Precious Moments

I know that nursing isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for me.  I have had the joy and privelege of being able to nurse all of my children.  I set a goal for a year with each child.  I nursed my first child Abigail for 15 months, and Katelyn for 11 months.  And now I am nursing my 8 week old son Wesley.  The only time he really cries is when it is time to eat and I can't get to him in time because we are in the car, or I am finishing dinner, or making the girls lunches.  At those times, now that I am nursing child #3, the thought has crossed my mind on occasion, how convenient it would be to prop a bottle where he sits and keep going.  But then I would miss out on this:

A few reasons I enjoy nursing:

1. Nursing a child is such a special bonding time between the mom & baby.  The baby needs that closeness with his or her mother.  And I truly believe that the mom needs that time too.
2. It is a time for the mom to stop everything she's doing to breastfeed for 20 minutes or so, and in doing so she is taking time for herself to rest, because we all know that whether you have 1 child or more we often put times of rest last (if anywhere) on the list of daily tasks.
3. Supposedly it helps with weight loss, but I have yet to find that to be true for myself. :)
4. To look down and see those big eyes looking up at you with satisfaction and admiration is absolutely priceless.  Which brings me to my take home message.

...drumroll...

  With Wesley, I have been a little more sentimental.  I know that he will likely be the last baby to complete our family and even more than before I am trying to cherish every moment.  When I look at his dark eyes I can see my reflection in his pupils.  It's the sweetest thing because I can actually see that he is captivated with me, his mother, his source for sustenance and comfort.  Each time it makes me think of how our Heavenly Father looks at us.  He is our source. He is our strength and our comfort.  Does He see His reflection in my eyes when He looks at me?  What am I focused on?

There is a song that I have been singing to myself for several days now.  It is by an old acquaintance, Laura Story, and when I sing the lyrics it's like my own heart pouring out to the Lord.  It's a song of humility and God's "Grace".  It's the second verse and chorus that I really relate to.  It reminds me of the blog I shared with you not too long ago "I'm Tired of Pretending Like I'm not Special".  No matter how many times we fall short, He is always willing to forgive because He loves us unconditionally, and "as long as we're seeking His face" His grace will abound in our life.  So if you have children young or old  in your life, as you look at them today, think about how the Lord is looking at you with just as much hope and love.  Does He see His reflection is your eyes?

Update on my 3 little ones

Wesley is 7 1/2 weeks old now.  He hasn't had his 2 month check up yet, but when I weigh the difference on the scale with and without him (we won't talk about without him) he is a whopping 14 pounds!  He's long enough to balance it out so he doesn't look like a butterball turkey.

Katelyn, as you know from my most recent blog, had surgery on Monday.  She had her tonsils and adenoids removed.  She was so brave!  I was the first one in the recovery room.  They let me climb up on the bed and cuddle with her...she was pretty upset and a little fuzzy from the anesthesia.  The doctor said that her tonsils were so infected that they fell apart when he removed them!!  And her adenoids were very large too.  Despite their "rules" they let Jessie bring Abby back (Wesley was in my arms when I went back) so we could all be with her.  Katie loves her dad so much!  When she's upset, she'll let me know, but he's the one she wants to hold her.  I took her home and she laid down for all of maybe 5-10 minutes, then she got up and played the rest of the day away as if nothing happened and ate everything we gave her.  I know now that day 1 is referred to as "honeymoon day".

Trying to balance on top of the sit-n-spin

"I didn't lose my twirl" ~Katie

That night was a different story.  She woke me up at 1:30am, her head burning up with fever (I gave her medicine, prayed over her, and a cold rag)..and she cuddled in bed by her daddy.  At 4:30am she woke me up hot all over, so I took her to the tub to cool her down and more medicine.  PS: Wesley woke up both times to eat right after I got her settled down.  The next few days we had a difficult time getting her to eat and were happy if she had 2 spoonfuls of ice cream.  Today, she is much better...eating and playing and almost back to her normal self.  The most difficult thing for us now is tolerating the rancid smell from the healing wounds in her throat, but we don't tell her that.  I know she's hurting and not telling me because she doesn't like the medicine...because she let it slip that her head and throat hurt.  (Administering her meds has been a battle.)  However, she is definitely on the better side of recovery!  Thank you all for your prayers!!

Abigail is such a great kid!  Since Wesley came she has been a great helper, soothing him when I'm busy and making my way to him for his feedings. And she has been playing so great with Katie--which she does anyway, but it's still a great help to me that they play so well together.  Since Katie has had a lot of special treatment this week, eating whatever she wants and getting a few "get well" gifts, it has been a little tough for Abby to understand.  So, there have been a couple times that I gave her ice cream in the middle of the day too.  Today was Abby's last day of pre-school.  She finished K-4 and loved every minute of it!  She's putting all she has learned to work and has been sounding out words. It takes a lot of patience, but when she gets it, it is so neat to see her face light up understanding what she just read, "The box is big.  The fox is not big.  The fox is in the box"!!  I'm SO proud of her.

First day of school Aug 2010

My little Squaw at the Thanksgiving Feast

Christmas Program 2010

Easter Party at the Park 2011

Abby and her friend Lindsey at Cypress Gardens field trip 2011

Abby is a natural "mommy" with her baby brother

My Beautiful Abigail!

Katie Bootie

We have lots of playful nicknames for Katelyn.  Katie, Katie Bug, Katie Cat, Kate....  But she started this thing a while back where she will say “I love you Mommy Bootie” and I say “I love you Katie Bootie”.  It has stuck, and I must say I love it!! 

Tomorrow morning my Katie Bootie is having surgery, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.  She has really large tonsils and adenoids.  Her tonsils are about the size of walnuts and cause coughing, snoring, ear infections, strep, difficulty eating certain foods, as well as speech and hearing issues.  You wouldn't know it bothered her to see her.  She is a perfectly healthy and happy child, but with recent strep and recurring ear infections as well as the cough (from the tonsils touching the uvula), it has become necessary.  This surgery is a good thing!  She is really glad the doctor is taking them out.  I am too, I have just had a hard time preparing myself mentally for the recovery process.  I’m praying that not only the surgery, but the recovery goes well.  I don’t want my little girl to be in pain…I can’t stand the thought of it.  I have stocked the fridge and freezer with lots of fruit and yogurt for smoothies, the pantry with oatmeal and mac-n-cheese and other soft foods.  I have no doubt that she will bounce back in no time.

The other struggle I had to come to terms with is not being with her during the surgery.  I have been a part of everything my children have done in their lives to date.  When Abby was in the NICU at 1 week old for jaundice, I held and soothed her while they searched and poked trying to get a vein for an IV, and poked to check her blood levels like 30 times.  When Katie was in the hospital at 1 week old for the same thing, I followed the nurses to hold and sooth Katie for her IV.  I even accompanied my son Wesley at the hospital for his circumcision.  I have been there for everything to date.  Now, I have to wait…I have to let her go into the care of a capable surgeon and nurses…and wait.  It’s a routine procedure, so I’m not worried for her safety; I know that God is in control. What I have realized today is, this may be the first time I have truly had to say, “Ok God, she’s all yours” and simply trust Him that He is going to take care of her.  And I know He will, because He loves her even more than I do.

She told me today “when I get better I want to be a teacher and a doctor and help other kids get better.”  I'm not sure why she said that or where it came from.  So, I said “you can do that--that would be great!--do you think that’s what God wants you to do?”  She just looked at me.  So I asked, “what do you think God wants you to do?”  She said, “God wants me to play soccer.”  I asked what else does He want you to do and she said “God wants me to be a teacher and a doctor, and go to college.  And God wants me to play soccer.”  I can’t wait to see what He does have for her to do in her life with her compassion and enthusiasm…she will accomplish great things!!

Here are some pictures I pulled as I was reminiscing through my albums:

Her baby brother looks so much like her!

Giveaways are so fun! Winning is funner! :)

You guys have to check out this giveaway at Storybook Reality.  Laura blogs about life lessons, mommy-hood, hobbies, and an occasional recipe.  She is currently celebrating 1 year of blogging and is hosting her first giveaway.  There are as many as 7 ways to enter, thus increasing your chances!!  The handmade jewelry is really beautiful!  It is made by a friend of hers, and you can see more of her products in her etsy store Pearls of Grace.  Check it out!  The drawing is the 26th...so go enter now! 

I'm still here

I have had every intention to pick my blogging pen back up, but I have been kind of busy these last...umm...5-6 weeks??  It seems longer.  I don't mean that in a bad way--well, maybe just a little.  I'll explain.

Jessie and I are so blessed with 3 really great children.  They have their moments and I have mine.  As long as we're not having our "moments" at the same time, we're all good.  Just before Wesley was born, we got a couple bugs in our house.  There were some ear infections, sinus infections, even a ruptured eardrum.  While in the hospital, my husband somehow got pink eye and had to leave me in the hospital for a day so he wouldn't contaminate anyone.  A week after we got home and thought the pink eye fiasco was over, Katie got it...then we passed it around a little again.  Shortly after, Katie had another double ear infection as well as strep throat.  There were random fevers and...well, you get the picture.  We were hit from all sides.  I was recovering from a c-section and toting all 3 children to doctors appointments.  So, I had to adjust quickly to managing 3 children under 5 years old, but was overwhelmed by sickness!!

In observation of lots of little ailments and symptoms that Katie has had, we and the ENT have determined that she needs to have her tonsils & adenoids removed.  Her tonsils are what they refer to as "kissing" meaning they are so large they touch the uvula in the back of the throat.  So, my baby girl will have surgery in just over a week.  This should also reduce or even eliminate the ear infections, strep, snoring, persistent cough, and minor speech and hearing issues.

Now that everyone is well.  We have been dealing with vehicle issues.  Our gently used minivan has been in the shop for an unexpected week and a half.  And I do believe a diagnosis and cure are in the works and we will get it back early this week--I'm hoping.  I'm also hoping we will be reimbursed for this expense by the company who supposedly fixed this same issue under its previous ownership--we shall see.  Meanwhile our 'working' vehicle is making some funny noises.  Sigh!!

In the midst of it all, I have to remain hopeful that these things will pass and that while we are trusting God for healing and direction, that our faith will only grow stronger.  So I have to turn on my praise music and think on "these things" (Philippians 4:8).  Our children are so precious.  I could sit and stare at Wesley all day long and watch him stare back, and smile, and grow.  Katie and Abby have been playing together better than ever since their brother was born.  And they absolutely adore him!  Abby loves to hold & cuddle him.  Katie likes to come up and softly say (in the cutest voice ever) "Heeeyy  Boyee" or "Hiii handsome boy".  Abby is keeping a count of the number of smiles Wesley has given her, she's up to 5!  And they have the best daddy anyone could ever wish for--my husband is the best!!  We dedicated Wesley to the Lord at church on Mother's Day Sunday, which just put it all in perspective for me. We are raising our children for a greater purpose, and I will remain faithful to the role where God has placed me as I care for them each day.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" Philippians 4:13