My Real Job

While I was student teaching, I, of course, got the common question about where I was going to apply and work when I was done with my degree. Granted, near the end of my student teaching experience it was quite obvious that I was expecting, but in today's society of "6 weeks of maternity leave" and too many families needing to live on 2 incomes; It was still assumed that I would be looking for a teaching job after graduation.

Well, as we all know, my "real" job was already waiting to "rehire" me and I am super thankful for that position! I certainly don't take it for granted that I get to stay home with my precious girl; and although I was sad to leave the classroom and did miss it during my first few weeks away, it definitely didn't take long to fall back into my "Mommy/Wife" full time role.

In fact, I think being away has really given me an even better perspective on everything. God has really opened my eyes to the daily moments that I get to witness. Even among the occasional toddler breakdowns and constant training that is taking place around here, Sierra really is turning into such a precious little girl. I thank God daily for the brief glimpses of her heart that I get to see. I have been trying to remember each one and keep telling myself that I need to start keeping a journal (this "baby brain" Mama has trouble remembering all those moments). Unfortunately I have not written any of them down, so I thought I would at least blog about a few of the moments that I can remember. So, here we go...

"Little Mama" - Lately Sierra has been really into pretend play and she is so often seen cuddling her babies and rocking them. It is so cute to witness. She got 2 new babies for Christmas and also a stroller, a pack 'n play, and a high chair. She loves to feed her babies, lay them in their "crib" and push them around the house. Just the other day, she wrapper her baby in its blanket, laid it in the crib and walked away. As she was walking away, she pretended to make a crying sound and quickly ran back to the crib. She picked up the baby, patted it on the back and said "Don't cry, baby! Don't cry!" It was so sweet! She also have been over heard saying "No whining!" to her babies (something she hears me say to her)! And over the Christmas break she witnessed me holding her baby cousin Reid and whispering "shhhh, shhhh, shhhh" in his ear; Sure enough, she has been spotted doing the same thing. Such a little Mommy! :)

Prayers - While I was sorting through the nursery the other day, Sierra was sitting in the rocking chair and reading through some books (definitely a favorite thing of hers these days); I happened to look up and saw that she had her "God's little Princess Devotional" on her lap and her hands were folded and she was whispering lots of words that I am sure only God understood. When she spotted me watching her, she smiled and then said "Amen." So precious!

Reading books - As I mentioned above, she loves to tell stories, sit in the rocking chair, and read her books. Lately it seems that she would much rather read books to me then have them read to her. I love listening to her versions of the story and for the ones that we have read over and over and over again, she sometimes actually gets part of the story correct.

"I love Mama" - While she was brushing her teeth the other night (with her new spin brush that she got from her Great Aunt Julie for Christmas) she looked at me and said "I love wa-wa" (I love water). Then out of the blue, she leaned in close to me, as to give me a hug and said "I love Mama!" My heart melted right on the spot!!! Since then she has used this line several times more; in fact, just today as we were leaving play group she said "Bye Friends" and then said "I love Friends!"

The Kitty - Our cat Neko has become her favorite play mate lately. She can not seem to leave or go to bed without saying bye to the kitty. If it is bed time or nap time, she asks for a "hug and kiss." She also has just recently learned how to say the cat's name - "Neko" and will call out for her multiple times during the day. She can be heard saying "Neko, where are you?" many times and only sometimes does Neko oblige her and make herself known. Thankfully Neko is very sweet and really loves Sierra. She sure does put up with A LOT for this little toddler!

Play groups - Now that I am back at home with Sierra, it has been so wonderful to catch up with friends and watch Sierra play with her friends. We have been trying to get out 3-4 times per week to catch up with friends, especially because I know that it will be harder to get out once the baby arrives, at least for a few weeks anyways. Sierra really does love her friends and I appreciate the time that she and I both get to socialize with friends.

Well, I am sure there are more moments that I should try and document, but these are all I can recall at the moment. I will leave you with a cute video that I took the other night as Sierra was reading her bedtime stories. In the video, the 1st book is her "God's Little Princess" devotional and the character throughout the devotional is named "Gigi" - You can hear Sierra saying "Where are you Gigi?" as she is trying to find the picture of Gigi in the book. The other clips are her reading "Are you my Mother" - one of her favorite books; she loves seeing the birdie, dog, and cat in the book. The last clip is her saying her bedtime prayers. Normally she will fold her hands and pray out loud, but in this clip she is laying in the rocking chair and decided she wanted to pray "silently." Her "Amens" are very cute, but only God heard them this night. :)

Enjoy the clip! We are so blessed by this precious little child!!!