Tuesday, November 30, 2010

November already?

cloth diapers!
Has it really been three weeks since I posted? My it's been a crazy November. First foods, cloth diapers, thanksgiving, new niece...and here we are looking at December-tomorrow.
Something about having a baby makes time stand still. At least it stood still for our new little family. The world kept spinning, but we savored each new day together. It was wonderful to be home together for the whole summer. Once we headed back to work it was weird that fall had arrived. Now here we are facing Christmas and I'm amazed at where the last year went.
This Thanksgiving we had so many things to be thankful for. This year has been incredible. God has blessed us unabashedly and I'm so grateful. I know how undeserving I am of even the smallest gift from Him and His generosity is SO great and SO big.
Looking back to last year when I found out I was pregnant started a new way of praying for me. I was scared, for so many reasons. I knew I wanted to be home with our babies when the time came and looking ahead financially I saw no way of this immediately happening. So we prayed. Jonah and I made a list in that first trimester of all the things we needed. We listed even the smallest little thing that mattered to us. Some items; pack-n-play, changing table, bassinet, glider/ottoman, stroller, Dr. Brown bottles, video monitor, nursing pump...and on it goes. We prayed for the delivery, for those that would assist in bringing our son into the world. We prayed and read through a devotional together faithfully. And now I can look at this list and see each item crossed off. In some way God provided for us. It was the neatest thing to see how He did- in so many unexpected ways. Through friends, family and generous loving hands we have been blessed over and over again.
Other things we prayed for- a house to rent, within our same one bedroom apt. rate- and don't you know we are now in a 3 bedroom house that we prayed for? I sit in our glider and ottoman and remember when we found it on Craigslist after a very long 6 month search for one in our price range and in the brand we wanted. I now rock our sweet son in it at night. There are so many things that were given to us I know we have both been overwhelmed.
I'm not posting this to be boastful, not in a worldly sense. But to say how thankful I am that God cares enough to listen to our littlest requests, right down to having maternity clothes ( a friend let me borrow a huge chest of clothes). Why was I afraid? I look at our son and continue to thank God for how good He is to His children.
Meanwhile, back to this month. We entered into the world of cloth diapers. Not that I was planning to do this. I have always cringed at the thought of cloth diapers. The work, the smell. Not appealing to me. But I have friends that love it. I had been researching it for a friend and lo and behold I started to take interest in it. I ended up picking up a couple (thinking all along what am I thinking?). So I washed them, and put them together (pocket diapers) and put them on Oliver. And guess what? By day 2 or 3 of trying them out I realized they aren't all that bad. All those premonitions I had about the horrors of cloth diapering are no longer there. It's really not that bad. It's pretty easy actually. Given this is my first experience, I'd say it's not bad at all. I may post more on this later. But really for the money you are saving, the toxins you are avoiding (the little gel balls that leak out of saturated disposables), and the little bum you are cushioning with luxurious softness, I think it may be worth it.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

first food

Oliver had his first taste of food this weekend. Yesterday morning actually. He is about 5 and a half months old now. I suppose this comes as 'late' for some people. But neither of us were in any hurry to give him foods. I've been exclusively breast-feeding him since birth. And I love it. I love how he looks up at me, how he makes little noises, and sighs and smiles. Having his warm little body next to me is so wonderfully yummy. I think I will always look back at this time and smile with the genuine bonding that comes from it all. Not that I thought this way about breast-feeding while I was pregnant. No, I actually had so many doubts about nursing.
Would I be able to?
Would my son take to it?
Would it be hard?
Would it be awkward-socially?
Would it hurt?
On and on. I always had the thought that I would definitely try and if it didn't work well there was always a bottle of formula.
That all changed when he was born. I'm not sure what made me so gung ho about breast only, but I decided and determined (once I make up my mind about something it's hard to change!) to breast-feed. I prayed it would work out. And I was blessed by God to be able to enter into nursing easily. Oliver latched on from the beginning. And while I'd say it took a good two months to get in a good groove- a comfortable one too- it has been a great experience. And easy too!
He has never shown hunger signs (and it shows in his rolls) so I felt no need to rush foods. But he has been watching us intently and we thought we would try some food to see what he did.
Choosing the right food was a whole different thing. I finally decided to give him real food instead of tasteless rice cereal. Even though I have a box of organic rice cereal eagerly waiting us in the pantry....hmm what to do with that now.
I roasted and pureed some butternut squash and gave it to Oliver warm. He loved it. He actually lurched for the spoon. Well it could be the fact he lurches for anything to go in his mouth these days...but he ate some and seemed okay with it.
So we did it- we entered into the great big world of foods. We are still not rushing him to eat, since he is still nursing. We are just trying a little here and there. It's so much fun to see how he reacts to new things. He is so easygoing and I am grateful for that. Jonah is so easygoing too...must be like father like son. Oh how I love my men!
And here is my little man, loving his squash.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

maybe I lied

Okay so you know the story about the little boy that cried wolf?
I kind of feel like that now...I decided to leave my blog open. I debated about this before. Posting that I would close it, and make it private. But for right now I decided once again to leave it open.
I know I'm crying wolf...sorry. Sorry if I lied. I think I'll continue on.
I was looking back at all my posts on here, and memories come back with certain ones, pictures are laced in and make me smile. It's almost like a scrapbook. Ack! I don't scrapbook, so it's funny that I should say that. But I have kept this blog for two years. TWO years! How did that happen? How did time go that quickly?
So here I am. Yes I lied. I'll try not to do it again. But I can't promise I won't cry wolf again.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Closing my blog

Well, I did a silly thing. I signed up for some free shutterfly cards online. To get these cards you had to give them your blog address... I didn't think long enough about it and gave mine away. Now that I've had more than 5 minutes to think about it I am regretting it. I really don't want some perverted weirdos out there accessing my personal writings and photos.
On that note, I'm closing my blog to the public. If you would still like to follow me and read my ponderings, please send me your email and I'll add you in to have access.
I know maybe I'm paranoid, but in this world I'm learning the less you put out there the better off you are.
I'll probably turn off my public blog in a couple days. I do so appreciate those of you out there that read my little stories and antics. Love you all, and hope to see you still.