My job.

How we treat our kids is most important. As the world systematically crushes the hearts of children, it's our job as parents to teach & show our children that God is for them. 

The above statement came to me as I watched my son wave and smile at a passerby who didn't return the gesture. And this isn't the first time I've observed this type of interaction. If we are out in public, it happens often. Usually, I say, "are you saying hi Elijah?"  Then and only then do the people change their facial expressions from blank/annoyed. And they give a smile or a wave and maybe just maybe say hello. 

It hit me that it's my job as Elijah's mother (and my husband's) to show him that he's special. And that being friendly is always the right thing to do. 

We must model this behavior for him. Because clearly the world and the people living in it, will not always be as kind. But we have to press on and continue to be kind without expecting anything in return. 

I can see that it would be easy to get discouraged as a child. Especially one who is just learning to communicate. He tries to and people just stare at him like he's an alien. Seriously, people react more to puppies and kittens then they do to my son! 

And maybe it's the area in which we live. I sure hope so. I hope people are more friendly in less harsh of climates. But that isn't where we live. We live here. Here in MN where people can be very cold. And people tend to be antisocial unless they are drunk. 

But no matter what. It's still my job to impart God's love to my child(ren). 

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6 

Things aren't always what they seem

We've had a few rough nights this past week. Not quite sure why or what's the deal. But taking each new day as it comes and praying over our sweet boy. #Ebear has been clingy & really wants to be near us at night. I'm not one for forcing the issue when it comes to sleep. I follow my instincts. My mama radar is up. And either he's working through a growth spurt of epik proportions or perhaps he's about to learn a bunch of words and his brain is on overdrive. He's had a few other spells of sleep regression that appears as anxiety on the surface and in about 6-8 days it works itself out. And he's back to spending nights in his crib. Until then, I sit back and enjoy the cuddles because before we know he will be big & won't need them. #iloveyou #4amconfessions #momlife

Parenting is hard but it isn't a death sentence

Matt said everything I thought about that ridiculous viral video. 

I sleep. Last night I slept 5 hours in a row and then 4 more hours. 

I also ate four meals yesterday and made a few crochet projects.

And my job allows me to shop and clean and I don't stand all the time. I sit a lot. I sit and read books. I sit and play games and do puzzles. I sit and breastfeed. We snuggle and lay around sometimes. Especially when E was a tiny baby. It was all encompassing and hard but it wasn't torture. It was amazing and beautiful. And every day is beautiful. 

 

http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/04/15/motherhood-isnt-tougher-than-fatherhood-but-maybe-we-should-all-stop-competing/

I just had to...

I just had to ... Vent about this article. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2544387/Doctors-urged-talk-mothers-home-births-like-letting-child-not-wear-car-seatbelt.html

The article needs to be talked about so women don't get even more controlled by the stupid medical system. Midwives do a wonderful thing in this society and in the UK. 

DOCTORS use fear. Constantly. And it isn't based on evidence based practice. Women have somehow let doctors control their thoughts. We are so vulnerable during labor. 

Gosh. Homebirth is wonderful. I enjoyed mine immensely. And I was safe. The midwives had all the necessary tools. And they protected me and guided me and encouraged me. They didn't give me ultimatums and deadlines. And even when my body stopped progressing they never said I failed. They simply approached the situation with the solution (which was manually opening my cervix) and kindly explained it to me and moved forward. It felt like the SAFEST car ride I have ever been on. 

My one prayer about the future is that I will be able to fully dilate on my own next time. Because having help was crazy painful.  

The medical system does not respect the natural process. They monkey with it and  when their interventions fail or cause unnecessary pain, they don't apologize. They somehow make women feel as though these problems that occurred were always going to happen. When really at any moment the woman could have said, NO.