Blessed

I forgot to share my blessing today! I had my hubby swing by Target on our way home and they had a sale. I picked up two dresses for Anna, size 3T for $2.98 each! That's a bit of a weight off my shoulders... especially post-crayon fiasco. *shakes head*

We'll also be moving here in a couple of weeks. We're going back up to WA and praying things work out better this time around. Maybe they will, considering Paul is going for what he's called to do... the ministry. We found a way in which he can merge both things, his talent for media and his calling. International Media Ministries. But he wants to finish school first. So pray for us! Let's hope this works out!!!

Pictures

Anna finally wanted to dress up! I was so excited hehehe!

Princess Anna...

Me and my sister Jennifer!!! I ♥ her!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Can you believe it's 2009!? I can't. This year, Anna will be turning 3, hopefully she'll be potty trained, she'll get more hair, learn to speak more, hopefully be sleeping in her own room... It's going to be a great year!

Do you have any plans for tonight? None here...

Word of the Day

tacit \TAS-it\, adjective:
1. implied or understood without being openly expressed
2. saying nothing; silent


On a side note, Bones returns in 16 (give or take) days on January 15th on Fox! =)

Wedding Dress Shopping

Today my sister Jen and I looked at wedding dresses. I was really excited that she was able to try on a dress this time. When we went to David's Bridal, they didn't carry any dresses her size. They had her dress at this shop. The very one she wanted. It was a 24W and I was almost sad that it would be too small, but it fit perfectly! I was so happy. She looked gorgeous in it, too. It was the perfect dress and the veil had a red ribbon around the edges. She looked so gorgeous! It was so much fun!!! I only sent two pictures from her cell phone to my email because my email is so disturbingly annoyingly long, so these are the two I sent to my email.

You can click them and they'll enlarge slightly. But not too much.

Words of the Day

Spanish word of the day:

doblar, verb:
to fold; to bend; to turn

English word of the day:

sacrilege \SAK-ruh-lij\, noun:
an intentional injury to anything held sacred; disrespectful treatment of something sacred

When You Must Not Breastfeed

Thank you to Sarah Scrafford for this wonderful guest post!

When You Must Not Breastfeed

There’s nothing babies want as soon as they’re born than to sleep and eat, and the only food that they want is their mother’s milk. Breast milk is a wonder of nature – packed with all the essential proteins, fat, sugar and water that babies need for their survival, it’s the only sustenance your baby needs for the first six months of his/her life. Doctors recommend that you breastfeed your baby exclusively for the first six months, after which you can supplement his/her diet with bottled milk and other baby food.

Breastfed babies have been proven to fall ill less often than those who have been bottle-fed; the antibodies in breast milk act as powerful stimulants on the child’s immune system and prevent him/her from contracting common illnesses like a cold and the flu. Breast milk is also known to be beneficial towards a child’s intellectual development, and the act of breastfeeding enhances the bond between mother and child.

Even with all these benefits that breastfeeding offers, there are times when it’s not advisable to put your baby to your breast, and these are:

• When you’re a regular smoker
• When you consume alcohol on a regular basis. If you’re still keen on giving your baby breast milk, do so only two hours after you’ve had a drink.
• When you are HIV positive.
• When you are a regular user of drugs like cocaine and marijuana. Besides making your baby addicted, they can have adverse side-effects.
• When you’re undergoing chemotherapy.
• When you are on certain drugs (consult your doctor if you’re not sure).
• When you have active tuberculosis.
• When your baby has a rare birth condition that makes him or her intolerant of lactose and galactose, sugars found in any kind of milk.
• When you’ve had a thyroid scan (the radioactive iodine will stay in your milk for weeks after the scan).

It’s ok to continue breastfeeding even when you are ill with the flu or when you have a cold. Viral infections cannot be passed on through breast milk.

You can continue to breastfeed your older child even when you become pregnant with the next one.

Immunizations to the mother do not mean that you have to stop breastfeeding.

If you’re not sure about any aspect of breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before you take any decision to continue or stop.

By-line:

This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of Ultrasound Tech Schools. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Spanish Word of the Day

The English word of the day was nothing fantastic, so here is the Spanish word of the day:

diario, noun, adjective:
daily

la rutina diaria
the daily routine

Diario is used in a couple of useful phrases. First de diario or para diario, to describe something which is everyday or for everyday use:

nuestro mantel de diario
our everyday tablecloth

Este diseñador ofrece limitadas opciones para la ropa de diario.
This designer offers limited options for everyday wear.

Then, a diario to describe something which happens every day.

Va al gimnasio a diario.
He goes to the gym every day.

Please Pray for Kenny

Paul's cousin was just hospitalized last night right after the Christmas party. We saw him and talked to him and everything. He was OK then. But after he left, he went straight to the ER. He has a viral heart infection. He has a 2/3 chance of living. So it's pretty serious. Just keep Kenny in your prayers. Thank you!

Scale's Not Broken

I discovered today that I lost some weight. Actually, I knew that I had because my jeans were loose and I was fitting into jeans I had once called "unwearable" because of being too small. I stepped onto the scale at the family get-together tonight and when I read it I laughed and said that it was broken. WAY broken. But then Paul stepped on it and said that yeah, it was broken because it made him look ten pounds heavier than when he last weighed himself. I gave him a look. He always thinks he weighs less than he actually does and often blames it on the scale. LOL. And the second issue with that was that I thought it made me way too light. That didn't make sense. See what I mean? The last time I weighed myself I weighed 127. I think sometime after that I thought it said 125 or I assumed I weighed 125 because of my loose-fitting jeans. The truth of it all was that the scale said I weighed 120!!! O.o The last time I weighed that much was when I was a freshman in college. Actually, I'm pretty sure I weighed 127 when I gave blood that year... so it had to have been at the beginning of that year. It couldn't have been in high school. I was a stick in high school and I exercised a lot and ate very little... So I honestly don't know when I last weighed 120. It's kind of insane. But I'm wondering when my sweet tooth will return, or I'll have another child, or Anna will wean and I'll gain b/c of not burning so many calories with her, etc, etc, etc, and I'll no longer weigh this little. So, I'll just enjoy it for now! =)

Edit: If you're wondering how tall I am, I'm 5'1 3/4"

Edit: That puts me at a BMI of 21.9, or a "Normal" weight range.

Par-Tay

We had a great time at the family get-together. We saw Chloe (7 months) and Justin (18 months)... they're so cute. Anna had a great time running around, fighting over toys with Justin, and being terrorized by the dog. She kept turning around and saying, "No, Dog!" LOL! She's a very assertive little girl when she wants to be! Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos, but we did get video. I'll have to upload it soon! Maybe I'll find time to mix a Christmas Video with all of the footage we got for Christmas.

Christmas Party

Tonight is the Smith Family Christmas Party (That's Paul's mom's side of the family). It was postponed due to the snow. Which is almost completely melted off now. Outside it's raining. I actually missed the rain. The snow was such a hassle. But now, of course, there is so much slush and water in the parking lot. It soaks my shoes within a few seconds. I have no idea why the property management never cleared out the parking lot. Now it's such a mess!

Anna will get to see her cousins, which will be nice. One is a six month old (or so) little girl, the other is a little boy just about six months younger than Anna herself. Then there's a ten year old little girl that Anna followed around last year. I'm sure they'll be inseparable this year.

I'll update. Apparently we're leaving at noon and I haven't even had a shower yet!

Word of the Day

paltry \PAWL-tree\, adjective:
1. almost worthless; trifling
2. of no worth; contemptible, despicable

Christmas Pics

Anna loved her dress up trunk from my mom. She also got a couple of dollies, a V-Motion, Play Dough (don't worry that's a very ROUNDED butter knife), and two pairs of PJs. Se really likes her dollies and plays with them, makes them talk to one another and walk around (it's really cute to watch) and she loves her bracelets. I love that I had a girl!!! :D

Merry Christmas everyone! And thank you for the advice on the Crayon Fiasco. ;) I heard there's an Old Navy sale tomorrow (75% off... Maybe I can pick up some new tights, shirts, dresses, what-have-you... Hopefully I can get a few shirts, too. A few of mine were ruined, too.) *sigh*

Pretending & Art Work

Anna is such a funny girl to watch. She loves to pretend with her dolls. She got a Diego doll and a Dora doll for Christmas. She put them together and said, "Hi, Deeko. Hi, Baby." Then she walked them around... She's so funny! LOL. I love seeing her imagination working.

Here's some of her latest artwork...

(Top: 11/08 Anna colored in her Spongebob Bowl. I love how she colored in his teeth and eyes first. haha. Bottom: She drew this last night, 12/24/08. She started drawing circles, then drawing circles around the circles. I could hardly believe it. Then she started coloring in the circles. I guess I forget how fast she's growing up sometimes. It still amazes me!)

So Upset!!!

I'm so upset! So flipping upset! (As opposed to rollin' upset or walkin' upset...)
I washed Anna's clothes last night then put them in the dryer. Unbeknownst to me, Anna had stuck a red crayon in the sock of her WHITE tights. So... now a ton of her clothes have red stains that will not wash out ever! I had to throw away two pairs of tights and then a ton of her clothes have stains. I feel so... FURIOUS. I wanted to cry. We don't exactly have the money right now to run out and buy a new wardrobe for her. I'm so annoyed. I'm annoyed at myself for not checking her clothes properly. What was I thinking??? *argh*

Maybe going Christmas shopping will cheer me up? I hope so. I'm so mad right now. I try so hard to keep Anna's clothes stain free (I'm a little psycho about stains... I grew up with stains on everything!) So I'm really just... really, really MAD. Of course, I'm not mad at Anna. I'm mad at myself. Oh! *grits teeth* >.<

Ridiculous Snow

I am starting to dislike snow. It's beautiful to look at, yes, but now I think I prefer rain! After several days, I finally escaped into the great unknown (aka outside) and what happened? It took us 2 hours to drive what would regularly take 15 minutes. And it wasn't because of the snow, really. It was more the fault of the traffic + snow. People drove so extremely slowly. And perhaps it had to do with the season and people shopping. Long story short: We've yet to buy wrapping paper. I'm really annoyed right now.

Things She Says

I've written these notes in the past couple of days on things Anna has said:

Last night before going to sleep I started to sing. Anna put her arm around me, put her finger to her lips and said, "Mama, Shh! It's night-night time." Which sounded more like, "Mama, Shh! Idz nigh-nigh tie." She's getting so wordy any more. It's hard to believe.

"C'mon, Daddy. C'mon. Let's go bye-bye... Paul!"
Paul gets mad at me that Anna calls him Paul... ROFL.

*SNOW*

(Anna in the snow earlier this week.)

(Last Sunday. This Sunday it's too deep to go out.)

(Anna crawled up to her napping Daddy and fell asleep like this with him! So cute!)

It snowed 11 inches yesterday! And if that doesn't sound amazing to you, well it is. It's a big deal. It almost never snows in Oregon--in the valleys, that is-- and when it does, it almost immediately melts off. So, yesterday it snowed and snowed and SNOWED. And before nightfall it began to RAIN. So when I look outside right now, it's a winter wonderland, but all of the snow is basically frozen into a thick sheet of ice on the top 2 inches. It's insane. At a round 2 AM this morning, I went outside and ran around like I was a kid. It was fantastic. (Just don't tell anyone.) You take a step, and it breaks, step, break, step, break. It was good. Good times... good times. Paul thought I was nuts. But it really was a lot of fun.

Today, though, Anna woke up at 9 and then just laid in Paul's arms all morning and now she's STILL asleep at 2 PM. I'm thinking that she's not feeling well.

Vegan Dad

I found a cool blog called Vegan Dad who posts vegan recipes. If you don't know by now, I love trying out tons of exotic recipes. Different countries, different diets, etc. You should check it out. Who knew that soy could be so versatile? I know, I know... I already knew that, but this really shows you a ton of new ways to use those types of ingredients. I had a fun time scrolling through the blog and looking at recipes. :D


Does that veggie lasagna look delicious or what???? Mmm yum!

A Quote

"The night was clear and frosty, all ebony of shadow and silver of snowy slope; big stars were shining over the silent fields; here and there the dark pointed firs stood up with snow powdering their branches and the wind whistling through them."
- Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Well, Merry Christmas!

Time is flying by. I can hardly believe it!

Well, my mom is doing better. She has her balance back... not a hundred percent, though. It's showing like crazy here. There are so many storms, one after another. It's nice, but way too cold for me!

Anna seems to be learning phrases at a time instead of words at a time, which is really exciting, but boy she sure has an attitude. She isn't afraid to let you know what her opinion on things are. Sheesh.

We got her a V-Motion for Christmas! I think she'll like it. She always wants to play with the Wii! haha We got her a pair of Christmas PJs to open on Christmas eve, play dough, a candy cane, a book and I know my sister's family got her a Spongebob flashlight. That's enough presents for one little girl if you ask me lol.

Above, I uploaded a picture of me and a picture of Anna. I messed with them on Photoshop. :D

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Info On My Mom... (While I have the chance...)

Before I head out the door, (I'll be watching my mom for a few days), I just got off the phone with her and had a little more information on her condition. She's in Stage 3 Renal Failure. Which basically means that her kidney (only one of her kidneys actually works) is dying. If she stays as healthy as she can, then she might live out the decade. I'll be on her Last Wishes statement, making sure that when the time comes, that her wishes will be respected.

Right now I'm doing OK. I actually think that this is a much better scenario than can be expected. I know she's going to die. I've honestly thought she wouldn't live much longer, her health has always been poor, and it's somewhat comforting knowing that her death won't be unexpected (like my brother's death was. He died last December 4th of suicide).

Anyway, she's doing better. She said she went on a long walk today, in spite of her doctor's suggestion (as exercise would dehydrate her, which could be deadly), but she said she drank lots of water and I'm encouraging her to do so.

(GFR basically means the rate at which the kidney filters your blood. CKD just means Chronic Kidney Disease.)
----------------

Stage 1 CKD

Slightly diminished function; Kidney damage with normal or increased GFR (>90 mL/min/1.73 m2). Kidney damage is defined as pathologic abnormalities or markers of damage, including abnormalities in blood or urine test or imaging studies.

Stage 2 CKD

Mild reduction in GFR (60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2) with kidney damage. Kidney damage is defined as pathologic abnormalities or markers of damage, including abnormalities in blood or urine test or imaging studies.

Stage 3 CKD

Moderate reduction in GFR (30-59 mL/min/1.73 m2). British guidelines distinguish between stage 3A (GFR 45-59) and stage 3B (GFR 30-44) for purposes of screening and referral.

Stage 4 CKD

Severe reduction in GFR (15-29 mL/min/1.73 m2) Preparation for renal replacement therapy

Stage 5 CKD

Established kidney failure (GFR <15>

-------------

And one last thing before I sign off, Paul and I are looking at a thing called International Media Ministries. I'll write more about that later, as it's not set in stone, but I think that will be a good opportunity and it'll be great to do something... tangible for the Lord. I know He doesn't measure our 'deeds' like that, but it's something that has always been on Paul's heart (the ministry), so that might be something we will do in the coming years.

Thanks!

Thank you to everyone who left a kind comment on my previous post (two before this) about my mom. She's home now. She's very dizzy and weak, though. I'm sorry if I don't respond to your post, but I read them and I'm thankful! So thanks!!! :D

2 Pairs of Earrings for $5 Shipped!

I wanted to share this great deal where you can get two pairs of earrings for $5 shipped!!



Register on line at Dickielee.com (elegant fashion jewelry) for a $10 gift certificate use code "NewCustomer" then apply for a promotional crystal earring at the same time. They will waive S/H. Reg. $14.95 ea. (75% discount) You can't use the free $10 off on the FREE pair of earrings--but they have just about the same pair in their regular Earrings section for $14.95--so here's the breakdown:

1 Pair of earrings for $14.95 (or up.. they have some pretty dangly stuff)
1 Free pair of Swarvovski Crystral earrings
- Free shipping
- Minus $10 promo code

Equals $4.95 for TWO pairs of nice earrings!

I didn't do this part, but someone else posted that you can actually get 3 pairs of earrings for $4.95. If you click on special promotions, there are earrings that are free with purchase of two other pairs of earrings. Apparently the free earrings count as a purchase because I was able to put the additional free pair in my cart and the total for all three came to $4.95.

After you click special promotions, click buy 2 get 1 free.
OR TRY THE ABOVE for THREE pairs!


Anyways, this is totally legit and they want you to spread the news of their promotions. So if you do this, please put in the comment section that I referred you.

My email is sarahmarie [dot] pemberton [at] gmail.com

Christmas Break... So Much On My Mind

I'm sorry I haven't been on much. I don't mean to abandon this site. We will be moving at the end of this month and returning to college, we've celebrated birthdays and holidays, things are so incredibly busy! And my sister is currently engaged to be engaged right now! Moller is a nice young man from the UK and I"m so happy for her. They've been talking about marriage and children. It's so exciting! Also, my mom has been suffering from health problems. She should be getting out of the hospital today. A few days ago, she was hospitalized because she began to go into kidney failure. It was scary. She has asked me to go through her final will & decree, especially where it comes to life support and tube-feeding. I'm glad she chose me. I think I'm honestly the most... how do I put this? Stable? I can handle that kind of stress a lot better than my sisters. After my brother died, both of my sisters dropped into a deep depression, but I never did. I was able to handle it quite well and so I'm glad she chose me.

But as you can see, things have been a tad hectic. I will try to update as much as possible.

The Shape of a Mother Post

I posted in The Shape of a Mother. If you don't know this blog, it is fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. Anything that spreads the word that we are all unique and beautiful women--not air-brushed or spotless Vogue models--but real, tangible women--is a wonderful thing!

Link to my post.

I originally was going to post as "Anonymous"--but I kind of want to share my story--my wonderful husband, the fact that I am imperfect. Beautifully imperfect... Anyway. Check out TSOAM. It's one of my favorite blogs. ;)

Anna's 2 Year Appointemtent Shocked Me!

Why did it surprise me? Because Anna is 36 Inches Tall... meaning she is in the 94th Percentile!!! Can you believe that? At her 18 Month appt. she was only in the 65th, so I thought she would slow down and be about in the 60th by her 2 yr appointment (I'm only 5 foot 1 and Paul is 5 foot 10). NOPE. She's still growing and I'm beginning to believe that she inherited the P-------n Height Gene. (Come to think of it, my Aunt Susie is pretty tall... And Aunt Shirleen, too.... and my uncles were/are all over 6 feet.... maybe it's a combo of my genes and hers?) Enough rambling.
She is 27 pounds and a few ounces, making her in the 65th for weight. Her head circumference was 80th percentile.
I'm still shocked that she's so tall... I mean, I could see it when she was around other two and three year olds, but... I guess I never thought she was above the 60th percentile. I'm.... shocked. What's a synonym for that so I don't sound redundant? Amazed. I'm amazed.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I got a kick out of this scene from Bones last Wednesday...

If you don't know the dialogue or anything.... I'll give you a quick overview. Basically, Brennan needs magnifying glasses to examine the skull. Booth finds these around an old lady's neck. Booth comes in. Grins. Walks up to her and says, "What I want you to do is take off your glasses, shake out your hair and say, 'Mr Booth, do you know what penalty is for an overdue book?'" Brennan's response? "Why?" Booth looks... annoyed? Flustered? and mutters, "Never mind."
Brennan gives him another errand... finding a butane lighter, denture cream and face powder.

When he's out of sight, she takes off her gloves, takes off her glasses, shakes out her hair... looks confused. Gets that "I don't know what that means" look on her face and then puts back her hair and glasses. LOL....

So Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I'll be spending the next week in Roseburg with family.
Happy Dancing Turkey gif... (Why would he be so happy when thousands.... hundreds of thousands... of his relatives are getting their heads chopped off, we shall never know. Maybe he got his hands on the apple cider.)

glitter-graphics.com

Christmas Dress Pics

I took these indoors and Photoshopped the background to a solid black... also did some red-eye correction.

2 Years of Breastfeeding

You know, if I didn't stop to think about it, I would have never really realized the significance of breastfeeding Anna for two years. That's lower risk of breast cancer, stronger immunity for Anna, more exposure to brain-building chemicals found in breast milk, etc, etc, etc...
It's kind of amazing. But I really don't think about it any more. The goals, I mean. I don't think about breastfeeding goals or milestones any more. I never really have. I suppose that's out of the ordinary. I never bought any bottles or formula (although my MIL sure bought me bottles and Similac kept trying to get me on their bandwagon! No thanks to both!) Some other company gave us liquid formula with nipples and little glass bottles. Those were great for that ONE night when Anna was 2 weeks old and Daddy stayed up with her and I SLEPT! AND woke up in pain and engorged lol. Other than that.... I honestly never had a goal. I was a member of this mommy site full of notoriously blood-thirsty women, always attacking each other for doing anything remotely resembling "wrong"... giving babies solids at 5.5 months old, as opposed to 6 months old (give me a break! She sucked on a cookie, people!)... Giving her a cookie for her first food and not pureed green beans (I wouldn't like that, why would she? PLUS it was a Girl Scout cookie!!! Who could pass that up? "On my honor I will try to serve God and my country and to live by the Girl Scout Law and give my daughter a Girl Scout cookie for her first taste of heaven.")
And to top it all off... the women of that unnamed site told me that saying that my goal was 12 months was TOO MUCH and to not have such a long goal. Have a 3 month goal or a 6 month goal. Give me a break! Why should we have so little faith in our selves? Why would I arbitrarily break down and give my daughter a bottle... run the water, boil it, de-germify bottles, buy the bottles that are the most healthy, measure the powder, mix the water WHEN I CAN JUST WHIP IT OUT! I deserve one of those bumper stickers that says:
And this isn't in offense to bottle-feeders or formula-users. It's more in offense to those catty women who were my first real experience with "breastfeeding supporters"... Pah to you.
Point is, my first and only goal was one year. I made it. From now on I'm winging it. Anna likes the boob. I like the closeness and the benefits.
Oh and I found my way onto diaperswappers.com and started a thread announcing my two year milestone. Within a day or two four or five more threads popped up announcing 2 year milestones or goals being reached. I was really excited and pleased by the support and praise. It was very nice to hear it. ;)

So, in closing, whatever your goal is. 1 week, 1 year, 3 or 4 years... if and when you make that goal, good for you! You are amazing and I support you and we all should support one another. For being moms, even. Waking up several times a night for months (for me, twenty months! argh...), for feeding and changing our babies, learning their voices, their turns of temperament.... celebrating their firsts and OUR firsts, their goals and OUR goals. It's an amazing experience, motherhood. It truly is. And I am blessed to be one of the women in the world who gets to experience motherhood in one of the ways that it is offered.

I hope that some day I can adopt a child (or children) and experience motherhood in a whole new facet. Motherhood isn't how you feed your child, it's the love that you give your child. A woman who gives birth and breast feeds her child can just as easily abuse that child or starve that child. A woman who adopts and bottle feeds can just as easily smother her child with love.

I honestly don't know where I'm going with this now... I suppose this is what happens when I decide to write after midnight....

I'll post pictures in the next post. ;)

Anna is now 2!

Here are a few pictures of the day! My husband made the cake. It turned out great. Anna tore into her presents and cake. It was a very good day, I think. :D

Anna's 2nd Year Video

Anna will now be 2 in 6 days.
I made this video to celebrate that fact.
The song is Beyond Measure by Jeremy Camp. I thought it was an appropriate song considering that we have truly been given more than earthly treasure, more than beyond measure by God.

Twisted Beauty

This is for the young women.

How often do you tell yourself that you are beautiful? How often do you tell yourself that you are enough? How often do you believe it? I wish that I could hear more often young women telling themselves positive things. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am friendly, kind, sweet, talented. Especially when it comes to physical appearance, I am saddened when I hear negative comments of young women and girls about themselves. To bring this to a personal level, when I look at myself nude, I think that I am beautiful. I am curvy, I have stretch marks, cellulite. The whole nine yards. I am far from taut and airbrushed. Is it safe to say that I am human? Imperfections are what make us human. Who wants to look like Barbie? I could hardly call her perfect. If I looked like her, I'd be more ashamed than if I looked like myself. I am proud of my body. It draws air into my lungs, digests my food, feeds my child, birthed her into this world. It worships God. It reflects His Image. How amazing is that? We LOOK LIKE GOD. I don't know how much more beautiful that can be. To look like Him. To reflect His Image. To be Made In His Image. Think about it. Can you truly look at yourself in the mirror every day and say that you are ugly when you are made in God's Image. You are His creation. Now, go back and say those things again. Is it possible any more? I admit I have bad days where I feel bloated, ugly, what-have-you. But more often than not, when I go and take a shower, I stand in front of the mirror nude and I think, "I'm beautiful." Not to be vain. Vanity and loving yourself are two very different things. And I am far from vain. Vanity is believing you are perfect. In all honesty, it is the IMPERFECTIONS that I find myself admiring most. My humanity is beautiful. The half-a-dozen teeny stretchmarks that speckle the left side of my belly, just below the navel. My womanly figure, changed by motherhood. I find myself becoming and not in the traditional sense. I've learned to love myself.
And that sense, that need to love myself is all the more amplified by the fact that I am the mother to a daughter. A girl who will someday look up to me and mirror her own self image against my own. I will be her mentor, her heroine, her mother for years to come and I know that by telling her that I think I am beautiful and I think she is beautiful, that that will add to a positive self image. I remember being six years old and believing I looked fat in a bathing suit. I heard those comments, I suppose, way too often from my own mother or women I looked up to in my life. I know how that effects young girls and I am determined not to be a part of that cycle. That cycle stops here. When my daughter and I go shopping when she's fifteen, I will try on a dress and I will tell her that I look beautiful in it. And if it's the wrong size, I will tell her so. It's the wrong size, then go get the next size up. No big deal. Being a larger size has nothing to do with beauty. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can end the cycle in our daughters' lives.

I am Beautiful. I am 5 foot 1 3/4 inches. Last I checked I weighed 125, but I think I'm closer to 128 now. I don't work out much, if ever. Shame on me. I should take better care of my body. I wear size 5 to size 7 jeans. I wear a 34A bra. I have stretchmarks on my hips, thighs, breasts, tummy. I have cellulite on my butt. I can't remember the last time I shaved my legs. I am imperfect. I am human. I am a beautiful woman and I welcome the imperfections that make me ME.

---------
As it turns out, I've been talking to Dove about their Campaign for Real Beauty. I love this program. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and colors.
You can go to www.campaignforrealbeauty.com to download free self-esteem building materials for girls, moms, and mentors including:
• True You and Mirror, Mirror booklets
• Interactive exercises
• Workshop Facilitator Guide DVD

Words of the Day

I love learning language and new words. I think I'll do a new word day every so often....

Here are a few, some new to me, some not:

tête-à-tête : I love this word. It sounds just like the definition. PRN: Tet-a-tet. –noun

1.	a private conversation or interview, usually between two people.

sotto voce : I kept coming across this one while reading scripts. Had to look it up. PRN: sawt-taw vaw-che.
–noun in a low, soft voice so as not to be overheard.

sou marqué : This one is new to me. PRN: soo-mar-key

1.	a billon coin of France, issued in the 18th century for circulation in the colonies.

2.	something that has little or no value.

resplendent \rih-SPLEN-duhnt\, adjective:
1. very bright or shining; splendid

mot juste : This one's new to me, too. \moh-ZHOOST\, noun:
1. a word or phrase that exactly fits the case

10 Days Until Anna's Birthday

In honor of my little Anna Daisy, here is the song that Anna was named after. Daisy Bell by Gerald Adams and the Variety Singers.

The Treatment of Our National Leader

From "Wall Street Journal"
By Jeffrey Shapiro

Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.


According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.


This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust.
"

Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.


The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.


It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.


Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.


Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America.
"
In Opinion Journal Today

To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.


Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.


The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.


Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.


Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.


http://online. wsj. com/article/SB122584386627599251. html

Anna's 2nd Year

12 days until my baby girl's birthday...

Countdown to Anna's Birthday!

13 Days Until Anna's Birthday....

Today, a slideshow of Anna's 1st Year:

Musica!

"Now That You're Near"
Hillsong

Halloween Pics

Anna is now 16 days from turning 2! I can't believe it! Right now I'm so tired, though, that I think I'm going to pass out, so I'm really aiming for the short post here. ;)

Anna as Elmo!!!!!!!! (Next year we're choosing a costume with wings and a wand. Poor girl kept being called "Mr. Elmo" and "He" all night... *sigh* It's the hair... people just can't fathom a two year old girl with barely any hair lol.)

College

I've been considering returning to college lately. I think I need to do something more active with my life. My mind always has to be focused on something and I've been going crazy without college this past year and a half.

Life has been busy, though. We've been working to get our school debt paid off, which it will be in the next month, so we can return. I can't wait. I'm looking into a Radiology & Ultrasound Technology major, which is something I've been interested in for quite a while. I think in the meantime, though, I'll sneak in a few psychology and writing classes--maybe a history class or two. I love all of those fields/focuses. We'll see.

Our computer is fixed. I can't remember what the problem was, but it's running in Safe Mode now, so it isn't having that issue, but we will have to purchase some new hardware to remedy the problem.

Halloween is coming up. Anna will be Elmo!

Anna will be two soon! We're having a Spongebob party! Goodness knows she loves that yellow sponge!

TTYL!

23 Months & Comp Virus

Anna is 23 months old today! Only one more month until she turns two!

Right now our computer has a virus on it, so I'm not too sure how often I'll be able to be online, so bear with me.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Pumpkin Farm Photos

We had a great time at the farm yesterday. They had a lot of goodies. A little place where you can pet animals, a fun house thingy, a tour, etc.