Mary Rene changes so quickly that sometimes I don’t realize it right away.  Just yesterday I was looking at her head and realized she had new brown hair on the top.  She was born with blonde hair but then it fell out.  But now it’s back and coming in brown (yeah!)  Today I looked down at her while she was in the Moby Wrap and I noticed her new brown hair is starting to grow down her face into side burns (I only saw one side burn though.)  We can’t have any of that!  She still has hair on ears and I pray that she will lose it soon.  Mary Rene is turning into a little hairy monster.  I just hope she doesn’t grow hair on her back or above her lip.

Monday night I went to the New Kids on the Block concert with my sister and friend Nicole B.  We totally dorked out and made puffy paint t-shirts for the concert.  When we got there we fit in perfectly because a lot of the fans were wearing their retro neon gear from the 80s.  It was a riot.

There were 20,000 fans at the concert (I would say only 100 were men of the 20,000.)  Many of us were there reminising about our younger days when the New Kids were on top of the music world.  They were the 90s version of the Beatles. 

It has been 15 years since they last played together.

 Joey by far is the best looking.

But Jordan, who was my favorite, has the best voice.  He still can hit those high notes.  Oh the feeling of a childhood crush.

The concert was amazing (second best-right after U2) and we had the time of our lives.  I felt like a little kid all over again.  Singing and dancing and screaming like a little girl.  It was great.

My sweet angel is 8 weeks young today.  She is growing right before my eyes.  I love to see all the new things she is doing but it also makes me sad.  It is a double edged sword because progress is good for development but I don’t want her to grow up!  I love this infant age and know I have a lot more to look forward to as she grows up.  I just want the next stage to stay away for awhile! 

I treasure when she takes naps on my chest.  Holding her so close, hearing her heart beat against mine, listening to her breath in and out and looking down at her precious face as she sleeps is so calming.  She is starting to get better about sleeping by herself so there is less ‘chest nap time’ which is a good thing but then again it makes me sad.  I know eventually she will get too big to nap on my chest or else she will outgrow this time so I try to take advantage of it every opportunity I get. 

Mary Rene is starting to make more noises.  For some reason she does most of her talking when she is on the changing table.  When she was younger I would have to hurry up and change her diaper and clothes because she would holler so much.  But now I take my time because she seems to enjoy this time.  She smiles a lot and makes different noises and I praise her each time which makes her smile more.

During the day when we play I will make silly faces and goofy sounds and she just starts smiling away at me.  And then she tries her hardest to imitate my face.  It is hilarious. 

Mary Rene found herself in the mirror.  I brought a handheld mirror in the front room and I hold it up in front of her and move it from side to side.  She follows herself back and forth and smiles.  When she sees herself smile she then makes a noise and smiles even more.  It is so adorable.

Life is so much more peaceful being a mother.  It is nearly impossible to be angry about anything.  I just look at my little angel and it all goes away.  I am so in love with her.  I must have done something right in my life to receive such an amazing gift from God.  I feel so privileged to be her mother.  God truly has blessed me and I thank Him daily for her life.

I originally said that I wouldn’t talk about politics again on this website, at least until the next election.  Well, unfortunately I was wrong.  Last week I was getting ready for Bible Study and one of the questions I had to answer was, “How does God want to use you to advance His Kingdom?”  I instantly realized God is using my blog to promote His message.  It seems to be my only outlet and apparently people listen.  And the more I sat and thought about it the more I realized I couldn’t, and shouldn’t, remain silent for four years. 

I think that is the big problem with the pro-life movement.  We only seem to come out with our arms swinging during election time.  If we have a successful election then we go back in hiding until the next election.  If the election is not successful then we sit and wait until something happens that affects the pro-life movement.  By doing this the movement gets lost and slowly fades away.  And eventually abortion won’t be an issue anymore.

With that said, I’ve decided that I need to devote more time to the cause.  Occasionally I need to write on my blog about important issues in the movement.  And even outside the blog I need to be more proactive in my daily life.  I guess that is how God is using me to advance His Kingdom.

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I was surfing the net this morning and saw that Obama is planning on overturning at least 200 of the Bush administration actions and executive orders.  Does every president come in office and do this?  Just wondering because if that is the case then each election we would be taking steps backwards and then again forward when the next president comes.  I’m sure that doesn’t make sense when you read it but I know what I meant in my head.

Jill Stanek blogged today about the actions & orders that have to do with the pro-life movement.  If you read her post you will get an idea of Obama’s priorities before he is sworn into office.  He complains about all the money we as taxpayers are investing into the war yet he is okay with our tax money paying for abortions in the US and in other countries?  Even though I am against the war I still would rather see my money go there then to funding abortions.  What about you.  Of the two, would you rather fund the war or abortions in the US and other countries?

We let Mary Rene pick the winner

She actually picked a piece of paper out of the tupperware bowl (a little blurry)

And the winner is…

Yeah to Laura!  Caden will love the ointment!  Or I guess I should say you will love the ointment.  Enjoy and I will see you next Sunday!

The wonderful folks at Lansinoh sent me their diaper rash product so I could try it out on Mary Rene.  Let me tell you it is the best rash ointment I’ve used thus far!  I was using Destin because I heard it was the best.  Destin had such a strong smell that I hated to put it on Mary Rene’s little tush.  One night I came home from a meeting and I instantly smelled that Frank had put the Destin on Mary’s diaper (I have a super sniffer.)  Plus it was so thick and left her butt all white and it wasn’t easy to get off.  Lansinoh’s ointment is scentless and goes on white but dries clear.  It goes on really smooth too and feels like lotion.  When I used it the rash cleared up by the second diaper change!  I put the Destin away and I am going to start using this rash ointment instead.  Much much better on the behind.

So, does anyone out there want to win a free tube of the Lansinoh Diaper Rash Ointment?  If so, leave a comment on this post about an exploding poop situation.  All comments left by 5 p.m. on Sunday will be put in the drawing for the free diaper rash.  Good luck!

On Halloween when I went to take Mary Rene’s Halloween picture her pumpkin was missing off the porch.  I found it laying in the yard.  Some animal had carried it off the porch and started eating it.

Later that night when we came home from Jim & Nicole C.’s house the pumpkin was missing. 

The last few days while I was nursing Mary Rene on the front couch I could hear an animal eating away at Frank’s pumpkin.  I kept trying to sneak a peek to see what type of animal it was but I could never get there in time.

Yesterday when I left for Emily’s house for a playdate this is what the animal had done to Frank’s pumpkin.  Looks like they had a nice little treat.

There are large claw marks on the top so we are thinking it is a raccoon. 

When I went for my walk last night the animal had a claw mark on my pumpkin (the little one next to Frank’s pumpkin.)  I guess we should stop being lazy and throw the pumpkins away.

As was predicted and as expected, Obama will be our next president.  Let’s just pray that he forgets what he told Planned Parenthood last year regarding FOCA.  And if he remembers, let’s just pray that FOCA gets vetoed.  As an American I will support my president, like McCain requested in his concession speech, but I will not support his radical ideas regarding life.  FOCA is too extreme.  None of the Obama supporters have yet to explain to me why partial birth abortion is necessary. 

I remember when Mary Rene was growing inside of me and starting to run out of room.  As it got more crowded in my belly I could feel her constantly moving.  Sometimes she would gab her foot or hand against the wall of my uterus.  I would press against that foot or hand and she would respond by kicking back.  It was a little game I played with her.  So how can someone tell me that a baby can’t feel an abortion doctor squeezing their brains to pieces? 

Please join me in prayer that FOCA will not get passed.

Mary Rene is wearing my voting sticker.  Hard to tell since the pictures are a bit blurry but she was being a ham for the camera.

We only waited 20 minutes to vote!