Beauty of Thy Peace

I've never been much for New Year's resolutions. I feel that if you have something in your life you'd like to change... just do it. Don't wait for the new year to roll around. But over the past few months I've been developing some new goals for my life, and figure now would be a good time to share them. Plus there's something about announcing them publicly for the entire virtual world to read that gives me a little more motivation for reaching them.
2009 has been great year for our family. When I think about the person I was when I watched the ball drop a year ago, and the person I am today, I realize just how much has occured over the last 12 months, and how much I've changed and grown. I think. I definitely have a lot more growing to do. And there's no better time than the present to buckle down and focus on becoming the woman I'm called to be.
I'm reading "Let Me Be a Woman" by Elisabeth Elliot. She's one of my favorite "inspirational" authors and even though I read this book several years ago, now that I'm a wife and a mother her words take on new meaning. Last night I happened to open up to the chapter on "Self-Discipline and Order", in it Elliot quotes a hymn by John Greenleaf Whittier (if you're like me, and didn't grow up in a hymn-singing church, you may recognize this as one of Tim Hughes' songs):

Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

The chapter is less than two pages long, but when I first read it nearly 5-6 years ago, I underlined the final chapter:

The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on all speak loudly about what you believe. "The beauty of Thy peace" shines forth in an ordered life. A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul.

Over these next few months, there are four areas of my life that I'm planning to "get in order":

1.) Our home.
What a blessing it's been to be home with Jack this past year. I always knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, but never really thought about "why" or "how." When we found out we were pregnant with Jack, the original plan was for me to continue working for at least another year or two. But thankfully, God had other plans, and opened a few doors that I had never dreamed existed. It hasn't been an easy adjustment, there's a lot of things I miss about being a career woman and there are a lot of things about being a homemaker that I wasn't prepared for, but I'm getting better and am busy creating big plans for the future. This year, my goals are to
--follow-through with my daily and weekly chore chart (I've had one hanging on my fridge for the past year but haven't been so disciplined with keeping up with it.)
--be better with menu planning, stockpiling my pantry and being prepared to host guests
[Inspirations: Babywise Mom, Once a Month Mom and Jon's amazing Aunt Julie and Uncle Bob, who never seem surprised by unexpected dinner guests :)]

2.) Our finances.
Early last year I read Dave Ramsey's "The Total Money Makeover" and was so inspired to become a better budgeter with the overall goal of being debt free. I had never even heard of Dave Ramsey until last year, but I began to notice that many of my favorite blogs have the same philosophy. When Jon was working on the ship, and was deployed every 2-3 months, I was in charge of the finances. Since he's started his land job he's taken them over. But I really want to take them back! :) I was reading one of my blogs several months ago and one commenter mentioned that she wanted to be a good steward of her husband's hard earned money. Her words really stuck with me. Ever since then I've always had Jon's long, hard work hours in the back of my mind when spending money. Sure I bring home a little bacon as well, but but if I can become a better manager of our finances every bit I save adds to our value. That said, this year my goals are to
--work my way through the Financial Peace coursework before Baby #2 arrives. (Our church is offering the FPU classes this year, but between Jon's work and school schedule we're not able to attend. So I was very excited when my mother-on-law lent me her kit to look over these next few months.)
--become a better steward of our finances and actively seek out ways to cut costs
--tighten the budget (We have a decent budget that has served us well for the past 3 years, but I'd really like to tighten it up a little - Dave Ramsey style!)
--pay down debt and build up our savings
--become a savvy shopper and better coupon collector
[Inspiration: Money Saving Mom, The Happy Housewife, $5 Dinners]

3.) Our son.
So, I may have mentioned that Jack is slightly wild and occasionally active. Having a routine really served us well during the newborn years ... it was also a lot easier when all he did was eat, sleep and stare at colorful objects. Oh yeah, and poop. But things are different now and I've failed to keep up with the changes. This year, my goals are to
--implement a new routine with daily roomtime/independent playtime
--start working on character development and self-discipline (I thought 1 was too early for this sort of thing but spend 10 minutes in our house and it's obvious that babies are born sinners just like the rest of us!)
--create a family code (a.k.a mission statement, Jon and I have been talking this over for a while now but we just need to get it down in stone.)

[Inspiration: Babywise Mom, Duggar Family Character Qualities]

4.) My spiritual walk.
This seems to be on just about any list of goals I've ever made. But I suppose it should always be that way. It's not very likely I'll ever be content with my current spiritual walk. Then again, shouldn't we all be striving for more? This year I plan to
--spend time in the Word daily (Jon just bought a new Smith Wigglesworth devotional that I've been eyeing up. I prefer devotionals to reading the Bible through in a year, but I do enjoy a daily dose of Proverbs!)
--maintain my prayer journal (I've been so erratic with this, but I love reading back through my old entries and seeing how God has moved. Gotta be more consistent!)
--pray for my husband and son EVERY DAY (Have you ever read "The Power of a Praying Wife"? It's sooo good, I almost want to stop typing and go read some more. And the author has a book on praying for your son too.)

I think that's enough for this year. My intention isn't to be overwhelmed with lofty goals but I really feel that a more ordered and disciplined life will bring peace to our family. As Elisabeth Elliot says, "Freedom begins way back. It begins not with doing what you want but with doing what you ought - that is, with discipline." Cheers to the new year!

Highlights from Christmas '09

We're baaaaack!! And boy does it feel good. We had a spectacular time in PA visiting with our family over the holidays, but I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to be back in my living room, blogging away on the couch while Tank sleeps soundly on his sailboat sheets in his spacious crib. It's so good to get away, and just as good to come back again!

We left the morning after Jon returned from Boston, driving just ahead of that massive snow storm that hit the east coast. Ironically, we saw very little snow on our trip up and during our time in PA. Although we did manage to run right into the thick of the storm while leaving New Jersey the following day. I love snow ... until it turns a typically 3 hour drive into 5.5 hours of crawling down the highway late at night. And so Jack slept through his first real snowstorm.

Jon had to return to VA to work so Jack and I stayed up at Marmie and Poppa's for a few days until our family was re-united again. I could go on and on about how much fun we had and all that we did during our 12 days in the Keystone State, but I'll try to keep it to just the highlights:

• One of my favorite moments of the holiday was after we pulled into my in-law's driveway after our 8 hour drive from Virginia. We walked in the back door, set Jack's feet on the ground and off he ran to give Nonnie a huge hug. Which lasted several minutes. He just didn't let go. It was the sweetest thing. I'm so glad my big, brute of a boy is such a lover! :)

• Speaking of his lovingness, Jack spent most of his Christmas holiday running from person to person with his arms in the air. Yes, my son "goes to anybody." Including random people in the grocery store. If you even look his direction he will most likely reach his arms out to you. I am glad for this, at least he's not overly-clingy and he only burries his head in my neck when he's exhausted. But I wonder what people think of me when it appears that my child is anxious to get away from his Mom... Then again, most people were thrilled that a baby wants to be in their arms. At every Christmas party or church service we always heard, "He reached for me!!" We don't usually tell them that he does this to everybody, it's not so special that way. :)
  
• Jack got his first band-aid. It was adorable in the most pitiful way to see that little neon strip wound round his finger. My mother-in-law and I were at the mall and left Jack in the capable hands of his father, who was busy vacuuming and didn't notice Jack playing with a glass candle holder, at least, not until after the candle holder was shattered and Jack was instead playing with broken glass. I got a call in the middle of the mall from Jon, "Can you ask my Mom where she keeps the band-aids?" "Ummm, whyyyy??" ...Thankfully, it wasn't a bad cut, Jack didn't even notice it. Although he did notice the band-aid. I later found him trying to eat it along with the rest of his dinner.

• In case you're wondering if the candle holder was the only thing Jack broke at Nonnie's, well no, it wasn't. He managed to shatter a glass Christmas bulb the second day we were there. So much for my goal of keeping Jack free of offenses. I think those are the only two things he broke though. But trust me, there were plenty of close calls.
  
• For Jon's birthday his parents took us and Jon's sister and her husband out for a lovely dinner at DiSalvo's. Not that we don't enjoy Jack's company when we're eating out, but it was so nice to have an adult dinner with adult conversation. I didn't have to spend half the night cutting food into bite size pieces or bring out the dust buster to clean up under Jack (okay, I don't really do that, but I feel like it would be a lot easier if I could!). Jack went to Uncle Micah's house while we were out, where it apparently took 6 other guys to keep things under control, particularly Uncle Jared, who is the only Uncle that changes diapers. Jack was very excited to party with the big boys! I did get a good laugh in when we went to pick him up. Apparently Uncle Jared thought the zipper on Jack's pajamas went on the back. He claimed the feet were still facing the right direction, until I pointed out that the seam was completely twisted around Jack's leg. :)

• The boys must have completely worn Jack out because he slept until 9:30 the next morning. HELLO!! That's a Jack record! I wondered around the house in the my pajamas all morning, trying to figure out if Jack was going to wake up any minute now or if I had time to get a shower. Since we're on the subject of sleep, Jack did sooo well. I can't help but think back to last Christmas, when we would be up all hours of the night. Sure our routine gets a little messed up when we're traveling and visiting lots of different people, but I was very relieved to see how flexible Jack could be. Occasionally his lack of sleep would make him a bit more crankier than normal, but for the most part he did pretty well. Just a little more wild than usual, and that's pretty wild to begin with. :)


• Jack sleeps in the pack 'n play at both our parents' houses. I always check on him before I go to bed. You know, just to make sure he's breathing. :) I have to wonder how long I'll keep doing this. Anyway, one night I peaked into his room and couldn't find him anywhere. I could hear him breathing, but his bed was empty. My eyes adjusted after a few more seconds and then I noticed a large bump under the crib mattress. Somehow Jack had managed to creep under the mattress and was sleeping soundly in his cave. I wish I could have gotten a picture.


• One of Jack's favorite presents this year was his Radio Flyer tricycle from G.G.Ma. He's not quite big enough to get on it by himself, although he certainly tries. But he did figure out how to push it around on his own. He also loves it when one of us puts him on the seat and takes him on speed rides around the house.



• It has been well-proven these past two weeks that Jack is my active, energetic little boy. He can even keep up with his older cousins. Jack LOVES his cousins. His energy level shoots up a couple degrees as soon as they walk into the room. He thinks bigger kids are very exciting! When Jack gets excited he does a little dance. It's so cute, it's like he has ants in his pants and can't keep still. He also likes to dance with Marmie. I never saw him laugh as hard as he did the night she was showing him how to jump and dance. He was literally doubled over with laughter. Yet another moment I wish I had captured on video!


• We did get some snow while we were visiting, although not enough to send Jack out to play in. One morning when Jack got up Jon put him in our bed. He stood up, peaked out the window blinds at a semi-white world and said, in his childish whisper voice, "Whoa!" I think this is one of his very favorite words, second only to "more." He said it often this Christmas season, especially when standing in front of the decorated tree or driving by Christmas lights. I just loved having him around this Christmas season, it really puts a new perspective on the phrase "childish wonder."

Naturally, we can't help but think about what next Christmas will bring. Jack will be another year older, and hopefully another year wiser. :) #2 will be with us too. Great Aunt Jane has started knitting his stocking to hang by Marmie and Poppa's fireplace. And Nana has already fashioned his first sweater. I will say this baby definitely enjoyed his share of the holidays this year. He likes to kick Jack when I'm holding him (sibling rivalry!) and Daddy finally got to feel him move (it's been tough with Jon traveling so much!). And Mommy made sure she ate lots of extra Christmas goodies for "the two of us."

Jack will be up soon, it's time for Mama to stop "resting." We hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends, celebrating our Savior's birth. We'll be packing up our Christmas decorations soon, but I can't help but think about how grateful I am for a beautiful, special end to the year. Saying goodbye to 2009 will not be difficult when there's so much to look forward to in 2010!

Happy V-Day Baby!

No, I'm not getting my Christmas trees confused with red hearts. Today baby is 24 weeks along and that means he has good chances of surviving outside the womb, should he choose to make his entrance anytime after today. It is viability day, the point where most doctors will make an attempt to save your baby, before 24 weeks many insurance companies won't even cover such attempts since survival rates are so low. Now, I am quite sure, J Jr. here has no plans to begin his exit. It is wayyy to comfoy in Mommy's belly, and we like our babies to be big and healthy in this family. But isn't it amazing to think that, thanks to modern medicine, he has a chance at life should he arrive earlier than planned?
To be honest, v-day never even crossed my mind with Jack. I mean, I am just starting to show. It was only yesterday that I realized a belly was starting to get in between me and putting on my socks. Baby hasn't even been kicking me in the gut that long. The last thing on my mind at this point is going into labor.
But after hearing about my fellow J-namer, Michelle Duggar, who had her 25-weeker via emergency c-section 2 weeks ago, V-day has really hit home. She was only 3 weeks ahead of me. I've been anxiously awaiting for them to announce the gender so I could worry about her stealing my J name, and then I see on the news that baby girl Josie Brooklyn is here and stable. (In case you are wondering, that is not one of my names.)
And so, in the midst of this beautiful holiday season, while we're busy celebrating Jon's birthday, and taking part in numerous Christmas celebrations, we're also happy to toast (sparkling grape juice of course) to today - V-Day, to our healthy baby #2 and to the next 16 or so weeks I'm planning on keeping him to myself.
I'm wishing you all the merriest of Christmases, see you next year! :)

Christmas Photo Shoot

Anyone with kids knows how pleasant a Christmas card photo shoot can end up being. We only have one right now, and that's tough enough. It's a good thing I've got my boys matching sweaters for next year, because with two under two those sweaters may be the only things that both look good for the picture.
This is the second year we've asked my brother to take our family photos. He's got a good eye, and a great camera. And we get the "family discount". ;) You would think that with all that time over Thanksgiving we'd be able to plan a proper photo shoot, but no. For the second year in a row Jack was cranky, Mommy's hair was a mess, and Daddy was in a hurry. Here's is the progression of our family photo:

This is one of the first photos we took. Jack is downright gleeful ... but we were still working out the lighting.

More lighting difficulties, and Jack would prefer to look at anything but the camera.

We lost the smile when we moved him away from the tree.

Jack's done with picture-taking, and we've barely even started.
We decide to change settings. And Jack decides he's ready for a nap.

Still acting tired and cuddly, and not smiling, but this ended up being our card for 2009. I just love his eyes in it!

More on-camera crankiness. I'm clearly overcompensating for the both of us.

Jack trying to escape from the camera.

Back inside, where Poppa manages to get Jack to smile, but not while looking at the camera.

And then Jack looks super-cute when Mommy and Daddy are cut out of the picture.

So at least we were able to find one shot out of the gazillions Uncle Micah took. I wonder how many shots it will take next year? :)

Second Pregnancy Syndrome

I think I'm suffering from second pregnancy syndrome. You're probably thinking, "Hmm, I've never heard of that." Well, I just made it up. And I haven't had a chance to Google it to find out if it's real yet. Google. Apparently that's how I define reality. Sad. Anyway, what I mean is that I was so in to my pregnancy with Jack, which was my first and only pregnancy, that I tend to hold that experience as THE definition of pregnancy. I'm slowly realizing that all pregnancies, and babies, are different. And, more importantly, that the baby in my belly is not Jack, it's somebody completely different. It sounds so simple, but honestly it feels weird to me to think that I'm carrying another, new baby. Kind of like when you go back to your parents house for Christmas, and your bedroom isn't your bedroom anymore. Well Jack's womb is not Jack's womb anymore. Haha, bad example.

Anyway, I really want to make sure I'm being fair to #2. I want him to have his own pregnancy, his own special experiences, his own time with Mommy. So this post is dedicated entirely to him, now that I'm done mentioning Jack. :) I can't help it, I just love that kid! And he has the advantage of giving me kisses, #2 can only kick me in the gut at this point.

Speaking of kicking, the next Baby J is quite active, which I've mentioned before. He seems to move a lot, especially late at night. Which I love. I think he realizes that at the end of the day he finally gets Mommy's full attention. He's probably got lots of extra space in there since his nearly 9 lb. brother was the last to occupy that area. We call him by his name now (just first since the middle is still up in the air) but I have to keep checking myself on the blog. I promise to make a formal announcement after our next ultrasound, just to make sure he's really a "he."

I'm happy to say nauseousness and headaches are behind us! But not without one last hurrah, at 19 weeks, in which I threw up in the car, while driving. Fortunately I just so happened to have a plastic bag with me. Throughout this pregnancy I've tried really hard to not get sick in front of Jack. I mean, if I was 14 months I think I'd be a little freaked out if I saw my mom throwing up. Then again if you're Jack you'd probably start trying to figure out how you could do the same thing. Well, in this case, with Jack in the backseat, it was a little tough. He just stared at me. Thankfully, it hasn't happened since. And I've got all my energy back, just in time for the busy season at work and getting ready for Christmas.

#2 can hear now. Which also makes me feel bad. I'm pretty sure he's going to think his older brother's name is "No-Jack-no." His first word may end up being "don't touch" since he hears it about 20 times a day.

Other than the sweater and one pack of diapers, #2 isn't going to be benefiting from Mom's pregnancy induced shopping sprees, although I have made him a few things (separate post). #2's not getting a cute, nautical themed nursery either. In fact, he'll be stuck in Mommy and Daddy's room for at least the first 6-8 weeks until we move. (Jon's not too thrilled about that).

It's funny, at first I was worried that Jack would get less attention when the baby arrived, but I'm beginning to be afraid that, with a big brother with as much personality and energy as Jack, the baby is the one that's going to feel neglected.

Like I said, I'm slowly starting to realize what I have coming to me in 4 months. But it's going to be fun too. The more Jack's personality shines through, the more I wonder what the next baby is going to be like (Jon's hoping for a quiet, artistic, guitar player; Poppy is hoping to watch two grandson's play football at the Coast Guard Academy in 2028; and I'm just hoping for two boys that get along with each other and are best of friends). Since Jack is my "spirited" baby I'm secretly hoping this one is going to be a "textbook." At the very least, I can't have two "spiriteds" in a row, can I?? I can't wait to see if this baby has big cheeks like Jack, or if he ends up being a tiny, little guy. Is he going to love exploring every inch of the house or will he be content to sit on Mommy's lap and read a story... the whole story. Will he slide down the stairs with his hands in the air like his big brother, or will he cautiously crawl down one hand and knee at a time? Will he be a sleeper? (yes, please) A big eater? Is he going to always be wearing a size bigger than his age?

I have a lot of questions to be answered over the next year or so. But I'm glad #2 is on his way. I'm glad that I'm broadening my pregnancy and baby horizons. And as much as I love Jack, I'm glad that I'm going to have a another little man to love just as much. Sure it'll be twice the work, but when I think about the smiles, giggles, and big, sloppy kisses ... I'll be getting twice as much of that too. So I'll keep praying. Praying for Jack because, as much as I try to tell him about the baby in Mommy's belly, he's really in for a big surprise this April. Praying for new baby, who's busy carving out his own little niche in this family. And praying for me, I'm going to have my hands full!

Just another day in the office

I've been playing single mom again, and not enjoying it. Last week Jon was in sunny Miami, this week he was in brisk Boston, and in between he was in the home office working on his final paper. So we haven't seen much of him lately. Surprisingly, these past two weeks have been easier than I expected. Not "easy" but "easier." Jack is still as active as ever, but he hasn't been so clingy lately. In fact, he may be becoming a little too independent. He's officially learned how to "crawl" down the stairs (actually, he turns on his belly, puts his hands in the air and slides down, and usually make my heart stop in fear for a few seconds). He's also figured out he can climb off Mommy's lap when she's reading a bedtime story and head for the stairs faster than she can turn the page. Oh, and last night he attempted to get out of the bathtub on his own - twice! About gave me a heart attack! But with this newfound independence also comes an ability to play longer by himself and find new entertainment without Mommy's help. It's been very nice! I'm beginning to wonder if the previous few weeks were "just a phase." He's almost like a completely different kid now!

Well, when Jon's away he takes the laptop (i.e. my home office) with him. Which means I have to do all my work down in the cold, dark guestroom. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm able to accomplish A LOT when I'm down there, with no other distractions, but only when Jack's asleep. When he's awake, which is the better part of the day, it's "a whole nuther story" (I think that's my favorite grammatically incorrect phrase).

First of all, it is deadline time in my world. My phone is off the hook, and my email inbox keeps sending me warning messages that I've reached 497.5MB of my 500MB limit. I think this is the first time in at least a year I've been geniuinely stressed. I almost forgot what it felt like! So I'm spending much more time on work than usual. Unfortunately, the office is our least baby-friendly room in the house because Jack isn't down there very often. When Daddy got back he was in for a little surprise.

Take the other day for example. I gave Jack some toys to play with on the floor while I logged in to my email. The toys were fun for a few minutes, and then he found the tissue box and pulled out all the tissues. I took that away and then he attacked the trash can, spreading papers all over the floor, which are fun to walk on when you're a 14 month old with little balance to begin with. After he broke the candle holder and Daddy's barometer, he started eating my plant. The one that I've brought back from the brink of death on numerous occasions. We'll it continues to teeter on in the land of the living, despite several Jack attacks.

At this point I thought I'd better step in. So I held Jack with one hand and typed with the other. Then Jack noticed my eyeballs. For some reason he thinks they are fun to poke. I couldn't take it anymore so I put him back on the floor, where he crawled under the desk, and hit the blue, blinking button that turns Mommy's computer off. Right in the middle of my work.

Needless to say, I was perturbed. While we were waiting for the computer to re-boot I took Jack for a spin in the computer chair. He likes this and it keeps him calm for a few minutes. Probably because he gets a little dizzy. Well, I may have taken a few spins too many. I could hardly see straight. I closed my eyes for a few second and when I opened them Jack had managed to shut himself in the dark, windowless bathroom and couldn't figure out how to get he door open. Mommy to the rescue! A nap soon followed.

Much to my delight, the hubster is now home and these weeks of single-mommyhood are ended. Even better news is that we'll soon be on our way to Pennsylvania where I know Jack will get all the attention he needs and I'll get the break I deserve!

Baking with Tank

I must officially be a grown woman now, as I have been required to bring "a dozen cookies" to several Christmas parties. In fact, one invitation actually specified that they be fancy cookies. I've never made more than one or two kinds of cookies at a time, at least, not without my mom. So, in an effort to appease family and friends, I jumped into Christmas cookie mode in full force last night, and made 5 different kinds in 7 hours. Yeah, it was a late night.

I was reading a few weeks ago about having your child assist you with cookie-making as a learning activity. The suggested age range was 1 and up. I was like, "Really, one year olds can help make cookies?" So I thought I'd give it a try.

Ehhh, not so much. Jack couldn't even manage to keep his stocking'd feet on the chair so he could see the mixing bowl, much less assist in any manner. Maybe next year kiddo! So we had a modified baking day with Tank helping from the floor. And surprisingly, the arrangement was quite successful!

Do you know how long he sat and played on this blanket, quietly, BY HIMSELF?! Well, I don't know either. I lost track of time. But it was long enough for me to mix up two different recipes. After a while he got hungry and started trailing me around the kitchen and pulling on my pants (which, I might add, is a completely different scenario when you're wearing maternity pants!). So he sat and ate dinner while I mixed up another batch and started putting sheets in the oven.


Dinner time was over and would you believe it? He went into the living room and played by himself for a little while. Granted, he did throw half the toys down the stairs, and he did dig up some potting soil from the plant, but I'll take this over hold-baby-with-one-hand-mix-cookies-with-the-other any day.

After a while he got a little lonely and rejoined me in the kitchen, where I happened to leave the cupboard door open. That's when he pulled out all the pots and pans (and then sat in the saucepan, as you can see in the picture above). Baking cookies is slightly more challenging when you're tripping over skillets and babies, but not impossible. When that wasn't fun anymore he turned to one of his old favorites - throwing objects into the great abyss (a.k.a. the fake drawer below the sink).

He must think a fairy comes every night and rescues said objects from the dark, dark hole. Because the fact that they may be lost forever has not yet deterred him.

Now, I don't have a lot of counter-space in my kitchen, so I was cooling cookies on every flat inch I could find, including the table. Guess what that little stinker did while Mommy's back was turned. He reached up to the table, grabbed a cookie, and ran off to the living room where he gobbled it down. I was stunned. Did my little baby really just sneak a cookie off the table? How does he even know that cookies are good and that he really wants one? (Trust me, he knows now, as he had 4 more failed snitching attempts throughout the evening.) Seriously, sometimes I feel like I'm raising a miniature teenager.

The sad thing is, this mini-teen really is big enough to beat me up now. I have the bruises on my arm from a conch-shell-in-a-14-month-olds-hands to prove it. Where does the time go?!