Update

So the first thing I'd probably say in an update is how BIG I am and how uncomfortable I feel. Don't get me wrong, I consider that a good thing! I'm looking forward to getting the ball rolling with giving birth in about 3 months! I just don't know how much bigger my belly can stretch from the last time it housed a baby! I'm still praying for little Samuel's health. And about a month ago I finally got consistent in taking prenatals again! 

David loves his new job. Honestly it's boring, but that's ok! Amazon treats their employees very well. So far, adjusting to four evenings a week apart hasn't been so bad, but it's only been two days.

One of my favorite (for lack of a better word) things lately was being asked to play for a funeral of a sweet older lady at our church. I could probably just take the "er" off of that because I'm sure she would've agreed that she was "old" at 92! She was pretty much the sweetest old lady I've ever known. It was heart wrenching to see her 60+ member family crying and hurting so much as they missed her. It was hard to play the songs I had practiced so hard because it was just so emotional! 

I have four piano students this school year! It is super fun. For now I am teaching kids of friends to gain the kind of experience that can go on a resume, doing it as favors for little money or in exchange for babysitting favors. But lately the vision has been forming in my mind to have a studio of my own when my kids are older... Which could be a while depending on how many I have. Not only would being a piano teacher be totally awesome, but it would be in line with my college education and all the years and years and hours of hard work I put into learning the piano! 

People who are unfamiliar with the cost of lessons for a beginner child would be surprised to hear that it would be about 50$ a month. But think about it: a person without a High School Diploma will easily charge 80$ a month to mow and trim your lawn weekly. And I would be asking 50$ to weekly teach your child in a one-on-one setting how to play piano, having studied it for 20 years under Drs of Piano! Piano is an art that takes a lot of practice and education. When I took lessons in high school with a Juilliard grad, they costed 200$ a month! 

So piano has been on my mind lately, if its not obvious enough :) At first I realized its a side of myself that I don't talk about that much, because I take it for granted and so few friends I know played piano that much. But it's an amazing experience to be able to be asked to play for a funeral just two days before, and to have all the previous years of hours of practice alone in a practice room (hours of being "culturally irrelevant") to be able to pull it off. The reward: seeing how it blessed a bereaved family to hear music that describes the beauty of God and heaven. Or playing for weddings! I've done at least 5. I try to pick music that is beautiful and worshipful. The great thing about weddings is that there is more time to prepare! 

Anyhoo, I'm neglecting my motherly duties! 

VBAC Chronicles Episode 3 (or, Thoughts on trying for a VBAC, part 3)

On Monday I saw a midwife for the first time, and I felt like it went well. I can tell how she is overseen by the OBs in the office because she still commented a lot on me trying to keep Samuel's weight down by eating healthier and exercising! It was very motivating and since the appointment I've barely eaten any chocolate (used to be a daily thing) and I'm sticking to whole grains. I also bought some great groceries from Trader Joe's, which surely makes eating healthier much more pleasurable! Anyway, I joined a FB group called "VBAC Facts Community" and posted a question about baby weight and VBAC. Woman after woman after woman after woman after woman posted about how they or a friend or relative has delivered a 10, 11, 12lb, etc baby doing VBAC. A doula posted that our body very very rarely makes a baby too big to push out, and that size of the baby is not a factor in the baby getting stuck while I push. and judging by all the hip pain I endured last time, I think they would be able to get a baby through 'em!

One of the most shocking things the midwife said was that the office I had switched out of has a C-section rate of 50%. That percentage sounds unbelievable to me, but I do know the OB I had been seeing was really pushing for me to have an RCS (repeat c/s). Also the office I was a part of is owned by the hospital, whereas the one I'm at is not (though they are next door).

I wish I would've had a list of questions ready, but luckily I still have 4 months to ask them. The midwife also made it clear that I won't be pressured either way and that I should not feel trapped. I really really REALLY appreciated her saying that. I felt pretty trapped in the other office, where I had very little support for a VBAC so I would've had one. From what I know so far having more c-sections limits the number of kids you can have, which makes me feel the most trapped of all!

Since my appointments got off track, my next one is in 6 weeks with one of the OBs in the office. Both OBs are male, so this will be a little awkward for me the first time... hahaha. And I definitely NEED to get Carson a babysitter for that because it includes by gestational diabetes 1 hr test. Let's just say by the end of that hour everyone in the office would be rolling their eyes and popping pain pills for their headaches. Carson is in a "special" phase right now.

Last time I wrote on this I was really torn about having a VBAC because of the type of risks involved. As of now I am still definitely going to try, but it really depends on how things go near the end of the pregnancy, and how pushy the midwives will be if they even think that Samuel will be 9 lbs.  I've heard the margin of error on those weight guess is a whopping 2 lbs! I'd also like to know what kinds of accommodations the hospital has for a woman having a uterine rupture in TOLAC (trial of labor after cesarean). David's Mom, a seasoned nurse, told me that I should ask those questions. But honestly I was too distracted with Carson being so fussy the whole time that I forgot all my questions. 

A couple days ago David told me of his fears about losing me :( The thing is, I reminded him, that the risk for a VBAC attempt is more for Samuel and not me. This is still the clincher for us, even though the risk is so miniscule. If I end up having a c-section, I will have to seriously lay on the altar my dream of having 4 or more kids.

Thanks for reading!

Not just 'airing my opinions'

pic source: socialmediamarketinguniversity.com

I love blogging and writing (when my charge allows) and could sit in front of this cheapo screen all day reading and writing. I think I even cherish this subconscious dream of becoming a writer of sorts, though I know I couldn't and wouldn't want to handle the stress, criticism and attention.

So I content myself to read the famous blogs. In recent months I've come to see why certain bloggers or authors get famous and others don't: The blogs that attract all the attention are people ranting and venting about being victimized in some form or another. Even worse, sometimes these bloggers have only a beginning or absolutely no formal education in the topic they are ranting about. And their readers, including myself, would rather read a short but attention-getting blog post rather than go to the library and read a more thoroughly researched, professionally edited and published work on the topic.

I notice that when I write about how I've been mistreated by someone and get snappish with my words, giving vent to my anger, that the post gets a lot of hits and feedback. When I write about every day things, being faithful in caring for family or just updates, or what God is teaching me through the Bible, it's usually not noticed that much.

pic source www.mrmediatraining.com

I know why this is. It's in our nature to flock to passionate causes, but also in our nature to flock to that which itches our ears, which causes us to feel that satisfaction of wrath against a real or perceived injustice, to even cherish our hatred of one group of people or another. It's in our nature to be hateful. It really is.

God has convicted me of this. It is wrong for me to use online resources for passive-aggressive behavior. It is wrong for me to use online means to give vent to and nourish my bitterness or anger! And whenever I've found myself in the situation of posting something like this, I'm ashamed. I also realize that I posted that thing without praying first, and that I hadn't been in God's Word recently when I did. Instead, I marinated my mind in thoughts written by someone not in a Christ-like frame of mind, or something who denies Christ altogether. Furthermore I realize that what I posted was just my rantings and opinions, usually not researched or in adequate response to something I've thoroughly studied. It is usually and solely an emotional reaction because of my offended pride.

Could it be that the Christian life requires someone to be extra careful with what they post online? I really think so. Could it be that a faithful Christian has a 'boring' online representation of their life? Yes! And I'm ok with that. In the context of contentment in any life situation Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

This means that I, as someone who loves to blog about my opinions, can through Christ's strength run those opinions through His Word and test to see if they are pleasing to Him before I post them. I can deny myself the emotional satisfaction of "getting back" at someone for hurting me. I can gain the courage to approach that person and talk to them face-to-face if they have hurt me. I regret that I've not done this in the past when I should. I always suffered from guilt or drama because of it. One or more relationships were strained. Most of all, anger and bitterness were allowed to take root and grow and prosper, making their presence in my heart more permanent and dangerous. It actually causes my spirit to die, the part of me that wants to seek and love God with all my heart. It stifles the hunger I've had in the past to know Him, and eradicates the hunger for time in the Word. It makes me friendships with people surfacey and shallow, never talking about the things of the Lord. It makes my view of reality to be shaped by worldly influences rather than the refreshing power of God's revealed words.

Now that I've further realized this I hope to change it by God's grace.

Thoughts on trying for a VBAC, Part 2

My head is buzzing with questions: another month has passed and so I had another appointment this past week with my going-to-be-former OB. (I decided to switch to a practice that has both midwives and OBs so that I could have more support if I decide to attempt a VBAC.) 

At this last appointment with her I was hoping to ask her more questions, but the more questions I asked, the more uncomfortable she seemed to get. When answering my questions, she continually tried to dissuade me from a VBAC by emphasizing the dangers of it and by continually mentioning having a repeat cesarean. She mentioned repeatedly not letting me go past 39 or 40 weeks, which would probably completely eliminate the chances of letting labor come on its own, something a woman attempting a VBAC should definitely do.

She also answered her phone and left the room in the middle of the appointment, and when she returned said (not because of the call) that she had to move on to the next appointment. Further, the more questions I asked, the more she said, "We'll see when you are further along, especially how big the baby is..." and referring to how Carson was 8'12'' (which in my book isn't that big). But I have a lot of questions and would like to set up a goal now before it's too late and I get pressured into having another Csection when I don't feel prepared or informed enough, like last time. I want more information.

I've liked this Dr. for several reasons though. Especially for how she acted at my 13 week appointment when she couldn't find the heartbeat (anterior placenta) and had to have an immediate ultrasound. She was genuinely worried and I could tell by the look on her face, yet she tried to remain calm. That impressed me. Further, she has always asked questions about our lives apart from my pregnancy or female health. She always tried to interact with Carson. In short, she has awesome bedside manner, but as she hinted to at this most recent appointment, there are powers above her that probably limit her ability to oversee a VBAC. In fact, without my mentioning my switch or to whom I was switching, she recommended the very group of midwives with whom I have my next appointment! 

In spite of this Dr's unwillingness to openly support my attempt at a VBAC or answer my questions in a fair manner, the pendulum has lately swung back towards having another section. Here's why:

**The risks to baby Samuel for attempting a VBAC are huge in severity but small in number or probability, whereas the risks to Samuel for a repeat Cesarean are small in severity and number, but worse for my body in the future, and possibly future pregnancies. 

**Future children/pregnancies have been my whole motivation for even considering a VBAC. But right now I have 2 kids, one in utero and one out. The one in utero (Samuel David) is already here, and I must consider his safety. At this point, I would rather have to have a hysterectomy or other problem that is not life-threatening to me or Samuel than risk Samuel's life in any form. I would rather have some health problem in the future than face the tragic death/loss of brain function because my uterus ruptured because I chose to try to have a vaginal birth. Any tragedy we would face because of a failed VBAC would be my fault directly. 

Samuel's life is much more important to me than having a uterus when I go through menopause or being able to impress other moms with my super-birthing powers. Plus, right now having more than two children is only a dream, not a reality. Samuel David Guthrie is a reality and a gift from the Lord. His life is more important than a VBAC or a dream that may or may not become a reality through our biological children.

But I have yet to talk with the midwives (august 19th). I want more information.

Lastly, the consent form that Clark Memorial has you sign has some interesting stuff to say. I don't know if it is from the OB or Midwife perspective. It seems to contain a balance of both, so I thought I'd retype it here. It is thought provoking I think.

Informed Consent for Patients with a Prior Cesarean Birth

1. I understand that I have had one or more prior Cesarean births.

2. I understand that I have the option of undergoing an elective repeat cesarean or attempting a vaginal birth after a cesarean.

3. I understand that approximately 70% of women who undergo a VBAC will successfully deliver vaginally.

4. I understand that the risk of a uterine rupture during a VBAC in someone such as myself, who has had a prior incision in the non-contracting part of my uterus, is around 1%.

(This is what I said above-->) 5. I understand that VBAC is associated with a higher risk of harm to my baby that to me.

6. I understand that VBAC carries a lower risk to me than does a cesarean delivery.

7. (their emphasis) I understand that if my uterus ruptures during my VBAC, there may not be sufficient time to operate and to prevent the death of or permanent brain injury to my baby.

8. I understand that the decision to have VBAC is entirely my own and the option of an elective repeat cesarean has been discussed with me. (This hasn't really been discussed with me as much as I'd like! Because as I said, the Dr. hasn't really answered my questions. ha)

9. I understand that if I deliver vaginally, I most likely will have fewer problems after delivery and shorter hospital stay than if I have a cesarean delivery.

(boo! Don't like this) 10. I understand that during my VBAC, the use of oxytocin (Pitocin) hormone to make my uterus contract may be necessary to assist me in my vaginal delivery and the "risks" of this drug have been thoroughly explained to me. 

11. I understand that if I choose a VBAC and end up having a cesarean during labor, I have a greater risk of problems than if I had had an elective repeat cesarean.

12. I have read or have had read to me the above information... etc etc



Sigh. Any thoughts or advice are welcome.

In conclusion, this situation has thrust me into several conflicts: the war between the OB camp and the midwife camp; the conflict between two routes of childbirth, neither of which I want to take; the current issues that divide many moms between two camps of birthing thought; the idea that "the business if being born" (which I have yet to watch btw) is what got me into this mess in the first place... the nagging thought that if I had not trusted only one doctor so implicitly (because of fear), I may not have to make this hard decision at all. I envy my friends who have had 1, 2 or more vaginal births.

Why can't there just be a third way to give birth? That would be adoption ;)

We're having another BOY :)

On Monday the 29th we went for the extensive 20 week ultrasound and found out we are having another boy! I'm pretty excited. I think boys are fun, and though I have a sort of grieving process for the frills, pinks and dresses for now, I've ever been a huge fan of those things anyway. And for now God has made us the mother and father of two boys!

Here are some shots from the ultrasound. (Per David's request, no pics of boy parts! haha)

The Dr. scheduled me for an additional ultrasound to check out his lip, I guess to make sure he doesn't have a cleft pallet? (spelled that wrong I think) It seemed she was saying they just couldn't see it. He sure was moving a lot during the ultrasound and the technician and I had to take a break from it and let me walk around to see if he would move differently so she could get a front shot better. It was almost an hour long actually!

Thoughts on trying for a VBAC

I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy with our second child, so what to do when it's time for him/her to arrive has been on my mind more lately! I have two options: a scheduled C-section at 39 weeks (around December 10), or trying for a VBAC. The new OB I had been seeing at JFW had had a month to look at my op report to make sure I had the lowest-risk incision to try for a VBAC, so at my last appointment with her 5 days ago I asked her about it. She said I was in the clear and had the best incision, which she said most Doctors do today anyway (low transverse).

But she also told me that there was a 5 to 10% chance of something going wrong, and when it goes wrong it is almost impossible to save the baby. She also said that there is a greater chance of stillbirth when a woman goes past 41 weeks. Now, the percentage above is enough to dissuade me from thinking of a VBAC. The OB gave me two pamphlets published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynocologists, one on Caesarean Birth and one on VBAC. 

Within the next couple days I read through the pamphlets and found that both pamphlets had a much more of a favorable description of a VBAC than my OB had given. The VBAC pamphlet said that the most serious risk of a uterine rupture is less that 1% with the kind of incision I have. Another source said it is a .47% chance! Further, other than saying there is a 60-80% success rate of TOLAC (trial of labor after Cesarean), the only other figure mentioned was the one I just said - the very low and rare risk of uterine rupture. No mention of this 5-10% chance of baby dying. Hhhhmmmmmmmm.....

Yet I was no longer ruling it out for one MAJOR reason: Lord willing, we want to have at least one or two more kids, possibly more, after this 2nd one! The pamphlet warned that if a woman wants to have more kids, having another Caesarean birth is not the best for her. The VBAC pamphlet says, "For women planning to have more children, VBAC may help them avoid problems linked to multiple cesarean deliveries. These problems include hysterectomy, bowel or bladder injury, and certain problems with the placenta." The Cesarean Birth Pamphlet warns, "... the more cesarean births a woman has, the greater her risk for some medical problems and problems with future pregnancies. This may not be a good option for women who want to have more children." That last quote from the pamphlet all about Cesarean births is what finally got me. I knew at this point that the best thing would be to try for a VBAC and I sought out more advice. My friend Becca put me in touch with a doula (me talking to a doula is an occurrence I honestly didn't see coming) and I got more information from her as well.

I won't try to have a VBAC just to climb Mt Everest, prove how awesome I am, what a great Mom I am (I'm not, fyi). I'm not militantly granola and I find that kind of mindset cultish, narrow-minded, judgmental, legalistic and burdensome. Just to be brutally honest. (I don't feel like I have any close friends who fall into that category, those of you reading this. lol. I get this from the things I read online.)

We are all told that childbirth is a natural process and that nothing usually goes wrong, that we don't need all this "medical intervention". But from the standpoint of our Creator, "natural" is a slippery word. Before the fall, yes, birth was easily "all-natural" and probably a lot less painful and didn't result in death. But now sin and it's result, death, is at work all over the world and has effected our bodies. Childbirth is no longer easy as it was originally created. Women used to write goodbye letters to their husbands before going in labor, so many women would die in childbirth before this age of medical advancement! And the fact remains that my labor did not progress with Carson, and if this happens again I will have to have a C-section. It may never be known if my labor would have progressed after the 8 hours I was in it with Carson, but I'd like to find out this time for the sake of my and my future children's health! So that I feel like David and I can have as many kids as the Lord allows without taking some major risks.

I will have a thousand questions for the nurse practitioner when I meet with her in early August. I've had a few questions buzzing around my head concerning the Dr. that delivered Carson. My mom's labor with me was long because I was her first. But after they broke my water, Carson only had 8 hours to get out before I had a C-section. What if the Dr. had let me labor through the night to see what would've happened? His vitals were fine. I had only gone from 2 to 4 cm, and most of that was earlier in the day. It had probably been 5 or so hours with no progress, still at 4 cm. By 6 PM I had the Dr (via speakerphone... ugh!), David, and David's mom standing around my hospital bed, waiting for me to say whether or not I was going to have a C-section after having been persuaded by the Dr. that I should. David's mom didn't say a word, but David was convinced by the Doctor. I was very drugged, physically and emotionally drained, and frightened! As was David. I felt relief when I decided to have a C-section. The experience itself was not so bad, nor was the recovery process.

My regrets with this are that,
1) I had been induced into labor with Carson instead of letting it come on its own. It seemed to me that labor coming in its own is much better. Or at least waiting to induce a little longer. I wonder if the labor with Carson was so slow because my body was not on board, and also slightly malnourished. 
2) I opened myself up to having a C-section as early as my 38 week appointment when the Dr gave me the doom and gloom speech about shoulder dystocia, or even as early as the first appointment when I told the Dr comically that I'm not all about natural childbirth, meaning without pain meds.
3) That I allowed the time crunch before Christmas, and my Dr's personal schedule, to pressure me into inducing. I could've easily had another Dr deliver Carson if she was busy. But I was too unsure of what birth was like and was scared of the whole process. (I've always been scared of health events honestly. Especially barfing. Don't get me started on my honeymoon! lol)

Like my mom said to me the other day, C-sections are sometimes medically necessary and thank God for that! But I'm unsure whether mine was. In fact, I highly doubt it was.

10 weeks today!

Recent Stuff from April and May

We've made a little progress on our basement with the help of some friends, and David working on it after work!

I got an awesome deal on cloth diapers online, but other than that I've not taken on too much the last few weeks! Nausea came earlier this time, along with fatigue. My allergies have been horrible! Baby #2 is already 9 weeks, and is due 3 days after Carson's 2nd birthday! I saw the healthy heartbeat of 170 yesterday and left Carson with some friends from church. I realized that we have had no need to do that for the last several months, so after I drove away I started to worry! I completely trust my friends, but I guess I just had mommy separation anxiety. I just don't scream and cry ;)

Mother's Day was wonderful! I love that holiday now that I am one and understand it more. I almost like it more than my birthday. Christmas however is going to be NuTs for the rest of our lives, with two kids with Dec. birthdays within 10 days of Christmas! I was thinking that we would have Carson's parties in early December and baby #2's around New Year. That way they both still have parties and I have a month between them... Lol!

I hope we have a girl so I'm not outnumbered. 

In other news our garden is a big trial-and-error zone this spring. The peas are still ok, but many seeds haven't sprouted. I suspect the birds! Our herbs are ok but depending on the type of pot and the climate, some do better than others! I can't wait to have a home-grown salad, even if it is made of just peas.

We miss our families a lot. We have a couple get together this summer, so hopefully I can get done good pictures of all of us together! 

Happy News

I thought it would be interesting to read later on what all my thoughts were in the first 4 hours of finding out we are having our 2nd child (in chronological order):

-(looking at the two positive pregnancy tests with Carson complaining in the background because I left him alone for 1 minute) Oh snap. Too late to prevent this (as in I wasn't sure if I was ready)
-*tears of joy*
-Woohoo!!!
-Tell Carson he's gonna be a big brother! give him hugs and kisses.
-There's a little heart beating inside of me!
-Make a sign to surprise David when he pulls into the driveway in 5 minutes. (sign said, "Dec. 2013 <3")
-Oh yay I get to make that 2nd child announcement shirt I saw in Pinterest! (Only Child, expires such-and-such date)
-Oops! better feed Carson. Hands shaking in excitement, too excited to decide what to feed him! shaking too much to buckle his high chair! Just give him cheerios for now.
-*David sprints inside and we hug and cry*
-Call parents! grandparents! siblings! close friends! Can't wait to tell them!
-Oh yeah... a two year old and a newborn - LOL.
-We really need some more cloth diapers!
-Lots of texting and calling!
-So excited I'm queasy. That Ham and Bean soup suddenly doesn't smell so good. It's all in my head.
-Lets discuss what we want to do about some things - I'd like to keep the name to ourselves until he/she is born.
-Operation VBAC - eek!
-Yay! now we have extra motivation to get the basement back in order!
-Children are such a blessing from the Lord. He has truly blessed us with another.
-Praying I don't miscarry, but trusting that this child is in His hands whether in my womb or in heaven!
-Wondering how many kids we will have in total some day, and when/if we can adopt.
-God is making my heart bigger.
-I want toast.
-Now I can put the impossible venture for flat abs on hold for at least another year :)
-Yay!

Please don't say anything on FB yet :)

Cloth Diapering Difficulties pt. 4 (?)

Carson's old cloth diapers are in the trash :( they are useless now!

After countless tests with detergents, water softening, different cloth diaper brands, sizing, stripping, washing methods and research (jillian's drawers, paddedtushstats, all about cloth diapers, etc), I just got new diapers. It's the same brand, Bumgenius 4.0 one size pocket diaper. Even having to buy new diapers after a year, it still saves money. But the question remains: Will I have to do this again in 2014? Will I have to keep destroying diapers before I figure it out? Will I ever figure it out?

When I compare these with my old diapers its easy to see that both the PUL (polyurethane laminate) and the insert are just worthless now. 

Left: original cloth diapers, no PUL there! Right: New cloth diapers. See that shiny PUL?

 

Old insert on the top, new insert on the bottom. This is not so much of a surprise to me. It seems like 1 year of use would do this!

I don't know how some of this happened but I have a few guesses: 1) I washed them in super-ultra-hot water for most of the 1st year! 2) I used All Free and Clear, though from what I gather that doesn't seem to cause such extensive damage. 3) it's just the way they are made - 1 year warranty expires and so do the diapers! :P 4) moving to the sunny side of Louisville gave us severely hard water. I don't know if that's sufficient to destroy the PULs, but there is absolutely no PUL on any of my old diapers! Hence, when he peed, it went straight through the shot, non-absorbent microfiber insert and through the diaper shell onto my shirt.

We'll see what happens next time around. So far I am still using Charlie's Soap coupled with Charlie's hard water treatment, but not only are the ingredients a mystery, but they smell downright weird! I'd like to try Bumgenius's detergent or Allen's Naturally. (already tried Rockin' Green - that's a no-go) I'd also like to see if there is any kind of hard water treatment that I can use in the loads of cloth diapers no matter what the detergent. Calgon maybe? 

Has anyone else out there been through this with bumgenius? I started out thinking that I would use these same diapers throughout all my children's diapering years, but I was wrong. They didn't even last through my first child's first birthday. A year of use and abuse did them in! 

Any tips, hints, stories or tricks greatly appreciated!

Cuteness.

Overwhelming!

Late January early February pics and fun!

We paid a friend, Courtney, so we went on a date with a gift card to Comfy Cow, a local ice cream place.

Friends from our church were replacing ALL of their living room and kitchen furniture, and they were generous and wanted to bless someone! So look what we got for them! crazy, huh?

The hutch from our church friends. This kind of generosity is normal in our church.

Another view of that furniture

These are the heirloom seeds from David's Christmas money for our garden!

Here's the mulch/compost we got for our garden. We're still working on shoveling it, but we're about halfway done!

On February 8th we had a freak warm day, in the 60's! So Carson helped me shovel, sorta

I tried going to Starbucks with Carson, but not much relaxing took place. From L to R: my spinach feta wrap, Carson's sippy, my iced mocha, and Carson's food! He got a lot of attention. I also ran into a girl that was in the choir I accompanied for 3 years ago! wait, 4.

After Starbucks I took Carson to a more kid-friendly place. The Rec Center @ the Seminary.

It was so cute watching him play with the trains!

Carson's almost 14 months and is sleeping with blankets and snuggling with them. We'd been using a sleepsack up til now! :)

Carson and Daddy: best buds :)

A gentleman and a scholar, in his new sweater, standing by our fine furniture.

Carson and Mama :)

Leaky Cloth Diapers

Over the past month I've had to deal with leaky cloth diapers. It's NOT fun when you hold your child and pee gets on your hip! It never happened until now (and still never happens with #2). I did trial and error on a lot of different things! I got some great help and advice from some friends, but the best ever came from a store/website called Jillian's drawers. Their customer service is phenomenal and their advice is spot-on!

So I thought I'd write for the record what I did on here so that I can refer to it later, and maybe help anyone else if they have the same issues and is as ignorant as I was going into this.

Things I had to change to get my pocket diapers to stop leaking in chronological order:

1) My detergent. All Free and Clear is NOT good for cloth diapers. It only has about a 25% success rate in cleaning cloth diapers without stink or buildup. Here is the detergent guide that aided me in my search for a new detergent. The first one I tried was Rockin' Green Hard Rock, but as the detergent guide says, I definitely definitely had some major stink issues with this detergent. I got a refund :) Next I tried Charlie's Soap along with Charlie's hard water treatment. This has worked great so far, but only when I use both.

2) Soften my water. Hard water also causes stink and leak issues with cloth diapers, and as our water softener is broken beyond repair, I had to order water treatments to put in each load. The difference in my cloth diapers is very noticable!

3) Strip the diapers. Since I'd been using the wrong detergent with hard water for so long, it was time for all that buildup to go. RLR Laundry treatment did an awesome job, and the diapers were as soft as if they were new when I was done! Actually, you're supposed to strip your diapers once a month! Bumgenius just said to bleach them once a month, but this did not help with absorbancy.

4) Put the diaper shells (I have pockets) in the dryer. Both the PUL (polyurethane liner) and the elastic in the diapers were starting to go. The PUL was not repelling liquid, allowing it to go straight through the cover! YUCK! Sticking it in the dryer (again, not in the bumgenius washing routine instructions) reseals the PUL dots (or beads, or something). But apparently most cloth diaper manufacturers use the same kind of polyurethane for their PULs. Drying also tightens up the elastic. The elastic around the legs always needs to be snug.

5) Bought new diapers. The one year warranty is up, so I tried another brand, Fuzzibunz, using some Christmas money (that's how much I love cloth diapers, haha!). They work great!!! Plus, they have adjustable elastic even though I got the one-size, which helps it last longer by not over-stretching it.

I'm still learning and maybe some of what I typed above isn't accurate. But it sure has helped for me, and I hope it helps anyone else! If you, reader, have any further ideas, comment on this so I know! Thanks

Carson's face-punching

I don't know what Carson is thinking behind his latest 'trick'. He takes his fist, opens his mouth into a gigantic smile, and hits his fist on the roof of his mouth and top teeth. His hand is actually getting red from it. 

Carson loves to show off, and I'm trying to tell him that this is not impressive. But knowing him, he'll keep doing it anyway. He doesn't really understand what I'm saying, and probably not what he's doing either!

Milestones

Today my precious son made big leaps in his development! First, he stood up without holding on to anything for 5 to 10 seconds. That caught me by surprise! Second, he said "UhhhhDuh" ("all done") in conjunction with finishing a meal, which I have said/signed to him for months now with no response!

Weaning

I promise I won't get graphic in this entry. I just wanted to type some thoughts on the subject of weaning.

I determined ahead of time that I would wean Carson as he was turning one. I was also determined to flout the idea of "Being Mom Enough" to breastfeed until they start Kindergarten, acting in defiance of the idea that motherhood is defined by what goes into a person rather than what comes out of the heart...

... which I still stand by with great zeal. But I am no where close to weaning Carson, for many various reasons...

I've read all the views on everything I wrote above, and I've made up my mind, and I know what kind of criticism my views can draw, and I don't really care... I don't have any other moms hovering around me telling me how to parent, though I get the impression that some ladies would love to do just that, and it scares me. [BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU]

The bigger issue here is not the debate over when to wean, but just the fact that whether I like it or not, my little guy is quickly becoming a toddler. I have to establish boundaries for his safety (and mine) and enforce them. He eats solid food and will learn how to walk soon! He just recently learned to be content in the church nursery without me there.

And that's what weaning is all about, growing up! that's the goal of parenting, to raise an adult! Kinda scary...

In college about 6 or 7 years ago I was struggling to understand issues and who God is, and in a state of turmoil I stumbled upon this psalm which pacified my soul completely...

Psalm 131 - a psalm of ascents. Of David.

1 My hear is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; / I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

The psalm is so loaded with history and imagery and culture that I can't explain here, but verse 2 is absolutely amazing. The image of a weaned child with its mother has taken on new meaning in this stage of life, but it so perfectly expresses the kind of contentment that comes from humility and a sober view that He is God and I am not. 

Thus the mystery of growing up fast remains and it remains in God's hand.

 

 

Carson's Birthday (#1)

On Carson's actual first birthday we had David's mom and my paternal grandparents stop by for a visit! 

 But that's actually how the day ended. At lunchtime that day Carson was pretty silly and I got a lot of good pictures of him! 

He laughs when I laugh, and I laugh when he laughs.

Birthday card!

The secret to veggies - bacon.

Laughing!

 

 

I MELTED!

 So after a fun lunch, me and David's mom made some cupcakes for Carson!

 And later that night he ate it... it was hilarious!

Mmmmm... frosting!

Sucking and sucking that frosting!

 I also wrestled Carson down to get a picture of him in some goodies that grandma brought. 
 

So that's about it for Carson's birthday day. It was actually not the greatest day for us (or for Newtown, CT). Please pray for David's employment situation. I won't go into details here and now... Today Carson has a party with friends from church and seminary, but my throat is scratchy and David has a cold too!