Motherhood in the Raw: Part 3

Well, here is Part 3 of my so-called Motherhood advise. As stated before, I am in NO WAY an expert on Mothering, but feel the need to share real life experiences that happen on a day-to-day basis or lessons I have already learned. So, here goes...


1. Waste not, want not. Hand-me-downs are a blessing, no doubt. I highly suggest if you are offered hand-me-downs to take them! I have done this and been very blessed with clothes for Judah. I think it's important to push your pride to the side and accept such generosity or to give generously. When they are infants, you only need a select few cute/nice clothes for Church. The rest will get puked, drooled, and pooped on, so why spend the money on nice clothes if you've been offered slightly used ones? Not to mention that these kids grow so quickly they may only where an outfit once or twice. Of course, I always imagined my kids would be in designer clothes and always dressed to the nines, but somehow baby Formula and food just seems more important on the budget end of things.



2. I just don't know. I have already had several times in Judah's life that I just didn't know what to do. No amount of reading can prepare you for everything that you will need to know for children. Frustrating! I sometimes think that I lack a motherly instinct. There are times that I just don't know. I cry about it, then pray about it and do what I can to help him. Most of the time, it's Justin that seems to come up with a solution or tells me to just calm down because usually it's not that big of a deal. And most of the time he's right. Oh and one more piece to this. Find a pediatrician that has a Triage nurse always on call. Lately this has been a life safer. They are quick to let me know if I'm overreacting or if my concerns are legitimate. Such a relief when you have NO idea what to do.

3. Teething Joys. Judah currently has his two bottom teeth, but is working on getting his two top ones. EVERYTHING changes when they are teething. The diapers get more runny, they loose their appetite, they don't nap or sleep well, and they are just miserable! This usually means you are miserable too. Poor little guy would wake up at 3 in the morning and scream for 2 hours straight. This from a child who ALWAYS sleeps at least 10-11 hrs. a night without fail! Normal soothers are Highlands teething tablets, Orajel or Tylenol. The tablets have chamomile in them that calm them down when they are worked up. Well, NONE of our tricks worked this go around. I ended up taking him to the Dr. b/c I was convinced that he had an ear infection. WRONG (see you later $25 copay) he's "Just Teething". OH Joy! So now we are able to give him Motrin which lasts up to 8 hours!! What a Godsend. Works like a charm and we are all now happy.

4. Baby Bullies. Undoubtedly there's always one in your nursery or daycare that will bully your child. Judah was just poked in the eye last night by a toddler. He has a busted blood vessel in his eye and it looks awful! Best thing to do - remain calm. Of course I was mad, but there's nothing I could do; the damage was done. Besides who's to say when you're child gets older he/she won't inflict pain on another child.

Through the Fire...

It's times like these that the reality and meaning of that phrase come alive to me. It's always so uncomfortable to go through trials and personal issues. I'm convinced that God is always with me, but yet I worry. Why is that? Is it because i don't have my full Trust in HIM? I cannot tell you how many times I have surrendered to the beast of WORRY. Why is it that the minute things get "hot" it rears it's ugly head?
Fire: (n) Destructive burning, continuous attack, a gem's brilliance.
Seriously, whoever wrote the dictionary must have been spirit-filled. (LOL) I love the last interpretation. I know that without going through the fire I can be refined like a fine gem. I know at the end of these trials I will shine with God's revelation to me. There is a reason it hurts, growing pains I guess. I pray I don't loose sight of WHO is in control. God make me stronger than I am and to fully depend on you, my Provider.

Roly Poly

Well, Judah is really growing! Much has happened lately. He will be 6 months old in 2 days. I cannot believe it. He is eating cereal and sweet potatoes now. He loves food! He's up to 18 pounds now! Judah started trying to crawl this past weekend. (Go to Justin's blog for the video.) I know he's going to be into everything very soon. Lord help! I'm SO not ready for that. Gone are the days of just laying Judah on the couch while I prep his bottle. He is rolling and scooting around everywhere!
Another trick we have been using since he has been fighting sleep like no other, is playing worship music in his room at night. We've always known that music puts him to sleep (it did when he was in my belly too!) so we've been doing that at night. If he doesn't fall asleep when I rock him and them put him down, we just lay him in is crib and he eventually will roll over get comfy and fall asleep to the music. He's also gotten really good at putting his pacifier back in his mouth, so that's good! Judah is also sleeping up to 10 or 11 hours at night. PTL!!
He really is such a sweetheart. His personality is really shining through. He will certainly be active though. I promise, he would get up and walk if he was strong enough. The bright side to that is, maybe with me chasing him I'll shed this extra weight that is STILL here after 6 months.
Can you tell I'm a little bitter about the weight thing. Seriously it's the most frustrating thing. I have never had a weight problem. It seems that this 10 lbs will just be there for-ev-er. I thought for sure it would fall off, especially after I stopped nursing. I guess I better start running it off now. It's just so darn hot and we can't afford a gym membership. Besides, I'm convinced it's hormone related. Even if I hardly eat anything, my number doesn't budge!! So frustrating. Oh well, I'm trying to stay positive that there is a way. Any suggestions out there? I'm open!