Nine Months

London celebrated being nine months old on Wednesday by getting her nine month checkup and shots.  I cannot believe that in just three short months she will be one.  

With Connor, every milestone was met with excitement, but with London, each milestone, while still exciting, is tinged with that bit of sadness from knowing how quickly it all goes by.  I want to stop time, or at least slow it down, because I know that I will blink and London will be four, as Connor is now, and Connor will be almost EIGHT.  Between now and then, I am trying to soak up (and write down) every memorable moment.

At her checkup, London weighed in at 20 lbs., 2 and 1/4 ounces, which is in the 75th percentile for weight, and she is 29 inches long, which is in the 90th percentile.

She is still full of smiles, is eating any and everything (except zucchini, which doesn't sit well with her stomach), and we have discovered that her favorite non-baby specific foods are yogurt, string cheese, and oyster crackers.

She is just about to get her top front teeth, which in addition to her shots, made our normally stellar sleeper restless last night.

She is pulling up on everything, and will even walk along furniture, or with the aid of a toy with wheels, but if we put her down in the middle of a room to get to her stand up with nothing to hold onto, she refuses to even try.  :)

London at 8 months vs. 9 months:

Connor and London both at 9 months:

*Connor's 9 month photo taken by Candice Robertson of C. Robertson Photography

Happy 9 months, London Elise!

Fall Break -- Edisto Island

Jason's parents (along with Jordan) graciously invited us to tag along on their fall break excursion to Edisto Island, with a day trip to Charleston in the middle of the week.

This photo was taken by a random stranger on the beach, but was edited by Lindsay Williams...thank you!

It was such a fun, relaxing vacation, and is best told not with my words, but with photographs instead:

Thank you, Randy and Veronica, for such a fun vacation!

Happy Halloween from Spidermen & Wonder Women

As evidenced by our costumes two years ago (Buzz, Woody, and Jessie), Jason and I are determined to embarrass our children as much as possible before they actually realize it and despise us for it.

Therefore, this year we dressed the kids as mini-versions of the super heroes we were portraying.

London was, as one would expect, oblivious to all the goodies she was missing out on, but she had a good time nonetheless, enjoying all the attention.  

Connor enjoyed himself even more than last year, dragging Jason and Pots (my dad) off to play games at our church's Hallelujah party.

We also visited generous family members (Thanks, Mom, Dad, Gran, Aunt Vicki, Uncle Mike and Aunt Deb, and Grandma and Grandpa Egnew!), got to hang out with the Jessops, see so many of our church family, and even FaceTime with Grandma and Paca before the night was up.

And I might even have time to sneak one little candy bar out of Connor's overflowing basket to enjoy before crashing tonight.

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Happy Halloween 2013!

Motherhood

A dear friend, Davene, lent me a book entitled Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle.  She writes a blog called Big Mama, and I find her to be funny and endearing.

While reading I found myself laughing hysterically on one page, with tears filling my eyes the next.  This book was able to sum motherhood up on paper, with all its happiness, horrors, hope, and harried moments, something I wish I were able to do with such humor and eloquence.

Since I cannot, however, I wanted to share with you a couple of my favorite excerpts from the book, quotes that made me cry, both with happiness and sadness for everything that being a mother means to me.

These words resonate with my heart.  While there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking care of one's outward appearance (Most of you know that I enjoy fashion -- and bargain hunting -- immensely.), my main concern is the character of my children, not what they look like outwardly.

I pray more than anything that Connor and London will accept Jesus into their hearts, and walk in the world with confidence about who they are, with the aim to make a difference in the lives of others.  I pray that they will be kind and selfless, and will have hearts for others.

Mothers have been "letting go" since the beginning of time, but it doesn't make it any easier for this mom.  I have only been on this motherhood journey for four years, but the love I have for these little people consumes me sometimes, both with excitement for their future potential, as well as fear for any hurt and disappointment they may encounter.  It was only after becoming a mother that I understood the depth of pain that God must have experienced when he allowed Jesus to come to Earth, to know what he would suffer, but to allow it to happen anyway.

Becoming a mother changed me.  I didn't stop wearing impractical heels, much to the chagrin of most of my family, but from the moment I looked into Connor Alexander Davidson's eyes (and three years, five months later, into London Elise's) my heart was no longer simply beating inside my chest, living for my own desires and successes.  I have been irrevocably intertwined with these two other human beings, and their well-being means more to me than my own.  It feels as though my own heart is walking around inside them, I love them so much.

I know that someday they will both leave me, and until they have children of their own, they will never understand the crazy, strong, boundless love I have for them, but they are worth it.  They are worth every dirty diaper, every sleepless night, every fear for their health and future and happiness.  They are only mine for a little while, and as much as I could use a nap and a hour or two of mindless tv every now and then, I wouldn't trade this journey of motherhood for any of my days before they arrived.

(However, I am not saying that a spa day, or a few hours to read a book uninterrupted would be turned down should they be offered.)

P.S.  My mom should especially appreciate the "Guess" reference in the above excerpt...she and I have fond memories of her mortification over a ruined Guess outfit in an unfortunate rollerblading incident when I was a child.