Spring

How can it be March 20th already? The first day of Spring! I think we managed to avoid winter this year, people. Can you believe it? And here I was all nervous about a repeat of a super-cold, super-snowy 2010 winter. We have been enjoying walks outside since last week. Stella mellows out as soon as I put her in the stroller. She loves the breeze on her face and watching dogs in people's yards.

Last week Brett was in California on business for six days. It is always hard when he's gone-especially now that we have a baby. He had a very busy trip: investors' conference for a few days in Laguna Beach which meant lots of meeting with different companies; then he drove to Ventura for another meeting and flew to Sacramento for another. He flew back Thursday evening and didn't arrive to Minneapolis until midnight, and then he was back to work per usual the next day. We enjoyed a wonderful weekend as a little family: we went for walks, ran errands, played with Stella. Sunday we visited our small group friends, Pete and Jess, who just welcomed their (third) baby into the world last week. After the evening service, we went to a celebratory dinner at the Tongs' for my brother Luke's acceptance into Westminister Seminary in Philadelphia. Naomi and the Tongs made delicious philly cheese steaks for the occasion. Luke and Naomi have a lot of decisions to make about when to move out to PA, where to live, where to work, whether or not to do the 3-year or 4-year track. Luke is going for a Masters of Divinity in Counseling as he hopes to be a counseling pastor eventually. We are so happy for him, but we will miss Luke and Naomi so much...not to mention how much we will miss my brother Jared and Corinne when they move to Qatar this summer. Both my brothers and their wives are moving away this summer. We all knew this would be a possibility, but now that it's officially going to happen, it's more final and therefore hard for me emotionally. I think about how they will not see Stella as she grows up and how I will miss our family get-togethers. Thankfully they are not moving away for good, and I'm sure the time will pass quickly and the Lorence family will be reunited once again. :)

Our friends and acquaintances are announcing pregnancies left and right. Between May and September, I can count at least 5 due dates. This, of course, has made me wonder when the right time for us to try for baby #2 will be...and we still really don't know. There are so many variables in life! One day I think I could handle another baby and other days I am thinking no way! Being a mom is so much work. I love it, but sometimes I feel so overwhelmed. I am thankful to have family that lives in the area who can help out, be it visits or my being able to just leave and go over to my mom's when I'm having a hard day and to regain some perspective.

Stella had her 9-month checkup last week. She is still regaining some weight that she lost while sick. She weighs 16 pounds and 10 ounces (25-50%) and measures 27.5 inches long (50%). She is teething right now and really gnawing on things toward the back of her mouth, so I think she may be getting her molars in. I am thinking about weaning her soon, but I definitely have some challenges with that as she refuses a bottle and hates formula. I asked some mom friends for advice, and they gave me some good tips. Nursing was so hard in the beginning when she was a newborn, and I didn't think I would make it past a couple months, and here I am at nine months, still nursing her at least 4 times a day. She also eats baby foods and sucks on mangoes, oranges, and apples in her mesh fresh fruit feeder thing, and enjoys her puffs. She will drink out of the cup with the straw, but doesn't know what to do with the regular kind of sippy cup. Sometimes I let her drink out of a regular water glass, which she loves. I love how she and I have really bonded through the nursing, but it really limits me/Brett in that we can't leave her with someone at certain times because we know she won't take formula. She will eat some baby food from someone else, but then she is fussy and wants that something extra (nursing). Nursing also takes a lot from me physically. I am both ready and not ready to wean her. Part of me feels sad to give it up, and since she doesn't seem to want to give it up either, I feel reluctant; but, on the other hand, I am ready to not have to wear nursing stuff and the above-mentioned inconvenience of not being able to be apart from her for more than two or three hours at a time because she needs to nurse.

Well, I hear her waking up from her morning nap (a very short one), so I better sign off. Enjoy your first day of Spring, everyone.