What Goes Around...

Yes, it's true. When I was a small child, I went through a phase of calling my parents by their names. Not "Mommy" and "Daddy", but "Dennis" and "Donna". My mom said that I wasn't disrespectful, and it soon passed.

I'll keep that in mind, since my 20 month old has now found that I not only answer to "Mommy" but to "Aimee" as well! I think that she feels so grown up when she uses my adult name, because she gets a little smirk on her face when calling me.

I'll have to admit that it's pretty cute. She makes me smile everyday...what will it be next?

My Big Girl

Isn't she cute?

I just love her so much and wanted to share her precious face!

So Sweet

Anaiah is sitting on the floor just flipping through some of her favorite books. Once in a while I'll hear, "Hi!" and look over to see her nose touching the book as she is greeting the characters. It's really too cute!

She's also discovered the pictures of family on the shelf in the living room. She likes for me to show her everyone and call them by name. She also enjoys telling her family "Hi"and we have been working on saying "Nana" and "Grandma," but she's not quite there yet.

Her personality is really starting to show, and although a little dramatic at times, she's a very sweet girl. (A little drama never hurt anyone, right? Too bad that she got that from her father!! :)

Lazy Sunday Afternoons

If you know me, you know that I love taking naps--it's one of my very favorite things in life.

I especially love taking naps on Sunday afternoons, always have. I'm not sure what it is, but after going to church and eating a good lunch, I just love lying down for a good snooze.

Now that I'm a mommy, my Sunday afternoon naps are shared with my most cuddly, precious daughter. She is the BEST to nap with--she keeps me warm, lays very still while asleep, and wakes me up with the cutest smile & soft touches.

YAY for naps with my girl...one of the sweetest things in life!

Here Comes the Sun

So, on the bright side...

the Lord provided a sunshiny day here in Fort Portal, and our day guard was able to hand wash a load of our clothes and hang them out to dry. Yes, another day without power, but at least we are blessed with a guard that does a good job at washing clothes and sunshine so that they can dry quickly.

Anaiah & I went to the Cashes for dinner, which was so much fun! Thanks for the yummy sandwiches and brownies, Cheryl! Anaiah LOVES the kids and their dog, Baxter, and gets loved on so much by her Aunt Cheryl & Uncle Jeff. It was a fun time.

While unpacking boxes, I found "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks, and I've begun re-reading it. I love that story. If you have not read this wonderful love story, I highly recommend it. And I believe this is the first book I've read since Anaiah has been born (I mean besides all the informative books on babies and kid books...it feels good to be reading for fun again.)

Yay for a sunny day in the midst of a rainy season...it made my heart happy and my outlook brighter.

That Figures

Good news is that Andrew & Jeff got our washing machine working!!! YAY!

Bad news is that just after I got the laundry sorted and had my pile ready to be washed, the power clicked off...for the entire day.

Now it's back, but my baby girl is asleep and since that's not a noise she is used to, am afraid it will wake her from blissful sleep, which would make me crazy.

So, I think I will go curl up in my bed and read a good book before dozing off myself.

Who needs clean clothes anyway???

Taking It Easy

Today, I could be unpacking more boxes and finding a spot for all the treasures that lay before me.

But, I'm not.

Instead, I'm finding joy in playing with my daughter, regardless of the mess around us.

She lights up my life and I am thankful for this day of playing, smiling, laughing, and cuddling .

My Little Girl?

She's not so little anymore...everytime I hold her, nurse her, see her in her pack-n-play, I think, whose child is this that I am looking at?

She has had quite a week with many "firsts": watching the Super Bowl with the gang, drinking water from a cup, and eating rice cereal.

She is 5 months old, which is pretty hard for me to believe. Everyone told me it would go by quickly, and it has.


It seems like everyday I learn something new about her and she learns something new about the world.


She smiles most all of the time, laughs aloud, rolls over, oooh and ahhhs, loves bathtime, plays with her feet, insists on attention during dinner, cries when mommy leaves the room, grabs anything within reach, puts everything into her mouth and cuddles sweetly with her daddy.


Andrew and I love her so much AND are very thankful to have her!!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas??

No, not really. It is 75 degrees, sunny, and there is not Christmas cheer wherever you go.

We did see a few fake x-mas trees for sell in a Kampala store and have seen one or two Christmas billboards, but other than that, it does not feel like Christmas when we are out and about in Uganda.

But, in the Cash family home, it is a different story. Cheryl has the house decorated so cute--with lights, a tree, stockings, bows, and we even eat off of fun x-mas plates!! There is Christmas music playing when we wake up in the morning, and it brought tears to my eyes this morning when I walked into the kitchen and heard Amy Grant's album playing; that brings many memories of home and I know that my parents have been listening to the same thing back in Idaho.

Yesterday, we put Anaiah's new x-mas bib on her...Cheryl found it at a market last week and bought it just for my sweet baby girl. Here she is...Santa's Little Helper:



As for other news, Andrew and I are going to look at a house today. It is a house that we saw in 2005 when we visited and we really liked it. It is available right now, but we'll have to work out a price that we can afford for monthly rent. We'll let you know how it goes and we'll take some pics if it ends up being the one!

"This will hurt me more than it hurts you"

Did any of your parents ever say that to you? I have always thought it was bogus until...

Anaiah had her 2-month check-up Monday, November 5. She is a strong and healthy baby. Andrew and I really liked her pediatrician...she is very nice, gentle and informative. Andrew and I quizzed the Doc with tons of questions and had a good visit. Then the dreaded time came...the doctor left the room and in came the nurse with the needles.

As I left the room, I felt a large lump form in my throat and my heart began to beat quickly. I was so scared for my little girl to get the shock of her life not once, but 3 times! Andrew stayed in the room with the nurse and Anaiah.

When I opened the door a few minutes later, I walk in to see big crocodile tears streaming from my daughters red, wet eyes. Her naked body is wrapped in a cozy, fleece blanket and she is shaking in her daddy's arms.

That about did me in!!!

I, then, proceeded to cry and had the need to hold her and comfort her and tell her that she would be okay. She nursed and within minutes her eyes were not so red, the tears began to trickle instead of flow, she gave a big burp and then a subtle smile. And I knew that she would be alright (but it didn't stop me from crying for a while longer).

Anaiah was fine...she got in her car seat, fell asleep, and was as happy as a clam when she woke up. I, on the other hand, needed to call both the grandmas, share the story of the day, and have some time to debrief.

It is still hard for me to think about...she looked so sad and helpless.

Does this ever get any easier??

Here we have Idaho

Here she is--a potato girl already (just like her momma)!
When we were in Idaho, my dad was busy harvesting potatoes and he had the idea to get his sweet granddaughter's picture taken amongst some of the crop.
Anaiah did really well for the pictures, but by the end, she got a little sleepy.


Then, upon her grandma's request, Anaiah got her picture taken on a doll bed that her great, great-grandpa made (it was for my mom, from her grandpa).
I think that she looks awfully cute sitting with all of her little friends!


And I particularly love this pic that Andrew got-she looks so precious!

My Little Girl

Isn't she sweet? I love her sooooo much!!

I'm a Mommy!!!

She finally arrived!! Anaiah Dawn entered the world on Monday, September 3rd--weighing in at 9 lbs. and 19 3/4" long. Labor and delivery was tough, but to get a gorgeous, healthy baby girl after all that work was completely worth it (and I would do it one hundred times over)!

I love being a mommy and Anaiah, Andrew and I are adjusting to life as a family of three.

Although we are tired, we are beyond happy...we are elated!! We LOVE our daughter more than words can express. We would love for you to meet her, so if you are in our neighborhood, please give us a call and we'll set up a good time for you to come by.

And feel free to express just how cute our daughter is; even if you don't say it, I'll assume you are thinking it!! :)

On Being a Mommy

Moms are special people, and if I do say so myself, I believe that mine is one of the most incredible. My mom is so fantastic at being a mother; I think that it is what God intended for her to do.

As my time of becoming a mom draws closer, I cannot help but reflect on how my mom parented me, and still continues to do so.

When we (my sis, brother, and I) were little, mom took time to spend with us, even though I'm sure she had a billion other things to do.

She read with us, sang with us, took us on walks, rocked us, watched Sesame Street & Mr. Rogers with us, taught us how to share, laughed with us (or at us, most of the time!) and soothed our tears and fears when we were hurt or sad.

As we grew, mom continued to love and nurture us, just in different ways. Looking back, it seems like it was very natural for her to parent at the different stages in our lives. She instilled morals and values in us, taught us how to be good examples to our friends, how to listen first, then speak (which I'll be working on for a LONG time) how to be patient with others, how to be individuals, to be independent, and how to be in relationship with others.

I have found, as I'm sure my sister and brother have too, that as I've matured into an adult, mom has become a friend of mine, who I go to for advice and to share my life with. And although she is now my friend, she is and will always remain my "mommy"--a title that she will never outgrow.

I pray that as God continues to mold and shape me into a mother, that He will grant me patience, endurance, and a gentle spirit in which to parent Anaiah; and if I can be half the mom to her as my mom was/is to me, then I will consider my job well done.