Here's a few things I forgot to tell you/show you:
- We are spending the Holidays as a separated military family...I know, feel bad for us. Long story made short, it was looking like Cameron would not be home for Christmas. He didn't want Malone and I to sit by ourselves at home on Christmas and due to recent events in my family, we decided it would be best if I go to Alabama (to my parents') for Christmas. When all is said and done we will not have seen one another for about a month. Boo!
- We went to have a sushi lunch for Cameron's birthday. He was in sushi heaven. Then he saw it. Tempura fried Oreos. Many of you might not know, but Cameron has an unnatural love for Oreos. And this just threw him over the edge. I could only eat about one before I felt sick, but he loved them. - Malone's hair is getting way long. And she is no longer a fan of the bows. My heart is a little sad.- Malone has gotten so smart!!!! We were Skyping (video chatting) with my sister, Lydia and Malone went crazy. Not only did she take 8 steps trying to get to Lydia on the computer, but she was really trying to find Lydia. She couldn't understand how she could see Lyddie on the computer, but when she looked behind the computer screen she was gone. How funny?!
- Cameron and I went to his squad's Christmas party on Saturday. It was so fun to get dressed up, and get out of the house. Our good friends Marc and Beth were very kind and watched Malolo. Here we are all dressed up. Sorry for the bad photo. Our camera was having issues. We look pretty smokin' though, right?- Malone looks so cute in her little winter, puffy vest. Plus, here she's standing.- I love Malone. Tomorrow, I'll update you on our first meeting with Santa. Apparently, he comes early to military bases.
Yesterday did not start off as the best day. I had a doctor's appointment to go to in the morning. I managed to take a shower, straighten my hair (I mention this because it takes time and it may seem trivial, but important to the story later on), got dressed, fed Malone breakfast, got her cleaned up and dressed, and out the door we went. One little thing I should mention. Surprise, surprise! It was raining and pretty cold.
We arrived at the clinic and I was starting to execute my detailed plan to get myself, Malone, the stroller, and all our stuff out of the car and into the building with as little rain damage as possible. All was going well until.... I accidentally locked Malone in the car......and the award for Mother of The Year goes to......Me!!!! I kinda freaked out a little, tapping on random people's windows in the parking lot (in the pouring rain) asking to use their cell phones. Luckily, I had popped the trunk to get the stroller out and some nice Air Force gentleman crawled into my trunk, somehow got part of my backseat open and reached to unlock my door. Malone was relatively unscathed, all nice and warm in the car. I, on the other hand, was not so lucky. By the time I made it into the clinic, I had been standing in the FREEZING RAIN for 15-20 minutes. I was soaked from top to bottom (and my nicely straightened hair was no longer so straight), including my new wool/polyester coat that apparently smells like poop when it gets wet. Note to self!
I looked and smelled like a drowned rat walking in the clinic. I received a wide range of stares, stares of pity, stares of confusion, stares of judgment...I got them all! Anyways, after a quick doctor visit, we waited 45 minutes to get my medicine. Lets just say, by the time we got back in the car Malone was ready for a nap. So much action really took it out of her. Here she is when we got home. Here was my hair a couple hours after we got home. By then, I looked significantly better and was significantly warmer. Thank you very much for my Mother of The Year award. I will dust it occasionally and try not to lock it in the car.
Wow, what a couple of weeks. Thanksgiving was great! So much to be grateful for, but I will write about that later. Here's the wrap-up:
- I woke up early on Thursday morning, got Malone ready, tried to eat a healthy breakfast (what do you eat for a death race?) and put on my running shoes. As we drove through Tacoma, going up hills...high hills, my stomach sank. I kept on telling people beforehand that I will be lucky if I finished, but really didn't believe I was that bad of a runner. UNTIL, we started going up the hills. I got nervous. I met my amazing friend, Melanie and we picked up our numbers. Number 771. That was my number. Here's Melanie and I getting ready.
We stood in line in the freezing cold (yeah, 38 degrees is awesome for my asthma and arthritis building up in my decrepit knee, should I keep the excuses coming?). We were still chatting away when I thought we were getting shot at...No, it was just the start gun. I'm not going to lie, I had flashes of Compton and drive-by shootings going through my mind and my racing heart. We started running. Look how excited I am? Its nervous energy. Oh and this was right before someone bumped into me, knocked my iPod off of my arm, someone else stepped on it and I ran to its safety, only to just about cause the largest human running accident in history. No worries, the iPod is fine.
I finished. No tears. No drama. I just finished. As I was running up the last hill (did I mention the hills were a little more than I bargained for?), I saw the three mile marker. Oh sweet relief!! The last little bit was downhill and I was able to run the fastest across the finish line...except for the lady dragging herself across the finish line right in front of me, walking. How did she finish ahead of me? Here's the crowd on the hill coming toward the finish line. Here I am running the last few feet. I don't look very victorious. I look like I'm saying, "hey, babe" or "hi mom".
Malone fell asleep while Cameron was waiting for me to finish. Oh yes, and my finishing time was 34.40 minutes. Nothing spectacular. I guess I can only get better from here, right?
We spent the rest of Thursday just relaxing. We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday when our friends
James and Sara Martin arrived from Colorado. We had such a wonderful weekend with them. Malone, of course, fell in love with Sara and when she had to say goodbye to Sara, I just about cried.
Malone had the best day of her life yesterday. I think even she believed it. First, she slept in until 7:30am...in her crib. I know this doesn't seem like much to a lot of people, but it was a little piece of heaven for Cameron and I. Cameron woke me up at 7:30am and said, "Malone is still asleep. Should I go check on her? Is she still alive?" Right then she woke up. Then we went to church (she looked soooo cute!) and took her to the nursery for the first time. She stayed the whole time. They didn't even have to come and call us. Awesome! Then, she took an hour long nap IN HER CRIB. Unbelievable! Next, we hung out with our friends Marc and Beth and Malone was getting so cozy with them I thought she was a bit confused as to who her parents were. And throughout the whole day she was nothing but smiles and giggles. How appropriate that Thanksgiving is this week, because my heart was overflowing with it.
On with the update:
- It was my birthday last week! Happy Birthday to me. Thank you to everyone for the emails, phone calls, cards, presents and love sent my way.
- Cameron had to leave on a last minute mission for my birthday. I know...feel pity for me.
- Because my best friend, Sarabeth is the best in the world, she flew out here from Colorado to spend my birthday with me. It was such a good time. I would have been a sad little girl had she not been here on my birthday, but instead I was so grateful to have a friend like her. We went shopping, stayed in our pajamas until noon and ate the best roast chicken for my birthday dinner...that I made myself. Here's a picture of my roasted chicken and the finished product. Sooooo good. Here's us girls in Seattle. Malone thinks we're crazy.
- I bought the most amazing coat from Anthropologie (ON SALE!!!) with my birthday money from Cameron. Then I combined a few other gifts and bought a new bread machine. I love it. I've made bread, pizza dough and tomorrow will be cinnamon rolls. - We finally got blinds in our house today. Now, I feel like our house really does belong to adults. It looks amazing.
- Malone is a cheese eating fool.
- I'm running my first race on Thursday morning. Yes, I know its Thanksgiving but I am preparing so that I am able to enjoy my Thanksgiving feast without guilt. My friend Melanie invited me to run in the Tacoma Thanksgiving Trot. Its a 5K...aka 3 miles...not very impressive but exciting (and a feat) for me nonetheless. My dad was so cute when he said how proud he was of me and when I said, "Its only 3 miles, dad, nothing to be impressed over", he replied, "well, it is impressive. You will be the first on either sides of our family to ever run in a 5K race." Awww, thanks dad. You are great!
- Our dear friends, James and Sara Martin are coming on Thursday night to spend the weekend with us. It has now become a Martin/Schaefer tradition (they came last year to Enid). However, we will celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday because they will arrive late on Thurs. night.
Hope you enjoy your holiday. Eat turkey, take a nap and be thankful!
I love sleep. I love the feeling of being gently woken up by the sunlight and nothing else. No alarm clocks. No one saying, "Wakey, Wakey, its time to rise and shine." I love when you wake up and you feel ready for the day. I love when you wake up early and realize you still have another 4 hours of sleep at your disposal. That's why I used to love Daylight Savings time in the fall. I used to love "falling back".
However, since having Malone, its just not the same. She doesn't seem to be enjoying the extra sleep available to her. So, this morning when I thought it was the ungodly hour of 5 am, her body was actually telling her it was the not-so-bad hour of 6am. The same weirdness went for her whole schedule today, eating lunch at way early or late depending on how you see it and going to bed at the time she would normally take a bath. Plus, she's been sick so everything is weird in anyways. So, an event that I used to love now has become a pain in my getting- firmer- rear.
Any suggestions on how to deal with this weird time change thing in terms of baby schedule?
Just when I think I'm getting the hang of this parenting thing, it all changes.
On the upside, my birthday is coming up and I thought I was going to have to celebrate alone. But I have an amazing best friend who is coming to see me (hopefully, if it all works out). I love you, Sarabeth!! You put the BEST in best friend...hahaha...I'm feeling particularly witty this evening.
When Cameron and I were dating, we used to play this game called high/low. Basically giving the high and low points of the day or week. Now my lovely readers, its time to play with you.
High: A free 18-month YMCA membership. The military/YMCA is trying a trial program and we (military folks of this area) are the lucky guinea pigs. Even though the closest Y is a little ways away, I couldn't pass up the FREE membership. They have swimming lessons, gymnastics, ballet and of course an awesome gym. All for free. We intend to fully take advantage of it all!
Low: Malone is the recipient of her very first cold. We've made it a whole nine months with nothing that resembles an illness. But here we are, at the crossroads of where our luck runs out. She really is a sad sight to see. Runny nose, her hair in every which direction, circles under her eyes (a mirror of mine, for sure!) and a little extra dose of craziness. On the upside, she is super nice and cuddly even if it is with her little baby snot running everywhere. I'm loading up on oranges as my defense (remember how I love those oranges?) Think that's enough? ....hold on, I have to go wipe her nose. How I wish she knew how to blow her nose.
High: The pretty new red shirt I bought. It was cheap and from Target, a fact that will make Cameron cringe. I just like it. And the fajita chicken soup/chili I have in the crock pot right now. I hope its going to be as good as it smells.
Low: Malone's lack of sleep last night= my lack of sleep
High: Its my little sister's 15th birthday today! Happy Birthday, Christelly belly! You are awesomely amazing!
Low: Running out of candy to give out last night. We have a lot of kids in our neighborhood. I had to turn off our light. But apparently not everyone knows about the "if the light is on it means we're giving candy, if the light is off, we are not" rule.
High: Playgroup at Melanie's house on Tuesday. Fun girls. Good food. What more could you need?
Low: Feeling pathetic as I anxiously wait for a special email from Cameron.
One last High: I've rediscovered the West Wing. Its an awesome tv show that sadly, challenges my intellectual tracking skills and makes me want to do something great with my life. Schaefer for President 2032!
I was informed by Cameron that my last post was gross and people probably wouldn't find it as funny as I did. So, if you are like my husband and found my sense of humor disgusting, I apologize. But really, you didn't think it was funny? Could you not imagine me sitting on the couch trying not to move with white, slimy, spit up on my belly running down into my pants? :)
In anyways, Malone and I had a great day today. We had playgroup at my friend Melanie's house. Ahhh, its so good just to be able to hang out with some girls who understand where I am in life and who are going through many of the same things that I am. Plus, they are fun, funny and mighty purty... Malone was so excited to play with everyone that she skipped her morning nap and as soon as I put her in her carseat she shut her little eyes for some rest. She was so sweet.
When we got home she finished her nap and we got ready to go workout. Ever just feel like you NEED a workout? I rarely feel the NEED for a workout. More often I just do it because I feel like I should. But today I just felt like I needed to run a little. I dropped Malone off at the nursery (she was not super excited to say the least), turned on New Life's new Counting on God on my iPod and started running. It felt so good, all stress and all worries just melting away as I got refreshed physically and spiritually. If I was by myself, I would have sung along, but I decided to forego the crazy indicators. (By the way, have you ever been the only one at the gym not listening to music and all of a sudden you hear someone toot. And they look around to see if anyone noticed? Ha Ha ....sooooo funny... and yes, I am that immature that I laugh at tooting) Anyways, after my run I put my ear to the door of the nursery and immediately recognized Malone's screaming...at least I got 25 minutes, right?
Tonight, I am overwhelmed by how much I love being a mom. I don't know why. I just love what I get to do. I so treasure this time with Malone and wish I could freeze it in time. I love that I get to see her silly faces, I get to see her do new things, discover new sounds that she can make. I love the bathing, the feeding, even the dirty diapers....I am so blessed even when she spits up on me and cut my workouts short. I love it!!
- I think we finally we found our church yesterday! YES!!! We still need to visit a few more times, but we really liked it yesterday. More info to come. PS: No snake charmers or dream interpreters :) ha ha.
- Yesterday, Malone spit up into my belly button. She has been blowing strawberries on my belly for laughs. Contrary to conventional knowledge (maybe), the belly button is not large enough to hold any amount of spit up never mind a nine-month old's amount. Needless to say, it ran down into my pants. NO!! GROSS! but funny nonetheless. We had a good laugh. Oh the joys of motherhood!
We've had a pretty fun few weeks around here. Nothing extraordinary, but lovely nonetheless. Cameron is home and we are just enjoying his presence so much. The weather has been beautifully fall-like and the trees around here are the most beautiful red/orange color. So pretty. Here's a few updates for you:
- I had this grand idea for us to go on our first (of many) fall outing to a Pumpkin Patch. I had visions of us all wearing sweaters, playing in the leaves, picking the perfect pumpkin, drinking warm apple cider as we're on the most perfect fall hayride, Malone giggling with glee in the background. Needless to say, my expectations were not quite met. As soon as we drove up to the patch, Malone closed her eyes for a much needed nap. It was cold, she was asleep, the pumpkins looked kind of brown from the car at least and I realized my dream was not going to become a reality this year. So Cameron went in, got us some hot apple cider and we enjoyed our Pumpkin Patch experience from inside the car. Oh yes, and we bought some beautiful pumpkins at Safeway. Here we are enjoying the Pumpkin Patch. - Then my parents arrived. As I wrote earlier, it was an absolute delight having them here. Malone was having a little bit of a hard time because I think her teeth were really hurting her (did I mention that she now has 5 almost 6 teeth?!) But we loved every second of their visit in anyways. Here's my parents with Malone by the water. She's waving and saying hi, a new trick they taught her. - We haven't found a church yet and visited another while my parents were here. Oh, good times. I'll just say, I had an experience with someone who was desperately trying to interpret my dreams....dreams I wasn't having :) Ahhh, gotta love the diversity of the body of Christ.
- Due to Malone's increase in dental activities, she now has to begin her lifelong battle with remembering to brush her teeth (Yes, dad, I do remember to brush my teeth at night!). We bought her a baby toothbrush and all. Here's her trying to get the hang of it. I think she kind of likes it.
- It is no surprise that I am a pumpkin freak this time of year and have tried numerous pumpkin recipes lately. But I saved the best for last! Its a pumpkin cake with whiskey whipped cream from Pioneer Woman Cooks. It is so moist, so flavorful...I made it for company the other night and have been munching on the leftovers for 2 days now. Can you eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Picture courtesy of Pioneer Woman Cooks. - I made chili for the first time last night. Thanks to all of you who answered my desperate cry on Twitter and Facebook for a recipe. I combined a few recipes and even found my own secret ingredient... that I will now share with you. Beer. Now, I know you all are questioning my boozer persona, as I just posted two recipes with alcohol in it. But really, the alcohol cooks out and its so little that it doesn't affect anything...or anyone. Anyways, it was awesome! I love the fall flavors!
- Malone and I went on a walk today and it was pretty chilly. We just had to try out her new hat. Doesn't she look cute?!- Lastly, we are embarking on a new adventure as a family. We are trying to teach Malone sign language. Studies have shown that sign language can be an effective form of communication for babies (verbal or not, hearing or not) and actually increases their speech capabilities while expanding their vocabulary. I had been hearing about it for a while and then my friend, Stephanie used it with her daughter, Eva and told me about it . Check out this video I found today:
Sorry for my short absence. Just as you got used to my ever-present presence, I abandon you. :) But I must admit, I'm not TOO sorry, because my parents are here for a visit. I am a family girl. I love spending time with my family and am now excited that I can share them with Cameron and Malone. We've had so much fun visiting with one another, talking politics, showing them around and just hanging out. Maloney is loving spending time with her Ouma and Oupa too. Ouma (Afrikaans for Grandma) and her have been playing and singing songs and Malone has discovered the joy of Oupa's (Afrikaans for Grandpa) "African Belly Biter" and the horsey. They even brought her a bag full of South African candy...of course she can't even eat carrots never mind chocolates. But sadly, they leave again tomorrow. Boo-Hoo! I'm so sad and am counting down the days to when we can see them again.
Friends, now you know what a week in my life looks like. Doing this I realized how boring I really am. At least I enjoy my boringness.
I was looking at Malone today and realized how much more grown up she looked to me. It was not her outfit because she was wearing a sleep & play onesie. It was not how peaceful she looked when she napped. It was not how helpless she was or how needy she was. But it was when I realized that she had figured out a little game I was playing with her. She got it! She even initiated our little cat & mouse game this morning.
She's so smart.
So I thought I would take you all back to the beginning, when she was just a longing in our hearts.
Here's Cameron and I and my awesomely beautiful family right before our wedding. In the middle of our wedding Here we are right after our wedding Celebrating our 1 year anniversary. We just found out I was pregnant earlier that week. 24 weeks pregnant 8 months pregnant at Cameron's Pilot Training graduationThe morning of my induction. My belly felt a lot bigger than it looks now. Malone being born...we were so surprised it happened so soon and overwhelmed with joy.Back at home...doesn't she look like an angel!? And look at her now 9 months later Aahhh, she's growing up way too fast
- Malone has gotten so smart!!!! We were Skyping (video chatting) with my sister, Lydia and Malone went crazy. Not only did she take 8 steps trying to get to Lydia on the computer, but she was really trying to find Lydia. She couldn't understand how she could see Lyddie on the computer, but when she looked behind the computer screen she was gone. How funny?!
- Malone looks so cute in her little winter, puffy vest. Plus, here she's standing.
- I love Malone.
