Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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After much debate about how to address our newest member on the blog, we have decided to use his MIDDLE initial, C. We debated many of your suggestions (baby D, D2, etc) but decided to use C so everyone has their own letter.

So in this Tiny Talk, our littlest member (3 days old) is C!
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While watching our girls as we were at the hospital, my father was talking to them about the day lilies they saw. He explained that they only last one day. Their theological conversation that followed made him laugh as they tried to "out do" each other with their thoughts.

T (age 4): God made the Day Lilies.
K (age 6): God made everything.
T: He didn't make the houses.
K: He had to make the first one to show us how!
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The girls came with Daddy to pick me up at the hospital. He asked them if they wanted to go get baby C (2 days old) and they did! After we got C all packed up in his car seat, T (age 4) looks at me and asks, "Will you miss him mom?"

It began apparent that they were thrilled to be taking the baby home and were quite content to go ahead and leave me there.
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T: How old is the baby?
Grandmom: 10 hours old.
T: Wow. That tree is older than the baby.
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According to T (age 4), "When you look old, then you die."
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The girls wanted to hold the baby non-stop at the hospital. I explained that he was going to come home with us and we could hold him every day. But T (age 4) reminded us that we couldn't do that forever, "because one day he will die".
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D (age 2): The baby came out of mommy's belly. I love the baby.
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The girls were watching C while I was upstairs. They were telling me in a walkie-talkie EVERYTHING he did.

He opened his mouth mom!

He is yawning.

He made a noise.

I think he is saying something.
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K (age 6) watched C (2 days) in his bassinett while I showered. She rocked and stared at him the entire time. When I got out of the shower, she explained that "I was going to leave, but when I told him, he shook so I think he is scared. He wants me to stay here."
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Your Turn:
(welcome back originial linkies!)

Welcome to our Family

A weekend review in pictures...

It's About Time!!!

We are thrilled to announce that our newest member of the family has arrived on the scene!

D. C. W was born on 6-26-09, his due date! He was 9 lbs 1.5 oz. Everyone is doing well and are excited to be home as a family on Sunday when C gets to come home with mommy.

More to come...

Giveaway Site

Beginning today, Susana at Homeschool Fun, is starting a Give Away Carnival! It'll be your one stop spot to learn about all of the giveaways available around the blog world.

Friday's Gracious Giveaways is a weekly blog carnival she plan to host each Friday beginning today! She hopes to create a place each week for folks to link up and share their giveaways.

The rules are available at her site, so head on over and check it out!

Dear Baby at almost 40 weeks

My dear child,

It has become clear that you are completely comfortable where you are. And I would be OK with your hanging around, keeping me pregnant until my due date, but this on and off again labor really is killing me. Your due date is Friday. That would be TOMORROW, so feel free to come anytime!

Nights of intense contractions for the last FOURTEEN DAYS are taking their toll. I am tired of thinking that labor is finally starting, only to realize it isn't....again.

Everyday at swim practice everyone asks how I am. And everyday it is the same. We talk about the on and off labor, the contractions, the dilation, and so on. Everyone laughs about how this could be the day.

But it never is.

Today, one of the woman randomly said, "Oh wow. Sounds like you are experiencing Prodromal Labor."

HUH? You mean there is a name for this agony?

Yep, there is. (thank you goo.gle) It is EXACTLY what I am experiencing with you. It did some good to know there is a name for this agony and other woman have had it too.

The funny part was that I was planning to hike the mall today because daddy stayed home and it actually mentioned that as a bad idea that wouldn't help induce labor. Of course, shopping always cheers me up...

But I stayed home and got in a solid two hour nap instead!

Of course, not everyone has two weeks of this, so you are still welcome to make your appearance anytime.

But in the meantime, it eased some of the emotional agony of this situation to know that there is a name for this experience and other folks have gone through it. Apparently many find it as emotionally taxing as I have. (funny how that helps somehow)

So little one, I am truly anxious to meet you. I am dying to know if you are a son or a daughter. The excitement level is high in this house. As we wait, I will keep telling myself that this will end. Soon I'll be holding you in my arms instead of agonizing over another night of contractions and no baby.

I love you little one! More than you can imagine!

Love,
Mommy

And for the curious....

Prodromal Labor

Often in the past prodromal labor has been given the misnomer "false labor", yet every woman experiencing it has said in frustration "There's nothing false about what I'm feeling!" The misunderstanding has arisen because prodromal labor can feel very much like active labor, yet is not consistently progressive; it does not lead without a break to the birth of the baby. It does, though, serve an important function in the birth process. Prodromal labor does the preliminary work of preparing the uterus, baby and cervix for birth. All of this work has to be done before the baby can be born. Some women's bodies do it all without her being aware of it. However, some women's bodies draw a great deal of attention to the work being done. Too much sometimes.

(YES, TOO MUCH I'D SAY...IS THIS DRAWING LOTS OF ATTENTION TO ONE'S SELF A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME BABY?)

"This is driving me crazy," one pregnant mother sighed. "I've been having contractions off and on now for three days. Just when I think it's time to call my midwife, they completely stop again!"

Length:

* Prodromal labor contractions may begin hours or even days before active labor.

Contractions:

* The contractions may feel like Braxton Hicks contractions or they may be quite a bit stronger.
*

* They are irregular in length, frequency and intensity. The key word here is irregular. In general though, they are not longer than a minute and not more frequent than 7 to 10 minutes apart. They shouldn't be so intense that they take your breath away.

*They may or may not be affected by your activity. The wisest course is to vary your activity level, alternating periods of mild activity with rest.

Physical Effects:

* The cervix is moving from a posterior (back) position to an anterior (forward) position.

* The cervix is softening.

* The cervix is beginning its effacement or thinning. It may thin anywhere from 0% to 50% during this stage.

* You may lose your mucous plug from the cervix.

* Your cervix may begin to dilate, opening anywhere from 1 to 4 centimeters.

Emotional Effects:

* You may be quite excited when you first feel these contractions, especially if they are stronger than any you've had until now.

* As time goes on and the contractions continue without any apparent progress you may feel let down and eventually become quite tired and discouraged.

How To Cope:

* Resist the urge to call everyone immediately and tell them you are in labor. That way you will feel less like a watched pot waiting to boil. You should be able to handle these contractions with some relaxation techniques and concentration. If they are any stronger than that or you just aren't sure, you might want to go ahead and call your doula, she can help you to evaluate exactly what is going on.

* Use these contractions to get to know how your body feels as it begins the hard work of labor. Prepare mentally for the challenges you will shortly be facing.

* Now is not the time to hike ten miles or tromp through the mall for hours in a vain attempt to get labor going. You will just wear yourself out and have that much less energy for active labor. (I HAD TO LAUGH AT THIS ONE SINCE THAT WAS MY PLAN....LOL)

* Be sure to eat well. Complex carbohydrates like whole grains are especially good now; they will provide you with plenty of energy reserves. Try to stick with foods that are easy on your digestion, you don't want to be dealing with heartburn on top of labor.

* Get plenty of rest. Even if the contractions are keeping you awake at night, nap as much as you can. Again, you want to conserve your energy for the hard work ahead.

* Resist as much as possible the urge to focus too much attention on these contractions. The more you watch, the more time will drag. Try to find some distracting activities to participate in.

* Keep your spirits up; remember that these contractions are doing important work!

Wordless Wednesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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K (age 6): T, don't get down our lego things we made or D (age 2) will B-R-A-K-E I-T.
(darn homonyms)
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The night before her first swim meet, K (age 6), got out of bed and came down the hall...

Dad: What is it, K?
K: I can't get to sleep. Can you help me get to sleep?
Dad: Are you nervous?
K: No. I am not nervous. I am scared!
Dad: Why sweetie?
K: It's my first race tomorrow.

(and she did great...and had fun)
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While getting out of the car, T (age 4) randomly let me know that, "God keeps all the balloons that float away up in heaven."

(yes, she has a hard time when a balloon parts accidentally)
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K and T were going on a car ride with my parents. They were talking about the rain because we have had a ton of thunderstorms the last few weeks! One of the storms included some hail and boy did it scare them.

So the conversation went on about why T doesn't like the rain and how it makes her feel. Then she announced...

"It's OK to talk about the rain because it doesn't have ears."

(I am glad the rain won't get its feelings hurt)
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Your Turn:
(I am working on a return to the old linkies...hopefully soon!)

Summer School

Typically a post like this would be found on my homeschooling blog. But I thought this topic might have a more general appeal.

We have really stopped most of our schooling for the summer, other than bible study. Because studying and growing in the knowledge of God really never stops. After all Proverbs 9:10 reminds us that, ""The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

My oldest daughter, K (age 6), attended an amazing bible class this year where she studied Genesis through Joshua. The class was an in-depth study and helped her grow immensely in her understanding of God's Word. Unfortunately, I wasn't ready for such a great class and didn't do any follow up with her at home on those topics.

My goal this summer is to review what she learned in her class. Not only will K be able to review, but her sister will learn the material before attending the class next year. (Next year they will study Judges through Kings)

I am not doing anything elaborate. I have found that I often make bible study more complex and entertaining than it has to be. The girls just enjoy reading and discussing God's Word. Easy enough. Yet so often we put bible study aside on our "to-do" list. My main goal was to make things "simple" enough so that time in God's Word would happen every day.


The main book we are using is, The Child's Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos. This bible is definitely a step, more like a leap, up from your basic children's bibles. The entire bible is retold chapter by chapter in a chronological fashion as a story. There aren't any pictures because this bible is set up much like the real bible. It appeared a bit intimidating for my kids about a year ago, but now K is ready to listen and T is doing well with it too.

The story telling aspect of this bible is GREAT! In fact, it is amazing. I have to admit that I am weak in the area of Old Testament knowledge and this bible has taught me a lot. A lot of information is included in the story that would only be found in a study bible. Biblical characters are brought to life because more background information is provided.

In addition to the Child's Story Bible, we are using the Victor Journey through the Bible to bring interesting facts and pictures to our study of God's Word. This book provides a deeper explanation of the times, surroundings, and peoples of the bible. It is arranged chronologically, so it is easy to follow along as we read.

This week we looked up Noah and gained background knowledge about him, his three sons, and special features of the ark. I also learned that it took Noah about 120 years to build the ark. It never occurred to me that he wasn't a father before he began this project! His sons were born after the project began.

Finally, we are using the bible projects and activity suggestions from the Veritas Bible Study Series. We already created a Days of Creation Poster. It was great fun and we'll laminate it soon!

Whether we do the "extra" projects or not, it won't stop our daily reading. Too often I get caught up in planning all of the "fun" stuff, assuming the kids need that. But it just isn't true. While we all enjoyed making our poster, on days and weeks that an activity isn't possible we enjoy our time talking about God's Word.

And that is about it for the summer. Of course we read, read, read! And K is doing a little math, but our main goals have little to do with "academia" this summer!

Happy Father's Day

My husband is absolutely amazing. And without a doubt the last few months have shown that fact to be undeniably true.

He is basically a single dad around this house most nights, with an exhausted full-term pregnant wife too tired to get off the sofa.

He has been making dinner every night. Because my tired mind has lost the ability to do so. The kids are loving it as they eat nuggets, mac and cheese, pancakes, and grilled cheese regularly. But the man continually cuts up fruit and veggies for them right along with their "main dish".

He is doing the bedtime routine most nights with all three. I usually step up to the plate to read books to the girls. But the man is loaded down with the rest of the nightly bedtime routine.

He has taken over most of the cleaning. He keeps up with the laundry, scrubbing the floors, cleaning the bathrooms (though at least my mom kicks in some with that one), and the general pick up each evening.

And on top of that he keeps up with trash day, recycle day, mowing the lawn and all of the rest of the "man" chores around here.

In addition, he plays with his kids, makes it to the swim meets with two little ones in tow, takes the kids to the swing set and parks, lets mommy get naps, and seems to remain sane!!!

I don't know how he does it. But I know without a doubt he is the reason that I will make it to the end of this pregnancy. And he is the reason I will be able to survive and even enjoy those first few months of a newborn...and three other children.

Thank you to the wonderful man that lives in this house. You are an amazing daddy.

Laugh

This just made me laugh today:

Yes, I found it funny.

But I am tired.

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

There are times we lose touch with our need for God. That is one of the reasons that He gave us His law. The law humbles us and drives us to our knees before Him.

Yet, if you are like me, it is easy to get caught up in our daily routines and to-do list and lose touch with our desperate need for a Saviour.

And many of us can very easily fall into the trap of seeing the sinfulness of people around us, yet remain optimistic about our own actions and attitudes. We get so caught up in their sins that we lose sight of the subtle sins that infiltrate our own hearts.

The book, Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, is about the sins that most Christians tolerate in their daily lives. There is not a person who can read this book without feeling convicted in more than one area of their life. And most of us, if we do some honest soul searching and praying will find that we are guilty of the sins in every chapter.

The book begins with a few chapters on recognizing and dealing with sin. It then moves on to specific sins that are tolerated or unrecognized by many Christians.

The first specific sin addressed in this book is Ungodliness, the lack of God in our thoughts as we move through our day. After reading this chapter I knew this book was going to be a good, yet convicting read. And it was.

The other chapters are:

Anxiety and Frustration
Discontentment
Unthankfulness
Pride
Selfishness
Lack of Self-Control
Impatience and Irritability
Anger
The Weeds of Anger
Judgmentalism
Envy, Jealousy, and Related Sins
Sins of the Tongue
Worldliness

He elaborates on these various sins in each chapter and how they might appear respectable in our lives. Then he points us back to the cross again and again.

While it was a tough and convicting read, I have a feeling that it is a book I will read again in the future.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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D (age 2) continually congratulates himself...

I do a great job

(and he says it so enthusiastically)
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Your Turn:

Life's little surprises

If you had asked me several years ago...

I would have told you I hoped to get married one day.

I would have told you that I wanted four kids.

And I knew I would stay home with them, leaving my teaching career.

But I never ever would have thought I'd be a sports mom.

Especially not a swim team mom. I mean who on earth would spend Saturday mornings at the pool beginning at 7 AM to watch a child swim for less than 2 total minutes?

Apparently I would.

And apparently I would absolutely love it. So you might just hear about it more than once this summer because I have officially become a proud momma of a swimmer.

This past Saturday K (age 6) had time trials. Her age group completed a three lap warm up and I caught a little backstroke on video:



Eventually, the excitement of the first timed lap began:


She dove in the pool for her freestyle lap. Her dive is more like a crouched drop-in right now. So cute!


Then she was off...


First freestyle lap was complete!


Now it was time for the backstroke! I was so glad she was able to compete in this event. She had only learned the backstroke 4 days prior, but she picked it up pretty quickly.



By the end of the lap, her tired body was definitely sinking but she stayed with it until the end!


After a long morning at the pool with a ton of activity all around us, I asked her how she liked it. "It was fantastic!" she exclaimed. And she wore a HUGE smile on her face.


I dare say that she is the cutest swim team swimmer that I have ever seen.

But I admit to some bias...

Reasons I love being a mom

Because she looks so big in her racing suit and the smile never left her face.


Because I did mention that she is outrageously excited, right?


Because a carefully chosen headband should not be hidden under your hood.


Because when you are two, everything tastes better when dipped. (wheat thins and cheese in ketchup and mustard at this dipping session)


Loving motherhood each day!