Encouragement from the Duggars

One of my favorite books is The Duggars: 20 and Counting. Currently, Michelle Duggar is pregnant with #19. It details the long, unexpected road that they're currently on (and loving). I was re-reading the chapter on "Training and Correcting Little Ones," and I found such a timely gem. I hope this encourages any fellow moms:

"If you are a parent of little ones, we know what you're going through. We know how hard it is, how tired you get. You're constantly changing diapers, cleaning up messes, and correcting and training. Sometimes you feel like you could pull your hair out! We know all about those long, exhausting days. But, having gone through them seventeen-going-on-eighteen times, we urge you to take time to enjoy these days, despite your frustrations and exhaustion. Leave the house a mess now and then, and simply spend the day playing with and enjoying your children. Because here's the truth we've learned by heart: each day may pass slowly when you're tired and weary, but the years pass quickly. Today your children are totally dependent babies; tomorrow they will be grown and gone.

One day we were driving down the road when all of our children were small and buckled in their car seats. Jim Bob looked back at all those little faces and said to Michelle, "These are the best days of our lives, and we don't even know it!" (emphasis mine)

Avocado, get in mah belly!

On Friday, the 27th, Caleb tried his first ever food. I skipped the rice cereal, because I thought he just might enjoy the flavor of avocado better than that. Plus, I've read some interesting information regarding the need for rice cereal versus whole foods. All I did was place some avocado in a mesh feeder and Caleb did the rest. His first look was one of confusion, but a few seconds later he gummed away happily at the feeder. I am so proud of how well he did with real food for the first time :) I hope Caleb will love guacamole as much as his momma does!

Easy and Cute Thanksgiving Craft

This year for Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fun for Caleb to make a craft and share with his grandparents. We decided to make a baby hand turkey. Instead of tracing his hand, we did it the fun, messy way; with paint! I also added a topical Bible verse on thanks.

What you will need:

Cardstock

Craft paint (I used "burnt umber," think terracotta)

Baby wipes

Fine point markers (red, yellow or orange, and black)

Paper plate

Small sponge

How you do it:

1) If you want to add a Bible verse or other Thanksgiving sentiment, open a Word document, type it out, and print on your cardstock.

2) Wrangle baby completely out of their clothes, in nothing but a diaper, and sit in Bumbo seat. Make sure you're wearing an old shirt yourself.

3) Squirt out about a silver dollar amount of paint onto paper plate. Attempt to sponge paint onto tight-fisted baby palm. Repeat. Again. Pry once more, this time with an enthusiastic, coaxing message: "Juuuust oooopen!"

4) Get more paint on you instead of baby. Leave fingerprints all over your countertop for later cleanup.

5) Squash baby's half open fist onto cardstock. Sweetly coo, "Hold still!"

6) Grab baby wipes immediately and wipe everything down. Ironically, baby obediently opens palm for cleanup.

7) Admire your baby's cute, unidentifiable hand turkeys. Not to mention, those turkeys are missing a few feathers if you know what I mean.

8) After drying, draw eyes, beak, wattle (that red thing that hangs under their neck, and yes, I had to google it), and legs with colored markers.

9) Pat yourself on the back. You just earned a "Creative Mommy" badge :) And the grands will surely love you for it.

Becoming Aware: Choking Hazard Test

I learned of a simple, free, and possibly life-saving tip the other day. To check on choking hazards for your baby, simply test the object with an empty toilet paper roll. If it easily slides or fits through the tube, then it's definitely a choking hazard.

Hitting a 15 week milestone

Sushi roll

Egg roll

Swiss Cake roll

Tootsie roll

Cinnamon roll

Jelly roll

Yeast roll

Pumpkin roll







Caleb rolls!

Adventures in Parenting: Nail Clipping or "We've got a bleeder!"

Some of the most apprehensive moments in being a parent involve basic care for your child. As a new mom, freshly discharged from the hospital, I had two major concerns for my son: 1) Avoid touching the umbilical cord at all costs and 2) Praying his circumcision would heal properly. Those were nothing...

Fast forward a month and Caleb was extremely fussy, so I decided to be brave and get his temperature....rectally. Praise the Lord for a "flex-tip" thermometer that has an indentation as if to say, "no trespassing beyond this point." And I am even more thankful for the disposable covers and KY jelly for my son's sake. Yes, that was easy too when I think back on it.

But so far, the worst of it has been attempting to trim his microscopic nails. This is intimidation at its finest: Placing a mini guillotine on top of an itty bitty nail covering thin skin. I tried the avoidance tactic by choosing to file his nails instead. It worked overall, but I began to notice that his nails needed more taken off, instead of just filing the edges.

The saga continued at around 10:30 this morning. After a yummy bottle with a content belly, I thought it would be a good time to try using the aforementioned mini guillotine. I did my best, but ultimately it was not so. After a tiny clip, the boy began to cry. "Oh sweetie, it's not that bad," I reassured him. "Hang on, it won't take long."

Until I glanced down at his teeny thumb, and noticed that I had not clipped the nail, I had instead clipped his thumb. Immediately, blood began to bead up and I rushed to grab some kleenex and neosporin. Normally, I am pretty calm when it comes to first aid. Unfortunately, when you throw my precious son into the mix, I have learned I become anything but. I was crying, thinking "you horrible mother!", snotting all over my face, while my ponytail was conveniently loosening at this inopportune moment. Meanwhile, my sweet son was staring at me, smiling. Yes, smiling. It was then that I was truly grateful for a gentle smile. To top it off, he left me a "just because" gift in his diaper.

Since his thumb was not clotting after applying pressure for almost half an hour, I called his doctor's office and we made a quick trip over there to get a professional opinion. His teeny thumb left an itsy bitsy trail of blood on his pjs, my jacket, and a sock I was using on his hand to keep it covered. Dr. L. wrapped his thimble-sized thumb with some gauze and advised that it stay wrapped for several days. As we left the doctor's office, I thought, "Great, I've turned into that mom who freaks out and rushes to the doctor."

But ya know what, that's okay. I am doing something that millions of women have gone through before: an adventure in parenting.