Very early this morning I saw this commercial by Kay Jewelers. Some observations:

A. Said newborn looks to be about 8 months old.

B. Notice that the Mommy has clean hair and seems somewhat pulled together for her child’s 2 AM feeding.

C. Daddy is incredibly alert and bright-eyed.

D. Mommy appears to have no issues with breastfeeding and isn’t constantly applying lanolin to her worked over nipples (sorry, but TRUE).

E. Mommy and Daddy apparently have no issues with communication and have only the look of love in their eyes.

F. Said newborn isn’t screaming, fussing, or generally making Mommy and Daddy pull their hair out.

G. And what’s with the gift of the Citizens watch? This Mommy would much prefer Santa bring her a live-in nanny or a willing wet nurse. Hmm…maybe I should have told Vann that as he and Charlie headed out to Christmas shop this morning…

Some Updates: My sweet friend Ms. Kim hosted a gift exchange/Christmas get-together this past week and I ended up bringing Ella with me…ultimately not the most relaxing due to some fussiness, but so fun to have her out and pass her around to all the willing arms.

It’s been a quiet weekend so far at the Bischoff house! This morning Vann took Charlie downtown to spend time with a colleague of his, and I strolled Ella over to Ms. Liz’s where I was fed a delicious breakfast and told to sit while my baby was held for me. (How much do I love my friends??)

After naps, Vann got Charlie dressed for some more daddy/daughter time and Ella and I watched “You’ve Got Mail” (one of my very favorite holiday movies) and putzed around in our pj’s (yes, I’m still in my pj’s)…I’m trying to take it a bit easier. After putting together our 45 pound stroller the other night I thought it would be a good idea to lift it…which has caused a resurgence of pain from my incision site. Don’t know what I was thinking.

I’m very proud to report that Baby E is continuing to fill out and we are finally able to start using some of Charlie’s cute hand-me-down’s!

Mom is safely back in Texas. It’s quiet around here. I’m so thankful that I have Vann for a full week this week and off and on through the holidays. I really have to brag on his ability to find the humor in everything and his willingness to power through these long nights with me.

We used the book Babywise to sleep train Charlie and she “slept through the night” (meaning 6 hours or so) at 8 weeks, which is what the book (more or less) guarantees will happen if you follow it faithfully. We’ve started it again with Ella and at almost 5 weeks I am not too optimistic at this point! After you get used to sleeping 8-10 hours a night (seriously, aside from the occasional sickness, Charlie is pretty reliable that way) it is VERY difficult going back to square one. I pray that little Miss E will follow in her sister’s footsteps and give her Mommy and Daddy a break around the same time (or earlier, if she so desires!)…Until then, the DVR is my best friend and I’m learning how to read and nurse at the same time, what talent!!

Pictures of Charlie’s day to follow…

MercyMe is the BEST Christian band, and they have an amazing Christmas album that I love to overplay every year. One of the songs on “The Christmas Sessions” is called “Joseph’s Lullaby” and it goes like this:

Go to sleep my Son
This manger for your bed
You have a long road before You
Rest Your little head

Can You feel the weight of Your glory?
Do You understand the price?
Does the Father guard Your heart for now
So You can sleep tonight?

Go to sleep my Son
Go and chase Your dreams
This world can wait for one more moment
Go and sleep in peace

I believe the glory of Heaven
Is lying in my arms tonight
Lord, I ask that He for just this moment
Simply be my child

Go to sleep my Son
Baby, close Your eyes
Soon enough You’ll save the day
But for now, dear Child of mine
Oh my Jesus, Sleep tight

Lovely, right? It makes me cry every single time I hear it…and it gets me thinking. Despite all the stress and sleeplessness, the hormones and the short fuses, having a baby around the time of Jesus’ birth brings new meaning to everything.

When I look at Ella, and she’s sleeping in my arms, I am reminded that I am her protector and her champion. No matter where she goes in life and what she does, I will always be her Mom. Christ’s future death must have been such an immense weight on Joseph and Mary…knowing that they would eventually lose their son and knowing they couldn’t do anything to save Him.

It is not lost on me that Vann and I are so blessed that our girls are healthy and beloved by our God. The fact that he entrusted me to be a mother again is a mystery to me. I am consistently a maker of bad decisions, yet God somehow expects more of me…so I guess I’d better step it up, right?

Just something to remember as life goes on, husbands go back to work, and I am left to take charge of this thing called motherhood…no matter how complicated it gets or how tired I am, these two little girls depend on me to watch over them.

To listen to the song, click here…