Life and Stuff

She keeps me present in each day... that might be one of the most significant gifts she's given me.  When I start wishing for the past or imagining the future, her smile pulls me back to right here and right now.  It is a gift.

But she's the giver of many other good gifts... She is such a joy.  Three months old, and she's changing before our eyes.

• Her smile.  Ohhhh, her smile.  Jacob and I both agree it is just about the best thing ever.  Not that we're biased or anything.
• She's continuing to live up to her nickname... dumpling.  We've noticed in the last few days she's started developing "rubber band wrists."  You know what I mean?  Where the chub on both sides of the wrist makes it look as if the baby has a rubber band around her wrist?  Well Cora's getting those.  We may have to start powdering them soon.  They are starting to chafe.
• She has found her voice.  Our quiet, sweet, demure little girl is turning into a loud squawker.  It isn't crying... just really loud talking/screeching.  It goes on for 30-40 minutes at a time, and she gets so loud that she actually chokes herself.  We're not sure what she did with the other Cora.  It'd be OK if she brought her back.  :)
• She has suddenly developed an awareness of when she is alone.  Her talking/squawking intensifies if she does not have someone's undivided attention.  And if she has someone looking at her, holding her, or talking to her, she morphs back into quiet Cora... all smiley and coy. 
• She's starting to find some things funny.  Like when the dog chews on Daddy's toes... to the point that it hurts.  Case in point:

• She rolled over a few times... or at least 95 percent of the way.  While lying on her back, she managed to turn completely over onto her stomach... everything except her head, that is... it was still lingering in a position that looked quite uncomfortable on the neck.  That darn noggin.

• She has now met all of her living great grandparents.  I was so thrilled that she had a chance to spend time with my precious grandparents.  And she managed to impress my Papa quite a bit.  He couldn't believe that she "never cries!"
• She got to see the ocean for the first time, on our recent trip to Washington.  She didn't care a bit.

• My Grandma doted on her the whole weekend.  When told that she was cute at the grocery store, she replied, "I know!"  I laughed and said I have to say "Thank you" to those comments... only great grandma's get to say "I know!"  And grandma proudly told me that one of her friends thinks she looks like the Gerber baby. Again, I have to say thank you while grandma says "I know!"
• She got her first sunburn.  On a recent picnic, I was the irresponsible mama who forgot a hat or sunscreen.  I did keep her in the shade and under an umbrella the whole day, but she was too fair for that!  It went away quickly, but that night she seemed to enjoy the feeling of a cold washcloth on her forehead.
• She's an awesome traveler.  On the airlines, everyone eyes us warily and then when the plane lands with them never having heard a peep, we get told, "Wow!  She is such a good baby!"  I seriously think airplanes are like sleeping pills to her.  
• Right when we were getting ready to get on one of our flights, she had a MASSIVE blowout.  Seriously, we were 2 minutes from boarding.  I ran to the bathroom, and she had poo everywhere... running down her leg which meant my hand got covered.  Unfortunately her change of clothes was in another bag, which was with Jacob outside the bathroom.  So Cora got to walk through the Portland airport with nothing but a diaper and a hair bow on.  And we missed pre-boarding.  Such is life.
• Traveling did mess up her schedule a bit... she was sleeping at strange times and waking up far too frequently to eat.  But we seem to be getting back on track.  Waking up two times a night is bearable to me... though I look forward to my first day with 8 hours of sleep.

I'm keeping this record not because I think everyone in bloggy land cares about every little detail of Cora's development and her blowouts, but because I want to remember these things someday (ok, maybe not the blowouts.)... I don't journal, so this is the closest thing I have.  Thanks for humoring me... :)

So many of you have faithfully prayed for us these last couple of months of our transition, and I'm thankful to say that it looks like the waiting game may be nearing an end... Jacob's had quite a few interviews these last couple of weeks and has received a few verbal job offers.  Two of them are for jobs he thinks he would really like.  Those verbal offers are supposed to be turning into written ones sometime in the next week or so... if that happens, we have a decision on our hands.

I know I should be thankful for "decisions," especially in an economic climate where we could have gone much, much longer without any offers.  But we aren't good at making choices... we are incredibly indecisive and it is hard for us to "go with our gut," because we are both very, very logical.  It took us about a year to decide it was time to come home from China!  And now we're faced with a choice about where to go next... option one is the pacific northwest.  A beautiful part of the country where most of my extended family (including my precious grandparents) lives.  (Those are the pluses.)  The downside is the job is lower paying and we'd be far from our immediate family.  Option two is West Texas... a dry and dusty town in the desert.  Not a place either of us wants to live, and a 5 hr drive from our nearest family.  (Those are the negatives.)  But the job pays considerably more, and it is still close enough that we could probably drive home and see our parents more frequently than we would if we lived in Washington. 

In both cases, he would make enough that we could afford to live on just his salary, so I can stay home with Cora.  But even though both of us prefer the location of the first option, it is hard to turn down a better paying job... so, fundamentally we don't know what we will do.  Anyone have a crystal ball they can loan us? 

The downside to all of this?  Another transition... YIPPEEE!  Just what I was waiting for.  We are just starting to feel somewhat settled here... and here we go again.  It leaves both of us feeling a little weary and sad and tired.  But God has been so very faithful to us these last few months... I know He will continue.  But I must admit I secretly wish to be 4 months down the road... with us already moved, settled, and getting plugged into a new community, wherever that might be.

And we close with sleeping beauty.