Just FYI

I am quite sure that all of you regular readers (and my few one-time readers) have noticed, my blog is often neglected. This is due to the fact that blogging for me is strictly a hobby I enjoy in my free time. If I do not have free time or if I choose to read, research, or craft in my spare time, my blog will most certainly be lacking updates for a while. If this bothers you, I do apologize, but the only benefit I gain from my blog is the enjoyment of writing. I currently make $0 from this blog (and have never made any money from it). In other words, it is just for me ... and if you benefit from reading when I can post, I will get satisfaction knowing I can help others while I am enjoying myself!

So, with that said, here is what has been keeping me busy lately besides household chores and errands:

Handmade felt baby shoes
From this pattern
Note: I think the pattern is on the small side. Measure your baby's feet before using this pattern. You may have to use the larger pattern or even enlarge it with a copier.

Handmade felt Christmas tree
Came up with the idea and "pattern" myself. Undecorated: I will have to improvise, as my plan to glue on shiny Christmas-colored pom-poms doesn't work.

Baby quilt
... just started, but here's a sneak peak

We're on the Move

We have left our home in Washington and are heading back East. It is going to be a long journey, but the scenery is beautiful. Here is a picture from our trip out here.

Open to Life: What is Openness to Life?

We must start the discussion with first things: Life is better than death. If we understand and agree on that one principle, we will see how everything will stem from that.

Being open to life is not always easy. As the saying goes, “God never said it would be easy; He just said it would be worth it.” Having a marriage that is open to children does not mean that you are open to life unless every marital act is open to life. Using contraceptives in any form, at any time, is morally wrong. However, “God has wisely ordered laws of nature and the incidence of fertility in such a way that successive births are already naturally spaced through the inherent operation of these laws” (Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI, 11).

We are all called to “be fertile and multiply” (Genesis 1:28 NAB). The Church calls every family to be generous with regard to children. It is only for grave reasons (that must respect the moral law and be prayerfully considered) that we are allowed to limit children for a certain or indefinite period of time (HV 10).

More and more we seem to have a culture of materialism instead of children. Parents are worried about paying for private schools, cars, and college instead of being generous toward children and letting God take care of the rest. In his book The Well and the Shallows, Chesterton says,

He [the child] is also a much more beautiful, wonderful, amusing and astonishing thing than any of the stale stories or jingling jazz tunes turned out by the machines. When men no longer feel that he is so, they have lost the appreciation of primary things, and therefore all sense of proportion about the world. People who prefer the mechanical pleasures, to such a miracle, are jaded and enslaved. They are preferring the very dregs of life to the first fountains of life. They are preferring the last, crooked, indirect, borrowed, repeated and exhausted things of our dying Capitalist civilisation, to the reality which is the only rejuvenation of all civilisation. It is they who are hugging the chains of their old slavery; it is the child who is ready for the new world.

Another common misconception of today is the concept of “readiness” for children. When are we ever truly ready? Will we ever have “enough” money or “enough” time? This is another one of those materialistic considerations. When people think they must have $1,000 saved to buy all the latest and greatest gadgets for baby, we know they have “lost the appreciation of primary things”.

Consequently, our society today considers parents with only three children to have a large family and rudely asks, “Are you done?” Turkeys are done, chores are done, but children? God calls us to be open to life so that He may bless us with another child.

Up Next: What is Natural Family Planning?

For full texts of the documents used, see my Open to Life Series: Introduction

The Regress of Parenting

Although I entitled this post “The Regress of Parenting”, I do not feel the title truly fits. Because you can only regress to a state you have been before and I believe this is entirely new ground – for all of us.

Many people today feel that anything new is best and anything old needs to go; hence, the negative reaction to all things “old-fashioned”. This country and others have put progress on a pedestal; they almost worship it. But has anyone ever wondered what we are progressing toward?

Always looking toward the future, while leaving past things behind, gets you nowhere fast. It is like trying to build a house while rejecting the idea of building on the groundwork you just laid. It is only when you continually build on a foundation that actual developments can be made. The only two institutions that have done this, according to Chesterton, are physical science and the Catholic Church.

One major area where our culture discards traditional ideas and worships new ones is with parenting. Even the word “parenting” is a new idea. It originated between 1955 and 1960 when parents started looking to psychologists for advice instead of their own relatives or just using common sense. People used to call it child rearing, but that was when they focused on the marriage instead of the child. (Ironic isn’t it?) On Amazon alone, there are over 61,000 results for “parenting books”. Have we really gotten to the point where we trust a professional over our own judgment? Or where we think that each child (because of his/her birth order or inabilities) needs a different “approach to parenting”?

One of the best (of few) parenting books I have read – Parenting by The Book by John Rosemond – offers four chapters on “The Great Deception” (as he puts it) which are about the lies touted by modern psychology. I have talked about this book before. I even had it among my top ten favorites. If you are a parent or ever will be, this is a must read.

A classic example of the modern psychology problem is psychoanalyzing the child’s actions, which ends up putting blame on someone or something else. Because of this (it is said), you cannot punish the child for his reaction to something beyond his control. I will give an exaggerated example to illustrate the point. As the parent demands to leave the park, the child reacts by hitting the parent. Instead of punishing the child for hitting, the parent apologizes for upsetting the child. By over-focusing on psychology, we have forgotten about sin. Children need to learn discipline. Their behavior should not be excused.

One of the things I really hate to see is parents laughing at disrespect, disobedience, or inappropriate behavior by their children. Children love to have an audience, and the minute they find something to make you laugh, they will repeat it (frequently). Therefore, these things must be disciplined immediately and consistently to teach the child proper behavior and manners. Not long ago parents would not have tolerated this behavior and certainly would not have found it funny. Parents today think tantrums are normal and should be tolerated for 5-year-olds and even beyond. It should not. Parents today are frustrated when their children argue with them … but they can only argue if the parent allows (by arguing back)!

Our state of affairs today is not normal. We need to get back to normal. Old-fashioned and traditional should not be considered “bad words”. They are normal. We need to resurrect the old ideas and meanwhile abandon the new. But many people will say, “Times have changed.” To that I will respond, times have always changed, yet child-rearing styles have only drastically changed in the past fifty years. All the advances in the world should not change something so basic as the raising of a family.

A Bit of Randomness

Well, it's almost a new year and my blog is sorely lacking in updates. It kind of went to the wayside (along with house cleaning) after Robert came home. It seems like I have more time to do things when he's gone (or working) than when he's home all the time!

I am finally back into meal planning -- and hoping/praying that we can finally stick to our budget this year so we can save more money. Saving has (sadly) been a lower priority lately with all our eating out, buying Robert some new clothes, and purchasing our lovely piano (more about that below)!

It's amazing how much money you can save when you go into the grocery store with a plan and a list instead of just thinking of "meals" (if you can call them that) as you go. Our first planned meal was last night - homemade ham and bean soup (using dry beans). Very delicious. Robert loved it. I made homemade corn muffins to go along with it, which was a nice compliment.

I made some sandwich bread yesterday as well - but I think I took it out of the oven too soon, so I'll have to try again next time. I want to start making all of our bread again. I bought some wheat gluten, hoping that will help the bread become less "crumb-y" ... hoping anyway. I might try a small amount of bread flour if that doesn't work, because my italian bread recipe turns out so nicely.

I would also like to start making all of our desserts from scratch. I made some wonderful butter toffee, caramels, and candy bar treats with the help of my mom when my parents were visiting earlier this month. We still have some toffee left over but everything else has been eaten. The candy was so rich and so delicious. I can't wait to make the caramels again to try to improve on them. (They were a bit hard, probably from boiling too long.)

And I've even started making cinnamon rolls from scratch. I've made two batches now (the second was much better), but they are delightful! And they are made with baking powder, so they're fast and easy. The link is on my recipe page.

And last but not least, my new piano! Well, I should say our piano. Robert and I have been eyeing pianos since before Benedict was born (maybe for almost a year now). We considered one, but they were a little out of our price range. I was set on buying a full sized keyboard if we were going to spend the money. There's no use buying one (in my opinion) if I can't even play all my favorite songs on it! So we finally broke down and bought one as our Christmas present to each other this year. It came with an attached stand, pedals, weighted keys, and a bench. I'm so thrilled with the purchase!

Well, if you're still with me, I'm going to try to update once every week or two from now on so that I have a little motivation to stay on track, but also to share with you what I've been up to in the kitchen as well as any new updates with Benedict.

Baby Check up: Two Months

Recap of  1 mo #s:
Length: 22 in
Weight: 10lb 15.2oz

Today (10 weeks 2 days):
Length: 24 in
Weight: 14lb 1.9oz

He's in the 95 %ile for weight and the 75%ile for length and head circumference! He went from the 25 %ile at birth, to the 75 %ile at one month and now he's in the 95 %ile at 2 months! What's next?!

The doctor is happy that he's growing so well. And everything else sounds and looks great. He's had some issues with eye discharge and the doctor said that it's normal. He goes back in 2 months (at age 4 months).

He had to get some shots today though. I ended up getting everything but the Hep B - b/c there's absolutely no reason for a baby to get this shot. It's an STD and can also be transmitted through contact with infected blood. They just give it to children so they'll be immune as adults. But most shots don't even last that long without a booster so what is the point? Anyway, he got four shots in all plus the liquid for Rotovirus. And he's been reallly fussy all day. It has not been a fun day - for mom or baby!

Struggles and Joys

Well, it's almost that time again. It's been posted on the ship's Facebook page so apparently it's safe to post anywhere -- the ship is leaving September 7th. We will be on our own for 6+ months. I know I will be struggling through this time. It was so nice to have Robert home, even to just have someone to talk to and see what I go through. He helped out a lot around the house too. I'm just so thankful to have such wonderful parents who are planning to visit a couple times while he's gone.

As for the joy? Well, you're looking at it!

My beautiful son is becoming more contented with each passing day. He's now okay with sitting by himself for a few minutes at a time - which makes it a whole lot easier to do things like sweep the garage, pull stuff out of the oven, and cut up food!

Baby Check up: One Month

Bene went to the doctor today!! (Finally ... it took us forever to get him signed up with our insurance so he missed his 2-week appointment.)

Recap of birth #s:
Length: 19.5 in
Weight: 7lb 4oz

Today (5 weeks 2 days):
Length: 22 in
Weight: 10lb 15.8oz

He's in the 75 %ile for length, weight, and head circumference! And he's a solely-breastfed baby!!! My "little man" is growing!! He was so happy during the appointment - wide awake and smiling at everyone!

No shots this time, but he did have to get his second PKU test. I asked the doctor why they have to get it twice and she said because the first test results aren't even valid. They don't mean anything unless the test is taken when they're at least 72 hours old! So then why do they even test them in the hospital?! Good grief!

He will start getting shots next time, at 2 months. I will have to look over the suggested schedule and see which ones I'm going to get for him. I know there are a few that I'm declining for him. (More on that later.)

**On other note -- Everything is getting better. God is giving me more patience everyday, it seems. I bought a new carrier that is more comfortable for me and I just keep Benedict in that unless he's eating or getting his diaper changed. And today - he was able to lay on the bed for a few minutes after his diaper change and entertain himself without fussing!!!! : ) And he slept on the bed this morning by himself for about 20 minutes after I got up! It's been a good day!

Being a Parent

I heard a quote once (from Roland on Army Wives) that this is "the hardest job you'll ever love". I'm definitely seeing that to be true these days. Benedict eats almost every hour during the day. He only takes one "true" nap during the day. A 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Other than that, he'll sleep for maybe 20-30 minutes once in the morning.

He is very "high needs" right now. A term I learned from Dr. Sears. Robert says "isn't every baby high needs? It's just some are more vocal about it?" - I believe that to be true, and let me say, Benedict is very vocal about it! He must be held constantly, even when he's sleeping. If he falls asleep and I put him down he will wake up within about two minutes and start crying. If I put him down somewhere when he's awake, he starts fussing immediately. If I wait too long to pick him back up, he is very hard to console.

He LOVES going for walks in the stroller at night. We've been doing that every night. But as soon as we get through the door (or today, even on the porch) he starts crying because he knows the walk is over!

And sometimes, even when I'm holding him, he still fusses. It's not an all-out scream, like when I put him down, it's just a fuss to say - "okay, next! I need to be walked around now!" Or the "I am hungry" fuss.

I am so glad that I got the pacifier. It is a life-saver right now. I think if I were to follow the "comfort your baby at your breast" rule of ecological breastfeeding, I'd be nursing constantly (literally!). I nurse enough just with him being hungry every hour.

And let me say - he goes through a lot of diapers because of this! I've been using disposables the past couple days because I was having constant problems with leaks with my cloth diapers. There was one night where I had to change his clothes every time I changed his diaper (like 3-4 times) because he seemed to soak the clothes more than the diaper! I tried to strip them yesterday and I let them air-dry, but they're still damp so I'm leaving them to dry for another night. Even with disposables, I still have to change his diaper every 2 hours - at that point it is bulging from being soaked so much. And last night (after only about four hours), even the disposable leaked.

The past two days have been really hard on me. My parents left yesterday morning so I've been completely on my own. Which is really difficult with Benedict's personality. I'm struggling with my patience - something people have always commented on in the past because I'm such a patient person. This is definitely new. And maybe with time it will get easier being a "single" parent, but for now - I just have to take it day-by-day (and sometimes even minute-by-minute).

With all that being said, I wouldn't change anything. He is my life and he does bring me joy when I get to see his occasional smiles. Mommy loves you, Bene! : )

B's Birth Story

If you recall my last post (yes, I'm sorry it's been so long...), I had to be induced if his fluid level didn't go up (from 6.5). Well, when went in for our appointment Monday morning, June 28th, his fluid level had dropped to 4 cm. So it was pretty necessary that I be induced.

They started the Pitocin around 1 pm (I'm guessing here b/c I didn't look at the clock). Then they stopped it around 2:30 because the nurse thought he was having problems handling the contractions. She thought his heartrate was dropping off after the contraction which means the placenta isn't doing it's job. -- The midwife thought everything looked fine though so they started it up again.

It took me until 8:45 that night to progress from 1.5 cm to 3 cm. But after that I got into the tub because I was struggling with the contractions. That helped to relax me so much that Robert went out and asked the nurse why my contractions had stopped! (They hadn't. I was just able to handle them better with the water.) Right before I got out of the tub, I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed a break and was ready to "concede" to the epidural. -- Looking back I can't believe I doubted that I was in transition at the time. I just figured there was no way I could have progressed that quickly.

I finally felt like getting out at about 10:20 p.m. The student midwife wanted to check me to see how much I'd progressed. She was so shocked to feel his head she had the midwife check me as well. A little after 10:30 I started pushing and our little baby boy made it into the world at 11:06 p.m. on Monday June 28.

He weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. He is such a blessing to us and we are so happy to have him in our lives!

The Room is Ready

We finally got the crib today. Robert helped me put it together. I'm so excited that everything is in place. I just hope he comes soon!!!

Here's the view from the door:

Left side of the room:

Right side (The bag and box are stuff that needs to be donated and sent to my niece. The mirror is placed in such a way {not planned} that when you stand in the hallway, you can see the crucifix from above the bed in our room in his room!):

I love the crib. I was frustrated with it at first, but now I have come to appreciate it (with Robert's help). I can't wait to see him in it! "Bene, if you can read this, we're ready for you!"

Baby Shower

Here's the photos from from the baby shower last night. This first one is all the handmade items. We LOVE the Raggedy Andy doll! He's so cute! And I might steal him for myself instead of giving him to Benedict. : )

The second photo is pretty much everything else. There were a few small items - like socks and bibs that are not in the picture, but almost everything else we got from people was clothes! It's just crazy to think about! He has so many clothes now.

We also got a car seat that's forward facing from 20 lbs to 100 lbs. Basically it's all we'll ever need as soon as he can sit forward facing in the car! We were so grateful to have received that.

Today we went to Babies 'r' Us and Target and bought almost everything else we needed/wanted. (And we spent less than $30 doing it!) I got some really cute things - like the bath robe and little "swimmer froggy". All that we need now is the crib and high chair. And we still have gift cards left over to use for those things!

I would just like to say a big "thank you" to anyone who has given us anything. We have so much great stuff now. And we'll be able to use it all for years (and children, God-willing) to come! : )

Little Kitties

I've been feeding the stray cats around my house since December of last year. This spring I noticed that one of them was pregnant. I finally got to "meet" her kittens (through the window) this morning! One looks like the mom and the other looks like the dad (Snowflake). Aren't they adorable! They were having so much fun playing with the leaves blowing. Then the white one started playing with the mother's tail.

Just thought I would share my cute find of the day!

UPDATE: There's two of each "coloring". The other ones came out when I went back downstairs to watch them after writing this post!

34 Weeks

Here's the picture, as promised! I just took it Sunday (so technically I was 33 weeks and 6 days!). The red carnation is from Church. They were giving them out to mothers to wear for Mother's Day. I almost didn't feel right putting it on. Sometimes it's hard for me to view myself as a mom since I'm still keeping my baby safe and warm myself!

When I look at this picture I think, "Wow... am I pushing my stomach out or am I really that big?" -- Yes, I'm really that big now! I can't believe it. When I look in the mirror it doesn't seem as big as when I look at a photo. My little belly button is still hanging on down at the bottom. It's being pushed out lop-sided. (Meaning, it's only poking out on the top side.) If only I had the "guts" to show that!

I can't wait for the baby shower coming up on the 26th. Our Bible Study group at Church is throwing me and Robert a shower on our pot luck night. Since I already have everything I "need", I registered for some really cute things just for fun (and a couple practical items too). I knew about the baby shower before completing my shopping (with my parents when they visited), but there was no way my "Type-A" self could hold out that long. Remember, you're reading about the girl that bought the carseat when she was only 2 months pregnant!

Diaper Order

I can't wait for Benedict to be here - one of the things I can't wait to "try out" is the cloth diapers! I love the BumGenius - sized diapers and have heard nothing but good things about them on all the reviews and blogs that I've read. I just got done washing everything. So here's my stack of all the diapers I just washed! Yes, there's a lot - actually 48 to be exact ... and these two sizes will only last for about the first 4-6 months. (Hopefully, he doesn't grow too quickly!!) I'm waiting to buy the next sizes until he's older and closer to using them so that I know how many to purchase.

I've been saying that I'm ready for him all this time, but really I haven't been completely ready until today, because I had to wash the diapers before we used them. I was waiting for my next order from this website so that I didn't have to pay for shipping on the laundry detergent. Cloth diapers require a special kind of detergent but you don't have to use a whole lot, so it lasts a while.

And wow! The hassle of getting them dry! I'm so glad they're not made of cotton; I heard those were even worse. I think it would've been much easier for me to get the "classic" cloth diapers - using traditional prefolds. But I still like that they're "identical" to disposables in the way you use them. It'll just take more time during washings.

The Room

We've finally got it pretty much finished. Here's the shelf with all my old Winnie the Pooh items. - The only new (or even relatively new) thing on this shelf is the big classic Pooh on the left. My mom bought me that when she first went shopping for the baby. Everything else is pretty old (7-10+ years). Robert did a great job putting it up too - even though he had to put up with me.

I couldn't find any decent Pooh pictures to hang on the wall, so instead I decided to make these. Robert really likes them and I do too. I made a similar project a few years ago with my Paris stuff. So this was really fun. I just made a collage of scrapbook stickers and a couple pictures I cut out of an old Pooh calendar.

We don't have a crib yet. I may buy one when he's older, but for now, he's just going to sleep in the bassinet. I bought the diapers and diapering "accessories" on Friday. They should ship today so I'm expecting them by next Monday. With that, I'll be able to wash the diapers and have everything ready for the baby when he comes.

Here's the other side of the room. And to think, every one of those books but three or four I had before I even knew I was pregnant! : ) I've been preparing for a while! (And yes, we still have Angel's stuff in here too. I don't think she'd appreciate having to give up one of her favorite rooms and I'm not going to listen to her meowing at the door all the time if I closed it!)

The only things I have left to buy are a couple of nursing items which I going to wait to purchase until the baby's here. I'm so happy to have everything bought and together now. It's such a relief, especially since I get so stressed about planning (when it's not done on time).

Clowny Gets a New Suit

I finally got around to making Clowny a new outfit. I wish I would've taken a before picture as he was getting awfully raggedy at 25 years old! He no longer has "feet" anymore. I had to sew them up because of the huge holes and both of his "hands" have been mended as well. I also had to fix his left eye a while back because the thread was wearing out on it. So he now has two different colored blue eyes! His right eye and his nose are getting a little worn, but they're still hanging in there!

His outfit (which was actually his second - that my mom made for him) lasted quite a while because he used to just sit on a shelf or in a box. But the past year or so, he's been sleeping with us every night - so he's gotten pretty worn out! His old outfit already had four patched areas and at least as many new holes as well as new buttons that were just sewn on a few months ago.

Here's a picture of his old outfit, but it's hard to tell from the picture just how worn out it really was!

I originally was giving him a new outfit so that I could pass him down to Benedict when he was born, but now I'm not so sure I'm ready to give him up yet!! He's been my "best bud" ever since I can remember so I think I'll keep him -- maybe he'll be passed on in my will!

Pregnancy Update

This picture was actually taken 2 weeks ago. I don't have anything more recent yet.

So exciting -- I entered my third (and final!) trimester last Monday!! Exactly three months to go as of yesterday. I've completed week 27 and am feeling great!

It's actually exciting to me for people to tell that I'm expecting and ask me about it (without me mentioning anything). Although, I have gotten multiple comments on how I'm not very big, but I'm not worried! : ) I know everything is going well.

I've been so busy and "out and about" since Robert's been home, that I must be putting Benedict to sleep a lot because he's not as active as he used to be! He moves around quite a bit in the early morning though (about the time Robert gets up for work) and sometimes when I'm laying down to go to bed at night.

One thing that I wish I would've known before I got pregnant is: you are so emotional! The weekend that Robert came home, I cried four or five times in one day over the smallest little things (so small that when I was trying to remember what they were, I hadn't a clue!).

More Baby Items

I got my play yard today. This is hopefully where the baby will be sleeping (in the bassinet) for as long as possible, next to our bed. It only accepts up to 15 lbs though, so I hope he doesn't grow out of it too fast!

One thing I've noticed, that I really cannot stand, is the amount and placement of warning labels all over everything with baby stuff now-a-days. It's so tacky and annoying. You can see the one on the changing table, there's one on the side of the bassinet, there's one directly on the cloth part of the car seat, plus multiple on the plastic part of the carseat. Why can't people just "be smart" and use common sense anymore? We have to have all these warning labels, unremoveable, and in plain site!! (Just an obvious pet peeve of mine.)

I also posted a picture of our diaper bag. I LOVE it!!!! (Thank you, mom!) It's so cute and will work great for everything, so it will last me a long time. Plus it's big enough to use for more than just short outings.

Since we've been debt free, it's also so wonderful to know that everything we have is paid for. And everything we're buying is not with borrowed money. I can't imagine ever using a credit card again, because I love this feeling so much!

I'm Showing!!

I guess it just kind of happened. One day I wasn't showing and the next day it just "popped out"! I realized I'd been calculating my weeks wrong. I was thinking my new week started on Sunday but it actually starts on Tuesday and I'm almost a full week ahead of what I thought I was! So, I began my 21st week yesterday. Yea!!!

This is me - 20 full weeks -- HALF WAY!!!