The Ring

I don't know if I've ever blogged about the title for my blog.  Have I?

Well, if I have, I'm about to again, and if I haven't, you're about to find out why I picked that name.  

When Chuck and I were married, he gave me a wedding set that consisted of two white gold bands with several prong-set tiny diamonds and milgrain edges flanking my engagement ring with my grandma's 1/4 carat round diamond and five small channel-set round diamonds on either side, also set in a white gold band.  

I discovered about a year into our marriage that it was not comfortable to wear my wedding set for very long.  My finger would itch and become irritated, red and bumpy.  I assumed this was just from dirt or other irritants getting stuck under my ring, so I started taking it off at night and sometimes only wearing one of the thin wedding bands and not the whole trio.  

Halfway through my pregnancy with Eden, Chuck bought me a beautiful sterling silver ring with a large blue topaz stone from Brighton.  Topaz is the December birthstone (Eden was due in December) and I fell in love with it when we were walking around Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, so he bought it for me.  Little did I know that I would be wearing it in place of my wedding rings.

I'm not sure how long ago I began wearing it, but my white gold set was just too exasperatingly itchy.  We've determined I must be allergic to nickel, a component in white gold.  I had another sterling silver band engraved with "depth, breadth, height" (from Browning's How Do I Love Thee) and wore the two rings together to make me look "more" married.  

I knew that one day I would get a replacement wedding set in platinum, but wasn't sure when money would allow.

In the meantime, I began this blog.  The sterling and topaz on my finger represented a struggle for me to be content.  It was a constant reminder that I have had a privileged life with expectation that it will always be so.  It also somewhat represented an underlying current of waiting for things to come to fruition.  Supporting my husband as he finished medical school and began residency, learning to let go of my dancing for a time as my body changed and an ever-needy being was given to me to care for, never feeling quite at home in our new city and rented house, etc.  Waiting.  Waiting....

God has taught me so much in the four years I've been a wife.  It's so true that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know.  But, I'm glad to be continuously made aware of areas I need to grow in.  It's a sign that I am actually growing.  I'm a different person from the one I was four years ago and I hope to be a different person yet four years from now.  I want to keep changing.  I want to keep maturing.  I want to keep working towards being the person my Father sees in me.  

In November I'll be a mother of two.  In May I'll be a wife of five years.  In June... I'll be 30.  *shudder* It's a big year and I know God's got big plans.  We're in a bit of transition right now, as Chuck has officially moved into his residency (no longer a lowly intern), and completed the last part of his exams to be able to practice as a doctor.  We're looking for the right church home for us because we're not sure we're still meant to be at the church we began attending last year.  We are finally going to make a monthly budget and we are continuing our attempt to manage our finances in a Godly way.  

As the last page in our wedding album says "With full trust in our God and our love for each other, we look forward with joy to the adventure of our lives."

And, by the way... I just got a new ring.  No set yet.  Platinum's expensive, so we're taking this a step at a time.  It's a one-carat total weight five-stone wedding ring from Memoire's Purity Collection.... and I love it.  :)

Latest Professional Shots

That's my baby!

Taken by Gail Bassett of Family Moments Photography.  (of course)

Eden Can Count!

Well, sort-of.  She's interested in the process, always points to her owl clock and the dining room clock and enjoys the book "Time for Tom," a Veggie Tales book about different times of day.  Right now, I'm listening to her counting in her playpen.  

"Oh, Choo, Eye, A"

"A, Choo, Oh, Choo"

"Eye, A, Oh"

hehe

I wouldn't know that this was counting, except that Daddy often says "One, Two Three!" before he does something with her like help her jump into the pool, or throw her up in the air or something.  Once, when they were playing on the floor of the living room, he was counting to three before she tumbled onto some pillows.  She stood up, raised her arms as divers do to prepare, and said "Eye, Choo, Oh..." and then launched onto the pillows.  

:) cuteness

Spoiler

I know my friend Gifton won't be getting this in her mailbox for a few days still, but I just cannot possibly wait another second to post this picture of the outfit I made her baby (who could pop out any day now, if he's anything like his brother).  She's a dear friend and we now live many, many miles apart.  As you know, if you've read my blog recently, I've just begun to sew.  I have tons of free patterns and tutorials for baby things downloaded on my laptop, just begging to be tried, so I jumped at the chance to make something for her.  Here's what came of it.  Just like my other sewing attempts, it's far from perfect, but with any luck, she can overlook some imperfections and see the hopeful heart behind the crooked stitches.  Hope you and baby Devlin like it Gifton!

Secrets

The secret is not finding a man who's perfect, just one who will be quick to admit when he's made a mistake.

It's not about finding a man who always says the right thing at the right time, just one who always means what he says.

The secret is not finding a man who will buy you everything you want, but one who wants you and everything you have.

Don't seek out a man who will always give you your way, just one who considers your way an equal possibility.

The secret is not finding a man who you can change, but one who wants to be changed by God.

Your Baby Can Read: 5 Weeks In

Eden loves the second video! And by loves, I mean she gets upset when I try to sneak in the first video instead, but she still gets very distracted throughout and really only pays attention during the songs.
I AM concerned about two things she's being exposed to through these videos: a girl who sthpeaksth with a listhp, and really bad poetry. Dr. Titzer, the creator of the YBCR program used his daughter Aleeka for many of the voice-overs and video demonstrations. That's all good and well, except that "The seal is sleeping." becomes "The stheal isth sthleeping." The second version is not really how I would like Eden to say it.
There are both songs and poems on the videos. Songs are fine (Eensy, Weensy Spider, If You're Happy and You Know it, and the like), but the poems... ew. Why didn't they just do some nursery rhymes or something actually written by a poet. Instead it's "Lauren is reaching for a toy, and Brendan drinks from his bottle with joy." With joy? Ok. i understand they want to incorporate the words they are learning into the poem, but I would think they could have done better. I could have done better. There, I said it.

My Business Venture

I'm proud to announce the beginning of Creative Co-Motion: Movement Classes for Kids!
Check out the blog here and tell me what you think.