Announcing...

Hello! Paul and I have moved our pictures of Alia to a new location. We want you to be "in-the-know" so we are sending you some links that you can save if you wish.

I have been posting to a new site http://browneyedgirl.paulkortman.com This is my blog (web log or computer journal for those who don't know the term). I write about things going on with Alia, with my marriage, about the joys and frustrations of being a stay-at-home mom, and generally anything my little heart ponders upon (or finds interesting). You can go there to view our updated photos and links to people I know or cool websites I find, etc.

If you are receiving this as an email, you will continue to receive emails from this new blog. If you wish to unsubscribe follow the directions at the bottom of any of the emails you receive.

One other big announcement is that I have opened an eBay store called Big Prairie Dreams, check it out! It is my opportunity to earn some added income while being at home with Alia . I love selling on eBay! I don't have a lot of items in my store yet, but I add to it every couple of days so it is growing quickly. So far so good.

Thanks for sticking with us through all our moves and crazy life changes...we are thankful that you have chosen to walk with us as God leads on this incredible journey called Life!

Three Years and One Day

Three years and one day ago Paul and I were in the midst of our wedding reception which was said by one man in attendance to have been "the best wedding [he had] ever been to"--a pretty high complement coming from a married person 10 years older than us! We have to agree!

How is it that I was able to snag the catch of the century???? I am still trying to figure that one out myself.

Last night my parents graciously came down to watch Alia while Paul and I went out for our second DWOK (date without kids) since her birth. It was not like old times, but really who expected it to be. I had arranged a tour of the S2 Yachts facility as a surprise for Paul and after that (which was pretty cool) we went to Washington Square here in Holland to a little Italian place called Pereddies. My opinion of the restaurant...the atmosphere left a little to be desired, but the food was REALLY GOOD! Good conversation, good food, and really good company...it was so nice to be together and really have his attention again (like I used to before his job at TIG). When we got back in the car to go home I realized I was actually looking forward to seeing my baby. Normal, I guess. We hadn't talked about her at all during dinner and I was happy that we aren't like the couples you hear of that have nothing to discuss but the children.

It was a lovely evening with the love of my life...shoot, it could have been a tour of the neighbors pig barn and dinner with the livestock and it would still have been a great time...anything done with my Sweetie suddenly becomes fun!

So, we embark on the next year of our married lives and I couldn't be more blessed than to end today and begin tomorrow with my head on the pillow next door to that of Paul Kortman!

This Life

When Alia started sitting up a couple weeks ago we were so excited watching her as she grows and develops. But then... last Saturday we were at a friend's house and she was playing on the floor and got right up on her hands and knees. WHOA!!!! Slow down...suddenly my little baby is on the doorstep to being a fully ambulatory child. When did she get that big? When did I blink and miss that? I took a few moments to mourn how fast it all goes. How I would love to bottle up some of her "baby" moments and relish them a little longer than real time allows.

I know I am totally being nostalgic and sentimental and maybe even getting a bit sappy, but I am a mommy who loves her baby more than life itself, who carried this child within me for 9 months and gave birth (let's not take that lightly!) to her....I think occasional sap is an acceptable (and somewhat expected) byproduct! So, soon she will be crawling (even typing that makes my mind warp) and baby gates will be a necessity in our home.

My baby growing up is a bit sad but it reminds me of how much I need to be a great mom. She is getting older and starting to notice my behaviors. Do I spend too much time working at the computer when I should be playing with her? Am I giving her the right signals in my daily activities and attitudes that reflect the way I want her to behave someday? Are my responses to her unwanted behaviors appropriate to teach her to be a well-behaved, respectful and delightful young person while still promoting her creativity and individual personality? I suppose this makes it sound like it must be so much harder to be a good mom as kids grow older. In some ways, yes, but in other ways I think, no...just more purposeful.

So, I move forward doing the best that I can (with God's help) as a mom and praying that Alia will see my choices and behaviors as full of love and deeply desiring to be Christ-like.

I challenge all you moms out there who call Christ your LORD (Master) to serve him with your actions and words and be a awesome example to your kids of how it looks to live every day in a way that would please Jesus....isn't that what this life is for?

The Rest of the Story

So, by way of updating information that has been too long in coming....

Alia is now sporting a very fashionable (at least in the world of 6 month olds) set of lower front teeth that she has used on mommy only once (so far) when nursing!

She is sitting up all by herself now (with some tipping sideways still-especially when reaching for a toy) and getting all over by either scooching or rolling. And let me tell you...she gets to where she wants to go!

She has also started the repeated sounds like "bababa" and yayaya". We are working on "dadada" as she has said it a couple times but not directed at Paul. Trouble is...I almost always refer to him as "daddy" so "dada" may not make sense right away.

We are enjoying every moment with her (ok, not the ones at 3:00am so much but that's not very often) and can't imagine our lives without her. We know she is God's baby and we give her back to Him every day...but we are so thankful to Him for loaning her to us for now.

I did get our latest photos up on Flickr so you can view that at your leisure! Enjoy!

Random Fact

Did you know that the Asian elephant is the only other animal aside from humans that can stand on their heads. It's a crazy world out there!

Taste the Rainbow

So, my girl is 6 months old now and has been eating solid foods for a while. I am been very remiss in posting new photos but I have a very good excuse (more on that later). I promise to get some new photos up by tomorrow afternoon.

Anyway, Alia is an eater! We started with avocado as her first food. Then moved on to pear and banana. Homemade rice cereal followed with sweet potato, nectarine and peaches not far behind. She always make a really funny face when she gets a mouthful of some new texture for the first time but from then on it's smooth sailing....just as long as the spoonfuls keep coming in rapid succession!!!

Some of you may be shocked that we began with avocado as opposed to the commonly suggested iron fortified rice cereal...we do have a reason! We believe strongly in the ideas and philosophy purported in Ruth Yaron's book Super Baby Food. It is a simple and easy to understand explanation of why she used the foods she used for her own kids. Her own "1st Foods" schedule and why the commonly suggested first foods aren't necessarily the best for your baby.

In a nutshell, the easiest food to digest is a toss up between avocado, banana and pear. Rice IS the easiest grain to digest but why start with a grain when these others are easier on baby's digestive system. We chose avocado first because it is so high in the "good fats" that a baby needs for developing brain cells. The others followed naturally.

Also, we make our own rice cereal by making rice into powder in our blender and then cooking it with water on the stove like you would for Cream of Wheat breakfast cereal. We prefer to make our own cereals because store cereals so often have unnecessary ingredients we don't want Alia to have.

For us, living and eating naturally is a lifestyle. This is most important for Alia who since conception has never had any preservatives in her system and only rare and small amounts of sugar (when mom had a treat) . Her body systems are running as close to how God created them to work and we feel it is our job to keep it that way.

Alia is schooching all over around my feet while I sit here typing. She is a mover...maybe that's why she eats so much!

So Now We're Back...

Oh boy! What a trip! I so enjoyed the time with my sister, niece and nephew, but dealing with Alia post-trip is hard. She was a bit overwhelmed by the kids since our little first born is used to a quiet house and regular naps. So, her schedule got totally thrown off and now she is spoiled and wants mommy to hold her all day long. So, now that we're back we are trying to work through things to get her back on a schedule and able to play on her own for significant periods of time and most importantly....back to sleeping through the night!

She did exceptionally well on both car trips though...I am proud of our little rider!

My sister's family is all moved into their new house and the kids adjusted to saying goodbye to one place and learning to like the next very well. They are such sweeties...I miss them already! Bethany's (5) eager-to-please spirit and always wanting to be helpful in anything from chopping green peppers for freezing to getting Auntie Becky some wipes when changing Alia's diapers. And Benjamin's (2) sweet little voice singing the words to two songs all mixed together to explaining the latest about the "chick-uns" he loves to chase and catch! I will savor every one of their little hugs and kisses!

I love my sister with all my heart and would do nearly anything for her (including come to IL for a week without my husband to help her move) :)

Which bring me to another point...10 days without my husband was nothing I want to repeat again soon! I love my husband so much I missed him before he even left to go back home for the week after dropping me off. I enjoyed my time with my sister's family, but every minute away from the love of my life was terrible! I don't intend to go anywhere again anytime soon and he said he doesn't intend to let me! :)

We are happy to be back together and plan to keep it that way! If he is required to take any overnight business trips in the near future I may have to storm his office and have a serious chat with his boss..."There are only two choices, Dayna, either I go with him or he doesn't go!"