Mommy Brain

I have heard several references to "pregnancy brain." I am sure it is a real thing, but I don't know that I suffered from it much. I am, however, daily dealing with "Mommy brain," and I almost feel like a different person. A list follows of the worst offenses:

• I lost a stroller. Not an umbrella stroller, not Ellie's baby stroller, not even a large single stroller. A huge, heavy double stroller. Not during a long and wonderful outing, but during a 20 minute trip to the park that was cut short because Lanie hates her carseat. I can hardly say more than that because I don't want to start obsessing over it again. Thanks to our wonderful, gracious parents, said stroller has been replaced. I hope someone else's life is changed through the use of our other one!


• I made cookies with baking powder rather than baking soda. It wouldn't matter except that if you use the same amount of soda, you can actually taste it. It would be more understanding if I hadn't done the same thing several years ago and promised I would never do it again. Seriously, they were GROSS. Joshua had one, and I watched him trying to eat the individual sprinkles off of the cookie!


• I took Lanie to her 2-month doctor's appointment a little early...

There have been a couple of other major issues, but I can't even remember them right now!

Joshua

Joshua is a wonderful big brother. He is learning how to stay calm when Ellie breaks his meticulous creations, and he shares toys with Lanie. Joshua continues to love music, and he has been enjoying a dvd series of various Bible stories. It is so interesting to watch with him and listen to him process what he understands. He recently had "Guinea Pig Day" at Mother's Day Out, and he liked holding "Jenny" and the other one. :) Joshua and Ellie have both enjoyed getting out and about with Daddy, and I think they are kind of disappointed when Mommy and Lanie join!

Ellie

Ellie is adjusting well to her life as our middle child. She did ignore me when she visited the hospital, but other than that, she has been great! Ellie is thrilled to see Lanie in the morning, and I think she finally understands not to climb on the crib to sneak a peek at her.

Ellie's vocabulary has really grown. She learned a lot of new words when she started sharing a room with Joshua and was held captive listening to hours of talking and songs. She seemed to learn even more when she realized there was more competition for attention in the house after Lanie was born! I wonder if every child goes through the phase where they need Mom or Dad to acknowledge their comprehension by repeating every word uttered? Well, both of our children have done that. And it sure is noisy around here these days!

Ellie loves to dance and take care of her baby dolls. Ellie is also very interested in discussing and helping with diaper changes. I guess it is a sign of the impending potty training process, but it is one that Joshua never showed. She likes carrying lots of things around. Last week, she followed me around asking me to "hold you baby doll".

Lanie

I started this blog as a way for people to hear stories about our kids while we were overseas. I continued it after we moved back because I thought it would be fun for the kids to read through the stories long after I forget them. :) I know I asked my Mom countless times to tell me "more baby stories" when I was younger. This will still be my goal, but apparently the stories not be recorded as frequently! Furthermore, I can hardly manage our daily life these days, so I am probably not going to try to think of creative titles for each post... Also, we continue to have computer problems, so again... lacking pictures!

Lanie Evangeline joined our family on January 21. I had been praying and praying that my body would start labor before the doctor wanted to induce, and it happened! It seemed like a totally different experience than the other 2 births: the surprise trip to the hospital, the methods in the States. I was thrilled to not have to "pick" her birthday! Also, aside from a couple of wonderful English-speaking nurses and the hospital food, I would like to fly to Lebanon to have any future children. Let's just leave it at that.

Lanie is a wonderful baby. She got her days and nights figured out pretty quickly, and she eats reasonably well. Lanie is the first of all 3 of our babies to actually allow me some sleep in the hospital, and I would definitely say I needed it! She smiles and stretches in her sleep, and she likes to listen to Joshua when he reads to her.