Saturday's Secret . . .

I use to eat my cereal with a fork because I didn't like much milk . . . today I wished that my old habit remained, as I realized the milk had gone bad . . . gross!

Do you have a secret?

Saturday's Secret . . .

My favorite days are the ones in which I go sans mascara.

Do you have a secret?

Tuesday's Tidbit (a few days late:) Up&Up Wipes by Target

Now that I'm an experienced mother of 3 months, I've decided to start sharing little tidbits that I have found helpful along my journey as a new mom. Today's tidbit is . . . I absolutely LOVE Up&Up baby wipes by Target!

I first received Target wipes as a baby shower gift, which I registered for. I also received brand named wipes, such as Pampers, at the same time. Upon bringing Baylie home from the hospital, I had already fallen in love with Pampers Swaddlers diapers, so I gave my Target brand wipes the stink eye and dove right into the name brand wipes. I mean, for upwards of .05 cents per wipe, they must be plated in gold, of course a soft soothing gold, that would keep my baby's bottom . . . well, as soft as a baby's bottom.

I was the first to think it. Derek was the first to say it, "These wipes stink." At first I thought perhaps I was crazy. But the fact that my husband, who had never changed a diaper until Baylie came into the world, proclaimed my thoughts aloud, reinforced that I was right. They were thick, they were scratchy, and they were dripping wet. No thank you!

I thought there was no hope left in the diaper wipe world. I mean, if a .05 cent wipe, not plated with gold mind you, did not fit our standards, what could I possbily find in that boring looking, generic brand container? I will tell you . . . I struck GOLD! These wipes are soft, just the right amount of wetness, and they have these nice little bumpies on them that make it easy to clean a dirty bum, without irritating your baby's skin.
Not to mention they are only .01 cents per wipe!!! I bought a box of 8 refill packages, thats 704 wipes, for $11 and some change!

Sorry Pampers, but my blog isn't very popular so you don't need to worry. I am sure you will have continued success selling your Cubic Zirconia of wipes, but not to me. I prefer Diamonds!

Do you have a tidbit, for me, a first time mom? I'd love to hear! I am proud to link to Things I love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

An ode to Derek . . . (and the dictionary)!

From a boy . . .

. . . to a man . . .

. . . to a husband . . .
. . . to a father . . .
I know that technically an "ode" is a poem that is meant to be sung. This is not a poem and nobody, I mean nobody wants to hear me sing! But once I have a title in my head it is really hard to replace it with another. So correct or not, it is what it is.

Now that we have that cleared up I want to talk about what a joy it is to married to such a wonderful man. I know that on a day like Father's Day, a majority of the world will claim that they have the BEST Father, Husband, Grandpa, etc. in the whole world. Now since I am in to defining words today, "best" indicates that something is of the highest quality, excellence, or standing. All of which, in my opinion, ring true for my mate.

He is one QUALITY guy! There are some 13 different definitions of the word quality, but the one I am referring to is: marked by a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, or commitment.

I knew from day one that Derek would be an excellent father, but to be completely honest, he has surpassed the excellence that I had imagined. His INVOLVEMENT in everyday happenings is beyond what I would expect. Did you know that he never missed a Dr. appointment? Or that he voluntarily read my belly a book every night for 5 months? How about the fact that he wakes up at 1am, or 2am, or 3am to feed his daughter, even though he has to be to work at 5:30am, simply because he enjoys it? I am in no way implying that if a man does not do these things, that he is not excellent, but these are ways Derek chooses to be involved and I am so grateful for all of them!

Is Derek a CONCERNED parent? Um, ya, I'd have to say so. Situation: We put our crying newborn baby into the car to go home for the first time. Before we're out of the parking lot she is quiet. We spend the rest of the ride home with Derek trying to navigate the car while he is turning around to make sure she is still breathing. "Babies like car rides" I tell him. He doesn't believe me. He's certain that something is wrong. I appreciate his concern, but thank goodness we are past that:) Situation: We go to sleep expecting to be waken by hungry cries around midnight. It's 12am, nothing. 12:30am, nothing. 1am, nothing. At 2am, I am woken to the sound of a baby being burped. "Did she cry?" I asked. "No, it was just bothering me that she hadn't eaten so I woke her up." Our baby finally decides to sleep through the night and she is disturbed by her concerned daddy. I love him even more for the fact that he cares.

I think the fact that Derek is INVOLVED, and CONCERNED, shows that he is COMMITTED. He always gives 100% to our marriage, to our child, but more importantly to God. His foundation in Christ inspires me everyday. In fact, I long to have a charactor such as his. He studies IT, and he lives IT. He is humble, he is kind, he is oh so very patient . . . he is the BEST!

Don't hesitate to tell the world why you think the man in your life is the BEST. More significantly, don't hesistate to tell him!

Here's to 3 wonderful years of marriage . . .

This is where we met 8 1/2 years ago. The Salem Academy funnel cake booth at Oktoberfest.

9/11/01 waiting in line at the gas station . . . his gas light was on unfortunately

4th of July 2002
Dordt College 2003

Washington D.C. 2004

Just Engaged August 20, 2005 (It won't let me upload the photo)

Honeymoon 2006

Astoria 2007

Las Vegas 2008

Our new family 2009Here's to many more . . .

Two Months . . .

So I am a little behind on posting her 2 month pictures . . .

Growing like a weed!

Productiveness . . .

Derek brought to my attention the other day that we are so much more productive now that we have a child. It's amazing that once you bring a child into the world, being lazy isn't all that fun anymore . . . at least not for us.

I have finally figured out that I don't really require as much sleep as I thought I did. At two months Baylie sleeps between 6-9 hours at night, which I hear I should be thankful for. Before her birth I took a nap almost everyday. Even before I was pregnant. I love naps, but I couldn't tell you the time I took one. And I am more then okay with that.

Before Baylie I did one load of laundry a week. ONE LOAD! It was fantastic. Now I do 5. Three loads of clothes and 2 loads of diapers. Oddly enough, I am more then okay with that.

Our weekends used to be filled with pure laziness. Reading books and Derek catching up on his magazines, watching whatever sport was on, doing crafts, and my one load of laundry. Now it is strange if we are home for a full day. We have taken a liking to Saturday church and the rest of our weekend is spent with friends, family, or cleaning/organizing something around the house. We still take time to be lazy . . . as I type this Derek is playing Playstation, and Baylie is smiling at me while she kicks me in the arm.

I guess the purpose of this post is to announce that I have arrived to mother/wifehood. I thought I'd dread the day when I was always on the go. Yet something inside just cannot stand to do nothing anything anymore. My days of wasting time are over. Of course, I will stop to smell the roses (just not the dead ones in my backyard:)