A Typical Day Recorded in An Untypical Way

Here is a photo journal of a usual weekday at the Szalapski household. Friday, August 6th, to be exact.

The plan was to sleep in, as we'd been having to get up early every day this week to get Robert to a conference NI was putting on. Unlike two certain other males that I live with, I am equipped with a body clock, so I woke up at the same time we had all week. 6:30, to be exact. I tried going back to sleep, but gave up. I was hoping the clocks would show in the picture, but they didn't. They said 6:50.

Tiernan wasn't long in joining me, though.

We began with the Very Important Cup of Tea. Lyons is my favorite--it's an Irish company, and while it claims to be the most popular over there, I've only found one store in Austin that sells it.

Ever since Amanda blogged about it, I'd been thinking about trying the oil-cleansing method on my face. I finally got started about a month ago, and I've really liked it. I've never been good about washing my face, but I enjoy doing the cleansing...it's very relaxing.

Tiernan got to play in the tub once I needed the sink for the hot water.

While we waited for Daddy to wake up, we packed his lunch, nursed, and read books. Tiernan especially likes books with dogs in them that he can bark at.

Once Daddy woke up, Tiernan and I made breakfast while he showered. Scrambled eggs with roasted potatoes and toast, to be exact.

Tiernan wasn't impressed. He's not much of a breakfast person yet.

He did enjoy feeding Robert, though.

His latest trick has been blowing out candles. We're practicing for his birthday. He knows not to touch them, and so far has done pretty well at obeying.

Then we said goodbye to Daddy as he left for work.

After Robert leaves, we always go play outside on the back deck for an hour or so. I read, have my quiet time, journal, and drink my tea. Tiernan adores being outside, but with the heat what it is we limit it to a couple hours in the mornings and evenings.

Then we went to the front so I could do some woodwork. Robert spoils me, he really does. Sanding goes so much faster with a power tool. Tiernan wasn't thrilled with the noise of it, though, so I had to finish after he went down for his nap.

While he was sleeping, I continued working on wood. After I finished sanding, I began doing the burning. I wish I'd remembered to take a picture of the finished product, but I didn't, and I already gave it away.

When Tiernan woke up, we had a snack of hummus and bread, a favorite of ours.

We read books, played,

and washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen.

We ate our lunch of leftovers.

Tiernan fed himself cheese on a fork. I did the stabbing.

We did a bit more housework and playing. Or playing housework, to be more accurate, since I don't think much got done.

Meet Tiernan the thrill-seeker. He did this quite intentionally a couple times.

Next we made bread.

While the bread was rising, we worked on music together. I was working on writing some harmony and counterpoint to a song we're getting ready to record.

Tiernan got tired and fell asleep while I played.

Then our friends came over to play! Here is Karyn Kalmbach, Tiernan, and Mia in the kitchen.

I really, really wish this picture hadn't turned out so blurry! But it was too good to not post.

Then Daddy came home and Tiernan and the bear tackled him.

We all worked on music together.

Robert watched Tiernan while I fixed supper, and then we ate. (Italian beef and gravy, bread, peas, and salad.) Sorry for the cheesy grin.

Then Robert and Tiernan played with the hose outside while I did the dishes and cleaned up after supper.

I was pretty tired by the end of the day, and well, Robert spoiled me some more. It started with a foot massage while I nursed Tiernan, and then escalated to a bubble bath (complete with candles, dark chocolate, and Irish Cream) and a full body massage. By the end of it I was thoroughly relaxed, and enjoyed a wonderful night's sleep.

Report and Observations

I am happy to report that we had a wonderful trip to Wichita and lovely time with Mark, Debra, and Christopher. Tiernan was a real champ in the car. He didn't sleep as much as I expected, but he was usually content to play with toys and laugh at Robert's antics while awake. The drive was about 9 hours on the way there and 10.5 on the way back, the time difference mostly being due to traffic north of Dallas.

It truly is amazing how different babies are. Christopher and Tiernan are nigh opposites, except in their shared stubbornness. Christopher is a thinker and observer. Tiernan is a doer and climber. Tiernan is more mobile and active, but Christopher seems to understand more linguistically. And even with their differences they did seem to enjoy playing together.

Why yes, the baby is better at looking at the camera than his dad is.

I really enjoyed spending several days with Mark and Debra in the environment of their home. I feel like I know them and where they are right now so much better now. I wish I could do that with all my friends, just to get to know the 'real' or 'home' them. It's easy to be different when you're out in public or just for a few hours while somebody is over. But over an extended stay, defenses drop, and I love the authenticity of real life. 

Debra was a wonderful hostess, and we really enjoyed our stay. I have to say I was impressed. She took the meaning of 'cooking from scratch' to an entirely new level for me. I applaud her, but I don't think I could possibly keep up with everything she does. If you want a glimpse, check out her blog.

Oh, and I cut Robert's hair while we were there.

Sleep, Parenting, and Love

TK is still not sleeping well, although it seems to be for different though still unknown reasons. He no longer wants to nurse all night, but now he doesn't want to sleep in his bed. I want to say I'm fine and confident that we're making all the right decisions and that things will be fine, but I'm not. I'm indecisive and wondering if I've been doing it wrong all along and what on earth I should do now. There are so many different schools of thought, and I'm not sure which is right for us at this stage. And while several tell you it's not your fault that your baby wakes up frequently, there are a few that have this attitude of "Well, if you'd listened to us, he wouldn't have sleep problems..." and it feels kinda snooty. That's what I don't like. Snootiness. I'm sure your method worked great for you and your babies, but you don't know anything about me and mine, so stop pretending you have a magic cure-all. Okay, now I'm rambling. Probably comes from not sleeping enough.

I love Tiernan. Deeply, strongly, fiercely. So much so, that as I think about the possibility of having future kids, questions burn in my mind: how could I possibly love another child the way I love Tiernan? I know favoritism is wrong, but could I avoid it? Is there room in my heart for another child?

Gotta Love Tiernan...

Couple pics from today that are just too good to not share...

Our little explorer has discovered he can fit into cabinets!

Yet another barricade rendered obsolete...

He really is just too much fun!

Monday Musings

It's a new day, a new week. We had a productive weekend--the weather held out on us, and we got a good deal of painting done. I hope to finish the north side of the house by the end of the week, and we'll probably tackle the south and east sides next weekend. If all continues to go well, we estimate we should be able to finish by the end of the month. Robert was a wonderful man and volunteered to take the hottest parts of the day, so it was only in the high 90s when I was painting. He also took Tiernan and did my weekly grocery shopping for me while I was painting so that I wouldn't have to do that this week. Isn't he amazing?

In Brady's sermon at church, one thing that stood out to me was when he talked about how it is no accident that we are exactly where we are in our stage of life. There have been times that I felt like my life as a housekeeper, wife, and mother in Austin jumped on me while I wasn't looking. Sure, we're living the American dream, but the American dream was never my dream. Yet here I am. My take-away is this: God has placed me here with a purpose, so what am I doing to fulfill that role? Am I being faithful with the time, talents, and treasures he has given me to steward? Am I living in anticipation of Christ's coming, mindful that it could be soon or delayed?

As I think about how I disperse my time, talents, and treasure, I face the issue of finding the balance between giving a task everything I've got and sustainability. I could do a lot more than I am, but I would also burn out and then spend a period of time not doing anything. However, when I am living a sustainable lifestyle balancing missional living, work, fun, and rest, I often feel like I'm slacking. It's true. I could be doing more. But could I keep it up? Probably not. Which is better? Bursts of energy, or consistency? I've done the burst-mode, and right now, I'm swinging the other way to sustainability.

They make it all worth it...

Picture Post

Well, I haven't had more than two consecutive hours of sleep since Sunday, so the muse is focusing more on staying awake than musing much today. So we shall go the easy route and post pictures of a cute baby.

He just figured out how to stack them back on the stick! I'm so proud of him.

He's a snuggly Little Man!

One of his recent hobbies has been moving our shoes. Invariably, one will be in the walkway where you are bound to trip on it, and the other of the pair will be nowhere to be found.

Well, it's not a baby, but it is a trivet I burned a celtic knot into.

This is what I get to see lots of every day! I love it.

Such a happy guy...especially when he has a toothbrush.