Saturday, February 28, 2009

Words to Live By

In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. -- James 3:5,10

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Love promotes intimacy

Similar to praying for our spouses, today’s exercise is to guard our spouse. Since we know are spouse more than anyone else, we also are charged with protecting them and sometimes we forget that. We need to take a step back and realize we know our spouse and their vulnerabilities.
So today, and well all week, I’ve been mindful of this special duty and have been praying for my husband, not only to accomplish his goals and dreams but also for him to grow stronger and develop to be a better human. We all should strive to be better human beings. We are reflections of the gift God has given to mankind. It would be a shame for us not to desire to put our best foot forward.
This exercise will be tested when we visit my husband’s mother. Like all mothers, she wants the best for her son but like all moms, they don’t realize the buttons they push. All sons and daughters have a special place for what their mother thinks and says. It may not be apparent but we take our parents words at a higher value and sometimes those words can seem to sting.
As his wife, I have to balance the delicate nature of their relationship and my relationship with her. In the end I remind both of the love they have for each other and how that can lead to passion.
How did I feel after working on this exercise? I was reminded about how privileged and how important I am to my spouse and my spouse to me. We are not just friends but also each other’s protector. When we chose to spend the rest of our lives together, it wasn’t just to help each other grow and develop but to also protect each other and I am privileged to have that purpose.

Words to Live By

You know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all. -- Psalm 139:2-4

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Words to Live By

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. -- James 3:16-17

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Get out, boogie oogie oogies...

BG is 7 months, 1 week and 5 days old.

Ok, folks, if you need a boogie sucker, this is the holy grail.

After we used this for the first time, she slept from 7:30pm-2am straight without wheezing.

Apparently there is a run on it in New York so if you need one, get one now.

BTW, what gets sucked out is insanely gross and the quantities are surprising. You won't get this much from a bulb syringe.

Did I mention that she didn't cry with this as she did with the bulb syringe?

Baby Cuteness
BG sleeps on her side now on occasion.

BG loves to 'play rough' with dad. She loves to fly and roll over to her tummy from a pillow to our bed.

BG is also gripping my arm now when I hold her. She's participating in the carry now.

When I come home from work and don't run to her immediately and she's seen me, she cries. Is it awful to think that is really sweet?

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Achoo, Baby.

BG is 7 months, 1 week and 3 days old.
BG has a cold. It is her first cold. It was her parents’ first night dealing with a sick child who can’t express how she feels. It was her mom’s first night dealing with a sick child while battling the same illness.
You know how a good night’s rest can making a minor illness like a cold heal quicker? Well, when your mom, you are not getting that good night’s rest.
For Valentine’s I caught my husband’s cold. My husband had the shakes and a fever the week before. We did well to quarantine him as much as possible. When I could, I’d throw my husband some acetaminophen, some juice/soup and a blanket and retreated like he had the plague. My husband would probably like to add to my list of offerings, scolding. Listen, who wears flannel pjs when they have a fever? I don’t care if you roll your pants up like high waters, that isn’t going to help you.
Unfortunately, nothing short of putting my husband in a plastic bubble would have saved me from catching his cold. In me, it manifested itself as a very sore throat that turned into a very rude and often inconvenient cough. Babies don’t nurse well when you have hacking fits. Babies don’t like being attacked by a runaway nipple.
I tried bravely to fight the cold while keeping my distance from BG but when your baby looks at you and the image of Elsie appears in her eyes, it gets a bit difficult.
Ultimately, BG caught my cold and it reared it’s sniffly head at us Sunday around 11pm. I read somewhere that illnesses usually appear in the dark of night. I don’t recall why but I think it had to do with our guards being down and a bit more lax.
BG started waking up every 90 minutes and it became harder and harder for us to get her to go back to sleep. Of course, the snoring should have been the first sign but as this was my first time with a sick baby and I myself was battling the same beast, it didn’t click right away. At first I thought she might be starting to teeth but that didn’t seem right as not even the breast was making her happy.
Then I thought perhaps she was ‘on the verge of greatness’. I don’t recall where I heard this, perhaps on Twitter, but a mom once remarked that she noticed her child’s sleep patterns changed on the cusp of a major milestone. BG has started to sit by herself for longer periods of time without toppling over which I would say is a major feat. It’s also causing BG to become more aware of her surroundings and in return leading to a lot more neediness. I suppose when the yogurt cup you covet is not within arm’s reach and all your attention is placed on balancing yourself upright, whining is the natural response.
When I turned her to face the night light her shimmery face gave it away. DH suctioned her nose and she slept on my chest for most of the night. In the morning I read in kellymom to continue to keep her elevated while sleeping and try saline or breastmilk drops in her nose.
I did the saline on Monday but all that seemed to do was cause her nose to run which I suppose is good but at night she was still a congested mess. DH didn’t want me to sleep with her elevated on me so I spent the night breastfeeding and soothing her in bed. She continued to wake up every 90 minutes or so.
Today, I sent DH on a mission to pick up a nosefrida. I know it sounds and looks hideous but the reviews are good and the bulb isn’t doing it for me. First, we’re jamming this thing in her poor nose and second, DH is suctioning 2-3 times in each nostril and barely anything comes out.
We’ll see how this goes. I may blow out my own lung using this as DH is a bit reluctant to use this. As someone once said to me, “Notice that every photo of a the nosefrida is of a child and his/her mother. A man is not going to willing suck out snot.”
I also tried breastmilk up the nose today which seemed to be less unnerving for BG and as of now, I haven’t heard or seen congestion. She is a bit restless though. She’s eating every 2-3 hours, which is recommended to fight dehydration. She’s napping every 3-4 hours for an hour or so but when she’s awake and not hungry, she’s really needy.
I’m not sure if that’s because she’s found a new view in sitting up or if she just wants me close. Could she be tired of her toys? I heard around this time, it’s best to rotate toys. Could it be she’s antsy from being indoors two days in a row? Could it be she just wants to be elevated to prevent congestion back up?
Oh, and on a side note, every single toy that requires batteries (essentially all her toys) are all dying at the same time. Her bouncy seat, her flower petals, her swing, her mobile and her seahorse are singing some very pathetic and sometimes scary songs and lullabies. Thank goodness she’s keen on her flashcards and yogurt cups (her obsession at this moment).
I’ll keep you posted on the nosefrida and if breastmilk is helping at all. Hopefully I can get some rest. I’ve got some projects I want to work on for work, I have the stress of planning an impending trip and I’m still trying to figure out how to find some time for ‘me’ and my resolutions.

Baby Cuteness
BG loves her yogurt cups. She will fall asleep with it and even prefer to continue to hold her yogurt cup than drop it and play with us.
BG is sitting more and more independently. She’s tripoding and gets very upset if she can’t reach or play with something because she’s busy trying to keep herself balanced.
BG is now appearing to be expressing opinions or desires but this mom is still trying to understand and translate.
BG is loving pears, apples and sweet potatoes. She hungrily opens her mouth and lunges at the spoon when DH feeds her. I’m curious to see if I should increase the amount she eats or add a meal. We’ll probably do either when we return from our trip.
BG is ticklish.
BG likes dancing.
BG grips my arm when we spin but doesn’t get frightened enough to scream.
I know why my butt grew bigger during pregnancy like a monkey’s butt. It makes an awesome hip/butt shelf when carrying a 16+ lbs baby who doesn’ t want to play with her toys or hang out on her activity mat/bassinet/swing/bouncer or crib.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Words to Live By

A cheerful glance brings joy to the heart; good news invigorates the bones. -- Proverbs 15:30

Cupid struck me hard with that darn arrow way back when.

I love my husband with all my heart. Yes, he drives me nuts sometimes but I’m sure I drive him a tad crazy now and then as well. I miss us sometimes but I know that our love for each other and our family and our child puts our family first. Sure it would be nice to be able to lay in bed and stay there all day cuddled like two bears hibernating. It would be lovely to stay up all night in our pjs and a bowl of ice cream watching bad movies and laughing uproariously. We’ll do that again someday. We’ll tease each other with naught innuendos again. We just have a kid and we’re new parents. For now, an occasional sharing of the headphones while watching a flick while our baby sleeps is our ‘us’ time. For now, staying in bed until 8am is our treat. Years from now, we’ll be reminiscing about these times together.
Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart. If I had a red construction paper, I’d cut out a million little red hearts to shower you with.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Love Intercedes

I think it’s safe to say we all pray for our husbands but do we really pray for them or do we pray for them to understand us or our views?
Today’s exercise is an exercise I’ve been focusing on for the last few weeks. I allotted so much time not because of the difficulty of the exercise but because I felt it was important to get back to the roots of prayer and prayer for my husband.
I’ll be honest, my prayers of late have been singleminded. Yes I focus on the well being of my friends and family. Yes, I prayed for my husband but like new parents, my prayers have been focused on my daughter. I thank the Lord for blessing me with her presence and I pray for her to continue to grow intellectually, physically and mentally. I pray she grows to be a strong, compassionate woman.
I will always continue to pray for my child(ren) but today’s exercise reminded me of not only praying for my husband but praying for his needs not mine. Too many times, I pray for my husband to have clarity of my vision not his.
It’s all too self serving so I started praying every day for my husband’s well being in general. I know he has dreams and aspirations so I pray that whatever he aspires to, he reaches it. I know he is searching for his path so I pray for him to find his path no matter where it leads.. I know his focus is blurry so I pray for clarity in vision.
How does it feel? It feels good. I had been thinking too much of what would be best for me. Juggling work, family, spouse, house and me has been tiring. Sometimes I wonder why should I do so much. I’m not angry at him nor am I valuing my time and effort more than his. I’m just tired. I once said that relationships are all about tolerance, how much you can tolerate defines the workload rationing. My tolerance level is low. I’m a be prepared gal. He’s a we’ll get by guy. It works out well in the end, this yin and yang, but it can drive a girl scout like me up the wall sometimes.
I stopped praying for what would make my life easier and started praying for my husband’s desires. Instead of praying for my husband to be more understanding and compassionate, I prayed for him to get the answers he sought through his prayers.
In a way, it’s fulfilling a bit of my ‘2009-Choosing Life’ resolution. By moving the focus away from what I hoped for him, I’m paying less attention to the small things that can annoy and pester a relationship. It’s not longer I want my husband to be more understanding of me but more, I want my husband to be happy and fulfilled. For if my husband is happy and fulfilled, my life and my child’s life are that much closer to being happy and fulfilled. We’re a team.

"Have you ever wondered why God gives you overwhelming insight into your spouse's hidden faults?...No one knows better how to pray for your mate than you." -- The Love Dare By Stephen and Alex Kendrick

Saturday, February 07, 2009

If you have a bad day and don't feel like yourself, watch this.



And one for the breastfeeding moms out there. thanks to some other fellow bloggers for finding this. It is a wonderful montage and explanation of mother's milk. I heart Mr. Rogers, even if my grandmom thought he was rude for changing his clothes in public.

Words to Live By

As you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? -- Matthew 7:2-3

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

More solids, poop talk and signing

BG is 6 months, 4 weeks old.
I’m exhausted. I’m fighting a cold that my husband has had for the last few weeks. His fever peaked at 102 a few days ago. I’ve been trying to take care of BG while avoiding him and let him recuperate. It hasn’t been easy as now I’m feeling worn down.
Between, work, family, outside family and the economy, I’m an emotional hodge podge.
I have a new found respect for my father though. I went to visit him a while back. I knew my dad was always running on half a tank of energy but as a new parent, now I know how difficult that was for him. My dad constantly made sure he spent time with us even though he was exhausted. Almost every weekend he took us to trips or outings. Every year, he would drive us up and down the east coast for vacation. He drove most of the time by himself both to and fro. He’d work crazy hours but still find the time to take us places on the weekend. It was that important for him.
I can understand his tenacity. There are some things I want to do with my child and come hell or high water, I drag my tired butt out of bed/stay up to plan to do. I’m sure it will be even more so as she gets older.
The other day, we went to the local mall and window shopped. I saw the cutest swimsuit for her and I nearly got teary-eyed looking at the small bathing suits. BG is nearly 7 months already. The 3 month old swimsuits were so tiny next to her. I can’t believe she’s grown so much.
On the food front, she’s had the following. Mind you, I’m going to add little notes on the output as this has completely consumed my conversations with DH. It’s pathetic.
Avocado: She’s pretty keen on avocado. The poop isn’t as nearly as bad as other foods and she’s still pretty regular.
Sweet potato: She’s loving the sweet potato. Holy moly, sweet potato goes right through her and possibly stays in the same form it entered her body.
Apple: She devours the baked apple. She doesn’t poop as frequently strangely enough.
Green Beans: She’s not a big fan of the green beans. Still she’ll devour it if I’m not exclusively breast feeding her all day, aka, she’s hungry. On the days where she gets a bottle or two, she’ll happily eat the entire ounce of green beans. So far the most heinous looking poop I’ve seen yet. Holy moly, not only does she not poop frequently but when she does, it’s hideous looking.
Next on our list is acorn squash, pear and banana.
She seems to enjoy sharing the table with us and has grown accustom to holding her spoon and knocking her toys off the table while we eat.
She still is learning to sip from her tiny cup which is interesting to watch as she has recently discovered that some of her vocal outputs illicits responses. So she makes the sign for milk and then stares intently at her little cup and tries to reach for it.
As for signing, she’s doing great, I think. We try to sign as much as possible to her. Diaper changes, bedtime, storytime, dancing, singing, thank you, hello, goodbye, mommy, daddy, milk, bath, jacket, blanket, giraffe (her toy), eating, drinking, going outside, going home are all words we use often. I think she does the sign for milk but it’s hard to tell as reading the signs is new to us but I’m fairly certain that she knows the sign for milk. Unfortunately, I think she sees the sign for milk as the sign for mommy too.
I’m actually having a good time signing with her. I hope to use it more often. I think my husband enjoys it too. He likes making the sign for objects like bubbles and ball.