Happy Anniversary!

Tomorrow, P.C. and I will celebrate our three-year wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful wedding--the two of us went to Las Vegas and got married by the local marriage clerk. (No Elvis wedding chapel for us--we just wanted to get married without the frills of a wedding.) It was very special. (Above is our first picture as husband and wife. You can see the reflection of the woman who married us. I think the photographer was the security guard who served as our witness.)

One of the great things about P.C. is that he really is a "what you see is what you get" person. He doesn't pretend to be anything he isn't. If you ask for his opinion, you'd better be ready for it, because he tells it like it is--but always in the kindest way possible. And his loyalty is so admirable. I know he's on my side and trying to do the best he can for his family. I feel blessed to have him in my corner. And he is a terrific father to Megan, too.

And when it comes right down to it, I just plain love the guy. He's a good person and a great friend, and there's no one I'd rather spend my life with. He's taught me that marriage is about loving and trusting and caring and wanting to have the best relationship possible. And that every day isn't perfect, but it doesn't mean we're doomed--it just means we have to make it better for the next day. (Believe me, this was hard to get used to, having had a previous marriage where my ex-husband ran away when he just didn't feel like working at being married anymore. The concept of "working things out," as obvious as it may seem, was totally foreign to me.)

Thank you, P., for being a wonderful husband. And a fine person. I love you very, very much.

Here's to many more years of health and happiness!

21 Weeks Old!

Here is a picture of Megan at 20 weeks, 5 days--close enough to 21 weeks, don't you think?

You'll note she is wearing a stunning Christmas ensemble, courtesy of "Gram" Shaw. This little girl is certainly going to clean up the presents at Hanukkah and Christmas...a definite benefit of being born into a family that celebrates both!

Thankfully, Megan's cold is almost gone. Now she's teething! Well, at least she likes the taste of baby Tylenol...

20 Weeks Old--and What a Week!

Megan turned 20 weeks old on Thursday. It's been a challenging week, but still one I wouldn't trade for anything!

As you may know, Megan had an ear infection and pink eye two weeks ago, and P.C. got the pink eye and I got the ear infection. This week, I developed a cough, a fever and pink eye.

Luckily, P.C.'s mom watched Megan for two nights so I could get some rest. It was the oddest thing, though--for months I've been saying that all I want is a night to myself so I could get some real rest, and this time, not only was I not able to rest well because of my cough, but I MISSED MEGAN TERRIBLY. I wasn't surprised that I missed her, but I WAS surprised at how much I wanted her around, even though it would mean less sleep. Don't get me wrong--I was delighted to get some time to myself--but I did miss my little girl.

Well, be careful what you wish for! Megan woke up on Thursday morning with pink eye again, and when I took her to the doctor's she had another ear infection! I think (*knock wood*) we're on the mend now, and we'll have next week to recover before it's back to work and daycare.

But the thing I learned this week? That even with runny eyes and a stuffy nose, my sweet little girl still lights up my heart.

Heads Up!

The picture isn't great--taken with my camera phone--but you get the idea. Megan pushed up today for the first time! This is a big deal--she absolutely hates "tummy time," and a lot of times when babies resist playing on their stomachs they are slow to do a push up. But today she did it! You go, girl!

By the way, check out the terrific blanket that cousin Stephanie made for Megan. Cute, huh?

19 Weeks Old!

Megan turned 19 weeks old yesterday.

Today, we went for her 4-month checkup. She got four immunizations (ick!). The doctor said she's right on target. She weighs 13 pounds, 6 ounces and is 25 inches long. She's in the 49th percentile for weight and the 79th for height. So she's long and lean (Daddy's hoping this means she'll be a volleyball player...). The doctor wants me to wait until six months to start solid food, which is fine. Her head control is good and her ears and eyes are cleared up. (Thank goodness, although I know we'll see a few more mild illnesses, thanks to those dirty kids in daycare! My kid is totally germ-free, of course! :-) )

Have a great weekend!

The 18-Week Picture (a little late)

Because Megan was sick last week, I forgot to post her 18-week picture. Not bad for a kid with an ear infection and pink eye, eh?

Thankfully, Megan is feeling better this week!

I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with this weekly photo thing forever, but it is neat to see how she's growing. For example, below is a picture of her at 8 weeks. Big difference! As time goes on, she won't change as much week-to-week, but it sure is fun to look back.

How Long Do You Want to be Loved? (Or, Those Darn Dixie Chicks Again!)

Sometimes when I look at Megan, I just can't believe she's ours. I can't even describe what it feels like to have a child look at you and really, really LOOK at you and trust you and love you, even though she's too young to know what any of that means. I keep coming back to the chorus of the Dixie Chicks' song, "Lullaby":

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

I just can't imagine an hour without thinking of Megan. Even when I'm completely worn out, I'm so in love with her. She is a miracle and a blessing.

(I'll have to keep this post in mind when I'm up at 2 a.m. with her crying. Or when she's 14 and telling me how much she hates me. :-) )

Did you see this coming?

Well, Megan is better, but P.C. and I are sick. Yuck. Hopefully Megan will continue her upswing and she can go to day care tomorrow, and P.C. and I can have a lovely date at the doctor's office. Nice.

It is really hard being a mom when you're sick, when all you want to do is lay around all day and conserve your energy. And my voice is going, so it's hard to soothe Megan when I sound like my vocal chords are being scratched with sandpaper. Just another challenge of being a mommy...

And let's not forget that this will be the fifth day of work I will miss in a row. Oy...

Happy Hanukkah! Plus, the most pathetic holiday pictures ever!

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah, and poor Megan was feeling icky with her cold and her ear infection. Combine that with the fact that she can't sit up by herself yet, and you have the makings of a really pathetic "First Hanukkah" picture--Megan, in her car seat, on the kitchen floor, next to the baseball menorah. (Yes, we own a baseball menorah.)

To make things worse, I also took a picture of Pauley with the menorah.

Happy Hanukkah, everyone!

Well, it had to happen sometime...

Megan has her first ear infection. The wierd thing is, I had no reason to suspect it--she's had a cold for awhile but nothing else. Then, for some reason, I felt like I needed to check her temperature last night. Bingo! A fever. She didn't have fever this morning, but I decided to go to the doctor just to check her out. Bingo! An ear infection. And the doctor said we caught it just in time. Mother's intuition is really, really wild.

Poor little puddin' pie--she's worn out and sleeping. Just gave her the first dose of antibiotic--we'll see how she does!

Four Months Old!

Megan turned four months old today. We celebrated by spending the day at Aunt Nancy's house.

We are very lucky to live so close to Aunt Nancy, Uncle Matt and Miriam. Besides being so amazingly helpful with the baby (and Pauley too!), they are, most importantly, great people. If they weren't my relatives, I'd pick them to be my friends for sure. And you can't say that about all (or most!) of your relatives, now can you? We are very, very lucky.