Lizzy Jo on a Sunday Morning

This morning I was sitting at the table eating breakfast while Lizzy Jo played on a blanket on the floor.  I looked down because she was being quiet, and she was just looking up at me.  After I finished my cereal, I decided to lay down on the floor with her to play.

I picked up her doll and made it give her kisses on the face.  She really likes it when I do that with other toys.  Then I said to her, "This is your baby!  This is YOUR little bug."  We call Lizzy Jo "Little Bug."  "And you are her mama.  Do you love her?"  She lay there, looking at the doll and at me with a very serious expression on her face, like she was pondering all the impending responsibilities and joys of motherhood.

And then she grabbed her doll and bit it, putting as much of its face into her mouth as she could.  After that she swung it around for a while.  So much for girls being born with mothering instincts.

Something Good

[I started this post in September last year.  Then I worked on it some more in December, soon before Lizzy Jo was born.  And now I will finally finish it!  It is more true than ever.]

I have such a blessed life.  It makes me think of the beautiful song "Something Good" from "The Sound of Music."  I love the lyrics:

Here you are standing there, loving me,
Whether or not you should.
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good.
Nothing comes from nothing,
Nothing ever could.
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good.

In an email to my mom's family, my aunt Janice paraphrased it, saying that before she came to this earth she must have done something good.  It is so true.  My life is filled with wonderful blessings that I cherish, many of which I know I don't deserve.

Education

I am still working on my Master's Degree.  I am grateful that I've been able to receive so much education, formally and informally, and I am dedicated to finishing my degree this year!  This is one of my major goals.

Family

This is the most recent picture of my family, missing a few members, at my Grandma Packard's funeral last September.  My parents came home from Peru for the funeral, and all of my siblings were there.  I was so glad to be able to go, to celebrate my grandma's life and to be reminded about the faith and love that are part of my heritage.

This is the most recent picture of Dave's family, taken in April.  If you look closely, you can see that Lizzy Jo was NOT happy.  This was in the middle of her stranger danger phase, and she cried if any family members got near her.  This was the last time all the family has been together.  Now Dave's two sisters are in Texas, and his brother is about to move to Germany.  We will miss seeing all of them so often.

Love

Here is a picture of the love of my life, giving our daughter cream soda (or root beer, I can't remember).  I love him more than I could ever say.  Much more than I imagined I would when I married him almost 4 years ago.  He can make me laugh at almost any moment.  We have a lot of fun hiking, camping, playing games, swimming, talking, walking, encouraging each other to exercise, and many more things.  My life has more meaning because of him and our relationship.  I am so blessed to know and love Dave.

Motherhood

This girl is so precious to me!  I don't love everything about taking care of her (she still frequently wakes up once a night), but I love everything about HER.  She is a beautiful, precious, sweet, happy baby.  As I write this, she's fussing because she wants to be held, but most of the time she is happy, even when she's missed naps and stayed up way past her bedtime, or when I rush her out the door after her nap instead of feeding her right away like I usually do.

Ever since Lizzy Jo was born, I have realized what a privilege it is to be a mother.  Sometimes I think of the song "A Heart Full Of Love" from Les Miserables.  Some of the lyrics seem to describe my relationship with Lizzy Jo, better than they could describe a romantic relationship.

A heart full of love
A heart full of song
...
A heart full of love
No fear, no regret
...
I don't know what ot say
Then make no sound
I am lost
I am found!
A heart full of love
A heart full of you
A single look and then I knew
I knew it too
From today
Every day
For it isn't a dream
Not a dream
After all!

I'll post another blog about her growth and development (with lots of pictures!) soon.