old school sunday

I've decided that it would be fun to post pictures/videos/etc. of the pre-Jude Maurers. I was looking through some old photos on my computer last night, and felt a wave of nostalgia that I wouldn't describe as "missing the past" (because the past had no Jude in it, and well...that just won't do), but more as "fascination with the past." What did I do with all my time? How did I ever get along without sewing? What did we do with all the space in our house not filled with plastic toys? And most importantly - why, oh why didn't I take more naps?!

In my perusing of old photos, I found these two videos and watched them at least three times each. These were taken with two of my small group girls (Brittany and Sara), after we'd finished shoveling poop at a therapeutic horse barn. I think the girls were in 7th or 8th grade at this point, and we were just being goofy to waste time. As I was watching these videos, Shawn said something along the lines of, "How is that not embarrassing to you?"

To be perfectly honest, I have no good answer to that. So Brittany and Sara, I'm sorry if this is embarrassing to you, and I'll gladly take them down if that's the case. Something tells me you'll be just as amused and delighted as I was when I watched them. There's something special about those girls (and not "quit eating the paste" special. Uniquely created by God to do amazing things for Him special).

hear ye, hear ye!

After much deliberation, stressing, number crunching, number throwing out the window, and most importantly - faith - Shawn C. and Jennifer S. Maurer have jointly decided that as of (approximately) June 1, 2010, Jennifer will become a full time stay at home Mom (i.e. - work from home Mom).

Shawn and I have been discussing and working towards me staying home since we were pregnant with Jude, and finally took the leap of faith a few months ago to officially tenure my resignation. Because my job's busy season falls in line with the school calendar, the best time for me to leave (for the sake of the ministry) is the end of May. Not to mention that we're not entirely sure how we're going to pull this off financially, so a few extra months to make cuts and build savings is nice.

I feel strongly that because Shawn's in ministry (thus requiring significantly more time/energy/stress/time/time/time...did I mention time?) than the typical 40 hour/week job, the ONLY way our family will remain healthy is if I stay home. Shawn's hours and schedule varies widely from day to day, and our children and family need stability. I also want to stay home so that I can be the primary person who cares for the home (laundry, dishes, vacuum, cooking, etc.). Right now, Shawn and I split those duties somewhere around 65/35, and I hate it. Shawn works really hard during his days (and sometimes nights) at work, and I wish that his time at home could be relaxing, quality time. At the moment, his time at home is spent helping me catch up on housework, and doing church work (since he keeps Jude on Mondays and Fridays so I can work in the office).

We're both stretched to what feels like our maximum capacity right now, with life only asking more and more of us. Something has to give, and it will NOT be our marriage, our family, or Shawn's ministry.

Instead, we've chosen to sacrifice a lot of luxuries we've enjoyed up until now - eating out, nice cell phone packages, remodels on the house, and many more things that we're still trying to figure out. Shawn and I both feel, however, that those sacrifices are well worth a loving marriage, kids who don't rebel because of absent parents, and a well rounded and effective ministry at Pinedale.

While we settled on this decision a few months ago, there is still a part of me that has mixed feelings about it. The career-driven woman in me feels a little insecure that my topics of conversation will revolve around poop and sleeping habits. The girl who grew up with very little money in me is afraid of financial instability and sad at not being able to buy frivolities for myself any longer. However, the wife in me knows that someone has to take care of my husband. Someone has to minister to him and his heart, so he can more effectively minister to others. The mother in me knows that there is no other healthy option for our family.

We're both looking forward to this transition in our lives, but we're also a little scared about how we're going to pull it off. I suppose we can look at this next step as an adventure. An adventure that holds a lot of uncertanities, fear, and hopefully faith - but an adventure that we'll be taking...together.

...and he's off

It appears we have ourselves a walker here in the Maurer house. Jude can walk short distances (like between Mommy and Daddy, or from Mommy to a toy) ALL by himself! I LOVE when he's walking towards me - I think it might be one of my favorite memories of him so far. His face is full of joy, his arms outstretched, and he almost leaps into my arms. Then our sweet Jude wraps his arms around me, buries his head in my chest, and lets me kiss the top of his head and tell him how proud I am of him.

It's so sweet to watch him get more interactive, sweet, and fun. Shawn and I are both so excited about Christmas with him this year - those boxes and tissue paper should entertain him for a good three hours. :)

I also thought I'd include a couple of pictures I've been meaning to post:

on the homefront

Whew - things are hopping at the Maurer house! What with all the Christmas party attending, food baking, present buying, present wrapping, diaper sewing, snowfall hoping (accompanied by snowfall disappointment), and of course the ever vague etc. that seems to fill our time during the holidays, we have been busy!

As - I'm sure - have you, so I'll keep this short. Let's see - Jude's cuter today than he was yesterday. I haven't eaten his cheeks yet, but if he keeps getting sweeter, I might have to take a bite. He's taking two or three steps on his own right now, and will take six or seven steps between Mommy and Daddy. We've almost given up feeding him food from a spoon (except applesauce, that's still acceptable apparently), because he pretty much refuses anything that he can't feed himself. Jude's continuing to either not cry at all, or cry for less than two minutes for his naps, which is glorious.

That's all you get for now, because if you're like me, you have a gazillion things to do. And I will not be responsible for your Christmas presents not being wrapped this year. So turn off your computer, and go bake/wrap/eat/buy something.

'Tis the season, after all.

christmas gift list for people who love to sew

I read this post recently, describing a wish-list for the avid sewer (or even beginner sewer) in your life. It's amusing to me to see how much has changed in my life over a year. One year ago, I never would've found myself salivating over an adjustable dress form or vintage buttons. The phrase, "Oh gosh, that's way too expensive. I could make that for half the cost," rarely came across my lips, and there's no way I would've spent my spare time at my sewing machine. Funny how we change, huh?

Anyway - the link to this blog is NOT me dropping hints. Shawn and other friends and family do a pretty bang up job of gift giving already. I do, however, understand how difficult buying for a sewer can be when you know nothing about sewing yourself. So if you have a sewer in your life, take a peek at Gifts For People Who Love to Sew.

we interrupt this regularly scheduled blog posting

...to tell you that for BOTH of his naps today, I have laid Jude down in his crib awake, and he has fallen asleep on his own! With NO crying! NONE!

Here's the naptime routine we've established:

I take Jude back to his room, lower his crib rail, and turn on the radio static. Then I wrap him in a blanket, lay him in the crook of my arm, and sing "Baby Mine" to him. After I finish singing, I lay him down in his crib, put the crib rail back up, close the door, and leave. He's almost always awake when I lay him down, and he even watches me put the crib rail back up (I don't make eye contact - someone told me that making eye contact with a baby you're trying to put to sleep is one of the worst things you can do because it'll get them all riled up).

I started this whole thing about a week ago (we would rock him to sleep in the rocking chair before, then set him in his crib), and he cried for 30 minutes the first time. Then 25, then 20, then 10, then just a few whimpers, and now...

now, my friends! NO crying! And...AND....he slept for almost two hours for his morning nap. But I have a feeling that's just a fluke.

After one year, we finally have a baby who takes a nap without crying. Sing it with me, friends, "Oh happy day..."

christmas ornaments

Do you remember last year when we tried to have Jude "help" us hang ornaments?

Judging by his face alone - he seemed to enjoy this year much more thoroughly.
We charged Jude with hanging the sleigh bell from "Polar Express." So naturally, he flung it around, inspected it, and then hit Shawn in the face with it.
And then because his depth perception and fine motor skills are still a little shaky, Shawn hung the bell.
But we took this picture so that we can pretend that it was he who hung the bell.
At the moment, it appears that the tree is calling Jude's name. He'll be playing contentedly, stop, and just stare at the tree. Then slowly, he'll use the couch and loveseat to sidestep his way over to the tree. Once at the beloved tree, Jude stops and stares. And looks to see where I am, and if I can see him. If the coast is clear, he reaches out his pointer finger and pokes at the branches. This is usually where I catch him, and my "Jude, No!" has no affect on him. That's actually rare - he listens really well. I suppose the joy of grabbing an ornament and putting it in his mouth far surpasses risking a "no," from Mommy.

And maybe sometimes Mommy actually sees him creeping towards the tree, but thinks that his awe at the ornamented shrubbery is adorable, so maybe she sometimes doesn't tell him "no," right away. Maybe.

jude steps

I wouldn't quite say he's walking yet...but he HAS walked. Last night, Daddy was playing peek a boo from behind the couch while Jude was standing up (with me right behind him). In his excitement over seeing Daddy's fun face peeking out from the couch, he took like six or seven steps towards Daddy and did not fall down! His steps led him to the couch, where he threw his arms down on a cushion out of irrepressible excitement at seeing his Daddy. Ten minutes later, Jude also walked from me to our ottomon, which was another six or seven steps!

Like just about every milestone he's reached, he acted like it was no big deal and like I was totally embarassing him with all of my gushing. I swear, I completely expect his first full sentence to be, "Geez Mom, you're totally harshing my vibe," because that's the exact look he gives me when I get excited at his new skills.

And just as I suspected, it's the cutest little toddle I've ever seen in my life.

working like daddy

thanksgiving festivities!

With the exception of last year (when Jude was only two weeks old), Shawn and I have traveled to either Ohio or Indiana for every Thanksgiving of our marriage. Since we just traveled for Jude's birthday, we decided the wisest thing would be to stay home this year. After almost five years of marriage, it was time for me to make my first turkey ever! I used a recipe from my friend Katie, and Shawn and I both concur that it was ridiculously delicious.

Dinner for the three of us. Well, Jude ate applesauce and two green beans - so dinner for the two for the two of us:

Because we stayed home and I hadn't recently given birth, we were actually able to get our Christmas decorations up in a timely manner this year. Yay for timely manners! Our tree is up and decorated (with presents already underneath, no less!), our stocking are hung, our candles/nativity/santas/snowmen/etc. are out, the lights and garland on the outside of our home are hung, and our small tree by the front door and red chair pillows are out, too! It's amazing what you can done when you're home for Thanksgiving!

In the midst of all of that, I was also able to make a new tree skirt and stocking for Jude. Here's the tree skirt, which is actually reversible. The other side is that stripey candy cane pattern.

The tree, pre-ornamanents:
...And Jude's stocking is on the far right. I wanted to stick with the snowflake theme of mine and Shawn's and am mostly pleased with how it turned out. At the very least, it was significantly cheaper than buying a new stocking!
I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving, and that you were able to spend time loving on your family. It's amazing to see how much more important holidays are to Shawn and I now, and I have to admit that because of Jude -this was one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever.

one year check up

Jude's weight is still in the 1st percentile, his height is in the 6th, and his head is in the 69th percentile. The doctor said (and I quote), "He's perfect. Just keep doing what you're doing."

That was said before Jude discovered how much fun the paper on the table could be. Mr. Destructo Pants can annihilate a space in forty-five seconds flat.

Jude's been pulling on his ears quite a bit lately, so I asked the doctor to check for an ear infection. His ears are perfectly clear, so it appears he's just discovered the two fun toys attached to his head.

Once we switched him from formula to whole milk, he started puking (and it was puke - not spit up) about once a day, so I asked about milk allergy. We tried lactose free milk for two weeks, but he seems to still be puking every couple of days. Any thoughts on what the deal might be? Could his stomach just be getting used to the change from formula?

And finally, Jude will sometimes hit his head (almost always when he's sleepy) on the wall, my leg, or anything else nearby. I've seen a lot of babies do this, but it concerned Shawn, so I wanted to ask. Our doctor said it's "within the realm of normal," as long as he doesn't hurt himself and continue hitting. We've found that if we mostly ignore the behavior, he'll stop.

And now I'll leave you - once again - with the words of our doctor. "He's perfect. Just keep doing what you're doing."

trains

While we were in Cincinnati for Jude's birthday, we went to a place called The EnterTrainment Junction with Shawn's parents, sister, nephew, and niece. We had so much fun, and Jude really enjoyed himself, as well.

Watching the gigantic train set with Daddy, Pappa, Mamma, and Noah:


The coolest thing about this place, was the indoor playground they had about halfway through. The toys were great for all ages, and we spent a good hour there - just wearing out the boys.
Noah, Jude, and Shawn playing with Thomas!
"What is that thing?"
"Noah, did you see that thing?! Freaky, huh?"

Those cheeks make me speak baby talk. My "talk-like-an-adult" powers are defenseless against those cheeks.
"Hey. Quit talking about my cheeks, Mom. That's weird."
Jude spent most of his playing time right here - playing in the "coal" with Mamma.

And earlier that day, Jude with my Dad. I felt the need to include this picture because the face my Dad is making is the same face Jude makes - slightly amused.

It was cool to be able to introduce Jude to trains for the first time, and we loved seeing Noah's excitement. We had fun watching the cousins interact with each other, and of course we enjoyed spending time with the family!

so thankful

1. For my Savior, who not only sacrificed His life for mine, but is also my constant Rescuer, Comforter, Friend, Protector, and Provider.

2. For my husband, whose mere existence gives me sanity and stability.

3. For my son, who has filled my heart so entirely, I feel certain it's going to burst from my chest.

4. For both our family that is related to us, and for our church family.

5. For our home, our health, our jobs, and the fact that our cabinets are stocked full.

6. For pumpkin pie. With whipped cream. And extra cinnamon.

pure joy

A few months ago, we were given a second-hand-blow-up-ball-pitish kind of thing. I wasn't sure if Jude would be all about it or not, but we finally gave it a try a few weeks ago. Turns out that kid loves him a good ball pit! Even several weeks later, it's still one of his favorite toys. He especially loves mashing his little face up to one of the holes to play peek-a-boo with Mommy or Daddy (which he does for the first time in the video). I swear, if it weren't weird and highly unhealthy, I'd totally take a bite right out of his adorable chubby cheek when he does that.

Maybe I shouldn't say things like that on a blog. It's true, though. I totally would.

I love this ball pit though, because it's perfect for teaching him so many things. It teaches him color, it's taught him to throw a ball (at which he's scarily good), it teaches him about putting things in and taking things out, it helps him with balance, it teaches him about pushing and pulling, and we work on the word, "ball" when he's playing with it. Not to mention it's almost always the perfect cure for crankypantsJudeabug -itis.

He was so cute playing in it the first time we blew it up, I thought you all would like to take part in Jude's joy:

the journey

We were so excited to be able to travel to Cincinnati for Jude's first birthday. We were even MORE excited that we were going to be able to celebrate his birthday with both sides of our family! We drove the nine hours from Winston-Salem to my hometown on Thursday and celebrated Jude's birthday on Saturday. We've traveled quite a bit since Jude's been born, and it seems like it's a toss up as to how he'll do. It turns out that this trip was - by far- the easiest we've had with him because:


1. We could turn his car seat around. It was awesome to be able to see him, hand him toys, and play peek a boo with him when he started getting cranky!


2. I wasn't breastfeeding. We didn't have to stop every 2-3 hours for me to feed him! We could just hand him graham crackers (his new favorite food), or a sippy and be good to go.


3. No reflux. This translated into him NOT screaming for an hour before falling asleep. That was always the worst for me - feeling trapped in a car with him screaming and knowing there wasn't anything I could do about it or anyway to get away from it.


4. No postpartum depression. This is kind of related to #3 and why that stressed me out so much. I noticed that I was much more relaxed about this trip and Jude's fussing didn't get under my skin like it had previously.

Shawn and I really enjoy traveling together and love that our time in the car is time we're able to focus on conversation with each other, listening to sermons together, or just holding hands and enjoying being with one another. Because both of our families live far away, we use all of our vacation time to go see them. We try to focus on relaxing and resting when we're with family, because it's the closest thing to a vacation that we get. Even though our weekend was packed with activities, we definitely came back feeling filled up!




Jude chillaxin' in his carseat. Ida heaped tons of rain on us before we left, but it was beautiful up north!

We made a pit stop at Bob Evans. Shawn and I miss many things about the north, and I think Shawn would say Bob Evans makes his top ten list.

...crosseyed

We had Jude's birthday at my great uncle's beautiful and historic Bed and Breakfast, which is in Covington, KY (literally right across the river from Cincinnati). Shawn, Jude, and I stayed at the B&B Friday night, and Jude enjoyed crawling around that king size bed (and I apparently enjoyed looking kind of evil).

He has the sweetest sleepy face I've ever seen

We took a walk around the area surrounding the Bed and Breakfast. Oh Cincinnati, how I love you. I love your Bengals, your Skyline chili, your German roots, your weird fascination with pigs, your White Castle (in theory), your convoluted highway system, your gheotta (again, in theory) and your grit and determination.

Shawn, however, is notsomuchinlove with Cincinnati. His choice of outfit for Jude on this particular morning was his way of giving the finger to the city.

The Ohio river, and the semi-famous Cincinnati steamboats.

And this, my friends, is the ONE picture we got of Jude's birthday party. I'm not even kidding. And those are not even his presents with which he's playing - they're his cousin Asher's toys. If any of you reading this were in attendance and got pictures, I'd LOVE to have them since I appear to be a camera slacker.

Jude's party was an absolute blast! My great uncle kindly cooked a turkey, gravy, and stuffing, and we had our guests bring a side dish or dessert. Shawn and I figured that since we wouldn't be able to travel for Thanksgiving this year, we'd turn Jude's birthday party into a pseudo-Thanksgiving! We had so much fun hanging out with our parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, uncles, aunts, and anyone else to whom we were remotely related. :)

See, I grew up surrounded by my extended family. With only one or two exceptions (including us), ALL of my family lives in the greater Cincinnati area. Every holiday and birthday in my childhood was spent with family, and my Uncles/Aunts/Great Uncles/Great Aunts/etc, had incredible influence on who I am today. I love North Carolina, and I love Pinedale even more, but I'm sad that Jude won't have that kind of community in his life. We travel to see the Maurers and the Pohlmans as much as we financially can, and my prayer is that Jude's grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins, etc., and will nonetheless have a huge impact on his life.

The fact that we (and Jude) were able to be surrounded by family to celebrate Jude's first birthday meant more to us than we could possibly relate.

Believe it or not, I actually have more pictures to come (not of his actual birthday party, of course) soon!