Please pray. . .

Please pray for my friend, Jen. After a very long (3 full days) and arduous labor, she delivered her first child, a little girl, by emergency c-section early Tuesday morning. Katherine Marie is doing well, but Jen was moved to ICU due to liver failure, hypertension, and loss of blood. Last I heard, she had stabilized and had returned to postpartum. However, the doctors have not been able to get to the root of the problem and she is still ill. Pray that the doctors will have wisdom. Pray also that she will heal quickly so that she and her husband can thoroughly enjoy this wonderful time!

UPDATE 12/1/06 evening: Praise the Lord! Jen is now home and on the mend. God was very merciful. She was in very serious condition at one point, but is now doing quite well. There are pictures of their beautiful daughter on their site. Check it out.

Gentle Birth Formula

I've had several of you ask me about the herbal supplement I took during the last 5-weeks of my pregnancy. Instead of emailing the same info over and over again, I thought I'd post the information on here.

Since Caleb is my first child, I don't have any way of knowing if the Gentle Birth Formula by Mountain Meadow Herbs is the reason my labor and delivery were so smooth. However, I have no reason to think that it is not, and for $30, it's worth the risk!

I'm not normally into the whole herbal, alternative medicine thing. Far from it. . . I tend to be a bit skeptical. However, this product came recommended by my friend, Kay Ann, and after talking with my doctor about it, I figured it was worth a try. There wasn't much to lose and a whole lot to gain. The herbs are herbs that midwives have been using for a long time and even though some of that folk medicine is bogus, some of it isn't.

If you decide to try it, please let me know what you think of it. I'm curious to hear from someone who can compare it to a previous, non-herbal-supplemented birth.

A Quiet Moment

Nothing New Under the Sun

Sitting on the couch last night, my brain wandered down the dumb joke trail. Suddenly a new one popped into my head. I had high hopes that I was the very first person to think of this joke and in order to find out, I ran to the computer to do a search (my sweet husband meanwhile was rolling his eyes). Turns out some 4th grader named Agnus submitted it to a kid's joke site years ago. So much for being original.

Q: What do you call a herd of sleeping cattle?

A: Bull Dozers

What is your favorite dumb joke?

Like Flies in July

Normally, we are part of a large group that eats out together after Church. Because the group is rather big, we end up waiting a LONG time to get a table. It is hard to really fellowship because the table is so big and spread out that one can't really enjoy fellowshipping with the others at the table. Not only that, but the tab usually averages about $15 per person!

So, we decided to try something new and invite everyone to our house. For about $20-25 total, we were able to feed 10 people a really delicious, home-cooked meal. Not only did we save a lot of money, but our time was so much more enjoyable. After a relaxed meal, the girls stayed in the house to play with Caleb and clean up the kitchen, while the guys hung out in the garage, playing with their RC helicopters and showing off skateboarding tricks. The last of the guests left at 7:00!

Did it make a bigger mess than if we had gone out? Yes, of course it did. Did it mean more work for me? Yep. Was it worth it? Definitely. It was 100% worth it because there is no place like a home to experience true fellowship. Josh and I were excited to be able to provide a meal that everyone enjoyed and a place for our brothers and sisters in Christ to share life together.

I'll admit, it is easier to keep the front door closed, but when we are obedient and open the door, blessings, like flies in July, swarm in!

I have to wear WHAT?!

You've seen the Pink Bunny Suit (A Christmas Story) , but have you seen the Green Bear Suit?

11:30

Yesterday my paid maternity-leave ended and today I officially joined the ranks of the thousands of women who have left careers to raise their children. It reminded me of a poem I wrote while in college, dreaming of this day.

11:30

The buzzer on the
macaroni-splattered microwave warns
that the faded t-shirt
and misshapen sweats
were discarded hours ago
by women with real jobs.
But the disapproving hour is ignored
by she with the widened hips
and sagging breasts
who listens only for
the growling tummies
of the macaroni-eaters
whose syruped-fingers
paint the sliding glass doors
and tangled-hair screams
drown out the radio.
Real women get roses.
But only at 11:30 will a
gapped-toothed delivery boy
with a dozen muddy marigolds
offer to help make lunch.

Now I can have my cake and eat it, too!

Recently I posted about the dilemma of not being able to accomplish everyday tasks because I have been spending my days holding and playing with Caleb. Well, thanks to a recommendation by Heather, I can now have my cake and eat it, too!

If you haven't heard of the Ergo, you are missing out. I tried a few other carriers, but this is by far the best one around. I have extremely weak shoulders and am usually unable to support any weight on them. I have been wearing the Ergo now for a total of about 5 hours today and I don't have even a hint of discomfort. Caleb LOVES being snuggled up next to me and I love getting things done around the house.

Brain Sells

I was writing to my friend, Christianne, about how my blog used to have posts that expressed a thoughtful ideas. In case you haven't noticed, this blog has turned into a photo gallery for the cutest 1-month old around. I'm not apologizing for that, I just thought that perhaps I should explain the "Brain Sell" Phenomenon.

I have this theory that when a woman becomes pregnant, 50% of her brain cells are donated to the construction project of the new little body. Then, after she gives birth to the babe, the child continues to siphon brain cells via the breastmilk. If this theory is true, I figure that I am now operating on about 30% of my previous brain cell capacity.

Strange things happen at 30% capacity. Spelling and grammatical errors that would never have occurred prior to motherhood are suddenly cropping up everywhere. (Proof: when typing "brain cells" I keep typing "brain sells" and having to backspace and correct it. In another month when I've dipped below 30%, I won't even think "brain sells" looks wrong!) In addition to rise in spelling and grammatical errors, there is also the sudden inability to construct deeper thoughts. For a brain operating on 30% (not to mention the 30% sleep factor, too) coming up with corny captions to photos is daunting enough. . . deeper thought is out of the question!

Perhaps my missing cells will return someday. . . though judging by some of the other mothers I know, I am not hopeful! In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the photos.

One Month Old

Am I supposed to be happy about this whole aging thing?

The Important Stuff

Yesterday, I spent most of the day calming my fussy little guy. I didn't get the bed made until 10:30 and didn't get showered until noon. I never did get around to putting on my makeup or doing my hair. There were clothes waiting to be folded and put away, there were clean dishes in the dishwasher waiting to be returned to their homes, and there were bills to be paid. But I only have two arms and that's how many Caleb needed.

When Joshua got home, I told him that I felt like I didn't get anything done all day. He kindly contradicted me. "No," he said, "you got a lot done today. You took care of our baby."

Being a new full-time homemaker, I had high expectations for what I would be able to accomplish around the house. But my husband is right, I've been spending my time doing something even more important. . . I've been holding and enjoying my little boy.

Baby Shower

This weekend, my sisters-in-law hosted a family shower for Caleb. One of our favorite gifts was the hand-made sweater and hat duo that Josh's cousin, Aileen, knit. Below are a few pictures of Caleb modeling them for the camera.

Hiyah! Don't mess with me. . . I know Kung Foo.

Just kidding. . . I don't know Kung Foo. But I do know how to ham it up for the camera.


Thank you, Janella and Elaina, for the shower. We had a wonderful time.

Caleb and the Big Bear

My great aunt gave Caleb the biggest teddy-bear I've ever seen.
Most boys have bears they can hold. . . Caleb has a bear that can hold him!