Martha Metzler.com

I’m sorry I’ve been MIA. Our house has been hit with a nasty cold and cough and so I’ve been running an infirmary here. Poor Bennett Rippy has the cold and cough now and I swear y’all, the cough rips my heart out with each one. The doctor said all is ok, just to let it run its course and I’m doing everything I can here… Vicks on his feet, humidifier, suctioning his nose. Merry Christmas?

I will say that my Bud is turning into quite the spirited toddler. He cracks us up with his vocabulary and his little sayings. He also does NOT crack me up with his tantrums but I know they are completely normal.

So I thought I’d post some pictures from this week, though this season seems a bit Crazytown, I am chasing down gratitude with a force.

Mama: “Bud, don’t eat all the candy! Put some on the gingerbread house!”

Bud: “I can’t Mama. It’s tooooooo yummy.”

He gets it honest.

Dada: “Bud you are a piece of work.”

Bud: “No I not. I Bud!”

I’ve been mulling over this post for awhile and I knew I needed to get it out of my sleep-deprived head and onto paper…. or my blog. You see, when Bud was born, after the first couple of months he was a dream sleeper for the most part. Barring growth spurts or teething, my man would sleep 12 hours. Plus, he took a few solid naps throughout the day. So, I continued about as normal. I would strut my ever-so-confident stuff with make-up on, clothes that matched and were actually clean, and a smug swagger that thinking about it makes me want to transport myself back two years and uppercut “First Baby Martha” right on the chin. I thought I was Superwoman. We’d host parties, dinners, and I vacuumed… a lot. We talked about wanting four kids.

So….. this is the fall that pride keeps talking about eh?

Superwoman has left the building.

I now have a child who is reluctant to fall into our schedule, reluctant to sleep, reluctant to nap. I don’t strut, I stumble. I don’t wear make-up and when I do, it  looks like the After picture of the “your brain on drugs” campaign.  Clean clothes…. I’m sorry I’m laughing too hard to even make a joke here. Vacuum is reserved for the panicked run-through before someone stops by. And I haven’t been nearly as good of a friend as I’d like and I liken myself now to a bear in hibernation. Now, we talk about how we might have a two clown rodeo because sweet Lord, I’ve almost made the appointment to have my tubes tied about 50 times and tell them to double-knot it just in case. And my smug swagger has been replaced by a tired, humble mama who is on her knees clinging desperately to every good and true blessing in my life instead of the sleeplessness.

Superwoman has left the building.

You see, she has been replaced by me.  And I’m getting to the point where I’m ok with that. I know there will come a time when I’ll sleep again, host dinner parties, and not look like an Amanda Bynes mug shot. I have to say “Sleep is not my idol” on repeat in my head all day long. I pray that I can laugh when he wakes up 45 minutes into his nap on cue instead of cry. And rejoice because oh my gosh, he’s healthy and happy. I had lost sight of that and was letting sleep dictate my entire view of the world. Shame.

Bennett Rippy is the happiest damn kid in the world. Seriously y’all. I stumble into the nursery at 3am while he’s crying and as soon as I cross the threshold of the crib, he bursts into a huge smile. Are you serious?! God give me joy like that (preferably not at 3am but minor detail for now). He is healthy and growing like a champ. He isn’t in a hospital bed, I don’t have to worry he’s crying because he’s hungry, and I don’t have to worry if he’s cold because we live in a house with heat.

I sat on the couch with my friend Carman the other day and we talked about how its hard to strike that balance of admitting its a hard season but also acknowledging the blessings. Gratitude in the storm. That even when I might feel like I’m on one of those fun-house bridges where the floor is shaking underneath me, I claim gratitude that there is an eventual end to the fun-house filled with cotton candy and kettle corn. And I’m learning to claim gratitude that I’m even in this fun-house to begin with.

So, there it is. The fall that came after Pride. The stumble that came after the swagger. And the grateful, humble mama that came after Superwoman.

Thanks to the incredible Mara Wolff for taking these shots of our family on a cold, but beautiful day at one of our staple weekend spots, Nisqually Refuge. The boys did great and Bud even got to hold a frog which was….. awesome.

I turn 31 today. Nothing big about this milestone but as I was laying in bed this morning waiting to hear screaming from the nursery I started to thank God for keeping me alive for 31 years. The deployment, the time away from family, the comfortable times in life, the sleepless nights, the good meals, the time living near family, laughter with friends, laughter with my kids, seeing my dog run wild, runs in the cold and runs in the NC summers…. I’m grateful for all of them because it means He didn’t bless me with a boring life.

My sweet husband surprised me with supper with friends on Friday night. And my friend Sarah was there…. which, I realize for you that don’t know her, first of all you are missing out and second of all, she can plan a party. She basically fired Sam and took over the party committee so there were balloons, a bedazzled cowboy hat that of course I had to wear, and a candy bar….. A BAR OF CANDY. I laughed so hard, ate some candy, some Thai food, and an amazing dairy free cake my friend Emily made me and went to bed with a smile on my face.

This morning I went for a little walk in the woods with my two guys and realized that despite sleepless season we are in right now, I have it pretty dang good.

Well my dear, you are 2 months old. (Well, you’re almost 3 months old by the time I’m writing this post but that’s besides the point)

This hasn’t been a super easy month for me and you. You had major sleep regression which led to some sparse naps, overtired screaming fits, mama being stressed and sleep deprived which led to low milk supply…. yada yada yada. BUT, you are still friggin’ adorable and give the best smiles.

The doctor said you are healthy at 12 pounds 2 ounces. Blue eyes, your hair is starting to come back in, and the reflux meds are still helping you out.

You love watching me and your brother play, you follow Daddy with your eyes when he gets home at night, and you really love getting up early. The last one you could work on for me will ya?

You HATED, I repeat HATED your 2 month vaccinations so we are researching on spreading them out since you had such a bad reaction. Screaming bloody murder for 4 hours straight and crankiness for 10 days counts as a bad reaction right? But I’m grateful to live in a place where vaccinations are available.

I adore every cranky, cute, blue eyed part of you and here’s to more growing!

I’ve worked with Treat before and I seriously love their products. I drink out of the personalized mug every morning because the design and pictures make me smile with each sip. Plus, I put our family motto on it so it reminds me that Love really IS all we need (and not 8 hours of sleep).

This week Treat is offering my blog readers 1 mug and 1 set of personalized stationary! WOOT!

Treat has beautiful one-to-one holiday cards that you can find .

They also have adorable gifts like . I love the mugs but I’m also tempted by the canvases and iPhone case!  I think they are the perfect gift for grandparents or parents.

I’ll pick a winner November 22 and all you have to do to enter is visit the page and tell me in the comments what your favorite card is! Good luck! 

Just as an FYI, Treat also offers digital cards so you can save yourself some stamps!

You can also join their twitter party at #TreatCheer on 11/18 at 2 PM ET with @ResourcefulMom. Just RSVP: http://resourcefulmommy.com/13195/treat-holiday-twitter-and-pinning-party/

 *Disclaimer: Treat has gifted me one mug and set of personalized stationary to review but all opinions are my own. Boom.

Sam at bedtime prayers: “Do you want to pray with me and talk to Jesus?”

Bud: “I want to hug him”

Sam: “Ok, you can hug him, and feel like He’s hugging you back.”

Bud: “I want to hug him and learn about dragonflies.”

Apparently dragonflies are a pretty big deal to Bud and have a direct connection to the Big Guy?

My veteran has almost been back home for a year. While this year has flown by, the 11 months he was gone did not. We are glad he got to serve, but man, I am glad he’s home. My deepest appreciation and awe goes to all the veterans and their families today.

And in case you missed it, here is the homecoming video my brother put together for us.