Monthly Archives: August 2011

Life Lessons–Birthday Style

Posted on August 5, 2011 | 5 comments

I am joining a different blog hop this week. I love chatting with Rach on twitter and thought I would join in here.

This weeks life lessons:

1. Reading must come with age, Caitlyn turned 5 this week. Sue came running out of their room that morning and said, “Caitlyn, can you read now?” Caitlyn said, “I don’t know, let’s check!” She proceeded to go get a book and give it a try.

2. Sue is the only one of my kids not having a birthday this week. She thinks this stinks. But she is getting the hang of enjoying the fun. Caitlyn’s birthday was Wednesday. Thursday, Sue says, “I wish it were still your birthday.” Caitlyn said, “don’t worry, soon I’ll turn 6!” Oh my, we just finished counting down to 5. And we still have Patrice’s birthday on Sunday!

3. Patrice has slept through the night twice this week (shhh, don’t tell anybody). That makes 5 times in her entire life. Truth…I don’t mind waking up with her so much. She nurses and we cuddle.

4. I am celebrating we have officially made it to a year with Patrice nursing and I still have frozen milk in the freezer. Yipee!!!!! What a lot of stress off my shoulders.

5. Caitlyn got two Venus Fly Trap plants for her Birthday. Hubby and the older girls are feeding them ants right now. The lady at the store says they are very hardy and can live 20+ years. Um, Caitlyn, that thing goes with you when you leave for college!

6. My husband is about the funniest person alive. He just explained to the girls we can’t feed the plants Roly Poly bugs because “they don’t have much meat on them.” With a straight face!

7. I couldn’t bear to leave Patrice in the church nursery last week. Our church has a great one, but every week I cry at the time away from my baby. This week I just sobbed. I have a hard enough time leaving her for work, when I have to. This week it was just too much to leave her in nursery. I ended up going back and getting her.

8. Today Patrice cried for the first time when I left her at daycare. Then Caitlyn joined in, then my friend’s twin boys lifted thier voices, along with other baby there. By the time I left for work, 5 out of the 7 kids in the house were crying. My friend handled it beautifully and called me within minutes to let me know they were all calm again.

9. Sue’s imaginary friends keep getting her in trouble. Last night I ended up yelling at her AND her imaginary friends. Sigh.

10. Caitlyn asked Jesus into her heart on her birthday. Praise the Lord!

What happened in your life this week? Join us in linking up!

5 Comments

Posted in blog hops, Life Lessons, random thoughts

Thankful on a Thursday for Running

Posted on August 5, 2011 | 1 comment

As I have mentioned, once or twice, or a thousand times, I fell in love with running between Sue and Patrice’s births. And while expecting Patrice, I was worried I wouldn’t get one-on-one time with the new baby. I began yearning for a jogging stroller. But have your priced those puppies? Wowzers. Definitely something to register for when you are having your first baby so either a group can go in on it or over excited grandparents can invest in it for you.

I did not have such option. So I began searching for used. And found a great one. Then I wondered if I would get my use out of it. Sure, I could now take Patrice with me, but I still had those two other little girls… Well, if I haven’t mentioned it, my hubby rocks. He often sends me out for a run. The first time I headed out with Patrice in the stroller, I was pretty sure this was NOT going to work. I made it maybe a mile. And I was toast.

But I have kept at it. And can now do three miles with her in there. And as bumpy as it is, she almost always falls asleep. Lately, life has been really busy. Patrice and I have not gotten out there. But tonight, I was determined. So while the aforementioned wonderful hubby did bedtime routine with the other two, she and I literally snuck out.

It has been 10 days since we last ran, so we weren’t after distance, we probably did 2 miles, and some of those inches hurt! But we did it. And we feel great.

I am so thankful for my running, my husband who supports it so much, and the time to be with my little Patrice.

1 Comment

Posted in Patrice, running, thankful on a Thursday

Breastfeeding Awareness and Education–our experience(s)

Posted on August 2, 2011 | 9 comments

***

I’m celebrating World Breastfeeding Week with Natural Parents Network!
You can, too — link up your breastfeeding posts from August 1-7 in the linky below, and enjoy reading, commenting on, and sharing the posts collected here and on Natural Parents Network.

I am currently nursing my third baby, Miss Patrice. I have been nursing or pregnant since December 2005. I have nursed for the first 20 weeks of Sue and Patrice’s pregnancies. It is my joy and honor to have this bond with my babies. And to be honest I am darn proud of how long I have nursed each one. I am thrilled with the myriad of benefits for them now and in the long run.

But you know what dawned on me recently? I need it as much as they do, if not more.

Truly.

Yes, there are health benefits to me. Lower risk of breast cancer and diabetes in the future…lose pregnancy weight faster (haven’t noticed that one), etc. But for me, the benefit is much more emotional.

I need to nurse my children in much the same way I need to breathe. Right or wrong, it is part of my identity. I am a nursing mama. I am enpowered by the fact that I am providing them health benefits in the future, by the fact that I can comfort them in a way during infancy that no one else can. I am empowered to know that this body of mine, that has failed me often in the past, now nourishes my babies.

I belong to a sisterhood of women, yes, the one of motherhood, which is powerful and embracing, but also the one of nursing mothers. We share the joys of persevering through the challenges of nursing. We share the struggles of people not understanding why we choose to feed our babies this way. We share a bond that I hope some day to pass on to my three girls. My older two already nurse their “babies” (and no, I did not need to buy them a $119 doll from Europe for them to do that); I hope breastfeeding will always seem normal and natural to them. That they will be blessed as I am and will be able to nurse their children when they have them.

As of late, I have received another gift while nursing Patrice.

It has worked out that often while I am nursing Patrice, the other two are outside with daddy, so I am sitting in a quiet house just snuggling my little girl. How often does that happen in a house with three kids? How often will that happen as she gets busier and needs that time with mama less? Probably never. And for that my heart mourns, but for now, I have this time with my daughter that no one else in the universe can ever have.

For this I am so thankful. I pray I never forget the joy of comforting one of my children by nursing them, never forget the drunk baby look when they have nursed to ultimate satisfaction, never forget the honor it is to hold them in my arms and nurse them.

These are just some of the joys I reflect on during this week long celebration of breastfeeding.<
(Visit NPN for the code to place on your blog.)

9 Comments

Posted in blog hops, nursing

Summer Sweetness for Multitude Mondays 141-147

Posted on August 2, 2011 | 1 comment

Miss Patrice is getting more mobile every day. This weekend she walked along a toy to get to the other side.

This toy, to be exact, but obviously not in that location. She loves this toy so much it has migrated to the living room so she can have fun with it more often.

But she sure does love her sister’s room.

She would play in there all the time if you let her…well there, and the bathroom! She loves playing in the bathroom, so the other day I thought, well I can at least tell her what the potty is for…so I explained that when she is a big girl…yes, I think I just admitted to starting potty training with my 11 month old. A mama can dream, right?

But in all honesty, I am in no rush to see her grow up. I love my baby girl. I can not truly fathom Caitlyn will be 5 in 2 sleeps and wake ups, or that Patrice will be 1 in 6 sleeps and wake ups. It hurts this mama’s heart while also making me so proud to see my girls. Ahh, the tug of war in a mama heart!