Quick Takes (31)

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Dh and I went to Starbucks today for our buy one get one free holiday latte.  I had a gingerbread latte.  Yummy.  I don't have coffee much (maybe once or twice a month) because R doesn't need any more energy (ie. wildness) added to her already active state.  It was a fun treat though.  You can still go and get yours tomorrow or Sunday from 2-5pm.  Dh says he wants to go back and try another one.  We shall see.  The best part?  Starbucks put $5 on my Starbucks card for free because it had been so long since I used my card.  Basically, both of our drinks were free!  I like free.

--- 2 ---

Dh and I have finally come to a decision about the move.  I can't say what that decision is yet because people here and there still need to be notified, but I will have a post all about it soon.  Lots of thoughts are swirling around in my head and I really should process them on "paper" so to speak.  God confirmed His direction to both Dh and I on the same day.  Our prayer all along has been that God would make the way clear to both of us, and He did that.

--- 3 ---

It's hard to believe half of November has already passed.  I can't believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away.  As we've done for several years in a row, we're inviting some of my international students over to experience their 1st Thanksgiving along with some of the college students from church that can't travel home.  Thanksgiving for us is usually spent in town and our families don't often travel to be with us, so  we appreciate the opportunity to share the holiday with others who can't be with their families.  We usually prepare all the food, but since we've been doing it for so many years, Dh and I have our routine down.

--- 4 ---

This year we're doing something new for Thanksgiving.  I ordered a smoked turkey from the meat lab on campus, so it's already cooked!  All we have to do is warm it.  I can't wait to taste the smoked meat...yummy!  Dh usually does a brine the night before and then we cook it in an oven bag the next year.  It works pretty slick and tastes yummy, but this will be a new treat.

--- 5 ---

I'm addicted to a local classifieds page on Facebook.  People can post pictures and buy and sell things from our community.  My intent was to join the group to sell things we aren't using, but so far I've actually purchased more than I've sold.  I just can't turn down a good deal: a wire cookbook holder for $5, free boxes of baby oatmeal cereal, the 3 Matrix DVDs for Dh for $6 total, cute handmade Christmas decor, etc.  It's how I'm doing my Christmas shopping for Dh and R.  Ha, ha.  (I'm only half serious.)  I was able to sell our old land line phone for $15 and a converter box for $10.  Who knew people still wanted to buy those things!  And to think, I was just going to bag it up and take it to our local thrift store.  Now I have a list of new and used things that I think I can sell on the sight along with a bag of things that I plan to donate. 

--- 6 ---

My colleague is nearing the end of his life.  I can't stop thinking about him.  He's the one who was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer the end of June.  He's also the one whose class I am teaching this semester.  Nearly every day that I go to teach, I think about him.  I think about how he should be the one teaching the class and how I should be home with R.  He was the one schedule to teach the course.  He was the one who always taught this course.  And now I don't think he'll even make it to Thanksgiving.  It's so sad.  I think about him, his wife, and kids, and pray for them to have peace.  I don't know exactly what his thoughts are on death and the afterlife, but I do know that he's a Quaker.  I imagine I'll be going to his funeral before the term is over.  How sad.  I'm just reminded of how quickly life can change, and it makes me give a few more hugs to those I love around me.

--- 7 ---

 On that heavy note, phew...I don't know what else to say.  Enjoy the weekend and tell those around you that you love them!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Quick Takes (30)

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In a rut: Wow.  It's been awhile since I've done Quick Takes.  It's been awhile since I've done much blogging too.  I am just sort of in a funk.  I don't know what's wrong.  My motivation is lacking and I'm just tired.  It could be winter coming- seasonal depression?  It could be hormones, adrenals, or thyroid.  I don't know, but I'm ready to have some energy back. Blech.  I laid down for a bit this afternoon and ended up sleeping 2 hours until my DH came in and woke me because R needed to be fed.  I did not think I was that tired.

--- 2 ---

Work: I'm at the point in the semester when I'm ready for it to be over.  Students are too, I think.  Four more weeks to go, and with Thanksgiving in there, it'll surely fly by.  I just counted- 10 days left of teaching.  I love my job, I really do, and have been so thankful to do something that I love for so many years.  I've had great students this semester and the new course has been fun to teach, but my heart is really no longer in teaching.  When I'm in class with the students, it's fine, but it's all of the other time that it doesn't feel fine.  It's so hard to find time and motivation to work on my lesson plans and correct papers while at home.  DH has been super about watching R three mornings a week, but he really needs to be at work himself.  Regardless of where we are living next year, I really feel like it's time to tie up my teaching shoes for awhile.  Maybe it would be different if R was a little older or we had family in the area, but it just seems like she needs her Mama and I feel like it's my job, responsibility, and privilege to be her Mama at home with her most of the time.

--- 3 ---

Politics: I am so glad the election is over.  I really can't stand politics or politicians.  In fact, I knew I would not be happy with either outcome of the election because I can't stand either candidate- both are so shady and sly and things got so ugly with each of them and the things they were saying towards the end.  Neither was telling 100% truth, and the thought of having to spend four years seeing and listening to either Obama or Romney was almost enough to make me not want to vote for either one.  I did go and vote, but...ugh! Ryan was the only one out of the Pres/VPs that I liked.

--- 4 ---

Sleep regression and/or teething?: It seems like we are entering a new phase of sleeping with R.  During the day time, she no longer goes down in her crib easily.  She will fuss the minute we put her down and continue to get worked up.  Some fussing is normal at times for her if she is tired but wants to continue playing, for example.  But this screaming business is too much.  She's not hungry and her diaper is dry- always check those 2 things first.  I'm thinking either her ear is still bugging her (tomorrow is the last day of antibiotics...yippee.  I'm anxious for her diaper output to return to normal), she needs us to do sleep training to have a more consistent napping schedule, she is still teething, or she just feels off because of solids she is now eating.  I don't know, but it about drove DH crazy this morning when he was home alone with her.

--- 5 ---

Amber necklace: I do think the amber teething necklace is helping with R's irritability during the day time.  She might wake up from a nap extremely cranky, and we'll put the necklace on her and she seems to calm down before too long.  I don't think it's the placebo effect, but I'm still doing my research.  The only problem is I wish we could leave it on her during nap time to see if that helps with #4, but I think it's probably a strangulation hazard.  What do the other mamas do that have their little ones wear a necklace??

--- 6 ---

In awe: I am continually amazed at the power of God in creating life as I watch my little one grow and develop.  It is so amazing to me how God has made each one of us.  The things that she just knows how to do instinctively are so cool.  For example, a few weeks ago she started practice chewing with her mouth.  We hadn't started solids yet, but her little body just knew it was time to start practicing that in preparation for solids.  Another example, she still can't quite sit up on her own, but if you hold her in your lap, she does this little bopping back and forth into your chest, almost like baby sit-ups.  I think it's her strengthening her core, so she can sit up by herself.  It is so fun to watch her grow.  And as I do, I continue to think about and pray for those still battling IF.  Really, not a day goes by that I don't think about some aspect of IF and those of you still in the trenches.

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6 months: It's hard to believe 1/2 a year has already passed that we've had a baby in the house.  In some ways, it feels like she's been a part of our family for much longer.  And in other ways, it still amazes me each day that I have a baby in the house.  Am I ever going to wake up and have all this be over?  We had some pictures taken last week to celebrate her 1/2 birthday, and while she wasn't feeling the best because of her ear infection, I think our photographer managed to catch a few cute ones.  We were going for a fallish theme since it was early November.  Enjoy!

I bought this adorable hat from our farmer's market this summer.  The seller does such a great job crocheting adorable designs.  I'm pretty sure she sells them online as well.

She loved the bucket.  It was perfect size for her to sit in.

Yep, we carved a pumpkin and put her in it since this was right after Halloween.  She wasn't crazy about it, but I think that's because the inside of the pumpkin felt cold.  We did let her keep some clothes on instead of going for the naked shot like I had originally thought about.

This is how she self-soothes: 2 fingers in the mouth.  Most of the time she does it when she's going to sleep or getting tired.  This was the end of the photo shoot- she was telling us she was done.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

All Over the Place

That's where this blog post is going to be...all over the place, and that's sort of where I feel these days...all over the place.  I have been hoping to post for days, but just haven't had the motivation to upload pictures and such.  So instead of a few smaller posts, you get them all combined into one.

Colds and ear infections:  After our trip to MN a few weeks ago, R returned with a cold.  No big deal, that happened after the trip to GA.  Nose Frida became our BFF, even though it's probably the grossest thing ever (you suck snot out of your infant's nose through a long tube).  We were constantly sucking out all her congestion, and then her cold seemed to be going away and she was getting better.  Until one morning (the day after Halloween, to be exact), she woke up screaming.  I could just tell she was in pain and nothing would calm her down.  Plus, she would hardly open her eyes, which was scary.  Off to the doctor's office we went, to learn she had an ear infection, possibly some sort of eye infection going on (as a result of the ear infection?), and maybe even a sinus infection too!  No wonder she was in pain.  Poor, girl.  She had been pulling on her ear some this week, but we chalked it up to teething since she had all the other signs of teething.  A few doses of eye drops and an antibiotic later, our energetic little girl is on the mend (except we're already ready to be off the antibiotic as it's messy with her tummy).  Talk about major mommy guilt though that I didn't realize something was wrong sooner.

Fermentation: Have any of you done much with ferments? I went to a free class recently that was put on by my crunchy mama local group (that's essentially the name they call themselves).  It was so interesting to learn about the various ferments you can do, the benefits they provide to your body, and how your gut health may have an effect on your overall health.  There was lots of taste testing going on.  Here's one of my faves.  The one we tried also had fresh garlic and ginger added to the basic recipe.  Use whole carrots and peel them yourself (not baby carrots that have been preserved in choline).

Baltic Amber: I've been researching amber teething necklaces for the little person in our house.  She seems to be getting more irritable these days along with pulling on her ears and cheeks, still drooling like crazy, chewing on everything, and now sucking in her bottom lip over her gums all the time.  I think teething has begun.  I've heard about amber teething necklaces, but there were so many options.  I finally just ordered one from Inspired By Finn.  They also have a Facebook page where they give out discount codes.  Of course, I ordered one evening and the next morning there was a discount code.  Go figure.

Anyway, from what I've read, the amber that has the highest level of succinic acid in it (and thus more of the healing/anti-inflammatory properties) is the raw, light-colored, opaque amber.  Who knew, right?  The polished or semi-polished, dark-colored, clear amber has less succinic acid.  These necklaces aren't just for babies; they have adult ones as well.  I'll let you know how R's necklace works out; I may be buying one for myself- who knows!

Snow: We woke up one morning last week to a surprise snow fall!  I couldn't believe it.  I had been up at midnight with R, and it was only raining at that point.  I was up again at 5:30 and the rain had turned to snow.  We all went back to sleep, and when R woke again, we did what all normal parents do...dressed her in her snowsuit and went outside for photos!  We were still in our pjs.  We think R liked her 1st snowfall.

I will admit that it did look pretty on the trees looking out our backyard.

And the view down our street towards the mountains was spectacular.

There is just something magical about the 1st snowfall.  But still...winter is not at the top of my favorites list for seasons.  Maybe GA doesn't look so bad after all.

Leaves: I've been trying to take fun fall pictures of R this week, but she's so uninterested in the leaves or any fun "playing in the leaves" pictures I've tried to do.  We take her outside and she goes into this trance like state...just staring up at the sky.  

Well, that's about all for now.  I have more random updates, but I think I'll post this one and go to bed.  Who knows what will happen tonight with the time change and a little one!

8 Questions: Your Answers Wanted/Needed

We are back from our 3rd out-of-state trip this fall.  I would not recommend taking 3 trips (2 by plane and 1 by car) in 4 1/2 weeks with an infant.  While we enjoyed each of the trips, my energy is really sapped.  Not that I had a ton of energy to begin with (I'm still wondering about adrenal and/or thyroid problems).

Anyway...I'll talk about the trips more later, but in the meantime, the following miscellaneous questions are on my mind.  I would love responses you could give to any or all of them!

1. Is anyone in touch with Little Joann?  Is she ok?  Her blog has been taken down, and I'm worried about her.  Plus, I miss reading about Toddler Ann and Little Joe.

2. Does anyone have good websites to calculate cost of living differences between two cities?  Or is there a place I can go to find the average cost of living in one city?  I've googled and been to a few sites, but all the information is different for each calculator I've used.

3. Has anyone ever worked with a moving company that comes to pack up your house, moves it, and unpacks in the new location?  If so, how much do you clean and organize your things before they come and how much do you just get rid of things, so they don't have to move them?  I'm thinking of all the junk drawers in our house, our big plastic totes full of things, etc.  I've been trying to declutter and eliminate things since before R was born, but it's a slow process when you have so much stuff from having lived in one place for almost 10 years.  (Don't interpret this question as us having made a decision about moving.  We haven't at all, but I'm already thinking about this and wondering if I should start super-declutter mode now...just in case).

4. Are there things I can eat to increase little R's immune system?  It seems she has another cold, or at least another plugged nose after her 2nd airplane trip.  I've been trying to eat super healthy to help her get over it quicker, but I wonder if there's more I can do?  I also take a probiotic and she takes Tri-vitamin drops (Vitamins A, C, and D).  I'm exclusively nursing.

5. Do any of your little ones wear an amber necklace to help with teething?  Do they really work?  No teeth here yet, but the drool and irritability has increased.  I'm thinking teething season has started.

6. We're 2 weeks away from starting solids....oh my!  How do I start?  Do I just offer rice cereal before nursing?  How many times a day do I give rice cereal?  When do I start pureed foods?  I'm super paranoid about rice cereal since Consumer Reports came out with their article on arsenic in rice, and I'm super clueless about how to start solids.  I'd like to make my own baby food, so I borrowed a few books from a friend but haven't had a chance to read them yet.

7. Changing pad acrobatics.  That's what it's like to change a diaper in our house lately- an acrobatic feat.  We have the changing pad on the floor because as soon as you get a diaper off and start lifting her legs to change her, she's arching her back and going on her head.  It's sort of like the reverse wheelbarrow move if you ever did that in elementary school where someone picked up your legs and you had to move forward by crawling on your hands.

Anyways, I don't know how to get her to stop or at least slow down, so I can put a diaper on properly and minimize the chance of blowouts.  And if it's not the reverse wheelbarrow move, then it's rolling over onto her tummy.  I thought the novelty of these new tricks would wear off after a few weeks, but they haven't.  She also does the arching her back, lean her head backwards/upside down move while she's nursing.  That old trick continues as well.  Maybe she just likes looking at the world upside down?

Thanks in advance for any answers or experiences you might be able to share.  Once again, I am humbled by how little I know about raising a child, and yet she seems to be turning out ok so far:-)  It must be those prayers.

"Whom Shall I Fear?"

I was driving to work this morning when God spoke to me through music on the radio.  He does this often.  I'm not sure why He so frequently chooses to speak to me in the car, but maybe it's because I'm focused on the words of the music (and the road, of course).  My mind is usually thinking about a lot, and I almost always have the one Christian radio station in town on because I know I need to fill my mind with positive thoughts during my drive time.  I'm never in the car long (10-15 minutes thanks to small town life), yet often have powerful encounters.

Today was no different.  DH recently got a call officially offering him the job in ATL.  Even though we knew this was most likely coming, until he received the official call, we could just pretend like it was a long ways off and we didn't have to make any decisions.  Now that he's been offered the job, we DO have to decide if we're moving or not.  It's not some far off decision.  It is here and now.  And while we're waiting to receive all of the paperwork and detailed compensation package, we've already begun talking about where we feel God might be leading.

So I was in the car today thinking about the potential move and all that would be involved.  In particular, I was thinking of having to say goodbye to all of the people I've built relationships with here the past 9 years.  This is the longest I've lived any where since I was young at home growing up. 

I was thinking about pulling out of the driveway for the last time and saying goodbye to our home.  That may sound weird, but this home has so many memories.  It was our 1st home we lived in as a married couple and now that's been 7 1/2 years.  It was our 1st home with a nursery.  The home we brought Baby R in to.  It's already filled with so many memories in just that short time.

I was thinking about R never knowing the place she was born.

I was thinking about having to start over with every thing...a new home, new church, making new relationships, new doctors, new this, new that, etc.

And it was all a little overwhelming and emotional. 

And just as I turned off and was getting ready to park at my building, I heard this new song by Chris Tomlin, "Whom Shall I Fear?"  I sat in the parking lot until it was over, and thanked God for speaking to me so clearly today.

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear?

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though trouble linger still
Whom shall I fear?

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies is always by my side

My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful

The chorus is what really struck me: "I know who goes before...I know who stands behind..." God.  God is the One who goes before me to pave the way should we decide to move.  God is the One who stands behind me to support me in the decision making process.  There is no reason to fear.  There's no reason to fear the decision that we make, and no reason to fear the future.

And with that, I got out of my car and went to teach, vowing to look up that song as soon as I got home.  I had a feeling it might become my theme song for the coming weeks.  The bad news is since it's a new song, it's not available on iTunes yet and the album doesn't come out until January.  Bummer.  But I wanted to share, nonetheless, in case someone else is struggling with fear of the future.

Waiting Well

Waiting on God.  

I'm an extremely impatient person, so learning to wait has been hard for me, especially waiting on God and His timing in my life.  The hardest waiting periods of my life so far have been waiting to meet and marry my DH, waiting for God to grow our family with a child, and waiting for loved ones to recognize their need for God and return to Him and His Church.

The 3rd waiting example is a little different than the first two, and I will just speak to those two.  In the first two cases, I can still clearly remember the angst, jealousy, and fear that would crop up as I spent months and then years waiting to see what God had in store for me regarding marriage and children.  The waiting would grow harder as I looked around to see those friends and family members all around me doing the things that my heart longed to do (get married, have kids).  And that was what I found interesting...the more I would look around at others, the more I would grow restless and uncomfortable in that current season of life.  The more I would look up at God, trusting Him in that season, the more tolerable my current season of life would be.

I have so many more thoughts on waiting as I find myself again waiting on God.  Waiting to see what He has in store for our family regarding this move (which in no way compares to the above two long seasons of waiting that I had to endure.  I want to make sure that is clear.  There are different kinds and lengths of waiting; some are definitely harder than others.), but I want to encourage each of you in a waiting season of life right now to head on over to this blog, In its time.  The author is posting every day in October about some aspect of waiting.  She has such amazing things to say about waiting- worship and waiting, God's promises and waiting, learning how to wait, waiting well, etc.  I have no doubt that if you find yourself in a season of waiting, at least one of the 31 posts she does this month will touch your heart and speak to you.  I know they have for me already.

Her 1st Flight

***Posting this now as-is since we've already taken a 2nd trip as a family and I haven't posted details about the 1st one. Time to get these posts out of the draft stage!

We were gone Thursday-Monday, and if you remember, this was for an on-site interview for a potential new job for DH.  This is a job that came out of the blue.  We weren't looking to move; the opportunity was just sort of placed before us.  And while we aren't necessarily looking to move right now, there really wasn't a reason to say no to their request for us to come visit.  Sure, it wasn't very convenient to travel with an infant, nor was it  enjoyable to fly 1,500 miles, but we did it and I'm glad we did.  Turns out R is quite the little traveler.

We left Thursday morning, after feeding R, with an hour and a half drive to the airport.  She dozed a little bit on the way down, then I put her in the Ergo to walk around the airport.  We boarded our flight during the pre-boarding because she was hungry.  I was able to nurse before many of the people got on board, and we were able to make sure there was space in the overhead bin for our luggage.  The nice thing about the plane was it was 2-3-2 for the seating configuration, which meant I had a window seat with R and DH had the aisle.  We were near the back of the plane, so DH could step to the back and rock R when she became fussy.  That made the 3 1/2 hour flight much more bearable.

With a full belly, R quickly fell asleep on take-off.  Woo hoo!  This was working great...until 20 mins. into the flight- she filled a diaper.  Stinky!  We had to wait until the seat belt sign was off to go and change her.  Did you know most planes don't have a changing table in any of the bathrooms?!?  I didn't know that.  We took a blanket from the airline, put it on top of the toilet seat and attempted to change the diaper.  It was a 2 person job.  And of course, it was a diaper blowout..complete with a new clothing change as well.

Phew.  At least we got that taken care of.  She should fall back asleep now, right?  Wrong.  30 mins. later we hear that familiar sound....another diaper filled!  Off the 3 of us go to the back of the plane to maneuver another diaper change in the teeny bathroom...one person holding the baby and the door open, another changing the diaper.  Man. That's a lot of work.

Back to our seats to relax and 30 mins. later...guess what?  A 3rd diaper change was needed.  Now I realize this blog is dealing with way too much poo lately, but seriously...3 poopy diaper changes on one airline flight was too many for me.  I wondered if it was some kind of "you're on candid camera" kind of joke.  And surely the people sitting behind us must have wondered what was going on after we got up 3 times with a diaper in hand.  I'm guessing it was something to do with the pressure of the ascent because rarely does she have 3 messy diapers a day, and I can't remember ever having 3 so close together.  Well, by this point she was getting fussy and not wanting to sleep, so DH took her back to try and rock her to sleep before returning to the seats.

All in all, not too bad for R's 1st flight.  We survived, and I'm so glad I had DH along to help. 

The flight home was less eventful.  She slept for 2 1/2 of the 3 1/2 hours on my lap, so while various parts of my lower extremities were tingling and numb from not moving, it was relatively easy to survive the 2nd flight.  The filling of the diaper came on the descent, which meant we were able to change the diaper in the "luxury" of a bathroom on the ground.  Ahh...it's the little things.

Next up...her 1st road trip!