'You Might be a Redneck' joke on par with our good friend Joe Dirt... But lesson learned, people. Lesson learned. Any more "hair-cuts" will be done by a trained professional. Anyways, if there are other mothers out there who want to make me feel better about this 'really short bangs with a long tail' haircut, feel free. Any 'my child is a kind, sweet, Godly person even after our sad run-in with the scissors' stories... Or 'my child is not showing any signs of us needing to take out a second mortgage to pay for the shrink bills after that hair-cut incident a few years back' stories are welcome. Here's the final product:

Christmas in January

2011-01-22T14:23:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me, while organizing my picture files on my computer, that I never posted Christmas 2010 pictures. Wow. Where is my brain? I'll blame it on the fact that Carter and I left for Oklahoma on December 26th, consequently not giving me time to upload and pay the proper amount of due to Carter's 2nd Christmas. Plus when I go to Oklahoma its like I'm stepping into an alternate world where my normal activities and dedications are all but forgotten.

Really? Could there be any cuter dress (the dress model makes it that much cuter, naturally)? This is where mommies and daddies differ, though.... daddy could not, for the life of him, understand why Carter needed a ~~very~~ somewhat pricey dress that she would only wear one time. And although Carter's dress ended up being a gift from Pappy and Robin (thus alleviating daddy's ~~bellyaching~~ concern with the price) us mommies know that the answer daddy's confusion is simply, "It's her Christmas dress." Enough said. Of course after seeing her in it, I don't think I'll hear the same complaint next year. It was cuuuuuuute.

Christmas morning... what do ya know? Santa came!!! Rockin' the Christmas jammies along with the newly opened Spring '11 Janie and Jack line... Can't wait for Easter pics with these and the dress she got. And if you look closely you'll see her pink bunny slippers (reminiscent, I believe, of Christmas Story - when Ralphie has to put on the head-to-toe bunny onesie from his aunt... anyways, if you cut off just the feet of his outfit, that is what Carter's slippers look like) You can't see the full amazing-ness of this outfit that C has on (please pick up on the thick sarcasm with which I discuss this outfit), but let me assure you, its remarkable... Gigi bought it for her when she was first born - I mean literally still in the hospital - and was so excited for her to finally fit into it! Carter was less-than-thrilled with the tinsel-like collar that it had on it, and kept trying to take of the various 3-dimensional objects sewed onto it. Needless to say, it didn't stay on too long...

Tryin' out the new stroller for babies at Grammies.

Cousins on Christmas Eve. And YES, this was the best picture I got... Walker, Berkeley, Carter, and Finley.

boy oh boy

2011-01-21T09:50:00.005-06:00

lets face it. girls are so much easier... to decorate for, that is. i know in the long run, girls are far more dramatic, high-maintenance, and time-consuming. but when i comes to creating a nursery - i'll take a girl any day. i keep looking for fabric to make a bumper for grey's crib and do you know what i keep finding? fabric to make a duvet cover for when carter moves to a 'big-girl bed' - which is NOT in the near future, i might add. the thing is that i found this fabric i love... it's light blue background with cowboys on horseback... i found this picture online, but it doesn't show the cutest part which is the cowboys riding the horses... anywho, its truly darling. but here's the problem with this fabric... i don't want grey's room "themey"... especially western themed. right now i am cringing thinking about someone who has a floor-to-ceiling western themed boy's room reading this and thinking i am rude... allow me to clarify - i think that themes can be darling - really - its just not me... in fact, many people love themed rooms and i give those people kudos - one of my favorite people in the world, whom i respect and adore -- my mother -- suggested i go with a "teddy bear theme". yes she was serious. yes i love her. and yes, it is a wonder i turned out so fantastically well-adjusted. on a brighter note, i did find the skirt and sheets i want to use - wish me luck finding the perfect reasonably priced fabric to get the bumpers made... ideas are welcome.

i have found some fun things for our little addition... just a few things on my wish list:

isn't this double jogging stroller the best? i love the color! i have heard from many-a-mom-of-two that this bumbleride indie twin stroller is the way to go... it can hold the car seat when you have an infant, while the second seat can simultaneously hold the toddler. and just because i don't 'jog' (or do anything that even resembles a brisk stride) doesn't mean i don't ~~need~~ want a ~~way too expensive~~ wonderful stroller.

okay, so i found this DIY (do-it-yourself) tutorial on making your own mobile. frankly, every mobile i see is mostly cheesy. poor carter never even got one because i never found one i liked well enough.

now, now. slow down. i know you're thinking in your head "cheesy? did she see the BUTTERFLY mobile she just uploaded onto this page?! talk about cheesy! grey could never face the world if he has to stare at that for the first several months of his life".

stop and listen, imaginary criticisers! i need you all to use your imagination. this is just the model... i can make it ANY way i want! i'm picturing dark and light blue, dark and light green, gray, and brown felt LEAVES (or something equally 'manly' and outdoorsy...) instead of the pictured pink, purple, blue and green butterflies. i would also make my mobile brown or light blue instead of white. now wouldn't that be all boy-ish and fun?! i think YES.

another idea i have been ~~googling~~ brainstorming is a custom painted "wall" for grey's room. carter has the awesome tree in her room (painted by the lovely and talented Lisa Kattman), which i am still obsessed with today... normally i grow tired of things quickly and, to make an admission to you all, i love change. LOVE it. i would move every two years if my husband would allow it. i would repaint rooms, get furniture re-upholstered, and get new dishes and art every year or two, also... if i could afford it. but carter's tree is one thing i never want to change. when i think about redecorating her room, which i do ~~obsessively~~ sometimes, i always think, "how can i make this work with the tree?"... so, the point of my meandering thoughts points me back to grey's wall. it needs to, again, be boyish and fun without being silly or themey. picky picky. maybe an argyle section in the middle of one wall? i'm thinking one horizontal "stripe" if you will - almost like [insert a throaty gulp! and squirms of hatred here] a wallpaper boarder...? the picture above is full wall, which i think is a bit much... i'm still searching though so send me any ideas!!! more to come, as i am pretty sure i am "nesting" right now and have a weird need to share my thoughts via the internet.

rsv

2011-01-20T10:06:00.006-06:00

remember the ridiculously priced shots that carter had to take last year for 5 months? if you don't, i'll assure you our bank account does. carter received, due purely to her inordinately early arrival, the Synagis shot to help prevent her from getting rsv (respiratory syncytial virus). the reason we got these shots was because rsv is the #1 reason children 2 and under are hospitalized... it affects their lungs and can have serious repercussions the smaller and more fragile the baby [insert 5 lb baby carter into the "very scary" category of fall/winter 2009]. but alas, she has grown and matured, and they don't allow 'just any baby' to take these Synagis shots... and, as you've probably already deduced... guess who got it this year? ding ding ding! that's correct - carter grace.

i mean, could she look any cuter considering her sickness? i submit that she could not. and turn your judging eyes away from her Christmas jammies... they fit, by golly, and she will wear them until they cease to do so.

anyways, the doctor said carter 'sounds' pretty good considering she has rsv. it's not too badly into her lungs at this point. we are basically just doing an inhaler every 3-4 hours as a prophylactic measure, but otherwise, since its viral, its pretty much a "lay low and wait it out" kinda thing. i will brag on her, though. she also has a coinciding ear infection in one ear (one tube fell out, which is very common, since she will have had them a year in February). all of this, and she still is truckin' along - smiley and sweet. i hope she doesn't grow out of that, because i am not nearly so pleasant when i don't feel well... and daddy ~~is the biggest baby on the face of the planet when he's sick~~ can struggle through sickness, too. and i'm thinking we are going to invest in Kleenex brand tissue, as we going through them like they're going-out-of-style. oh, the joys of motherhood -- a perpetually snotty nose, a draining ear, constantly watering eyes, and sneezes that seem to have a 1/2 mile spray radius... and then she wants a kiss.

Introducing...

2011-01-19T11:10:00.000-06:00

... Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Dahlberg!

Ummm - cutest couple ever? Most wonderful couple ever? Yes and Yes.

I can't even describe how wonderful this weekend was! I feel like I just gush and gush when I'm asked about it. It was absolutely my honor and privilege to be a part of Kacee and Kyle's union - they are truly what I think of when I hear Matthew 19:6 - "So they are no longer two but one. Therefor what GOD has joined together, let no man put asunder."

The venue was truly incredible. The cake was scrumptious. The flowers were impeccable. Kacece looked GORGEOUS, of course! Kyle was such a handsome groom! It was just flat out perfect. Everyone was so relaxed and just enjoying the magic that always fills a wedding weekend. Here are some highlights, for your viewing pleasure.

That's right... A Pi Beta Phi pic. Look at those ANGELS!!! (and if you know Kacee and me - especially if you were at Baylor with us and saw our dedication {or lack thereof} to I.C. Sorosis - this should make you laugh audibly...)

The CREW! I love my friends. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. And P.S. red Tom's shoes are absolutely the BEST bridesmaids gift in the entire world... Sooooo cute, huh?!?! Putting them on my pregnant feet after standing in 3 inch heels for barely 30 minutes was a little piece of heaven. Rusty and me with my parents, AKA Gigi and Pop Pops... Just after we busted a move on the dance floor (minus Rusty, of course). And I am NOT kidding when I say we were jammin'... Poppa Waugh, as my friends call him, was rockin' and rollin' and was a HIT.

My girls... Dani and Tamara. Or as I call them, Chief and Poodle.

What a "Greyt" Day!

2011-01-18T19:39:00.006-06:00

Okay, okay. Forgive the cheesy title. I couldn't help it. Why say Great when it comes to Grey??? It had to be Tony the Tiger "Greeeee-yt"... It just works.

First and foremost, may I say... Happy 25th Week to Us! Its a milestone for sure, and officially the first day of the rest of my pregnancy. Uncharted territory, here we come! We feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude to our Creator for sustaining this pregnancy this long. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, but we know that we have been given this 25 weeks, and that is a miracle and blessing in and of itself. We pray, obviously, that everything continues on this current route, but also know that if something does happen we will be sustained through the Lord.

How blessed am I?!?! Beautiful flowers from my precious friends...

Not only was today great just because its officially Week 25 (hip-hip-hooray!) but because we received awesome news at the specialty clinic today... Here's the low-down - and I apologize in advance for the discomforting frequency with which I mention and/or detail the/my cervix:

* another echo was done on Grey's heart and things are still looking ship-shape! There does not appear to be any heart defect at this time. Again, as he grows we will continue to monitor everything, but so far so good.

* my check-up (to make sure my cervix isn't shrinking inordinately) was fabulous, as well... In fact, the specialist has now said that they will do another fetal fibronectin and check me next week (26 weeks gestation), and if everything is 'normal' he will not need to see me again! Can you believe it? It's bitter sweet, I must admit - there is a certain peace-0f-mind that comes with the weekly "all clear". However, it is mostly ah-ma-zing because, from what I understand, once we reach week 26 and there is no cervical 'issue' it confirms the notion that Carter's early arrival was, for lack of a better phrase, a 'freak thing' and not due to a ridiculously named (in my humble opinion) Incompetent Cervix (I mean really? Incompetent? Nobody wants anything they say or do, much less any part of your physical person to be deemed 'incompetent'. Probably some man doctor who has never given birth nor had a cervix at all named it that... Idiot. But I digress...)

So, all that to say we are pleased-as-punch that all is well. Lots of prayers for another 15 weeks (hey I'll take anything 11 weeks or more - I hate to get too picky!!!) of happy growing.

Grey enjoying his future Auntie Kacee and Uncle Kyle's wedding:

24 weeks, 4 days

"The LORD is good to all; his tender mercies are over all his works."

- Psalm 145:9

24

2011-01-12T09:17:00.006-06:00

logically i know that there is nothing magical or doom-ridden about this week. i mean, i know in my head that its silly to be paranoid about it. yet... i can't wait for tuesday --i.e. the day that week 25 begins -- as if holds the key to a full term pregnancy!

i started 'week 24' yesterday with my usual weekly check, which was right-as-rain. i also had the fetal fibronectin which... Praise You Lord Jesus!... came back negative (which we all know in the medical world is a big fat positive). basically what this tells us is that i am for sure NOT in pre-term labor right this minute. it has a 99% accuracy rate with predicting pre-term labor for the next 1-2 weeks. so, the negative test says, essentially, that i have a 1 in a 1,000 chance of going in to labor in the next week or two.

this is all good news in the grand scheme of things, of course, but also because one of my bestest friends in the whole world is getting married saturday... now i can bust a move on the dance floor without worry grey will be the wedding gift. in fact, it's funny that kacee's wedding was planned for this week, of all weeks... she, of course, had no idea it was the week in my pregnancy that i had carter. the Lord works in mysterious ways, i assure you, because it has really helped keep my mind off my belly, and has given me something to be so excited for. hopefully i'll have a cute belly pic to post after the weekend...

so, week 24 you can just fly right on by. don't pass go, don't collect $200. just move right on by. and week 25, i love you already. i know you will treat us right. thank you for being the light at the end of this bleak 24th week.

and yes, i know this post has nothing to do with this sweet munchkin face, but have you ever in your life seen such a cute girl?

belly news

2011-01-05T11:20:00.006-06:00

i must say, i think i have been only mildly panicked thus far in my pregnancy... only because the Lord has given me a peace, i know! but still, i have tried to be rational through some scary moments, all of which turned out to be "fine". i can feel the anticipation growing, though. grey is now 23 weeks, 1 day... meaning only 1 week, 4 days away from "D day" (D can = any of the following: delivery, disaster, distress, devastating - or, as i like to think of it, divine - as in Divine intervention!)... the gestational age that we had carter. i have been going in for my weekly checks and thus far the doctors are quite pleased. next week, so they tell me, is a "big" week in determining pre-term labor... I will be getting my usual cervical check and also another test that helps detect pre-term labor called a fetal fibronectin. from what i gather, this test basically tells the doctor if i am in labor. if it comes back negative (lots of prayers!) then they will basically 'downgrade' me from very high-risk to 'mild-moderately' high risk. what a big releif that will be! also, they did the full body ultrasound on grey a few weeks ago... all was well! there were no markers for Downs syndrome or spina bifida. the echo cardiogram turned out good, also. so, basically, what they said, concerning his heart, is that he for sure doesn't have a heart defect that is as severe as mine was. they cannot rule out a small defect just yet, though, so we will be prayerful that future echos are as wonderful!!! in other, unimportant news, my belly already much bigger than it ever was with carter, so that's both fun (in an 'I'm-reaching-uncharted-territory' sort of way) and not-so-fun (in a 'i've-already-gained-more-weight-than-I-did-with-carter' sort of way)... must be because grey's gonna be a bruiser, right?! and always a popular question: "are you craving anything?" - the answer - not particularly... i do want sweets a lot (krispy kreme donuts and a cupcake? yes please!) and often greasy food (ched-r-peppers from sonic and chick-fil-a waffle fries? yummo!) but i try to resist those ridiculous urges (albeit not always successfully). otherwise, we are just truckin' along... trying to not put much stress (physically and emotionally) hasn't proved easy with our crazy life and carter running around everywhere! please continue to pray for grey's growth and development and that he stays put for months to come!!!

lIgHtS, cAmErA, aCtIoN

2011-01-03T10:30:00.004-06:00

bundled up, ready to see the lights!

mommy and daddy took me to the coolest place earlier in december (before santa came). i looked with amazement at all the beautiful lights. we walked a trail right on lake LBJ, in marble falls. this kind of thing really gets you in the Christmas spirit!

got tired of my stroller... daddy's shoulders give a much better view

daddy, mommy, and me in the tunnel of lights... ooooh! ahhhh!

Better Not Pout... Better Not Cry

2010-12-15T13:15:00.010-06:00

When asked how Carter would react to her FIRST visit to see Santa, and if she would cry or not, I'm pretty sure this was my exact response (and I believed every word, incidentally):

"Oh, I don't think she'll run up and hug him or anything, but I know she won't cry. She is just so friendly and loves people... I don't think she has never cried when being held by anyone. It'll probably just be more of a quiet stare, sort of deer-in-headlights, but for sure no tears."

And then we met Santa...

In happier news, the day wasn't a total bust. Carter ran around La Cantera shouting with glee, post trauma. One lady that saw her said, "Now THAT is Christmas!", and I couldn't agree more!

While waiting for Santa, Carter happily drove the fire engine, blissfully unaware of the travesty that awaited her.

It almost looks like there's real snow in the background... We can only wish. Thanks Anthropologie for the fake stuff.

Shades of Grey

2010-12-06T17:36:00.002-06:00

We have officially named the Baby Formerly Known As both Baby Dos and Baby Boy...

Greyson Scott Belden

will be his full name. We plan to call him simply Grey.

Its so fun to put a name with this little bundle that occasionally flutters about in my tummy! He is growing and doing well thus far. I can't believe we will be 19 weeks along, tomorrow! We currently go in for weekly checks, which has with it great peace-of-mind. I am still taking weekly injections (Nurse Rusty is getting to be quite the expert...) of progesterone - a specific type which has been shown to decrease premature labor, in women with a history of premature labor, by 35%. Naturally in most instances I would turn my nose up at a measly 35%, but in this situation it actually sound incredibly triumphant. We go in December 14th for our "big" ultrasound, where they will check Grey's brain and do an echo cardiogram on his heart (if he cooperates, that it!). Since I was born with a congenital heart defect, they will do special checks on his heart as I do have an increased chance of having a baby with a heart defect. Prayers are appreciated for a clean bill of health for Grey and no heart problems!!!

these are a few of my favorite things

2010-12-03T07:48:00.009-06:00

there are lots of activities going on in the Belden household... and by that i mean books to read, a buggy/car to ride in and push around, and dogs to love. life is busy for the missy!

don't get me wrong, i know all one-year-olds are active, but it is so funny to watch the basically 20-second-per-item/toy attention span. then its off to the next things.

if Carter was a rich talk-show host, these are the things she would give away to deserving babies:

1. a big, older-ish dog... what could be more fun? Bentley is the greatest toy she has. she kisses him, lays on him, and hugs him. every baby should have a big dog who will let them crawl on him/her (unlike certain other dogs, whom i wont name, but rhymes with 'Lemma', who just wiggle and lick when Carter comes'a'calling)

2. the old fashion fred flinstone 'buggy-car'... okay, so that's what i call it. i don't know the brand name or official name, but its the same little car we all had when we were little (why is so fun to see Carter play with a toy i loved as a kid - is that totally cheesy?!)... the kind you propel by 'walking' your feet on the ground (hints my fred flinstone car reference). she hasn't mastered moving it with just her tootsies yet, but she dances to the music button (the 'horn') and pushes the entire car from the outside (often into the wall, as it is currently in her play room).

3. the singing dog... that doesn't turn on reliably, and still sings when you think you have turned it off. otherwise, its the best thing ever - and again, that is not it's official name, if you hadn't guessed. you push his belly or foot or ear and he sings various classics like the alphabet song, as well as some new ones that i could pathetically recite, but won't (i will accept your thanks in the form of letters, emails, hugs, and desserts).

4. a basket of fake food... all of which i purchased in the very dangerous "dollar" section at a store that rhymes with "Larget" (does anyone else share this weakness? maybe we could start a club...). the best part of the food filled basket? dumping all the food out, of course! ahh, if we could all return to simpler times when your first thought isn't, "great! now i'm going to have to pick all this up!"

we heart gigi

2010-12-01T12:10:00.008-06:00

these past few weeks have been a challenge, to say the least! i have hesitated to write much about the goings-on of the Belden (slash Waugh) family. it is one thing to frivolously splash our humorous stories, boring growth and developmental information, and other vingettes (that are intended to one day embarrass our children) on our blog, but it is quite another to take others' personal struggles and (praise God) triumphs and air them for all to read.

without all the details i will just share how incredibly proud we are of Carter's "Gigi", better known as Sheri - my mom. she was given the news just a few short weeks ago that she was facing, as she now calls it, "the big C". cancer. what a fear-laced word it is. it was caught early, though, and she is now a walking spokesperson for yearly mammograms... in just 12 months everything changed! although the cancer was only found in one side, she made the brave decision to do a bilateral (better known to peons like me as a 'double') mastectomy. 'we are not going through this again' was the mantra.

it was my privelage to walk through this process with her. she has been brave, positive, and most importantly, confident in the Lord. may she be an example to the nearly 1 in 3 women who will face breast cancer of how to beautifully and gracefully handle the fear, pain, loss, and adjustments that come with the biopsies, the poking and proding, the surgery, the post-op struggles, and the reconstruction.

we love you and are proud to call you OUR gigi!!!

talking is overrated

2010-11-11T09:08:00.012-06:00

i can't believe i haven't updated you guys on our trip to the developmental clinic... as most of you remember we went april-ish to check in with the developmental md and his nurse practitioner, along with his team of OT, PT, nutritionists, speech pathologist, etc.

needless to say they thought carter was perfectly precious, wonderful, and darling (or was that me projecting my obsession on to them?... i digress...). basically the final conclusion is that carter is pretty darn fabulous! she is ahead of her adjusted age (which is 14 months yesterday), but not quite to her biological age (which is 17 1/2 months). her motor skills are really good - she is practically running, has great balance, can bend down and pick up any object with out sitting, pick items up and carry them and hand them off, she can "throw" objects (not far, mind you, but a throw, nonetheless)... her fine motor skills are fabulous too - she daintily uses her pinchers to pick of the smallest objects (including various trash and general nastiness found on random unclean floors - like our kitchen...).

the main "issue", which i shutter to even say, is her lack of verbal skills. don't get me wrong, the girl babbles ceaselessly, but few, if any real, consistent words are being used. "Uh-oh" is the most used - and that can be for any object she drops (or throws), or anything that anyone else drops, or even for the plethora of objects that happen to be on the ground (including toys, trash, and leaves). the verdict with both the specialist and our pediatrician is that we will get carter some speech therapy if she doesn't have 3-5 correctly and consistently used words by Christmas. sounds good to us! i think if i have to hear the parrot-ish "aaagh!" and pointing to indicate her wants for much longer i might have to get ear plugs. which would make me feel like a bad mom, so speech therapy it is! :)

carter grace, two weeks - we've come a long way, baby!

seeing the specialist is always a great reminder from God about how very blessed we truly are. its really nice to have people, experts at that, tell you how lucky we are to have a baby that was born so early that has virtually no effects from her prematurity. i mean if the worst thing we have to deal with is a skinny baby who isn't interested in talking, well then we say PRAISE JESUS! it is mainly the pregnancy hormones that make my eyes well-up when i think about how far we have come. we couldn't be more thankful for God's blessings on our precious, wild girl!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Give me a...

2010-11-04T12:26:00.005-05:00

you got your B, you got your B!

thats right folks! B is for BOY... im gonna have a LITTLE BROTHER!! i am so excited - now i won't have to share my clothes/bows/girly toys and i'll still be daddy's only little princess! :) so far Baby Brother is growing like he should, and the two ultrasounds that mommy has had in the past two weeks show that everything is 'normal' and well. she goes to see the maternal-fetal specialist in two weeks, and thus will begin the most likely bi-weekly scans/ultrasounds/monitoring. the good news is that mom and dad get to see Baby Boy a lot... i'm so excited for all the fun to come with a family of FOUR!!! please continue to pray for mommy to keep Brother in her tummy for a LONG time to come and that he is healthy and happy! love, carter the big sis