Baby Update

Wow, two posts in the same month!  I must be on a roll!  Hahaha.

Tonight I have the privilege of blogging because we actually got all three kiddos to bed at a decent time and my hubby's arthritis is flaring so we're hanging out on the computers so he can heat his shoulders in his ergonomic chair.

Our little guy is growing in leaps and bounds!  He successfully started solid foods this month with homemade oatmeal baby cereal (we put the old-fashioned oats in the blender to make oat powder and then add water).  He absolutely loves eating real food!  If we feed him too slowly, he starts grunting at us in anticipation of his next bite.  If we are at the table eating, he wants to be with us eating too.  I often eat with him on my lap and he watches every move I make.  Sometimes I will sneak him tastes of my applesauce...he loves applesauce! 

We've started letting him cry-it-out in his crib now that he is a little bigger and a bit more mature.  When he gets to the point where he is crying in his crib, but instantly snuggles into your arm and falls asleep when picked up...that's a big clue he is ready to learn to deal with being in his crib on his own.  He doesn't like going to sleep in his crib, but is learning.  He's gotten really good at napping in his chair or swing.  We got him a super soft blanket at Christmas and he loves to snuggle in it to nap with.  Too bad we can't let him snuggle with it in his crib...and he's awake again!  See you next time!

Mombie ramblings

I miss blogging, but life and responsibilities keep me away for this season.  Even right now, I'm just barely squeezing in some time because the baby is actually asleep in his crib and my hubby fell asleep on the couch.  I could either go to bed or blog, and I've been missing my writing so here I am.

I'm learning to squeeze in little moments here and there.  For example, while my older children worked on a project and the baby slept, I hand-washed a couple pans.  I didn't have time for a whole load of dishes, but two pans, I had time for that.  In fact, I think I washed one, answered a couple school questions and then washed the other.  The life of an involved mom is a busy one.  I have no idea how my mother ever kept up with the laundry with four children...mine do their own and I still can't keep up with it...and my hair...I barely ever actually brush it unless we're leaving the house.  Some days even brushing my teeth in the morning is a true accomplishment.

I'm learning to accept the necessity and the gift of flexibility. Being home I have the "time" to handle many phone calls and appointments that would otherwise be squeezed into a lunch break or weekend if I were working.  Today we took the dog to the groomer.  It threw off the whole routine for the day, but we got things accomplished that needed to be done for our home.  We used the time out of the house to also get the week's grocery shopping done, which now leaves us our full day tomorrow for being at home.

I'm also realizing what a perfectionist I am.  I expect perfection of myself and unconsciously often seek perfection in others and the world around me.  I'm learning to give myself grace and find that I'm often reminding myself that imperfections are okay.  Letting go of the mom-guilt is another constant mental battle I wage.  The ideal situation in my mind is rarely reality and I have to remember that it's okay to take care of me; it's okay to take a break or be lenient when everyone is tired; and it's okay to let go of all the day's plans in order to focus on the relationships instead.

My brain is turning into mush...my blogging desires must be replaced by the physical need for sleep.  Good night, everyone.  Don't forget that Jesus loves you.

Body Image

Each pregnancy I gained 40+ pounds and only lost some of that pregnancy weight.  Each pregnancy I was another pant-size larger after delivery.  I reached my highest weight ever with this last pregnancy.

At 5'3'' tall, I weighed in at 207 just before my baby was born.  My body was massively swollen and every movement was uncomfortable.  I couldn't do a complete shopping trip or even walk around the house without swelling to the point of my skin feeling like it might burst if I bent my limbs too sharply.

I've since lost over 60 pounds of that baby weight.  I haven't been this light since before my second child was born!  While I love to see the numbers on the scale, looking into the mirror is a different story.  I don't look like I did when I was younger.  Yes, I am thinner, but my body sags.  I still have a mushy-gushy belly that my daughter tells me makes me look pregnant...even after losing 60 pounds.  I have zero muscle tone and my body shows it.

The body is a curious thing.  It doesn't matter who you are or how you look to others.  Each person has their own struggles with their physical self.  I am glad to be where I am and I know full well that I have only lost this much weight because of the extreme diet I am on...nursing my son also probably plays a role as well.  So I am thankful for the weight loss and admit that while content with who I am, it would be nice to be in better shape physically.

Yet, I cautiously share about my thoughts about my body-image.  In the past others have rolled their eyes and told me that they only wished they had my problems when I have shared my desire to lose some weight.  Don't say that.  You don't want my problems or my diet. Appreciate your body for what it is, we are all living in broken vessels, awaiting Christ's soon return and to receive our eternal bodies.

Free Time? What's That?

The baby is actually asleep before my bedtime for a change!  We just started working on teaching him to self-sooth in order to go to sleep on his own.  He's too young for the "cry it out" method, but has already learned to love being held and rocked to sleep...if he can nurse to sleep he's even happier...but all that is bad news for mommy!

He already sucks his hands which was one suggestion for self-soothing techniques, so now instead of swaddling him tight for naps, we leave his arms free so he can use his skills to sooth himself.  He doesn't sooth to sleep yet, but he will when getting hungry or upon waking rather than going immediately to a scream. 

At bedtime he sleeps in a sleep-sack because it isn't safe to swaddle babies and leave them alone.  A baby of any age can inadvertently flip over while swaddled and suffocate to death...a huge risk for SIDS too.  He only gets swaddled when napping in the same room I'm working in so I can keep an eye on him.

I was wanting to do an Advent type of lesson for Homeschooling on prayer and I found a devotion of 25 days of Advent Prayer.  I'm excited to go through it with my girls and learn more with them about prayer and the power they have in the blessing of being able to pray directly to God!

In other news, I continue to pray for my hubby's arthritis.  It causes chronic pain and this fall it just seems to be constant struggle for him.  Love you all, have a wonderful night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving dinner on a TED is interesting indeed!  We changed the ingredients of our turkey brine and I bought an all natural turkey, minimally processed as well as an all natural, uncured ham.  My sides were butternut squash mash and green beans.  I tried a vegan pumpkin "pie" with no crust and made with potato starch and evaporated coconut milk, but something in it upset my son's stomach.  Not sure what exactly, so I stuck with my fake banana bread and coconut milk ice cream after that. ;)

I've been enjoying my early morning nursing sessions with my son, that is when I have a quiet devotion time using the "YouVersion" Bible on my phone.  I did a devotion on Prayer and now I'm doing one on Busyness...this new one is much more attention grabbing because I am good at finding ways to be busy -to a fault.  I want to find a good way to do an Advent celebration with my girls as we prepare for Christmas, not sure if I'll make one up or find one to follow yet.

Homeschooling is  coming along.  I'm discovering patterns in our curriculum and am able to look ahead more often now to add in activities and be more prepared for our learning content.  I still haven't found a homeschool group to join with the kids, but I did try out our church's Mom's Night Out bible study for homeschooling moms.  It was awkward to go because I am such an introvert, but I knew it would be good for me.  I'm glad I went.

Sorry this is short, motherhood calls...have a wonderful rest of your day!

Life as a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM)

First off, I have to say that I do not miss having to go to a job.  I LOVE being at home and being my own boss.  There is plenty of things to be done, especially with three kiddos at home.  My stress level has decreased because all of my energy is spent on those I love rather than trying to balance it with work and home.  Home is my work now!

Homeschooling is going well.  We've tweaked our routine to fit our lifestyle too, the flexibility it provides is so nice!  For example, this Monday my oldest woke up complaining about school and how she wished everyday could be a weekend where she could play all day.  Instead of pushing her into our normal schedule of starting right away with breakfast and school, we had a lazy morning.  I let them watch a show on TV, we ate breakfast as we watched, and then she and her sister went outside to play for a good half hour.  After that, she was in better spirits and ready to start school.

We do a daily devotion, sometimes following the curriculum and sometimes we do something simpler.  I've been teaching my girls the books of the Bible in song, and they have already memorized the Old Testament!  As we read our Bible, we are noticing many things: the promises of God, and how He keeps His promises by noticing prophecy fulfilled. :)

My home isn't as neat and organized as I wish it were being home all the time, but I suppose I have to give myself grace because we do have a two month old in the house who takes up a lot of time!

Continued Food Intolerance Issues

The struggle continues with our Little Mister.  After 5 weeks on a soy/dairy free diet, we were referred to see a GI Specialist.  The soonest appointment we could get was nearly 4 weeks out...I wasn't comfortable waiting that long while my son continued to have blood in his stools.  Surely that is proof that something is not right in his body and I didn't want 4 more weeks of potential damage to simply continue.

I polled both sides of our family for their problematic foods.  The list was so incredibly long!  I spent hours researching his potential diagnosis of FPIES (Food Protein Induced Entercolitis Syndrome) and other related diagnosis like Allergy Proctocolitis and MSPI (Milk Soy Protein Intolerance).  It brought on some stress my hubby felt was unnecessary (he told me to stop internet-diagnosing), but in the long run, I'm glad because now I feel better equipped and more understanding of what issues we have and what they could be later down the road.

I also researched many different ways to do a "Total Elimination Diet" or TED.  The typical TED doesn't work for most FPIES babies since rice and oats are the most common triggers.  My family has dairy and gluten issues as well as poultry intolerances.  So I came up with my own TED and am on day 6 of it.

My diet has been trimmed down to the mere basics of:  Quinoa, Apples, Bananas, Pork, Kale, Squash and Coconut.  I haven't been purely strict to those, I have allowed myself maple sugar, cinnamon, garlic, onion, thyme and rosemary so that I can have some different flavors at least!

Day 4 saw my son's bloody stools disappear.  His diapers look more and more normal every day.  Prior to this diet, he had symptoms of "Silent Reflux", now it seems to be more pronounced reflux with more frequent spit ups.  I don't know if that is part of his body adjusting to the diet changes, or if the doctor might suggest I swap out one of my TED foods for something else.