Belly pains

This is officially the worst stomach bug in the history of my life.  I can hardly believe it, but it's worse than the GI infection I got 2 weeks before Landon was born that sent me into pre-term labor. 

I had to ship the kids off this morning.  BOTH of them.  For the first time.  Nursing Landon is probably what causes me the most pain because he rests on my belly.  Even when I try to prop him differently, he squirms and kicks b/c he's not comfortable.  And, what is he kicking???  My belly.  Last night was horrible.  Scott had to deal with a hungry boy that Mommy just couldn't feed.  I was up for hours getting sick, and when I was finished my stomach just hurts.  I'm talking major cramping pain that is all but unbearable.  I've eaten 12 goldfish and drunk a few ounces of water. 

I had to cancel a playdate this morning.  Hopefully, we can reschedule.

Off to rest.

Something is bugging me

Something is bugging me, and it's not nice.

I have caught the Family Shared Stomach Bug.  Y-U-C-K.  Ella Beth had it first.  Scott had it second.  Now, I have it.  It's awful.  My belly hurts. :(  Thankfully, Scott's only lasted 4 days.  Hopefully, I will be as lucky.  Are you thinking, "How is 4 WHOLE DAYS lucky?"  Well, poor Ella Beth's belly hurt for a week and a half.  Ten days my friends.  Bless her heart.  That was the most definite reason for my lack of blogging lately.  Too many horrible, disgusting, make me want to gag, messy diapers to clean. 

So, now I'm drinking a Sprite (not my favorite) and hoping that my belly will stop aching. 

Ode to Chocolate

O, Chocolate, why do you torment me so?
We used to have a hate relationship.
I didn't like you one bit.
But, oh, how things change.

9 long months of pregnancy sure changed me.
Now I can no more go a day without your
brown goodness than I can go without air.

But, I must resist.
I simply can't consume you each day.
I simply can't continue to use you to make decadent treats.
I simply must resist you.
I must.

But, I can't. 
How can I when there are newly baked chocolate cookies
on my counter tops calling my name?
I do hear them.
They do have voices.

They are calling.
They are calling.

I am listening!
I am listening!
O, Chocolate, why do you torment me so?

Ella Beth - to whom I completely contribute my love of chocolate.  Ella Beth - who is a chocoholic herself.

Where does time go?

I simply can't believe that Landon is 4 months old already.  Where has time gone?  I am trying so hard to enjoy every day with him because he's growing and changing so fast.  I will admit that it really is different with the second baby; I am much more relaxed, less stressed, I know there's an end to sleepless nights, I also take pleasure in his smiles, coos, laughs, and even his breast-fed dirty diapers!  Hey, those diapers are a treat compared to what's to come!!!  (You know it's true!)

He is an absolutely wonderful baby.  He's usually not fussy at all (now that he's finally on a strong dosage of Prevacid for his GERD); he generally only cries if he's tired or has a dirty diaper.  He will cry if he's hungry if I'm around (I guess he can smell me - ha!), but if he's with someone else he is usually OK going for longer stretches without eating.  He refuses to take a bottle (here we go again), so I guess he's just being stubborn and waiting until Mommy can feed him.  I'm still pumping a few bottles a week just in case of an emergency.  Ella Beth would usually take a bottle from Kathy (Scott's mom) once a week while we were at our small group Bible study.  Landon, however, is turning out to be a bit more stubborn.  Good thing I can take him with me to NP and nurse him during work when I need to.  (Again, beyond thankful that I'm going to be working for such an amazing organization!)

I completely hope I'm not jinxing myself here, but the 4th month mark has proven pretty big here in our household.  Ella Beth has started LOVING her little brother!  She is already trying to get him to play with her; she brings him toys, tells him how things work, talks to him in the car, sings to him, tries to teach him how to throw/talk/eat (I've gotta be on the look out with this one!).  She has also settled into the routine of Landon.  She knows that if he's hungry, Mommy has to feed him; if he needs a diaper change, Mommy has to change him, and she's usually OK with all of it.  And, with Ella Beth settling down, Mommy has settled down, too.  I feel that I'm not losing my patience nearly as often...I may even say rarely.  I feel that I am really enjoying both of my children more.  It is so neat to get a glimpse of what the relationship between Ella Beth and Landon will be like.  Landon L-O-V-E-S Ella Beth, too.  He smiles at her all of the time, and he watches everything she does.  It is so precious!!! 

Well, here are a couple of pictures I took of my little man last Friday on his official 4^th month "birthday."  Aren't his eyes just AMAZING???!!!  He gets those straight from Daddy!

(13 pounds - 25%; 25 inches - 50%)  Healthy as can be!

The Shack

I have recently read The Shack for my ladies' Bible study.  It has to be the most life-changing and powerful book that I have ever read, apart from the Bible.  It is a story of God's true love, redemption, and presence in our lives.  I want to recommend it to you; I hope that once you've read it, you will recommend it to everyone you know. 

The Shack @ http://www.theshackbook.com

A little bit from the book - a few tidbits that I found remarkable.

Mack is the main character, and he has faced the worst nightmare that any parent could imagine - he calls it the "Great Sadness" and carries it with him.  (In fact, the circumstance that the book revolves around almost made me put the book down b/c it is very personal and hard to imagine as the parent of a small child...especially a little girl in this instance.  However, I'm very thankful that I didn't give up on the book and that I kept reading!)

Mack is in a constant struggle to live with the circumstances in his life, and has fallen out of love with God.  He feels that God completely abandoned him, and wants to know Why did/How could this happen?

I found myself falling in love with God in a completely new way.  I found myself thinking about God and clinging to Him differently as I tore through the pages of this book. 

Mack was in conversation with Jesus in the book, and he's questioning Him on how life is supposed to work; how relationships and love are truly formed.  Jesus responds, "All I want from you is to trust me with what little you can, and grow in loving people around you with the same love I share with you.  It's not your job to change them, or to convince them {or to judge them}.  You are free to love them without an agenda." 

And when Mack was furious with God for allowing the "Great Sadness" in his life, God responds, "Mack, just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies.  Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes...Grace doesn't depend of suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."

I SOOOOOO hope you read this book.  I look forward to reading it again and again.  Yes, it's fiction; but it is based on so much truth in who God is and what His love is truly about. 

This book has the power to change your heart! 

***It is also out-selling the "spiritual guide" that Oprah endorses, A New Earth.  Now that's awesome!!!  We need lots of truth to counter the false teachings that are becoming so popular.

GO GET YOURSELF A COPY!  OR, ASK ME AND I'LL GET YOU ONE!

Fun & informative :)

I recently saw this on my friend Desta's blog and I thought it was a fun twist to find out more information on myself and friends.  So here it goes...

 

A is for age:
Just turned 29 on June 5th!

B is for burger of choice:
turkey burger with cheese, pickles, and ketchup

C is for what kind of car you drive:
Toyota Highlander - love it, but still wish I had a Sienna

D is for your dog’s name:
Mandy...who just passed away

E is for essential item you use everyday:
chapstick - I'm way too addicted

F is for favorite TV show at the moment:
7th Heaven re-runs

G is for favorite game:
Bunco - it's fun, not rocket science, and I get to hang out with friends!  I do love to play Rummy or Yahtzee with my Hubby, too.

H is for Hometown:
Louisville, KY

I is for instruments you play:
I played the clarinet in middle school...does that even count?

J is for favorite juice:
I don't like juice. 

K is for whose butt you’d like to kick:
Ummm...have you seen me?  I'm way too weeny (and scared) to ever threaten to kick anyone's butt!

L is for last restaurant you ate at?
Longhorn's...Yum-O!

M is for your favorite Muppet:
Miss Piggy - she's a hoot!

N is for Number of Piercings:
4- two in each ear; would you be shocked to know that I pierced my belly button in high school?  It still gives my mother nightmares!

O is for overnight hospital stays:
One for each of my children's births; once due to an allergic reaction to Excederin Migraine; once in college when a cyst ruptured...it was the size of a grapefruit...it was painful beyond description

P is for people you were with today:
Scott, Landon, Ella Beth, Kathy, Cleve (in that order)

Q is for what you do with your quiet time:
Blog, clean, read, clean, blog, bake tasty treats

R is for biggest regret:
The morning I went into labor with Landon (before I knew I was really in labor), I got on to Ella Beth a little harshly (I didn't spank her or anything, but I just wasn't gentle in my words or actions).  She was whiny and I was impatient.  I know now that it was due to the fact that I was trying to go about my morning through contractions b/c I was about to give birth and didn't know it yet.  I cried all the way to the hospital because the last time I spent time with Ella Beth while it was still just her and me, I got on to her.  Thankfully, she doesn't remember; but it still hurts my heart.  I still can't kiss her enough or tell her I love her enough.

S is for status:
Married - happily, by the way. :)

T is for time you woke up today:
Since I have another little one who has decided that the crack of dawn is the time to start the day...my morning officially began at 6:15.

U is for what you consider unique:
I have tiny feet.  It's usually difficult to find shoes, so when I find a pair I like I usually buy at least two - a brown pair and a black pair.

V is for vegetable you love:
POTATOES!  Also, close seconds - zucchini, broccoli, green beans, and onions. 

W is for worst habit:
being a snacker on not so healthy foods (for instance, I can still taste the chocolate-chip cookie I just ate!)

X is for x-rays you’ve had:
Oh gosh, I don't know!  Too many to count between the dentist, chiropractor, and neurologist I had to see throughout college.

Y is for yummy food you ate today:
Aforementioned cookie - homemade, made-from-scratch melt in your mouth chocolate chip cookies.  I ate the batter, too, which was super yummy!

Z is for zodiac sign:
Gemini

TAG YOU'RE IT!  What do the ABC's reveal in you???

I'm losing it

Update: We tried giving Landon cereal last night to see if it would help him sleep better.  Other than a somewhat funny and messy video, it wasn't productive.  Landon hated it.  He cried and gagged himself to get everything out of his mouth.  Needless to say, we'll be waiting a little longer to start solids.

There are a few areas in my life right now where I'm losing it.

1) I'm losing my hair.  Ugh.  The hair that I lost after having Ella Beth had finally grown back about a month before Landon was born.  Now, it's down the drain and in the trash all over again.  Getting a shower is quite unenjoyable these days b/c my hair is coming out in gobs.  Handfuls come out with each shampoo, and even more comes out when I condition.  Even if it is my own hair, it's still icky having wet hair all over my hands.  My hair has always grown fast; I hope this time it's no exception.  So, I'm losing it...literally.

2) I'm losing my mind/patience/stamina due to pure exhaustion.  Someone PLEASE help me!!!  Landon is still not sleeping through the night, and it's killing me.  He was up 3 times last night, and for some horrible reason decided that 5:25 AM would be a good time to start his day this morning.  OH MY WORD!  I was in tears b/c I was so tired.  Before you give me the cry-it-out advice, we've tried it and it didn't work.  We let Landon cry for 1 hour 22 minutes and he never even began to settle himself down.  When I finally went in to get him, not only was he gassy from crying for so long, but he was starving b/c he had used so many calories.  To top it off, he had gotten so worked up that it took him another hour and 15 minutes to go back to sleep.  It felt cruel to let him cry for so long, and when it didn't work we felt like the worst parents.  I'm desperate for some quality sleep, but not that desperate.  So...do you have any other suggestions?  Anyone???

3) OK, so this is an "almost lost it" - Yesterday, Ella Beth, Landon & I went to Carter's to do a little shopping.  When we were checking out, a lady in line asked me how old Ella Beth was.  When I told her that she was almost 2, she looked at Ella Beth, looked at me, and then looked again at Ella Beth.  She then looked me straight in the face and said, "She's really short."  Now, I'm not talking she said, "Oh she's so cute!  She's short!"  NO, NO, NO.  She snarled her lip and said, "She's really short."  It is a very good thing that I have good self-control because I wanted to slap that woman.  I looked her in the face and said, "She's petite; just like her Mommy."  I am fine with being short; had to accept that a long time ago.  However, for an adult to snub my daughter was way beyond something that I will ever move past.  Ella Beth has no idea what being self-conscience is.  She isn't bothered by broccoli stuck between her teeth, a boogie in her nose, tangled hair, or mis-matched clothes.  She is happy just being herself; being exactly who God created her to be.  Scott and I want so badly to instill in her a sense of self-worth and for her to know that she was fearfully and wonderfully made.  Today's society teaches such a false standard of "beauty and perfection."  What if Ella Beth had been old enough to realize that the lady's negative comment was directed at her?   That would have pushed this mommy from "almost" to "Done Lost It."

Here's my perfect-as-she-is-short-or-tall-or-anywhere-in-between Ella Beth in her big girl PJs. 
 

And, here's Ella Beth "pretending" to be asleep.  She was on my bed and called me, "Mommy, come see me.  I'm sleeping."  It was pretty funny!

 

Hug your daughter &/or son and tell them how wonderful they are just As They Are!  Oh, and feel free to post any sleeping suggestions for Landon. ;)