Baldwin Babes: Winter 2016 Edition

It's been such a long time since writing that I can only provide highlights. Will is done with his last Trauma rotation. Will has job offers. The children are extra busy. I am (still) learning to handle challenges and, when I find myself having a good day, can hardly recognize myself from a bad day.

I am still teaching. I am cleaning out our house. I am laughing that my office has been such a wreck since I started tossing papers... oh well. Comes with the cleaning out territory, I suppose.

Today I fixed soup which I give a B (I need to work on salting better... terrified of over-salting); oatmeal chocolate chip bars which I give an A-; graded; cleaned the downstairs again; took care of the children; took care of the sick husband; reminded myself to get to bed "earlier than usual".

So, hi again. Happy Advent. Here's what we've been doing for the past month...

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Snowzilla: Playtime

Snow time: Grace in her new snow pants and snow boots; Laura in her snow sack. Shenanigans!

That is Will's car. So.

Our neighbor shoveled a pathway for us since I couldn't get out of the house safely, and I hired a man to clear the rest of the pathway today. We apparently got 31" of snow; once Will gets home, we'll have to dig his car out! Till then, I've requested cheese sticks and cough drops from one of Grace's therapists coming to the house tomorrow.

This is Will's last week away; we're both ready for him to come home.

"Separation" by W.S. Merwin

Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.

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Day 2: Rejection

This isn't the first time, and it certainly won't be the last.

Feeding Laura baby food is like an act of betrayal. The hurt looks, the confusion, the rejection of said food - from Earth's Best, not Earth's Worst. We've filmed it, laughed over, and raised our eyebrow a few times. Everyone says "keep trying!" ... okay then. I fixed a tablespoon of rice cereal to mix with the pictured apple puree (rejected) only to see the tiny jar almost empty on the table. Laura sat in the high chair, food all over her bib.

"How exciting!!!!!" I said to Will; "So, she ate it?"
"No, Grace got to it," he replied.

Grace looks up at me, smiling. Oh well, I think. I scrape the jar, mix the last bit with the cereal, and hear Dylan Moran's voice as Laura gives me another look of despair while I try to finagle the spoonful into her mouth: Rejection.

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Day 1: Baby Bear

In a moment of trying to regain a little sanity, I'm back at blogging for a 31 day writing challenge. Since carpal tunnel and time management limits my time, I'm going to do a series of photo essays on family life as a resident's wife, history teacher and mom. I hope you enjoy!

Laura, our newly seven month old, is trying to stand. This is amazing to me. Our oldest, Grace, has cerebral palsy and never did this at such a young age. But Laura pays no mind to that- she sees her sister move, and she wants to go too (preferably wherever Grace is playing or moving).

This picture was taken soon after returning home from the grocery store - I expected a madhouse since the hurricane is supposed to hit us hard this weekend, but maybe the drizzle kept people at home. Maybe. But not us. All for more yogurt, soup, snacks, and a chance to watch the Wegmans's train go round and round a couple times by Dairy. I even picked up two baby food jars for Laura - she makes funny dislike faces for both yogurt and rice cereal; maybe apples or peas will entice.

Laura's Dad is gone all night - first night in Trauma, this month's rotation. But she climbed all over him earlier while, two floors above, I taught middle schoolers about the Revolutionary War. (I could hear the shrieks of laughter from both girls. Typical with Dad.)

This weekend, we're doing a big clean up of the house, and putting up the new gates, just for Laura. We're still trying to decide where... depending on where this baby bear prowls to next. She's on the move.

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Lady Laura: 0-5 Months

Oh, sweet lady Laura, my little love duck! There is simply not enough written about this baby.

Laura is an excellent example of an individual. When I was pregnant with Bebe Deux, people liked to give me a heads up: this baby is going to be a handful. 

So far, their prediction is completely wrong. This baby is an utter delight. Even when she is teething and crying, her sweetness is overwhelming. You just want to comfort her, and kiss her. It is so gratifying looking into the face of this little girl and having her eyes light up, and reach for her mother. I am glad we have this summer time to extra bond, and the time while Grace sleeps to have our own Laura-Mama time. 

Newborn

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

 Four Months

Five Months

This baby:

• rolls
• smiles
• grasps
• amuses 
• watches
• coos
• pivots

She is our little lady, and we all love her immensely. Grace is an especially sweet big sister - kisses and hugs her, and even called her "La-La" (once!). Laura is so strong - tummy time champ, and is trying to crawl on her belly. I suspect that is coming soon... I've also put her in the exersaucer, and she goes to town! She loves it a lot more than Grace did, and Grace is now re-newing an interest in said toy. It all rather amusing. The jealousy monster comes over for play dates!

Laura Kathleen was born during a very busy period of my life, and yes, I'll try to finish her birth story soon. If you are wondering about two under two, mamas, have no fear. Is it an adjustment? Of course. Is it hard? At times. Is it worth it? Yes.

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Up Close

Is Vivian teaching Grace to take a selfie, or is Grace teaching Vivian?

And a gratuitous shot of our sweet lady, Laura.

We had two visitors (!!) last week, Will worked another 80++ hours, and I am sitting here, having a cocktail. I know, I deserve it. Today, we officially mailed in our new lease. All the waiting, all the negotiations and back and forth: done. We're here for (at least) another year!

Back to watching Flip or Flop... 

I Declare This A Good Day

These girls:

This guy:

My Mom:

These links:

8 Picture Books for Lent and Easter at Carrots for Michaelmas
What to read next if you want to branch out from your usual genres at Modern Mrs. Darcy
Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad Stories at Crisis Magazine
The Problem with Quiet Times at Christianity Today
Finding Beauty: A How-To at The Irish Rover
What Are Your Favorite High-Quality Freezer Staples? at The Kitchn

What We’re Watching: Revisiting the Moynihan Report at Education Next (I wrote my senior thesis on the Moynihan Report - super fascinating, even 50 years later!)

After Seven Years by Raymond Moley (pdf)

"Written by an adviser to FDR who helped assemble the president's "brain trust", After Seven Years is a must-read for anyone claiming to be a student of the New Deal. Written in the midst of man-made economic calamity, Moley supplies an insider's account of the twists and turns in policy responses to the Great Depression, about which he for many good reasons ultimately became disillusioned." --Mises.org

How I Work Now:

(Thanks PhotoBooth!)

(This is actually pretty difficult/ a lot of one hand typing.)

Today is my last day of maternity leave - back to teaching classes on Monday. My mom leaves tomorrow, and we'll have a family night once Will wake up after his night shift nap (because he works day shift on Sunday!). This night float month for SICU already feels better than the month in MICU; maybe because I am asleep for half his shift? Maybe because I get to text him in the wee hours of the morning while nursing?

Last night, Will and I went out to a local tapas restaurant and shared a pitcher-ish of sangria. Mom stayed home and watched Chicken Run with Gracie and Laura. It felt really good to have us/ non-stress/ shared alcoholic beverage time time.

Right Now:

Laura snores her thanks for y'all reading!

The Look: Who Did It Better?

Grace Harriet:

Laura Kathleen:

First week // neonate. My girls are all sugar and sass!

GHB: Lately

Grace pulling up to stand on her own...

Grace patting the belly/ saying hello to her baby sister...

Grace refusing to nap/ visiting Dad at the hospital...

Grace saying "my turn!"

Grace relaxing (a personal favorite activity of mine as well)!

I'm finally caught up on grading (don't worry, my AP kids are turning in another essay by tomorrow), Will is working overnight, freezing rains are expected during the next 24 hours, and I'm 28 weeks preggo with no pictures to prove it.

It's the second week of Advent - I am trying to read daily Scripture and a chapter of The Christmas Mystery to the "very interested" Grace. I'm listening to the Christmas Carols station on Pandora and trying to keep up with the laundry, let alone decorating. (Our tree is up!) We spent most of mass tonight in the quiet box because Grace decided to test her mezzo-soprano potential, and it's Will's new favorite place. Fortunately, Grace decided to ham it up for the couple behind us, and we could rejoin the pew after communion.

Happy feast of the Immaculate Conception!

Five Favorites (vol. 9): iPhone Photography Edition

After the birth of Grace, my iPhone EXPLODED WITH PICTURES. Some of them good, some of them blurry, and all of them lovely. In my efforts to do quality control, here are a few resources.

{one}

Read it. Seriously.

iPhone Only Photography: Shooting Essentials by David Molnar

Okay, I only recently discovered this e-book and it is FREE for a limited time. Proof is in the [instagram] pudding.

{two}

A Beautiful Mess app

Make collages, add words or borders, and enjoy! 99 cents.

Stride Rite delivered. So adorable!

And!!

Dr. Dad attending at her appointment

This app is so fun! My favorite, only to be rivaled by...

{three}

Afterlight

The difference is remarkable - from today!

Original

"Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio."

After!

99 cents.

{four}

Shutterfly

Shutterfly is my go-to for online photography storage (free!) and printing up books. They have an app (which makes uploading easy) and are always having some sort of deal on their books.

Also...

Dropbox

If you are able to spend the money, Dropbox is possibly the best storage for all your digital needs. The app just makes life easier.

I keep cd copies of all pictures too, just to be safe (!!!).

{five}

23Snaps

Sometimes, you don't want all your baby's pictures to be public. When this is the case, you need 23Snaps - you can share pictures with ONLY the people you give access to - you can also make a baby book from those pictures. For family not on Facebook, it is essential! You can use the app and the computer!

Also - Instagram. So cool. {Follow me at @thejulieview}

 Any other favorite apps or helpful hints?

Joining Hallie!