Category: family

Today is the last day in April. 

A month where we have gotten to enjoy the mild Texas spring weather as a family. I have had the surprising pleasure of another adult around the house during the day. I’ve been able to witness a new and different relationship develop between the sisters of the house. We’ve celebrated a six year old birthday and Easter. We have done some major home projects to our front yard and backyard. We have gone on almost daily walks. 

What a month. 

It sounds like it’s been time well spent but it’s also been time spent wondering, waiting, praying, crying, worrying, talking, figuring out the world. 

I never thought I would be living through a pandemic. (I don’t think any of us really thought that.)

This is the stuff of historical fiction – the books I eat up because they are filled with realities that I could never fathom happening again in my lifetime. Pages of the past, the past we’ve learned from and grown from but only because we have revisited the tragedies of our ancestors in an effort to move forward. 

What would a historical fiction book like about this time? The Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020? 

“These were the days spent inside with family. Yearning for the normal we once knew. The simple act of giving a hug to a friend, having grandparents over for dinner without worry, going to the grocery store without having a panic attack or wearing a mask. All of those feelings were ripped away in fear within a matter of days only to return at a later date none of us knew.”

These are strange times.
Times that will take a lot to process.

I’ve been writing a lot in my personal journal because these are days  I don’t want to forget, and I live in the hope that someday I’ll have a grandchild who might need to interview me for a school project. Asking me the question, “What exactly was it like to live through a pandemic?”

Right now my answer would be – It was like home. I got to know our house inside and out in ways I never imagined. I became a domestic engineer in every sense of the word. Learning how to use our resources within these four walls to the absolute fullest for our days. We had picnics in the front yard and in the living room. We moved around furniture to best fit our needs. We went for miles upon miles of walks – Madeline on her bike, Genevieve on her scooter, and Anthony in the stroller. A little caravan of legs and wheels always stopping and starting on our journey around the neighborhood. I was fortunate enough to stay home and not have to work in a traditional sense. But that wasn’t without its own stresses. Three little kids during a pandemic is no small feat, at the time I didn’t let myself feel as I should but now I see that during times of panic and tragedy and emergency that taking gentle care of yourself is quite possibly the most important thing of all. 

So here’s to the end of April.
A month that brought new normals and a sense of home that we all needed to discover.

And here’s to May, I have no expectations.

It’s been a while since I last posted some family updates! I feel like we have finally hit the sweet spot in baby-land with our girl. These past few weeks have been (for the majority of the time) pretty nice and we are finally falling into a somewhat predictable napping schedule (do you hear the glorious hymns of angels singing? You better believe I do). Her demeanor has also just been really sweet lately – lots of smiles and giggles – especially for daddy. A few weeks ago we got home from church and she was in such a playful mood that I wasn’t ready to put her to bed. We sat on the couch making faces at each other and Eric joined in the fun towards the end. Yesterday morning she was so sweet and snuggly after waking up that we ended up hanging out just cuddling for a while in mommy and daddy’s bed. It was the sweetest.

I feel like these moments are what I really envisioned when we talked about starting our family. Lazy Saturday mornings and late night giggles. The really good stuff (obviously, who wants to think about 3am feedings and blowouts?).

Madeline just turned 5 months old last week. Where did those 5 months go? I really do feel like this is still all so new, but then again 5 months is a pretty good chunk of time. Those first two months are so blurry now with sleep deprivation and hormone surges muddling the vividness of early newborn memories. But I can still remember the feelings. Feeling helpless during the afternoons where there was just crying and no naps. The late nights where she would wake up every hour on the hour as a hungry little bear and worried that I wouldn’t be able to stay awake or have enough to feed her. How tiny her little chicken legs were compared to our healthy rolls we have started sporting.

This past weekend we ventured down to New Orleans for yet another summer wedding. It was our first experience flying with a little one in tow and I can honestly say that no amount of blog-reading or Pinterest searching can prepare you for a flight with a baby. Our flight down to NOLA was smooth sailing in terms of Madeline. All of the slip ups we encountered were from the adult side of the travelers-Martin. On the return flight we fussed a little in the beginning and ended up passing out in Daddy’s lap. As far as helpful tips go,  I think flying at night & putting our girl in her jammies pre-flight helped because it made her more comfortable for the journey ahead.

Tonight we are going to get back into the regular swing of things with our youth group’s bible study starting back up. Last year our littlest one was only the size of a jumping bean and this year she is going to be joining in the fun and seeing the joy that youth ministry and involvement in the church has brought to our lives as a couple. I can’t wait to see our youth group kiddos – they challenge me and bring so much happiness to our lives. I can’t wait for our first round of prayers & praises with our girls!

I think that about sums up current happenings for us. It really is something else to have a little family. I know it isn’t always easy (flashback to last Thursday & yesterday when I experienced blowouts like no other – hello solid foods!) but it is pretty amazing to see our little girl grow and to watch my husband become such a fantastic daddy.

Happy Wednesday!