Baby Love

Timing couldn't have been more perfect.

Just about the time that Jackie started to take notice of her baby doll, hugging her, kissing slobbering all over her plastic face, and taking her little plastic hands to play "Patty Cake" was when we found out baby number 2 would be coming sometime in early November.  It was almost as if she had a sixth sense.

It wasn't just the dolly either.  Somehow around mid-April Jackie suddenly became OBSESSED with my belly.  Lifting my shirt up touching it softly (not pinching like she does everywhere else...), and even laying her head down and cuddling up with my tummy. 

Weird.

She was only barely a year old.  She doesn't understand yet. 

Does she???

And then she noticed other babies.  Wanting to hug them and kiss slobber on them, just like her dolly.  She's always been social and liked being around other kids, but this was different. 

It's funny how God works.  How He prepares us for the unknown and unexpected.  Well, not totally unexpected. We always talked about having a kids close together.  19 months close for the first two.  :)

I know that introducing a new born baby to it's older sibling can be a challenge. I know there can be lots of jealousy and almost hatred toward the new arrival honing in on already claimed territory.  I'm sure there will be a transition period, but I am hopeful that time will be short. 

Jackie has already demonstrated love.  Even before we officially knew there was something to love, she was ready. 

And in the mean time we will continue to encourage the hugs and kisses and love that she shows to her dolly, other babies, and my tummy.  Because she may not technically understand how her world is going to change, but she does understand love.

And that is all she needs to know.

"Oh good...it's summer, you will blog again!"

"Now I will have something to read"

The previous quotes were said to me this weekend by my husband. 

Flattered that I am, that he likes to read what I write, I was a little taken-aback.

I blog during the school year...

Kind of.

Ok.  There is a bit of a difference between the blog count over last summer and this last school year.  However, I will argue, that there is a hidden factor that makes a bigger difference than whether or not I'm spending 8 hours a day with teenagers. 

A keyboard.

You see, we recently "traded in" our home laptop for a new tablet.  I have had an iPad for a while now, and Ethan wanted to try out the Dell tablet.  We, did not, however go for the keyboard attachment.  (Mistake...we will be getting one eventually.)

Blogging and a keyboard go hand in hand for me.  I know I may not be technologically "with it,"  but I just can't chicken peck or text-type an entire blog. 

"But Jill, what about your laptop at school???  It has a keyboard."

Yes, it does.  However, I do have a problem with doing a person blog while on school time.  I always flash back to The Office episode where Jim times Dwight every time he is "off-task" and therefore stealing time from the company.  Plus...I have enough to do while I'm there to blog about my home life.

So, yes.  There has been quite a space since the last blog post, and I'm sure there will be more frequent views into our lives as the summer progresses.