I never really thought I would be able to love anyone as much as I loved my first baby. From the moment we met I was pushed over this , , this, , invisible time warp. A time where I changed from the self sufficient girl into this woman who needed this child with every fiber of her being. From the second we were separated and she no longer needed my body to stay alive, I was acutely aware of how much I needed HER to survive. Love like that could not possibly exist again. Yet here I am, looking at this precious baby, the sister to my first love, and those same feelings wash over me again. It seems so strange now to think back to the time just a few months ago, when I was pregnant and scared that I didn't have it in me to love like that again. Now I know that sounds selfish. And I always heard mothers say the same thing and I thought to myself "There is no way in the world that I could ever fear not loving a second child as much as I do the first." But I am here to tell you that those fears do come, probably to every second time mom. However, we have a God, Who formed us in His image. An image we will never be able to form with our own human hands. And in His image, He has a love that is so unsearchable and so unending that it is as far as the east is from the west. What ruler can measure that? Not one. But for all our imperfections, God's image is perfect. And He created us in it. So we also have the ability to love like that. We'll never understand it, but why would we want to? To understand it would somehow cheapen it I think. No, I would rather go on loving my babies like my God loves me. Unconditionally and unfathomably without MEASURE. Again and again, as many new additions as He wants me to love I will love them. Bring it on!

I just had to blog about this photo. I found it on my hard drive as I was uploading some new pics. This is a shot of Johnna when she was about 18 mos old. She found a box of cornstarch in the pantry when I wasn't looking and, well, you can see what happened next. Click on it to enlarge and get the full effect of the moment. It's all over her pants and you should see the look on her face!

This is our newest little heart throb,

Lila Kate George

She is the sweetest and easiest baby ever!

We are so in love with her. Gotta love those

gummy little smiles!!

My girls are my life.

This is my oldest charmer, Johnna Quinn.

The girl loves the camera.

She is definitely a mama's girl. Very affectionate. Loves for me to hold her. I love to hold her.

Set the Tone

O.k. so I'm new to this blogging thing. I was always curious, but wondered why anyone would want to read about someone`s normal boring life. Then, I realized, most people`s lives are just like mine. Well, most women with children anyway. And all of us mothers seem to get drained daily and just when we think we can`t go on any longer, we hear a story similar to ours from the mother on the cereal aisle at the grocery store. Somehow, just hearing that someone else goes through the same things as you can give you that second wind. Her days are also filled with noise, endless hours of "busy work" that never ends with a clean house but a mess bigger than when you started. She, like so many other mothers, remembers at 3:00pm that she still has not stopped to brush her teeth and the baby needs changing and her three year old also needs to ''go to the potty''- -though she already did- - in her panties. And after she gets the baby down for a nap and convinces her three year old to play in her room, she finally takes the opportunity to get out of her pajamas and manages to wash her face. After that she is ready to take on the night shift. 3 am feedings, bad dreams, toddler bed wetting and pumping in the wee hours of the morning to keep her breasts from exploding. Hearing these women agree with you and tell you stories of their own cultivates a sort of comraderie between them though they don't even know each other. It's sort of a secret society. Just for mothers. Our poo-poo stories and our breastfeeding nightmares are actually our secret handshake. We share our fears, or failures, and our successes with one another and somehow it gives us the strength we need to pick ourselves back up and keep on truckin`. So, this is why I have decided to blog. If you're not interested, simply find another blogger. But if you are, you're probably a mother, who, like myself, longs for some adult conversation and tips for childrearing- and the laughter that kids add to your life! ! ! So, join me if you're up for it. Nothing like Desperate Housewives, though. The most dramatic or risque` thing you may come across on this blog is a wardrobe malfunction while breastfeeding in public. The lactating breast is nothing to sneeze at, either, mind you. Ah, the smell of Desitin and spit-up in the morning!