Piggybacking On the Experts...

Maybe someday I'll write a book... "applying what we learn from experts in our own parenting"-- all the techniques I've learned from lactantion consultants and education faculty and occupational therapists and dentists, stuff they had to pay thousands to learn, I can in a small way mimic and apply to my own kids, for free. 

Like this article on pain-management in kids:http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/09/doctor-says-it-wont-hurt.  Totally gonna use that next time Eowyn needs a shot or stitches or anything painful or scary.

Or like this blog devoted to bilingual parenting:  http://www.multilingualliving.com/  When we start formal home-schooling, this is gonna be regularly accessed.

Or like the oral exercises I'm using to teach Liam to properly suck: http://www.beckmanoralmotor.com/videos.html  Using these to "play" with every baby I hold from now on.

Super cool stuff!  I LOVE being a life-long learner!! There is so much to learn and know and apply and do and try and tweak!! :)

Posterior Tongue Tie, In Short

Many of you- especially my FaceBook friends- have been following the ups & downs of Liam's feeding difficulties. While I plan on writing a fuller narrative of how we discovered his problem and (through many pitfalls and dead-ends!) got a diagnosis, and the finally a correction, I've been wanting to wait until we are further along in the happy chapter of that narrative (I try and remain hopeful that such a happy chapter will come).

A view of his maxillary (lip) tie- see how
it extends all the way through his gum?

But many of our friends & family have also been a bit confused about what exactly is "wrong" with Liam.  He's always been fairly big for his age and seems a perfectly healthy little guy, so what was the big deal?

He has a condition known as "posterior lingual tie"- or posterior tongue tie, PTT for short- as well as a "maxillary tie."  Basically, his tongue was tied down to the floor of his mouth in the back, so it was really hard for him to swallow correctly. Apparently your tongue does all these amazing things in rapid succession-- closing off your airway so whatever you swallow doesn't drown you, and directing it down into your stomach rather than up into your nose. When the tongue is restricted it can't do those things, so he would regularly choke and aspirate milk into his trachea/lungs. This isn't a huge deal with breast milk, which is antiviral, sterile, and easily absorbed by the lung tissue, but you can imagine it would be really really bad with, say, guacamole, in a few years. He also swallowed tons of extra air, causing painful gas bubbles and acid reflux. AND he would get confused and send food up through his nose instead of down into his stomach. Not comfy when it was breast milk, but was LESS comfy when it was Tylenol or Diflucan (a medicine he was taking). Reflux causes its own problems (as I full well know from Eowyn... looking back I wonder if she had a mild PTT that resolved itself around 5 months). Liam also had a lip tied too closely to his upper gum, which made it impossible for him to get an air-tight seal (therefore suction) on a nipple, and could cause cavities and orthodontic problems later. I have a very fast let-down of milk, which would be a challenge for any baby to handle (Eowyn had some difficulties too), but he was absolutely overwhelmed.  On the one hand, the amount of milk that shot down his throat meant he always got enough, but on the other hand, it meant he quickly grew genuinely frightened of eating-- the poor kid felt like he was being water-boarded!  Both ties together meant that his "latch" (the way he grabbed onto whatever he was using to eat) was always too shallow, that he "chewed" rather than sucked.  That's painful for a mom, and can damage her tissues so she has recurrent or chronic infections like thrush, which is in turn bad for the baby (causes colic, skin rashes, sore mouth, fatigue, lowered immune function).  Check for all of the above.

You can see how the frenulum (that little membrane under his tongue)
is pretty raised up from the floor of his mouth

The most pressing problem, though, was his total resistance to eating.  He would refuse to eat-- burying his tiny face away from breast or bottle, screaming, crying, refusing to suck or latch, becoming frantically upset-- for hours.  While most babies his age eat every 3 hours, he would regularly make himself go 6 hours between feedings during the day, and it would take me up to 3 hours to get him to finally eat.  When he did eat he would have the problems listed above, and all of them were just getting worse.  Nursing was hard because it was painful for me, frustrating for him, and physically taxing for us both.  A bottle was no better because he had trouble sucking hard enough to get a bottle down, and he resisted it as hard as he did me.

You can see that he wasn't able to raise his tongue
very high (I never saw him touch the roof of his mouth with it)

The surgery he had was simply a doctor (the dentist Dr. Kotlow in Albany, NY) taking lasers and slicing through those extra membranes (in most people they disappear somewhere along the intra-uterine part of our lives).  Sorry, Daddy Ron-- he won't have a gap between his two front teeth any more. :)

The more I learn about the simple reflexes of swallowing & breathing-- they are actually WAY complex-- the more I marvel at just how fearfully and wonderfully we are made by a GOOD, beauty & order-loving Creator!

Norwex Adoption Raffle!

Calling one, calling all! if you have a heart for orphans, please consider buying a raffle ticket or two to benefit my friends' international adoption! My friend Adam is in the DRC at this very moment meeting their two new daughters and his wife Ruth will be traveling to get them and bring them home in about a month!  Tickets for the raffle are $10 and you could win a very nice cleaning supplies basket from Norwex (super-cool all-natural cleaning products)!!  I personally can attest to their effectiveness as well as their general niftiness! :)  

Go here to read more about the raffle process and to buy tickets. 

Left, Right, & Servant-Hearted Kids

Ahh, Facebook, how you can bless me!  It's cool because it's a network of friends-- people you know from all different circles and stages of life, with all sorts of opinions and ideas and priorities and expertises, and so you are exposed to completely "unrelated" things one right after another, which then connect uniquely in your own brain.  This post comes from one such "connection"... made around 4 am, one of Liam's favorite meal times.  (This kid is a wonderful sleeper, though-- usually goes from 9-4 without a peep, then again to 7 or 8!)

First comes a link to a great little broadcast series from Family Life radio (thank you, Allison for linking to this!).  The series is called Cleaning House, and it's Kay Wyma summarizing her book Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement.  One day, this mom of 5 realized that doing everything for her kids-- cooking, cleaning, fixing, chauffeuring, etc.-- was actually handicapping them.  We parents teach our kids SO MUCH, even unintentionally.  When we do everything for them-- out of love!-- we are teaching them that they can't do it themselves, that they deserve to have others do it for them, and we are totally neglecting to teach them to look outside themselves and see what they can do for others.  You'd think kids would pick up on serving others by constantly being served, but unfortunately due to our sinful selfish hearts, that's just not how it works.  So this mom & her husband came up with 12 life skills they wanted their children to have and focused on introducing one a month-- skills like laundry, cooking, yard work, cleaning, and serving others.  By the end of it, even their 8-year old was completely preparing, serving & cleaning up after a meal, for instance.

I LOVED her observations that one reason teenagers in our culture tend to pull away from the family is that they aren't "needed" by the family.  Whereas before kids were necessary for the family's survival-- either as apprentices in a growing trade, harvesters in a sustenance farm, wage-earners whose wages purchased seed corn, or co-laborers in the family kitchen-- now, affluance means kids can play video games all day and no one in the family suffers.  Who wants to feel useless and unappreciated?  No wonder peers who need and value you seem more important than Mom & Dad!  The truth is, families DO need every one of their members in order to do as much as they can for God's Kingdom.

Even at age 2, Eowyn loves helping me in the kitchen- mixing, sorting silverware, and setting the table.

We really do a disservice to our children by not allowing them the freedom to fail.  I so appreciated it when my principal made a rule outlawing parents coming to school after a certain time or students calling their parents to bring forgotten items.  If a kid forgot his lunch, he went hungry or his friends helped him out.  The hours between breakfast and dismissal sure seemed longer, but I'm guessing most kids forgot a grand total of twice at most.  Same with assignments due or textbooks for open-book tests.  Kids learned very quickly that their "forgetting" had consequences, and that them asking Mom to drop everything and bring them something was not fair to her.  These chances to fail in a safe way (forgetting a paper and getting a 10 point late penalty is not really a crisis in the grand scheme of things) are crucial in teaching kids responsibility and building TRUE self-worth, because by failing and trying again kids learn that they CAN succeed.  While doing kids' homework for them helps short-term, it absolutely does not prepare them for real life... which is the point of homework, right?

But what I most appreciated about Kay's "experiment" was that her goal wasn't just to raise independent, self-confident kids, though that is a result.  Nor was it to make her own life easier (nothing sits worse in a kid's stomach than their parents complaining about how much work they are).  Neither was her goal to raise fulfilled, happy kids, though that is also a result.  No, the ultimate goal is right in line with Scripture:  the raising of children with the heart and ability to serve others.  Kids who know all that goes into preparing a meal, maintaining a home, keeping a job, or watching little ones will know how to help others in those tasks, and be able to help them.  I've had other mom friends tell me that they appreciate it when I come over because as a fellow mom I know what likely needs doing and how to do it.  I want my kids to be self-starting servants who do what needs doing without being asked.

Now to these thoughts add this political chart. My first reaction when looking at it was "oooh how helpful in understanding & comparing the two value systems!"  When you read either side, you see how they both have honorable intentions and both "sound good"!  Let's leave that aside, though, and zoom in on the parenting goal.  To the left, we have the "self-nurturing child, who, through openness, empathy & self-examination becomes a fulfilled adult."  To the right, we have the "self-reliant child, who through self-confidence, self- discipline, and strong morals becomes a self-reliant adult."  It hit me that both ideals fall short, because both end with the child.  A self-nurtured, fulfilled child left to himself is selfish and self-absorbed, with life being all about his own happiness.  A self-reliant, self-confident child left to himself is equally selfish and self-absorbed, proud, graceless, and determined to make his own life exactly what he wants it to be.  The Gospel takes the best of both "sides" and goes beyond it.  I could have labeled this post "Why Neither the Left nor Right Can Save Us."  The Gospel is our only hope-- individually and communally.

Jesus makes life all about knowing Him, pleasing Him, bringing honor to Him-- not self.  The Gospel declares us to be incredibly needy and broken, yet through the Cross and Resurrection makes us capable and grateful.  We have been shown so much mercy, so much self-sacrificial service, that we are able and wanting to serve and extend grace to others.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit to empower us.  We're free from trying to be happy now in 2 ways:  1, we know the source of all Joy, the One we were made to love, so we can be TRULY happy; 2, we know that the best is yet to come-- Heaven!!

So, here's my goal:  to raise kids that are 1. fulfilled because they treasure and are treasured by Jesus Christ, and 2. self-reliant in that they are able to serve those around them.  I want my kids to take their internal joy and abilities beyond themselves, out into the world to be gracious servants of all.  Guess I'd better be a good example!  These thoughts have been typed out between nap & snack times so please pardon their disjointedness, and please comment!

Motherly Musing

This little guy has me physically exhausted and mentally spent from trying to convince him to eat... some days my chief accomplishment is getting enough ounces into him to keep him gaining weight.  There's a lot of shushing, singing, dancing, swaying, and trying of innumerable positions on my part and a lot of crying, face-burying, choking, spitting and thrashing on his part.  My back and arms are so tired from holding him, my neck is aching from trying to see what he's doing, my patience is tried to its limit, and my mind is working overtime trying to remember all the therapies and exercises I'm supposed to be doing even as I try and weigh the options for care (second revision? pursuing the specialist out of state? cranio-sacral therapy? OT? suck training? letting him sleep?  pushing to eat? bottle? try nursing? correct his latch?  let him eat however so long as he eats?).  It's a lot of responsibility for one person to carry.

And yet.

When I think of today, what first of all comes to mind is his little hand reaching out and grabbing at a toy for the first time-- a giraffe on his swing tray.  I remember the joy I felt at seeing him reach this developmental milestone.  Next I remember the sweet smile and coos he gave me-- the way his eyes connected with mine and it seemed like he was genuinely talking to me.  And then I think of his joy at finding his thumb no matter what his position.  My mind is full of his baby-smell, nestled slurping away on said thumb against my shoulder.  I think of the joy of him, my son.  I'll take all the long hours- for the rest of his life- gladly, for the sake of having him.

And I wonder.

Isn't this how the Lord thinks of me?  Not of the tremendous trouble I put Him through-- not of all my failings and illogicalities and weaknesses.  Not all the ways I make my own life difficult.  Not all the ways my weaknesses trip me up.  But the joy of me, His daughter?  I can't imagine Job was a perfect man, and yet we overhear Him bragging "Have you considered My servant, Job? There is no one like him!"  God describes Himself as "taking great delight in me, quieting me with His love, rejoicing over me with loud singing!"(Zephaniah 3:17)

It's mind-blowing, incomprehensible. It'd be heresy to say things like this about how the God of the universe feels about a warped fragile insignificant creature like me if He didn't say it first. "Oh Love incomprehensible, that made Thee bleed for me!  The Judge of all has suffered death to set His prisoner free!" (hymn by Augustus Toplady & Anne Steele)

Like I said, pregnancy and child-bearing is good for my soul. :)

Joy in Our Hearts-- Lots of It

I listened to music while laboring with both my babies. With Eowyn, the song I most remember (the one playing as she was born, actually) is Sandra McCracken's "Close of the Day"-- fittingly a song about all the simple blessings of life -- "close of the day/ fireworks and rain, feels like a holiday/ unburdens my frame"-- as well as the deep blessings of the Gospel-- " the marks of my name/ torn into Your Hands" --with the refrain "and this is not what I deserve." Really perfect to remember as I contemplated the joy of bringing forth a child contrasted with the Hell I'd have earned myself with all my sin, as well as the far greater pain He went through for me!

Anyway... the song that will always remind me of Liam's birth is Sara Groves' "Joy is in Our Hearts." It's got a great tempo, great contemplative, calm, intense vibe that is perfect for the work of labor. And the words... wow, the words are great for the discomfort, pain and trial of waiting that is the last stage of pregnancy and all of labor. It's also been perfect for me as a new mom full of fears: once you've been given such a precious gift, it's easy to fall prey to the temptation that it will be taken from you. This song helps me remember that even if I lost my little son or worse, I would have Christ, and Him for all eternity!- and that would be reason enough to sing for joy. This song was written, I think, with the persecuted church in mind.

 I pray this little montage encourages you! I get teary just watching it. :) Pregnancy and labor are good for my spiritual condition. Which means we'll probably be having more kids.

"Joy Is in Our Hearts"

"We were pressed on every side,
Full of fear and troubled thoughts;
For good reason we carried heavy hearts

"It is good to come together
In our friendship to remember
All the reasons hope is in our hearts:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Christ our joy and strength!

"Now with patience in our suffering,

Perseverance in our prayers,

With good reason this hope is in our hearts:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Christ our joy and strength!

"Oh, we saw the face of angels--

Many good things well-secured

For good reason this joy is in our hearts:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Christ our joy and strength!

For good reason joy is in our hearts."

Liam One Month Update

How are you already 6 weeks old, Little Man?  Sorry this month's update comes a little bit late; my life is even fuller than it was in your sister's first month of life. I don't like being on the computer while you kids are awake, and when you both are asleep, well, you'd better bet I try to be too.  So blogging has taken quite the nose-dive. But back to you.  At 1 month I measured you as 13 lbs (fully clothed).  The next day you were a bit under 13 lbs naked, rashy and skimping on meals at the doctor's office.  I can't button your 0-3 month onesies anymore, so I know you're growing... my left shoulder attests to your increasing weight.  You fit solidly into 3-6 month clothes now, especially in cloth diapers.  Your arms remain unbelievably long.  Daddy thinks this means you'll be taller than both of us someday.

You're a generally stern little fellow-- the sleepiest baby I've ever seen.  I think you're going to be even more of a Drama King than your sister is Queen, though.  We joke about your ability to go from totally content to completely red-faced and shrieking at the top of your lungs as "going from 0 to 60 in .2 seconds."  You do this frequently.  You detest being naked and love being swaddled.  Doctors have commented on your resistance to being "messed with" and your strength.  Mommy's arms are the only acceptable place for you much of the day.  Partly this is your acid reflux talking (screaming)-- it hurts you to be on your back, just like it did your sister-- but it's also a clear preference.  You want to be held, especially with your arms draped over my shoulder.

It's been precious to me that you are beginning to respond to my voice (once you calmed down at my motor-boating).  I love that you coo, smile at me, and are the noisiest eater & sleeper I've ever heard!  You change "looks" every day-- one night I think I've basically had the same baby twice, and the very next morning, you look completely different.  It's fun.

You rolled over front-to-back at 12 days old, and have repeated the feat several times.  You also "scoot" in your sleep all over the bed.  At least you can't roll back-to-front yet!  I can tell you can see a bit further now and you've been tracking our movements with your eyes since 1 month.  You delight in your play gym toys for about 15 minutes, and then let me know you've been stimulated enough, thank you!

Feeding is difficult.  You've got some "issues" with your tongue and latch; we've tried to get to the bottom of them, but so far it seems you're just going to have to grow out of them.  I hope there's something we find we can do to help speed up that process, because nursing is often frustrating for you instead of comforting.  However, you do get enough to keep being solidly chunky, and you are able to make good work of a bottle when you have to, though you are FAR slower at bottle-feeding that nursing!  Your "fussy time" is often from 2-4 and/or 8-11 pm, usually stemming from your love-hate relationship with nursing.  Thankfully, you usually nurse just fine during the night.  Though you don't have a definite schedule yet- largely because of your difficulty nursing- I do generally try to keep you awake after you eat, and you eat about every 3 hours, cluster feeding regularly in the evenings.

The one other concern I have about your health is this persistant rash you've had.  I'm fairly certain you've got sensitive skin and react to any detergent but soap nuts, Rockin' Green, or homemade soap, but besides that you've been rashy for the past 2 weeks solid.  Your doctor thinks it's a viral rash just working its way out of your system, but I am not so sure something else isn't going on.  Guess we'll see!

We love you Bubbie, Little Man, Liam, William, or, as your sister calls you "Cute Man!"  I shuddered when she declared "sometimes, I call him Bub." but the two of you sure are cute together!  The Lord's been impressing deeply on me just how much the both of you are my most precious earthly treasures. You are such little dears, so eternally weighty in worth.  May you look back one day and be able to say that I gave you the best of every thing I have-- my years, my time, my creativity, my patience, my effort, my resourcefulness and my intellect.  

Love,

Your Mommy

Favorites for Infant Days

Eowyn knows how to stuff a bag!

My second time around with infancy and my first time as a mom of multiple children I've either discovered or affirmed my appreciation for certain baby items.  Of course, all you REALLY need is diapers, clothes, a car seat and some place to lay the baby (eventually)... but there are plenty of things that can make my life easier.  I'll list a few of them, and please add your own recommendations in the comments!  It's fun with the second baby because most of the big needs are already out of the way, especially if you cloth diaper, so you can splurge on a few cool items.

-- tote-style diaper bag that can accommodate your toddler's needs as well as yours.  Who needs to try and juggle multiple bags?  We're teaching Eowyn to carry her own things (though her idea of doing that was putting it all in Liam's car seat next to him when we weren't looking yesterday, hah), but there's always a snack, a bib, a spare shirt, etc.  I got my sturdy canvas "Large Utility Tote" from 31, and it has plenty of pockets for easy access!  My only improvement will be making some big zippered bags to separate out my stuff and Eowyn's.  Graco makes a pretty cool similar one, with an internal bag that snaps out.  I like giving it as a gift.

-- swaddle blankets-- especially since reading The Happiest Baby on the Block, I'm a fan of swaddling in the early days, and blankets come undone so easily.  William really likes it-- possibly because he must have been VERY tightly swaddled in the womb those last weeks.... still not sure how he fit all 10 lb-22" of himself in my uterus...  The BEST brand for us has been the Kiddopotamus/Summer Infant Swaddleme, in fleece because all the AC around here means it's cold inside even in the summer!  The velcro's more logically placed than it is in some other brands. I also like this Carter's sweater-knit 100% cotton blanket I received as a gift, because the weave and size are perfect for a tight swaddle.  You can easily find these at consignment sales or new at discount stores like TJ Maxx or Ross.

E rocking the Ergo on the Paris Metro at 5 mos. old

-- Ergo Baby Carrier-- oh the beauty and simplicity.  I still use my moby-like wrap too, but I LOVE the ease and simplicity of just doing two buckles and ocassionaly tightening a strap here or there.  I don't even have to bother with rolling up blankets under him because he came out so big. :)  He loves being held and this keeps my hands free, and is super-helpful in keeping his acid reflux from bothering him after a feeding. It also works for toddlers up to 30 lbs.  GREAT in airplanes or airports!  Don't even bother with a Bjorn or a Snugli, especially past 3 months-- they're way harder on your back and not good for baby's spine.

-- infant probiotics-- we started off with Biogaia Protectis drops, which in one study essentially eliminated colic.  Apparently this strain of probiotic is especially potent against an overgrowth of yeast, which causes lots of gas and digestive pain.  I think this has been key in helping Liam's reflux be waaaaay less severe than Eowyn's.  At the first sign I bought these and saw a difference within the week.  My one complaint is the serving mechanism-- it drops out very s-l-o-w-l-y, and when you're trying to dispense 5 drops into a newborn's mouth that is no bueno.  A dropper would be FAR better!  So either drip it into a bottle of milk or use a syringe or dropper of your own.  This is a must-have for moms who have used any antibiotics in pregnancy & delivery, who have a history of yeast infections or who had yeast infections during pregnancy.  We've now begun trying a powdered form (Udo's Choice Infant's Blend), and the jury's still out on it-- but by all means try SOME form!  (using bottles of pumped milk to give him the powder has convinced me that I am FAR TOO LAZY to ever bottle-feed by choice!)

 -- nursing cover-- super helpful in descreetly nursing in public.  Get one with boning in it (to better see baby), and if you find one, weighted corners (in case you have a flailer). My friend made mine, and lots of WAHMs do, so go support one of them!

-- Snuggin Go Infant Positioner-- if you have a baby with acid reflux, prematurity, torticollis or colic, buy this.  Now.  I have been SO impressed at how much more comfortable Liam is in his carseat now.  Car seats are perfectly HORRIBLE for kids with GERD (acid reflux):  the slump it forces on them puts pressure on their stomachs, with the result being screams every time we so much as placed both our babies in their car seats.  This insert (invented by a NICU nurse and crash-tested for safety) has made a big difference for Liam.  I wish I'd had it for poor Eowyn.

-- Milkies Milk-Saver-- this ingenius little gizmo catches the milk that lets down on one side as you nurse on the other side.  For me, that's a lot of milk.  The design makes it easy to attach storage bags that can go straight into the freezer!  Waste not, want not.  :)

Liam at 3 days old, swaddled and happy

-- Sticky Bellies Monthly Milestone Stickers -- this is just fun, totally non-essential:  a set of 12 stickers, one for each month of your baby's first year.  Stick it on a plain onesie or t-shirt and voila!  You have a perfect new "outfit" for taking your baby's picture.  If you like chronicling and/or photography, this is super!  Available in Boy, Girl & Neutral patterns.  You can get them at Hobby Lobby too (use those "40% off one item" coupons for a great deal!).

--Serendipity Mattress Cover-- the package info reads:  "Our product was developed based on a 15-yr study in New Zealand that found that covering mattresses with a Toxic Gas Barrier is 100% effective in preventing SIDS. Of the 210,000 covered mattresses with this specially designed barrier film, not a single SIDS/SUID death was reported."  As the risk of SIDS increases with each child that sleeps on a mattress, I viewed this as a must-have for our second baby (even though we were super-careful with our mattress first time around-- no fluid of any kind has ever touched it).

-- bouncy seat-- one of the few baby paraphernalia the stores tell you you "need" that you actually should buy.  It's especially useful at the dinner table, one of the few places I really can't hold a baby (either I don't eat or he becomes a dropped-food mat).  I have a very no-frills version that quite suffices. Vibration options are nice, but really, I usually just use my foot to keep up a steady bounce.

-- infant car seat cover-- not so useful yet in the SC July heat, but as I mess with blankets and light jackets while inside I remember how much easier this is!  Hint:  get this used at a consignment sale.

-- the books The Happiest Baby on the Block, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and Real Food for Mother and Baby--  if I were to give a new mom or dad a starter library, this would be it.  Of course, they all need to be taken with grains of salt, but read together they all kind of balance each other out.  Happiest Baby provides great insight into soothing babies and remembering that the first 3 months are special-- you treat infants differently than older babies, and it's ok.  While you can't spoil a newborn, you can train older babies into bad habits, which is where the second book comes in.  Baby Whisperer is all about establishing a flexible routine (EASY- Eat, Activity, Sleep, Yourself) that helps you "read" your baby's needs at any given time.  If you liked aspects of Babywise but found it easy to take too far or misapply, this book finds a great balance, despite my disagreement with her view of formula feeding (that desire to keep one's looks is a valid reason to choose it, or that there might be medical benefit to it).  Real Food is just great when it comes to any question about how to raise a healthy eater, and it's right on as far as explaining why cereal isn't such a great first food, why fats are essential, and how feeding a baby can be very very low-stress.  It also has wonderful charts for eating in pregnancy-- "if you eat anything, eat this" type minimalist stuff.  Get this one before you get pregnant or ASAP thereafter!!

Two things I would love to try (baby #3?) are the folding Puj Tub, and an organic cradle mattress pad.  Anybody know of a foolproof car mirror for rear-facing car seats?  We got an Eddie Bauer one that works fairly well, but it was quite difficult to install in a way that actually let us see Liam's face... not the best design at all.

Two closing tips for new parents:

1. Go gender-neutral whenever possible.  Let your nursery decor, high chair, car seat, even onesies, diaper covers & pants do double duty.  (It's easy to "girlify" green and yellow, and even blue, with bows and eyelet accents.)  Think outside the pink-or-blue nursery boxes.  Pictures of our nautical-themed nursery to follow later (both kids will share it).

2. Invest in quality furniture the first time.  Wooden high chairs, sturdy cribs & cradles and a dresser-changing pad will pay for themselves by weathering multiple children.  Same goes for toys-- better fewer sturdy non-toxic wooden ones than scads of cheaper plastic ones.  (I have my favorite clothing brands for the same reasons.)

Vitamin D and the Breastfeeding (or soon-to-be-breastfeeding) Mom

If you're a breast-feeding mom, you've probably heard-- from either your baby's pediatrician/your family doctor or all the formula companies that send you samples-- that your milk is likely deficient in Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that we need for calcium absorption (i.e. healthy strong bones & teeth).  It's present in raw milk from grass-fed cows, especially in the spring when grass is growing and very green, as well as in milk products made with raw milk (butter, cream, etc.).  It's also naturally found in cod liver oil & fatty fish, some in beef liver & egg yolks, and our bodies are able to make it when our skin comes in contact with the sun's UV rays.  Between drinking only pasteurized milk, staying indoors in the AC throughout most of the summer, and wearing gobs of sunscreen, it's not really surprising that most of us are vitamin D deficient.  The vitamin D that's added artificially back into pasteurized milk and filtered fish oils isn't absorbed nearly so well, because it's a different form of the vitamin and also because Vit D is best absorbed when vitamins A & K are also taken with it
It stands to reason that if a breast-feeding mom is vitamin D deficient, her milk will also be vitamin D deficient, which explains why rickets and Vit D deficiency are so common in the US.  However, if you don't want to supplement your baby with vitamin D (looking at the ingredients on the label made me shudder-- artificial flavoring and sweeteners among them), the best way to make sure he's getting vitamin D (in the form his body can best use, too!) is by making sure YOU have enough Vit D!  Yep-- you elevate your vitamin D levels enough, and your breast milk will become a perfect source of all the vitamin D your baby needs.  (Ideally, you'd be making sure your vit D levels were adequate throughout pregnancy so when baby comes you aren't starting from square 1.)

How much does a nursing mom need to have daily?  According to this article from the Council on Vitamin D, about 6000 IU (50 ng/mL).  That's a lot-- far higher than the recommended "400 IU."  How can you get that?  Well, you can partly get it from the sun:  if you are light-skinned, at least 3 20-minute sessions of full sunlight on most of your body (ie in a swimsuit or sleeveless top & shorts)-- just enough to get your skin to the slightest flush of pink. The goal is NOT to burn.  This article includes a fun little calculator, as well as an interesting connection between preterm birth and vitamin D (could be why minorities in the US have such alarmingly higher rates of preterm birth?  They have darker skin, and so need more time in the sun to get the same amount of vitamin D?) Quote from that article:

 "If you want to get out in the sun to maximize your vitamin D production, and minimize your risk of malignant melanoma, the middle of the day is the best and safest time to go. You just need to be very careful about the length of your exposure. Remember you only need enough exposure to have your skin turn the lightest shade of pink. This may only be a few minutes for some. Once you reach this point your body will not make any additional vitamin D and any additional exposure will only cause harm and damage to your skin."

The best source of whole-food vitamin D is fermented cod liver oil, best taken along with butter oil.  When taken together, far fewer IUs are needed to maintain adequate vitamin D blood levels.  Taken alone, 1 teaspoon of fermented cod liver oil gives ~1950 IU of vit D.  I personally can't stand the taste of cod liver oil, so I recommend capsules or the gels, which Eowyn thinks are a treat.  Read up on CLO & recommended brands here.

If you are a pregnant or nursing mother, please read the linked-to articles and spend some time trying to decide how to ensure that your milk contains adequate levels of vitamin D!  Again, this article from the Council on Vitamin D recommends: 

1. Take a loading dose of 10,000 IU/day for a month.
2. After one month on 10,000 IU/day, stop supplementing your infant with vitamin D as your breast milk should now be filled with vitamin D.
3. Take 6,000 IU/day maintenance dose thereafter, except on days you get full body sun exposure.

If you're worried about toxicity, read this article-- getting vitamin D from natural (whole food or sunshine) sources means far FAR less possibility of getting toxic levels of vitamin A or D.  At the very least, head over to the health food store and get some 1000 IU vitamin D3 softgel capsules-- they are made from radiated wool oil, but it's still better than nothing-- you'd need to take 6 per day to get the 6000 IU maintenance dose, or 10/day to start out from nothing.

My strategy?   It's hard to know how much I'm getting without doing some calculations my new-mom-brain can't handle, so here's my "hoping 'tis enough strateg." :)  I didn't arrive at it by any precise science by any means, hah.  Since it's summer, daily I take:  2 capsules each of fermented CLO & butter oil (in winter I'd take 5-10 of each),  4 each JuicePlus fruit chews & veggie chews (these are basically dehydrated fruits & veggies) and 2 softgels of 1000 IU D3.  Once my babies are 4 months old (so still breastfeeding), we also start giving them 1/4 teaspoon of unflavored fermented CLO (it's super-good for their eye & brain development, especially linked to high verbal abilities, as well as stronger immune systems).  I drink raw milk, eat raw milk cheese and plenty of fatty fish, and stock up on spring butter when it's sold.  I'm very big on lots of time outside, building up a base tan by going out daily in the spring, yes, without sunscreen (I know I'm going majorly against the flow there... but that's another blogpost =D), and clothing on my babies while outside is pretty minimal. 

The Birth of our Firstborn Son

Ponderously-Cheeked Pondering

  For all of you wanting the short-and-sweet version, here you go:

William Christopher barreled his 10 1/2 lbs into the air at 11:07 Sunday night, June 24th, 2012.  This fulfilled his daddy's wish for a birthday full of multiples of 6, and his mommy's prayer for a birth far quicker that his sister's.  Speaking of Ryan, you can read his account of the story here.

For those of you wanting DETAILS, ta-da!:

William's birth story begins with my 41-week prenatal visit the previous Thursday.  Measurements showed that I was measuring 42 cm (consistent with a 41-week gestational age estimate), and I continued to display all the signs of imminent labor, from strong frequent contractions to the passing of my mucus plug to loose bowels and an unsettled stomach to a totally dropped baby.  But for whatever reason, I had yet to experience the regular, strengthening contractions of "active labor."  My midwife encouraged me to think and pray about using some herbal means of induction if nothing got started on its own, using her decades of experience.  Her theory was that because I was carrying Liam so far "out there" that gravity was actually working against the contractions-- which were trying to bring him in vertical alignment with my very-posterior cervix.  This would explain why I had so many of my strongest contractions at night or in the car, but why they tended to stop when I stood or walked for long periods of time.  She counseled me to wear my belly band at all times.

Ryan requested a weekend induction attempt, and we had a wedding for a family friend that I wanted to attend on Saturday, so we decided that-- if we attempted to kick-start things-- it would be Sunday.  I was still quite unsure about meddling with the natural order of things, so I was researching and praying and re-calculating my due date, and looking at Eowyn's birth records.  What I found was that the herbs my midwife was recommending-- blue & black cohosh-- would not force a labor on an unready cervix or baby, but would rather help coordinate the efforts my body was already naturally making.  When Saturday brought several hard contractions that petered out true to form, and Saturday night proved particularly un-restful and frustrating, I decided that my body had had enough of this pre-labor (it'd been going on in full force for over 2 weeks... 2 weeks of frequent contractions, many nights of nearly no sleep, stomach upset, etc.).

Black cohosh ("snake root") stimulates uterine contractions.  Blue cohosh ("papoose root"-- Native Americans used it in labor extensively) actually calms the uterus, so is useful in stopping preterm or Braxton-Hicks contractions (wish I'd known this about a month ago!).  Taken together the two work to augment and streamline labor.  They are most effective when contractions are already present.  Check!  Normally my midwife recommends a castor-oil cocktail to start contractions, and then uses the herbs, but since I was already contracting, we agreed to start with just the herbs.  (I've heard too many negative things about castor oil...)  So at 10 o'clock Sunday morning, I put the first 2 1/2-droppers of the cohosh tinctures under my tongue.  OOOOOHH talk about burning!!  The tinctures are dissolved in alcohol... so I was popping the gum to make sure I didn't smell like a distillery at church, hehehe.  Every subsequent hour, on the hour, I took a full dropper of each.  Ideally, tinctures are taken under the tongue for fast absorption, but... you try holding whisky under your tongue some time.  By 4 pm I was putting the tinctures into a few ounces of pineapple juice (also good for labor induction).  Contractions were certainly coming but were all too true to form:  irregular.  I tried not to be discouraged as we settled in to our family nap.

I awoke at 4 to a strong contraction.  I tried to rest after that, but noticed that every 20 minutes another contraction came.  They were consistently strong, too.  I tried timing a few and they were about 90 seconds long.  By 5, it was time for my next tincture dose, so I called my midwife & asked if I should keep taking them or wait and see what my body would do on its own.  As contractions were still coming, Mereinda recommended I stop the herbs.  As time progressed, I began to have to "work" to get through the contractions, blowing or saying "oooh" in a deep tone.  Eowyn woke up and needed watching and I had a hard time focusing on her as contractions took more and more concentration.  Ryan woke up and took over Eowyn-duty, explaining that "Mommy's belly is getting really tight, so she makes noise to help it hurt less."  Eowyn accepted this.  I was still reluctant to call my aunt Olga- who would be watching Eowyn- or my Mom- who would accompany us to the birthing center, fearing that this was yet another false alarm.  It wasn't until Ryan pointed out that I hadn't had to vocalize through any of my other contractions that I realized something was different.

At 6 we called in the troops.  I ate some yogurt & started a bowl of cereal, and stayed glued to my birthing ball.  Unlike with most labors, an upright position slowed my contractions (gravity pulling Liam forward instead of down), so sitting on the ball or bed helped keep them intense and regular.  They were 6 minutes apart, then 5, then 4, still lasting 60-90 seconds.  It was a while before my aunt could make it to our house, but thankfully my mom arrived and was able to take care of Eowyn (and wash our dishes =D), since I now needed Ryan to support me through contractions.  He rose to the occasion beautifully, doing his reading in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth justice. I texted some close friends, asking them to pray that this was the real thing, and for a safe (and short!) delivery... while confessing that a part of me wanted to stop the whole thing, because it was starting to hurt!  As Eowyn came to kiss me goodbye, she asked "You not feeling good, Mommy?"  "It's ok, baby girl." Then, with utmost sincerity, "Jesus will help you!"  That comforted my heart.  :) Then she was off, thrilled to be spending the night with some of her favorite people.

We headed to the birth center around 8:30.  I'd tried to hold out a bit because I knew my midwife's son's 18th birthday party was going on, but the labor tub started to sound too appealing to miss.  She tried to check me when we got there, but laying on my back was agony, bringing a seemingly unending contration, and my cervix was still posterior.  By my demeanor and the sounds I was making, she estimated me to be at about 5 cm dilated.

I cannot tell you what a difference that labor tub made.  I will never- NEVER- labor without one again.  I'll stand on my head to stop contractions if I have to. :)  Slipping into the warm water was so comforting.  I told Ryan, "It's actually quite delightful between contractions!"  Mereinda advised me to labor as much as I could leaning back, to try and bring Liam's head over my cervix instead of its current place of low but in front of it.  I could not have complied were it not for the tub.  In the tub, the water's buyoncy provided counter-pressure, supported my legs so I could let them float, and kept the baby's head from jarring against my tailbone as he descended.  Contractions were never pleasant, but they were bearable.  Labor really began moving along.  I entered the slightly-out-of-mind-state of moaning, praying, etc., through a contraction, and then nearly falling asleep.  Ryan kept reminding me to relax my hands, to have loose lips, and my doula-training kept me keeping my tone low and to relax as much as I could (hah- NOT natural for me!).  I told Ryan that these contractions felt more intense than the ones I'd had with Eowyn, and he was surprised, since he thought I was handling them much better.  I count the tub & my doula experience for that.

I began to get unbearably sleepy around 10, telling Ryan pitifully after a contraction "I just wish they'd stop so I can go to sleep...I'm so so tired."  Mereinda immediately began trying to get me to eat, but the most I wanted was a few bites of very soggy cereal, so she pushed the gatorade, saying she was concerned about my energy level.  This did perk me up a bit.  I tried a few different positions, but mostly labored on my back.  When I had to get out of the water to use the bathroom, contractions would become far worse.  Even in the water, a few times it felt like someone was taking a hacksaw to my back.  Ryan would provide counter-pressure, rub my head, encourage me, and keep me drinking water.  A few times I was overwhelmed by contractions, having to work very hard to keep any semblance of control, crying out loud to Jesus for strength, and talking to William "move down, baby!"  I remember also repeating "the baby-- I want to see the baby."  A few times I told Ryan I didn't want to do this anymore, or just cried that it hurt.  My first successful cervical check came at 10:45, when I was declared to be 7 cm dilated, with a fully anterior cervix, & a baby ready at +1 station.  I just want to take a second here to praise my midwife's compassion and skill-- she was constantly assessing my progress based on how I sounded, how I described my pain, and how I looked, NOT using monitors and numbers (though she regularly checked William's heart rate with a doppler.). Her voice was reassuring and kind, even as she gave me instructions or recommendations.

By now I knew I was in "transition."  Contrations became closer together, longer, with a more intense peak.  At least I knew I wouldn't have to deal with them long. With Eowyn, I'd had my water broken at 7 cm, and only labored 4 more hours.  I decided to hold off on breaking my water since I hadn't been laboring all that long. Not 15 minutes later I told Merienda that I was feeling "pushy."  She checked me again (can I say how much better being checked is in the water??) and announced that I was nearly complete, with only a tiny little bit of the cervix left in front.  The very next contraction I shouted "I'm pushing and I can't stop!"  Pop!  With a feeling like a water balloon untying, and a burst of fluid, I broke my own bag of waters for the first time. That was a good feeling. :)  Merienda took one look at the water and said "there's a bit of meconium in the fluid, so in case we have to suction him, I'm going to need you to deliver on the bed.  I know it's going to be hard to get out and move, so just give it every bit of strength that you've got!"

Moving wasn't too bad.  I made it to the 4-poster bed, collapsed onto my left side, and immediately started having pushing contractions.  It was absolutely surreal, like a typhoon was sweeping through my body.  I began to roar like a mama dinosaur as the only way to stay somewhat in control.  "Slow it down! Pant a little bit!  I don't want you to tear."  "I'll try!"  The midwife's assistant, Carrie, showed up just in time.  I was on my left side with Ryan holding my right leg bent and at a 90 degree angle.  Mom was at my head, stroking my hair and holding my hand.  I buried my face in the covers and gave unbelievably strong pushes as the contractions swept through my body.  The pushing contractions were nearly continuous, and I found strength and energy in abundance to push along with them.  I only really remember stopping and breathing between 2 of them (there were about 5 total).  Suddenly, there was pressure and a burning and the words "he's crowning!"  Ryan told me "I can see our boy!"  Then they told me to wait a minute as they checked for a chord around his neck because his head was out!  No cord, but he did have a little fist tucked right under his chin.  It felt like a vat of snakes writhing in me as the midwife's assistant swept her fingers around and pulled his little hand free.  Another huge long push, and my son's body slipped into the air.  Seven minutes after I'd started pushing-- 25 after I'd entered "transition"-- and what struck me as a purple giant squid was plopped on my chest. "Thank you, Jesus!  Oh, thank you!" Not having seen him emerge at all, having had no time to process his arrival, it was totally surreal.  In a daze I marveled at his huge hands. "He's so big!" and "I can't believe he's actually here!" were two phrases I kept repeating.  I think we were all a bit in shock.

Mom & Ryan immediately began rubbing him down as I called to him and the midwives tapped his feet, trying to get him to take his first breath.  He never really cried but instead gave a little gasp and protested our efforts a few times.  He started pinking up right away.  We waited a good 10 minutes to cut the cord, and I was relieved when it was finally cut because I was so swollen and tender that even the light pressure of the cord on me was abrasive.  I was overjoyed to learn that I needed NO stiches, only having a tiny tear from where his hand had had to be pulled out.  The little munchkin had been sucking his fist throughout all of labor, which accounted for the spots of awful back pressure I'd felt:  his hand pressed against my tailbone.  He is very attached to his hands. :)

He came out pooping and pooped on me another two times before his first half-hour of life.  He started to nurse fairly quickly, too.  When it came time to weigh him, Merienda laughed that she knew she wouldn't be able to hold the spring-scale high enough to get a reading, since she's short and she knew he was a chunker.  This meant that the proud Daddy got to weigh him, and I was shocked as the scale pulled down past 10 lbs...4, 5, 6 ounces!  Yet another benefit of the tub:  the water softens your perineum so much that tearing is far less likely, as my large baby with a neuchal hand demonstrated.  He was 22 1/4" long, with a 14" head (quite molded though).  "There is no question that that is a 41-week-old baby!" my midwife affirmed, and I knew I'd done fine to use the herbs.

I got everything I prayed for:  a face-down baby, a non-marathon, unmedicated labor, minimal tearing, trustworthy & knowledgeable birth attendants, a supportive husband who was with me the entire time in every sense of the words, and a healthy baby boy with every sign of looking like his Daddy-- from the dark hair to the Szrama dimpled chin and perfect bow lips.

Two hours after the birth, with my mom's home cooking in my tummy and the clearance from my midwife, we were headed home to sleep in our own bed.  In our bags were several goodies, like goldenseal capsules to dry up Liam's umbilical stump, and an herbal sitz bath formula to use as a peri-wash.  I really respect everything our midwife recommends, as so far every bit of her advice or recommendation has proven absolutely right on!  Guess it comes with that whole decades-long-practice thing... :)  We could not have had a better experience, nor more highly recommend Merienda and her birthing practice, Upstate Birth Center.  There is something so empowering about feeling total freedom in your own birth-- the freedom to eat, say, cry out, position yourself, do, or not do whatever your body tells you or your best research recommends.  Psychologically it's amazing.  Even Ryan kept commenting at how refreshingly different this experience was from our hospital birth experience with our daughter-- and we had a totally positive experience there, too!


"Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God."  (Isaiah 66:9)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  (James 1:17)

41 Weeks & Waiting On

41 Week Belly (42 cm)

Another week and William is still enjoying his watery world.  Contractions fill my days-- usually not painful, but at times feeling very much "the real thing."  However, they never are regular, nor do they get closer together or more intense.  I do get tired of them, especially at night, or in the morning, after a night of very light sleep, when my abs feel I've overdone it on the crunches.  But with all the "going nowhere" contractions, I was starting to wonder if I was seriously misreading my body-- maybe these weren't contractions at all; maybe I was just feeling Liam stretch?  I had a midwife appointment today, and was gratified that when, true to form, I had a contraction right on the table, my midwife confirmed "oh, that's a good, strong contraction!"  William performed a beautiful heart-rate acceleration and deceleration during the contraction, just like he's supposed to, proving that he just likes it in there. :)

The numbers for the week:  166 lbs (up one from last week), 42 cm fundal height (2 cm gained in one week again-- this boy is apparently growing like, well, a watermelon), good BP & pulse, good glucose & protein levels, no swelling or any other alarming signs.  Apparently William is following in his sister's footsteps of making it quite impossible to "check" my cervix for dilation-- with Eowyn the checks were super-painful or downright impossible until I was very far into active labor-- 8 cm and going into transition!  So there's absolutely no telling if or how much these contractions have "progressed" me.  At least we know his head is very well engaged and he's currently in a great position to deliver.  Now... if he would just decide to "make like a baby and head out" already!

Many of you prayed for us on Sunday when I suddenly was in quite a bit of lower round ligament pain.  One minute I was fine, the next the baby had dropped drastically and I could hardly walk or move without great pain and difficulty.  The Lord heard your prayers and my body adjusted to the new position by the following day.  I've also had quite a good amount of energy.  Tuesday my friend Kristen came over and we swept, mopped, vacuumed and cleaned, and then I pulled Eowyn to our neighborhood playground in her wagon.  Wednesday (yesterday) our friends from Louisville came for a quick visit (they're on a massive East-Coast road trip), and I had the energy to take them downtown to Falls Park and hang out all day. 

Since we're both doing great and I have a history of carrying longer than 40 weeks, delivering a largish baby with no problem and then having that baby seem developmentally younger than her dates would have led us to expect, we have plenty of time to play with before Mr. William is considered "post-date."  However, my midwife is a bit baffled by my body's apparent readiness to deliver, with my baby's apparent unwillingness to commit.  She's also pretty sure this guy is getting fairly, um... large.  She's given us the go-ahead to consider some herbal "pushes" towards active labor-- nothing that will force a delivery if my body or William's is unready, but that just might tip the scale into full-blown L & D.  We'll see.  As of now I'm happy to wait a few more days at least... another night like last night, though, might change my mind. :)  Either way, we are both doing very well and I'm so so so so thankful to be as comfortable and energetic as I am, all things considered!  Check out this blogpost on natural childbirth from my buddy Blythe!

A few pics from the past week:

Avery (5), Nora (6) & Eowyn all with rapt attention at the Library Story Time (the Suitcase Circus)

She's LOVED having little pals to play with

Nora's Nonnie helped them do sillouettes

Eowyn's love affair with bags (full of stuff)-- that's my new diaper bag (from 31)

I love her face as she comes in to "get my brudder!"

Telling William to "Come Out!"

(Almost) 40 Weeks!... and 2 1/2 Years Old

40 cm belly in all its glory!

Technically I'll be 40 weeks by the midwife's little wheel tomorrow, with an "estimated due date" (EDD) on Saturday.  But my visit was today, so I figured I'd go ahead and post the stats... for all those wondering. :)  Feel free to skip!

The feeding frenzy that has been my nights was clearly evident, both in measurement and on the scale.  I gained a good 5 1/2 lbs since last week (164.5), and expanded 2 cm (40 cm).  My heart rate was a bit high for me (90), but Liam's was steady and sleepy at 127.  My b/p is great, but my blood sugar was all wonky... I was clearly sleepy when making my oatmeal and forgot to add the butter.  Those 2 T of fat make all the difference between having wildly high and crashing blood sugar and a steady, satisfied full tummy.  Oops.  William's in a great position to come, though I have NOT appreciated feeling his head very very very clearly.  Those who've experienced the "ring of fire" while pushing will know what I mean.  Enough about that.  As far as "signs of impending labor" go, I've had pretty much all of them on and off for the past week, including LOTS of regular contractions, nausea, etc.  So... I have no idea when the little man will make his appearance.  I guess he likes surprises. :)

Update: 40 weeks today!

The hardest thing the past week has been sleep.  Usually I have to stretch, do inversions, soak in a bath, etc., for 1-2 hours each night, usually eating intermittently, before I can finally go to sleep (due to restless legs), usually around midnight.  Then I've often jolted awake around 4 am with the jittery feeling of low blood sugar, sometimes occasionally with a deep gnawing hunger.  I then eat whatever I can think of and usually finally go back to sleep around 6... thankfully Ryan's new work out schedule has him up at 5:30 4 mornings a week, so by the time Eowyn wakes up around 7:15, he's home and able to take care of her until I am rested enough to stumble downstairs.  She's a pretty low-maintenance kid in the mornings:  give her a cup of milk, a saucer full of soaked nuts & raisins, and she'll play quietly and happily by herself until at least 9.  I just have to supervise clean up when I wake up. :)

Since not much is going on in the pregnancy department, well, not that we can SEE anyway, I will give a little Eowyn-at-two-and-a-half update:

Playing at the chiro's office in one of my
FAVORITE of her outfits (thanks, Grams!)

Some things I've noticed about her this week have been her adorable tendency to substitute a compound word ending in one word with another beginning with the same word.  Two examples:  lollypop & popsicles, or rubber band and band-aids.  It's pretty cute.  She's sitting beside me in a fairy costume right now- occasionally giving me instructions on my lines ("Say "bye" to the fairy, Mom-- I'm leaving for a while.  But don't cry very much, ok?").  She has mastered Daddy's Nook, loving the few children's books we have on there-- either read aloud by a narrator or recorded by Mommy-- or the puzzle games.  When she gets stuck in a game, she calls me over with an "I'm in trouble, Mommy!  Help, please!"  Story Time at our local library (followed by lunch at Nina's!) is a weekly highlight, with the hand stamps at the end possibly being the best part.  Getting to go "work" on the computers (like Daddy) afterwards is a close second.  Of course the books and puzzles and movies we check out are great, too.  :)  (check out our guest performer for our story-time today: Sarah Dippety!)

She's showing more empathy than ever.  When I bemoaned the fact that I no longer had a favorite food in stock, she rubbed my arm and looked right into my face, the picture of compassion, saying "You can get more at the store, Mommy!  Don' worry!"  Other new favorites are "kipping" (skipping), walking on tiptoe, and saying the "sad questions" in the children's catechism (#20-25 that deal with sin).  She continues to be very excited about having a baby brother, and just the other morning discovered that I have a heart-beat too, just like William.  She was cuddled on my chest and sat up, asking me "What's dat?  It's like a hammer!"

Showing new independence on
the swings (wearing her "work-out shorts")

Speaking of heart-beats, Eowyn was SO excited to have her very own check-up at our family doctor's earlier this week.  She comes with me to all my midwife appointments and my one check-up, so she knew EXACTLY what our doctor needed to do, and told him so. :)  He checked her nose, and found a cow in there, just like he used to do in mine when I was little!  He let her listen to her own heart beat, which was priceless.  (My favorite moment was when the nurse asked if she was speaking in two-word sentences, to which I said "definitely."  Right on cue, Eowyn burst in "When Doctor Taylor comes in, he's gonna listen to my heart-beat!" The nurse laughed and said "I think that was about a ten-word phrase!")  She has everyone in our doctor's office swooning over her, from the nurse to the lab tech who did her finger prick.  E just held out her finger bravely and barely whimpered.  She's a healthy, strong little girl with everything looking great.  She's jumped percentiles weight, at 28 lbs she's now in the 40th % ile (as opposed to the 20th), and at 37" tall, she's in the 95th % ile for height!  The reason we even did a check-up in the first place is that we are looking to enroll her in a little 2-morning a week preK program at a local church.  Eowyn is such a social little creature that we know she will LOVE the interaction with other folks, especially while Mommy is taking a lot of time with her new brother.  Mom & Dad welcome the chance for E to learn to obey someone besides us, and to learn to function in a classroom setting.  We got her first classroom supply list and everything... Eowyn cannot wait to start buying things for 'cool, and asks regularly if she can go yet.

Today's Library Story Time featured an EXCELLENT magician!

She generally still takes a 2 hour nap from 2-4ish, and we put her to bed at 8, and usually hear her chipper little voice around 7:30 each morning.  While eating is NOT a struggle with her, sleeping is more challenging. She wakes up in the night fairly frequently, hungry, scared or needing to go to the bath room.  We have to be militant about our "no-fussing-at-bedtime" rule, or else she'd be keeping herself awake 'til all hours asking for this or that or the other thing (like a two-handed hand squeeze, or a kiss precisely in the center of her right cheek...).  We seem to have settled on a good routine now, though:  a book or two, a Bible story read by Daddy, potty, teeth-brushing & hand washing, 1 or 2 songs, family prayers, kisses, hugs, squeezed hands, and then blown kisses, with the door left open a crack, the "frogbert" night-light turned on, and a few songs playing off one of her lullaby CDs.  We're working a lot on politeness/respect (manners!), ASKING v. demanding or commanding, and obeying right away without asking "why" first.  Also trying to train her to be less picky and more flexible... or at least to request help if something isn't "just right" without dissolving into tears!  She's growing up so much and we love our little Eowyn Grace!!