I just wanted to post a quick note since it's been a little while since my last post. Part of the reason why I haven't posted since the Monday before last is because I've been reading Inkheart (which I've been enjoying immensely!) whenever I have a moment to myself (e.g., car rides, Peanut Butter Cup's nap times, before bed, etc.), and the other part of the reason is because Peanut Butter Cup has been keeping me really busy while he is awake. Not that I mind. :-)
Peanut Butter Cup is currently going through a 'climb on everything humanly possible' phase -- oh and he likes to JUMP off of things, like: mommy or daddy's legs, a partially filled duffel bag that was on the floor for a little while, and he'd jump off the bed if we let him--as it is he always wants to stand up and run around on it now. . . not a good thing considering the fact that he is nearly able to climb up on the bed by himself. He proved to us tonight that he is big enough now to climb up onto the coffee table. Not a comforting thought. I wish he could understand why certain things aren't safe for him, but he is still too young to understand the concept of 'danger'.
Also, I would like to ask everyone to be praying for a friend of mine. . . she is 31 weeks pregnant and has just been put on bed rest (for the next 5 weeks) due to the possibility of her going into preterm labor (this is her second baby--the first was early as well). So, prayers would be appreciated that this new addition to their family will decide to just 'stay put' for a few more weeks at least! Thanks so much for your prayers!
I'll try to write a longer post in the near future. . . .
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sad News
Over this past weekend Copper wasn't feeling good: he stopped eating and drinking, was more lethargic than usual and had been vomiting up some foamy bile off and on. We thought it may have just been an upset stomach over something that he had eaten and were waiting for it to pass (he thrown up part of something that he'd eaten at one point, so that made us think even more that it was probably just something he'd eaten). Saturday night we brought him in the house for awhile and he was all perky and happy (just like his normal self!), we even got him to eat a bowl of chicken and brown rice that I'd made for him. So, it seemed like he was on the mend. However, Sunday morning he was back to his previous symptoms and wouldn't even eat any more of the chicken and rice. We talked about having me take him to the vet Monday morning to get him checked out (in case it was an impaction or something). We went out for a couple of hours in the afternoon to run some errands, and when we got home our worst fears had been confirmed that Copper had somehow contracted Parvo. I will spare you the details of how we knew because I don't want anyone to have to have that mental picture as it is too devastating finding your dog/puppy like that.
Anyhow, we rushed to take him to an emergency vet (we weren't willing to give up all hope on him just yet), but while we were there it became very evident to us that not only could we not afford the extensive vet care that would have been needed ($1800+ with no guarantee of Copper's survival--which anyone who has dealt with Parvo before can understand why that is), but that the Parvo had already done extensive damage VERY quickly after it first started showing signs. So, once again, we had to make the very difficult decision to have our other Baby put down.
The whole time we just kept thinking, "Not again!" and "We should have known--we should have recognized the symptoms!" For those of you who don't know, back during our first year in Alabama, we'd gone through this with our Weimeraner puppy, Hank. He beat the Parvo, but ended up passing away the next week from complications that stemmed from the Parvo while his immune system was weakened. Neither of us will ever take those symptoms lightly again and assume that they may be caused by a stomach ache. Parvo has a 10-14 day incubation period before symptoms start to appear, so the sooner it is caught and treatment begun, the better chance of survival the puppy/dog has. The Parvo virus can live for about a year (in practically everything: soil, toys, crate, etc.), and the only way to get rid of it is to bleach everything that an infected puppy may have come in contact with.
This was very unexpected, and just added insult to injury after having to put Quigley down such a short while ago as well. All in all, in the last 3 years we have lost 5 wonderful animals: first in January of '09 I received a call from my mom telling me that my beloved cat, Prince, had passed away--I'd had him since he was 8 weeks old...he was 17-18 years old. Next a couple of short weeks later, Hank came down with Parvo in February '09 and passed away about a week later. In January of 2010 my mom had to have our faithful Border Collie mix, Petie, down--we'd had him since I was about 4 years old as well, so he was 18 years old (he was the most loyal and the best dog anyone could ever have--there will never be another dog like Petie, he was simply incredible!). Then, as you all know, back in October we had to have our Quigley put down. And now, Copper as well. It's been a rough 3 years for us where animals have been concerned. I can only hope that in the future, things will be different.
We are relieved to know that Copper is no longer suffering, but are heartbroken at having lost him. However, we know that God is in control and that 'not a sparrow falls without His knowledge'. Though we may not understand 'why', we will continue to trust our Heavenly Father and lean on Him. We would appreciate your prayers during this difficult time. Thank you!
Peanut Butter Cup is napping right now, so I should really be trying to find something to eat for lunch, but I haven't really had much of an appetite since last night. Whenever I am downstairs, I find myself looking out into the yard looking for Copper. I need to do laundry, but I haven't been able to bring myself to go into the laundry room (where his crate was) since yesterday. I just feel so sad and alone right now (in the human/friend sense)! I wish it wasn't a Monday so I could at least be with my husband! Please pray for me, it's hitting me really hard right now.
(Sorry if this has been a morbid post and if it has been kind of 'dis-jointed'! My thoughts are all over the place right now, and I just had to get this all off my chest! I still don't really have any friends here, so I don't have anyone to talk to--this blog is my only outlet for the most part. Thanks for 'listening' to my heart, it truly means a lot to me.)
Anyhow, we rushed to take him to an emergency vet (we weren't willing to give up all hope on him just yet), but while we were there it became very evident to us that not only could we not afford the extensive vet care that would have been needed ($1800+ with no guarantee of Copper's survival--which anyone who has dealt with Parvo before can understand why that is), but that the Parvo had already done extensive damage VERY quickly after it first started showing signs. So, once again, we had to make the very difficult decision to have our other Baby put down.
The whole time we just kept thinking, "Not again!" and "We should have known--we should have recognized the symptoms!" For those of you who don't know, back during our first year in Alabama, we'd gone through this with our Weimeraner puppy, Hank. He beat the Parvo, but ended up passing away the next week from complications that stemmed from the Parvo while his immune system was weakened. Neither of us will ever take those symptoms lightly again and assume that they may be caused by a stomach ache. Parvo has a 10-14 day incubation period before symptoms start to appear, so the sooner it is caught and treatment begun, the better chance of survival the puppy/dog has. The Parvo virus can live for about a year (in practically everything: soil, toys, crate, etc.), and the only way to get rid of it is to bleach everything that an infected puppy may have come in contact with.
This was very unexpected, and just added insult to injury after having to put Quigley down such a short while ago as well. All in all, in the last 3 years we have lost 5 wonderful animals: first in January of '09 I received a call from my mom telling me that my beloved cat, Prince, had passed away--I'd had him since he was 8 weeks old...he was 17-18 years old. Next a couple of short weeks later, Hank came down with Parvo in February '09 and passed away about a week later. In January of 2010 my mom had to have our faithful Border Collie mix, Petie, down--we'd had him since I was about 4 years old as well, so he was 18 years old (he was the most loyal and the best dog anyone could ever have--there will never be another dog like Petie, he was simply incredible!). Then, as you all know, back in October we had to have our Quigley put down. And now, Copper as well. It's been a rough 3 years for us where animals have been concerned. I can only hope that in the future, things will be different.
We are relieved to know that Copper is no longer suffering, but are heartbroken at having lost him. However, we know that God is in control and that 'not a sparrow falls without His knowledge'. Though we may not understand 'why', we will continue to trust our Heavenly Father and lean on Him. We would appreciate your prayers during this difficult time. Thank you!
Peanut Butter Cup is napping right now, so I should really be trying to find something to eat for lunch, but I haven't really had much of an appetite since last night. Whenever I am downstairs, I find myself looking out into the yard looking for Copper. I need to do laundry, but I haven't been able to bring myself to go into the laundry room (where his crate was) since yesterday. I just feel so sad and alone right now (in the human/friend sense)! I wish it wasn't a Monday so I could at least be with my husband! Please pray for me, it's hitting me really hard right now.
(Sorry if this has been a morbid post and if it has been kind of 'dis-jointed'! My thoughts are all over the place right now, and I just had to get this all off my chest! I still don't really have any friends here, so I don't have anyone to talk to--this blog is my only outlet for the most part. Thanks for 'listening' to my heart, it truly means a lot to me.)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
An Amazing Husband
Yesterday morning I came downstairs to find a the most adorable little vase of beautiful flowers from my husband along with a beautiful card sitting on the stove. Needless to say, I felt very special and appreciated! It's was a lovely surprise to come down to!
My husband is AMAZING! I just wanted to share that with everyone. :-)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Deck the Halls (and Refrigerators)--With Cards from Shutterfly
I know this isn’t like my usual blog posts, but in case you haven’t heard, Shutterfly is offering Bloggers (of any size, following, genre, etc.) 50--yes, you read that correctly: 50--free Christmas Cards! When another blogger I follow posted about this offer I was thrilled and immediately thought, “So, what’s the catch?” Well, after looking into it I discovered that there really isn’t a catch. You do have to write a blog post (a.k.a. this one, ha ha), but hey, 50 FREE cards are definitely worth it!
Because I’ve been so excited about this for the past week I’ve been going through Shutterfly’s Christmas card selection trying to narrow down the ones I like so that making the ‘big decision’ wouldn’t be quite as difficult. I was very happy to see that they have a big selection of cards that actually say “Merry Christmas” instead of the politically correct “Happy Holidays”, and focused on choosing a card from out of those particular cards. Here are pictures of our favorites:
Thank you Shutterfly for the opportunity to take part in your free card promotion! My family and I are truly grateful! Merry Christmas!
For anyone wondering how to get involved and take part in Shutterfly's Free Christmas Cards, go here for details. You have until December 31st, 2010, so head on over there and check it out! :-)
Because I’ve been so excited about this for the past week I’ve been going through Shutterfly’s Christmas card selection trying to narrow down the ones I like so that making the ‘big decision’ wouldn’t be quite as difficult. I was very happy to see that they have a big selection of cards that actually say “Merry Christmas” instead of the politically correct “Happy Holidays”, and focused on choosing a card from out of those particular cards. Here are pictures of our favorites:
I like this one because it is simple, multiple photo, says "Merry Christmas" AND "O Holy Night", and it has stars on it. I have an obsession with stars. Does that make me shallow?
This one I like because it is simple, elegant, brown, and covers both Christmas AND New Year's. :-)
This one is a bit more 'involved' than the previous two, still elegant, multiple photo, and I agree with what it says (that Christmas IS the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"). Why? Because Mankind was given the Most Wonderful Gift we have ever been given--in the form of our Savior, Jesus Christ, which is what Christmas is truly all about.
This one is my husband's and my favorite currently. It is simply lovely and really conveys our true desire for our friends and loved one's--that Christ would be at the center of all they do this Christmas season. I love the fact that we can put more than one picture on this particular card as well!
Thank you Shutterfly for the opportunity to take part in your free card promotion! My family and I are truly grateful! Merry Christmas!
For anyone wondering how to get involved and take part in Shutterfly's Free Christmas Cards, go here for details. You have until December 31st, 2010, so head on over there and check it out! :-)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Titan & Penny
Just a quick update on two of my 'fur-babies' . . . . My friend Jess, was kind enough to send me a few updated pictures of them recently that I wanted to share with everyone. = )
Penny should be crossing the Pacific Ocean sometime soon. I have yet to coordinate the details with my amazing friends who are caring for her, but after the ball starts rolling it shouldn't be too long after that! In the meantime though, she is loving life on my friend, Jess's bed. = ) And has also been making friends with my friend, Siobhan's cat (Sadie), and Jess and Siobhan's new dog (but longtime pal), Reagan.
Titan has been doing really well with his training and is progressing quickly! My lovely friend, Courtney, said a couple of weeks ago that she was probably going to be introducing a bridle to him in the very near future (which is probably now the past, I don't know for sure since I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her again yet) and that he would possibly be ready to be broken soon. Woo-hoo! My baby is growing up and getting a job! = ) I just wish I could be there to participate in his training (or to at least be able to see him as he progresses! Oh well, c'est la vie!)
Typical Penny!! = )
Penny should be crossing the Pacific Ocean sometime soon. I have yet to coordinate the details with my amazing friends who are caring for her, but after the ball starts rolling it shouldn't be too long after that! In the meantime though, she is loving life on my friend, Jess's bed. = ) And has also been making friends with my friend, Siobhan's cat (Sadie), and Jess and Siobhan's new dog (but longtime pal), Reagan.
Titan has been doing really well with his training and is progressing quickly! My lovely friend, Courtney, said a couple of weeks ago that she was probably going to be introducing a bridle to him in the very near future (which is probably now the past, I don't know for sure since I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her again yet) and that he would possibly be ready to be broken soon. Woo-hoo! My baby is growing up and getting a job! = ) I just wish I could be there to participate in his training (or to at least be able to see him as he progresses! Oh well, c'est la vie!)
Titan in the round pen with Courtney.
Following.
Aaaaahhhh!! I miss fall!! Look at the beautiful trees in the background!
Round-penning in progress.
Handsome boy. Awesome friend. Ha ha! = )
I miss them!
For those of you who don't know, Titan is a Percheron/Thoroughbred Cross. I am a big fan of that particular cross--and not just because that is what the colts that we were training (or learning to train in my case!) back at school were--but because generally with that Cross you will get the athleticism of the Thoroughbred with the level-headedness of the big draft horse, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. = ) Anyhow, I'm so glad that we found Titan back in March of 2009. And I'm also glad that I have been blessed with amazing friends who are willing to take care of (and train!) my boy for me while I am gone. There was a period of time where I wasn't so sure I would be able to keep him, and I have been so thankful that everything worked out so perfectly in the end! Thanks be to God!!!
So, there you have it, the update on Penny and Titan! = )
Monday, November 15, 2010
Why Is There No Cake?!
Well, I'll tell you why. =) There are really two reasons for the lack of cake. Firstly, when we moved, we got behind on introducing new foods, and I know you are probably thinking "Well, you've had plenty of time since then to get caught up." And you are correct. However, we have been taking our time (we're not in a huge rush), and going slow. That being said, we are still behind and Peanut Butter Cup hasn't really been introduced to any grains yet--I know, shocking right? We will be trying oatmeal out (I'd say again, but he really only got a taste of it the first time because he was too tired to be interested in eating on our first try) in the near future, and will move from there to other grains.
More and more parents are becoming aware of the potential risks of introducing foods too early or too quickly. Doing so with certain foods may cause a baby to develop an allergy to that particular food, which is what we've been trying to prevent--especially since a food allergy sticks with you for the rest of your life! Even though Peanut Butter Cup may be out of (most of) the "too early" category, we don't see a need to risk it and possibly overwhelm his body with a ton of new stuff all at once. Are we being over-protective? Maybe, but I'd rather err on the side of over-protection than wish we'd done things differently later.
The other really big reason why there wouldn't be a cake even if he'd already been introduced to grains is sugar. A.K.A. cake frosting. We don't see the need to introduce sweets/junk food to our baby at this point in time. In the interest of trying to develop healthy eating habits (and yes, this is something I've researched and read about, so no worries that I've developed this theory on my own =) we will be holding off on giving Peanut Butter Cup sugar until he is older. Would allowing him to have frosting one time really make him a sugar 'addict' (ha ha)? No, probably not, but I still don't feel the need to give it too him this time around. It's not like he's going to know any different anyhow, so we will wait until next year for him to have a birthday cake.
He may or may not develop healthy eating habits that carry on throughout his life, but I'd rather try to instill them right from the start than just give him whatever and hope for the best.
So, there you have it, the reasons why there was no cake for Peanut Butter Cup this year.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Then and Now
Just a few minutes old.
A few hours old.
Yesterday.
He adores my lens-cap, can you tell? =)
One year old.
The Birthday Boy playing with his new xylophone.
Thanks MiMi, PawPaw, and Uncle Carl!
Happy Birthday Peanut Butter Cup!
My Dearest Peanut Butter Cup,
Today is your first birthday! How has the time passed by so quickly? It seems like just yesterday that I was waiting anxiously to see you for the second time (for longer than a few seconds this time!), and hold you for the first time. The minutes seemed to crawl by as I waited in our hospital room for you and Daddy to come back to me after the nurses said I was ready. When Daddy and the nurses finally brought you in, it was so surreal getting to really meet you and hold you for the first time.
I don’t think one can ever truly understand the depth of a mother’s love until they experience it firsthand for themselves. Hearing you cry for the first time overwhelmed me with emotions I didn’t even know existed! From the first time I saw you I was completely head over heels in love with you! You were perfect in every way and oh so precious!
You were the cutest baby I’d ever seen and made me wonder how I could ever love another baby as much as I love you (which is something I still wonder, though I imagine it will be a lot like it was with you).
You have always been in such a hurry to grow up! When you were two days old I was holding you and you pushed up into a standing position with your legs, and almost from the start you could hold your head up for short periods of time. I remember thinking, “Gosh, I don’t know much about babies yet, but I don’t think you are supposed to be doing that already!”
Over the past year you have brought us so much joy (and exhaustion as you still haven’t learned to sleep through the night, ha ha)! We’ve laughed, smiled, cried, and been confused quite a bit over the last year (though not so much of the crying . . . at least not on Mommy and Daddy’s part!). The past twelve months have been filled with all of us learning, changing, and growing--both individually as well as together.
Though we can scarcely believe that a year has already passed since you were that helpless little baby swaddled in the hospital blanket, so much has changed since then that it is sometimes hard to believe that it has only been one year.
We love you Sweetie--oh so very much! May God’s blessings fill this coming year!
Love always--now and forever,
Mommy
Today is your first birthday! How has the time passed by so quickly? It seems like just yesterday that I was waiting anxiously to see you for the second time (for longer than a few seconds this time!), and hold you for the first time. The minutes seemed to crawl by as I waited in our hospital room for you and Daddy to come back to me after the nurses said I was ready. When Daddy and the nurses finally brought you in, it was so surreal getting to really meet you and hold you for the first time.
I don’t think one can ever truly understand the depth of a mother’s love until they experience it firsthand for themselves. Hearing you cry for the first time overwhelmed me with emotions I didn’t even know existed! From the first time I saw you I was completely head over heels in love with you! You were perfect in every way and oh so precious!
You were the cutest baby I’d ever seen and made me wonder how I could ever love another baby as much as I love you (which is something I still wonder, though I imagine it will be a lot like it was with you).
You have always been in such a hurry to grow up! When you were two days old I was holding you and you pushed up into a standing position with your legs, and almost from the start you could hold your head up for short periods of time. I remember thinking, “Gosh, I don’t know much about babies yet, but I don’t think you are supposed to be doing that already!”
Over the past year you have brought us so much joy (and exhaustion as you still haven’t learned to sleep through the night, ha ha)! We’ve laughed, smiled, cried, and been confused quite a bit over the last year (though not so much of the crying . . . at least not on Mommy and Daddy’s part!). The past twelve months have been filled with all of us learning, changing, and growing--both individually as well as together.
Though we can scarcely believe that a year has already passed since you were that helpless little baby swaddled in the hospital blanket, so much has changed since then that it is sometimes hard to believe that it has only been one year.
We love you Sweetie--oh so very much! May God’s blessings fill this coming year!
Love always--now and forever,
Mommy
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Peanut Butter Cup's Birth Story
Before I write this, I want to say that as I am only just now putting this down (it is now a year later), I may not remember all of the details as accurately as if I had written them down right away. However, I will do my best to remember things as they happened and record them accurately.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 10th, 2009, I had a check-up appointment with at my OB-GYN’s office. At 10 days overdue I knew my doctor wasn’t very happy about my insistence to ‘let things progress naturally’ as long as there was no danger to the baby. However, I was determined to wait out the full 2 weeks past due if necessary as long as my amniotic fluid levels were still good and my baby showed no signs of distress.
My husband had to be at class and wasn’t able to get out to come with me, so I’d driven myself and prepared to be just as stubborn in maintaining my right to wait for natural progression just as I had been for the past 10 days. I was scheduled for an ultrasound that day -- and had been told by the ultrasound technician a couple days before at my last appointment that she would be taking an approximate weight of the baby that day as well. I chit-chatted with the ultrasound technician during the process as usual, and she told me that the baby was measuring around 9 lbs. 5 oz. and that my fluid levels had decreased slightly. After she finished, I waited for Dr. T to come and discuss the results with me.
After she came in Dr. T expressed concern over the size of the baby--she somehow had gotten confused with the size and thought the baby was measuring 9 1/2 lbs. instead of 9 lbs. 5 oz., but at the time I thought maybe I’d mixed it up. She told me that I was a very small person to be delivering that large of a baby, and that we needed to go ahead and schedule an induction for that night--before the baby got any bigger.
However, she wasn’t the doctor on call that night (I wasn’t aware that she had to be ‘on call’ for her to be the one to deliver my baby . . .), but her partner Dr. V was and would oversee the induction. Dr. T went to talk to her to tell her the situation and then came back and told me that Dr. V was concerned about possible complications and would rather do a c-section than induce me. I wasn’t very happy about that (doctors are quick to rush to perform c-sections these days), and asked if we could still try an induction before jumping straight to the c-section. Dr. T went back and talked to Dr. V again. When she came back to me, she told me that because of the ‘risks’ Dr. V was still unwilling to allow an induction, but was willing to talk to me if I waited around until she was free for a minute. I agreed, though I knew that talking was likely futile since Dr. V was trying to prevent any opportunities to have a ‘black-mark’ on her medical record (she told me as much when we talked).
Dr. T showed me to a room and I waited there for a while until Dr. V was finished with all of her patients for the day. When she finally came in to see me, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to convince her to let me try an induction before jumping to a c-section. I knew deep down that would probably be the case, but I had been hoping maybe she would agree . . . after all, it was MY body. She explained to me that with my small size and the estimated weight of the baby that there was a big risk of “shoulder dystocia” (which is when the baby gets stuck in the birth canal--which probably wouldn’t be as much of a problem if doctors would allow women to labor in a more vertical position--e.g., standing, squatting, etc.--to allow gravity to work with their bodies . . . but I digress), she wouldn’t allow that to happen because if that did happen there would be a large risk of birth defects and that would reflect badly on her record. She told me that if I insisted on having an induction it would not be through their practice and that she would refer me to another doctor who was desperate for patients (and likely wouldn’t have a clean track record--hence the desperation). At the time I felt helpless; I didn’t know my rights at that time. Now I know that I have the right to refuse any treatment--and that it isn’t legal for my doctor to ‘drop’ me from her care without 30 days notice in a non-emergency situation--even if I decline to follow her advice.
Anyhow, after a futile discussion with Dr. V, I agreed to go ahead with the c-section, and then headed home to meet up with my husband, pick up our things and head to the hospital for the night as Dr. T and Dr. V had said it would be best for me to be monitored all night long . . . I still think that was completely ridiculous, but I was feeling pretty defeated by that time to argue any more. Please understand that I had hoped to have a completely natural birth with as little intervention/monitoring as possible (such as would be found with a midwife or a home birth), so the fact that I was having to suddenly give all of that up and succumb to exactly what I had been hoping to prevent was a huge disappointment to me.
I quickly called my husband before leaving the clinic and told him what was going on and what Dr. V had said. Then on the way home I called my mom because I knew she would understand my disappointment and would be able to provide a long-distance shoulder for me to cry ‘on’. After explaining the situation to her and shedding a few tears of disappointment, I gave myself a mental shake and told myself that despite the fact that nothing was going to go as I had hoped and prayed it would--the only thing that really mattered in the end was that my baby was born safely. That was what I clung to for the next 14 hours or so until the whole thing was over and I had my precious little baby in my arms. After I finished talking to my mom (it wasn’t for very long, just enough time to brief her on what was happening and shake myself mentally), I called my dad to briefly let him know what was going on, and he reiterated that the most important thing was a healthy, safe baby.
After I got home my husband and I finished doing a couple of things, readjusted my suitcase and his backpack, took care of the cats and Quigley, then we headed back to the hospital after a small detour to Chick-Fil-A first (my last solid meal for several days). We checked into the hospital and were shown to our room. A couple of the nurses came in and explained what they were going to do that night and what to expect for the morning. That night was my first experience with an I.V., boy was that fun! There’s nothing like hearing a nurse say “Shoot! Did I just blow out that vein?!” On her second attempt at sticking me. Ha ha! She then turned the job over to another nurse who was very gentle (it hardly hurt at all with her, whereas with the first nurse I was very uncomfortable) and got it on her first try--phew! After that we settled in for the night. That night was the most uncomfortable night I’d had throughout my entire pregnancy. I now know that it is practically impossible for me to sleep in a hospital gown (that was my main source of discomfort, I was missing my clothes, ha ha--not to mention how annoying it is having monitors taped to you!).
My husband slept pretty well/easily, but I hardly slept at all, so it was almost a relief when the nurses came in around 5:00 or 5:30 the next morning to get me prepped and make sure I had gotten enough fluids via the I.V. I was scheduled as the first c-section (barring any emergencies that may have arisen of course) for that morning, so around 7:15ish the nurses had me walk to the operating room where the anesthesiologist (who was very kind) gave me the epidural and the nurses (who were also very kind and upbeat!) finished prepping me for surgery. As soon as I couldn’t feel anything they brought my husband in and about ten minutes later, at 7:47, we had our baby! They weren’t kidding when they said I’d feel a lot of pressure while they pulled the baby out! That was a very odd sensation. It wasn’t terrible, but something I’d prefer to not have to feel again.
I was so eager to know what the sex was as we had waited to find out (which was awesome!) . . . we’d had a feeling the baby would be a boy, and obviously we weren’t disappointed (though if Peanut Butter Cup had been a girl we still wouldn’t have been disappointed, ha ha). Everything seemed so surreal at that point because I couldn’t feel anything and I couldn’t see anything either because of the curtain. They announced that he was a boy and then I heard him cry for the first time--which made me cry as well. My husband went over to where they were cleaning Peanut Butter Cup up and took a few pictures of him. The first time I saw my son was on the viewfinder of a camera. How sad is that?!
ANYHOW, after a few minutes when the nurses, my husband, and our new baby were on their way out of the operating room and to the nursery I finally got to meet my baby--but only for about 30 seconds or so, and then they were gone.
I was very grateful for the kindness of the anesthesiologist, who had been sitting behind my head through the whole thing. He had talked to me and kept me distracted before the surgery and then afterwards he distracted me again and was very quick to react when the medication hit me all of a sudden and made me very nauseous. I was able to force myself to breathe slowly and just kept praying that I wouldn’t get sick because I couldn’t move because of the epidural and from being strapped down to the table (literally, my wrists were strapped down--I felt like I was being sacrificed, ha ha). The nausea passed after a couple of minutes and then probably within 20-30 minutes Dr. V was done stitching me up, said goodbye and the nurses finished cleaning me up before wheeling me to a recovery room.
I think I probably waited for close to an hour before I was allowed to see Peanut Butter Cup and my husband again. I’d finally gotten tired of waiting for them to appear and asked one of the nurses when I could see them. She told me that if I was up to it I could see them then, so I probably waited for about 15 minutes when my husband finally came in and just behind him was the new little person I’d been dying to meet.
Getting to hold him for the first time was so overwhelming! I couldn’t believe how perfect and absolutely beautiful he was! It was strange to think that he’d been living and growing inside of me for 9 1/2 months!
The next day after I was able to stand up for the first time and then shower, we had a couple sets of visitors. I’ll admit that I wasn’t incredibly thrilled about that though because I was exhausted and didn’t want to expose our newborn baby to any possible outside germs (especially with it being flu season) for at least a couple of weeks in order to allow his immune system to have a chance to strengthen. I know everyone meant well and just wanted to share in the joy of welcoming Peanut Butter Cup, but honestly I was relieved when everyone had left and it was just my husband and myself again, and we had our baby back to ourselves and could rest again.
We ended up spending five nights nights in the hospital (four after Peanut Butter Cup had been born) because on the morning that we were supposed to be discharged (Saturday) Peanut Butter Cup had dropped a little bit more than a pound of his birth weight (my milk was slow in coming in). The doctors had us supplement him with formula (which I wasn’t happy about because that didn’t make sense as to how that was supposed to be helpful to my milk supply since that is based off of the law of supply and demand and a full newborn baby isn’t really interested in staying awake and nursing!), thankfully we only had to do that for about 36 hours and then my milk had come in sufficiently that we were able to quit giving the formula to him.
A couple of times we had to send Peanut Butter Cup to the nursery for a few hours at night--though I absolutely HATED doing that. My husband needed sleep so that he’d be able to function the next day, which was the only reason I agreed to sending my baby away. The frustrating thing was that I specifically told the nurses to bring him back to me when he cried so that I could feed him, and that he wasn’t to have a pacifier. Well, I’m about 95% sure that they gave Peanut Butter Cup glucose water so they wouldn't have to bring him back to me, because they didn’t bring him back to me for at least 5 hours when he’d been crying at least every hour and a half when he was with me, so I know he hadn’t lasted that long AWAY from me--even after I called and asked them to bring him back and they said they’d come “soon” it took them at least another hour after that before they brought him back to me. I know for sure that they gave him a pacifier because the one that the hospital gives you in the ‘new baby kit’ was open and had been used after he came back from the nursery (another time they brought him back with him sucking on it). That just proved to me exactly what I’d been worried about--that the nursery staff wouldn’t respect my wishes if I allowed them to take him there. Urgh!!!! So frustrating!
We were discharged Sunday morning and I was SO glad to be home--back in a familiar environment and where I didn’t have to worry about people not respecting my wishes. My amazing husband had been going back and forth twice a day to take care of the animals, do laundry, clean the house and rearrange our bedroom along with going to work/classes during the day one of the days we were in the hospital. He didn’t get much sleep at all those first few days! I was (and still am!) so grateful for all that he did those first few days (and beyond)!
Do you want to know what the good thing about having a c-section was? My ‘labor’ only lasted for about 10 minutes and then POOF! I had a baby! :-) Ha ha!!
All joking aside though, I really hope and pray that I won’t have to have a c-section again next time as I want to be able to be with my baby for his/her first hours instead of having him/her taken away from me while I get stitched back together. I also really don’t want to be drugged out the wazoo like you are with a c-section, because I want to be clear-headed and wide awake while I bond with my baby.
Like I said earlier, all that really matters is that Peanut Butter Cup was delivered safely, but hopefully the next time around (Lord Willing that there is a next time!) things can be different.
Thanks for reading! Sorry that I’ve written you a book about Peanut Butter Cup’s birth, I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but didn't want to make this longer than it already is!
On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 10th, 2009, I had a check-up appointment with at my OB-GYN’s office. At 10 days overdue I knew my doctor wasn’t very happy about my insistence to ‘let things progress naturally’ as long as there was no danger to the baby. However, I was determined to wait out the full 2 weeks past due if necessary as long as my amniotic fluid levels were still good and my baby showed no signs of distress.
My husband had to be at class and wasn’t able to get out to come with me, so I’d driven myself and prepared to be just as stubborn in maintaining my right to wait for natural progression just as I had been for the past 10 days. I was scheduled for an ultrasound that day -- and had been told by the ultrasound technician a couple days before at my last appointment that she would be taking an approximate weight of the baby that day as well. I chit-chatted with the ultrasound technician during the process as usual, and she told me that the baby was measuring around 9 lbs. 5 oz. and that my fluid levels had decreased slightly. After she finished, I waited for Dr. T to come and discuss the results with me.
After she came in Dr. T expressed concern over the size of the baby--she somehow had gotten confused with the size and thought the baby was measuring 9 1/2 lbs. instead of 9 lbs. 5 oz., but at the time I thought maybe I’d mixed it up. She told me that I was a very small person to be delivering that large of a baby, and that we needed to go ahead and schedule an induction for that night--before the baby got any bigger.
However, she wasn’t the doctor on call that night (I wasn’t aware that she had to be ‘on call’ for her to be the one to deliver my baby . . .), but her partner Dr. V was and would oversee the induction. Dr. T went to talk to her to tell her the situation and then came back and told me that Dr. V was concerned about possible complications and would rather do a c-section than induce me. I wasn’t very happy about that (doctors are quick to rush to perform c-sections these days), and asked if we could still try an induction before jumping straight to the c-section. Dr. T went back and talked to Dr. V again. When she came back to me, she told me that because of the ‘risks’ Dr. V was still unwilling to allow an induction, but was willing to talk to me if I waited around until she was free for a minute. I agreed, though I knew that talking was likely futile since Dr. V was trying to prevent any opportunities to have a ‘black-mark’ on her medical record (she told me as much when we talked).
Dr. T showed me to a room and I waited there for a while until Dr. V was finished with all of her patients for the day. When she finally came in to see me, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to convince her to let me try an induction before jumping to a c-section. I knew deep down that would probably be the case, but I had been hoping maybe she would agree . . . after all, it was MY body. She explained to me that with my small size and the estimated weight of the baby that there was a big risk of “shoulder dystocia” (which is when the baby gets stuck in the birth canal--which probably wouldn’t be as much of a problem if doctors would allow women to labor in a more vertical position--e.g., standing, squatting, etc.--to allow gravity to work with their bodies . . . but I digress), she wouldn’t allow that to happen because if that did happen there would be a large risk of birth defects and that would reflect badly on her record. She told me that if I insisted on having an induction it would not be through their practice and that she would refer me to another doctor who was desperate for patients (and likely wouldn’t have a clean track record--hence the desperation). At the time I felt helpless; I didn’t know my rights at that time. Now I know that I have the right to refuse any treatment--and that it isn’t legal for my doctor to ‘drop’ me from her care without 30 days notice in a non-emergency situation--even if I decline to follow her advice.
Anyhow, after a futile discussion with Dr. V, I agreed to go ahead with the c-section, and then headed home to meet up with my husband, pick up our things and head to the hospital for the night as Dr. T and Dr. V had said it would be best for me to be monitored all night long . . . I still think that was completely ridiculous, but I was feeling pretty defeated by that time to argue any more. Please understand that I had hoped to have a completely natural birth with as little intervention/monitoring as possible (such as would be found with a midwife or a home birth), so the fact that I was having to suddenly give all of that up and succumb to exactly what I had been hoping to prevent was a huge disappointment to me.
I quickly called my husband before leaving the clinic and told him what was going on and what Dr. V had said. Then on the way home I called my mom because I knew she would understand my disappointment and would be able to provide a long-distance shoulder for me to cry ‘on’. After explaining the situation to her and shedding a few tears of disappointment, I gave myself a mental shake and told myself that despite the fact that nothing was going to go as I had hoped and prayed it would--the only thing that really mattered in the end was that my baby was born safely. That was what I clung to for the next 14 hours or so until the whole thing was over and I had my precious little baby in my arms. After I finished talking to my mom (it wasn’t for very long, just enough time to brief her on what was happening and shake myself mentally), I called my dad to briefly let him know what was going on, and he reiterated that the most important thing was a healthy, safe baby.
After I got home my husband and I finished doing a couple of things, readjusted my suitcase and his backpack, took care of the cats and Quigley, then we headed back to the hospital after a small detour to Chick-Fil-A first (my last solid meal for several days). We checked into the hospital and were shown to our room. A couple of the nurses came in and explained what they were going to do that night and what to expect for the morning. That night was my first experience with an I.V., boy was that fun! There’s nothing like hearing a nurse say “Shoot! Did I just blow out that vein?!” On her second attempt at sticking me. Ha ha! She then turned the job over to another nurse who was very gentle (it hardly hurt at all with her, whereas with the first nurse I was very uncomfortable) and got it on her first try--phew! After that we settled in for the night. That night was the most uncomfortable night I’d had throughout my entire pregnancy. I now know that it is practically impossible for me to sleep in a hospital gown (that was my main source of discomfort, I was missing my clothes, ha ha--not to mention how annoying it is having monitors taped to you!).
My husband slept pretty well/easily, but I hardly slept at all, so it was almost a relief when the nurses came in around 5:00 or 5:30 the next morning to get me prepped and make sure I had gotten enough fluids via the I.V. I was scheduled as the first c-section (barring any emergencies that may have arisen of course) for that morning, so around 7:15ish the nurses had me walk to the operating room where the anesthesiologist (who was very kind) gave me the epidural and the nurses (who were also very kind and upbeat!) finished prepping me for surgery. As soon as I couldn’t feel anything they brought my husband in and about ten minutes later, at 7:47, we had our baby! They weren’t kidding when they said I’d feel a lot of pressure while they pulled the baby out! That was a very odd sensation. It wasn’t terrible, but something I’d prefer to not have to feel again.
I was so eager to know what the sex was as we had waited to find out (which was awesome!) . . . we’d had a feeling the baby would be a boy, and obviously we weren’t disappointed (though if Peanut Butter Cup had been a girl we still wouldn’t have been disappointed, ha ha). Everything seemed so surreal at that point because I couldn’t feel anything and I couldn’t see anything either because of the curtain. They announced that he was a boy and then I heard him cry for the first time--which made me cry as well. My husband went over to where they were cleaning Peanut Butter Cup up and took a few pictures of him. The first time I saw my son was on the viewfinder of a camera. How sad is that?!
ANYHOW, after a few minutes when the nurses, my husband, and our new baby were on their way out of the operating room and to the nursery I finally got to meet my baby--but only for about 30 seconds or so, and then they were gone.
I was very grateful for the kindness of the anesthesiologist, who had been sitting behind my head through the whole thing. He had talked to me and kept me distracted before the surgery and then afterwards he distracted me again and was very quick to react when the medication hit me all of a sudden and made me very nauseous. I was able to force myself to breathe slowly and just kept praying that I wouldn’t get sick because I couldn’t move because of the epidural and from being strapped down to the table (literally, my wrists were strapped down--I felt like I was being sacrificed, ha ha). The nausea passed after a couple of minutes and then probably within 20-30 minutes Dr. V was done stitching me up, said goodbye and the nurses finished cleaning me up before wheeling me to a recovery room.
I think I probably waited for close to an hour before I was allowed to see Peanut Butter Cup and my husband again. I’d finally gotten tired of waiting for them to appear and asked one of the nurses when I could see them. She told me that if I was up to it I could see them then, so I probably waited for about 15 minutes when my husband finally came in and just behind him was the new little person I’d been dying to meet.
Getting to hold him for the first time was so overwhelming! I couldn’t believe how perfect and absolutely beautiful he was! It was strange to think that he’d been living and growing inside of me for 9 1/2 months!
The next day after I was able to stand up for the first time and then shower, we had a couple sets of visitors. I’ll admit that I wasn’t incredibly thrilled about that though because I was exhausted and didn’t want to expose our newborn baby to any possible outside germs (especially with it being flu season) for at least a couple of weeks in order to allow his immune system to have a chance to strengthen. I know everyone meant well and just wanted to share in the joy of welcoming Peanut Butter Cup, but honestly I was relieved when everyone had left and it was just my husband and myself again, and we had our baby back to ourselves and could rest again.
We ended up spending five nights nights in the hospital (four after Peanut Butter Cup had been born) because on the morning that we were supposed to be discharged (Saturday) Peanut Butter Cup had dropped a little bit more than a pound of his birth weight (my milk was slow in coming in). The doctors had us supplement him with formula (which I wasn’t happy about because that didn’t make sense as to how that was supposed to be helpful to my milk supply since that is based off of the law of supply and demand and a full newborn baby isn’t really interested in staying awake and nursing!), thankfully we only had to do that for about 36 hours and then my milk had come in sufficiently that we were able to quit giving the formula to him.
A couple of times we had to send Peanut Butter Cup to the nursery for a few hours at night--though I absolutely HATED doing that. My husband needed sleep so that he’d be able to function the next day, which was the only reason I agreed to sending my baby away. The frustrating thing was that I specifically told the nurses to bring him back to me when he cried so that I could feed him, and that he wasn’t to have a pacifier. Well, I’m about 95% sure that they gave Peanut Butter Cup glucose water so they wouldn't have to bring him back to me, because they didn’t bring him back to me for at least 5 hours when he’d been crying at least every hour and a half when he was with me, so I know he hadn’t lasted that long AWAY from me--even after I called and asked them to bring him back and they said they’d come “soon” it took them at least another hour after that before they brought him back to me. I know for sure that they gave him a pacifier because the one that the hospital gives you in the ‘new baby kit’ was open and had been used after he came back from the nursery (another time they brought him back with him sucking on it). That just proved to me exactly what I’d been worried about--that the nursery staff wouldn’t respect my wishes if I allowed them to take him there. Urgh!!!! So frustrating!
We were discharged Sunday morning and I was SO glad to be home--back in a familiar environment and where I didn’t have to worry about people not respecting my wishes. My amazing husband had been going back and forth twice a day to take care of the animals, do laundry, clean the house and rearrange our bedroom along with going to work/classes during the day one of the days we were in the hospital. He didn’t get much sleep at all those first few days! I was (and still am!) so grateful for all that he did those first few days (and beyond)!
Do you want to know what the good thing about having a c-section was? My ‘labor’ only lasted for about 10 minutes and then POOF! I had a baby! :-) Ha ha!!
All joking aside though, I really hope and pray that I won’t have to have a c-section again next time as I want to be able to be with my baby for his/her first hours instead of having him/her taken away from me while I get stitched back together. I also really don’t want to be drugged out the wazoo like you are with a c-section, because I want to be clear-headed and wide awake while I bond with my baby.
Like I said earlier, all that really matters is that Peanut Butter Cup was delivered safely, but hopefully the next time around (Lord Willing that there is a next time!) things can be different.
Thanks for reading! Sorry that I’ve written you a book about Peanut Butter Cup’s birth, I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but didn't want to make this longer than it already is!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
My 'Mini Me'
A while back my friend, Karissa, sent me an e-mail with the following comparison of photos (that is me on the left) . . . notice anything? :-)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Peanut Butter Cup Month-By-Month in Pictures
Some of the pictures may be somewhat grainy, color/lighting may be off, and may not have the greatest composition . . . I'm still an amateur (though I hope I'm better now than I was when Peanut Butter Cup was first born!), and I'm still trying to figure PhotoShop out (and have a very LONG way to go yet!). Regardless though, I hope you will enjoy seeing how much my sweet Munchkin has changed and grown over the past 11 1/2 months (as that is when the most recent picture in this post will be from).
Here he is a couple a days old sleeping in his daddy's arms.
One month old--after bath time.
Two months old--cuddling with Daddy in the morning.
Three months old--hanging out on Daddy's back. :-)
Four months old--playing on the bed.
Five months old--being tickled by Daddy!
Six months old--eating breakfast (yummy bananas!).
Seven months old--road-trip to Mississippi.
Eight months old--playing in the empty house.
Nine months old--he loved to play in that box! :-)
Ten months old--chasing Mommy and learning to walk!
Eleven months old--he's a pro at walking now!
Eleven and a half months old--my precious 'baby'.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Only One More Week!!
On this day next week, my little Peanut Butter Cup will be turning one year old! I don't remember giving Time permission to pass this quickly! I guess "Time waits for no man," though.
Please forgive me if anything I post this week is rather sappy.
Please forgive me if anything I post this week is rather sappy.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Why We Don't Celebrate Halloween
I know it's a bit late to be posting this as Halloween has now come and gone, but I thought I might as well go ahead and post it since I may be asked for an explanation at some point.
An acquaintance of mine posted this article from K LOVE, and I think it about sums up our reasons (aside from the general morbidity of everything surrounding it!) for not celebrating Halloween. The article is a bit long, but definitely worth reading! The format is a bit off as I copied and pasted the article (to read it from the source, go here). Thanks for taking the time to read it!
Alright, enough from me. Here is the article:
The spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early customs. When Roman Catholicism became a world political and religious power the pagan customs were still widely celebrated. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day. In 800 A.D. the Roman Catholic Church moved "All Saints' Day" from May to November 1st. All of the "saints" who did not have a special day to their honor on the Catholic calendar were to be honored on All Saints' Day—a time to pay respect to the dead by visiting their graves. The "new day" that was to replace the pagan vigil of the dead was called "All Hallows Day". It soon became the custom to call the evening before, "All Hallows Eve", which was soon shortened to Halloween. The Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences, Pomona Day's apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain's black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saints Day and All Soul's Day.
As Christians, what do we do?
Remember the name of the holiday is the only thing that has changed; Halloween still carries some of its pagan significance and there is no Christian significance to be found in Halloween. Jesus Christ is conspicuously absent! Wise parents are replacing Halloween with family night activities. Others are having “Hallelujah nights” or "Glory Gatherings" where all references to Halloween are removed and wholesome games are played, Christian songs are sung and Christian videos are shown. Others are using Halloween as a night to pass out Gospel literature.
Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. - 2 Cor. 4:4 (NLT)
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them.
- Ephesians 5:11 (NLT)
We need to beware of its origins, its history and its dangers. From Romans 12:21 (NLT) we can be encouraged, Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Choose to use the good things like families getting together, enjoying one another to conquer the evil in this world. Consider also sponsoring a Harvest Festival Night which provides safe candy, games and an opportunity to meet Jesus through music, puppets and a gospel message. Many kids and even whole families can have the opportunity to make decisions for the Lord.
Relevant Scriptures
For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, [11] or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. - Deut. 18:10-11 (NLT)
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. [22] Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. [23] And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes.
- Romans 1:21-23 (NLT)
You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord's Table and at the table of demons, too.
- 1 Cor. 10:21 (NLT)
So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. [18] But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. [19] When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, [20] idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
- Galatians 5:16-21 (NLT)
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. - Ephes. 5:11 (NLT)
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
- Ephes. 6:12 (NLT)
Keep away from every kind of evil.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (NLT)
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.
- 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
An acquaintance of mine posted this article from K LOVE, and I think it about sums up our reasons (aside from the general morbidity of everything surrounding it!) for not celebrating Halloween. The article is a bit long, but definitely worth reading! The format is a bit off as I copied and pasted the article (to read it from the source, go here). Thanks for taking the time to read it!
Alright, enough from me. Here is the article:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The History of Halloween
The atmosphere of Halloween celebrations is marked with fun, mischief and the evil forces of nature, but the origins of this celebration are quite solemn. Celebrated on October 31st, Halloween is one of the oldest holidays—having originated thousands of years ago! The belief system behind Halloween came from the druids, the priests of ancient Gaul and Britain. The druids believed that witches, demons, and spirits of the dead roamed the earth on the eve of November 1. Halloween originally was a Druid holy day called "The Vigil of Saman." In early Britain it was called the festival of Samhain, which is pronounced sow-en. This festival would last for 3 days and many people would parade in costumes made from the skins and heads of animals.The spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early customs. When Roman Catholicism became a world political and religious power the pagan customs were still widely celebrated. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day. In 800 A.D. the Roman Catholic Church moved "All Saints' Day" from May to November 1st. All of the "saints" who did not have a special day to their honor on the Catholic calendar were to be honored on All Saints' Day—a time to pay respect to the dead by visiting their graves. The "new day" that was to replace the pagan vigil of the dead was called "All Hallows Day". It soon became the custom to call the evening before, "All Hallows Eve", which was soon shortened to Halloween. The Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences, Pomona Day's apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain's black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saints Day and All Soul's Day.
As Christians, what do we do?
Remember the name of the holiday is the only thing that has changed; Halloween still carries some of its pagan significance and there is no Christian significance to be found in Halloween. Jesus Christ is conspicuously absent! Wise parents are replacing Halloween with family night activities. Others are having “Hallelujah nights” or "Glory Gatherings" where all references to Halloween are removed and wholesome games are played, Christian songs are sung and Christian videos are shown. Others are using Halloween as a night to pass out Gospel literature.
Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. - 2 Cor. 4:4 (NLT)
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them.
- Ephesians 5:11 (NLT)
We need to beware of its origins, its history and its dangers. From Romans 12:21 (NLT) we can be encouraged, Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Choose to use the good things like families getting together, enjoying one another to conquer the evil in this world. Consider also sponsoring a Harvest Festival Night which provides safe candy, games and an opportunity to meet Jesus through music, puppets and a gospel message. Many kids and even whole families can have the opportunity to make decisions for the Lord.
Relevant Scriptures
For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, [11] or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. - Deut. 18:10-11 (NLT)
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. [22] Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. [23] And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes.
- Romans 1:21-23 (NLT)
You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord's Table and at the table of demons, too.
- 1 Cor. 10:21 (NLT)
So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. [18] But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. [19] When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, [20] idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
- Galatians 5:16-21 (NLT)
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. - Ephes. 5:11 (NLT)
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
- Ephes. 6:12 (NLT)
Keep away from every kind of evil.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (NLT)
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.
- 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
Before & After
Here they are! Before and after pictures of my new haircut.
After washing my hair (before cutting it) the hairstylist, Cat, lifted up the top layer of my hair and told me that I do not in fact have straight hair with a slight wave, but in fact have curly hair! She gave me a mirror and turned me around so I could see, and it really did look like I had a perm! Cat told me that because my hair is so heavy and I always have it pulled back, that probably caused it to be straighter on the top and front, but it may eventually curl as well after not pulling it back for awhile. The back is already curling more (my husband thought I had gotten a perm when he first saw it, ha ha). No wonder it's been so 'poofy' for forever! It's been frizzing because I brush it too much and because of the humidity of the places that I've lived. Now I have to learn how to leave it alone, not brush it, and to use mousse. I didn't even know what mousse was for until yesterday. Yep, yesterday was full of interesting discoveries where my hair was concerned!
And here it is--my 'new look', ha ha!!
Anyhow, I think it makes me look more my age than my previous straight, poofy, long haircut did (I looked more like a teenager than a married woman with a baby!). My husband says he is starting to like it more and more . . . I'm just trying to get used to having hair so close to my eyes! :-)
Before #1
Before #2
(Please ignore the garbage can in the background!! Ha ha!)
Before #3
Peanut Butter Cup didn't recognize me at first (I had been hoping that wouldn't happen, but thought it might), and it took him a good ten minutes to start behaving normally around me after we got back home! :-( My poor little Munchkin looked SO confused!
After washing my hair (before cutting it) the hairstylist, Cat, lifted up the top layer of my hair and told me that I do not in fact have straight hair with a slight wave, but in fact have curly hair! She gave me a mirror and turned me around so I could see, and it really did look like I had a perm! Cat told me that because my hair is so heavy and I always have it pulled back, that probably caused it to be straighter on the top and front, but it may eventually curl as well after not pulling it back for awhile. The back is already curling more (my husband thought I had gotten a perm when he first saw it, ha ha). No wonder it's been so 'poofy' for forever! It's been frizzing because I brush it too much and because of the humidity of the places that I've lived. Now I have to learn how to leave it alone, not brush it, and to use mousse. I didn't even know what mousse was for until yesterday. Yep, yesterday was full of interesting discoveries where my hair was concerned!
And here it is--my 'new look', ha ha!!
After #1
Peanut Butter Cup was still getting used to the new me in these pictures, which may explain why he looks somewhat quizzical. :-)
After #2
After #3
Anyhow, I think it makes me look more my age than my previous straight, poofy, long haircut did (I looked more like a teenager than a married woman with a baby!). My husband says he is starting to like it more and more . . . I'm just trying to get used to having hair so close to my eyes! :-)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The "Good News"
Sorry it's taken me awhile to get this posted! I've been very busy--and you are about to see why!
Though our hearts are still heavy from the loss of Quigley, we now have a new fur-baby. While he will not take Quigley's place (and to be honest, we wouldn't want him too!), and our goal was not to 'replace' Quigley, he is helping to fill the empty silence and stillness that pervaded the house in Quigley's absence.
We couldn't stand walking past Quigley's empty crate, or seeing an empty spot in the room where it had been. The timing may seem off to some, but we feel like everything fell into place at the time that it did for a reason. We had been hoping to eventually get a mastiff puppy and they are kind of unusual here (as are most large breed dogs here in Hawaii), I saw an ad on Craigslist and replied to it, and eventually discovered that the man that had the puppies was actually one of my husband's old buddies from here before (they had deployed together years ago). To make a long story short, we got a puppy from them.
He is an English/Italian (or Neapolitan technically) Mastiff mix, and is going to be quite a large fellow when he eventually finishes growing (his daddy weighs about 130 pounds, and we have our suspicions that our boy may surpass him--though he may not).
Anyhow, we brought him home last Tuesday and have decided to name him Copper. We are currently working on housebreaking and other basic obedience training (I'll be glad when we are past this stage!).
Without further ado, here he is:
I will add some more pictures of him later, but I just wanted to 'introduce' him to you! :-)
On a totally random side note--it's hard to believe that Peanut Butter Cup's due date was a year ago today! How time flies!!
I'll be getting a hair cut later today . . . I think I'm going to end up with a hairstyle that is completely different from what I am used to--I normally chicken out at the thought, but this time I'm going to go for it! I'll post before and after pictures soon!
Though our hearts are still heavy from the loss of Quigley, we now have a new fur-baby. While he will not take Quigley's place (and to be honest, we wouldn't want him too!), and our goal was not to 'replace' Quigley, he is helping to fill the empty silence and stillness that pervaded the house in Quigley's absence.
We couldn't stand walking past Quigley's empty crate, or seeing an empty spot in the room where it had been. The timing may seem off to some, but we feel like everything fell into place at the time that it did for a reason. We had been hoping to eventually get a mastiff puppy and they are kind of unusual here (as are most large breed dogs here in Hawaii), I saw an ad on Craigslist and replied to it, and eventually discovered that the man that had the puppies was actually one of my husband's old buddies from here before (they had deployed together years ago). To make a long story short, we got a puppy from them.
He is an English/Italian (or Neapolitan technically) Mastiff mix, and is going to be quite a large fellow when he eventually finishes growing (his daddy weighs about 130 pounds, and we have our suspicions that our boy may surpass him--though he may not).
Anyhow, we brought him home last Tuesday and have decided to name him Copper. We are currently working on housebreaking and other basic obedience training (I'll be glad when we are past this stage!).
Without further ado, here he is:
I will add some more pictures of him later, but I just wanted to 'introduce' him to you! :-)
On a totally random side note--it's hard to believe that Peanut Butter Cup's due date was a year ago today! How time flies!!
I'll be getting a hair cut later today . . . I think I'm going to end up with a hairstyle that is completely different from what I am used to--I normally chicken out at the thought, but this time I'm going to go for it! I'll post before and after pictures soon!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Quigley
You may remember my post several months ago where I mentioned that we weren't going to keep Quigley due to a child-aggression issue. So you were probably confused when I told you later that we had decided to keep him and bring him with us to Hawaii. Please allow me to explain why we made that decision, before jumping to any conclusions. . . .
After we had initially decided that we couldn't keep him, Quigley started to listen to our commands better--and more often--so that gave us hope that we would be able to work with him through his issues. Then the day of my husband's graduation we had a lot of guests . . . a couple of them (one being a small child about the same age as our neighbors' son) decided to go out into our backyard (where Quigley was) to see the cows behind our house. We didn't know they were going out there, or we would have stopped them, but we didn't, so about a minute or two later when we realized they were out there to find Quigley. We were very surprised that he seemed to have kept his distance (despite the intrusion into his territory) and hadn't gone running up to them immediately (whether out of friendliness or aggression since he didn't know either one).
That incident made us think that maybe he would be okay with other kids (aside from our neighbors' child). Plus, I just felt terrible about my husband having to give up yet another one of his pets (he'd always had to do that when he was growing up with the exception of one cat, so I was trying hard to prevent it from happening again).
So, that is why we decided to keep Quigley, and see if we could make it work.
However, since he has been here in Hawaii, he has growled at at least five kids and snapped at one. Honestly though, the child that he snapped at deserved it (don't worry Quigley didn't actually bite him) and I hope he learned a valuable lesson from that incident. We were walking around our neighborhood and the boy--who was holding a really big stick--was running down the sidewalk toward us when he suddenly had the not-so-brilliant idea of trying to pet Quigley (ignoring the fact that my husband was saying "No, no, no, no, no!") as he was running by us. Obviously, Quigley had a good reason to feel threatened, though that still doesn't excuse his response; my husband jerked Quigley back when he leaped at the boy, and I could literally hear Quigley's jaws snap shut. That made the boy stop dead in his tracks a few feet away with a stunned expression and say "I'm sorry." We sincerely hope that he learned a lesson about trying to pet unknown dogs without asking first.
Anyhow, back to Quigley. . . .
We have eighteen children on our street alone, and our community is full of children. Our backyard isn't very secure, which is problematic with all of the kids running around all the time.
Another big issue Quigley has is that he is very picky about other dogs. Same as with children, it is a fear-based aggression. It started when we took him to a dog park one day and he was bullied by a couple of pitbulls the whole time they were there. Before then he had been fine with other dogs, but ever since then he has been very inconsistent. We know that he doesn't like small dogs or puppies at all, and he picks and chooses from adult dogs. Considering the fact that our community also has a very large number of dogs, that just compounds the situation even more.
After talking to the breeder, we had to make the very difficult decision to have Quigley put down. This is the last thing we ever wanted to have happen, but if we sent him back to our breeder (as per her contract with us) he would live out the rest of his life in a kennel (because she can't re-home a dog like him--and he wouldn't be able to be out and about because of the danger he would be to the other dogs and puppies). As of right now we are trying to make Quigley's last few days/week as happy as possible. Please be in prayer for us through these next few days if you think of us. It goes against everything in us to be putting down an animal that isn't sick/in pain/injured with no chance of recovery. We do have some suspicions that Quigley may be developing some health problems, but it still seems so wrong to put down a happy, visibly healthy two-year old dog.
Despite all of the sadness surrounding this whole situation, we do have some good news coming, but that is yet another post which will be coming soon.
We greatly appreciate your prayers for us in this time of sadness!
After we had initially decided that we couldn't keep him, Quigley started to listen to our commands better--and more often--so that gave us hope that we would be able to work with him through his issues. Then the day of my husband's graduation we had a lot of guests . . . a couple of them (one being a small child about the same age as our neighbors' son) decided to go out into our backyard (where Quigley was) to see the cows behind our house. We didn't know they were going out there, or we would have stopped them, but we didn't, so about a minute or two later when we realized they were out there to find Quigley. We were very surprised that he seemed to have kept his distance (despite the intrusion into his territory) and hadn't gone running up to them immediately (whether out of friendliness or aggression since he didn't know either one).
That incident made us think that maybe he would be okay with other kids (aside from our neighbors' child). Plus, I just felt terrible about my husband having to give up yet another one of his pets (he'd always had to do that when he was growing up with the exception of one cat, so I was trying hard to prevent it from happening again).
So, that is why we decided to keep Quigley, and see if we could make it work.
However, since he has been here in Hawaii, he has growled at at least five kids and snapped at one. Honestly though, the child that he snapped at deserved it (don't worry Quigley didn't actually bite him) and I hope he learned a valuable lesson from that incident. We were walking around our neighborhood and the boy--who was holding a really big stick--was running down the sidewalk toward us when he suddenly had the not-so-brilliant idea of trying to pet Quigley (ignoring the fact that my husband was saying "No, no, no, no, no!") as he was running by us. Obviously, Quigley had a good reason to feel threatened, though that still doesn't excuse his response; my husband jerked Quigley back when he leaped at the boy, and I could literally hear Quigley's jaws snap shut. That made the boy stop dead in his tracks a few feet away with a stunned expression and say "I'm sorry." We sincerely hope that he learned a lesson about trying to pet unknown dogs without asking first.
Anyhow, back to Quigley. . . .
We have eighteen children on our street alone, and our community is full of children. Our backyard isn't very secure, which is problematic with all of the kids running around all the time.
Another big issue Quigley has is that he is very picky about other dogs. Same as with children, it is a fear-based aggression. It started when we took him to a dog park one day and he was bullied by a couple of pitbulls the whole time they were there. Before then he had been fine with other dogs, but ever since then he has been very inconsistent. We know that he doesn't like small dogs or puppies at all, and he picks and chooses from adult dogs. Considering the fact that our community also has a very large number of dogs, that just compounds the situation even more.
After talking to the breeder, we had to make the very difficult decision to have Quigley put down. This is the last thing we ever wanted to have happen, but if we sent him back to our breeder (as per her contract with us) he would live out the rest of his life in a kennel (because she can't re-home a dog like him--and he wouldn't be able to be out and about because of the danger he would be to the other dogs and puppies). As of right now we are trying to make Quigley's last few days/week as happy as possible. Please be in prayer for us through these next few days if you think of us. It goes against everything in us to be putting down an animal that isn't sick/in pain/injured with no chance of recovery. We do have some suspicions that Quigley may be developing some health problems, but it still seems so wrong to put down a happy, visibly healthy two-year old dog.
Despite all of the sadness surrounding this whole situation, we do have some good news coming, but that is yet another post which will be coming soon.
We greatly appreciate your prayers for us in this time of sadness!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
An Overdue Update!
This may be a rather *long* post, as quite a bit has happened since I posted last. I never intend to 'disappear' from the blogosphere for so long . . . I just get caught up in my daily life and run out of time during the day, then by the time night comes around I'm usually to tired to compose my thoughts into something readable. However, I really should post more often.
Now, on to the update. . . .
The first week of October was quite eventful for my little munchkin--first he learned to wave (he's still working on it, but he has the general idea!), then he learned to associate "SPLAT!" with when he smacks and splatters the food on his highchair tray. On October 3rd he stumbled and fell against a wooden toy box that we have in his play room (and consequently removed from the playroom soon thereafter!) -- that incident resulted in his very first bloody lip (poor Baby!) and a cut underneath his lip as well. The next day (Oct. 4th) he clapped his own hands (he's been clapping MINE for quite a while, ha ha)! Then on the 6th I was blowing bubbles for him, and he came over to me and said "Buh-buh.' So I think his third word may have been 'bubble'. :-) On the 8th he made it almost all the way across his playroom walking on his own, and he tried walking down the hallway that night before his bath (and even turned a corner!). Now he can walk in circles and turn around! He still loses his balance and plops down, but he is improving every day. Oh, and we can't really put him in his walker much anymore because he can climb out and I'm afraid he's going to fall on his head (I've always gotten him out before he loses his balance, but it's only a matter of time if we keep putting him in there, so I'd rather not chance it). So, that is what Peanut Butter Cup has been up to lately!
Since he figured out the whole clapping thing, he absolutely loves to clap! Oh, and Karissa, you can tell Courtney that she doesn't need to worry too much about him having a lack of rhythm and timing--when he claps to a song he is almost always on beat. :-) He actually clapped while watching Wheel of Fortune October 7th (he saw the contestants clapping and he decided he was going to clap as well--it was too cute)!
This past weekend (along with the past few days) have been hard as we have had to make a difficult decision in regards to Quigley. I will post more about that later, as that is a post in and of itself. Please be in prayer for our family though through the rest of this week as it is going to be a difficult next few days.
Now, on to the update. . . .
The first week of October was quite eventful for my little munchkin--first he learned to wave (he's still working on it, but he has the general idea!), then he learned to associate "SPLAT!" with when he smacks and splatters the food on his highchair tray. On October 3rd he stumbled and fell against a wooden toy box that we have in his play room (and consequently removed from the playroom soon thereafter!) -- that incident resulted in his very first bloody lip (poor Baby!) and a cut underneath his lip as well. The next day (Oct. 4th) he clapped his own hands (he's been clapping MINE for quite a while, ha ha)! Then on the 6th I was blowing bubbles for him, and he came over to me and said "Buh-buh.' So I think his third word may have been 'bubble'. :-) On the 8th he made it almost all the way across his playroom walking on his own, and he tried walking down the hallway that night before his bath (and even turned a corner!). Now he can walk in circles and turn around! He still loses his balance and plops down, but he is improving every day. Oh, and we can't really put him in his walker much anymore because he can climb out and I'm afraid he's going to fall on his head (I've always gotten him out before he loses his balance, but it's only a matter of time if we keep putting him in there, so I'd rather not chance it). So, that is what Peanut Butter Cup has been up to lately!
Since he figured out the whole clapping thing, he absolutely loves to clap! Oh, and Karissa, you can tell Courtney that she doesn't need to worry too much about him having a lack of rhythm and timing--when he claps to a song he is almost always on beat. :-) He actually clapped while watching Wheel of Fortune October 7th (he saw the contestants clapping and he decided he was going to clap as well--it was too cute)!
This past weekend (along with the past few days) have been hard as we have had to make a difficult decision in regards to Quigley. I will post more about that later, as that is a post in and of itself. Please be in prayer for our family though through the rest of this week as it is going to be a difficult next few days.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Blog Makeover
Pardon the dust as I make changes to the blog! Seeing as how it is Fall now, I thought it was time for a change . . . plus I wanted to have something 'Fall-ish' considering the fact that I won't get to enjoy Fall in real life again this year seeing as how Hawaii doesn't really have a Fall season. Hopefully wherever we may be stationed next will have all four seasons . . . . Until then though (since that is still at least a couple of years away! Ha ha), I shall do my best to enjoy the Fall season digitally.
I hope you are all enjoying some Fall weather--and for those of you farther north: I hope the changing colors of the leaves bring you joy during the next couple of months!
Happy Autumn!
I hope you are all enjoying some Fall weather--and for those of you farther north: I hope the changing colors of the leaves bring you joy during the next couple of months!
Happy Autumn!
First Trip to the Beach
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Dearest Peanut Butter Cup,Today was your first trip to the beach! How excited I was about you getting to experience the ocean! You love your baths, so I had been wondering if you would enjoy the waters of the Pacific just as much (even though there would be a big difference in temperature).
We set out for Ko’Olina after running a few errands after lunchtime. The drive was pretty short--though we had to drive around to look for parking for a while. Eventually we were able to get a spot in the “Lagoon 4” parking lot (though we ended up walking down to “Lagoon 3” as there were fewer people there, so it was a LOT less crowded). After parking, I fed you and then Daddy changed you into your special swim diaper and put your little blue swim trunks on. I then slathered you with sunscreen as I didn’t want you to get sunburned on your first trip to the beach.
After shuffling things around in the designated ‘beach bag’ and blowing up your froggy floaty we were ready to go! You were so excited and curious as we were getting ready to leave the car and on our walk from there to the beach. Halfway there I realized you were still clutching the swim diaper I had given you to hold while Daddy was changing you, I tugged on it gently and you smiled. How I love those sweet moments! You continued holding the diaper until after we’d picked a spot out on the beach and I had spread out a towel for you to sit on. Daddy put you down on the towel to let you explore as you liked; at first you seemed somewhat befuddled at to what was surrounding us (the sand), then you decided to reach out and touch it. Daddy talked to you about you froggy floaty and you crept to the edge of the towel and perched there on your knees for a moment.
Then it happened. You crawled off the towel and put your legs in the sand--your reaction was instantaneous: confusion, fear, and surprise, which--when combined with your tiredness from not having taken a very long nap earlier--resulted in your dissolving into tears and screaming about the sand clinging to your legs. Daddy scooped you up and took you to the water to see if that would distract you as you love the water in the bathtub so much. You had hardly gotten wet when you decided that this strangely large, communal bathtub was the last place you wanted to be! After a minute of waiting to see if you would come around and like the water, Daddy gave you to me to see if I could convince you it was safe.
Daddy suggested that we go sit in the grass in the shade just up the hill. So, we gathered up all of our stuff and trudged up the hill--once again spreading out the towel to sit on. This time though I was thinking, “Surely you will enjoy playing in the grass--since you’ve loved it every other time you had a chance to be in it!” With that in mind I sat down directly on the grass and stood you up on it. No sooner had your feet touched the ground then you began to scream again and pull your feet up to keep them from touching the ground again.
We sat there for a few minutes, you sobbing and clinging to me for dear life, until you eventually calmed down. Daddy held you for a few minutes as well, but each time something changed (like when you were passed between us--or when whichever one of us was holding you went from standing to sitting down), you would immediately dissolve into tears once again.
A random man came up the hill to show us a little-bitty, baby sand crab he’d caught. You looked at it, but not with your normal enthusiasm. Even when Daddy tried showing it to you again after the man had left you still didn’t really want to have anything to do with it.
After a couple more times of trying to convince you that the grass was a fun place to be--and failing miserably in our attempts to do so--we decided to head back to the car to drop off some of our stuff and then go in search of the Black Pearl (the ship from the movie The Pirates of the Caribbean), which Daddy had seen docked nearby when he’d been there the morning before for PT.
Back at the car we put you in your stroller, and then set off to find the Pearl. After a bit of walking we did find the ship--though it was across the marina and we didn’t have an entirely clear view of it. I snapped some photos of it nonetheless for posterity, and then we continued walking trying to find a better, more un-obstructed view of it while you sat contentedly (for the most part!) in your stroller and took in the sights from it’s safety and familiarity.
Today’s trip may not have gone exactly as I had envisioned it, but I know you will eventually change your mind about the ‘sand and surf’ and will then be able to enjoy both. I had the same reaction to sand when I was your age, so I guess you may have gotten that from me. I’m looking forward to the day when we will build sandcastles together, look for shells, and chase the little fish in the water that come close to the shore! Until then though, we will keep chasing those fish in the bathtub!
Love always,
Mommy
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tooth Number 4 Has FINALLY Arrived!
So, after many weeks of the upper left middle tooth being visible as a bump below the surface, it finally broke through sometime last night. Which may explain why Peanut Butter Cup had a better night and only woke up three times. He actually had a three hour stretch at one point (which is very rare)!! It was SO nice to be able to sleep for three hours straight! After that I didn't really mind when Munchkin decided to start the day at 6:30. :-)
My Photoshop CS5 disc arrived yesterday, so I have been playing around with HDR . . . if you have Photoshop and haven't tried it yet -- you really should. Do the photos look completely life-like? Well, no. Does it look neat anyway? YES! At least, my husband and I think so.
Here is the result of my first attempt. It's by no means perfect, and I have a lot to learn, but I just wanted to share (and hopefully inspire others to experiment with HDR as well. *Ahem* Karissa *cough, cough* Ha ha). Hope you like it! Critiques are welcome!!
-------------------------------
My Photoshop CS5 disc arrived yesterday, so I have been playing around with HDR . . . if you have Photoshop and haven't tried it yet -- you really should. Do the photos look completely life-like? Well, no. Does it look neat anyway? YES! At least, my husband and I think so.
Here is the result of my first attempt. It's by no means perfect, and I have a lot to learn, but I just wanted to share (and hopefully inspire others to experiment with HDR as well. *Ahem* Karissa *cough, cough* Ha ha). Hope you like it! Critiques are welcome!!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
10 Month Milestones and More
Peanut Butter Cup is 10 months old today! And he decided that he was going to do a bunch of new stuff today. :-)
For starters, he pointed at something for the first time. We were in his playroom and he pointed out the window at the flag, turned his head towards me, and started babbling. After that he was pointing at a bunch of things!
Then while we were on our nightly walk my husband noticed Peanut Butter Cup had his finger up his nose, and then he stuck his finger in his mouth. Hmmm . . . . :-/ Not something I wanted him to learn. Maybe it will be a one time thing. Ha ha!
Then tonight before bed he gave himself one of his teething tablets. It was funny because it dissolved on his fingers after his first attempt at putting it in his mouth, so he decided to suck the remnants off of his fingers. I thought that was rather ingenious for a 10 month old, but that could just be because I've had limited baby experience aside from my own. :-)
Oh, in case anyone is wondering what he has been eating lately, Pear-Cado (or Avocado) is what he has been eating for breakfast, though Applesauce, Bananas, and Banana-Cado are also favorites. For lunch he usually has either Peas or Carrots (he hasn't decided whether he likes those yet). His dinnertime favorite so far is Acorn Squash, but Butternut Squash is a close second (and he likes them mixed with Applesauce).
On a more somber note, it has been 9 years since the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and that field in Pennsylvania. It seems like many Americans have gotten comfortable (and dare I say it? Cocky) and forgotten the scope of the attacks. Now most of what I hear is about tolerance and how we shouldn't offend anyone. Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Muslims or Middle-Easterners! They are people just like you and me. It's the extremists that I have an issue with, along with the way my countrymen seem to think that we should apologize to other countries for our way of life. If it is so bad, why does everyone want to come to America to live? I haven't really noticed people flocking to Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other country in the Middle-East. So, if the way of life there is so great, why leave?
The arguments being made in favor of the Mosque being built a couple blocks away from Ground Zero make no sense to me. If it is about tolerance, where is the tolerance for the families of the victims of 9/11? What is such a big deal about moving the Mosque somewhere else in the city (a little bit farther away from Ground Zero)? I heard someone on the news the other night say, "If it were a church or a synagogue being built there, no one would say anything." Well, duh. Christians and Jews had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks nine years ago. Have some respect for the families of those who were killed that day and stop telling them to be 'tolerant'. Talk about a slap in the face. Not to mention the fact that Imam Rauf believes in Sharia Law which is radical, and intends for the Mosque to follow it's laws. Tell me, how does that mesh with American Governing? Like I said before, I have NOTHING against Muslims and Middle-Easterners who are for PEACE. Even the ones who mean harm, I believe that as Christians we should pray fervently for their hearts to be changed and for them to come to know Christ (it can happen! Nothing is impossible for God).
Anyhow, bunny trail. Sorry folks! My main point is this, why should we apologize for who we are (what are we ashamed of? Does anyone apologize to us for their way of life?), and why should we bend over backwards to accommodate those who wish us ill?
This is how the rest of the world treats Christians: Voice of the Martyrs . Where is the tolerance there?
Side note: no, I do NOT support the so-called pastor in Florida who wanted to burn the Koran. Doing something like that is ridiculous, childish, and causes way more harm than it does good.
For starters, he pointed at something for the first time. We were in his playroom and he pointed out the window at the flag, turned his head towards me, and started babbling. After that he was pointing at a bunch of things!
Then while we were on our nightly walk my husband noticed Peanut Butter Cup had his finger up his nose, and then he stuck his finger in his mouth. Hmmm . . . . :-/ Not something I wanted him to learn. Maybe it will be a one time thing. Ha ha!
Then tonight before bed he gave himself one of his teething tablets. It was funny because it dissolved on his fingers after his first attempt at putting it in his mouth, so he decided to suck the remnants off of his fingers. I thought that was rather ingenious for a 10 month old, but that could just be because I've had limited baby experience aside from my own. :-)
Oh, in case anyone is wondering what he has been eating lately, Pear-Cado (or Avocado) is what he has been eating for breakfast, though Applesauce, Bananas, and Banana-Cado are also favorites. For lunch he usually has either Peas or Carrots (he hasn't decided whether he likes those yet). His dinnertime favorite so far is Acorn Squash, but Butternut Squash is a close second (and he likes them mixed with Applesauce).
On a more somber note, it has been 9 years since the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and that field in Pennsylvania. It seems like many Americans have gotten comfortable (and dare I say it? Cocky) and forgotten the scope of the attacks. Now most of what I hear is about tolerance and how we shouldn't offend anyone. Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Muslims or Middle-Easterners! They are people just like you and me. It's the extremists that I have an issue with, along with the way my countrymen seem to think that we should apologize to other countries for our way of life. If it is so bad, why does everyone want to come to America to live? I haven't really noticed people flocking to Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other country in the Middle-East. So, if the way of life there is so great, why leave?
The arguments being made in favor of the Mosque being built a couple blocks away from Ground Zero make no sense to me. If it is about tolerance, where is the tolerance for the families of the victims of 9/11? What is such a big deal about moving the Mosque somewhere else in the city (a little bit farther away from Ground Zero)? I heard someone on the news the other night say, "If it were a church or a synagogue being built there, no one would say anything." Well, duh. Christians and Jews had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks nine years ago. Have some respect for the families of those who were killed that day and stop telling them to be 'tolerant'. Talk about a slap in the face. Not to mention the fact that Imam Rauf believes in Sharia Law which is radical, and intends for the Mosque to follow it's laws. Tell me, how does that mesh with American Governing? Like I said before, I have NOTHING against Muslims and Middle-Easterners who are for PEACE. Even the ones who mean harm, I believe that as Christians we should pray fervently for their hearts to be changed and for them to come to know Christ (it can happen! Nothing is impossible for God).
Anyhow, bunny trail. Sorry folks! My main point is this, why should we apologize for who we are (what are we ashamed of? Does anyone apologize to us for their way of life?), and why should we bend over backwards to accommodate those who wish us ill?
This is how the rest of the world treats Christians: Voice of the Martyrs . Where is the tolerance there?
Side note: no, I do NOT support the so-called pastor in Florida who wanted to burn the Koran. Doing something like that is ridiculous, childish, and causes way more harm than it does good.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Awesome Deal on Photoshop CS5
Just wanted to pass this along as I know that there are several other 'Photo Enthusiasts' who read my blog . . . some of you may already own the full version of Photoshop CS5, but for those of you who don't, read on. . . .
If you are a licensed and registered user of Adobe Photoshop Elements Windows 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0; OR Photoshop Elements Mac 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0; along with Adobe Photoshop Elements & Adobe Premiere® Elements bundle, you can get the FULL version (not the student version and not an upgrade) of Photoshop CS5 for--are you ready for this?--$299 !!! That is $400 off of the normal price for the full version!
Talk about a good deal! However, you only have until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on September 13th, 2010 to order. Here is all of the 'legal stuff' that was posted on another blog:
If you are a licensed and registered user of Adobe Photoshop Elements Windows 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0; OR Photoshop Elements Mac 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0; along with Adobe Photoshop Elements & Adobe Premiere® Elements bundle, you can get the FULL version (not the student version and not an upgrade) of Photoshop CS5 for--are you ready for this?--$299 !!! That is $400 off of the normal price for the full version!
Talk about a good deal! However, you only have until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on September 13th, 2010 to order. Here is all of the 'legal stuff' that was posted on another blog:
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Offer terms and conditions: The US$299 price offer for Adobe Photoshop CS5 standard software is available only to licensed users of Photoshop Elements Windows 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0; Photoshop Elements Mac 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0; and Adobe Photoshop Elements & Adobe Premiere® Elements bundle who purchase the full version of Photoshop CS5 standard directly from Adobe. The US$299 promotional price is redeemable only from the Adobe.com store or when you call customer service. When purchasing from the Adobe.com store, you must enter directly from your e-mail in order for the discount to be reflected. Offer begins August 16, 2010, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on September 13, 2010. Limit one copy of Adobe Photoshop CS5 standard per customer. Offer is not valid to owners of Photoshop Album, Photoshop Limited Edition, or PhotoDeluxe. Offer is not valid on Photoshop CS5 Extended. Offer is not valid to education or volume licensing customers, as well as resellers. Prices are in U.S. dollars. All prices are available from the Adobe.com store and by calling 800-585-0774 and are valid in the U.S. and Canada only (excluding Quebec). Applicable local sales taxes may apply, and shipping charges may apply. Allow 2–3 weeks for software delivery. Offer subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Void where prohibited.
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In order to get the price of $299, you will need to call them at this number: 800.585.0774
I am merely passing this info along, as I know saving $400 off the normal price is a huge deal for me personally. I will not be held responsible for any mistakes made on the part of anyone else, so call Adobe to verify if you qualify for the offer BEFORE you make any purchase from Adobe.
Well, that's what I wanted to pass along. Hope this helps someone out somehow! :)
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