Gentle Reminders

Sometimes after the kiddos and hubby are tucked sweetly into bed, I browse the Internet performing my 'research'. Google is usually my site of choice. I constantly have a never ending stream of questions in my head, and am happy that I can turn to my trusty computer and find answers in a flash.

Last night, water-birth was on the brain. (No, this is not a subtle announcement). We are not expecting. Not yet at least. A blogger that I enjoy reading just had a baby, and she choose to use a midwife and water birth to welcome her baby into the world. I have always been curious, but both of my pregnancies have come with a few medical problems, and home birth was never an option. I think it takes a brave woman to birth at home, but I really like the thought of laboring like my ancestors did; bringing a baby into the world naturally, in the comfort of your own home.

My research started with water-births (which is fascinating) to YouTube videos of water-births (ouch!) to lotus birthing (which is very interesting: it is when you leave the baby attached to the the placenta via the umbilical cord. You wait until the cord detaches; all the while carrying around a rotting placenta. I do not see the point of this, but ... to each his own!) Was that too much info? well, you learn something new everyday!

My research continued, and I noticed another video about a baby, so I clicked and it was a story of a still-birth. It was heartbreaking. Along with that video came others. Stories of women who lost their babies at 20 weeks, 26 weeks, 39 weeks. Each story heartbreaking. There are some things that happen to us in this life that we may never understand. I can't imagine that there is anything more devastating than losing a child.

I thought of my own two girls and how lucky I was to have given birth to them. Then i was able to wrap them up tight and bring them home. And now, I get to care for them. I am blessed to have the opportunity to teach, and love, and cuddle, and play with them. These videos served as a gentle reminder for me to take the time and cherish the moments that I have with my babies. I am so very thankful to be able to experience the joys of motherhood. It's not always easy, but I wouldn't trade one single second.

Filter PLEASE!

Do you want to know what is so wonderful about having a four year old who LOVES to talk... she tells the world all of your secrets- big and small, significant or otherwise- to all who will listen; strangers included. It is just grand to not have any privacy anymore. Can you sense the sarcasm?

I remember when I was little my younger sister had the same 'tongue slipping' problem. We were all terrified of what she was going to say, and my mom often stood next to her with a hand ready to cover the little mouth that never stopped. It appears this same problem has been passed down to my child. Hooray for me.

I should also add that I don't really have any dirty secrets to hide, but I don't like for people to know all of my business. Like... my house isn't always spotless, or I don't like to wear pants at home, or that my 'boobies are fun to poke'... so on and so forth. you get the idea. Let's just say that courtesy of my pre-schooler, strangers know a lot more about me than I wish they would. I find myself hoovering over Haley a lot, hand ready to cover her mouth before something terribly embarassing falls out. Well, hopefully.

How do you teach the difference between pure honesty and just saying a little too much?

Ah... the joys of parenthood!

Like a zombie...

...A cute one, that is.



Lately, Kaitlyn has become enchanted by Dora... you know, the explorer. She absolutely loves her, and will sit (and stand) right by the t.v. and watch her for as long as I will let her. I try my best to limit her exposure, but I won't lie... I don't mind the quiet sometimes!

I caught a picture of K watching Dora the other day. (It wasn't too hard- she doesn't budge an inch when it is on.) She's like a little zombie. You can try all you want to interrupt her, but she won't take her off the screen. Should I be impressed by her strong ability to pay attention? :/ Personally Dora's voice gets on my last nerves, but there are some days that I am downright grateful for her chalk-board scratching pitch!

Anywho- just wanted to share this cute picture of my chubby-cheeked girl. And, it showcases her new haircut nicely!

Wrinkled.

I think that each child SHOULD come into this world with a warning label. A brightly colored label with a bold font that says something to the tune of, 'no matter what you do, this child WILL cause your face to wrinkle! Enjoy!'

I was looking at my reflection in the mirror the other day, and wasn't too pleased to discover that I have my first official deep-set-not-going-away-anytime-soon wrinkle. It resides on my forehead. Front and center. It doesn't appear when I am smiling. No. It appears when I am making that, 'are you listening to mommy' face. Darn kids.

Oh well. I know it's not the first wrinkle that will be courtesy of my children. There will be lots more. Worry wrinkles, tired wrinkles, and lots and lots of happy wrinkles. Motherhood is a journey- that's for sure. Apparently my face is the road map! :)

Post Edit: As soon as I published this post, there was a side bar ad for the "top ten wrinkle creams of all time"- good to know I have the option of a good wrinkle cream someday- for now I will wear my little wrinkle with pride. :) Now gray hair... that will be a different story. Pass me the dye please!

Kindness Matters

Almost four years ago, my little Haley was born. She was tiny, and beautiful, and just a little bit different than most newborns. Haley was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Over the years, her lip has been made into one, her palate has been closed, tubes have been placed in her ears and her nose has been contoured more than once. Some people may notice her faint scars, but many don't. She is a beautiful little girl with big brown eyes that sparkle. She is intelligent, and creative and LOVES to talk. She is constantly talking... CONSTANTLY!

When Haley was first released from the hospital NICU, I was nervous to take her out into the public. I wanted to protect her, and I was afraid that people might make comments or stare. I had even bought a special carrier to conceal her little body- which I still feel ashamed for doing. Haley didn't let me use the carrier, in fact, she wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to see the world, and in turn the world saw her. There were comments. Some people stared, some pointed. I expected that. What I didn't expect were the wonderful strangers who approached me to tell me just how beautiful my little baby was. For every naysayer, there seemed to be someone who could look past Haley's physical differences, and see a beautiful child of God. Their kindness made such a difference to me- these strangers will never know of the peace they gave to me.

Life has changed very much since those first few months before Haley's surgery. People no longer point or stare... but we still get approached quite often. Mostly by the senior citizens who want to tickle toes and get a toothy grins from the girls. Haley is always getting questions thrown her way- she answers, but often times the people (who always mean well) don't understand her. They usually turn to me... and I translate. This frustrates Haley tremendously.

Being born with a cleft palate has caused Haley's pronunciation to be unclear most of the time. This is a definite problem for a girl who would like nothing more than to talk your ear off! It makes me sad at times, because she has so many intelligent things to say, and she wants to say them. I try to keep in mind that her speech is a work in progress, and someday- hopefully soon- all will be able to understand her when she talks. She is progressing pretty well with her speech therapy, just not fast enough for that expanding mind of hers. :) I can't help but watch the frustration on her face when strangers question her.

But, just when I start to become frustrated myself, a kind stranger steps in...

Today while we were at the department store, I saw a lady watching Haley play with her little sister. From across the aisle she asked Haley a question about Kaitlyn. Haley gave one of her long winded answers. For once, the stranger didn't look at me for a translation. She repeated back exactly what Haley had said- word for word! I was absolutely amazed- that rarely happens for Haley. Haley's little face lit up (I'm certain mine did also) and the two of them continued to chat for a bit. The lady didn't stay for long, but she left long lasting smiles on both of our faces. It's amazing what a little bit of kindness can do to some one's day!

...............................................................................
And so, I have a little kindness challenge for you-

I know that it is human nature to be interested in people that are different. If you happen to find yourself staring, why not approach that person, and find out more about their situation. I know that I have always appreciated when people have asked me questions about Haley rather than staring or pointing. It is a great opportunity to educate, and be educated. If that is too much for you- at least smile at them! Your small act of kindness matters more than you may ever realize. Trust me!

Oh Canada!

The 2010 Olympic winter games have affected me in a very strange way.

Not only do I now want to become an Olympian snowboarder, but it seems I favor the Canadian pronunciation of the word 'out'. Tonight while chatting with my family I kept saying 'oot' instead of 'out'. My brain signaled that it had come out all wrong, but every time I would try again... oot just kept coming, well oot! We all had a little laugh, but if this silliness continues, I might have to pack my bags and head up north. :(

Over and oot!

Vegging Out.

I have been on a personal mission to get my family to eat more vegetables. This has been no easy task, and they haven't been too happy about my enthusiasm towards this matter- except the baby- she'll eat almost anything. After a few attempts of healthy eating, little complaints started rolling in. Complaints over vegetables- now isn't that silly? I decided it was time for me to get sneaky. For the last few weeks I have been mixing in all sorts of veggie goodness into meats and soups, salads and sweets - smiling with pride- feeling oh so creative... Shredded carrots and squash are well hidden in sauces. Peppers, spinach and celery are too! HA! They hadn't even noticed the added flavor until tonight. Tonight I got caught. I had just finished shredding a HUGE mound of carrots to mix into the ground turkey when I heard my husband in the kitchen. He questioned the orange stack. I confessed...

-H O W E V E R -
Dinner turned out really good. Even the naysayers thought so. I think it was all the extra vitamin A. Point for me!

I am going to keep on being sneaky. It is for a good cause after all...

Need some ideas for your own family? Keep on reading.

1.Homemade spaghetti sauce
While I am cooking the meat (we use ground turkey) I add in shredded carrots, zucchini, onions or peppers. They are hidden by the sauce and aren't easily detected. This idea also works really well in meatloaf too.

2.Breakfast scrambles My family loves scrambled eggs, so I take this opportunity to add in a little handful of extra vitamins. Onion, pepper, spinach and mushrooms can be diced small enough to not attract too much attention.

3. Soups
I like to make soups and stews, and I have found that I can add spinach and it will not be easily detected. Spinach shrinks in size when cooked, and I will often add a few handfuls of fresh spinach leaves to quite a few of our dinners.

4. Stirfrys.
I use stirfrys as an excuse to showcase my family's most tolerated vegetables. Works every time.