Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas 2007
We had a lovely Christmas day, rather calm considering years past. We really kept it simple this year and it was so nice. Silas was thrilled to have multiple presents to open, but we made his pile very obvious to keep the "is there any more" questions limited. He got a few cheap presents in his stocking from Santa, but I don't think it mattered too much to him this year. We read loads of books about St. Nicholas leading up to the holiday, so I think the excitment of Santa was toned down for him. I don't want to be legalistic, but I also don't want to lie to my child, so we're taking the "let's pretend" approach. I think it's fun to pretend Santa brings gifts, but I don't necessarily think you have to all out lie in order to have that fun. It's a year-by-year evolution for us; I'm sure more will develop next year.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Projects...
I've just returned from visiting my very dearest friend in the whole world, Faith. She moved to Seattle last winter and all summer long I was hoping to make a trek out with Silas to see her. Unfortunately, it took a major life tragedy for me to realize that I needed to see my bestest friend. It was wonderful!
And she is sooooo organized! I came away not only with a renewed spirit and refreshed soul, but also with the motivation to organize and finish projects that I've started. I have since reorganized my kitchen cabinets, cleared off my counters so that I actually have usable counter-top space, straightened the pantry, decluttered the hall closet, sorted Silas' closet and packed away his too small clothes as well as listed some of his things that were never worn on Craig's List... I'm on a mission!
It feels so good to declutter. How does it all accumulate so fast? Why do I feel that everything is so important that it can't be parted with? Why don't I set aside time to do this on a regular basis?
Stay tuned... more coming!
And she is sooooo organized! I came away not only with a renewed spirit and refreshed soul, but also with the motivation to organize and finish projects that I've started. I have since reorganized my kitchen cabinets, cleared off my counters so that I actually have usable counter-top space, straightened the pantry, decluttered the hall closet, sorted Silas' closet and packed away his too small clothes as well as listed some of his things that were never worn on Craig's List... I'm on a mission!
It feels so good to declutter. How does it all accumulate so fast? Why do I feel that everything is so important that it can't be parted with? Why don't I set aside time to do this on a regular basis?
Stay tuned... more coming!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Knitting to Cope
Well, here's a little update, and a partial reason why I haven't been much of a blogger. I have been knitting a ton lately, but not just to pass time. It has also been therapy, filling my need to create something.
For those who haven't talked to me in the last few months, I was pregnant. We were trying. We were thrilled. All was well. I went in for a routine check-up at 10 weeks only to receive the most dreaded words from my doctor:
"I'm afraid it doesn't look good."
Instead of seeing a 10 week old baby actively moving about, there was a nearly empty uterus with an inactive "fetal pull" measuring only 6 weeks.
I was devastated. We had already told Silas (we had no reason to think we shouldn’t), making a huge deal out of it, and now what would we say to him? It was too much.
Our options were to wait for my body to recognize that it was not supporting a viable pregnancy and miscarry naturally, or to speed it up with drugs or surgery. We chose to wait a bit to see if there could be any mistake. Three ultrasounds and a second opinion later, I went in for surgery.
In waiting nearly three weeks, I could feel the weight of the gloom and despair crushing my spirit. I had little energy to be a mom, but thankfully, I am already blessed with a beautiful, healthy, and highly energetic three year old boy who deserves more from me than depression has to offer. We are not a family who keeps the TV on all day, but I felt a little entitled to that luxury given my situation, so with Silas happily watching another episode of “The Backyardigans”, I sat beside him knitting.
Knitting brought me such comfort during that time. In 12 days, I completed a moss green rolled neck pullover sweater for my first born. I would post a picture of him wearing it here if my little blessing would only put it on. He was quite happy to leave me alone while I was making it for him, but the first time he tried it on, he decided he didn’t like it because it was too big and since refuses to wear it. Of course, I did make it a little big – one doesn’t make something that takes THAT much time in the perfect size for a little person growing at such an alarming rate. But that is logic too sophisticated for a three year old.
And so, the sweater has been put away. It doesn’t really hurt my feelings much, as it represents something sacred anyway. I now understand what David meant when he said, “You knit me in my mother’s womb.” Knitting is a slow craft. Each and every stitch is placed with love, and carefully, a garment begins to unfold. It cannot be hurried or you might drop a stitch. It cannot be done absent-mindedly or you might miss an important step in the pattern. It must be done with intent and with skill. And this is the image we’re given of a God who carefully creates each and every one of us. This is the God in whom I can trust when I am pregnant again and the flood of worries creep in.
I am still healing. It will take time, but my faith is being renewed. God is good.
For those who haven't talked to me in the last few months, I was pregnant. We were trying. We were thrilled. All was well. I went in for a routine check-up at 10 weeks only to receive the most dreaded words from my doctor:
"I'm afraid it doesn't look good."
Instead of seeing a 10 week old baby actively moving about, there was a nearly empty uterus with an inactive "fetal pull" measuring only 6 weeks.
I was devastated. We had already told Silas (we had no reason to think we shouldn’t), making a huge deal out of it, and now what would we say to him? It was too much.
Our options were to wait for my body to recognize that it was not supporting a viable pregnancy and miscarry naturally, or to speed it up with drugs or surgery. We chose to wait a bit to see if there could be any mistake. Three ultrasounds and a second opinion later, I went in for surgery.
In waiting nearly three weeks, I could feel the weight of the gloom and despair crushing my spirit. I had little energy to be a mom, but thankfully, I am already blessed with a beautiful, healthy, and highly energetic three year old boy who deserves more from me than depression has to offer. We are not a family who keeps the TV on all day, but I felt a little entitled to that luxury given my situation, so with Silas happily watching another episode of “The Backyardigans”, I sat beside him knitting.
Knitting brought me such comfort during that time. In 12 days, I completed a moss green rolled neck pullover sweater for my first born. I would post a picture of him wearing it here if my little blessing would only put it on. He was quite happy to leave me alone while I was making it for him, but the first time he tried it on, he decided he didn’t like it because it was too big and since refuses to wear it. Of course, I did make it a little big – one doesn’t make something that takes THAT much time in the perfect size for a little person growing at such an alarming rate. But that is logic too sophisticated for a three year old.
And so, the sweater has been put away. It doesn’t really hurt my feelings much, as it represents something sacred anyway. I now understand what David meant when he said, “You knit me in my mother’s womb.” Knitting is a slow craft. Each and every stitch is placed with love, and carefully, a garment begins to unfold. It cannot be hurried or you might drop a stitch. It cannot be done absent-mindedly or you might miss an important step in the pattern. It must be done with intent and with skill. And this is the image we’re given of a God who carefully creates each and every one of us. This is the God in whom I can trust when I am pregnant again and the flood of worries creep in.
I am still healing. It will take time, but my faith is being renewed. God is good.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Coconut Oil
I have a new favorite item: Coconut oil! I use it to saute` vegtables, bake zucchini bread, and I use it on my face and hands as a moisturizer! It doesn't get any better than this!
I have to give credit to Betsy for starting me on the coconut oil craze. She peaked my interested when she said she rubs solid coconut oil onto her skin in place of sunblock. I haven't been able to find any research to give me an SPF rating, but there is historical evidence that it has protected Pacific Islanders from the harsh rays of the sun for years. Of course, these people also have more melanine in their skin, so it's difficult to give all the credit to coconut oil without any research to back it up. My skin is on the fair side, and I'm afraid I will still get too much sun through a thick layer of coconut oil, but it is my favorite night time moisturizer.
It takes a little getting used to as it is solid at room temperature but melts at 76 degrees. So when baking, I melt the coconut oil first, but as soon as I add the cold eggs to it, it coagulates. The texture changes with each added ingredient until the final batter looks pretty normal and the end result is the same, but better. Coconut oil is supposed to be very healthy for you, unlike vegetable oils.
Here's the skinny on the fats:
Coconut oil is a medium chained saturated fat, and even though most saturated fats are bad, a medium chained one somehow is not. It is used in formulas for infants as well as liquid nutrition for critically ill patients. Surely, there must be some good science out there to promote giving it to the most vulnerable of society! It also contains lauric acid which is only found in mother's milk - making it a perfect food for infants.
Also, it doesn't change it's healthy qualities when heated. Olive oil is very good for you in it's extra virgen unheated state, but loses many of it's health benefits once heated. So I saute in coconut oil and before serving, toss in fresh olive oil.
If nothing else, it's just fun to eat your beauty products. :)
I have to give credit to Betsy for starting me on the coconut oil craze. She peaked my interested when she said she rubs solid coconut oil onto her skin in place of sunblock. I haven't been able to find any research to give me an SPF rating, but there is historical evidence that it has protected Pacific Islanders from the harsh rays of the sun for years. Of course, these people also have more melanine in their skin, so it's difficult to give all the credit to coconut oil without any research to back it up. My skin is on the fair side, and I'm afraid I will still get too much sun through a thick layer of coconut oil, but it is my favorite night time moisturizer.
It takes a little getting used to as it is solid at room temperature but melts at 76 degrees. So when baking, I melt the coconut oil first, but as soon as I add the cold eggs to it, it coagulates. The texture changes with each added ingredient until the final batter looks pretty normal and the end result is the same, but better. Coconut oil is supposed to be very healthy for you, unlike vegetable oils.
Here's the skinny on the fats:
Coconut oil is a medium chained saturated fat, and even though most saturated fats are bad, a medium chained one somehow is not. It is used in formulas for infants as well as liquid nutrition for critically ill patients. Surely, there must be some good science out there to promote giving it to the most vulnerable of society! It also contains lauric acid which is only found in mother's milk - making it a perfect food for infants.
Also, it doesn't change it's healthy qualities when heated. Olive oil is very good for you in it's extra virgen unheated state, but loses many of it's health benefits once heated. So I saute in coconut oil and before serving, toss in fresh olive oil.
If nothing else, it's just fun to eat your beauty products. :)
Friday, June 08, 2007
We need each other...
I'm inspired to blog a bit after reading the blog of a dear friend (her blog is private or else I would have linked it here.) I am reminded how much we need each other, espeically when the "we" is of the stay-at-home-mom variety.
We moms get such little value by society. It's incredibly lonely when you think you're the only one who is dealing with such and such right now. And even though on some level we know that we're not the first to deal with a blow-out swim diaper 20 minutes into your afternoon at the pool, it doesn't make it any more fun to clean up. But having another mom come in while your finishing up and acknowledge how yucky that just was makes all the difference.
I am so blessed with an amazing group of moms at my church. Their companionship is invaluable to me. Just knowing that there are so many other women who feel just as I do at times is such a comfort. And witnessing a new mom to the group feel their warmth and acceptance is priceless.
And God has orchestrated so many amazing women to bless and encourage me on this journey that I couldn't possibly list them all, but I think I'll try...
Thank you, Faith, Keri, Cara, Melissa, Beth, Erin, Betsy, Gina, Shannan, Lydia, Jill, Deb, Nicole, Karen, Elizabeth, Audra, Juhee, Marcy, Kim, Julie, Beth, Cynthia, Jeni, Lynn, Jen, Ruth, Kellie, Miranda, Tiffany, Jessica, Cari, Ami, Anne... You are each as ministers of God to me, teachers of the Law, Rabbis of old, unlocking mysteries through your open lives. Thank you.
We moms get such little value by society. It's incredibly lonely when you think you're the only one who is dealing with such and such right now. And even though on some level we know that we're not the first to deal with a blow-out swim diaper 20 minutes into your afternoon at the pool, it doesn't make it any more fun to clean up. But having another mom come in while your finishing up and acknowledge how yucky that just was makes all the difference.
I am so blessed with an amazing group of moms at my church. Their companionship is invaluable to me. Just knowing that there are so many other women who feel just as I do at times is such a comfort. And witnessing a new mom to the group feel their warmth and acceptance is priceless.
And God has orchestrated so many amazing women to bless and encourage me on this journey that I couldn't possibly list them all, but I think I'll try...
Thank you, Faith, Keri, Cara, Melissa, Beth, Erin, Betsy, Gina, Shannan, Lydia, Jill, Deb, Nicole, Karen, Elizabeth, Audra, Juhee, Marcy, Kim, Julie, Beth, Cynthia, Jeni, Lynn, Jen, Ruth, Kellie, Miranda, Tiffany, Jessica, Cari, Ami, Anne... You are each as ministers of God to me, teachers of the Law, Rabbis of old, unlocking mysteries through your open lives. Thank you.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
London Trip
Our first day started late, coming in on a red-eye flight didn't quite settle well with the whole group. I am notorious for my insomnia, so I function very well on very little sleep, but that is not the case for any of the in-law kids - my-Steve, Rachel, and Amy are all sleep-addicts! So after a bit of rest, we all headed to the Tower of London, with barely enough time to see it all. We were too late for any of the guided beefeater tours, but we did get to see the Crown Jewels with no crowds - a nice treat for the Lindsay clan. And Rick Steves guidebook gave a good description of what we were seeing - the 530 carat diamond that was just one of nine stones cut from the largest diamond ever found, over 3000 carats - is in the center of the Sovereign's Scepter - we never would have appreciated that fully with good ole Rick. (Rick came along on all our adventures, so I really did act as tour guide for most of the trip. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about being "in charge" of my family, but I had done my homework, so it all went very smoothly. )
After the Tower, we took a river cruise up the Thames to Westminister Pier, snapped some lovely pictures of Big Ben, then had dinner at the Red Lion pub - rather good for English food.
We were up early every day, hitting it hard all day long. We were the first group into to Westminister Abbey on our 2nd day - lunched in St. James park on sandwiches, then visited the Churchill War Museum. It was so cool to see the actual room where Churchill commanded the Allied troops during WWII. I've never been a war buff, but ever since "Saving Private Ryan", I feel more of a duty to understand as much as I can about our grandparents generation and the sacrifices they made on our behalf. Learning about the "Blitz" means so much more to me now that I've seen beautiful chapels at Westminsiter Abbey that were nearly destroyed by the night after night bombing that went on for a year. From here we walked to Buckingham Palace then caught a bus to the British Museum. We spent considerable time in the Parthenon galleries. Vin, did you all think it funny that Lord Elgin had taken the marble panels and justified it as preserving art and history? Sure, that may have been the case in 18-whatever when he took them (lots of treasure seeking tourists removing a bit of some priceless artifact - even my papaw claims to have a piece of the Blanery Stone in his fireplace!), but that's not the reason to keep them today! It should be interesting to see how this little drama plays out.
Saturaday morning we got up early, again, this time to see a true street market at opening time. We chose the Portobella Road market in Notting Hill - but probably should have gone to the Camden Lock Market. Portobello was dull, with no good deals to be found. We left early and were at Harrod's by 11:00 - did a quick canvas of the place, but as Vin said, it's really just a department store, so after an overpriced and not very exciting lunch, we headed to Kensington Palace to see the Diana Exhibit. It was fun to see the dresses I had admired in pictures; the dark velvet gown she wore when she visited the White House and danced with John Travolta was one of my favorite. And the portraits and audioguide were well worth the price of admission.
Saturday night we saw the Blue Man Group - the theater was very intimate and the audience participation was suprisingly hilarious. At one point, I was laughing so hard that I just stopped, felt guilty that I had stopped, but realized that my face was hurting again so I had to stop, and then started laughing again. So much fun!
On Sunday morning Steve and I tried to attend a Vineyard Church plant, but here my research failed me. I should have called them before showing up at the address, as it turned out to be an apartment building and most likely the address of the pastor. Opps. But it did get us down to Bankside early on Sunday, so after a short time of prayer and Bible reading by the Thames, we strolled along the Jubilee Walk, passing the Clink Museum (the old prison where we get the phrase"thrown in the Clink"), City Hall, and stopping for a tour of the new Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Steve had to be convinced that this replica wasn't a total waste of time, but I didn't want to back down here again, so I dragged him in. It would have been more fun to see it while watching one of the bards' plays, but, alas, the season hadn't started yet so we had to do with our guided tour. We then ate fish and chips at a pub in front of the Tate Modern (we didn't go in even though it was on the itinerary), and then walked across the Thames on the Millenium Bridge. We hopped on the tube to Piccadilly Circus for more site-seeing, grabbed some ice cream and then wandered on to Trafalgar Square and toured the "Monet to Picasso" exhibit at the National Gallery. I had no idea that I like Van Gogh so much, but his works were by far my favorite! Then we popped into St. Martin-in-the-Fields church where a choir was rehearsing for the final service before closing for extensive remodeling until September. The acustics reminded me of Hughes Auditorium, but on a more intimate scale. I can see why so many wonderful classical pieces are recorded there!
We rejoined the group Sunday night and had dinner at a french restuarant (per Stephen's request, who was tired of bad English food), and i tried raw oysters for the first time. I was surprised that I like them! From there, we walked back to Trafalgar Square and took pictures by the Lions, though it was dark so I doubt they will turn out. Then Amy needed a bathroom, so we ended up in a bar and had a drink and I got my groove on down in the basement dance club.
On Monday we scheduled a private tour guide to take us to see Stonehenge and Bath - what a disaster! It was the one day that I thought would be delightful and easy to enjoy, but instead it was by far the most frustratingly annoying days of the entire trip! It really wasn't that bad, but just very disappointing as there were so many awesome things to see in Bath. The problem was our tourguide. She either doesn't like her job or really likes being rude to Americans - something it seems many elitist Europeans feel entitted to do. (We ran into a few more of these people along the trip, but she was by far over the top!) We got off to a bad start as a couple of us (me included) showed up with cups of coffee and snacks to nourish ourselves on our 6 hours in the car. Without welcoming us to our tour and oh, I'm sorry, we don't allow food in the vehicle, she very nastily told us off and then ordered us to dispose of the contraband and load up. Mom gets very car sick in cars and always has to sit in front, but she was actually trying to get one of us to ride up front with her so she wouldn't have to! Our favorite comment of the day was, "You all would make Hitler proud" referring to the 4 of us women and our blond hair. Nice. She did warm up a bit after she had half a pint at lunch and I'm sure we surprised her when we handed her a 40pound tip (Dad made us each cough up 10p and let me tell you, I did NOT want to. He said it would be a good witness, blah, blah!)
Bath was beautiful, I only wished we had had more time there. We got trapped at the Roman Baths behind hoards of locals as Monday was a bank holiday and everyone was off. The JaneAusten Centre was my desired destination for our time in bath and I barely had enough time to do it justice. I will just have to go back to Bath and do it right. Thankfully, the weather had cleared by the time we got there as it had been cold and rainy for our visit to Stonehenge - I really didn't think much of Stonehenge. Having been to some amazing pre-western pyramids in Latin America, I'm sorry but a few rocks in a circle were not that impressive.
(Nearly done with the blow-by-blow trip details - are you still hanging in there?? I started this 10 days ago and have had little time to stop since I've been home, so be happy I'm not just writing, "It was a good trip. We had fun." Okay?)
Mom and dad, Stephen & Rachel and Steve and I started our last day at St. Paul's Cathedral. Dusty and Amy stayed at the hotel as Amy had a migraine; Dusty ended up at the Imperial War Museum by himself for 4 hours. I guess maybe he started getting into museums after all! We climbed all 434 steps (plus 12 for me - I wasn't going to go up to the 3 rd level, so I headed back down, only to be talked into going up to the top, adding 12 steps onto the 434 total!) From St. Paul's, Mom and dad did the Victorian and Albert Museum and another trip to Harrods (not sure why). And Stephen and Rachel went with Steve and me to Windsor and Oxford. We weren't really planning to go to Oxford, but Steve REALLY wanted to go, so we hopped another train and took a guided Oxford hop-on-hop off tour. We had dinner at the Eagle and Child which was VERY yummy, surprisingly. Windsor Castle was just beautiful and the weather was completely perfect. Our favorite thing was the Queen Mary Dollhouse - a perfect replica of Buckingham Palace given to the Queen as a present from her people. I've always loved miniture things.
Wednesday morning, we left our hotel at 5:30 a.m. and really only slept about 2 hours that night. We got through security at London Healthrow and crashed a little - steve did some shopping and I had one last treat from Eat, my favorite London to-go food store that offered fresh sandwiches, croissants, coffee, and all other yummy FRESH healthy delicious thing you can imagine. Unfortuntantely, our fatigue caught us a little off guard and we didn't realize that we left something VERY important at the security check point: Steve's laptop. When we got to JFK and had to go through security again, Steve opened his brief case to put his laptop through the x-ray machine and it wasn't there. He had left it in London. He had insisted on bringing an extra carry-on and so he had just too many things to keep track of and he simlpy forgot to pick it up. It is 17 days since we returned and he still hasn't gotten it back - they did find it, but it has been a nightmare getting it shipped back. We have never tried to import something before, so we don't know if FedEx is being ridiculous or if this is just what we should expect.
After the Tower, we took a river cruise up the Thames to Westminister Pier, snapped some lovely pictures of Big Ben, then had dinner at the Red Lion pub - rather good for English food.
We were up early every day, hitting it hard all day long. We were the first group into to Westminister Abbey on our 2nd day - lunched in St. James park on sandwiches, then visited the Churchill War Museum. It was so cool to see the actual room where Churchill commanded the Allied troops during WWII. I've never been a war buff, but ever since "Saving Private Ryan", I feel more of a duty to understand as much as I can about our grandparents generation and the sacrifices they made on our behalf. Learning about the "Blitz" means so much more to me now that I've seen beautiful chapels at Westminsiter Abbey that were nearly destroyed by the night after night bombing that went on for a year. From here we walked to Buckingham Palace then caught a bus to the British Museum. We spent considerable time in the Parthenon galleries. Vin, did you all think it funny that Lord Elgin had taken the marble panels and justified it as preserving art and history? Sure, that may have been the case in 18-whatever when he took them (lots of treasure seeking tourists removing a bit of some priceless artifact - even my papaw claims to have a piece of the Blanery Stone in his fireplace!), but that's not the reason to keep them today! It should be interesting to see how this little drama plays out.
Saturaday morning we got up early, again, this time to see a true street market at opening time. We chose the Portobella Road market in Notting Hill - but probably should have gone to the Camden Lock Market. Portobello was dull, with no good deals to be found. We left early and were at Harrod's by 11:00 - did a quick canvas of the place, but as Vin said, it's really just a department store, so after an overpriced and not very exciting lunch, we headed to Kensington Palace to see the Diana Exhibit. It was fun to see the dresses I had admired in pictures; the dark velvet gown she wore when she visited the White House and danced with John Travolta was one of my favorite. And the portraits and audioguide were well worth the price of admission.
Saturday night we saw the Blue Man Group - the theater was very intimate and the audience participation was suprisingly hilarious. At one point, I was laughing so hard that I just stopped, felt guilty that I had stopped, but realized that my face was hurting again so I had to stop, and then started laughing again. So much fun!
On Sunday morning Steve and I tried to attend a Vineyard Church plant, but here my research failed me. I should have called them before showing up at the address, as it turned out to be an apartment building and most likely the address of the pastor. Opps. But it did get us down to Bankside early on Sunday, so after a short time of prayer and Bible reading by the Thames, we strolled along the Jubilee Walk, passing the Clink Museum (the old prison where we get the phrase"thrown in the Clink"), City Hall, and stopping for a tour of the new Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Steve had to be convinced that this replica wasn't a total waste of time, but I didn't want to back down here again, so I dragged him in. It would have been more fun to see it while watching one of the bards' plays, but, alas, the season hadn't started yet so we had to do with our guided tour. We then ate fish and chips at a pub in front of the Tate Modern (we didn't go in even though it was on the itinerary), and then walked across the Thames on the Millenium Bridge. We hopped on the tube to Piccadilly Circus for more site-seeing, grabbed some ice cream and then wandered on to Trafalgar Square and toured the "Monet to Picasso" exhibit at the National Gallery. I had no idea that I like Van Gogh so much, but his works were by far my favorite! Then we popped into St. Martin-in-the-Fields church where a choir was rehearsing for the final service before closing for extensive remodeling until September. The acustics reminded me of Hughes Auditorium, but on a more intimate scale. I can see why so many wonderful classical pieces are recorded there!
We rejoined the group Sunday night and had dinner at a french restuarant (per Stephen's request, who was tired of bad English food), and i tried raw oysters for the first time. I was surprised that I like them! From there, we walked back to Trafalgar Square and took pictures by the Lions, though it was dark so I doubt they will turn out. Then Amy needed a bathroom, so we ended up in a bar and had a drink and I got my groove on down in the basement dance club.
On Monday we scheduled a private tour guide to take us to see Stonehenge and Bath - what a disaster! It was the one day that I thought would be delightful and easy to enjoy, but instead it was by far the most frustratingly annoying days of the entire trip! It really wasn't that bad, but just very disappointing as there were so many awesome things to see in Bath. The problem was our tourguide. She either doesn't like her job or really likes being rude to Americans - something it seems many elitist Europeans feel entitted to do. (We ran into a few more of these people along the trip, but she was by far over the top!) We got off to a bad start as a couple of us (me included) showed up with cups of coffee and snacks to nourish ourselves on our 6 hours in the car. Without welcoming us to our tour and oh, I'm sorry, we don't allow food in the vehicle, she very nastily told us off and then ordered us to dispose of the contraband and load up. Mom gets very car sick in cars and always has to sit in front, but she was actually trying to get one of us to ride up front with her so she wouldn't have to! Our favorite comment of the day was, "You all would make Hitler proud" referring to the 4 of us women and our blond hair. Nice. She did warm up a bit after she had half a pint at lunch and I'm sure we surprised her when we handed her a 40pound tip (Dad made us each cough up 10p and let me tell you, I did NOT want to. He said it would be a good witness, blah, blah!)
Bath was beautiful, I only wished we had had more time there. We got trapped at the Roman Baths behind hoards of locals as Monday was a bank holiday and everyone was off. The JaneAusten Centre was my desired destination for our time in bath and I barely had enough time to do it justice. I will just have to go back to Bath and do it right. Thankfully, the weather had cleared by the time we got there as it had been cold and rainy for our visit to Stonehenge - I really didn't think much of Stonehenge. Having been to some amazing pre-western pyramids in Latin America, I'm sorry but a few rocks in a circle were not that impressive.
(Nearly done with the blow-by-blow trip details - are you still hanging in there?? I started this 10 days ago and have had little time to stop since I've been home, so be happy I'm not just writing, "It was a good trip. We had fun." Okay?)
Mom and dad, Stephen & Rachel and Steve and I started our last day at St. Paul's Cathedral. Dusty and Amy stayed at the hotel as Amy had a migraine; Dusty ended up at the Imperial War Museum by himself for 4 hours. I guess maybe he started getting into museums after all! We climbed all 434 steps (plus 12 for me - I wasn't going to go up to the 3 rd level, so I headed back down, only to be talked into going up to the top, adding 12 steps onto the 434 total!) From St. Paul's, Mom and dad did the Victorian and Albert Museum and another trip to Harrods (not sure why). And Stephen and Rachel went with Steve and me to Windsor and Oxford. We weren't really planning to go to Oxford, but Steve REALLY wanted to go, so we hopped another train and took a guided Oxford hop-on-hop off tour. We had dinner at the Eagle and Child which was VERY yummy, surprisingly. Windsor Castle was just beautiful and the weather was completely perfect. Our favorite thing was the Queen Mary Dollhouse - a perfect replica of Buckingham Palace given to the Queen as a present from her people. I've always loved miniture things.
Wednesday morning, we left our hotel at 5:30 a.m. and really only slept about 2 hours that night. We got through security at London Healthrow and crashed a little - steve did some shopping and I had one last treat from Eat, my favorite London to-go food store that offered fresh sandwiches, croissants, coffee, and all other yummy FRESH healthy delicious thing you can imagine. Unfortuntantely, our fatigue caught us a little off guard and we didn't realize that we left something VERY important at the security check point: Steve's laptop. When we got to JFK and had to go through security again, Steve opened his brief case to put his laptop through the x-ray machine and it wasn't there. He had left it in London. He had insisted on bringing an extra carry-on and so he had just too many things to keep track of and he simlpy forgot to pick it up. It is 17 days since we returned and he still hasn't gotten it back - they did find it, but it has been a nightmare getting it shipped back. We have never tried to import something before, so we don't know if FedEx is being ridiculous or if this is just what we should expect.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
An update on the vegan thing...
I realized that it was exactly one year ago today that I began my experiment to shift our family's meat centered diet to a meatless one. I suppose it's time to record how the year went.
After reading the China Study referred to in last year's blog, I decided to conduct my own experiment. I have a family history of heart disease and my own cholestoral was high, so I wanted to see how eating no animal proteins would affect me. My doctor agreed to check my cholesterol on my regular meat eating diet and then to check it again after 30 days on a vegan diet. The results were profound. My total cholestoral was lowered 49 points in just 30 days! That significant outcome caused me to seriously consider the role of animal proteins in our diet.
Of course, this new way of eating would affect the whole family, so at a well-visit with our son's pediatrian, I asked for her advice. She was very kind in advising me; she didn't roll her eyes or argue the merits of meat. She strongly suggested daily consumption of yogurt and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Silas tends to not each much meat as it is, so I had already discovered the merits of Morning Star Farms Chik Nuggets and Corn Dogs. I have to admit that we're still not as balanced as I'd like, but he sees us eating a variety of foods that I wasn't accustomed to preparing.
We are NOT a vegan family. I do think it is a wonderful lifestyle choice for some people, but at this point in our lives, it is not for us. After praying about whether or not to continue the vegan way of eating, I remembered God's promise to the people of Israel to give them a land flowing with "milk and honey". And that is where my faith stepped in to calm the storm within me. My Lord created milk as well as meat for human consumption. If He intended for us to eat it for our benefit - in fact, for a reward - then perhaps it isn't something I should avoid as detrimental to my health. Perhaps it's not just what we eat, but how much we eat!
So what kind of foods to we eat now? Dinner is no longer centered around meat! I have a few favorite vegetables that I always keep in my frig, and I have a variety of ways to prepare them. I do occassionaly cook chili with organic ground sirloin as a treat for Daddy, who still eats whatever he wants outside of the home. And when I'm out, I order meat dishes a couple times a week. Protein is an important building block for young children, so I offer eggs, nitrate-free turkey slices, Hebrew National hotdogs, and such to Silas.
I'm really not as good about preparing meals at home as I would like to be because of our schedule. When we do have a meal at home, we usually sit together at the island rather than at the dinner table, and Silas usually eats a modified version of what we're eating, like plain noodles without sauce. (Barilla Plus is a wonderful pasta option packed with 17 grams of protein per serving as well as 360 mg of Omega 3's and 7 grams of fiber!) After reading Take the Fight out of Food, I trust him to get the nutrition that he needs while I continue to offer a variety of healthy options. But I could still do better...
After reading the China Study referred to in last year's blog, I decided to conduct my own experiment. I have a family history of heart disease and my own cholestoral was high, so I wanted to see how eating no animal proteins would affect me. My doctor agreed to check my cholesterol on my regular meat eating diet and then to check it again after 30 days on a vegan diet. The results were profound. My total cholestoral was lowered 49 points in just 30 days! That significant outcome caused me to seriously consider the role of animal proteins in our diet.
Of course, this new way of eating would affect the whole family, so at a well-visit with our son's pediatrian, I asked for her advice. She was very kind in advising me; she didn't roll her eyes or argue the merits of meat. She strongly suggested daily consumption of yogurt and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Silas tends to not each much meat as it is, so I had already discovered the merits of Morning Star Farms Chik Nuggets and Corn Dogs. I have to admit that we're still not as balanced as I'd like, but he sees us eating a variety of foods that I wasn't accustomed to preparing.
We are NOT a vegan family. I do think it is a wonderful lifestyle choice for some people, but at this point in our lives, it is not for us. After praying about whether or not to continue the vegan way of eating, I remembered God's promise to the people of Israel to give them a land flowing with "milk and honey". And that is where my faith stepped in to calm the storm within me. My Lord created milk as well as meat for human consumption. If He intended for us to eat it for our benefit - in fact, for a reward - then perhaps it isn't something I should avoid as detrimental to my health. Perhaps it's not just what we eat, but how much we eat!
So what kind of foods to we eat now? Dinner is no longer centered around meat! I have a few favorite vegetables that I always keep in my frig, and I have a variety of ways to prepare them. I do occassionaly cook chili with organic ground sirloin as a treat for Daddy, who still eats whatever he wants outside of the home. And when I'm out, I order meat dishes a couple times a week. Protein is an important building block for young children, so I offer eggs, nitrate-free turkey slices, Hebrew National hotdogs, and such to Silas.
I'm really not as good about preparing meals at home as I would like to be because of our schedule. When we do have a meal at home, we usually sit together at the island rather than at the dinner table, and Silas usually eats a modified version of what we're eating, like plain noodles without sauce. (Barilla Plus is a wonderful pasta option packed with 17 grams of protein per serving as well as 360 mg of Omega 3's and 7 grams of fiber!) After reading Take the Fight out of Food, I trust him to get the nutrition that he needs while I continue to offer a variety of healthy options. But I could still do better...
Silas Turns 3!!!!
My little boy is now 3! Isn't that amazing! And overnight, he is becoming a preschooler instead of a toddler. It's unbelievable. When I got Silas out of bed, I told him it was his birthday and he was very excited. We had been reading several books about birthdays from the library (Curious George, Buzzy, Clifford) and so he had an idea of what to expect. I was concerned that he might be disappointed that his birthday was going to be rather quiet, so before going to bed, I put out one "Diego, Dora, Boots" mylar balloon from the grocery store, and daddy hung up one pathetic little streamer. Silas was so thrilled to see his balloon and decorations that I got about 9 spontaneous hugs, followed with a heart-felt, "Thank you for my decorations!" It will be one of my favorite memories of motherhood.
Daddy had to work the majority of the day, so we let Siley open presents first thing, which is a GREAT way to start a birthday! We went with a sports theme and got him a baseball & mitt, a tea-ball set, mini-football, and mini-soccer ball. He now wants to play catch in the house, and has been winging his baseball (it's a real ball, not a plastic, lightweight stand-in) all around the house. I'm finding myself flinching every time he wants to play catch. It'll be better when it warms up again and we can play outside in the backyard.
We spent the rest of the morning at the children's science museum we go to once a week, and after his nap we headed over to my parent's house for cupcakes. Mom and Dad flew home on his birthday and were too overwhelmed to plan ahead a get-together on Silas' actual birthday because the week before their basement had flooded 4 inches and this would be the first they had seen it. They found out about it while we were still visiting them in Florida and it was distressing them to not be there to take care of it. They did have someone come in and take out the carpet and drywall, along with all of their things so that it didn't sit and mold for a week, but it was still depressing them and they were not in the party spirit.
Daddy had to work the majority of the day, so we let Siley open presents first thing, which is a GREAT way to start a birthday! We went with a sports theme and got him a baseball & mitt, a tea-ball set, mini-football, and mini-soccer ball. He now wants to play catch in the house, and has been winging his baseball (it's a real ball, not a plastic, lightweight stand-in) all around the house. I'm finding myself flinching every time he wants to play catch. It'll be better when it warms up again and we can play outside in the backyard.
We spent the rest of the morning at the children's science museum we go to once a week, and after his nap we headed over to my parent's house for cupcakes. Mom and Dad flew home on his birthday and were too overwhelmed to plan ahead a get-together on Silas' actual birthday because the week before their basement had flooded 4 inches and this would be the first they had seen it. They found out about it while we were still visiting them in Florida and it was distressing them to not be there to take care of it. They did have someone come in and take out the carpet and drywall, along with all of their things so that it didn't sit and mold for a week, but it was still depressing them and they were not in the party spirit.
They welcomed me over to hang out in a casual, low-key way, so I offered to bring Chinese and cupcakes and that was that. But then one aunt and his favorite (and only) cousin wanted to see Silas and she offered to pick up Chinese from her favorite place and then we called his other aunt to see if she wanted to come eat with us, and before we knew it, we were in full blown party mode, with all 10 of us around the dinner table (the men all joined from work), singing "Happy Birthday" to Silas whose smile made it very clear that he was drinking in the celebration before him. It was so incredibly precious, and I am so blessed that it worked out so wonderfully for him to have such a special day.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Woo hoo, Mom!
I had just loaded Silas up in the car after a nice workout at the gym, and was trying to pull out of my parking space to head home. I pulled back as one normally would, but realized that I was in a "tight spot" thanks to the Isuzu trooper parked along the curb behind me. People can be incredibly selfish sometimes. Rather than go to the parking garage to find an open spot, some people will just make their own parking spaces where ever they like, including the curb behind my SUV.
So I inched forward and tried again. And again. I was getting a little frustrated and Silas started asking, "what are you doing, mom?" Like, "why are you backing up and pulling forward, mom, why don't you just leave?" So I told him that I couldn't because someone was not being nice and parked behind us so that mommy had to work extra hard to get out.
Finally, after inching back and forth for a couple minutes, I was able to squeeze my way out and leave the parking lot. Silas from the back seat threw his hands in the air and shouted, "Woohoo, Mom! You did!"
It was all worth it for that little pat on the back from my hilarious little boy.
So I inched forward and tried again. And again. I was getting a little frustrated and Silas started asking, "what are you doing, mom?" Like, "why are you backing up and pulling forward, mom, why don't you just leave?" So I told him that I couldn't because someone was not being nice and parked behind us so that mommy had to work extra hard to get out.
Finally, after inching back and forth for a couple minutes, I was able to squeeze my way out and leave the parking lot. Silas from the back seat threw his hands in the air and shouted, "Woohoo, Mom! You did!"
It was all worth it for that little pat on the back from my hilarious little boy.
Knitting...
How many hobbies can one have? I seem to be on a quest to find out. Actually, I think I'm like most people who dabble in one thing and then leave off as life picks up somewhere else.
Recently, I've started knitting. Someone in my mom's group asked if anyone knew how to knit and Ruth, one of our Brits, offered to teach her along with anyone else who wanted to come. So we've been meeting the last several weeks at her house after the kids go to bed (hers go to bed early!) for a cuppa and some chatting and some knitting. It's been quite fun! I'm almost done with my first project, a charcoal grey shrug. Actually, the shrug is done, but I want to add a collar bit to the back. I'll post a picture when it's done.
But I realize that this blog was a hobby for a period of time and that I missed it a bit. I'm thinking maybe I should not worry so much about offending anyone with my nutty food issues and invite my friends to be a part of my thoughts. I'm thinking about it. I haven't decided just yet.
Recently, I've started knitting. Someone in my mom's group asked if anyone knew how to knit and Ruth, one of our Brits, offered to teach her along with anyone else who wanted to come. So we've been meeting the last several weeks at her house after the kids go to bed (hers go to bed early!) for a cuppa and some chatting and some knitting. It's been quite fun! I'm almost done with my first project, a charcoal grey shrug. Actually, the shrug is done, but I want to add a collar bit to the back. I'll post a picture when it's done.
But I realize that this blog was a hobby for a period of time and that I missed it a bit. I'm thinking maybe I should not worry so much about offending anyone with my nutty food issues and invite my friends to be a part of my thoughts. I'm thinking about it. I haven't decided just yet.
Say it nicely...
Silas learned when he was very young the power of "please" - he often makes a curt demand and then slaps a "Please" onto it when I give him a look or prompt him with "how do we ask?" But I'm no longer satisfied with just having the right words; I'm now working on the tone in which it's delivered.
How does one go about addressing tone in an almost 3 year old?
A few weeks ago, Silas woke up grumpy and wanting to watch tv. I told him that he could if he could give me a smile. He gave me the most pathetically awful smile I've ever seen. He completely lacked the heart for a warm smile but was at least obedient, so I honored his obedience and let him watch tv. Then in the afternoon, he was still a grump and wanted me to carry him up the stairs. He's 40 lbs. now and those stairs are steep, so I told him he had to give me a big smile. He gave me another exaggerated bearing of the teeth in place of a smile that hit my funny bone and sent me into a good long laugh. I was so weak with laughter that I couldn't carry him. I asked for a few more smiles just to keep the laughter going as I was in need of a reason to laugh that day.
So this has become my new mode of attitude adjustment for my preschooler. When he asks for something, I make him say it nicely and with a smile. Sometimes he gives me the same exaggerated smiles that lack heart, but somehow that contortion of the face produces a small change in his attitude and when i give him the nice way to ask for milk "Did you mean to say, 'May I please have milk, Mommy?'" in a syrupy sing-song voice, it often produces a true smile that warms my heart... and his.
How does one go about addressing tone in an almost 3 year old?
A few weeks ago, Silas woke up grumpy and wanting to watch tv. I told him that he could if he could give me a smile. He gave me the most pathetically awful smile I've ever seen. He completely lacked the heart for a warm smile but was at least obedient, so I honored his obedience and let him watch tv. Then in the afternoon, he was still a grump and wanted me to carry him up the stairs. He's 40 lbs. now and those stairs are steep, so I told him he had to give me a big smile. He gave me another exaggerated bearing of the teeth in place of a smile that hit my funny bone and sent me into a good long laugh. I was so weak with laughter that I couldn't carry him. I asked for a few more smiles just to keep the laughter going as I was in need of a reason to laugh that day.
So this has become my new mode of attitude adjustment for my preschooler. When he asks for something, I make him say it nicely and with a smile. Sometimes he gives me the same exaggerated smiles that lack heart, but somehow that contortion of the face produces a small change in his attitude and when i give him the nice way to ask for milk "Did you mean to say, 'May I please have milk, Mommy?'" in a syrupy sing-song voice, it often produces a true smile that warms my heart... and his.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Do Justice, Love Mercy & Walk Humbly With Your God
That was the theme of the Women's Conference I attended this past weekend. Amazing. I was reminded again that we are to be the Hands and Feet of Christ, not just his mouth. It's so easy to say we will pray for someone in a situation, but most of us don't want to get involved if we can help it. How did we get here? When did we begin justifying that God only meant that bit about feeding the hungry for missionaries and pastors?
There's much more to say here, but I'm still in process...
There's much more to say here, but I'm still in process...
I'm Back!
Okay, I know only 3 people even know about this blog's existence, let alone check it, but I felt the need to go public again. I don't have tons to say right now, but I need to re-establish my presence as my blog name was nearly stolen due to the inactivity of this blog! Can you believe it!
So, to make sure this blog is not a total waste of your time, I'll include a picture of the golden child. Enjoy!
So, to make sure this blog is not a total waste of your time, I'll include a picture of the golden child. Enjoy!
Friday, January 12, 2007
Holiday Update 2006
I finally felt my inner Scrooge dying as I actually looked forward to the holidays this year! Silas was so much fun, talking about his stocking and the kind of presents he wanted - "blue presents". I don't know why blue, but that was what he wanted in his stocking. We didn't make a big deal out of the Santa thing - I think we have another year before we have to really address that one. I don't see the need to have him believe, but everyone I talk to seems to think I'm just nuts or incredibly mean to not make it a big deal. I don't want him to be the kid who ruins it for someone else's kid either, so we're still up in the air on that one. What are you going to do?
There are a couple quotes my family is throwing around after our gift exchange with them. The first is, "A present? For MEEEE?" in a very sweet, excited little voice. He said this with almost every present he received all 3 days (we celebrated on the 23rd with Jim and Helen, the 24th with my family and the 25th just the 3 of us). The other cute little Silas-ism is "I made this for you, I did" when he handed each of his aunts and uncles and grandparents a pompom ornament that we crafted together. It doesn't look as cute when it's typed into an email, but it was so darling that we made sure we got him saying it on video. He was so proud of himself, even if he wasn't as helpful while making the craft as I had hoped. :)
We had snow on Tuesday this week and so I took Silas out to play in it a bit. It was really a heavy dusting that melted by noon, but I dressed him in his full snowsuit just for fun. I'll send you the pictures when I get a moment, hopefully this evening. We made minature snow people, which he enjoyed smashing on the patio (that has to be a boy thing.
Then I introduced him to eating snow - I couldn't resist, but now I wish I had. Six hours later he woke from his nap and began vomiting! YUCK! I was covered in vomit, as was his beautiful chair in his room and the entire bathroom! It was so gross! I'm sure my character has been somehow strengthened by the whole thing, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone! He may not have picked it up from the snow, although that was what mom and dad were convinced it was. He was in church Saturday night and Sunday morning, so he very easily could have picked up something there, and I also had taken him to the drop-in day-care at mall, so he could have gotten something there too. But today, at mom's group, I learned that another kid from Silas' Saturday night class also got a stomach virus, so I'm assuming it was the nursery and NOT eating snow, which makes me feel better. He is just today starting on regular food and I'm so leery of feeding him anything!
There are a couple quotes my family is throwing around after our gift exchange with them. The first is, "A present? For MEEEE?" in a very sweet, excited little voice. He said this with almost every present he received all 3 days (we celebrated on the 23rd with Jim and Helen, the 24th with my family and the 25th just the 3 of us). The other cute little Silas-ism is "I made this for you, I did" when he handed each of his aunts and uncles and grandparents a pompom ornament that we crafted together. It doesn't look as cute when it's typed into an email, but it was so darling that we made sure we got him saying it on video. He was so proud of himself, even if he wasn't as helpful while making the craft as I had hoped. :)
We had snow on Tuesday this week and so I took Silas out to play in it a bit. It was really a heavy dusting that melted by noon, but I dressed him in his full snowsuit just for fun. I'll send you the pictures when I get a moment, hopefully this evening. We made minature snow people, which he enjoyed smashing on the patio (that has to be a boy thing.
Then I introduced him to eating snow - I couldn't resist, but now I wish I had. Six hours later he woke from his nap and began vomiting! YUCK! I was covered in vomit, as was his beautiful chair in his room and the entire bathroom! It was so gross! I'm sure my character has been somehow strengthened by the whole thing, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone! He may not have picked it up from the snow, although that was what mom and dad were convinced it was. He was in church Saturday night and Sunday morning, so he very easily could have picked up something there, and I also had taken him to the drop-in day-care at mall, so he could have gotten something there too. But today, at mom's group, I learned that another kid from Silas' Saturday night class also got a stomach virus, so I'm assuming it was the nursery and NOT eating snow, which makes me feel better. He is just today starting on regular food and I'm so leery of feeding him anything!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
No more Foofoo's for Silas
Silas hasn't been napping this week. Here's the story in a nut shell: I noticed on New Year's Eve as I was trying to work on his cute lisp that his front teeth don't touch! He has an open-bite! I tried not to scare him as I was dealing with my shock from this realization. He had a routine check-up on Thurs, the 4th, and his pediatrician made it plain that it was time to get rid of the pacifier. And just that morning, when I went to get him up, he had 5 of his fufus lined up next to him in the crib and he was reading a book to them. They are like little friends to him!
We made a scheduled stop at the library after the doctor's appointment to reward Silas with new books for being so good, and I ran into my neighbor, Lynn (Ryan and Evan's mom). I told her my dilemma and she said that Evan had a hard time relinquishing his pacifier too and they finally resorted to cutting it. So I went home and cut his precious little friends and put him down for his nap. He noticed right away and told me that his "fufus are broken - fix it". Trying to be as cheerful and empathetic as I can be, I told him that I know they are broken, but it's okay. It makes me so sad, but I know it's time. He's not a baby anymore.
Of course, since then, he hasn't been sleeping during nap time, which is really hard on me. He does stay in his room, so at least I have some downtime, but I needed a nap a couple days myself and I wasn't able to get one because I have to be alert for his sake. Actually, 2 days ago I did lay down for 15 minutes and in that time he had a bowel movement and then proceeded to change himself - unsuccessfully. It was awful! Diaperless, he had climbed up on his changing table to retrieve his wipes and then climbed back down to the floor to try to wipe himself. I came in when he started crying because he hadn't been able to clean himself and he had gotten poop some of his books that were on the floor. He was so upset and ashamed and afraid! It was heart breaking! I assured him that it was okay and we quickly headed to the bathtub and got him all cleaned up. My mom seems to think that it is hilarious that he tried to change himself, but I feel so bad that he was so ashamed for making such a mess that it's not as funny to me. Maybe I'll see it that way in time.
He did take a nap for me yesterday - I actually had to wake him up after 2 hours. When I went in, he had found one of his whole pacifiers in his mouth, so I think I'm going to have to cut it today. I feel like such a traitor. It's sad.
We made a scheduled stop at the library after the doctor's appointment to reward Silas with new books for being so good, and I ran into my neighbor, Lynn (Ryan and Evan's mom). I told her my dilemma and she said that Evan had a hard time relinquishing his pacifier too and they finally resorted to cutting it. So I went home and cut his precious little friends and put him down for his nap. He noticed right away and told me that his "fufus are broken - fix it". Trying to be as cheerful and empathetic as I can be, I told him that I know they are broken, but it's okay. It makes me so sad, but I know it's time. He's not a baby anymore.
Of course, since then, he hasn't been sleeping during nap time, which is really hard on me. He does stay in his room, so at least I have some downtime, but I needed a nap a couple days myself and I wasn't able to get one because I have to be alert for his sake. Actually, 2 days ago I did lay down for 15 minutes and in that time he had a bowel movement and then proceeded to change himself - unsuccessfully. It was awful! Diaperless, he had climbed up on his changing table to retrieve his wipes and then climbed back down to the floor to try to wipe himself. I came in when he started crying because he hadn't been able to clean himself and he had gotten poop some of his books that were on the floor. He was so upset and ashamed and afraid! It was heart breaking! I assured him that it was okay and we quickly headed to the bathtub and got him all cleaned up. My mom seems to think that it is hilarious that he tried to change himself, but I feel so bad that he was so ashamed for making such a mess that it's not as funny to me. Maybe I'll see it that way in time.
He did take a nap for me yesterday - I actually had to wake him up after 2 hours. When I went in, he had found one of his whole pacifiers in his mouth, so I think I'm going to have to cut it today. I feel like such a traitor. It's sad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)