I Am Wrong

beautiful thought

3 little words that have such power...maybe in some ways as much power as those other 3 little words. I. Am. Wrong! Wow, those are definitely not my favorite words to say but oh how important that they be said when necessary.

Joe and I were having a "discussion" on the benefits of drinking chocolate milk after a work out. (silly I know) I just knew that it was a load of crud that chocolate milk was good for the recovering body. As we were "discussing," in the back of my head I thought, "maybe I should just drop it....I really don't want to be wrong" but I guess my inner desire to be right won out and the "discussion" turned to a fact checking session.

SURE ENOUGH. HE WAS RIGHT.  All of the facts checked led to one conclusion....I had to muster the courage and humility to say those dreaded 3 little words. I was dead wrong. Man did that stink, but immediately those words led to this thought....

In marriage we are called to lift one another up, to concede at times and to positively challenge each other. There was really no reason for me to egg Joe on. I don't know why I wanted to be right so badly, but I am sure glad I was wrong now because of what I learned. Joe is my husband, my partner and my strongest supporter. I need to always remember that I am those things for him as well. Sometimes I need to put my ego aside and say " yes love, you are right" and leave it there- regardless of how much I am screaming the opposite on the inside.

Most importantly, though the thought I found most rewarding was in saying, out loud, that I was wrong. Those words immediately made me flash back to our marriage prep about being able to express when I am wrong and how to be gracious when I am right-which for me means that I am called to love and to show that love even amidst the most silly "discussion."

Marriage is such a beautiful gift and requires so much grace. I am forever thankful that my husband-through his grace- allows me to opportunities to express when I am wrong without him gloating about his "win."

When I said those words that day, that I was wrong about the silly chocolate milk, I hope that Joe knew that what I was saying is "I love you, I am wrong and it is good that you are right."

Brooklyn Bridge Adventure

A few weeks ago we walked the Brooklyn Bridge and then took a tour of the September 11th memorial. Our day was perfect! The sun was shining, we got some great exercise and was able to cross two things off of our "We Live in NYC but Still Want to do Touristy Things" List. This is our day in photos.  Enjoy!!

I loved how worn this wood is.

Lamp post and Manhattan Bridge in the distance.

Lovely Haiku.

Sweet baby face!

September 11th Memorial Pool.

Walking back across the bridge I noticed these locks. I thought it was kinda fun!

This Place Called the Doctor's Office

Going to the doctor and spending time in said office could literally be a fascinating documentary. (I just said literally like Chris Traeger from Parks and Rec-hilarious!) Anyhoo, today Cecilia had an appointment so I took her alone, which is not very common because Joe is usually able to come. Today I was 5 minutes late, which has not been an issue before. I get Ceci checked in and walked to the well waiting room-they do have a sick waiting room, which I think is fantastic!

So, as I round the corner to the waiting area I see that it is packed. My heart takes a little drop but I tell my self not to worry because the office has a lot of doctors-I just knew we would be seen soon. BOY WAS I WRONG!!!

We waited for 2 hours to see a doctor, and it wasn't even the doctor that we normally see. This was for a check up for post ear infection and 5 month vaccinations. The whole appointment took 10 minutes. So let me just explain why I think doctor's offices are quite a thing.

1. Screaming children, and more screaming children because the other child screamed first.

2. Moms (or dads) going around the room complimenting everyone's babies and asking how old they are. I got asked 8 times how old Ceci was in probably 20 minutes. 

3. Other moms telling me to be careful of my earrings because babies like to rip them out. Yes, dear  other mom, I do wear earrings a lot and yes, I do know they attract babies like flies-said smiling.

4. Strollers, and more strollers and more strollers. All tricked out and loaded with the daily necessities-now this might be a big city thing, but seriously it is a spectacle. (side note-strollers are called carriages here-I shall stick with stroller-just fyi)

5. Hearing a brand new baby cry which makes my heart ache for a tiny baby again. Too soon?? Maybe :)

6. THE BLASTED HEAT. It is May whatever, please be kind and turn your heat off-no one wants to wait in a small room with crying babies with the heat on. Seriously!

7. Finding reassurance from the doctor that it is normal for your baby to do x or y. I know that some people dread well check ups, but I really do love them. I always find myself looking forward to finding out just how tall Ceci is or how much she weighs. 

8. Fighting the urge to question other parents' decision on why they allow their 4 year old to talk and chew on a pacifier at the same time.

9. Seeing the look in the eye of a brand new mom with her 4 day old baby and the anticipation, fright and yearning to want to be good at this thing called parenthood. ( I wish someone would have filmed our first doctor's visit to see what kind of fools we looked like)

10. The nurses-now I just about just left this as need I say more, but let me explain. The nurses that we deal with are truly fantastic. They do all the gross jobs, they deal with more screaming babies and poopy diapers and sick kids than anyone I know. They are saints and I am always thankful that they are kind hearted and willing to love my baby.

Today my visit was not so great as you might deduce from my rant in the beginning. But I know that the next time will (hopefully) be better. And truthfully, being there for so long helped me realize that I had some words to say about this place-some good and some bad. And now that they are all put down here in this space of sharing and ranting, I should leave with something positive-Ceci did truly fantastic today. She is such a trooper and only cried at the end!

Musings of a Momma

My sweet sweet Cecilia is sick. She has her first ear infection and bad stuffy nose. She had a fever and has a hurting tummy. Wow, it is so sad to write it all out and to know she must be feeling so terrible. I took her to the doctor yesterday and she was prescribed that delicious ear infection medicine and it was recommended that she try drinking pedialyte. She does great with the medicine but doesn't seem enjoy all of those extra electrolytes (and I don't blame her. I took a sip and that stuff is AWFUL!)

Anyway-the delicious medicine will cause her poor already hurting tummy to get worse and now her cute little bum is totally raw! Today was the first day that she cried and cried because she was in pain. It KILLED me to have to change her diaper and know that it was hurting so bad.

As I was comforting her tears and pain and rocking her to sleep my mind was drifting to a place of wonder and amazement. Motherhood is totally incredible-I just have trouble even putting it into words sometimes. It occurred to me that these last 5 months have been some of the most challenging but beautiful of my life. To be blunt being a mom is hard, but absolutely worth it!

It is hard to see your baby who you love more than words hurting because she is sick. It is hard to sometimes let other people hold your baby because you just want to soak up every minute they have. To know that your baby will one day grow up and yell hurtful things or get so mad at you they cry. It is impossibly hard to imagine that one day your baby girl will not be little anymore and will make scary decisions on her own. Being a mom means loving unconditionally, being tired all of the time, and singing more songs than I ever thought I could. It is hard to be mom but more importantly it is perfectly beautiful.

To see your child light up when they wake from a nap and see your face. To hear their laughter and squeals of joy. To have your baby girl put her tiny hand on yours as you lay her down to sleep as her way of saying I love you Momma. To see the persistence of a baby trying to roll over and feeling joy through their accomplishment. Seeing the look of confusion as you feed your sweet baby solid food for the first time. Bringing your baby to bed with you because you can't bear to have them sleep alone because they are so sick. To share in the wiggles, tumbles and discoveries-these things-all of this amazing things make motherhood perfectly beautiful.

Rocking with my sweet Cecilia today made me realize that I am absolutely called to be a mother. I am called to experience the some of the pain and hardship that children bring and I am absolutely called to share in the joys and love of motherhood.

I thank God everyday for my child. I owe all I am and all I have to HIS great mercy and plan for me. The last 5 months have been the most perfect gift God could ever give. I can't wait to continue to see his gift unfold.

Peace,
S

The Must Know's of Motherhood

I did a lot of reading blogs and some books before the arrival of Ceci.

 I looked for those lists of things that people say they were 

never told, I wanted to know the cold dirty truth of what 

motherhood is really like. And let me tell you, some of 

those lists were pretty intense..but because I read them 

(therefore being "told' things I could expect) I couldn't use crazy things like 

birth stuff or hormone stories in my own list of

"Things I was never told about having a baby" but that's okay....

I have my own list of what I like to call

The Must Know's of Motherhood!

1. You will get spit up on, pooped on, and peed on...a lot.

2. Getting anywhere means you have to get yourself ready... then sit down and nurse a baby, change a diaper, load all of the necessities into the diaper bag, buckle a car seat, put the stroller in the car and hope you didn't forget anything. Aka...start leaving for anywhere at least an hour before you normally would.

3. You will get strong arms.

4. It will be hard to lose weight. I know that you might have some of those people in your lives who bounce back right away but that is not my life and I seriously think they are somehow cheating fate.

5. Having baby will make you think and feel things you never thought were possible. For example, when Joe takes a little bit longer than anticipated in a store or out running errands I start to think there was a terrible accident and that he has died and then I literally plan the next steps and what I will do with Ceci Morbid..yes..crazy..some might think so..but seriously these are the thoughts that go through my head.

6. Sleep becomes a commodity that you will literally dream about and trade much for.

7. Taking an extra long shower becomes the new "spa day"

8. You will have to fight the urge to gush about your baby...all day every day.

9.You will nurse your baby in very unusual places..for me this has been our work car as we have to pull over very frequently on our way places because our commute can be quite long. 

10. You may want to have another baby right away one second, and then the next you can't even believe you have a baby in the first place.

11. You will spend a significant amount of time researching baby products, reading mommy blogs, and google-ing every random and strange occurrence that happens with your baby throughout the day. (Maybe another pose I will elaborate on all of the awesome resources I have found on-line to ease all of my worries)

12. You will learn how to communicate with your husband in a totally new way. And almost miraculously he will fall more in love with you each day, even with those super strong arms, extra baby weight and all of the spit up in your hair.

13. You will call your own mother, grandmother, aunt or friends a lot with questions.

14. You will be terrified your baby is sick..like almost every day.

15.  You will strive and strive to be the best momma you can be..and sometimes it is exhausting..other exhilarating, but mostly you will feel like the best momma you can be when you see your sweet baby's smile or hear a gentle coo.

There is a reason why it takes 9 months to grow a baby and even more of a reason why motherhood lasts a life time! I truly love being a momma and can't wait until my list continues to grow and grow.

Bad Habit

Welcome to my kitchen. As you will notice this space is really great for an apartment in NYC. We have a dishwasher, a ton of cupboard space and even a sink big enough for Ceci to have a bath. What you might also notice are the cupboards and drawers left open. Yes, this is my bad habit-one of many!  I am guilty of usually forgetting to close cupboards. (and apparently drawers too)!

My sweet and patient husband has recently brought this habit to my attention. I seriously did not know I was this bad until a few days ago. He always gently reminds me to look in the kitchen after I leave and almost every time there is at least one cupboard open.

You might be wondering where this terrible habit came from, and if you have any insight please pass it along, because I just can't fathom where I would have picked this up!

Thankfully, Joe is kind enough to remind me each time I forget. I guess maybe I should have had a different lenten promise and practice. I guess there is always next year!


 

Being A Wife

   

Over the last 12 months I have become a wife and a mother. Sometimes I simply cannot believe that this is my life....and I would not change a single part of it for anything.

Let me just gush for a second about why being Joe's wife is incredible.
1. He makes me laugh...and lets me cry...when I need to.
2. He is a fantastic cook! ( He made chili last weekend and it was so good our neighbors son came over and said asked for more...he is 6)
3. He cares for our daughter in a way that I cannot describe...you just have to see it.
4. He fills my purple straw cup even when I do not ask.
5. He brings me closer to Christ and is focused on leading me to Heaven.
6. He helps me to be calm and he always has my back.
7. He is full of adventure (we moved to NY when I was 7 months pregnant for pete's sake....talk about an adventure!)
8. He is sweet and charming and handsome and loving and kind..and I could keep going but I think you get the point.

Joseph Spargo makes being a wife an easy vocation. He is truly an amazing man; the best friend I could have and the best father in the world.

Okay...end gush!

Why I LOVE being a wife.
1. I get to organize Joe's laundry so that it is easy for him to find.
2. I get to encourage Joe to pray evening prayer with me.
3. I get to help Joe get to heaven too...its not a one way street people!
4. Being a wife means the chance to be a mom...and that...well I will save all of that for another post.
5. I get to buy peanut butter and chocolate goodies because I want my husband to have something that lets him know that I care.
6. I have someone to wink at during work.
7. I get to care about another person's well being without being a stalker.
8. I have someone to argue with who always is level headed when I might be a tad erratic!

What I am trying to get at is being married is incredible This last year has been so exciting and I can say I have grown closer to God, closer to Joe and have learned so much about myself. I can't believe that one year ago today we were days away from saying our vows, days away from the start of our life together.

God has such a perfect plan for our lives and I feel blessed beyond belief to get to spend my life with Joe.

Happy Anniversary Joe, I love you!

Sam