Family Musings

I promise, Charlotte did this all on her own! For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit 5 Minutes for Mom Extraordinary Mothers Momspective Look What Mom Found Wordless Wednesday 7 Clown Circus - Wordful Wednesday Ordinary and Awesome - Mostly Wordless Wednesday

Earlier this year, I shared with you a campaign from Electrolux to raise support and awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). At that time, Electrolux offered an easy way to support ovarian cancer research. And they are back again with another super-easy way to do the same thing. For the month of September, Electrolux and Kelly Ripa kicked off a unique “Text-a-Thon for a Cause” to support the OCRF. Moms can donate $5 to the cause by texting “KELLY” to 85944 from their mobile phones (standard text messaging rates apply) – or by logging on to www.kelly-confidential.com . Also, each day you log on to www.kelly-confidential.com , you are entered for a chance to win a luxury frontload washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky, the color of ovarian cancer awareness. I just stopped to send my text and it took me 20 seconds. So go grab your cell phone (or visit the Kelly Confidential site if you are too lazy to walk across the room to your phone) and donate $5  t...

It is clear to me that Mary's sucking action is getting stronger. I have been faithfully stretching her cheek muscles and doing my best to stimulate all the nerves in her jaw, cheeks, and tongue each time she eats. What I haven't been quite so faithful at is putting her to the breast to nurse a few times a day. It is hard to do that knowing it probably won't work anyway. She has been able to latch on a few times since we first started, but never for more than 1-2 minutes. It seems to me that she just gets worn out from the extra work that nursing requires and gives up. The last 2 days were really hard for me. I've been pumping every 2-3 hours for 2 weeks now and don't really see any light at the end of the tunnel. I don't know when this will end. It isn't the bottles that bother me so much because I know they are giving Mary's tummy liquid gold. It is the lack of sleep and the amount of effort it takes to accomplish all of this pumping. Yesterday m...

We were surprised at the local children's museum this morning when our normal, Monday morning story time was replaced by a career event involving a demonstration by the Lakeland Fire Department. Charlotte was able to see a fireman in full protective gear up close and personal. It hadn't occured to me before, but it is a really great idea for children to have some exposure to what a fireman looks like with all 48 pounds of gear and an air tank strapped on. Imagine being a small child, scared by a fire, only to see a monster-type creature coming at you through the smoke! After the gear demonstration, the fire fighters let the children hang out on the fire engine for a few minutes. Charlotte wasn't shy about checking it out at all and I could see the awe factor in her eyes as she sat in the Lieutenant's seat in the front of the fire engine. Then, when she climbed into the back seat, she just sat there and soaked it all in. I don't know if being a fire fighter w...

Lest anyone ever think I am one of those moms who has it 'all together,' I thought I'd share some pictures of what my living room looked like when my husband walked in the door. Now, he didn't take these pictures to make me feel bad, I asked him too, just to prove that I am not super mom (ha, as if anyone actually thought that!).       And yep, I was watching the Food Network while my daughter 'washed' her hands in the bathroom... leaving some kind of watery mess that my husband cleaned up before I ever got my butt off the couch! (In my defense, Mary was asleep in my arms though.)

This morning I took Mary for her pediatric physical therapy evaluation. As I mentioned previously, she has some oral motor issues that prevent her from nursing properly, or even taking milk from a bottle properly. And after a visit with the lactation consultant, we were referred to Pediatric Therapy Services for help. Upon entering the facility, we were made to feel very comfortable. They knew who I was when I walked in with Mary and we didn't have to wait at all for our appointment. Nikki was the therapist assigned to evaluate her and was in agreement with my goal of exclusive breastfeeding for Mary. I have been pumping every 2-3 hours around the clock and giving Mary milk from a bottle, but that is not a situation I can maintain for very long before I collapse from lack of sleep. Nikki watched as I tried to nurse Mary and could see that all Mary was able to do was chomp down, no latching at all. Then, she observed me giving Mary my milk in a bottle and how it dribbles out of ...

Mary is 1 week old and I was finally brave enough to let Charlotte hold her. You see, Charlotte likes to poke eyes and heads and things, so I wanted to make sure Bruce was around, just in case. Here are my favorites pictures from what will likely be Charlotte's happiest moments today!     (Again, the coloring is off because Photoshop time still can't be found.)m

Today Mary is 1 week old. And sometime in the last week, Charlotte became 25 months old. The whole week is a little blurry in my head. I just wanted to share a couple of things with you before signing off for a little while. First, most of the posts over the last week were written 2 weeks ago. So I haven't been a blogging maniac. Second, Mary has some oral motor issues that we are trying to resolve. In the mean time, she can't nurse so I am having to pump every 2 hours to maintain my supply until we get more guidance from the therapist. This means I also have to give Mary bottles of breastmilk. I thought I'd never have to use a pump again! As for her oral motor issues, we have an appointment on Monday. Hopefully they will teach me some exercises for her that can strengthen her jaw, tongue, cheek, and other related muscles to make latching on possible. Anyone who knows me well enough, or was around the blog when Charlotte was little, knows how important I think bre...

I am always trying to figure out the next way for our family to get away for a few nights. Mostly, it is just the planning of a trip that makes me happy. If I can dream up a long weekend for a little bit, I will feel better and able to move on to my realities of diapers, dinners, and driving to play groups. But every now and again, dreaming just isn't enough. I am fortunate though, that I live in a wildly diverse state and can get away to any number of different types of places - the beach in St. Pete, theme parks in Orlando, woods for camping all over, or even the bright lights of a big city like Miami. I've been thinking about another one of those weekend getaways recently and recently found out there is a name for the kinds of trips I plan. They are called "state-cations." Mom Central defines these as "countless opportunities for adventure, education and rejuvenation reside within the borders of your own home state." They asked me to share the way ...

Is it possible to show you too many pictures of Mary at one time? Will you forgive me if these are all straight out of the camera? I just haven't found time for Photoshop yet this week. :) And can you believe she is only 5 days old?

Unlike the first half of my labor story , this was not written in real time. I was too busy trying to finish up the hard part so that I could hold our new baby girl! (Plus, laptops and water tubs aren't very compatible.) Warning: My biggest purpose in writing this is to have a record of what happened, even the not so pretty stuff. So, if you don't want to know details (I'm talking to you Dad and you Brother), then just skip ahead to the next post. :) *** 5:15 pm - Arrived at the birth center and continued laboring on a birthing ball and the floor. It turned out, for this phase of labor, kneeling at the coffee table during contractions was the most comfortable. In between contractions I remember resting my head on the table or falling back to sit on my feet with my head and arms completely relaxed. I did try sitting on the birth ball again, but it was too hard to relax the right muscles, so I used it in the same way as the coffee table. *** 7:00 pm - I asked Melissa...

Hahaha... I crack myself up. Because I only mean that title in theory, or quite literally, depending on how you want to take it. You see, in my family, the grandparents don't really get much of a say about anything. I even send them a list of approved birthday presents. But I did find something online that will help them feel more connected with their granddaughters. It is called " Your Voice " from Grandparents.com . It came at a good time too because my dad decided that Charlotte, at 2 years old, was now old enough to receive phone calls, without Mommy to translate or assist. And that hasn't quite worked out... Charlotte is still too interested in the buttons on the phone. Oh, and good timing because Grandparent's Day is coming up on September 13. But, I told my dad about Your Voice and in less than 2 hours, he had already logged into Grandparents.com and created a spoken message for his first granddaughter. Then of course, he had to text me to make sure I ...

And now we get to my first semester of college. Glorious times. (If we all agree to ignore my adolescent complexion that is!) This first page to commemorate my time in college features a letter I wrote to the editor of our school paper. In it, I responded to an article by some guy named Snell who basically had a skewed, worldly view of what love is, and tried to say love was a physical thing (if I remember correctly). In my letter, I shared what the Bible said about love in 1 Cor 13 and that true love could be found in a relationship with Jesus. I thought it was pretty cool that they published my letter, being a lowly freshman and all. Then, I eventually realized, the editors pretty much published any letter the got (which was not very many). College is like being between a 'rock and a hard place.' Or so the cartoon strip at the top of this scrapbook page says. On our way down to Miami (yes, I am a UM graduate), we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a big breakfast. Cracker Bar...

Here are a few pictures of our newly expanded family. Yes, she was born in a tub... I'll finish writing up that story soon. Charlotte is experiencing pure joy at the site and sound of her little sister. She can't go to the park or to take a nap without making sure she gives Mary a hug and a kiss. And Charlotte was adamant yesterday that Mary keep her hat on. I hope this sisterly love stays so nice.

How we chose the name for our daughter: Mary Mitchell Slessor was born in 1848, the second of seven children in a poor Scottish family. Because of her poverty, she began working in a mill at the age of 11; when her father died, she became the primary financial support for her family—a family that continued becoming smaller because of tuberculosis. When Mary heard of the missionary David Livingstone’s death in 1873, she immediately volunteered to serve in Nigeria. She began her ministry in the port city of Duke Town, learning the local language and customs, and teaching in a school. Mary lived frugally, sending half her salary home to care for her ill family members. But all the while, she longed to move inland where there were no missionaries. When the last of Mary’s family died, she wrote, “Heaven is now nearer to me than Britain, and no one will be anxious about me if I go up-country.” For the rest of her life, Mary moved further inland into areas thought impenetrable by Brit...

Did you know? Nearly nine out of 10 women experience a mid-day craving and have the urge to snack Eighty-three percent of women admit they sometimes feel guilty when cravings take over and they reach for sweets My cravings usually come between 3-4 pm when I feel sluggish and tired. I often find myself grazing in the fridge and/or pantry trying to find just the right thing. Some days I even take a bit of everything only to find nothing really hits the spot. So, I am really looking forward to trying the new Yoplait Delights, a yogurt treat that is supposed to be "delicious, sweet, and a feel good choice." Available in four tempting flavor combinations Chocolate Raspberry, Triple Berry Creme, Lemon Torte and Creme Caramel - creamy Yoplait Delight sound like the perfect everyday treat. Right now you can also download a $1.25 off coupon for Yoplait Delights Parfait . I received a "Delight Your Day" gift pack that includes, a spa mask, wrap robe and slippers, and ...

Written in real time on Saturday, September 5th. *** As I write this, I am in labor. I am 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant, though we all know due dates aren't an exact science. I'm going to try and keep a log of what happens before we leave for the birthing center (hence the 'Part 1' of the title) and will hopefully be able to post 'Part 2' sometime in the next couple of days. No promises though, I hope to be staring in the beautiful eyes of a brand new baby girl. :) Last night (Friday), Bruce and I went to a new restaurant and I hoped to try some spicy foods to encourage Babin to leave her comfy nest. I ate N'Awlins style red beans and rice with extra hot sauce. I'd say we went for a walk after dinner, but really it was just the hike up to the car in the parking garage. More activity than I'd had in 2 days since I was resting a lot to be ready and fueled with energy. We came home and had a light snack before going to bed at 10 pm. I think I fell ...

When Grumpy was down recently to take Charlotte to see Disney on Ice, he stayed late enough to ready her a bedtime story. Since I know he will like these, I thought I'd share a few pictures of them reading together.                

There is a billboard we pass almost every day that advertises the Disney on Ice Celebrations tour that came to Lakeland. And don't ask me how, but Charlotte can recognize the mouse on it as Mickey Mouse. She shouts it clearly enough that there is no mistaking that billboard caught her eye. Well, earlier this week, I made the mistake told her that she was going to see Mickey Mouse on Friday. That was the end of it. I heard about it during lunch, at bedtime, and other random times of the day. The only problem is, she had no concept of what it meant when I said she was going on Friday. I might as well have told her that she was going to the moon yesterday. But, we made it through the week and she made it to see Disney on Ice , a special, "I'm a big sister treat" from her G-ma and Grumpy. Her first big girl outing with her grandparents. She even wore a new dress that G-ma just had to buy for the occasion! I'd known for a few weeks that G-ma had bought the ticke...

Ahhh.... high school graduation. This is supposed to be a major milestone in every individuals life. And I guess it was in mine, though I was already looking far, far ahead to college. My Aunt Viola came up along with Uncle Joe, with his wife Gwen and their two kids, Amanda and Kyle. And as could be expected from my family and youth group, there was a big party for all the graduating senior. I don't remember whose house this was at (maybe her name was Dory?) but we had a lot of fun hanging out in the pool and eating yummy food. In the bottom picture are (from L to R) Stephanie Aho-Banguilan, Jason Spencer, me, Mike Hardy(?) Michelle Messer (now Taylor), Joann Mitchum (now Hardy), and Johnny Mitchum. Believe it or not, I still keep up with at least 3 of these friends from high school. Oh, and if I don't tell it, then I know Bruce will... funny story about the floral shirt I am wearing. Bruce says that shirt is one of the reasons he fell in love with me in 10th grade. A...