Right of Passage

In our family turning eight is a big deal because it means you are old enough to be baptized. Elizabeth turns eight next week! So to celebrate this important milestone, we let her get a big birthday present a little early. She got her ears pierced!

She really had her heart set on getting it done last night. So we loaded the whole gang into the van and headed to Wal-Mart with cameras in hand. Once we arrived at the jewelry department, we learned that the lady that does the piercing had left for the evening. Elizabeth was very disappointed. But we were told that we could purchase an ear piercing kit and just do it ourselves. Elizabeth was faced with a dilemma. Should she wait a few days and have a professional do it, or should she take a chance that Mom could figure it out and get it done that night? She chose to have me do it. So we headed back home with the little white piercing gun and starter earrings.

We video recorded the ordeal, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get it loaded onto the computer from our Handycam. Anyway, as you can imagine it was pretty exciting! She was eager and smiling and nervous all at the same time. She held her Daddy's hands as we counted to three. The gun snapped, she immediately yelped and then turned her head, causing the gun to slip out of my hand where it dangled from her ear for a split second. Ouch! It hurt her, but I think it scared her more than any thing. She then asked me to use ice to numb the other ear. We iced it for about five minutes, and then we were ready to move on. She also wanted to bite down on something while holding her Daddy's hands at the same time. At that point she told me she didn't want me to do it. I convinced her she would look pretty silly if she just had one earring. She let me do it even though she was really scared. That one went in quicker, and then we were all done. It took a few minutes for her to venture to the mirror to take a peek.

Before - all smiles

After the first one was finished, she was pretty apprehensive to say the least.

Admiring her cuteness

She kind of cried throughout the rest of the night and this morning about how sore and tender they were. However, as soon as she got to church, she forgot the pain and basked in revealing her new look to her friends and family. She's pretty excited to show her friends at school tomorrow.

Lucky Ladies

Yesterday I saw two women that had babies within the last month. Both of these women's figures were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Sickeningly flat stomachs. I turned to my friend and asked, "How do you do that!?!" When the second woman was asked, "You just had this baby?!" she sweetly replied, "It's from breastfeeding." Now, I could be Octomom and nurse every single one of those eight babies around the clock, and I can guarantee you that my stomach would NOT just melt off in a mere four weeks. Heck, I still have a belly from my first baby... NINE YEARS AGO. I am reminded of a time when I called a lady to ask how she was doing two weeks after the birth of her first child. Her reply: "Oh, pretty well. I was finally able to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans." I had to excuse myself while I went into the bathroom to barf.

So, if you happen to be one of these freaks of nature, er, I mean extremely blessed women, please, please understand just how lucky you are!!!!! And in my dreams I will pretend I'm you!