Living the Adventure, Telling the Stories
Just not feeling the depth today. I’ve got a post that’s about half finished, and you may see it sometime in the next week. To say that it’s deep is an understatement…it contains so much heart-spilling that I need to be careful about how I say things and what I share…another reason that I’m waiting it out to make sure it’s okay. Ya know?
But, really, my random is a fun peek into the inner workings of Mel’s ever-racing brain.
How can that NOT be enjoyable?! AND I’m kinda enjoying the random Saturdays. Maybe we’re finally getting into a blogging groove.
First up? Seriously, world, abandon ALL hygrometers. (Ok, ok, so I really wanted you to think I was smart, but even I am not that smart.
A hygrometer is what’s used to measure humidity. Thank you, thank you Wikipedia.
:)) Anyway, with Mel’s head, you will never need one again. Oh. My. Goodness. I diffused it for LESS than two minutes…and this picture was taken AFTER I calmed it down with the help of some serious hair gel and a straigtener. Even my daughter laughed at me, and I am not kidding. Tobin was there and can testify. THIS is why I rarely leave it curly.
Yesterday at Target I found 10 episodes of Punky Brewster for $4something. Awesome. Does anyone else remember that show
? It has been a happy couple of days in the Schroeder house. Even Mae watched an episode with me.
😉
I dug out the volleyball today so Tob and I could bump it around a bit before the big volleyball tournament next month. I haven’t touched a volleyball since before getting pregnant with Mae. Oh, wow, I have some practicing to do!
I woke up this morning craving sausag
e. Sausage. Really?! Who craves sausage? Just sayin’. And I didn’t eat it cause we didn’t have any, but don’t think I wasn’t slightly grumpy about that. I had a brownie instead, which wasn’t a terrible trade-off.
Caribou has buy one get one free drinks this weekend, which is pretty sweet. So we had a short coffee date after our weekly run to Target.
Just FYI, don’t order the White Berry Cooler made with Dark Chocolate. It pretty much tastes like cough syrup after the first few drinks. (However, ordering it also kept me from drinking the whole thing, so there ya go…we’re lookin’ on the bright side.
:))
Do you see this ugly sign in our yard? Yeah, we’re ready to see it GO AWAY!!!!! Will you pray that this coming week that will happen? It could, and we would LOVE for it to be gone!
The last few Oprah shows are this week. I can’t say I’ve watched her religiously this year…I guess missing five years straight kind of weaned me from the need to watch every day. However, I am a bit sad on many levels. Sometimes, she had really good shows.
I’m sad that I will never get to go to a taping, although I tried multiple times! I hope she uses her seriously powerful influence in a good way. I am looking forward to the Farewell Oprah party at a friend’ s hou
se, though. 
And my favorite random for last…Maelie’s scrunchy face. Seriously, I love this face. She got it from me…which I am extremely proud of.
Yay for my UH-dorable daughter! And a picture that should make your weekend complete.
Happy Saturday to all of you!
May 8, 2011
Dear Maelie,
It might seem a little odd that I’m writing to you on my very first Mother’s Day. But there are some things I want you to know, my girl, because I love you.
God took your daddy and me on a journey, one that was not what we had imagined at all, before he made us parents. And because of the waiting, heartache, and tears, we know that you are that much more special. Through all of that, He had you picked out for us!
Our little Mae, you are so very loved and treasured.
When I first found out I was expecting you, I was SO EXCITED. (It was really hard to keep it a secret for a few weeks!) Over time, I was convinced you were a boy. (Isn’t that so funny?) But deep down I w anted
a girl, and God knew that and gave me the desire of my heart.
You made my dreams come true on June 14, 2010, when you made your entrance into this big, crazy world. I couldn’t wait to hold you, love you, hug you, kiss you, snuggle you, pray for you…be mommy to you. You came out ready for all of that…and at the same time, marching to the beat of your own drum.
I like that.
I like it that you’ve found your own rhythm so early in life. There’s gonna be a lot of dancing going on in our house as you grow up!
You’re going to learn a lot of steps from me, and you’ll teach me some, too. And we’ll figure out this mother/daughter dance of life together. It’ ll be fun.
😉
I also want you to know how much I love dreaming BIG dreams for you. As fun as it is to imagine what you might be like, though, I want your dreams to be
your own. I know God will give you those dreams, and I can’t wait to see who you will become!
With everything in me, I want you to be a girl who grows up to love Jesus and others.
Your daddy and I want you to see the world and learn to love
the beauty of diversity. (But take your time growing up because the first year has already gone by too quickly!)
I love you so much, my sweet girl. And even though it’s Mother’s Day, today I celebrate you.
Because you are what makes me mama…and you make my life so much sweeter, so much more beautiful, and so much more blessed.
May you find God’s blessings in each moment and grow to love Him more and more each day.
I’ll love you forever,
Mommy
It’ s been a bu
sy weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Schroeder were here yesterday and part of today, so Maelie had plenty of love and attention, which she was just fine with! We also had some other things going on, and tonight Mae was across the street with our friends for a couple hours.
By the time I walked in the door with her at 8:23 p.m., I didn’t feel like I’d really spent much time with her over the weekend.
Before I tucked her in tonight, I decided she needed a longer story time. (And maybe some extra cuddles, too.) We read one of her favorites, Goodnight Moon, which we read at least once a week.
Then I pulled a book off the shelf that we hadn’t read yet, The Twelve Gifts of Birth. In fact, the book was given to me, probably ten years ago, and I’d never read it.
It was beautiful…a special moment to read this book with Maelie.
Even though I’m pretty sure it’s a secular book, the values in it are things that I would, and often do, pray for my daughter as she grows up.
As I read through each of these tonight, my heart filled with hope as I imagined this little girl, who right now fits on my lap but will soon grow up to learn and demonstrate each of these in her life.
*Strength: May you remember to call on God always.
*Beauty: May it be shown each day in your life as you live out your faith.
*Courage: May you speak and act with confidence and use courage as you follow the path God h
as for you.
Compassion: May you be gentle with yourself and others. May you forgive those who hurt you and yourself when you make mistakes.
*Hope: Through each passage and season, may you trust in the goodness of God.
Joy: May it keep your heart open and filled with light.
*Talent: May you discover your own special abilities and use them to glorify God.
Imagination: May it nourish your visions and dreams.
Reverence: May you appreciate the wonder that you are and the miracle of all creation.
*Wisdom: Guiding your way, wisdom will lead you through knowledge to understanding.
May you hear His voice.
Love: It will grow each time you give it away.
*Faith: May you believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ.
Quotes taken from The Twelve Gifts of Birth, by Charlene Constanzo.
(*And modified by me. :))
Out of all the times we share together, praying for my daughter is the most special. I’m so excited to watch God’ s plan for her unfold.
To preface this story, you need to know how few date nights Tobin and I have had, just the two of us, since Maelie was born. I think three, counting tonight.
So it’s kind of a big deal.
And we really have no problem with taking Mae along with us when we decide to go out. She’s part of us and we love her! But sometimes, it’s nice to just be the two of us.
So I decided on Thursday that the $20 I had in my wallet would best
be spent on hiring a babysitter
for tonight. Then Tobin and I could go to the kids’ musical at our church’s school, just the two of us, and
then even out for dinner afterward.
(Ok, so half of it would be romantic.)
We hired the babysitter, told her we had to be out the door by 6:45, preferrably a little earlier, and that was that.
Or so we thought.
6:15 rolls around, and I start to have this feeling. I just know she’s not going to show up.
6:30. Still no babysitter. Tobin tries to call, gets her voicemail a couple times.
6:40. Mel starts to get mad. Really, the flames were ready to shoot…I had to squelch them, and I think I did a pretty good job of holding in the fire.
6:45. I decide to take Mae with us and just go, at which time our sitter finally calls to say she’s on the way. But we’ve got to get out the door, so it’s too late.
I literally snatched the diaper bag as we were running out the door, hoping that we had what we needed, and thankfully I had already made a bottle.
And Maelie was great, she really was.
She sat through the first half of the play and did pretty well, just getting a little fussy. (Which I can hardly fault her for…it was past her final feeding and bedtime.) After intermission, Tobin took her to the back of the gym, and she had her bottle and, for the most part, was happy for the rest of the show.
My sweet friend offered to watch her for us so we could go out to dinner, which made my night.
So Tobin and I went to Emmett’s, a local place, and spent an hour or so just chatting and enjoying being together.
We have missed that aspect of our relationship…and I was so thankful it worked out that we could still have our “date”. We talked about a lot…from an issue we’re thinking through to baby names, which we do NOT need to be thinking about yet. Just sayin’. 😉
It was good…and I got home tonight (late) feeling very blessed.
By friends who will step in to help you salvage a bit of sanity, by kids who sing their hearts out and make me smile just listening to them, by a church that we love and are excited to be part of, by a sweet daughter who blesses our lives in countless ways every single day, by a husband who loves me despite my less-than-stellar moments.
(Like the times when flames are about to start shooting…)
I’m beyond blessed.
And so, so thankful.
It’s Thursday.
Three Thursdays in a row means that this is now tradition…right?
And I’m still drinking decaf, so for me, this is late afternoon NON caffeine. But that’s ok…it’s the whole sipping something fro m a
mug
while we chat thing that counts…right?
We were gone all day, from 8 am until after 3 pm. That’s a long time to be gone from home with an almost-ten-month-old. I have to admit that she was a trooper and did well and even took a cat nap for about 45 minutes.
I’ll take it. (And here’s hoping, at 4 pm, we’ve got another of those cat naps coming. She’s. SO. Tired.)
Today I’m drinking out of my very HUGE Starbucks mug. This one was a gift from a friend who went to Scotland. The thing holds 20 oz…which today translates into something that will require me to get up for a refill less often.
I’m drained, not gonna lie. I’ve never had such a crappy feeling week.
The good news is that, for the most part, I think I’m over the worst.
Hallelujah! And thanks to those of you who prayed.
Maelie and I were out the door by 8 am this morning to head to church because today was the big Indonesia Day at Bible Study. It was fun.
I made pisang goreng (fried banana) and my friends wore sarongs. They took an Indonesian quiz…which I have to admit was not very nice of me, but they were good sports.
Then I sho wed them our video and
we did some Q and A time. It was good…I really loved being able to share that part of my life with people who mean a lot to me.
I did find yesterday emotionally exhausting, though, as I went over in detail, really, the last five years. Wow.
No, WOW!!!
Sometimes it feels so surreal. To have had the privilege to be part of something like that…not just the living in another culture part, but being in the middle of all the cool things God was (and still is) doing there.
Even though I don’t look back on those five years and long to do them again, I’m so very grateful for the gift of Indonesia and the amazing memories we have. And for the gift of being here right now. Maybe that’s the biggest lesson I took away from our time there…to love the here and now and live it fully.
After Bible Study this morning, Maelie and I stayed at church for an organ recital played by our sweet friend, Kris. I’d never been to an organ recital before…it was impressive. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to multitask enough
to play that instrument.
Kris did a great job! And I have to brag a bit on my girl, too…who managed to sit through the whole thing.
She did so well…adding her own little touches to the whole thing. A couple coos here and there and one LARGE burp between songs, of course. Her daddy would have been proud. Her mommy was just mortified for a few seconds…and then I couldn’t stop laughing. I sure hope it didn’t ruin the meditative mood for those around us.
Then after the recital we grabbed some lunch and coffee with a friend at the place I blogged about not too long ago, Cafe Firefly. Maelie took a short nap, Alison and I chatted for awhile, then it was home for us.
Mae and I never stay out that long…I’m amazed she lasted without turning into a sobbing, tired mess.
Good for my girl…maybe there’s still hope for her and coffee dates.
Taco Bell for dinner tonight. I have not done much cooking this week, and honestly, I can’t wait to crawl into bed tonight just as soon as the girl is asleep, too. Anyone else think Taco Bell is some of the best cheap fast food you can find? Granted, it’s not that good for you, but I don’t get the really-bad-for-you-full-of-fat-stuff…just the this-has-lots-of-calories-so-I-need-to-run-soon stuff. There is a difference, right
?
Ok, enough chit chat.
So, I am still being tested in the area of patience. We’re still waiting on the house, and I’m being forced to accept the fact that we may be waiting for awhile. The bank isn’t in a hurry to process anything…and I’m starting to feel anxious about things.
It’s a daily struggle for me to give it to God and to not feel that discouragement each time I see someone stop to pick up a flier from the sign in our front yard. But He knows…exactly who should live here, and we believe with all our hearts that it’s us. And that has to be enough reassurance for now. (And I must admit, as completely wrong as this sounds, I get a small amount of pleasure each time the dogs pee on the for sale sign…)
Maelie wore the sweetest little Bali dress today to Bible Study while I wore my Indonesian kebaya. So I’ll end with this picture that I just love…I think it’s so great that we can pass on little pieces of Indo to her even if she can’t be there to experience it. Someday. (It’s blurry, too close, and overexposed…but I still love it…something about how happy we both look.)
Thanks for joining me. Have a wonderful, caffeinated evening. 😉
Ok, I liked my coffee post so much last Thursday that I decided we may have a new tradition going. So grab a cup of your favorite joe, kick off your shoes, and let’s chat!
And please forgive the hair in the photo today…I let it go curly this morning,
and I never know quite what it will look like when I do that. Today wasn’t nearly as crazy as it can be…really, not even close, but it wasn’t fabulous, either. I decided a flower headband would make everything better. Never mind that I’m 32 years old…no comments please. (32 year olds can wear headbands, right
? Why does it feel so wrong?!)
Anyway, today I’m drinking the same stuff as last week…decaf with caramel vanilla creamer.
Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm! This time it’s out of my Jakarta mug, though. I have six Indonesia “City” Mugs…Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan, Jogjakarta, and Bali. I had a goal while I was there to actually go to Starbucks in each of those cities and buy the corresponding mug there. I was successful and pretty stinkin’ proud of it, until they opened a Starbucks in Bogor during the last few months I was in Indonesia.
I didn’t make it there…so I’ve got six out of seven. The Jakarta mug was actually the last one I purchased…in the airport on my way home last April. And one of those cities (Surabaya) I flew to with some friends just so we could go to Starbucks and buy the mug.
True story. 😀 Although we did make a girls’ weekend of it to stay at the Sheraton, hang at the pool, and drink coffee. (Ahem…multiple cups of coffee…) All weekend…tons of fun!
I’m sitting here on a sunny Thursday afternoon wishing that Maelie and I were at the park. However, we passed on her morning nap and went to the outlet mall with some friends.
So there’s no way we can skip the afternoon one…and she is currently fighting me with everything she has, but she’ll give in. She’s too tired to not sleep. In fact, I think she’s out now…aaaah. Peace.
So we browsed a few kids’ stores this morning. I was looking for a few things for Mae…and maybe I’m cheap, but I’m not willing to pay even most of the clearance prices we found today. Sorry, but $11 for a little sweater is not a deal. Bummer, too, cause it was way too adorable.
I did find a couple cu-UTE flower headbands for her, though, one she can wear on Easter Sunday with this precious little daisy sundress I have for her.
And a pair of sunglasses with some bling, cause a girl always needs some sparkles, huh? The Children’s Place was good for stuff like that…I didn’t think the prices were bad at all.
Maelie and I shared a piece of pizza for lunch…well, I use the word “shared” loosely. (I ate 90% of it. :)) It blows my mind that she is eating the same things we do. And reaching for my coffee and Diet Pepsi…which I haven’t given her yet, so relax. My little girl is growing up way too fast. But I love it.
Love it, love it, love it. Love HER.
We had a (real, not virtual) coffee date yesterday with one of our favorite friends. It was fun to get out of the house, have some time to chat and catch up, and give Maelie a chance to spread some love (and Cheerios) all over Starbucks. I realized when I got home that the bag of chocolate I took with me never made it out of my purse…sad, cause I think coffee tastes better with chocolate and chocolate tastes better with coffee. And coffee and chocolate are both better with a friend. So it’s win-win-win. Another bummer…at least I’ll have some for next time if I don’t eat it all first!
So enough small talk.
Eventually we’ll get past what happened yesterday and today and talk about other stuff.
Like the house. The topic currently occupies most of my brain, but I attempt to push it back as far as possible so I can focus on other things.
Things are looking good, though…and my emotions and hopes are already way too high. Do I dare plan for this or do I need to start on a Plan B?
I realized in typing that last paragraph that it is so me to try figuring out things all on my own. I really just need to let go of this and trust Him to work it all out. And mostly, I have…I just have a hard time with the trusting part. As a follower of Christ, I know so much…but knowing it and believing it are two different things. I’m working on letting go…but it’s tough. Cause I don’t want to…but that’s just me being selfish.
It’s part of the refining process…I know God is teaching me things through this, and that I need to keep my heart soft enough for the changes He wants to make. If God wants to change something in me, it has to be good because He’s not exactly in the business of doing bad.
I so need to get over myself.
I caught myself being selfish yesterday with my time and taking it out on my girl. I sometimes forget that Maelie is: a) 9 months old; b) active and energetic; c) a normal kid; and d) incapable of reasoning why she should behave a certain way. Therefore, when I take her to Starbucks, I should not expect her
to sit there like an angel, totally engaged in the conversation going on.
She doesn’ t work
that way. I truly don’t see her as an annoyance…she is such a blessing, and I really do love my girl, but yesterday I think I treated her like she was getting in the way of my plans. Father, please forgive me. And I already asked Maelie to forgive me. Which she responded to with a giggle, so I translated that as a yes.
And then we giggled together some more.
Cause we’re just like that.
That’s something I’m trying to work on as a mom…even now. When I need to apologize to my child(ren) that I take the time to make things right…even if they don’t understand what’ s going on.
Parenting is humbling, isn’t it?
Despite the challenges, though…and the lack of peaceful coffee dates ;)…I love this girl.
She brings so much joy to my days. I just really, really love her.
I could keep going, but I’ve already hit over 1,000 words…and I need to save some for later!
Tobin and I have been reading through the book of John during Lent this year. I have to admit that it means a lot more to me this year, and I’m not quite sure why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that we are purposely (re)evaluating why we believe what we believe. And getting to the core of what faith really is and what it means to truly have that relationship with Christ. Without citing specific examples, just reading Scripture together is speaking Truth into our lives, whether we discuss it or not.
And for now, that’s enough…God is meeting us exactly where we are with what we need.
I love that about Him.
Well, over 1200 words later, you’ve made it through another lengthy coffee date.
Thanks for joining me.
I affectionately refer to my girl as the above title.
Oh, she is a wonder.
One who has the most irregular sleeping patterns I’ve ever seen.
For the first two months of her life, she napped like an angel.
I swear there was a halo floating over her precious little head.
Then around the middle of August, she decided, Nope. The world is much too exciting for me to sleep.
You can only imagine what this did to mommy. And? It continued.
For three stinkin’ months.
Then, just after Thanksgiving, she decided that naps were a wonderful thing, and she made a regular habit of taking a daily three hour afternoon nap.
To say that was awesome is completely understating it.
It. Gave. Me. My. Sanity. Back.
This continued for a couple months.
Sometimes? She’d even give me a morning nap, too.
Then around the middle of February, she decided that naps were for wimps.
We went a few weeks
with maybe one nap a week. And Mel, of course, is ready to pull her hair out during all of this.
And then a couple weeks ago, she decided, Yeah, I’ll nap again. Sleep is goooooood…Momma likes it, so I should like it, too!
And she’s been a pretty good napper for the last couple of weeks.
Except on Sundays. Oh, Sunday morning services make me want to cry, laugh hysterically, and crawl under the pew. (All at once, if possible. ;)) She just won’t nap at church.
She coos and giggles her way through the class we go to at 9:30. (I spent half of it in the hallway today.) She’s usually ok during singing, but then she gets cranky and almost never makes it through the sermon.
And then one of us ends up in the hallway with her. Today it was Tobin, and he brought her back in during communion because there was a lot of singing, which usually keeps her happy (and quiet).
Not today.
She was just not doing it and was a crying mess by the end of the service.
Part of me felt bad for her…really, to be so tired and not be able to sleep would be frustrating. I’d cry. But she did redeem our less-than-pleasant morning at church by taking a 2 1/2 hour nap as soon as we got home.
When I went in to get her after that glorious nap, she looked up at me, grinned, and the frustrations of the morning melted away.
I love this girl.
SO. SO. MUCH.
Really, how could anyone not love my little napless wonder? 😀
Oh, Maelie girl, you give me such great stories to tell.
I love you!
Ha, ha, now I’m quadrilingual. (Is that even a wor
d? Actually it is, I totally googled it.
:))
We had a good night…a night out with (sort of) no baby.
A couple weeks ago we decided to go
to a fundraiser at our church
that benefits their school. A five course Italian dinner, entertainment, and FREE babysitting.
Really, what’s not to love
?
And then last night I looked at the time the event was scheduled to begin.
7:30 p.m.
Really?
I. almost. cried.
Instead, I called a friend for some help.
(You can tell I’m still new at this mommy thing.)
How on earth were we going to leave Maelie in the nursery for a few hours that lat
e? Um, no. We know our daughter…this could not even possibly end well. She just doesn’t do evenings…and is almost always in bed by 8:15.
Thankfully we came up with a plan that actually worked.
I love it when that happens.
So Maelie got to hang out in the nursery long enough to play a little and have a bottle, and then she went to sleep in our friend’s office at church. It took her awhile to fall asleep, but once she was out, she was out.
😀 And we got to have a date. 😀 Complete with Mel singing cheesy love songs to Tobin.
So, five courses and way too much Diet Pepsi and decaf coffee later, we are home.
And happy. (And really, really full, but that’s a given. ;))
Every couple needs a night out without kids once in awhile.
Bella Notte…and Good Night.
I’ll be the first to admit that mommyhood has not at all
been what I thought it would be. In some ways it’s been far better…in a few areas, I’ve struggled.
But the one thing I can’t get over is the Love.
Oh. My. Goodness.
I Love my girl so much.
She just makes my heart pitter patter.
I love it when she gives me that snarky, I’m-so-up-to-something-naughty look along with her 7-tooth grin…and I just melt. I love waking her up in the morning and seeing her cute little get-me-out-of-this sleep-sack stretch. I love her morning playtime in her pack and play when she sits there and talks to herself in the sweetest, high-pitched voice. I love the few snuggles she will give me just before I put her down for a nap. I love it when she giggles at the dogs while trying to grab fists full of their fur.
I love the Daddy-Mommy-Maelie hug we all have toge
ther before bedtime.
She also cracks me up.
Oh, she makes me Laugh.
She is going to be a really funny kid…and I’m not sure how I feel about that. 😉
She makes me laugh when she clamps down on her spoon when I’m trying to feed her.
(It takes some muscle to wrestle it away from her, too!) I laugh when I pick up a toy that she’s dropped and she looks at me, kind of does this weird thing with her eyebrows, and then drops it again. (Of course I pick it up!) She makes me laugh when she crawls backwards and ends up with her butt under the couch.
(It’s only happened a couple of times, but boy, is it funny!) She makes me laugh when she sings with me…which she does several times a day.
She makes me laugh when she gets excited and waves her hands back and forth at incredibly high speeds. I love it when I get her to giggle, and then I giggle back, and she giggles back…and we just keep going. It’s hilarious.
I love it when she makes me Laugh.
Sure, I haven’t had more than six hours of sleep without waking up since June.
Sure, my baby belly is still slightly pooching over my jeans nine months later. Yeah, on the days she goes napless, she makes me want to bury my head under a pillow
to drown out the noise. (Sometimes I do.
Shhh…don’t tell. ;)) And yes, since having her, the number of times that Tobin and I have sat through a church service together, I can count on one hand. (And don’t even ask me about the Lent service two nights ago.)
But there’s just so much…Love.
And Laughter.
And Love.
I love what she’s brought to our lives.
I’m pretty sure that being mommy to this girl is the best thing ever.
I’m so thankful.
Follower of my Father. Wife to Tobin. Mama to my Mae and Mac. Friend. Writer. Dreamer. Lover of adventures. Throw in some coffee, chocolate, running, music, and that's me. I fill this space with the real of my heart and life as I dance through my days with one hand holding my daughter's (or my son's, if I can keep up with him!) and the other holding my coffee mug. Welcome! I hope you'll stay awhile.
