Monday Brain Dump

I've noticed a little trend in the blogging world. People write one post about a bunch of different thoughts or events taking place in their lives, aka a "brain dump." I've enjoyed reading my friends' brain dumps, so I think I'll do one of my on. Starting today . . .

1.) I have a cold. I think Sage gave it to me. We've both been feeling rather rotten lately.

2.) Summer baseball is over and fall/winter baseball is about to begin. I have mixed emotions about this because Sage and I aren't going to Mexico with Brian and we do NOT like to be away from each other. Trying to see the silver lining . . .

3.) I've got to learn the art of applying eye shadow. You know, for those special occasions when you need a little extra make-up . . . like a wedding or photo session. Both of which are coming up very soon.

4.) I've been a running fool lately! I run 3 or 4 times a week, 3 miles each time. I'm really enjoying it. Although, I'm still waiting for the physical results to show up :)

5.) I keep trying to re-design this blog. I spend a fair amount of time experimenting with colors and designs, then end up with something I'm not crazy about and revert back to this old black and white theme. And then I feel guilty for wasting so much time on it.

6.) Have I told ya'll how ready my hubs is for baby #2? He was ready like, yesterday. If I gave the okay, I'd probably be pregnant faster than you can blink. But don't worry, I'm not ready so nothing will happen soon. Unless God decides differently. And He is entitled you know.

7.) I adore fall . . . for many reasons: the colors, cooler temps, fun fall sweaters, Clemson football, play-off baseball, Thanksgiving, etc. I picked up Pottery Barn's fall issue the other day and it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now as long as this weather stays cool, we'll be golden!

Ok that's it for this brain dump! Hope you enjoyed it!

What Do Photo Walls and Mexico Have in Common?

Nothing really.

I love photo walls. I'm creating one in our house because we have big open spaces that need filling and I need a fun project this fall while Brian is playing in Mexico. Since I'm not comfortable taking Sage down there (for numerous reasons I won't go into), she and I are staying back in Charlotte. This will by no means be easy, and will probably be the last time we attempt being away from Daddy. EVER. But anyway, back to my photo wall . . .

We have a big blank space to the right of our television that desperately needs filling. I figure a photo wall is just the thing, but I can't decide what kind of arrangement I like best. The 3 options are:

1.) Extremely streamlined/symmetrical, like so:

2.) Still symmetrical, but with more interest, like so (sorry I don't have a better pic):

3.) Or a mismatched arrangement like this:

I like all of these styles! But which one will look best in the space I have? I just don't know. I'm leaning towards arrangement #1, but ask me tomorrow and I will have changed my mind.

I welcome any opinions or suggestions my readers would like to offer!

"The Itch"

Sometimes I just crack myself up.

Over the course of the past say, 3 years or so, I periodically get this "itch." An itch to dye my hair dark. As in, a little darker than my natural color, which is already dark brown. If I thought I could pull off black hair I would try it because I love black hair, but I'm not that stupid. Maybe crazy, but not stupid.

So anyway, I'm in the middle of one of those itches, just dying to dye my hair. DYING I say! But I have no courage. what. so. ever. I keep thinking Brian should get a job in another country next year and then I'll have an excuse! If I dyed it dark and it looked awful it wouldn't matter because I wouldn't know anyone. Who wants to mess with highlighting your hair every 2 months when abroad anyway?

A while back I did a post about a website where you can upload a pic of yourself and "try on" different hair color/styles. (You can find that post here.) I keep looking at the pic below thinking, it's not so bad. Ahhhhhhhh, but can I bite the bullet and do it? Melissa, if you're reading this don't panic. I won't do anything drastic before your wedding :)

100 Eagle Nest Trail

Saying good bye to your childhood home isn't easy. This is the latest battle I face as my parents build a new house and move to Spring Island, South Carolina.

The house they've/we've lived in since 1986 has been sold, and my 24 years of living and visiting the brick two-story at 100 Eagle Nest Trail has come to an end. Mom keeps reminding me that the memories we made there are precious, not the place itself. But I'll still miss it. I know I will . . . my childhood pets are buried in the back yard. My 8th grade dance pictures were taken on those front porch steps. It's where my friends and I would slide down the stairs in our sleeping bags, and where I locked myself in my room when I didn't want to go to piano lessons. It's simply, where I grew up . . . the old familiar, if you will. I would know it's scent from a million miles away. There's a comfort to the place. I'll miss that. I think I'm also scared that I'll forget what it was like.

I don't expect my parents to stay there forever. Whether good bye takes place now or later, there would eventually have to be a good bye. That's the way life goes. And despite the morbid tone of this post, I am happy that Mom and Dad are building a house on the coast. It will be a place we all thoroughly enjoy. And if many years are spent there, it will become dear to us in it's own right. It is quite a gorgeous place, evidenced below.

But as for this little jewel . . .

I said my good byes. I took pictures of every room. I shed some tears. And while someone else may live there now, it will always be, "the house that built me."

6 Months

Lately the blog seems to be all about Sage. It will probably be like that periodically. But have no fear, I've got some posts in the works that are about other things going on in our lives. So stay tuned . . .

In the mean time, Sage is 6 months old and I figure that's a milestone, right? Half of a year has already flown by! My goodness. I kind of wish she could eat solids already because I'd love to see her dive into some yummy cake with lots of icing! Here are the many faces of Sage that I photographed today, her "half birthday."






At 6 months of age, here's what's going on with Miss Sage:

I'm pretty sure she's teething even though I can't feel anything breaking through yet. The drool is out of control and at times she seems cranky for no apparent reason. Laughs and giggles still abound too though.

She's still not thrilled about eating food. She'd much prefer a bottle. We try to practice spoon feeding once a day, but she literally shows no interest. Anyone else have this issue?

Gone are the days of sitting still. Sage is ready to get down and go . . . even though she can't "go" anywhere yet. I do believe crawling is on the horizon.

She really likes the sound of her own little high pitched voice. In the mornings, some times the squeals are a little too high :) but we still love to hear her "talk."

I took a little 6 month video that you can see below. It's not terribly interesting, but we needed live footage!

First Beach Trip

What a little diva


Not sure what to think of that water


Ended up lovin' it!


With cousin, Bridger


And Tucker

5 months old

People say this all the time, but it couldn't be more true. Kids grow up so fast. Our little Sagey is 5 months old today! Sometimes I feel like she changes right before our very eyes. I miss how small she used to be, but she gets more and more beautiful every day. I'm not biased or anything :)

At 5 months old Sage:

Is starting to get the hang of eating rice cereal with a spoon.

Lets out some hearty cackles and giggles when you hit her tickle spots, which include her ribs, under arms, neck, sides and thighs.

Has rolled over a few times, but not regularly.

Still sleeps 12 straight hours at night (lovin' this!!!!)

Adores her jumperoo! You should see her go to town in that thing!

Enjoys feeling different textures.

Periodically decides to be quite "chatty" and at other times very quiet.

Is one smiley girl!!!

Sage is such a good baby. The only thing she's not good at is napping, but the fact that she sleeps so well at night makes up for it. She is becoming more and more active and I can tell that it's only a matter of time before I have a hard time keeping up with her! Happy 5 month birthday baby girl!!!!!!!!!

Mama/Daughter Time

Ok, here's the deal. There are some things that just come easily to certain people. Like my friend Katie. She's smart as a whip, works very hard and therefore has climbed the corporate ladder quickly, all the while making it look very effortless. And then there's my aunt, Bunny, who hosts all 15 members of our family at her house for several days and graciously coordinates meals, laundry, etc. and somehow never seems stressed or overwhelmed, just glad to do it.

Other women have even pointed out a few things I've made look effortless. (Shocker, I know). I kind of thought motherhood would be one of those things. However, I can tell you with all confidence that I DO NOT make motherhood look effortless. I'm pretty sure that if you could have been a fly on my wall over the past 4 days, you would agree. (Please don't mistaken me here. The love and adoration I have for Sage overwhelmed me the minute I laid eyes on her - that was completely effortless and natural. I'm referring more to the "reading your child" and "knowing what's best for your infant" gift some people seem to possess that make caring for a baby look easy).

Brian left last Monday for a 4 game road trip. That left Sage and I back in NJ, a little bored. I was pretty concerned. Let's be honest, when your child won't let anyone hold her (as in, screams bloody murder when a stranger even gets close), and your husband skips town for a few days, it can leave one a little concerned about his/her sanity as the sole care taker. Sage and I have also never been alone for days on end, in a small apartment, in a town where we don't know many people. I was genuinely a little nervous.

I made my fair share of mistakes, like not paying enough attention to when she needed to nap, which meant I ended up with a very cranky, overly tired baby at the end of the day. But we also had several giggle/tickle sessions where she laughed so hard it made us both delirious. A "girls night" after Sage went to bed, complete with cupcakes and good conversation with sweet friends helped me feel sane too. Sometimes you just need a little adult conversation :)

Sage is such a good baby (until she's around a big group or a stranger, then she freaks out, but I've been told she'll grow out of this), and the other day I was thinking about how I want to really enjoy my time with her. These next few years are precious and irreplaceable. They may be the only time we get, just the two of us, especially if Brian and I have more kids. In a few years when life is crazier and more populated, I'll probably relish and adore the idea of getting 4 uninterrupted days with my sweet daughter. So I think I should start appreciating them NOW.

Here's a little pic of our sweet Sage that I took this past week. Could you not just eat her up? Or as Daddy likes to say, "Sage, I could slop you up with a biscuit."

Gone Baby Gone

Well, it was so nice while it lasted . . . a summer at home that is. Our sweet time hanging out together as a family 24/7 has come to a close. Brian's foot is almost completely healed and we're heading to New Jersey in a few days so he can start pitching again. It's so hard to leave our family, friends and community in Charlotte. Although I do look forward to watching baseball again! It will be so much fun when Sage is old enough to enjoy it and understand what's going on. We have some sweet friends in NJ that I'm looking forward to seeing as well. Here's hoping that Sage does really well on the 12 hour drive up there!

I Wanna Do It All!!!!

Do you ever find yourself just wanting to do and be everything? There are so many hobbies I'd like to take up and be really good at them. Like photography and sewing. I just adore good pictures. They can tell such a powerful story. And wouldn't it be nice if I could sew my own drapes instead of having to pay someone else an arm and a leg to do it? But how and when would I take a sewing or photography class when I can barely squeeze the most important things into the day? I have "everyday goals" like spending time with the Lord, with my precious family, taking care of my home (which includes cooking, cleaning, and shopping for my loved ones), exercising, the list goes on and on.

I found a website recently called the Pioneer Woman. I seriously think this lady does it all. She must not sleep. She's a photographer, homeschools her 4 kids, just finished writing a cook book, and updates her website all the time with how-to articles. She's pretty hilarious too. Check her out at www.thepioneerwoman.com. I'm not sure whether to feel inspired or intimidated . . . but like her. She was a high heel wearin' California girl who's world drastically changed when she married a cattle rancher from Oklahoma. To hear her tell it, life couldn't be sweeter. I like that. I get that. What I don't get is how she accomplishes so much while raising 4 kiddos!

A Fun 4th Weekend

It was fun to finally experience a July 4th! Since Brian is usually playing ball, we don't get to celebrate like the rest of the nation. The 4th ends up being like any other day because there's a baseball game to be played. But this summer is different! This year we got to do so many fun things.

Our neighborhood had a little bike parade. As you can see it was pretty simple, but Sage was quite entertained by it.

Then we had our good friends Jeremy, Heather and Mason over for a cook out! Mason and Sage are buds. She kept reaching for Mason, it was really cute.

And finally, on Sunday our church had a big patriotic service where Mike Huckabee was the guest speaker. I always get emotional when we honor all the men and women that have so valiantly served our country. On a side note, how big is that flag? Holy cow.

This has nothing to do with the 4th of July, but I thought you'd all like to know that Sage is fascinated by her feet. She's constantly staring at them in amazement (see pic below). It's pretty hilarious. She'll strain to sit up in her car seat just so she can get a better look at them! Happy 4th everybody!!!!!

This Daddy Loves His Baby

"You are all fair, my love; there is no flaw in you."

I knew Brian would love Sage. But I don't think I could have fathomed the intensity with which he would love her. I mean, this man pours over his beloved daughter. When he holds her, he holds her close, usually her face right up against his. It's precious. And there are many days when he'll walk up to me with Sage in his arms and say with all the pride he can muster, "Look. This is my daughter. My daughter."

If that doesn't make your heart melt I don't know what will.

I was telling that story to my friend, Marti, the other day and she so wisely reminded me that that is exactly how God is with me, His daughter . . . only a million times more. It's difficult to wrap my brain around that much love, adoration, and pride. I witness a visual of my Father's love for me every day as I watch my sweet husband cherish his baby girl. But then I have to multiply that by millions? That's an amazing kind of love. God says in His Word that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that His works are "wonderful." That's right, God thinks we're wonderful. Just read Jeremiah 1:5 and Song of Solomon 4:7 back to back:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart . . . you are all fair, my love; there is no flaw in you." What a sweet Father. This is how much God loves us friend.

Whew

***WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE ***

Starting weight: 152

Current weight: 143

I barely made my goal, but I'm glad to report that I've lost 1.5 pounds per week since my last post about my weight loss plan! That's 9 pounds over the last 6 weeks. It's hard to stay motivated when it comes off that slowly. I'd prefer an overnight change :) But since that's not possible, nor healthy, I'm hoping I'll stay on track and practice some serious self control and continue to have opportunities to exercise.

When I look in the mirror, I easily get discouraged because it looks like I have a long way to go, and then I want to run to the refrigerator for comfort. Yikes! That sort of defeats the purpose. I still can't fit into my pre-pregnancy pants either, and I certainly thought after almost 13 weeks I would be able to do so!

Anyway, this is kind of a boring post, but I just wanted to follow up my last weight loss post and update you all on the progress.

By The Way . . .

I've forgotten to update the blog concerning our whereabouts. We are back at home in Charlotte! Normally we're gone during the summer because Brian is playing baseball. But since his foot was fractured by a line drive a few weeks ago, the team allowed us to come home while Brian rehabs. How awesome is that???!!!!

The drive from Texas back to North Carolina wasn't nearly as smooth as the initial drive to Texas. Sage was old enough to stay awake for longer periods of time and decided it wasn't so fun being in her car seat for that long. However, we made it back in 2 days and we were all relieved to be home.

We walked into our house at midnight and you wouldn't believe what we found . . . a beautifully cleaned and straightened house with a stocked pantry and refrigerator and our beds made, ready for us to crawl into. We could not have felt more loved or blessed. Our sweet friends from church had done their research, figured out who had a key to our house and spent what I'm sure was many hours preparing it for our return. They are seriously the best people in the world. Salt of the earth kind of people. This was also waiting for me on our kitchen table, complete with Happy Mother's Day balloons:


Our return home could not have been sweeter.

It Came and Went . . .

Yesterday was my very first Mother's Day. It didn't even hit me until late in the day that the holiday was now actually in honor of ME. To be honest, the day didn't feel like it was about me. Not like your birthday does. I kind of think that's how it will be for the rest of my days. My children will be on the forefront of my mind so much so that "self" will take a back seat. And this is a good thing . . .

I think the toughest part about motherhood has been the sudden denial of self. In the quickest of moments everything changes. All of the sudden I have in my arms the most beautiful, precious gift I can imagine. I love her more than life itself. But in that very same moment, I'm not #1 anymore. I'd lay my life down for this little being, no questions asked. But . . .

Adjusting to life with a newborn means I can't do what I want to do, when I want to do it. My life now revolves around a very, VERY important and wonderful responsibility. Admittedly this has not been the prettiest of transitions for my heart. You see, my flesh wants to remain selfish. I recognize that while this is a difficult time, God has planned all along, from the very beginning, for this experience to change me. Motherhood will change me. It will rid me of the notion that this life was ever about me . . . and this of course, is a good thing.

I was an only child. Maybe that makes it a little harder for me than most. Maybe not. But the fact of the matter remains, God has always had big plans for my heart; plans to mold it and rid it of it's sinful nature, and now He will do it through my children. I can't see what the road ahead looks like. I only know that I was not prepared for the long, arduous journey this would be. A journey I wouldn't trade for the world. It will reveal all of my dirt, the ugliness of my heart that I desperately need to deal with. It will force me out, and Christ in. Staying true to His style, God will make motherhood soooooo worth it. As His Word says, children are a gift, a reward from the Lord . . . in ways I never dreamed.



Sage, one day you may read this. I want you to know that I love you to the fullest of the full. When I say I'd lay my life down for you I mean it. You are worth every bit of me. You may not understand some of the things I've said today until you're a mother yourself and that's ok. The purpose of this blog is to document our lives and I believe that it is extremely important to be real and honest with the world and especially with all of us who call ourselves Christians. Our struggles are real, and we should be real with each other about them. Please make no mistake. You are not a burden. You are a prize, the most beautiful gift from the Lord. I appreciate you to the depths of my being. God is using you already to change the world and He's starting in the heart of your own mother. I love you sweet girl.

Worry Wart

I think I need to be real and talk about some real issues facing those of us who call ourselves moms . . .

I confess that ever since I had Sage I feel like I've been a different person. I'm not myself, or maybe I'm just a heightened version of myself. I don't like what I've allowed myself to become. I think it's high time I made up my mind to change. What's the Bible verse? "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Here's the struggle . . . I love the little booger so much that I worry about EVERYTHING. I stress over EVERYTHING. She wakes up too early from a nap and I'm in a tizzy. She spits up a little and I freak out. I think she should go to sleep because she's tired, but she won't and I get flustered. And for what? Is it really that big of a deal? Definitely not. I've realized that this stressful attitude is making me miserable, and probably making me miserable to live with. (Poor Brian, catching the brunt.) The fact of the matter is, I desperately want everything to go smoothly. I want to sleep. I want Sage to be happy all the time and never experience pain. I want, I want, I want, and yet that's just not the way life is. I could spend the rest of my days worrying over this child and it wouldn't do me or her a bit of good. It's time to renew my mind. Make a conscious decision to relax. Put life into proper perspective. Sage is too precious for me not to enjoy her first months of life to the fullest. And the rest of my family and friends will certainly benefit from a less uptight Lindsay too.

I'm quite sure this behavior is normal for a first time mom, but if I don't nip it in the bud it has the potential to snowball. This will be challenging for me. I'm a worry wart by nature I do believe. But I long to be transformed, and God's Word gives me hope.

Weight Loss Challenge

*** Warning to any men who read my blog . . . this post is about women and weight . . . might want to skip over this one :) ***




After gaining at least 42 pounds while pregnant, I am officially focused on weight loss. It's hard to admit, but I got up to 175 lbs and honestly, that was a week before I gave birth so it's quite possible that I got up to 180. That's 20 pounds away from weighing 200 lbs people. NOT GOOD. However, I got a beautiful, healthy, precious little girl so it was definitely worth it. I didn't exactly hold back when it came to eating when I was pregnant, but now . . .



It's time to buckle down . . .



It's time to get serious . . .



It's time to get HEALTHY.



As my days of being pregnant were nearing to an end, all I wanted to do was get rid of all that weight. I couldn't climb the stairs without getting out of breath, my hips ached like the dickens, and I resulted to "waddling" as opposed to walking. I was borderline miserable. I remember thinking, I can't wait to exercise and move without pain again! Well, that day is here.

My last postpartum visit was today and the doc cleared me to exercise until my heart's content. I won't go crazy (let's be honest I've never been an exercise addict anyway), but I will slowly build up to running and weight bearing exercises. I currently weigh 152 pounds. My goal is to get down to (at least) 130 by the time our family beach vacation rolls around on August 8. That's 22 pounds I need to lose in a little over 15 weeks. That shouldn't be too hard, right? I don't know, but there is an awesome website I'm using to help me stay on track. It's livestrong.com. It is extremely extensive, includes everything pertaining to good health, and all the tools you could possibly need. I've even got my mom hooked on it and she's issued me a weight loss challenge! Really we're more like partners, encouraging each other to stay on track. On Livestrong.com I've set a goal of losing 1.5 pounds per week. I don't own a scale, but I think I'll be able to tell if I'm losing regularly. I'll try to keep you updated on that front. Any words of encouragement are greatly appreciated as well as any suggestions for programs/websites that kept you motivated to lose weight! I think the bottom line is that it takes will power. Not exactly my strong suit, but I am able, I know it. It is in me somewhere. Here goes nothing . . .

6 Weeks Today

Guess who's 6 weeks old and starting to smile!!!!

Lone Star State

We made it to Texas in one piece. It was quite the adventure with a newborn in tow (who doesn't sleep for long stretches at night)! The good thing is, Sage seems to like her car seat and did beautifully while riding in the car all day, for several days in a row. We only had to stop to feed and change her. She literally NEVER got fussy otherwise. What a sweet little trooper. Once we got here, she and I could not have been more excited to be re-united with Brian!





After spending a week at the Comfort Inn, we're now living in the Residence Inn, where we'll be for the rest of the summer. It's small, but it feels good to finally be settled. I feel like the last 4 weeks of my life have been the most hectic, stressful, and overwhelming of my life. I had no idea that becoming a first time mom, moving to Texas with a newborn, and being away from my husband for 2 weeks would be so hard. It was a recipe for an emotional disaster, but thankfully I've had a lot of help from family and friends over the past month. Mom and Dad made the drive with me, and Mom is staying here for another couple of weeks before going back to SC.

Here is my latest favorite picture of Miss Sage! She makes some adorable faces these days. I can't wait until she starts smiling at us!

Check it Out!!!

The fabulous Heather Knowles has done it again! She has taken some absolutely wonderful pictures of Sage! Check these out and Heather's website, www.sproutsbyheather.com