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Peter Rabbit Preschool
Apr. 9, 2008
Spring break from blogging.....
The flowers are poking out from the earth and my children are spending hours playing outside...
I can't seem to reconcile spending time writing on the computer with the burst of spring around.
This blog will be taking a "spring recess" until May...
Blessings to you as you enjoy the new beginnings and possibilities of this weather!
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Mar. 28, 2008
Still not quite up and running!
It was, by all accounts, an ambitious plan for this morning- traveling into the city with five children to attend a free concert by the city's orchestra which was scheduled to begin by 9:30 AM.....I did the math over and over in my head in regards to when I needed to leave the house, and concluded that leaving by 8 AM should do it. I needed to travel and drop off our two year old at one home, and pick up a friend and her three children at another location before heading to the city.....All went well, except for one wrong turn which added another 15 minutes to my drive into the city. I'm not sure what effect that one mis-hap had, but in any event, my 4 year old daughter made it to the orchestra on time! For myself however, I ended up nursing the baby in a parking garage during the entire concert!
I had dropped off the other mom with all the kids to find parking, and ended up on the 10th floor, the best location I could find. By the time all that was accomplished, I could barely justify carrying my not quite 3 month old through the crazy corridors of the garage and the chilly streets outdoors to the concert hall to arrive half-way through. So I sat and nursed. When I tried to leave the parking garage, I didn't have my parking ticket paid for, as I had never actually left the garage in person and noticed this detail of procedure in the lobby. So I parked the van illegally, prayed I wouldn't be towed, and carried the baby down to the lobby to pay for the service of sitting in their garage. Finally I could leave, and was on my way to pick up the crew of kids!
I had really been looking forward to seeing this concert. Through my pregnancy I couldn't attend anything like this, since it was too uncomfortable to sit for longer periods of time (or any period of time!) I thought those days were behind me, but with a newborn in tow, I have to remember that I'm not exactly up to speed in being able to do anything I would like! Oh well, there will be many more opportunities in future....the important thing is that our 4 year old daughter came home and promptly started dancing to classical music (in our living room). I do love to see her dance and enjoy music like that.
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Mar. 22, 2008
Easter thoughts
 Last night I was up later at night, nursing the baby....it was after 11 pm and I was the only one in the family still awake. I was tired, and instead of reading as I should have, I (mistakenly) turned on the TV and began watching the Headline News (CNN) while nursing. I was very disturbed after watching a news report of police discovering and capturing a man in Florida who produced internet video clips which gave instructions on how to molest children ages 1 month - 8 years of age. The only graphics in the news report were some clips of the arrested man and others who also viewed this "manual". However that alone was enough to get my emotions going! As anyone would, the thought and reality of these acts are so incredibly horrible that it's enough to make one lose sleep thinking about it. Even though I used to work as a child protective social worker for many years, and have probably seen more than enough, I STILL can hardly believe it. I really did lose sleep last night with images in mind of this one particular man (thankfully now in police custody).
There was a second CNN report, giving the results of a CNN poll asking Americans "what do you consider sinful?" This report was CNN's attempt to pay tribute to the Easter holiday. Apparently, according to this poll, Americans still consider adultery sinful, but not pre-marital sex. Among other things, one problem with this thinking (according to my understanding of Scripture) is a view of sin as merely being one type or another type of external behaviors. How do I understand sin? I found one part of a definition from the website of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church:
"The problem is that Adam rebelled against the goodness of God and sought to use God's creation for his own glory. He loved himself more than God or his neighbor. In the fallen world (which resulted from Adam's sin) people pervert God's good gifts. God intended his creation to reveal his glory. Now people use it without any regard for him. God created everything to show how wonderful he is. But, because of sin, people use every gift without glorifying or thanking the glorious Giver (Rom. 1:20,21).
Sin is truly pleasurable or people would not be so addicted to it. The problem is that the pleasure is temporary, and the addiction permanent, because sinners disconnect their quest for pleasure from their eternal Creator. He is the author of real enjoyment and true life. This is the reason he refers to us as "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). Our sin has cut us off from the Source of spiritual life. We are like trees disconnected from their roots."
It's worth reflecting on sin, I think, this Easter weekend, because it's only the work of Christ on the cross that saves us from our very sinful selves! Though I continue to shudder at the likes of the man in custody described earlier, I need to remember that every particle of my own being is infused with sin. It's only the grace of God which redeems that which is inherently broken. Praise to His name for the life of Christ, who has conquered death and sin!
As I look in the face of our newborn baby and see his smiles, I can only hope, because of Christ.
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Mar. 18, 2008
Owyn's Baptism
This past Sunday baby Owyn was baptized in our home church (Orthodox Presbyterian). What does that mean to us?
The Westminster Larger Catechism instructs us as to the basic nature of baptism:
Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, wherein Christ has ordained the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to be a sign and seal of ingrafting into himself, of remission of sins by his blood, and regeneration by his Spirit; of adoption, and resurrection unto everlasting life; and whereby the parties baptized are solemnly admitted into the visible church, and enter into an open and professed engagement to be wholly and only the Lord's. (Q. 165; cf. Gal. 3:26-27; Titus 3:5; Rom. 6:3-5)
 Owyn wore the same baptismal gown my husband and his brothers wore when they were baptized as infants, many, many years ago.....(my mother-in-law saves everything!)
 Theo missed the baptism - he unfortunately was sick that day and had to stay home. Thankfully, my sister and her husband were visiting for the weekend and my brother-in-law was willing to stay home from church to babysit.
Aside from the seriousness (and joy) of the event, what was most memorable were those "mommy" moments when all my hands and feet were tied up- literally! Owyn started crying about half-way through while the pastor was talking and our family was standing up front of the church in front of the whole congregation. My husband was holding the baby....I put my finger in the baby's mouth to keep him quiet (he prefers that to a pacifer). At the same time, Sonya, who was standing up front with us, started crawling around on the floor and started lifting up my skirt! I gave her a swift kick on her feet. She got the point. If Theo had been up front with us, I wouldn't have had any feet or hands left to discipline him at that moment...(there's at least a 50% chance or more he would also have been a little restless).
Anyways, thanks be to God for His sign and seal of the covenant promises in this most solemn of events.
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Mar. 11, 2008
Kids quotes of the month...
I don't know where the time is flying, but I am making sure that I enjoy those newborn snuggles while they are here!
This month I've been jotting down some quotes from the older kids that might bring a few smiles....
"God can't hear me if I talk quietly." (4 yr. old Sonya)
"Babies don't know anything......" (Sonya)
"Mommy, do you think you're like Cinderalla? I think you are, because you do all the work!" (Sonya)
"Don't cry, mommy and daddy and God and Jesus and cars and trucks are close to you...." (2 yr. old Theo)
"The step-sisters need a big time-out" (2 yr old Theo, referring to the Cinderalla story....)
In other random thoughts, I'm not as motivated to exercise as I thought I would be post-baby. When I was pregnant I really did work-out regularly because it really helped me sleep better. Now that I can sleep fine when I get the chance, the more abstract notion of being skinnier some-day in the distant future is not quite as much a motivator! Also, I've noticed that my milk supply for the baby goes down when I really work-out. SO, I'm going to take it somewhat easy and not stress about the extra baby pounds. They will come off, eventually.....
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Mar. 2, 2008
On the verge of....
Last night our baby son slept almost seven hours in a row! Under any circumstances, this would be remarkable.....but since he had spent about four weeks screaming for hours every day, this is even more unusually unexpectedly happy and welcome news.
Right now, I am feeling like I am on the verge of re-entering what can only be described as "normalcy". This past week I was pleased and happy to find that I could not only meet the needs of the baby, but also spend quality time with the other children. It's quite a good feeling to sense that I CAN parent three little ones under the age of five with at least some sense that it IS possible.
 See, don't they look happy? Sonya and Theo are probably relieved to find out that mommy won't always be sleep deprived after-all. As for this mommy, she's staying off all dairy-products for at least another month. Our pediatrician recommends doing a true scientific experiment. It's not enough, she told me, to take away the dairy and then conclude that's the reason for our son's turnaround behavior. She wants me to re-introduce dairy to my diet when he's three month old and "see what happens". For now, I'm not messing with success. But I will do what the pediatrician suggests in about a months time.
Meanwhile, I'm itching for SPRING to arrive  . I'm sure I'm not the only one! It would be nice to be able to say "bye-bye baby fat". The best way I can do that is to be able to WALK 30-40 minutes several times a week. This past week there's been way to much snow.
 Once that all clears up, I'm heading for the hills in my walking shoes..... Out here in Western Pennsylvania, there's a hill no matter which way you turn. Hence, any walk is a major work-out, even if you don't want it to be...
In the meantime, my best bet is trying to do "Pilates" or "Post-natal Yoga" with a home DVD. However, I find that there never is really a good time to do it......and I have to laugh when I listen to the instructor say things like "take deep calming breathes and relax". She obviously doesn't have young children tripping over her while trying to exercise!
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Feb. 25, 2008
One Happy Camper
About two and a half weeks ago our pediatrician suggested that I go totally dairy-free with my diet to see if that might help baby Owyn.....I've also had several other folks suggest to me that I go dairy-free. The first week that I eliminated all dairy was the week that Owyn was sick with a cough & infection, so I couldn't tell either way if it was helping (he has totally recuperated from his illness, thank the Lord! He is in great health now).
This past week was week #2 without dairy, and it has been REMARKABLE. Owyn has transformed from an irritable, unhappy, screaming baby, into a VERY HAPPY and content baby who both naps well and sleeps well at night! Needless to say, we are thrilled! He has now slept well at night for eight nights in a row. It's a definite trend. After four weeks of hours of screaming every day, this is quite the change.  I have a follow-up visit with the pediatrician tomorrow. I'm pretty sure she'll encourage me to stay off all dairy products for some time, with a gradual re-introduction at some point. This is a new territory for me, and does involve really changing my regular eating habits......(more blogging on this topic in the future.) I've really never thought too much about milk one way or the other before, and now I'm thinking about it all the time.  If it's true that our son is either dairy intolerant or perhaps has an allergy to the protein in milk, it's something I will be thinking and learning a lot about in the coming year......
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Feb. 17, 2008
One smile makes it all worth the while...
 At exactly 6 weeks of age, baby Owyn has started smiling and even had a few giggles! This has completely erased all my memories of the past four weeks of sleepless nights. All that good mamma milk has also resulted in some really nice chubby legs, pictured above.....
Owyn did give us a scare last week, with all the coughing he was doing. This past Friday he went about 14 hours without being able to sleep at all, because every time he would finally fall asleep, he would start coughing again. It turns out the poor little thing has a double ear-infection. He's doing better today, and we've gone a week without any long episodes of crying! It seems that the one benefit of his illness over the past week is that it broke the cycle of crying for long periods at night...Hopefully, this will continue. If not, at least we have more smiles and even some giggles to look forward to....
Today we needed to say good-bye to Aunt J. who spent the past week with us. Not only did she bake cookies with Sonya and Theo (pictured below), but she took her turn at the night-shift with the baby when needed! I was especially glad she was here on the days I needed to rush off the pediatrician again in the wintry weather mix. It's a treat to have family here, as my parents and sisters & their families all live at a distance. I wish they lived closer so that I could see them more often....
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Feb. 13, 2008
Calling in the Canadian Reserves!
Drive them in, fly them in, whatever it takes - keep bringing the Canadian family in! Providentially, my youngest sister J. arrived Monday by plane from Ontario, Canada and will be here for the week. Her husband is driving here tomorrow to join us for the rest of the week.
I brought our newborn son to the pediatrician last week & was there again this week. The best advice I received from a doctor was "you need to ask for help and call in the reserves." Last week, the pediatrician I talked with gave our son a diagnosis of "colic". We've taken him off the anti-acid medication, as that didn't seem to be helping with the on-going crying. I needed to bring the baby to the pediatrician again yesterday, as his very first cold developed into a fever. The doctor I spoke with yesterday told me that she was comfortable sending the baby home with me, since his vital signs looked good other than the cold symptoms. She advised me not to obsess about the reading on thermometer, despite his very young age. I asked her about the colic diagnosis given by the other pediatrician. She said she uses the word "fussy", not "colic". She mentioned that different pediatricians have different understandings/explanations when it comes to the issue of a baby crying for extended periods of time for part of the day on a regular basis. In a nutshell, there are many things that one can try when it comes to trying to console a baby. She said "other than waiting until they are older and grow out of it, the best thing to do is.....bring in the help from others if possible!"
We've certainly needed the help this week, as I've had to spend extra time making sure Owyn nurses well. His coughing and general malaise has made that a challenge. There's no medication that can be given to an infant this young with a fever, and my own milk is the best healer. Today, he seems to be doing a little better, and I think he's going to be OK. I realize the depth of how much I love this little one when I hear him struggling with an episode of coughing.
The best thing about having my sister here for the week is that Sonya and Theo can have someone to do all the things with them that I don't have time to do. Their aunt has taken them outside in the snow to play, baked chocolate chip cookies with them, read books to them and taken the time to work with Sonya and her interest in learning to write. Sonya's "school-corner" is in great disarray, with books & supplies all over the place. My "dream list" of things to do while aunt J. is here includes getting that corner organized.....Caring for the sick baby takes priority, but he continues to do better, I may even be able to start on that dream list!
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Feb. 7, 2008
Reflection
The thought crossed my mind that I might need to post a note that this blog is closed until our newborn son reaches 3 months of age..... it seems that the only news from our home-front is whether or not I managed to make it through the day with less than several hours of sleep at night......that kind of a blog note is not very exciting to read! True, the past three days/nights have been particularly difficult (baby Owyn was wide awake and/or crying all night until 4 AM. for most of this week) He's got into the habit of being continually awake for many, many hours at night, so it's not just a matter of getting up and down repeatedly. However, as I said, that's just about all there is to say about it, other than the fact that I keep changing my mind as to the reasons for this....(extra gassy? reflux? colic? days and nights mixed up?) Whatever the answer is, we'll have to live with it until he's older and it works itself out. I'm trying several things on a trial basis, but until further notice, this is our reality.
In the meantime, in those late hours when the baby's been awake but quiet, I've been reading a book called "Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust" (Immaculee Ilibagiza). It's the story of one woman who survived the genocide of one million of her tribesmen in the Rwanda of 1994. Her parents and siblings were brutally murdered. Immaculee was spared by hiding for three months in a very small bathroom with 7 other women in the home of a local pastor. She couldn't move or even barely breathe, and she spent all of her waking hours in prayer. Multiple times the pastor's home was searched by the killers, who called her by name in their threats. Miraculously, the hiding place is never found and she lives. Even more remarkable is how she learns to forgive. She writes "the people who'd hurt my family had hurt themselves even more, and they deserved my pity. I knew that my heart and mind would always be tempted to feel anger - to find blame and hate. But I resolved that when the negative feelings came upon me, I wouldn't wait for them to grow or fester. I would always turn immediately to the Source of all true power: I would turn to God and let His love and forgiveness protect and save me".
This book is the kind that leaves you really reflecting on your own life and encouraging you to be thankful for the blessings around you.
I'll keep trying to blog for now - at least I think I can!
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Feb. 2, 2008
Tagged twice!
In the past week (or longer) I've received the same tag, from two different blogging friends.....(Beckie at Little Eblings Academy and Anne at Fidelity and Fortitude) ..
If this was a real tag game, I'd have lost for sure, since it takes me so long to do even the easiest tag! My excuse: our newborn baby is about about 6 or 7 hours every other night, and I spend my days trying to recuperate from the night...but enough excuses, here I am and here's the rules!
Book Meme:
Rules -
- Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages.)
- Open the book to page 123.
- Find the fifth sentence.
- Post the next three sentences.
- Tag five people.
No surprise, one of the nearest books I have laying around is titled "Crying Baby, Sleepless Nights". Here's a good quote for any mom of a newborn from the middle of page 123.....
"Be good to yourself. Your ego may be wobbly because you are fulfilling someone else's needs twenty-four hours a day. You may find yourself exhausted , obsessed with the baby and feeling something less than a human being. What you need is mothering yourself."
It's been so long since I was tagged, I feel like it's too late to tag others - not to mention that it seems this tag is "out there" quite a big already...so I think I'll just end here for today!
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Jan. 28, 2008
one day at a time
After my disparaging comments yesterday, I thought I should post briefly to say that our son DID sleep quite well last night. I don't know which of my various new ways of handling things is working, but it's all trial and error. Even though I'm not a first time mom....every baby is unique and different!
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Jan. 28, 2008
so nice! a sleeping baby....
Jan. 28, 2008
She's a great big sister!
Jan. 27, 2008
A few reading suggestions....
I never would imagined that in the first weeks after our son was born, I would actually have time to read (and finish!) a book......but I have! Not only that, I've started a second book and visited the library to pick up some more......As it turns out, because Owyn is such a S L O W nurser, I have a lot of "time" on my hands. At least, during those late night nursing sessions and when daddy is home to spend time with the other children.
Last week I finished "The Kite Runner" (Khalid Hosseini) which one reviewer describes as "the frame of the story is the rhythm of life. This novel, set in Afghanistan in the 1970s and later in America, is a work of universal interest because of the literary genius of the author." (The Buffalo News). Between the very cold weather and a newborn in the house, I am more tied than usual to being at home. However, that doesn't mean I can't make world travels with a book in hand!
This week I'm almost half way through "Memoirs of a Geisha" (Arthur Golden). A reviewer writes "I still can't quite believe that an American male can so seamlessly enter the soul of a Japanese woman, and catch her world, its textures, its hopes and its sinuous patter with such perfection." (Pico Tyer). I can't put the book down and look forward to the next nursing session that I know will go uninterrupted.
I come from an extended family of avid readers. This Christmas everyone contributed to a master list of suggested reading.......Here's what looks like some good bets for a good read:
- A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
- Stanley Park - Timothy Taylor
- Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - Ishmael Beah Official
- Left to Tell: Discovering God Admist the Rwandan Holocaust - Immaculee Ilbibgagzia
- Midnight at the Dragon Cafe - Judy Fong Bates
- I Know This Much is True -Wally Lamb
Now, here's a reality check though....I've had in-home help for the past three weeks...that has now ended! So, my continued success at returning to my love of reading will be given the test of time. Another reality check: the first two weeks after our baby was born, I was feeling pretty good! The last week has been much more difficult. I'm currently "playing" detective, to figure out why Owyn has become so fussy. Some of the other books I took out of the library yesterday are "Crying Baby, Sleepless Nights" and "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer". I think Owyn has an immature digestive system which causes air to be caught in his intestines, giving him a lot of discomfort. I spend a lot of time trying to have him burp the air out. I've started giving him over-the-counter gas relief medicine. I've decided to cut out all my intake of dairy products, to see if that would help. I'm trying new massage/burp techniques! I'm getting used to never sleeping more than 2 hours at a time, and often no more than 4 hours a night. Well, does one ever get used to that? If I could just figure out how to make him more comfortable, it would help.....Our daughter came down with an ear infection this past Friday, and now Owyn is congested with his first little cold, so that's really not helpful....
Well, in all things, we are called to REJOICE, whatever the circumstances!
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Jan. 20, 2008
Emergency child-birth knapsack was NOT used!
How to summarize the first two weeks of our son's new life outside the womb? How about starting with some very recent quotable quotes from members of the family....
"Mommy, when your tummy is flat again, will you do ballet with me?" - 4 yr.old Sonya
"Mommy, can the baby go back in your tummy?" - 2 yr old Theo
"Mommy, I thought when babies were born they didn't have a wee wee...." - 4 yr.old Sonya
"I think he likes me !!!" - from Daddy (who thinks only mommies have that special touch, but it's not true! Newborns love daddy too.)
"Mommy, the baby has pickups !" - 2 yr. old Theo (I think you mean the Hiccups, Theo!)
Although I was very apprehensive in advance, I am now thankful that we chose induction of this pregnancy. It took longer than I would have thought before labor started,. However, once things picked up, it was only about 3 hours of hard work. My husband and I asked for an induction based on how fast our last son arrived (Theo was born just 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital for his birth! We weren't trying to live on the edge, so to speak. Regular contractions had only just started 3 hours previously, and who wants to rush to the hospital right away?) This time though, I didn't want to cut things that close. Just in case, I had an emergency child-birth kit packed and ready in our car....some folks might be fine with that, but my husband and I decided that we wanted to be sure to be where we needed to be at the right time.....
I did have a bad reaction to one of the first type of drugs given me (I threw it up and felt very woozy). However, in the second round (with Pitocin) things worked out well. I had the good support of my husband and the midwife who both coached me and provided (distracting) massages. After two totally natural births, it was strange to be hooked up to an I.V. and a fetal monitor on a continuous basis. However, I managed to move around and bend the rules a little (e.g. sneaking to eat my own food and asking for a nap when I needed it!) Taking a nap mid-way really helped boost my energy level so that when the real work began, I was up to the job (without the need for an epidural).
When Owyn was born, he was very alert and immediately began to breast-feed. He's been a champ every since, nursing very well. He regained his original birth weight after only five days. As of today, he has surpassed his birth weight and is close to nine pounds already! He is a real sweetheart and we just love him.
Last weekend the flu bug hit our home. However, in God's providence, most of us only had a mild and short-lived version of it. My husband was the main one really afflicted (when he's crawling into bed for the day, you know he's really sick.) For the past couple of days, we're all back to good health and thankful for it!
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Jan. 13, 2008
And then there were three....
Jan. 13, 2008
I'm still surprised to birth a boy!
Jan. 9, 2008
Owyn arrives
With only one hour of sleep under my belt, you will understand if I only write the important facts......
Our son was born on January 5 at 7:12 PM, weighing 8 lb and 6oz.....
His name is Owyn, and we are very thankful for his safe and healthy arrival!
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Jan. 9, 2008
my eyes are open!
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