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Special Weather Report
We’ve been having some pretty severe weather in our area
this week.
We’ve had scattered spit ups and a bout of blowouts. There
has also been severe screaming and gusts of giggles. We’ve been especially
lucky to enjoy bursts of babbling and an extended cover of cooing.
Readers are advised never to enter the storm area without a
full-body hazmat suit. People may say that it is safe to enter armed only with
a burp cloth, but this is simply untrue. The precipitation can and will find
it’s way over, around, and under said burp cloth and onto any inch of skin or
fabric within a 1-mile radius. Tarps covering any surface may also be advised.
One recent blowout was so severe that it affected 6 separate
areas in the vicinity. Affected areas included: the couch, Mom’s pants, the
burp cloth, the rug, the playmat, and the baby herself. Surprisingly enough, the outfit on said baby
was unaffected. Miracles do happen, folks. (Proof below. Spot the blowout site.)
It has been reported that the residents are taking the damages
with an excellent attitude. Their coping methods include blogging about it,
laughing, taking pictures, and using lots and LOTS of wipes. The reported
damages have already been repaired and spirits are high on the premises.
This Special Weather Report was brought to you by Your Local
News 3. Your best source on all things Searle.
Up Next… The Waving Reflex
Ok, thanks for humoring me. (Not that you had a choice.) I
hope you read that in your very best news caster voice. If you didn’t, I must
insist that you start over and do so. It really adds to the effect. ;)
We’ve been back on the farm for almost a week now. It is
just crazy how quickly we transition back into this life. We got here in the
evening. Logan helped me unload the car, threw on his farm boy clothes, and was
out the door and on the 4-wheeler in less than 5 minutes. Harvest is well
underway, and the grain dust is giving us gorgeous sunsets every night.
The next morning as Audrey and I drove out to ride with him
for a little while, I noticed that my waving reflex is alive and well. I
thought living in the big city [Haha… Rexburg…] would have gotten rid of the
reflex, but this isn’t the case.
Around here, on these country roads, everyone waves to each
other as they pass. It doesn’t matter if you know them or not. You just wave.
Another thing that is different about driving here is that it is VERY common to
be driving down the road and come across a slow truck, combine, 4-wheeler, or
tractor. Instead of it being something that people get really frustrated about
and lay on the horn… it’s just another reason to wave. You wave in thanks and
understanding as they move over so you can pass them.
Say what you will about the evils of a small town. As for
me, I love the sense of community and the slower pace of this life.
We like being here even if the Harvest Widow life is even
harder when you’ve got a 3-month-old. I’m sure it’ll get even tougher as we
acquire more children.
Audrey will be 3 months old tomorrow! We had a bit of a
weight gain battle in the first couple of months, but we are now supplementing,
and she is gaining weight and growing up so fast! It was really hard for me to
have to supplement Audrey. I really wanted to exclusively breastfeed. It has
been difficult and emotional from the start, which I know is really normal for
breastfeeding. But, she simply wasn’t getting what she needed, despite constant
eating. She was losing weight without ever having regained her birth weight.
But, since we started adding some formula into the mix, she has been plumping
up and is getting back on track. She still nurses pretty well and will take the
bottle too. She likes to keep me guessing and switch up which one she is going
to prefer every time she eats though. ;) It’s been hard to do both, but for
now, it is working for us.
Audrey loves to talk, laugh, and sing along when Mom is
singing to her. She loves Mr Lion and all of her books. She is a Daddy’s girl
to the core, and looks more and more like him every day. She is currently
boycotting long naps, early bedtime (this means any time before 11:30), and any
semblance of a regular schedule. She sleeps through the night and is often a
happy little girl.
We blessed her on July 3rd. It was a wonderful experience, and we were surrounded by lots of friends and family.
A few assorted pictures...
I can now lay on my stomach! I can lift things again. I still have really messed up abs. I tried doing some ab workouts the other day and it still really hurts my incision. Random things tend to do that. We'll get there eventually. I'm glad to be feeling more back to normal. Although, I must say that I'm not sure I would have been quite so excited about my little 16 week baby bump if I knew my belly would continue to look about that big this long after having Audrey... ;)
I am learning all about humility and exhaustion. I am
learning to find joy in the mundane and the repetitive. Some days are better
than others. But Audrey ‘s smiles and laughs really buoy me up. It’s really fun
now that she likes having “sophisticated” conversations with me all day. AND I
am really lucky to have awesome family and a loving and supportive husband.
I’ve learned just how awesome he really is since he’s been out of the house all
day and into the night. I love you, Logan. Thanks for calling me during the day
and keeping me sane. And thanks for working so hard all day. You da best!
I’ve most especially learned a lot about how our Heavenly
Father feels about us, His children. Being a parent truly does bring us closer
to Him if we let it.
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