How to make the pacifier stick

Well, that title really doesn't mean much, except for what I've been doing for the past hour. Molly has been sleeping in her crib for her nap today. She's been spitting out her paci, then crying, so I go in and put it back in her mouth and she's back asleep. Two minutes later...same gig. I try to let her cry and make her soothe herself back to sleep, but she's not having it. So, I decided to go in her bedroom to fold laundry and put away her clothes. That way I can stick her paci in right away. It pretty much worked because now all of the laundry is done and she's been asleep for about 10 mins for this stint. We're learning. I've been trying lots of things to try to help her sleep through the day. Nope, not Benadryl, yet, but we won't go there. :)

We bought a few CDs for Molly to listen to while in bed. We were also given a few. Well, Matt and I are already sick of all of them. We rotate them, but we're tired of hearing the same songs. Even our very cool Rockabye Baby U2 and Coldplay CDs (if you're a parent and don't know about these, you HAVE to check them out!). So, I decided to move the iPod and speakers into her room. I made a bedtime playlist for her. It's great! It's a 6.5 hour playlist that ranges from classical, hymns, cool Contemporary Christian artists (Bebo Norman, Sara Groves), jazzy/blues singers (Diana Krall, Allison Krauss, Norah Jones, Keb Mo, Peter Cincotti, Bonnie Raitt), and some cool newer artists that sing some great songs (Brandi Carlile, Imogen Heap, Gomez, Grace Potter, Ingrid Michelson). So, now when Matt and I put Molly to sleep, we get to hear some cool songs through the monitor. Plus, the list is over 6 hours long, so there's a long time between repeated songs. Gotta love iTunes! It's funny how parents have moved from the music box to cassette to CD to digital tracks in the nursery. It's great!

Matt and I went on a date last weekend. It was great to just have alone time together. Our friends, Tom and Pam Bramlage, baby-sat for us. We went to dinner at a great place that we'd never been to before. A friend gave us a gift certificate to River Oaks last Christmas and we saved it 'til post-baby so I could enjoy a good meal and some wine. It was WELL worth the wait! Matt said his rib-eye was the best steak he ever had. My filet was right up there as well! After dinner we went to see "Dan in Real Life," with Steve Carrell. Good funny movie. Great for those of us who come from big families. Highly suggest it. Came home to a sleeping baby and a fresh apple pie. Mmmmm. I made a couple of pies for the Bramlages to enjoy while they were here. Love it! Sorry family, wish I could send some to you right now!

Our friends John and Jeanette are coming over tonight. Jeanette and I have known each other since 3rd grade back home in MI. She and John were married in February 07 and now John has taken a new position in his company. That means that they're moving down to the Memphis area (Olive Branch, Mississippi)! We are so excited to have them here. They haven't moved, but they're taking short trips to town to find a house. So, we're going to hang out tonight and eat pizza. Yum!

Well, baby's up and I don't think I can do the pacifier trick anymore. I better sign off. Later!

Fun weekend!

We had quite a jam-packed weekend! We celebrated Molly's Baptism! To help us celebrate, my brother (Mike--Park City, Utah), sisters (Molly Ebaugh--Cincinnati, OH; Anne--Detroit area), and newest nephew (Tommy) came to Memphis. Mike arrived late on Thursday night and he, Molly and I went shopping and to lunch, while Matt took the day off to take an exam for school. We enjoyed a great dinner and hung out at night. Saturday, the four of us went to Ole Miss for Mike's first Grove and SEC Football experience. We all had a great time despite the poor game versus Arkansas. Oh well. Molly Ebaugh, Anne and Baby Tommy arrived from Cincinnati on Saturday evening. Mike, Molly E., Matt and I went to my friend, Erin Fudge's, CD release party that night. Great job, Erin!

On Sunday, we all woke up late and had brunch. Later, we got ready to go to The Stirring to have Molly baptized. It was a very special evening. To carry on with the tradition that I was raised with in the Catholic church, we decided to ask Molly E. and Mike to be Molly Jane's Godparents. It's kind of neat because Molly E. and Mike are my Godparents, too! Plus, Mike and I are Godparents to our niece, Kathryn, and our nephew, Ryan. Such a special honor to share! Our friend, Shanon (who also married us), baptized Molly and made it quite a memory. Some of the neat things that took place...Molly wore a baptism gown that we brought back from Ireland, we had the candle lit that I had at my baptism, some friends gave us water from the Jordan River to use, we wrapped Molly in Matt's baby blanket, another friend was baptized at the same time....and so many more. It was a great evening, complete with a family celebration dinner at Yia Yia's afterwards.

The family had to leave on Monday morning. It was a very quick trip, especially for the girls. We really enjoyed ourselves, though. It was so nice to be able to meet my newest nephew, Tommy. He's 4 weeks old; 8 weeks younger than Molly. When I held Tommy for the first time, I exclaimed, "He's so light!" at the same time as Anne held Molly and said, "She's so big!" Funny. Molly looked huge compared to him! That's what 8 weeks and 5 pounds will do to newborns. Anne and I dressed Tommy and Molly in coordinating outfits and took some cute pictures before they left. It's going to be fun to see these two cousins grow up together. They have lots of older cousins and will hopefully have some more younger ones, but it's neat that they're the same age. Anne and I had fun comparing stats, stories and sharing nursing sessions together.

Oh yeah, and I can't forget to mention that Anne brought me doughnuts from the Cider Mill in Michigan! Mmmmmmmmm! I call her every Fall to let her know how much I'm missing the Cider Mill. For those of you who don't know, one of the things that Michigan is known for are their apples. There are cider mills and apple orchards all around. There's simply nothing better than visiting one of them and tasting some warm doughnuts and fresh cold apple cider! It's a true Fall delight! So, Anne brought that taste down here to Memphis for me to enjoy! Thanks, Anne!

Well, that's our big weekend. Molly and I were so pooped on Monday after we dropped my brother off at the airport. We got home at 9am and napped. Well, can you consider sleeping for nine hours a "nap?" Yep. She and I conked out on the couch for a full day's work of sleeping. Every once in awhile it's fun to do that on a perfect rainy day like yesterday!

On that note, I think it's time for me to listen to the rain to hit the hay. Good night!

Such a tease...

Yeah, I know. I start back blogging on Monday night and it's already Tuesday before I get a chance to write again. Sorry. I've learned that my Mommy time when Molly is sleeping is a precious commodity. Yes, some days she sleeps 5 hours during the day, but the whole time I'm thinking, "How much longer will she be asleep and will it be long enough for me to ________?" Fill in the blank with "shower," "do dishes," "design stationery," "clean," and maybe even "vacuum." She usually does really well when I vacuum. I can start it up in the same room she's in and vacuum the whole house without her even waking up! But I still leave that chore to the last thing I need to do just in case I disturb her and my Mommy time is no more. Anyways, all that to say, here I am blogging during my Mommy time not only because I want to tell you all hello, but also because I'm putting off cleaning. :)

We went to the pediatrician yesterday. It was Molly's 2 month check-up on her 12th week birthday. She is now 24 1/4 inches long, 12 lbs 15.5 oz (yes, they wouldn't just round up to 13 lbs.), and her head is 41 cm in circumference. She is in the 90th percentile for height and the 75-90th for weight and head circumference. She's going to be a tall girl! The doctor said that all is well and she's a very healthy baby!

After the doctor's appointment we went to Gibson's for one of my favorite fall treats...pumpkin doughnuts! It's amazing how many pumpkin things Matt and I enjoy... doughnuts (Gibsons), dip (Jennifer Young from Hope), lattes (Starbucks), desserts (Jane Hillis from Hope)...the list goes on and on. Oh yeah and you can't forget about the Yankee Candles! Mmmmm! One thing that just doesn't sound like a good idea to me is pumpkin scented lotion. Erin Fudge and I saw it at Bath and Body Works yesterday and I just don't think I'd like to smear that all over me.

On that note, I think I'll go light my pumpkin spice candle and get back to cleaning before little one wakes up. I hope each of you is enjoying your own kind of pumpkin today!

We're Greener!

Well, it's been over a year since our last post. At that time we has just returned from our trip to Ireland. My how our lives have changed in the past year. Our trip to Ireland was part of our "plan" to get some of our "to-do's" checked off our list before we started a family. We went to Ireland in September 2006 and were pregnant in November. God is good...His timing actually matched ours. We know it's not always that easy and we're very grateful that he blessed us with a healthy and fairly easy pregnancy!

Fast forward to Fall 2007. I sit here with a beautiful baby girl next to me. Molly Jane Green was born on Wednesday, July 25, 2007. She wasn't born with red curly hair, but she does have dark hair (and a decent amount of it), big bright blue eyes, a precious nose, my full lips, and Daddy's long feet. She is a wonderful baby...very peaceful and pleasant. She loves to sleep...just like her Mommy. And she loves to smile!

I've been home full-time since June. It has been a completely different life for me. I keep busy, but at a much more manageable pace. During the summer months, I followed a few blogs that some friends posted and I decided to get back at it. There's no way that I can even attempt to "out-blog" the amazing posts from my friend, Jennifer, who with her husband tracked her journey to/during/from Kazakhstan to adopt a precious baby girl; nor the stories from Noel, who's with her husband studying in Germany for 18 months. Yet, I know there are a few of you out there who are interested in our life here in Memphis. Even if it consists of small, but great things, such as watching my baby sleep, designing invitations for others, or catching up on the Fall TV schedule.

You may ask what I'm doing to fill my time now that I'm not under constant deadlines working at a busy church. Well, I'm continuing to launch my stationery and design business, "What's Inside Designs." It was my goal to have a website, online catalog, identity system, pricing breakdown, etc. set in place before Molly was born. It just didn't happen, though. Fortunately I've been too busy filling the orders from clients! Thank God for word of mouth advertising! One day I'll get all of that other stuff in place. It's funny... I can help others create their identity and launch their business, but when it comes to my own, it's very daunting! Thankfully, Matt is working with me on all of the "business" stuff that I don't like to do. He set me up with all of the tax/legal stuff as well as a bank account. He does all of that so I can focus on being creative and building our company.

Aww, as I type, I look over at sweet Molly laying under her activity gym on the floor in my office. She's the reason why I began this post. She was looking up at the ladybug on the arch of her gym as if her friend would talk back to her. Then she realized she had another buddy in the butterfly flying next to the ladybug. It's so fun to watch her learn new things. Even though she's only 2 months old, the small things she learns is such a huge feat! Anyways, now my sweet baby is drifting off to sleep. What a precious sight it is to see a baby sleeping. You know that all is right with the world when you see the peace in such a small body. Ahhhhhhhh.

Well, with that, I leave you. We are truly a bit greener since our last post.

Oh yeah, and if you'd like to keep up with our family photos, visit http://photoshow.comcast.net/mjmgreen.

Top Ten (and more) I R Land Final Posting

Believe it or not, I was asked to finish up my Top Ten list. I'm glad to see I have fans. :)

8. Ok…I guess since they drive on the left side of the road, all Irish people must be left handed as well. I say this because every toilet I used had the handle on the right side (when looking at it) so that means you use your left hand when sitting on it. Now that doesn’t sound like that big of a deal until you are fumbling for the handle in the middle of the night in a strange place with no lights on. It’s quite perplexing to have to stop and think, “Ok…I know there has to be a handle here somewhere.” I finally find it after knocking over whatever was on the top of the toilet and making a bunch of noise.

9. I spent a lot of time driving so I have a lot of comments about it. Roundabouts – they are great in concept, but you really do feel like the Griswalds if you get stuck in the inner lane. “Look kids! Big Ben!” It never happened to us, but only because I used to my deft non-European driving skills to come to an almost complete stop to in the middle of the roundabout and wait for the traffic to go by. Sure they honked and cussed me, but I just waved a friendly hand in the air and said, “Dumb American at the wheel.” That always seemed to make them smile. Ok, not really, but I hoped in my heart it would.

10. If you ride a bicycle in Europe on the small country roads we were on, you are a complete idiot. You better have your life insurance premiums paid up because you are literally taking your life in to your own hands. I’d also suggest an IQ test to see if you are above Neanderthal level because you just don’t have the ability to understand the concept that bicycles and car bumpers don’t mix. We took a bus to Inish Mor, and on the way back, we had to come to an almost complete stop because a guy was riding his bike down a very narrow, country road at dusk. Luckily the bus driver saw him, but then we couldn’t pass him because we were on a hill. At the crest we finally passed him, and the term “pass” might have been an understatement. The bicyclist was literally inches away from the bus as we passed him, and had he fallen off for some reason, he would have been smooshed. The rider didn’t even look concerned and just kept pedaling away.

11. I’ve started to see this more in the USofA, but it was very common in Ireland to use the “super secret lane” when riding on a motorcycle or scooter. This lane, called the “Space between two vehicles on a given road” or the “dotted line”, not only allows cyclist to advance when traffic is at standstill, they can also drive down it when going 60 Kmh (45 mph) in rush hour traffic with total disregard for life or limb. I really don’t know why people put themselves at such risk, but then again, I don’t understand why people get in the open water with great white sharks.

12. Speaking of risking your life with great white sharks, I’m still mourning the loss of the Crocodile Hunter. Though we all probably thought this would happen at some time or another, I truly am saddened by his passing. I really liked the guy, and his antics did make his show entertaining and educational so I ask that we all pause for a moment to remember him………..Ok, on the with the list.

13. Did any of you ever see the Seinfeld episode where Kramer repainted the lines on a patch of road because he wanted “wide open, rolling lanes” or something like that? Basically, he repainted all the lines so there were no lines. It appears the Irish are fond of this same concept, and they tend to leave large patches of road unpainted. I experienced this mostly on the smaller country roads, but I did see it in some of the smaller cities as well. This wasn’t really an issue until it’s dark, and you can’t see that corner coming up on you fast. It also made for “oops, I pooped my pants” episodes when you see a huge Semi bearing down on you in the opposite direction and you don’t know where the centerline is. Let’s just say I took the more conservative act of getting as far to the left as possible. It made for good entertainment for MJ as we hit the vegetation that had grown up on the side of the road and the window is down. Yea, the car rental place didn’t see the passenger side mirror nicks I added.

14. The Semi trucks in Ireland look like something straight out of Mad Max. They are flat nosed, tall, and have 50 bazillion large fog lights on the front of them. They just need to add some machine guns and a paint job with flames on it, and they would fit right in the movie.

Ok, that is all for now. I really can't tell you how much we enjoyed our trip. We're glad to get back to free refills, ice, and Murphy (our puppy.) We were blessed with wonderful weather, health, and no major incidents. The Irish people were so nice to us, and I would recommend going to all of you.

Take care,
-matt

More Blarney pics

For some reason, all of our pics from Blarney didn't upload. I uploaded the rest of them today. Of course you have to check out the kissing photos...the Blarney Stone of course.

Also, I was wrong, Matt's Top 10 list isn't complete, yet. He promised to finish it this weekend. His fans are calling! We got back and he's right back to schoolwork. So, stay tuned!

We're home (finally)!

Hello from Memphis! Matt and I are back home on the couch with Murphy right by our side. It's good to be home. We both took naps, yet I'm still tired. It's a good thing we planned to take today off from work. We ended up getting stuck in Cincinnati last night. It wasn't too bad, though. We caught a cab to my (MJ's) sister's house to stay the night. It was a really nice surprise to be able to go visit with them even if it was only for 8 hours (most of which we were asleep). We were able to meet their new dog, see their renovation of their basement and spend a few minutes with my nieces before they went to school (view pic).

We finally made it back home today around 10:00 AM (thanks John and Shanon for rides to the airports). The trip was wonderful, but we are extremely exhausted. Matt switched over to driving on the right side of the road rather quickly. We have lots of unpacking and laundry to do. I'm back at work tomorrow and Matt's taking an extra day off to study and will return back to work on Friday.

Thanks again for all of your interest in our trip. It was absolutely amazing. If you're ever headed to Ireland, we'd love to share more info with you, if you're interested. We'll also try to upload more pics and videos as we get them cleaned up.

PS... If you haven't checked out the latest of Matt's Top 10, be sure to go back to that post to see some more! Also, I added photos to the rest of the posts, so you may want to check them out if you hadn't seen photos from that post earlier.

Much love to all!
MJ and Matt

Winding it up

…View Monday’s Photos…

Wow, today’s breakfast was the best by far! This B&B was a great one. We both finally got something different from a “Traditional Irish Breakfast” (imagine eating a Denny’s Grand Slam every day). We both ordered French toast (minus the mushroom and tomatoes it was supposed to come with) and an egg cocotte (baked egg with cream and cheese). It was so good!

We drove to Cork City Centre to walk around a bit more. We witnessed a taxi strike. Evidently, this is happening all around the country. We heard it through Blarney last night, too. A long line of taxis winds around the blocks and they honk like crazy. I took a video. It was both annoying and interesting and funny all at the same time.

Then drove back to Blarney. We had planned to go through Waterford, but decided to stop back at Blarney to look at the crystal they had there instead. Waterford was way out of the way so we just drove the 20 minutes instead. Spent just a bit of time shopping in Blarney then headed on our way back to Dublin. MJ caught a quick nap while Matt followed the signs on his own towards Dublin.

It was a rainy crappy day today for driving. Thank God we didn’t have that typical Ireland weather during our entire trip. We were really blessed. Many of the locals told us so. We really enjoyed talking to all of the Irish folks. It was fun to listen to the old men as they told us stories about how it used to be versus how it is now.

HUH: Irish people are very close talkers. They definitely don’t respect the personal bubble. The older men we spoke to liked to get our name and repeat it over and over as they made a point. Additionally, they liked to tap Matt on the chest or shoulder and me on the arm when they talked. They would sometimes speak under their breath and would get closer so we could understand them. I (MJ) think it’s because they’re used to talking in pubs with loud music, talking and drinking in the background. We both enjoyed it, but it was very interesting to be so up close that we could see the plaque on their teeth and the hairs in their noses. Sorry…had no where else to look!

We checked into our hotel. It’s right by the airport so we don’t have far to go tomorrow morning. This hotel is SO nice! We have a very luxurious and spacious corner room. I’m telling ya, after a week in a smaller older hotel and various B&Bs, it’s nice to have such a grand place! We decided just to go to dinner downstairs. It was a wonderful meal. I’ve been craving a sandwich for dinner most nights, but they only serve them during the day and we typically didn’t eat lunch. We both ate our sandwiches while we filled out our tax-free receipts for our many purchases. It’s quite a hassle, but saves us 21% of everything we bought!! Next time one of you goes to Ireland, let us know…we’ve got tips for you along the way!

We head out tomorrow around 7:30 for a 10:30 AM flight. Our bags our loaded and we’re ready to come home. We miss Murphy (our dog), our bed, our many cable channels on our big TV and Internet access anytime we want. We have greatly enjoyed our trip and look forward to our next visit. Yet, there’s no place like America and there’s no place like home. Thank you for logging on to our blog periodically. I promise to upload the rest of our photos. Internet access was hit and miss during the last part of our journey. We’ll be home late Tuesday night. We’re taking off work on Wednesday to catch up on sleep and hang out with the Murph-dog (thanks, Jennifer Harvey, for hanging with him!).

Love to all!
MJ and Matt