Dear February,

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Sorry February, but I won't miss you. You've been 28 days of crowded, unorganized mayhem, long nights, snotty babies, and dirty dishes. However, I can't let you go without saying thank you! This month of love has brought me to a completely new level of admiration for my tiny boy and his daddy. The lessons we've learned have drawn us closer together and given us more patience and grace. It seems this February has set us up for an exciting season, one that's just around the corner. I'm ready, I say! 

xoxo

Joy

Hello

Hey All,

Just popping in for a quick Hello! We've got a sick baby in this house so there hasn't been much more than snuggles and snot suckers. I feel like I just wrote about this? Oh, yeah. He just got over teething! Poor little guy. He's finally sleeping better after a couple nights of absolutely not sleeping at all. Actually, he's slept so well today that I've painted a wall in his room, disassembled and sanded 2 pieces of furniture, and started some laundry. What what?! Now for a coat of primer!

Oh, we finally got some good news about the reconstruction of his room!! It's been twenty four days, people!! But! The contractor is coming Wednesday morning and should be finished in a week, tops. I cannot believe the drama this has been. But we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that in itself has relieved a lot of my stress/claustrophobia! Thank the Lord. 

Aw, I hear a little voice blah blah blahing back there, better go!!

xoxo

Joy

Our Valentine's

Since Camillo had a test Friday morning, Thursday night wasn't going to work out for a Valentine's date. No problem to me! We stayed in to order a pizza and watch a movie. But Monday night, we got dressed up (I shaved my legs, people!) and headed out to Fumaça Brasilian Steakhouse. Even our little mister wore his Sunday clothes :)

I was kinda nervous taking Oliver (now accepting babysitter applications) since it was close to nap time but he was a champ. He quietly watched the servers walking around and listened to our conversation. When he was ready to eat, we sat him in a big boy chair (!!) and he ate his sweet potatoes and drank his water. (Let's not tell him that mommy and daddy were eating delicious meats, rice, and beans and drinking coconut soda..)

It was a fun night out on the town with my boys. I realized how much a little time out with the baby and the Daddy can be good for my spirits. I say these boys take Mama on dates more often!! 

xoxo

Joy

'..joy comes in the morning' Psalm 30:5

Okay, so I've been hearing a lot about the 'quarter life crisis'. Maybe that's what this was. Okay, still kind of is. Or maybe it was a case of baby blues. Whatever it was/is, it's real. And apparently I'm not alone. So who's with me?!?

I guess it's common to, in your mid 20's, experience a shift in pressure. For me, my shift came blowing in with a baby and career change. Add some pretty dramatic family changes and I had myself a crisis. Or so I felt - there beneath the crushing weight of my circumstances. I wasn't realizing that these circumstances are called life. I was trying to hold it all together, make it all better, by myself in my own strength in my own way.

Of course I was exhausted/anxious/an emotional wreck/losing my mind. I was putting my hope in circumstances, rather than in Jesus. So when my circumstances felt confusing and hopeless, I felt confused and hopeless. I felt weak and small, but it's here that Jesus reminds me that He's here to carry me through.

It's a process - I'm not saying it's all figured out. It takes a daily, conscious effort to turn my hope away from my circumstances and towards my Savior. I'm more hopeful now than I've been in months. So I encourage you! The things you're gong through now are only temporary. Don't let your circumstances hold your hope! Put your trust in Jesus and joy will come.

xoxo
Joy

note: I'm sure you've noticed I've been talking a lot more about my faith. If you have any questions about who Jesus is to me, or what I believe, please feel free to ask. Either in the comments below or by email happycandido[at]gmail[dot]com

Six Months Big!

/\ "Ma! Stop taking my picture and gimme more food!" /\

/\ Helping with the laundry! /\

/\ Drinking water and sitting up! /\

/\ Singing songs in Paigey's high chair /\

/\ Being silly at Ikea /\

/\ Sleeping in the car /\

Dear Oliver,
This 6 month mark always seemed so far off. Like a milestone that would forever be 'just a few weeks away'. But alas, it has come!! Daddy and I love you so much more now than we ever thought possible. And tomorrow we'll love you bigger! You are such a sweet spirited little boy. I don't take that for granted and I thank Jesus for you every single day. 

It's been a big month for you, buddy! You are now officially on the move! Your crawling is a little more like yoga. You've perfected the downward dog and the cat pose. I don't think the army crawl is a yoga move but you add a little of that in there, too. Now you can even sit up by yourself! Sometimes if you get distracted, you slowly start leaning to one side and, if you lean too far, it's a slow motion fall. But you never cry! You're tough like Daddy :)

You were really tough when your first two toofies came in. It was a rough two weeks but by the end of it, they were both there! Mostly you needed a little extra snuggle time and had a hard time sleeping. Mama doesn't mind extra snuggles and the long nights meant more nap times for both of us. 

The Doctor says you are very healthy! You weighed in at 19lbs 15ozs and 28 inches long!! That's the 85th percentile for weight and your height is off the charts. So is the size of your head. So, I guess you'll be tall and smart like Daddy!!

The other day we had acorn squash for dinner and Mama let you try some. Your face was funny at first but then you asked for more. Soon you'll try yams and avocados. 

You've found your voice it seems. You still don't cry very much but you talk very loudly (with lots of new 'words') and in all ranges of pitch. You have a sweet little voice and I think 'Mama' will be your first word! ;) 

We love you, baby!! You're our favorite baby ever..in the whole world!

xoxo
Mama & Daddy

LoveBug Bite

The Crafty LoveBug has bitten me! I am totally in the mood for hearts and glitter and hugs and kisses and cookies and frosting. Trouble is, our house still looks like this. So I must scratch this LoveBug Bite (if you will) with a little exploration through Pinterest. If I could get to my craft supplies..and had room to create anything...I'd surely make these:

Source: inspirationave.com via Joy on Pinterest

And bake these:

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And string these:

Source: sugarbeecrafts.com via Joy on Pinterest

Aah, that feels better. 

Have you been bitten by the Crafty LoveBug? What are you making?!

xoxo

Joy

Tubs and Toofies

Oh. My. Word.

Just when I think Ollie couldn't get any cuter/sweeter/happier, he springs one on us and we're once again blown away by what a blessing our little guy is. I mean, seriously. Like when he got his first two toofies. He loves to show them off with his big, happy grin. Or when he took his first bath in the big boy tub. He has discovered the sheer joy that comes from splashing in the water. It's epic, people, let him tell ya! Or the nights he scoots/crawls/face plants across the living room, looking back to make sure he's not getting too far away from us. Or when his little head jerks towards the door when he hears daddy's keys in the lock. Or when he jumps and jumps and jumps in his bouncer until he's so tired, he just needs to rest his head on his hands for a bit. Or when he wakes up from his nap with a little fuzzy bed head.

One evening, while I was rocking Ollie to sleep, I was completely overcome with how much I love him. And then, ya know what? I realized the amount that I love Oliver doesn't even compare to how much God loves His kids. It's hardly even fathomable and I've only caught a sliver of a glimpse into that love. There's so much more to God's love than I can even comprehend. His is perfect!

I'm so grateful for our little baby boy. Motherhood is teaching me so much about who I am, who God is, and what He has for me. It's really quite amazing. Next week I'll share some of what He's doing in my heart. I'm feeling much better than that one time..

We're heading out of town today. Our house is still in shambles and mama and the baby are getting antsy! It will be great to get out of the city and stretch our legs. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous so you better believe I'm taking my camera and my walking shoes. I'm feeling inspired already!

Next week is going to be full! Ollie has his 6 month checkup - we get to talk about eating solids!! The 14th is, of course, Valentine's Day, and the 15th is Ollie's 6 month 'birthday'. Also, I'll have a couple updates on the mold project (because I know you're dying to hear about it) and my cheerful project.

Until then, Happy Weekend, friends!!

xoxo
Joy

Ikea With My Little

Last week I took Ollie on his first trip to Ikea! We met some friends and tried to see everything there was to see. I'm sure there was a lot that we missed, but what we found was bright and fun. Like hangers and a bowl/plate/utensil thingamajig.

I always like walking through the lighting section. Isn't it pretty?

Ollie and Aria did well while the mommies spent three hours exploring. Half way through I had to make a pit stop in the office section. Patrik Swivel Chair - Nursing Mother not included. ;) 

Until next time, Ikea!!

xo
Joy

A Really Long Post About Mold And Being Cheerful

A couple weeks ago, while pulling out a box of diapers from the closet, I found mold. It was black and slimy and nasty and gross and gag me. Right away I pulled out more boxes to find the starting point and thankfully it looked contained to the bottom corner. Bleach and a scrub brush peeled away the slime but the wall was stained black and I couldn't help but still be grossed out. I googled 'is black mold harmful' and, well, let's just say, if you google black mold, limit yourself to reading just two of the articles that pop up. I spent 45 minutes reading page after page while I rocked Ollie as he slept. And freaked myself out. Big time.

I emailed our landlord and, for some reason, started reciting a persuasive argument in my head. You see, we found mold in a previous rental and were told to take care of it ourselves. This was before I ever googled anything. Anyways, my scripted debate wasn't needed after all because my landlord showed up at the door within two hours. Woah, that's cool.

Fast forward a couple days and the mold guy is telling us we'll need to remove everything from the bedroom and that the disinfecting process will be five days. I almost croaked. That room has SO MUCH stuff in there. More than I even knew. I'd spent months organizing everything like puzzle pieces to fit in there...Ollie's clothes - too small and too big, his bed, his dresser, my desk, filing cabinet, art supplies, bedding, boxes of photos, sewing stuff, school books..so much stuff.

Admittedly, I spent a couple hours completely overwhelmed and a little bit grumpy. I didn't want to do all that, I didn't want to be crowded and uncomfortable for a week. Boo hoo hoo.

"Be cheerful no matter what..Thank God no matter what happens.." 

It snuck in with a bit of force and I realized it would be moments like this when I'd have to make the choice. Grouchy? Or cheerful? A lot of times, being grouchy is easier, right? It takes faith and sometimes a swift kick in the pants to be cheerful. I chose to cheer up. It took a big, exasperated sigh, a hug from Camillo, and an under the breath 'we're gonna make it'. And then we started clearing out.

That was a couple days ago and we've made it this far. There is a little path from the kitchen to the living room and then across to our bedroom. And a little spot for Ollie to roll around in. His bedroom is empty except for the big machines that are dehydrating the moisture and the closet has been gutted. Turns out, the mold came from water in the ceiling that seeped down behind the laminate walls of the closet. So there was a lot more than what we could see but thankfully, it somehow didn't get out past the closet.

We've got a couple more days of claustrophobic living conditions but we're cheery about it. On the bright side: We found it before it got out of the closet. Our landlord agreed that it was a serious problem and has been so great about getting it taken care of immediately. The contractors will be cleaning the carpet when they're done - something we've wanted to do for months. None of us got sick. And now that everything we own is in our dining/living room, I can take this opportunity to rearrange the whole house once it's time to put stuff back. I'm actually quite excited about it.

I know it's a little weird to write such a long post about mold. But I wanted to share my first big lesson in being cheerful no matter what. I didn't realize it before but, by choosing 'cheerful' as my word for 2013, I'm inadvertently choosing to be patient. And I'm sure I can use more of that, too.

As this moldy saga continues I'll be sure to fill you in. If I get brave enough I might even be able to snap a photo of the certified mold cleaner upper guys in their plastic bodysuits. Really, I could write a sic-fi about what's going on back there...

xoxo
Joy