Rolling On

Can someone please tell me what happened to my little, itty-bitty baby?

After weeks of almost rolling over, yesterday morning she mastered it.  Just about one week short of her 4-month birthday.  And we weren't even there to see it.  Figures.

Jacob had laid her in the living room on her back, and when I walked back in the room a few moments later, she was on her stomach.  I asked Jacob if he'd helped flip her over, and he said no.  So this was all her.  The night before, she'd been trying really, really hard, and her Grandpa McKean kept helping flip her arm out from under her.  (That's what's been holding her back these last few weeks.)  I think that extra help taught her what she needed to do, or something... because first thing the next morning, taaa daaa!  Here she was when we walked in the living room:

This is exactly how we found her yesterday morning... 

And now she has become a bit OCD with it.  She won't stay on her back for more than 2 minutes without flipping over to her stomach.

Problem is, she hasn't quite figured out how to go the other way, and she is none too happy to be on her tummy for very long.  (I've never been great about making her do much tummy time.)  So I'm spending a good part of my time now flipping her back over to her back when she gets too frustrated.

(Something similar happens with her pacifier/motor control.  She's easily able to use her hands to get it out of her mouth... not so simple to get it back in, especially when she is sleepy.  That's mama's job.  Over. And over. And over again.)

I'm glad she's developing healthily and normally, but seriously... it is happening way too fast.

Oh wow! What have I done!?

~~~~~

And in other rolling news, we're "rolling on."

We've accepted the position in Texas.  In Midland/Odessa area, actually.  Anyone know anyone down there?  We don't.  :(  Oh well, friends can be made.  I've already emailed someone from the MOPs group, so hopefully that will prove to be a good way to meet new people.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers.  This has been a hard decision.  Lots and lots of tears and frustration and immobilization, but finally we feel pretty good about it all.  So in the end, the decision was sort of made "for us," which is actually a really good thing.  We had almost settled on the TX job, but were really sad with the thought that we were turning down beautiful Portland, OR and all of my extended family in favor of a desert where we don't know anyone.  (I know some people really love the desert.  Those people would not be us.)  I think we would have always wondered "what if."  But at the last minute, the Portland offer fell through.  The boss emailed Jacob and said they had lost some projects, and as a result would no longer be expanding their staff.  Well there you go.  Decision made.  It was like a big weight was removed... phew.

His tentative start date is May 6, but finding housing is proving difficult.  (The only industry in the area is oil/gas, and it's booming now.)  So we'll just have to wait and see what we can find... we're going down next week to look at apartments.  Most of the complexes we've called have literally laughed at us when they heard how quickly we want to move in.  So that's a prayer request... that, and it is super-expensive for really old apartments.  (Again, due to booming oil/gas, I suppose.)  Please pray that A) we can find a place to live, B) it is reasonable, and C) we don't have to live in a 1970s cave-style apartment.  I don't do well with dark and dingy, and I'll be spending a lot of time in our little abode.

To all of our northwestern friends, I'm sorry... :(  I'm sad we won't be there.  But this new job will afford us more of a travel budget, and I already plan on making a few trips to see my grandparents a year.  Maybe we can meet up!