Pump It Up Adventure

It rained on our last day together. So we sought to do some indoor fun with our morning, and headed to the local "Pump It Up" location for an hour of exhaustive fun.


The children had a wonderful time sliding down the giant slide that sent them careening into the bumper at the end. The obstacle course was quite a challenge (especially for Jack who learned to use his chin as a brace when scaling up the climbing walls).

After a full hour, Jack was dripping in sweat and red faced, while the girls had a healthy glow. Faith enjoyed her catnap in the sling while the world whizzed around her with squeals of delight.

Photo Finale to Nana's Visit

All interested suitors, you will be able to find this available, beautiful blonde darling on the UGA campus in a couple of years. Psst! Look for her on Facebook. (I knew the 15 year spread between me and my sister Sarah would come to haunt me...oh to be this young again!)


Nana's last Faith fix on our southern porch. Once Sarah jumps on the idea of UGA, we're hoping Nana will follow. Then our evil plan to con all family down to Georgia will be almost complete, except for you Uncle Jeff. All in due time...

One Last Day With The Ladies

All this time Alyssa has been visiting, we just realized that she hadn't had an opportunity to sit down and hold Faith. These pictures are just the cutest. Faith is in major bubble making mode these days so now it is really hard to get a photo of her sans bubbles and tongue.

Today is our last day with the "girls" and even Jack is broken up over it. Any Aunt who is cool enough to play video games with him is an Aunt worth forming a crush over. We've tried desperately to convince Aunt Sarah to move down to GA and go to UGA when she graduates. Uncle Christian and Aunt Kristy took her for a day long tour yesterday, and she bought a few college T-Shirts. We're hoping that is a good sign! We'll keep the pressure on. Everyone do us a favor -- if you see her touring another college, please tell her how much you wished you'd gone to UGA instead.

This morning we plan on heading out for one last jump around at a party zone place with large jumping equipment, before everyone parts ways. It has been so nice to have the ladies here.

Nana's Here!!!

...and Aunt Sarah...and cousin Alyssa!!! What fun the kids have been having over the last few days. We've been staying busy, hitting the park, going to a hockey game, shopping at the mall, game playing, LOTS of pretend play, and doing movie marathons for the adults.

Aunt Sarah mugging it with little Faith. Two generations of princesses!

Alyssa sharing funny made up horse stories with Grace. (When Alyssa visits all pretend play is "horse" play.)

Babywearing Comment of The Month Award

just beginning to learn how to deal with all of the interesting comments that fly my way.

Yesterday, I took my three children to the mall to run a few errands. My seven week little girl was sound asleep on my back in a Tibetan carry with my new GM wrap (I was feeling very brave) and the kids and I were just exiting from a ride on the mall carousel. A lady with a baby in a stroller came up to me and said:

"Tell me...Is that a REAL baby in there?"

WHAT??????

At the time, l laughed and said the obvious answer. But later I thought about it again. If I had said:

"No, she's a fake baby. She's plastic. See? She's hollow... just like a melon." (demonstrate with a couple of little knocks to the noggin).

I wonder if the lady would have thought I was MORE or LESS weird for carrying a fake baby as opposed to a real one?

BTW, wrapping Faith for our mall trip made it the best trip to the mall ever. No bulky stroller. Just me, Faith hanging out for the ride, and Jack and Grace holding my free hands on either side of me. How liberating!!!

What Are You Going To Be Using?

I've been mulling this gripe around in my head for a few days trying to evaluate if it is a worthy complaint or not. Last Thursday, Faith and I headed to the OB office to receive my six week after birthing check up. The entire event was really uneventful. The nurse practically rolled her eyes when she saw me with no heavy carseat or large stroller and just a sling with Faith. She had no idea that I was saving the entire office from The Lungs of Faith, had I used either one of those contraptions for just sitting around. That doesn't really bother me though.

What DOES burn my cookies is the whole contraception question that comes up. My answer stopped both the nurse and then later the doctor in their tracks. And first off, the question is asked, "What contraception are you using?". It is an assumption that I should be using contraception. When I reply that I am not, I get, "But you're using..so-in-so right?". Nope. Why would I if I still would like to have a large family of at least one or two more little Knucker Hatches?

The doctor mentions that it would be detrimental to my health to get pregnant within the next year. Note this is said, after he seems to find no problem with all things internal in the check up.

In my experience, it wasn't until Jack and Grace were both weaned that by body decided to start popping eggs again, and even that took a few months after weaning. When my body had recovered to the degree it needed to recover, it started doing the baby making thing. I know there are cases when women breastfeeding exclusively might still get pregnant, but they are the rarity. Perhaps their body was more fit for the task. Who am I to doubt the natural perfect order of God?

I'm not sure what about the whole contraception question irks me. But since when did it become mandatory for women in the Western world to be using birth control unless they were actively trying to conceive? I feel like we're starting to cross the threshold of a movie like "Gattica" where it won't be long before it will be the norm to pick the eye color of your child. Can't we just be spontaneous, stop trying so hard and enjoy the surprises of motherhood?

Look What I Learned To Do Today!

This is what you can do with 4 yards of fabric, a baby, and your back. I know it is hard to impress family, but this has to impress somebody in the family. This is called the Tibetan carry using a gauze wrap, and little Faith is tucked away (sleeping inside). Now are you impressed?

My First Wrap!

My first wrap, came in the mail today, and I couldn't wait to try it out. I was completely intrigued by the wraps after reading many posts on TheBabyWearer.com forum, and I thought I'd give it the ol' college try. Faith had been napping all afternoon, and I practiced different wraps on Grace's baby dolls until she woke up. This picture is my second attempt at wrapping her in a Tibetan carry, and she fell asleep in less than two minutes. For the next 45 minutes she catnapped happily on my back, while I was able to pull dinner together. Isn't this amazing?

It looks a little weird as she is snuggled up with her favorite blanket inside the wrap, and I also got the wrap a little off center during the wrap, but she wasn't going anywhere, and was snug as a bug. How beyond mainstream am I? :)

Silent Night...Please?

Today was a tough day for my little Faith-a-roni. She has good days, and she has bad days. And when she has bad days, they are BAD DAYS. Just miserable for her. I think the problem usually revolves around gas pains or gastro-intestinal build up (no poopy diapers for two days). Today, my guess is it was gas.

She was fussy all day, taking mere catnaps because she would wake up crying. We did the gas drops, but it wasn't enough. When evening rolled around (her usual fuss-bucket time) she was a mess. I ended up stripping down with her and holding her in the shower as the warm water beat on her back. We've done that before and she loves it, but the bliss only lasts for about 20 minutes.

By the end of the evening here was the scene: Me in sweatpants, robe and slippers, Faith in a diaper. Me walking slowly on our treadmill with Faith nursing feverishly at the same time. Me singing Silent Night, hoping the words to the tune will come true...all is calm, all is bright...mother and child...infant, tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace...

After nursing on both sides things were actually very serene, with no further complaints from Faith. But what a tough day for my little one!

(Maybe it was my binge on Good and Plenty candy the night before. I knew I'd pay for that - just didn't know Faith would.)

Band of Brothers...ENCORE!!!

New addiction. And I need to make this clear for those confused out there. We don't have TV or cable by choice, but we still get our weekly dose of Netflix movies. We've exhausted what is available on Netflix for the 24 and Lost series, so we thought we'd look for another, and started the HBO war series "Band of Brothers". Wow! I can't say enough about this series and how well done it is. Love it! Love it! Private Ryan has nothing on this series.

It's A Six Weeker For This Three Beaner

(--- On Tuesday. A little Skippy Jon Jones humor for you parents out there. A must have children's book if you don't have it.) Faith is playing the cute card so well this week. And Houston, the smiles have landed! Except I never seem to have the camera at the ready when they do. This picture is from her morning visit to the bouncy seat. The only time she cares to sit in it is first thing in the morning. This is usually when I make a beeline for a quick shower, and she welcomes the opportunity to give her colorful toys a happy greeting.

This is also the poop chair. It has the amazing ability to generate poopy diapers, and Faith is like clockwork about it. She's also very particular about having a clean bum, so as soon as one poopy diaper has percolated, she's had her fill. This is usually right about when I'm hoping to dry my hair. (I got to be quicker, I guess.)

Female Majority Rules

Here we are...the majority whip and my two representatives in the House. (Maggie should have been in here somewhere).

Gracie Has Had Better Days

Poor Grace sprained her ankle yesterday. The swelling isn't too bad, but she woke hysterical last night from the pain. And then this morning we discovered she had come down with a pretty nasty fever and a sore throat. So the girls all stayed home from church and watched "Milo and Otis", while the boys went to church and then spent some extra man time watching a Blackhawk helicopter military drill that included landings (pretty cool - you don't see those every day).

Grace's fever might have broke later in the afternoon. We'll see. I just feel bad for her. She gets around the house crawling on her hands and knees.

The Princess of Wails Gets New Chariots

This week I have spent hours upon hours perusing TheBabyWearer.com and its forum. What an excellent site for anyone remotely interested in digging into the world of baby wearing. Upon little Faith's request (and my shoulders) I needed to do some serious reading on two shoulder type carriers. So, after many, MANY hours of research on the forum for TBW and also looking over hundreds of reviews in their product section, I just purchased two Mei Tai carriers from Mei Tei Baby. I'm so excited! They look so beautiful. I purchased the Pink Brocade and Red Plum Blossom.

Faith has been taking all of her solid naps in the sling. And while I can tell that my baby wearing muscles are definitely strengthening -two weeks of heaving duty babywearing makes a difference, the sling has its limitations. Summer is heading our way, and we need some more airy options. Also the need to get housework or light cooking done works best with a back carry. With the fleece sling I can put Faith in a back carry cradle for toodling around the kitchen, but that's all I dare to do with a back carry, her size and a sling.

I did consider making my own Mei Tai -- but then I got real. Those 99in curtains are still sitting in a heap in the basement waiting to be finished. Time is money --- BUY the Mei Tais.

As I write, I'm enjoying the BEAUTIFUL Georgia weather. Faith is snoozing in the sling (buck naked w/ a diaper), tummy to tummy, I'm seated on the porch rocker, and every man and child is napping in the house. And yesterday, I got that haircut. All is well with my soul.

The Itch To Move & An Analysis On Wealth

The itch is here. We knew it was coming, but I think both of us were hoping that by paying off the house last year we might delay the itch. The desire to move is directly related to the cleanliness of the house. When everything is put in its place, and gleaming like a show home, we love the place and could think of living no where else. But on normal days, when we live in our six year old house like normal people, lately the urge to flee from the random toy and junk drops around the house has been great. Moving won't take care of the day to day messiness that a family home incurs, but there is that false sense that going somewhere shiny and new will give us a clean slate.

We are truthfully outgrowing our house, but it is nothing probably some greater organizational skills and bunkbeds can't fix. Visiting new construction homes is an instant realization that we could have so much more space and glitz, but then we come home from the trip and feel "too lazy to move". And then we wrestle with the issue of how much house is too much...is immodest...or reflects poorly on our Christian values?

Ken and I have been round and round on a discussion that touches this issue. We have been blessed with abundance in our lives. However, the Bible is very clear and very stern about the pitfalls that accompany wealth. The definition of wealth is so hard to nail down. What IS abundance? It is such a matter of perspective. To the man living on a street corner, I am sure that his idea of wealth would be starkly different from the man living in a 5 bedroom home on a 1/2 acre lot. And why is it that a million dollar home seems so ostentatious while a $200,000 home sitting on a $800,000 plot of land seems less?

The perception of wealth is also an obstacle. When people know what other people earn, it can be very damaging to relationships or be a major influence on first impressions. A man with a modest income and multiple problems might feel like a man making five times his salary should have no problems to complain over at all. Leaving the man with the larger salary, feeling like he has very few individuals to talk to on personal matters.

My husband was speaking with a very wise mentor on the topic of how much house and property is too much, and his mentor made such an excellent point. He said always to keep in mind that what you are living in when your children leave the house will be the benchmark for their idea of achieving success. Especially for the boys in the family. This is so true!! So as an extreme example, if 15 years from now we happen to live in a gated community with a million dollar home, a membership to the country club, and vacation home on the lake, our son(s) may never feel that he's "arrived" until, no unless, he is living similarly. While that style of living may or may not be wrong, is it wise for the future of our family?

It is natural to want to improve in life, and this includes your living quarters, quality of living, and following through on some long held dreams for the future. But where does society draw the line? And for the part of me that could care less about what society thinks, the more important question arises: Where does God draw the line?

A Lesson In Rocketeering

This blog has been ever so quiet since the birth of Faith, but I assure you, we are still schooling! Sometimes there is only so much you can write about learning how to read and write. But THIS was really fun!

Ken has been working on an idea to bring dads and their children together for some recreational learning. The first outing schedule is for rocket launches. Naturally, the guys are loving this and having just as much fun as the kids with the planning and ordering. Jack, Grace, and Ken all painted and worked on constructing their own rockets. It has been a great project for the three of them to sit down, paint and build.

Last Saturday, we thought we would get some practice launches in before the official big day. We immediately realized it was really difficult to find enough open space for recovery. Most of the football fields around us have "No Trespassing" signs, and many parks have too many people or not enough open space. We ended up getting approval from a Veterans facility that had a decent amount of land and was located next to a park.

After a few false starts, the kids had their first success! All I can say is, rockets are pretty dog-on cool, and the launch just sounds neat. Our highest launch was estimated at 900 ft. All three of the rockets were recovered without injury, but we found that the hardest part was simply trying to chase them down to their final landing spot. (It was also the most humorous.)

One rocket landed in someone's backyard and when Ken went through some bushes to retrieve it, a large dog was there to greet him and remind him that he was not welcome. Ken and Jack later knocked on the door to obtain that rocket.

Another rocket was armed with a parachute rather than a streamer and it seemed like it was never going to land. Ken took off running and disappeared over the hill towards the little league ball fields at the park. A good number of minutes later he came back winded and with an odd amused look on his face. The rocket had landed in the middle of a baseball field with a little league game in full play. He mentioned he thought there might have been a moment there when a number of over hyped little league dads could have done him in. We had a good laugh over that one.

So the search is on for an even better launch location, as some dads have rockets that will launch up to 2000 ft!

The Office Lounger

"So...this is what Daddy does all day down here. Not bad...not bad. I could get used to this kind of living."


"Hey milk woman! Hold all my calls this morning, I'd really just like to check out the nifty light patterns coming through those windows. And really, enough of the pictures already -- it's embarrassing."


"And they call this thing WORK. They should be ashamed of themselves --- Hey, you got any milk duds hiding around here?"

Strongholds

So this is how Faith and I have been spending our time lately. I'm not sure who is more addicted to sling use...she or me.

I think she wins, as my shoulder by 8:00pm is a little worn (not the sling's fault, we've just be using it THAT much over the past few days, and I wasn't switching shoulders.)

And while this isn't the best picture, one of those "Well that really didn't work." photos, I think it speaks volumes about my life at the present:

No staging involved. I just happened to notice the irony of the photo once I really looked at it. See that book in the background? That's my workbook for my Bible Study that I haven't been able to attend or do in weeks. It is called "Breaking Free" and the series is written by none other than the wonderfully talented Beth Moore. The study is about breaking free of your strongholds so that you can focus on Christ.

At the time I started the study, I honestly couldn't think of any major strongholds that were standing between me and my Maker on a daily basis, and I was curious to see what insights Beth might be able to provide me with (as I'm sure there are strongholds there but I'm just ignoring the elephant in the room). The picture captures it all. The pacifier laying on top of the book like a lead weight. Myself attached to another lead weight. My stronghold isn't a "what", it's a "who"! (I do say this with tongue in cheek).

Ken and I affectionately call Faith "The Dominator". Right now, she is the dominant allele in the family (remember biology class?). I have been doing Bible studies for almost three years solid. And even though I don't wish to be without them, the Lord knows my little Faith and her giant needs. And I know there are great lessons to be learned in everyday life. But, oh... I do miss my studies and quiet time with Him.

The Magic of The Sling

I have mentioned before the use of a sling in our house when toting Faith around. After using it almost daily, and having an epiphany at the beginning of this week, it is clear that there are two levels of sling use. The first level is simply learning how to use it, and use it comfortably with your baby. Baby may fight it a little, but she falls asleep and seems content. The second level, however, is the creme de la creme; it is the magic.

It is the moment you discover "the position". And that is the position, that instantly puts them at ease. And the key is, it may not be any of the positions you see listed with the sling directions. Faith is her absolute happiest when she is upright on your shoulder, however this is difficult to mimic with a sling. After some working with it, I found this week that I could achieve this feel for her if I wrapped her in a thin micro fleece blanket (which makes a very comfortable lining for her) and then used a modified hip carry. The blanket acts as a booster so she is closer to my shoulder and face. It also keeps her neck upright, which is further supported by the sling. The last "key" for us was to place her feet off to the side inside the sling, so they didn't get caught up underneath my hips.

When I found this position, it was so clear to me that this was a keeper. She instantly quieted, there was no "I'm squished Mom" sounds, and she fell asleep in minutes. The sling is now such a part of our routine after a week of finding this new position, that it is her preference for lulling to sleep. It has also almost eliminated the fussy time we were struggling with in the evenings. Faith has probably spent at least three hours in the sling a day. The funny thing is, she likes to hear the sound of dish clatter, and the laundry, and buzz of routine. She wants to be where the action is. Those noisy sounds and the feel of Mom close by are the comforts of home.

Before, I used to rock her, and rock her, and sit, and rock some more during the fussy time. She wasn't interested in nursing, which baffled me. Turning off the lights and playing nice music didn't seem to quiet her much quicker. And she still struggled. One night I sat with her for two hours just trying to get her to settle for bedtime. But I've learned that isn't what she wants. What Faith wants is the feel of deliberate movement, and the din of bedtime routine with the children, and household clean up chores. So the sling allows me to do the dishes, and the laundry as I would have those nights she was still soaking in the womb. And instead of the additional settling of Faith after all of that, she has already long since settled, while lo' and behold, I've been tackling house work!

Yesterday, Ken and I had the opportunity to take some time for ourselves and go on a date out to dinner while our church has a program that provides our kids with a movie night and pizza party. Faith, traveled with us out to dinner, and it was a test of the sling. The date fell right during her fussy time, and Faith let us know just how much she hated her carseat the whole ride there. By the time Ken and I got to the restaurant, her diaphragm was shuddering with her inhales, and I was worried that our date was going to tank. Ken went inside to get us a table, and I took her out of the carseat and placed her in the sling, and got her in "the position". Instant comfort! Faith was a dream the whole date, and slept in the sling for almost all of it.

Faith also nursed in public for the first time, after her catnap in the sling. Faith detests nursing in public places. Perhaps I was able to read her cues sooner because she was so close to me.

So the second test is church this Sunday. I'm ditching the 10 ton carseat, and eager to see if the sling allows me the ability to hear the entire sermon without making a beeline for the exit.

Instead of Gray Hair, I Get More...

Whiskers. Yep. I'll admit it. I get those "things we do not speak of". Woo! That's a tough confession.

I'm pretty sure a new one pops up for continuous battle each year. It started in college when I discovered that a weird hair was growing from a scar underneath my chin. It didn't freak me out as I thought the problem was really the scar. Maybe a damaged hair follicle. So what did I do? I plucked. There, whisker gone.

Now, 10 years later, I have 10 whiskers that I daily scope out to see if any have reared their ugly heads again. They're crafty, those suckers. There is nothing worse than coming home after a day among friends to discover a gnarly whisker gleaming in the light. Either I miss them, or I think the more likely scenario is that they grow with steroid fury just to spite me.

Then there is the thumb check: An absentminded glide over the chin in the middle of the day to feel for those obvious stand alones. When I find one, it is an instant problem. They're usually just long enough to be a menace, but not long enough to get a good grip with the thumb and first finger. So I end up just wiggling it back and forth like a loose tooth, wishing I had a tweezers nearby.

Ken and I have a pact for our old age. He promises to pluck my whiskers when I can no longer see straight, and I'll be there to help him out with those other "things we do not speak of" on the tops of his ears. That my friends, is love.

So, you may be dreading that occasional gray hair, but fear not, someone out there is worse off, wiggling stumpy whiskers.

Motherhood: Patience & Denial of Self

I was just reading this post by Candace from Laughing Daisies. It is a wonderfully honest post that deals with the struggle between self and motherhood. We've ALL been there as mothers, and yet we can feel so alone with our thoughts. Motherhood is THE training ground for Patience and Denial of Self.

For example, take "sleep". Unless I want to plant my children in front of a video game for 2 hours, taking a nap during the day to make up for lack of sleep just doesn't happen. The thought of letting my children be babysat in the afternoon by a video game every day doesn't sit well, so I don't usually nap. And when all the kids are finally down for the night, I'm tired and spent, but I want to stay up until 11:00pm just to get a couple hours of ME time before I start the day again in the morning. So of course, by the time I am nursing Faith at 3:00am, this decision bites me in the rear, and sometimes 80% of me wants to cut her off and pull her away from her nourishment just so I can crawl back into bed. I still want my ME time of this and that, but if I was a little less selfish, I'd get my rear in bed at an earlier hour.

And then there is the "F" word. FAILURE. The mother-who-can't-pull-it-all-together. The other day I found myself trying to hand sew on 4 large patches for Jack's Tae-Kwon-Do uniform an hour before he was supposed to test for his yellow belt. I had been scrambling all morning, we were to be at the gym by 9:30am, I was dizzy from not getting any breakfast, and trying to sew on stinkin' patches with a needle and thread while my littlest sensing my tenseness struggled and fussed at the breast. With only minutes left to get the patches sewed, I tossed the uniform aside, and settled Faith for better nursing time; announcing my surrender with, "I can't be friggin' SuperMom today!"

And then the ENEMY saunters in, trying his best to muddy the waters even more. I haven't been able to attend a Bible Study with my favorite group of Women in the last two weeks because it falls right when my little Faith has her fussy time. And I'm on the leadership team, so I feel like I need to be present. In addition, my quiet time is out the window, so I am now two weeks behind in our study, and I keep returning to this stupid idea in my mind that if I can't pull my quiet time back together, the Lord will cease blessing me with children. It is a completely ridiculous and illogical thought. But it buzzes in my ears with the word "Failure" echoing in the background.

I'm not sure where I am going with this post. Honestly, I have forgotten my point entirely. Perhaps that IS the point. But then again, that is what becomes of a blog post that is written by a mother who should be in her bed, but doesn't want to because she wants her ME time. Even if it is mediocre ME time.

*sigh*