Sunday, May 8, 2011
6 Months Old!
Lessons in Faith
Faith has always been something I have struggled with. I think it means so many different things to different people. The dictionary defines it as confidence or trust in a person or a thing. I am not a person that trusts easily, yet this is what God wants of us. Before I really began to follow Jesus, I needed to have full and utter control over everything in my life. I couldn't trust the people around me to make the right decisions for me, how on earth was I suppose to trust God? Even after I was baptized and began to live the life of a disciple of Jesus, I still could not let go of the control.
The first time I got a lesson in being faithful to God was when we were trying to have our first baby. I needed control and I took it, yet I was not trusting in God and his timing. I wanted it my way. In the end we lost four babies. The last one we lost could have killed me. This was an eye opener for me. It was the first time that my faith had really been tested and I finally surrendered to the fact that God knew better then I did. I stopped trying to control things. We were told that we could not have biological children. As devastating as this was, it also helped me surrender to God completely. We began to enjoy life again and I turned completely to God. Eight short months later and by accident, we got pregnant and 9 months after that I gave birth to an angel. When our daughter was 2 we decided that it might be time to have another baby. This time we left God in complete control and we were blessed with our son. God taught me to be faithful through this, it has helped me to trust in Him more then I ever thought possible.
This brings me to a second situation that I have had to be faithful and the reason I wanted to share this to begin with. About 2 months after we lost our 4th baby, we bought a house in North Bend Washington. It was our dream home and we were so excited! A little over a month after we moved it, it began to rain and it didn't let up. I had just come upstairs after working out and my dog started to bark. I rolled my eyes because I assumed that she was barking at the squirrel that had been harassing her since we moved in. I went and looked downstairs. In the five minutes it had been since I had come upstairs, our downstairs had filled with 2 feet of water. Chad saved what he could because the majority of our stuff was still downstairs. We loaded our pets and a few precious items into our car and we left our house, not foreseeing the nightmare ahead of us. Since our first flood the house has flooded almost ever year. Some years it has flooded multiple times. In the last 6 months, it has flood three times. We were very forunate to be able to buy another house in Montana, but we could not sell the house in North Bend so we rented it out and began to pray that God would help us sell it to the county. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years and there was no sign that the house would be bought. We had oppurtunities that fell through. We couldn't sell it and we could no longer rent it. We couldn't make the payments anymore. We left it to God. We had one grant that would have bought the house as a short sale, but the bank wouldn't accept it. We had one last grant to apply for and it was our last hope. If this didn't go through we would foreclose and the home could be sold to another unsuspecting family. We asked God to make this grant go through. In Mathew 17:20 it says:
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
We believed and it happened! We sold our house on the day that we needed to so that the house would not be auctioned. No one ever has to live in that house again. I kept faith and trusted through this situation like I never had before. I still had my moments of anxiety, but I was able to overcome. When we trust completely in God and his plan for us, we will be blessed!
The first time I got a lesson in being faithful to God was when we were trying to have our first baby. I needed control and I took it, yet I was not trusting in God and his timing. I wanted it my way. In the end we lost four babies. The last one we lost could have killed me. This was an eye opener for me. It was the first time that my faith had really been tested and I finally surrendered to the fact that God knew better then I did. I stopped trying to control things. We were told that we could not have biological children. As devastating as this was, it also helped me surrender to God completely. We began to enjoy life again and I turned completely to God. Eight short months later and by accident, we got pregnant and 9 months after that I gave birth to an angel. When our daughter was 2 we decided that it might be time to have another baby. This time we left God in complete control and we were blessed with our son. God taught me to be faithful through this, it has helped me to trust in Him more then I ever thought possible.
This brings me to a second situation that I have had to be faithful and the reason I wanted to share this to begin with. About 2 months after we lost our 4th baby, we bought a house in North Bend Washington. It was our dream home and we were so excited! A little over a month after we moved it, it began to rain and it didn't let up. I had just come upstairs after working out and my dog started to bark. I rolled my eyes because I assumed that she was barking at the squirrel that had been harassing her since we moved in. I went and looked downstairs. In the five minutes it had been since I had come upstairs, our downstairs had filled with 2 feet of water. Chad saved what he could because the majority of our stuff was still downstairs. We loaded our pets and a few precious items into our car and we left our house, not foreseeing the nightmare ahead of us. Since our first flood the house has flooded almost ever year. Some years it has flooded multiple times. In the last 6 months, it has flood three times. We were very forunate to be able to buy another house in Montana, but we could not sell the house in North Bend so we rented it out and began to pray that God would help us sell it to the county. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years and there was no sign that the house would be bought. We had oppurtunities that fell through. We couldn't sell it and we could no longer rent it. We couldn't make the payments anymore. We left it to God. We had one grant that would have bought the house as a short sale, but the bank wouldn't accept it. We had one last grant to apply for and it was our last hope. If this didn't go through we would foreclose and the home could be sold to another unsuspecting family. We asked God to make this grant go through. In Mathew 17:20 it says:
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
We believed and it happened! We sold our house on the day that we needed to so that the house would not be auctioned. No one ever has to live in that house again. I kept faith and trusted through this situation like I never had before. I still had my moments of anxiety, but I was able to overcome. When we trust completely in God and his plan for us, we will be blessed!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
5 months!
Childcare
Being a working mom with two young children, childcare is something that is always in the front of my mind. Where to put your babies when you cannot be with them is such a hard decision and it is complicated by what you can afford.
I was very fortunate with Mattaya to have a great friend watch her. It worked out well and I was VERY grateful. Mattaya was loved and cared for like I would have done. When we moved from Washington to Montana we put her in a larger center type of daycare. This was not a good move, the way that they disciplined or should I say the lack of discipline was very bad for Mattaya. At one, she was very stubborn and intense. They would tell her to have "gentle hands" but she didn't understand and would still get very aggressive towards the other kids. This caused problems at home as well, however she was only there for a month as my husband and I both lost our jobs and I got to spend the summer at home with my baby! It was awesome, but when we went back to work in the fall, we needed daycare again. We chose an in home daycare and it was good. The discipline worked for Mattaya and she thrived, but things changed and I really wanted Mattaya in a preschool. She was not enjoying going to daycare and she needed more stimulation. Before Kellen was born I started to feel that she needed something different. Then a few situations happened at daycare that made me really uncomfortable and I knew it was time to change places. She started at a very large daycare center and she loves it! She is thriving and gets mad when we call it "daycare" because it is her school. She is often upset on Fridays because she doesn't get to go.
For Kellen I am also blessed to have a very wonderful friend watching him. He does well with her. She is doing me such a huge favor, I am forever grateful!
Here are some things that I have learned when dealing with daycare
1. Things change. Your child may need more stimulation, structure, or a different environment to continue to grow and learn at their highest potential. Your daycare may change. Turnover can be high at daycares and different people have different ways of working. The care your child was receiving at one point may be different then it is at another. You need to do what is best for you kid, so don't be afraid to change where your child is while you are at work
2. If you are using a friend or family, remember they are doing you a favor, even if you are paying them. Don't ask them to do things above and beyond. Your child should fit into their lives and not the other way around. Do not have expectations that will make your friend or family struggle. Even if you are paying them, often it is a lot less then you would for a nanny and they are getting similar care, so if you want things done a particular way you should hire a real nanny.
3. Keep your child on the same schedule on the weekends that they have during the week. It can be really hard to do, but it helps your kids and your childcare providers. I will admit that I am guilty of not doing this with Kellen, but it wasn't fair to my friend. I now try to stick to his schedule as best as I can on the weekends.
4. ALWAYS watch your child for behaviors issues, changes in attitude, etc. This is often a sign that something is not going right at daycare. If your child doesn't want to go to daycare or if you notice specific behavioral issues after they have been there, question your provider about what is going on, if you are not satisfied get your child out!
I was very fortunate with Mattaya to have a great friend watch her. It worked out well and I was VERY grateful. Mattaya was loved and cared for like I would have done. When we moved from Washington to Montana we put her in a larger center type of daycare. This was not a good move, the way that they disciplined or should I say the lack of discipline was very bad for Mattaya. At one, she was very stubborn and intense. They would tell her to have "gentle hands" but she didn't understand and would still get very aggressive towards the other kids. This caused problems at home as well, however she was only there for a month as my husband and I both lost our jobs and I got to spend the summer at home with my baby! It was awesome, but when we went back to work in the fall, we needed daycare again. We chose an in home daycare and it was good. The discipline worked for Mattaya and she thrived, but things changed and I really wanted Mattaya in a preschool. She was not enjoying going to daycare and she needed more stimulation. Before Kellen was born I started to feel that she needed something different. Then a few situations happened at daycare that made me really uncomfortable and I knew it was time to change places. She started at a very large daycare center and she loves it! She is thriving and gets mad when we call it "daycare" because it is her school. She is often upset on Fridays because she doesn't get to go.
For Kellen I am also blessed to have a very wonderful friend watching him. He does well with her. She is doing me such a huge favor, I am forever grateful!
Here are some things that I have learned when dealing with daycare
1. Things change. Your child may need more stimulation, structure, or a different environment to continue to grow and learn at their highest potential. Your daycare may change. Turnover can be high at daycares and different people have different ways of working. The care your child was receiving at one point may be different then it is at another. You need to do what is best for you kid, so don't be afraid to change where your child is while you are at work
2. If you are using a friend or family, remember they are doing you a favor, even if you are paying them. Don't ask them to do things above and beyond. Your child should fit into their lives and not the other way around. Do not have expectations that will make your friend or family struggle. Even if you are paying them, often it is a lot less then you would for a nanny and they are getting similar care, so if you want things done a particular way you should hire a real nanny.
3. Keep your child on the same schedule on the weekends that they have during the week. It can be really hard to do, but it helps your kids and your childcare providers. I will admit that I am guilty of not doing this with Kellen, but it wasn't fair to my friend. I now try to stick to his schedule as best as I can on the weekends.
4. ALWAYS watch your child for behaviors issues, changes in attitude, etc. This is often a sign that something is not going right at daycare. If your child doesn't want to go to daycare or if you notice specific behavioral issues after they have been there, question your provider about what is going on, if you are not satisfied get your child out!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Making Memories
Thoughts of a Working Mom- Month 2
Being a working mom is hard. Well, being a mom is hard. I know that stay at home moms have it tough too. It is not easy what ever path you choose. Each has its challenges and benefits. As a working mom over the last few months I have learned a lot. I always knew that my family was my priority, but I didn't realize how much I would have to emphasize this at work. Also, I did not realize how much having another child would affect Mattaya. She was fine before I went back to work, but now, she is having a really hard time with it. She tells me almost everyday that she doesn't want me to work. Yesterday she asked me if she could "go to ballet". I told her yes but Daddy would take her. She broke down and said that she wanted me to take her. OUCH. I think my heart broke right there. I wish that they would have classes on Fridays and Saturdays so I could take her! I hate not being able too, but because of our situation I have to work. Mattaya wants and needs me but I am not always there for her. This is one thing I didn't expect and something that makes it so hard for me to go to work. However, I know God's plan for me will be great and I have been blessed tremendously with so much. It maybe hard, but seeing the excitement on her face when I get home makes it all worth while!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Solids!!
I started Kellen on solid food a little over a week ago. He is totally ready and would probably try anything I give him. First off, let me just say how amazed I am at the number of opinions out there as to when to start solids. Mattaya was started on rice cereal at 4.5 months, but we didn't give her anything else until she was 6 months because the doctor warned us about allergies. Now we live in a new city and have a new doctor. She told us to give him what ever we felt like when he is ready and that it doesn't matter when between 4-6 months you start, if they are going to get allergies, they are going to get allergies. Everyone I talk to has been told something different. My philosophy is as a parent you will know when they are ready.
When Kellen is full he starts to suck on his fingers. This is definitely an interesting way to let me know he is done, but it works as I cannot get the spoon close to his mouth.
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| This boy loves to eat! |
I started out with rice cereal, but Kellen was not a fan. So we moved on to sweet potatoes, which he loved and then apples and pears. Something I learned from my daughter: it doesn't matter whether you start with fruits or veggies, your baby will like one over the other. I started Mattaya with veggies. That was all I gave her for about a month after we started to introduce her to new foods. Once we started on fruit, that was what she preferred. I forgot that she was an independent human being and even as a baby I could not control what she liked and didn't like. So unless you are willing to only give your baby veggies, it really doesn't matter what you start with.
When Kellen is full he starts to suck on his fingers. This is definitely an interesting way to let me know he is done, but it works as I cannot get the spoon close to his mouth.
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| Kellen telling me he is done |
I think we will try peas next.
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