Friday Phone Dump

This is the super late/multi week edition. Going back to work has been hard (more on that later), so its been hard to keep up!

Someone went to bed late, woke up early, and then didn't have a nap.
I don't think Mawmaw minded

Sweet sleeping baby

Star Wars toys

We tried cloth diapering...still haven't figured it all out yet

My main man!

Besties

Future best buds

Don't forget about me!

Daddy love!

Love my girlie :)

So excited for our Mommy date to Coco Key

I had the best day

Today was simple, but I had a really great day on my first Mother's Day to 2 kids. Can I share it with you? Ok, thanks!

It started out wonderful and I got to sleep until 7:30!  I climbed into Inara's bed with her for a few morning snuggles.  We then played with her dollhouse for a while.  This is a new stage for her actually letting me play with her instead of just watching her.  Its fun to see the world through her eyes as she pretends with her dollhouse family.

After about 20 minutes Shepherd woke up.  Let me tell you something.  This little boy has stolen my heart like no one else.  He is just the sweetest thing. So I walk into his room and staring up at me is the sweetest face I've ever seen.  He instantly smiles the biggest smile I have ever seen a baby smile. I scoop him up and shower him with kisses. Side note- I am not sure how I will handle him being too old for me to kiss his chubby neck and cheeks. Justin wakes up we spend semi-uninterrupted time together on the couch. Ps, I really miss him these days.  We get ready for church and we are out the door.

Today was the baby dedication at church.  Our names are called.  We are encouraged by our pastor and I get teary eyed thinking about the 2 tiny blessings in my life. I succeed in not having a complete sob fest in front of the whole church (Thanks Jesus!).  More celebration of new life as we watch 5 or 6 people I don't know get baptized. The great thing is...it doesn't matter that I don't know them.  Seeing people being made new is a beautiful gift and for the second time today, I fight back a complete breakdown.

The rest of the day is spend with Justin, the kids, my parents and we got to facetime with Justin's parents too.  Nothing spectacular, more pretending, more cuddling, LOTS of smiles from my youngest baby, some fun (and not so fun) teaching moments with my oldest baby, and the day ended with bedtime talk about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit....um yeah...trying to explain the Triune God to a 3.5 year old is a bit tricky. But I am so thankful for her inquisitive spirit and even though sometimes it drives me crazy, its a huge blessing and such a joy for her to ask "why" about Jesus and his creation.  I get up to leave her room and Inara says "Momma! I need another hug!"  Typically Inara uses bedtime stalling techniques, but I can tell she genuinely just wants another hug.  I give her a huge squeeze, kiss her snotty face, another squeeze and tell her "Buenos Noches".

As I am nursing Shepherd and I see his bright blue eyes staring back at me, a huge smile, and then some droopy eyelids...I think "I had the best day".  Which then made me think of "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift. I am totally not ashamed to say that I really love her.  Anyway, so I listen to the song...and finally sob.  I finally get it.  I get how much my Mom and Dad loves me because that's how much I love Inara and Shepherd.  I sob because I don't think I really ever knew they loved me that much.  I cry even more because I think how incredibly heartbreaking it must have been to parent at times.  I cry out to God and beg him to not let Inara or Shepherd treat me the way I treated my parents. I wipe my nose as I realize these days I have with Inara and Shepherd are so fleeting. It's so cliche, but it really does seem like just yesterday Inara was signing her first words. I blink and almost 4 months have gone by and my last baby is already so big.  Today has been the best Mother's Day yet. Granted I have only had 3, but still...today has been the best day.

If you are a glutton for punishment, then you should definitely listen to this T. Swift song.  You'll probably want some tissues and to be in a room alone so you can ugly cry.

*Ps, once again I have zero pics of me WITH my kids...mom fail*

Nursing a baby is hard

The past few weeks have been hard all around.  I started work a few weeks ago (subsequently have been waking up at 4:30 am), have had car trouble, haven't seen Justin much (cue Debbie Downer noise)...all of that makes nursing a baby really hard and inconvenient.  Yup, I actually said that...feeding my child is inconvenient :( Not my greatest momma moment, huh? I think its just that it HAS to be me. Justin can help with the housework, my parents can watch the kids so I can go to the grocery, our small group can (and has) babysat for a date, but ONLY I can feed him.  Its kind of a lot of pressure and doesn't give me a ton of freedom.

I have been saying for the past few weeks that breastfeeding is probably one of the most selfless things I have ever done.  I guess I thought it would be just like when I exclusively pumped with Inara for 9 months.  But its really not. In a lot of ways its nicer. There are less bottles to wash, stuff to pack, and it is really nice to get guaranteed snuggle time.  But, I can't just go out whenever I want, do whatever I want, or have Justin give him a bottle at night.  Because all those things affect my supply.  Working has not been great for my supply to begin with, so skipping a feeding or pumping more at home just isn't worth it if I want to continue breastfeeding.

The truth is though, all those "facts" about what is hard are really just revealing the sin in my heart. I want my body, my life, my freedom back. Isn't Shepherd so lucky to have me as his mom ;)  But seriously, the problem isn't the little inconveniences of breastfeeding, the problem is the sin in my heart.  So I am not going to stop breastfeeding until its clear my sin issues are not the driving force.  Right now if I stopped it would be because I would be serving me and my idol of comfort.  But to continue, is to die to self, serve my family by saving money and not buying formula, and love Shepherd by giving him the best stuff.

Oh moms! Please don't hear what I am not saying.  I am not saying the following things:

• breastfeeding is the only way to serve your family
• breastfeeding is the wisest/best option for every family
• breastfeeding is the ONLY way to love your child
• breastfeeding is the BEST for your child

Breastfeeding is a personal family decision.  It's between you and your husband.  If formula/breastfeeding/pumping is what is best for your family...awesome.  I just know my heart, and for me to stop now would be serving sin which is not something I want to get in the habit of doing.  So for now, I'll still be getting less sleep, nurse my baby in public (which is not my favorite thing to do), do all the feedings when I am not at work,miss parts of church, and pump (and eat lunches alone) at work  But I'll also snuggle him more often than not, learn about sacrifice, persevere when I don't "feel like it", and be reminded of how much more Christ has given and sacrificed for me.

What about you moms? Did you love breastfeeding? Did you hate it?  Also, how did you do it in the summer?! I am dreading nursing in the hot days of summer!

Can people with curly hair do "no-poo"?

I have always heard of the "no poo" method of cleansing your hair and I was sure I would never be able to do it with my wild and crazy curly hair.  I mean it just gets out of control and nasty greasy after just 1 day of not washing it.  So last year I stumbled upon a little book called "Curly Girl: The Method" that is a no poo method for curly hair. I was interested.  I found a few blogs that reviewed the book and the method and I figured I would give it a try.  I really was a amazed and surprised with the results.  I wish I had taken before and after pictures, but I wasn't too hopeful when I first gave it a try.

You can find more detailed information here and here. But this is the basics of it:

1. Start with getting your hair trimmed
2. Stop using shampoo
3. Wash you scalp with conditioner
4. Distribute conditioner throughout the rest of your hair
5. De-tangle gently in shower using a wide tooth comb
6. Rinse with cool water 
7. Scrunch hair with t-shirt not a terry cloth towel
8. Decrease drying time by "plopping"
9. You may use shampoo occassionally but only with sulfate-free shampoo
10. Give you hair time to adjust (2-6 weeks)
11. Get hair trimmed every 4 -6 months
12. Be sure to find a salon with sulfate free shampoo

So that's the basics of no-poo for curly hair.  I did change things up a little.  I never rinse with cool water. I despise being cold and the thought of finishing my shower by rinsing my hair with cool water sounds like a nightmare.  I also have not once "plopped".  I started just trying this method the no poo way before I fully committed. My results were so wonderful that I decided any extra work just wasn't necessary for me.  I do shampoo my hair occasionally (1-2x a month) and when I do I make sure I use a sulfate free shampoo.  This is a huge money saver as last year I only used 1 bottle of shampoo! And since I use so little shampoo now, I actually splurge for some nicer shampoos. Right now I am using this Organix shampoo. But next time I think I will buy this Yes to Carrots brand because it is also paraben free as well as sulfate free.  And to save more money and keep chemicals away from the family, I use conditioner to wash the Inara's hair too.  

I was expecting a full month of nasty greasy hair, but it actually wasn't that bad. I think for a few weeks it was pretty greasy, but then it was fine...more than fine. Its been really great ever since!  My hair is healthier, curlier, and easier to fix. I rarely use product in my hair now. This is another money saver and also keeps harsh chemicals out of my system.  And I have had multiple people ask me what I use to get my curls so nice. Its super fun to reply "Nothing! I actually don't even shampoo my hair" :)  So I totally suggest you give the "no poo" a try...even if you have curly hair!  

Do you currently not shampoo your hair? How long was your "greasy" phase?  If you shampoo your hair now, are you willing to give "no-poo" a try?

3 months

Oh.my.gosh. I have a 3 month old. How is this possible? I just love him so much and just want to squeeze and kiss his cheeks all day long!

How sweet is this boy?

Someone got a little jealous

"I wanna be naked too, Mom!"

Love!

Weight: 13lbz 2oz

Favorite moments:  He has been really interactive and smiling all.the.time. And he is almost sleeping through the night. Regardless, we are all getting more sleep and it's wonderful

Least favorite moments: None! He is such a happy and easy baby!

Milestones: Rolling from front to back, sleeping 10 hours at night off an on, recognizing himself in the mirror, and finding his hands

He is my big snuggly boy.  He just started wearing 6 month clothes.  Thanks to Inara trying to tune out his cries by humming loudly instead of screaming at him.  Miraculously...it worked!  Every time he would start to cry, I would tell Inara to hum and he would get quiet. It's cute that she can help soothe him!  He loves people and is seriously the happiest baby I have ever seen. Inara wasn't a grump or fussy at all...but Shepherd is always smiling...and they are big smiles too :) I just love my baby boy so much!