Bitter Sweet

Today, I hang up a hat.

Nearly 8 years ago, I was offered a part-time job at our local video rental store. Aaron and I had been married for a few months, and prior to our marriage, had decided that I would not work unless I wanted to, and only at something that I enjoyed. So when that offer came in, we talked about it, prayed about it, and I ended up taking taking the job. I never dreamed that a part-time job and the people that I encountered there would become such an important part of my life
I tried to quit last year, while working at the dentist office, because I couldn't manage both, but I failed at that first attempt, and continued to work through my pregnancy, and thereafter, with Steve allowing me to bring the baby to work with me. I just wasn't ready to say "Goodbye" quite yet. It has been a blast to preview and recommend movies to people and help Steve develop new ideas for the store, but what I enjoy the most is the one-on-one conversations with customers as they walk through the door. I have met a lot of interesting people in the past 8 years. Many of whom I would probably would not have met under any other circumstance.
This afternoon, I turned over my key to Steve on what was my final day of work. I am so excited to have more time at home, with my family. But at the same time, a little sad, as the store has been such a huge part of my life, and Steve has become more like family than a boss. Thank you, Steve and Peg for offering me a job, all those years ago. It has certainly seen me through many of the ups and downs in my life, and I will miss it!

Remembering 9-11

Today I was thinking about how long it has been since the 9-11 attacks. Sadly,it is only a story being told to our kids in school, as they have to memory of that day. Most people have gone on with their lives. People have let down their guard again. The Bible collects dust and the flag has been stored away, along with any need to rely on Someone larger than ourselves. Our country has once again, developed a sense of complacency. That is a dangerous mentality to have.
I can't help but compare this to my walk with Christ. It seems like when things are going so well, I just don't have time to pray or read my Bible. Yet, when life hits me hard in the face, that is first place I turn, and there never seems to be a shortage of time, during the rough patches, to turn to God's Word. I am so thankful that He is there for me, but I know that He wants me to seek Him all of the time...good times and bad. When I get complacent, the evil one moves in and attacks.
Lord, help us as a country to remember where we have been and seek your face as a nation. And as individuals, help us not to become complacent in our walk with you, but rather to draw near to you on every mountain top and down every valley. In Jesus' name, amen.

Vaccinations

Ugh. That word strikes terror in my heart! I have spent time researching vaccines from the beginning of my pregnancy when the H1N1 flu was the big scare, until today, when Forest had his first appointment at the shot clinic. And I have a feeling that my research is only beginning.
I am not completely anti-vaccine. Many of them have saved numerous lives and helped the living conditions in the United States. But there are reports out there that would scare the dickens out of a person. Side effects ranging from mild fever & swelling at injection site to seizures, Guillain–Barré syndrome, even death. There have also been some independent small studies and claims that there may be a link between vaccines and autism...although this has not been proven and could be a mere coincidence. What is a parent to do?
I poured over "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Robert Sears, I googled each vaccine, read the pages from the CDC and American Pediatrics Society, talked to my doctor, talked to the nurse in charge of the shot clinic, talked to my mom, mother-in-law, and husband and of course, prayed that whatever I decided that God would protect our son.
So what have we decided? Well, because the Whooping cough is on the rise, Forest got the Dtap vaccine. It was called Pentecel, and contains the vaccines for diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hib, and polio. That is a lot of stuff, but one vaccine cuts down on the amount of aluminum and mercury that the individual receives. They also offered the Hep B shot (most hospitals give the first one at birth...I waived this), an oral liquid for Rotovirus (a sometimes more than severe stomach bug) and Pneumococcal vaccine. I am also going to refuse the chicken pox vaccine & flu shot. I refuse all of these for a couple reasons:
1. There are no long-term studies because they are new vaccines.
2. Reports on blogs of various people having bad results because of giving them to their kids.
3. All of the above are rare in babies, with the exception of rotovirus, chicken pox and the flu, which can generally be managed when medically necessary (although there are exceptions, and I do not underestimate the seriousness of these illnesses)
4. I nurse exclusively and will not be taking Forest to a daycare, two things which Dr. Sears highly recommends to those who choose not to take certain vaccines.
5. I want my children to gain some natural immunities, so that their immune systems are strong and able to fight off foreign invaders.
In 1980, infants were vaccinated against four diseases -- diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio. Today they are recommended to get up to 15 shots of five vaccines by the time they are six months old, and up to 5 additional shots of seven more vaccines by age two. These immunizations include diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (commonly referred to as Hib disease), varicella, and pneumococcus. That is an overwhelming list of vaccinations!
I am choosing to follow a delayed alternative schedule by Dr. Sears, and even then, am choosing to waive some of the shots that even he recommends. One thing I have learned in my search is that what is right for one parent, is not right for another. I certainly do not push my views onto anyone else. We each do what we feel is best for our children. I do however, encourage all parents to study up on the issue. Know what vaccines your child is receiving, what the possible side effects include and know that you have the right to request or refuse any or all of them!

Cloth Diapers

I suppose most people would call me crazy for even attempting cloth diapers. But I did my research prior to Forest's birth, and filled my changing table with prefolds, diaper pins and a couple different kind of covers. I have Flips: a one size fits all cover that uses a system of snaps to adjust it. Just fold the prefold (an old fashioned diaper) into thirds, lay it inside of the cover and snap it up. Or one can put the diaper on the old fashioned way...pin it, and then put the cover on. I also have covers by Bummies that fasten with velcro, and a few of the good ol plastic Gerber pants (I have not use these yet). I love the Bummies and Flips!
Initially I used disposables during the first month because they fit better and were easier to deal with. I still use one at night, so that I don't have to change him so frequently, and I use them when we are away from home.
The perks of cloth diapers: Fewer leaks, they are nice and soft, environmentally friendly (That was not a deciding factor for me but I suppose it could be considered a perk), and saves a small fortune. I have read websites where women have done the math, including the cost of laundering, and using cloth exclusively until potty trained saves approximately 2,500 (that is what convinced me). I figured that by using cloth diapers and nursing, we would save enough to buy a front load washing machine and dryer in a year or two.:) What can I say? I'm cheap!
The drawbacks: More frequent changes (about every two hours or so) and laundry. I would suppose that any diaper should be changed every two hours, but disposables are so absorbent that they don't get changed that often. As for laundry, I think I am getting a system that works. I wash diapers every two or three days. If they are dirty, I rinse them in the sink downstairs, otherwise, I use a dry pail with baking soda. The night before wash day, I soak them in cold water with an oxygen cleaner like Oxyclean or Sun. Then I wash them in hot water & my homemade detergent, and follow with an extra cold water rinse and 1/2 cup of vinegar. I dry them on the clothes line when the weather permits. Sunshine works like a natural whitener. Back in the day, women used to soak them in a bleach solution. They strongly recommend against that now, not only because of the harshness against the baby's skin, but because it breaks down the material of the diaper, decreasing their longevity. Also, you are not supposed to soak the covers. So stain removal is a huge challenge, and doesn't always happen. But, as long as they come out smelling clean, I am satisfied.
I almost backed out on using them. I reasoned that I could sell them online and get most of my money back (they are hot items right now), but I gave it a try, and have found that it really isn't all that bad at all. And the best part is that with proper care, I can use them for future children, doubling my savings. So, while the use of cloth diapers might not be for everyone, it has been a relatively good experience for me thus far. Best cloth diaper website that I have found: www.cottonbabies.com

Highlights of Parenthood

The first three months of our son's life have flown by in the blur.

Month 1: My mom came up for a couple days during the week to help me around the house. She motivated me to get up and get to moving again, which was probably good for me. Forest slept pretty good that first week, but I got very little rest due to the influx of company that we received. We were so blessed by our church family and community with meals, visits, and baby gifts! So, although I was tired, it was a very special time. The Sunday following Forest's birth was Father's Day, so, while I wasn't feeling 100%, we decided to go to church. Aaron was so excited to take Forest. :)
During the following weeks, we had more visitors and tried to get into some sort of a routine. Forest decided that he wanted to eat every two hours through the night, but when cuddled up next to Mommy, would sleep in in the mornings, so I was able to stay caught up on sleep in that manner. He would have bouts of crying, and I finally narrowed it down to the ice cream that I was ingesting. Leave the ice cream and milk alone and he is a pretty happy camper. Nursing has had its share of challenges, but I wouldn't trade it for anything...even ice cream.

Month 2: When Forest was a little over a month old we attended Aaron's sister, Emily and our new brother in law, Taylor's wedding. I was so worried that he would be fussy, but apparently he quite the people person, and enjoys crowds and noise. He was wonderful the entire time! We did have babysitters lined up during the actual ceremony, and all was well.
At his 2 month check-up, Forest was weighing in at 11 1/2 lb and 23 inches.

Now that we are nearing the 3 month mark, Forest is weighing nearly 14 lb on our home scale. He is smiling, squealing, and grabbing things. Some days and nights he is still eating every 2 hours, although on occasion he wakes every 4 hours. I hope that becomes the new norm! Between short nights and allergies, Aaron and I look pretty rough some mornings. :) Aaron has been so busy and on the go with work, but still manages to help out around the house, and watches him once in awhile so I can work a couple hours a week at Steve's Video. I did not plan to work after Forest was born, but Steve was in a jam, and I figured 2-4 hours out a week would probably do me some good and give Aaron some daddy/Forest time. Because of schedule conflicts, I probably won't be doing that too much longer. In fact, on Friday afternoons, Forest has been going to work with me. It worked well when he slept during the day, but he isn't sleeping quite as much anymore!

Life is busy and flying by so fast. Amidst piles of dishes, laundry, house cleaning, filing, and lots of work that needs done on the house, there is a little boy that needs lots of cuddles, rocking, and love. So I set everything aside, pick him up and snuggle in the rocking chair. I figure that years down the road I will not be saying "I wished I would have done more dishes or cleaned the toilet". More likely I will be wishing I had held my precious little guy a little longer, played piggy toes one more time, and basked in the joy of his smiles.

Birth Story

I am long overdue for an update, and had considered getting rid of my blog in lieu of facebook, but I like the aspect of writing, so here we go again!

So for those who haven't heard our birth story...I feel like I have told it a million times...here it is!

On Saturday, June 12th, I got up and went to several garage sales with my friend, Stephanie. I had been feeling so good during the third trimester...I think I had more energy than I did in the first and second. We were having a grand time, and I was buying up the baby bargains, when I felt a strange pain. Something told me this was a little different, so I told Stephanie: "One more garage sale and then I think I better just go home and rest". She suggested to me to come down to Champion for chili and cinnamon rolls at lunch time, and I declined, thinking that I had better stay close to home. However, after she mentioned chili, I started craving it, and decided to whip up a quick batch for lunch. Got that done, and Aaron and I decided to go have some ice cream down town with friends. After that I came home and made several batches of chocolate chip cookies and a casserole for supper. Some of you remember me making a joke on facebook about nesting that day. :)
That night our then youth pastor, Jared stopped in and had supper with us. During the course of the conversation, he asked if I had been experiencing any contractions. I replied "I think so" (I didn't state the fact that I had had several of them off and on that evening). And he told me that his wife had them days before she went into actual labor. After supper, Aaron, his brother and Jared went over to the church to hang out and watch a movie. Aaron asked me to go and I told him that I felt like staying home. I called him once, and warned him that that I thought I might be in labor but that I would call him if it became urgent. He said he would be home right after the movie. I slept from 11:00-1:15 in the morning, when Aaron got home. At that point the contractions were about 10-12 minutes apart. I started timing them using Aaron's nifty cell phone application. We did not sleep at all between 1:00 and 4:30 AM when we finally decided to head to the hospital. My contractions were 3-5 minutes apart at this point. It was raining out that morning, and decided to grab Aaron's coat on our way out the door, which was a good thing for Aaron, as he was freezing at the hospital!
This was my first time in a hospital, so I didn't have a clue what to expect. We had done most all of the paperwork in advance (or so we had thought). They put an IV lock in my hand, which allowed me to walk around the hospital some. Mostly we stayed in the room, where we watched "Back to the Future" on tv, looked over the few baby names that we had narrowed down, and read the Bible verses that I had picked out to focus on during labor. I was able to talk through my contractions at this point and manage them with breathing. Aaron was so cold, that he was wearing the coat that I had grabbed and called his brother to bring him a sweatshirt. Ryan showed up at around 8:00 with that...asked how we were doing and then headed back home.
At around 11:00 that morning, we heard Ryan and Jane's voices down the hall, and assumed they were coming in to see us. And then we heard a nurse make that most humorous statement of the day: "We have another OB"! Our due dates were about a week apart. Jane (my sister in law) was four days late, and I was four days early. The doctor that we had both been seeing was ironically on vacation that weekend (I had warned him what would happen!) and the OB nurse had headed out of town, so they called her to come back, as they were short staffed. Jane was in the room right next door to me, so although I was unable to see her, our friend, Brooke, was able to walk back and forth a few times to update us on each other's progress. :)
At around 2:30 in the afternoon, I was at about 8 centimeters, and still able to talk through my contractions. At that point, they took me to the delivery room and broke my water. I could no longer talk through my contractions. And breathing wasn't working so well either. :) It felt like I pushed for hours, Aaron says it was only about 15 minutes. At one point I think I was on the verge of passing out...Aaron had to remind me very quickly to take a breath. :) The baby's heart rate started dropping, so they put me on oxygen and told me that I had to get that baby out. Talk about motivation! A few more pushes and he was out! Aaron was so wonderful. He was by my side the entire time, and so encouraging and involved. He had an agreement with the doctor that did my prenatal care to help with the delivery, and thankfully, Dr Nicholson was also very willing to let him assist. Aaron was actually able to deliver our son with the doctor's coaching and assistance and of course, cut the cord. Our son, Forest Dale was born at 4:19 PM on Sunday, June 13th. He weighed 6 lb, 13 oz, and measured 19 1/2 inches long. There is nothing in the world like being handed your newborn baby. I will never forget it, and never take it for granted. There was a time when I had wanted a girl, but the minute I laid eyes on my little son, my heart was altered forever. God knew exactly what we needed.
In the meantime...Jane's water had broke and they were trying to get her to do everything to slow her labor down because...well...I was in the only delivery room that the hospital has! As soon as they got Forest checked over, they had me in the wheel chair and headed back to the room, so that they could clean up the room and get Jane into the delivery room. They had slowed her progress down to the point that they had to use measures to get her contractions going again. Four hours later at 8:00 PM, my beautiful little niece, Loralie Jenae was brought into the world. She weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs! Good job, Jane...I don't think I could have done it! :) Neither of us used any pain medication or epidurals. I praise the Lord for a wonderful labor experience for both of us!
So what are the odds that brothers would have their children born on the same day, four hours apart, at the same hospital, with the same doctor? I am not for sure. What I do know is that it was an absolute God-thing that has brought our families together in a very special way.

Duo Baby Shower

My wonderful sister-in-law, Emily, hosted a baby shower in honor of both Jane and me last Saturday. It was a fantastic day of games, food, and fun times. :) Emily's fiancee, Taylor created a menu of omelets & belgian waffles, with all sorts of toppings...it was delicious! Couldn't have asked for a better day!