Touche'

Last night as I was ironing and deep in thought, Scott made the unsuspecting mistake of walking into the room. Before he knew what hit him, my mouth was wide open and words were pouring out. So while I babbled, he stood there patiently...arms folded.

The conversation went something like this, but for the sake of my blog space and your time, I performed an extreme edit makeover on my comments. Delete, delete, delete some more. Scott's comments needed no editing as he is a man of few words.

Me: I think I would enjoy being a mom more if I didn't always feel so guilty about things. Like if I take Matthew someplace that isn't fun, I feel bad that he not only had to sit in his carseat but then that he didn't have that time to play. I know that millions of kids have to ride in the car every day and go places they don't like, but it just makes me feel bad.

Scott: Silence

Me: Do you think I'm weird?

Scott: Babes, there are way more weirder people in the world than you.

Me: And like I would love to take him on more walks, but I feel bad because I don't even know if he enjoys going on walks. He's just strapped in his stroller and isn't playing or practicing walking. And I would love the exercise, but I don't know...I can't even really talk to him while we're on a walk unless I walk right next to his stroller which is difficult...

Scott: He's a dude. He doesn't need you to talk to him all the time.

Me: But do you see what I mean? I just feel guilty all the time. And so if I take him some place not fun, then I feel like we can only go one place and then rush home to let him play. And then once home I feel like I should play with him the whole time but that means I don't get anything else done. ACK...do you see what I'm talking about? I don't know what my problem is.

Scott: Babes, you're a first time mama.

Touche'.

New Prayers for America

New intercessions are posted at my site.

Hello, my name is....

Every since I put the handy dandy FeedJIT on my blog, I have been excited to see where my blog visitors are coming from. I check in every so often (like every 5 minutes...just kidding...ok, maybe not) to see the different cities...and sometimes countries...that are visiting this site. But that makes me want to know WHO you are! So leave a comment! Tell me your name! Let me know if you have a blog that I can visit, too!

And there are quite a few visitors from Illinois...so either the Land of Lincoln is teeming with families interested in international adoption or there are people I know from back home who are visiting but not commenting! Holla back, y'all!


I'm crazy about his little sideburns!

Hooked!

I don't like to read books or watch movies that have have anything to do with reality. No reality shows. No based-on-a-true-story movies. No books that have even a slight chance of being about someone in real life. Reason? I get too attached to the characters. Way.Too.Attached. I think about the characters way after the book or movie is over. I wonder how they are doing. What they are doing. I end up wanting them to be my neighbors, my family members, my friends.

I thought I was safe with blogs. Wrong. I recently stumbled across the blog of Jasmine Star. I already knew that her family was special after hearing her father speak at my church from time to time and exchanging emails with her sister through my former position working for our church.

Jasmine is a wedding photographer , and I was immediately in awe of her work. But as I began reading her archived posts and learning about her path to becoming a photographer, I was even more intrigued. Hooked, Hooked, Hooked! She is a great writer...clever and witty...and not above posting "bloopers" documenting her own mistakes, fears, and humbling experiences. And even more amazing than her photography is the story woven through her blog entries of God's hand clearly opening doors for her in this field... His affirmation and assurance of this path for her even when she herself was in doubt. I encourage you to check out her work...and her story. Jasmine and her husband seem fun, genuine, and endearing. But, read with caution...you're gonna end up wanting them to be your neighbors, your family members, your friends.

Girl Time

Second post for the day! Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with friends for some girl time. Different backgrounds. Different stages in life. But we all speak "girl talk." These women are intelligent, entreprenuerial, quirky and witty...an inspiration to me! Lots of chatting. Lots of laughter. Lots of fun!

Groovin'

You may have noticed in my "About Me" section that I mentioned Scott's killer dance moves. I found this video on youtube and, while it isn't Scott doing the dancing, it will give you a good idea of what I'm talking about.

Mi Picasa es Su Picasa

BEFORE: AFTER:
I have always loved photography but, for unknown reasons (laziness, expense, cowardice, time, did I mention cowardice?, etc.), I've never taken photography classes. In fact, I never even read my camera instruction books. A friend of mine told me about Picasa, which is a free software download from Google for editing photos. "Free" is a total buzzword for me, so I gave it a spin. You can see from the photos above the difference editing can make. I can't even remember what exactly I did to the photo...I was just having fun clicking on different tabs. This makes me want to run out and buy Photoshop or some other fancy editing tool...but maybe I can find a way to get one free!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SMOOCH!

Happy Birthday, Smooch! We love you and wish we could be there to celebrate with you! Hope your day is as special as you are! (I'm posting this tonight since Matthew may not nap long enough tomorrow to get it done!)

Me and little Smooch:
In honor of Smooch's birthday, Matthew had his first ice cream cone:

Sister stuff from one of my recent trips home:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Playin' Hard

Daddy's Red Hat

New Prayers for America

New intercessions for our country have been posted at my site.

Happy Easter

While Matthew's sleep kept us away from our Easter Sunrise Service, we were blessed to be able to watch the service online. Its crazy how much God loves us, especially when we are so unfaithful in our love and obedience to Him. Yet His love is solid, steadfast, unchanging, dependable. He is the Lover of our souls, and my heart yearns to love Him more.

As you can see from the photos below, Matthew did not enjoy coloring Easter eggs. Oh, he thought it was very cool that I put white eggs in the bowls and pulled out colored ones...but the fact of having little plastic bowls filled with water and eggs that he couldn't touch was a sheer travesty in his mind. He rioted the entire time I set up, dyed, and dried the eggs. When I finally gave him the green light for touching, he touched each egg with his little finger and was done!

Matthew was a great Easter egg hunter. I filled the eggs with Puffs, so that was a huge motivator. His basket had a few little toys and a watering can because he loves to help water the plants! We enjoyed lunch and hangin' out with Scott's family and came home tired and happy!

My Redeemer Lives!

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who told the ocean you an only come this far?
Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well I know my Redeemer lives, I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies, This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

The very same God that spins things in orbit
He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory.

Now I know my Redeemer lives, I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify, Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer, He lives
To take away my shame, And He lives forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive, And there's an empty grave.

And I know my Redeemer, He lives I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify, This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives!

- Nicole C. Mullen

Late night ramblings

Sometimes I crack myself up. Most recently it was at 11:58p tonight as I crawled into bed. The room was dark except for the little booklight that Scott had left on for me. As I reached to turn it off, I put my thumb over the light, pointed it toward the wall, and in a feeble attempt at morse code started moving my thumb on and off while saying "S...O...S...Save...Our...Sleep!" Scott croaked out some reply like "I'm cracking up." The fun got even better as we started a chorus of coughing spells and, with the monitor on, Matthew was able to join in. It was like we were coughing in rounds. Then mine took a turn for the worse, and I was banished to the guest room. That's why I'm here. At the computer. It's like a siren song luring me into the craggy boulders of blogging.

OK...another topic. I want to know if I am the only woman who does this or if all my girly shopping genes were dropped on someone else. Every new season I walk through the mall/store, look at the new fashions and proclaim, "This season I'm going to buy a new _____ (coat, pair of boots, bathing suit, pair of jeans)!" Then I go even further and tell myself, "And this time I'm going to spend the money and invest in a nice _____ (coat, pair of boots, bathing suit, pair of jeans)!" And yet, the season comes and goes and I don't buy the intended item. So I get excited and think that I will buy it at the end of season clearance sale! Of course! But then I go to the sale and either say, "YIKES, even at 70% off that is more than I want to spend!" OR "If I'm gonna spend money, I'd rather buy something I can wear NOW!" And then the cycle begins again.

SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. So we nixed the new anti-itch medicine with the sedative because it seemed to have the OPPOSITE effect on Matthew. Yes, now my sleepless son can go a 24 hour period with two 30 minute naps and about 7 hours of combined night sleep. Good thing he is so precious (see photo with Easter Bunny).

My BBFF Rebecca is without computer this weekend, so someone else has to volunteer to fill in for her daily commenting. Think twice before you say "I do"...it's a demanding job...you have to be willing to encourage, support, share embarrassing stories of your own, and sometimes even comment TWICE!

Good Friday

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

For Christ also has suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God… 1 Peter 3:18a

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, check out any of these sites by clicking on the number:

#1

#2

#3

Happy Spring!

Matthew went to see the Easter Bunny at the mall today. While standing in line, I kept prepping him by saying "You can show your ball to the Easter Bunny!" So when it was his turn, well...you can see how his photo turned out. He follows directions very well!

Mama said "Knock you out!"

Faster than Mr. Sandman,
More powerful than a sleeping sedative,
Able to leap long nights in a single hour (of sleep),
It's SuperMatthew!

Sedative, shmedative. This boy doesn't sleep.

Wordy Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, right? I never know. Took Matthew to his pediatrician today. Since we have no clue what might have caused the hives (and there is the possibility they are from the viral infection), she didn't refer us to an allergist yet. Besides, it is allergy season here and probably 3/4 of the population is in misery.

We did talk about his sleep though and she wondered if his itchy skin is partly to blame. She prescribed a med similar to Benadryl but with a more sedative effect. She said he doesn't seem to have good sleep hygiene (can't self-soothe back to sleep), so this might help him get some rest, as well as get into the habit of drifting back off on his own should he wake from the itching. I will try it for a little while, but I don't even like to take aspirin...so we will see.

Yesterday Matthew napped a total of about 50 mins. He didn't fall asleep until 8p, had a restless nigt, woke up at 5a...and maybe drifted off once again for about 20 mins until I got him out of bed. Because of the dr.'s appt, he missed his morning nap, so I put him down when we got home around 10:45. He didn't fall asleep until 11:00...but was back up at 11:21! I am not one to go into his room when he is supposed to be sleeping, but this kid had been up since 5 and needed to sleep! So I stood next to his bed for about 20mins and helped him back to sleep. This time he lasted for another 20 mins. Once again, I am not an advocate for going in...but I put him in bed with me, got him in a bear hug, and finally he slept for a decent amount of time.

There are so many questions about his sleep. We can do everything the exact same way 7 days in a row, and he can have good sleep some days and bad sleep others. And there could be a bunch of factors or just one big one. But there is a possibility that he is a kid who is really affected when he is learning a new skill. I've noticed that lately he is playing really extra hard...he just learned to throw a ball...and it seems as if he doesn't want to stop playing. REALLY doesn't want to stop. His brain won't rest. Even when I am rocking him lately, he is different than a couple of weeks ago when he was sleeping pretty well. He now seems distracted and doesn't want to engage in some of the soothing, pre-bed things we do. Instead he keeps trying to get up and point at his toys. Who knows what the reason is???!!!

I will say that God has been doing good things in my heart regarding Matthew's sleep. It is very difficult to deal with a baby who is tired and fussy but won't sleep...as so many of you know! But God has been teaching me patience, and I'm losing that anxious feeling that I have to "fix it." I am still very protective of his good sleep time because it is so rare...when we were laying together earlier and he had finally drifted off, I made up mean songs in my head about taking a big rock and a slingshot to the crow in a nearby tree who was cawing, the neighbor's little dog who was yapping, and the loud construction truck that kept passing our house!

Rockin' Out

Some photos from our time playing with rocks:

Rough Start Update

Well, what I thought to be a surge of Atopic Dermatitis turned out to be HIVES! Matthew's skin cleared up shortly after my initial post and then got drastically worse by afternoon. I took him to the urgent care facility, and the doctor said that some people can get hives with viral infections such as what Matthew appears to have (runny nose, oozy eyes, etc). He prescribed zyrtec for the itching, and we have a follow up appointment scheduled with his pediatrician. No fun for our little guy!

Gwyneth's Fraggle Hat!

This is little Gwyneth wearing what her dad calls a "fraggle" hat! Too cute! These fun hats are sold on Etsy as "cupcake" hats.

To learn more about sweet Gwyneth, click here.

To learn more about cupcake hats, click here.

Rough Start

This is how our poor little guy looked when I got him out of bed this morning. Crusty face and bumpy skin. It's funny that I just posted about his atopic dermatitis being better only to have his skin covered with bumps this morning. Even the inside of his elbows look completely worse than they did last night. The bumps only cover his torso and arms where his cotton short sleeve shirt was...and his shirt was in the same laundry load as his pants...so I have no idea what triggered this breakout.

New Prayers for America

New intercessions listed at my site.

Two naps forward, Three naps back

Happy to have a fruit smoothie...and then giving me the evil eye for saying "Mama's turn!":
We were fortunate to receive a photo of Matthew's birthmom, who I call "Little Mama." She wears glasses that look similar to these, so when we put them on him I think he looks just like Little Mama:

Too cool:

Sleep. UGH. Matthew was doing wonderfully on his 3 nap schedule. He would fall asleep almost immediately upon getting in his bed, sleep about an hour, and wake up happy. During this time he was also sleeping restfully during the night. Then one day, he didn't fall asleep for his 3rd nap. The next day...same thing...and so on. They say that "sleep begets sleep" and every since he has been missing his 3rd nap, his night sleep has been very restless. VERY restless. I have left the 3rd nap in the schedule because, since he gets so little good sleep at night, he NEEDS his 1st early morning nap. Because of that early morning nap, his 2nd nap, which is also NEEDED, comes too early in the day for him to make it until a 7:00/7:30 bedtime. (That was the problem with our prior 2 nap schedule...he was still restless at night and needing an early nap, so his bedtime ended up being like 6:15...way too early!). So, once again, we've got a sleepless boy. I've said before it seems cyclical...that he will have horrible sleep until he is so worn out that he has a week or so of great sleep...then, once caught up, he goes back to horrible sleep. We are all now insomniacs in our house.

ATOPIC DERMATITIS - This topic has come up on the feed quite a lot lately, so I wanted to post an update. We still use the humidifier in Matthew's room all night and during naps. We also still use Aquaphor on his skin. Not every day, I admit, but it is messy and greasy...and hard to put on a busy baby. I've noticed the worst place seems to be in the crook of his arms...the inside of his elbows. But putting the Aquaphor there underneath a long sleeve shirt seemed to aggravate the skin. So I am now having Matthew sleep in short sleeve shirts, and the skin looks much better.