Time for a Tierney Video

This video could be entitled: How I spent my Sunday afternoon. We have owned a video camera for 10 months now, (thanks, Trevor's dad!) and though we've done a few videos, we have not taken the time to learn the video editing program.

Yesterday I decided to crack down, neglect all my household and parental duties and make a video . . . if it killed me. I only screamed at the computer three or four times (before church) and in the afternoon I had a miraculous breakthrough and was able to figure some things out, (thanks, God!)

So - after a total of about three or four hours, I was able to produce a four minute video montage. After this experience, I can only assume that my next step will be down the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

Enjoy the video. There are also several other videos on the site that I added recently. One features Tierney eating dog food. To think that I'm presenting this kind of fantastic entertainment at no cost.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OMJWgwjBkg

And here she comes!

Yep. We're in trouble.

Part of me can't help but admit that I'm slightly (okay, a LOT) proud that Tierney is walking at such an early age. But the other part of me wonders why I didn't tie her legs together when I had a chance. She's just the cutest thing when she toddles around, often carrying something in each hand or sometimes clapping her hands while she's walking.

But if I thought I had my hands full before . . .

Cute story: We keep our dog Vonnegut in a small kennel at night and whenever we leave the house. Today I was carrying Tierney into the house after going grocery shopping, so I set her on the floor and pointed her towards the cage and said, "Be a big helper and go let Vonnegut out of his cage while Mommy goes out to get the groceries."

And you know what? When I came back with my arms full of Food Lion bags, Vonnegut was successfully out of his cage! She figured out how to open his cage awhile back, but I didn't think she'd actually do it on command.

I think she can say the word "dog." She will point at the dog and say something that sounds like Homer Simpson's "Doh!" She's said it several times now, and I'm getting closer to actually writing it down in the baby book, but I'm trying to be cautious and wait until I'm absolutely sure. Of course, she says "mamamama" and "dadadada", but she doesn't associate them with us, so they can't count as her first words - at least in my opinion.

Thankfully she's feeling a lot better today, though she was coughing last night. I don't think she really woke up, but it kept me awake! I took the monitor and went to the guest bedroom so Trevor could sleep (he was up until midnight working.) Anyway, I was probably up for several hours, and Tierney was up bright and early at 5 a.m. ready to go. I feel awful today. I've been sick, but today I feel even worse - really stuffed up, sneezy and exhausted. But, there's still a baby to raise and a house to clean, so I should get to that.

Thoughts . . . Venting

In college, I wrote an editorial on Veteran's Day about my frustration for our obsession with the American flag. I thought it was craziness that we worked so hard to not let a flag touch the ground, when we allowed Veterans to suffer without proper benefits and care. I got several nasty letters, including one from my aunt, who was president of the American Legion Auxiliary. And this was before 9/11.

My dad was a veteran of WWII. Before he died, he showed me pictures from the war, and shared some stories with me. Obviously, I have close ties to the sacrifices of our veterans and a deep respect for those who risk their lives for our country. I just don't necessarily believe that our country is worth the lives that are risked.

I have no respect for war, and I have a very difficult time understanding why some Christians have come to believe that it is our duty to God to love our country and to be patriotic.

If you fit into this category, please don't take this as a personal slight. I don't think it's bad to love our country. I just personally don't understand it.

I have trouble with patriotism. I feel like my first duty is to God - my only duty is to God. I should serve him before all others. He tells me to love my brothers and sisters in Christ, and he tells me that everyone is my brother and sister. This is why I can't get excited about our military forces destroying my brothers and sisters who happen to live in Iraq. Whether Muslim, Jew or Christian - I believe Jesus wants me to love them all equally.

I could go on and on and on about how frustrated I felt with this past election, with Christians standing by the Republican party as though this too was somehow God's calling. I have absolutely no problem with Republicans, and I believe that John McCain is a tremendous man and was a strong presidential candidate. I just didn't understand why it has to become a "Christian duty" to vote Republican, and if for some reason you believe that a Democratic candidate might present a better option, you are somehow not a true Christian.

Alright - this is a majorally abbreviated version of my venting for the day. I'm already imagining that I will be slammed with comments from those of you who think I'm evil now. It's just something I struggle with. I don't have this innate desire to serve God and Country. I only want to serve God.

And a quick update on Trevor's half-marathon this weekend. He did awesome - completed the race in 1 hour and 57 minutes. However, he ended up with a trip in the ambulence and a three hour stay in the emergency room afterwards. Apparently he blacked out as soon as he crossed the finish line. Tierney and I weren't there to witness it, because Tierney was napping in the hotel. He was diagnosed with exhaustion and dehydration and they pumped him full of fluids. At one point they thought he broke his foot, but the X-Rays came back fine. He's fine now, but won't be going jogging any time in the near future.

Poor Tierney didn't have the best weekend either. She had a fever on Friday and Saturday and is now congested and coughing. She's doing a lot better now - no more fever - but she still has a runny nose, and I'm not a huge fan of snot.

However, we did get to watch the sun rise over the ocean on Monday morning. It was spectacular.

The Kid is 10 Months Old

I'm not sure how it happened, but it did. She's 10 months old, is walking, waving, clapping and just cracks us up all the time. She has six teeth now - and not one of them has been a mystery. She's let us know about each and every one. Honestly, she's happy about 72 percent of the time, naps four hours a day and sleeps through the night. I don't have much to complain about.

She still has stranger anxiety AND separation anxiety, but I think it's getting better. She loves playing outside and eating leaves. She has the sweetest smile. A couple weeks ago in church, she was smiling and acting the part of the goofball and the two rows behind us could not stop laughing. Afterwards, a woman came up to me and said that Tierney's smile had made her whole day. I'm sure she was just saying that to be nice, but it was wonderful for a mother to hear.

This weekend we are going to the beach. Trevor is running in a half-marathon to raise money for our Love Care Center Charitable Trust. Dang - I'm glad he's doing the 13.1 miles and not me. I would seriously die. He's been training and working really hard towards this for the last ten weeks, so I think he will do great.

Well, nap time is surely almost over - she's been down for 2.5 hours, so I'll leave you with some of the pictures we took in Ann Arbor. The really beautiful pictures were taken by my friend, Andrea. She's talented.

Halloween

I'm still planning on sharing photos of my trip, but it just hasn't happened yet. Instead, I'll show you Tierney's Halloween costume.

Back in high school, I was OBSESSED with Superman. Okay, obsessed may be an understatement. Anyway, my sister Jeannette found this outfit at a rummage sale and bought it for me. She wasn't trying to encourage teenage pregnancy, but she wanted me to have it for my kid one day in the far off future.

Well, that far off future is now. Crazy to think that this thing has been in my closet for ten years.