It Ain't All Wine & Roses, People

Marriage is great.  Much better than either of us thought it would be, truth be told.  However, Mr. T and I do have the occasional hiccup.

Take yesterday, for example.

Something happened at the dinner table.  I can't tell you what, but I can tell you that I did not respond appropriately.

I looked at Mr. T, clinched my fists, tensed my entire body and loudly proclaimed, "SOMETIMES YOU MAKE ME SO ANGRY!!!"

Perhaps it was sort of out of the blue or perhaps Mr. T just isn't used to me expressing my feelings with such clarity, both of which would explain the way his eyes just went "blink, blink" and his lip turned up in a slight half smile.  

He wasn't sure what to think.

Heck, I kind of surprised myself.  

And yet, I wasn't ready to just laugh it off.  I needed to distance myself a little bit.

So to cope, I calmly turned my body to face away from him, bringing my plate along with me, and carried on our conversation - both of us speaking in normal voices as if nothing happened.  And from the sound of it, you wouldn't be able to tell that I'd ever gotten angry.  But by the look of it, you may wonder, for you would see one of us was eating at the table normally and one of us was facing the wall in a slight huff.

Every marriage has moments of squabbles and squawks.  Fortunately, there is also grace.  Lots and lots of grace.

Weekend Review

The Tidyman clan just went on a whirlwind tour across the Midwest to see some dear friends and family.  Tidytot traveled very well, a huge blessing for all!  Along the way, we were able to visit with so many people we love who fed us lovely, delicious food and opened their homes to us.  Thanks to everyone for making our weekend so special!

Since then I have been playing catch up; a game I don't fully understand.  For example, we walked in the door with one big suitcase full of dirty clothes.  Somehow, that translated to about 5 full loads of laundry.  How is that possible???

Whoops - my baby just woke up so I guess I will bring this to a close.  Mr. T thinks this video is hilarious.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with how he relates to the poor fellow who is working so hard to be both understanding and logical.

Her Very 1st "Half Birthday"!

You know kids.  They don't hesitate to announce that they are 3 1/2, or 5 1/2, or 32 1/2 (as is the case with me).  Well, Tidytot is officially 6 months old today.  Her very 1st "Half Birthday".  Where has the time gone?!?  

It seems like between months 4 & 5 she had some some changes, but not a whole lot.  This past month, however, she's bloomed!  Two teeth are very present on her bottom gums and she loves rolling all around the house.  She just seems older, bigger, with more personality and better muscle control.  (Unless she comes in contact with a baby chicken.  Then she has a hard time controlling her death grip.  She almost decapitated one the other day.  Ack!  Poor thing never saw it coming.)  

Our house is changing too.  Mr. T just finished installing the baby gates that he made from scratch.  I need to add a decorative element to them and they will be ready for a crawling baby girl.  

There are so many things I want to remember.  Like how she "swims her hand" when I lay her down for a nap or when I'm holding her.  I don't know how else to define it.  One finger goes in her mouth and the other hand moves back and forth like a swimming motion until she falls asleep.  So cute.

And she's started laying her head on my shoulder.  I love it.

And when she wakes up from her nap, she usually lays in bed and talks to herself while chewing on some part of a stuffed toy.  When she sees us coming, her face bursts into a huge smile and she will often kick her legs in excitement.  She probably got it from me because it's the same thing I do when I see chocolate cake.

Tidytot still makes us work hard to get her to laugh, but laugh she does.  It's music to our ears.  And for reasons unbeknownst to me, she's started growling like a grizzly bear.  

She really likes going on walks in her stroller.  In fact, we've found that if we are out for the evening, we can take a break and go on a short walk.  She will often fall asleep and the power nap helps carry her through until bedtime.  

We are learning to adapt with her changes and work hard to enjoy each phase, all the while anticipating the next.  For now, Happy 1st Half Birthday Tidytot!