Traditions

Last night our community group met one last time before the Holidays with the topic of choice being, of course, Christmas. We read some Scriptures about the prophesies of Christ's birth and contemplated Advent and the anticipation the people must of felt for their Savior's birth into the world. All but one family in our group have children and the topic quickly shifted to how we keep Christ the center in the midst of all the added glitz Christmas has assumed. The Foughts had researched some common traditions aimed at keeping Christ centered and shared some of them with the group, while others offered things they do/have done with their families.
Jason and I were just discussing this topic Sunday night as we were finishing up our Christmas shopping and decided on one thing we were going to start...
One of my continuous prayers for Lincoln has been that he will have a compassionate heart for others and an spirit of servitude. Christmas provides such great opportunities to exercise such qualities and teach them to our kids. But not only to our kids, but as a reminder for us adults as well...I pray that I can be remembered as someone who is compassionate and know that this is a daily battle fought between myself and the continual things that aim at distracting. Jason and I have always set a budget for ourselves and what we would buy everyone and each other at the Holidays. We decided next year to, not expand that budget, but start taking a certain amount from each of our allowances (including Lincoln's) by which we could use to buy gifts/meals/anything needed for a family in need. Jason has shared some stories with me about how families did this for his family when he was a child when things were extremely tight. He said some of his greatest memories stem form these times when others were so generous and Christ-like.
I'll be honest, sometimes I struggle with the whole gift-giving aspect of Christmas...it's Jesus' birthday - shouldn't we be giving Him gifts? I've always had a hard time understanding why we all buy each other gifts at Christmas. Don't worry - I'm not robbing my child of this! But I do long to find a way to help Lincoln (and myself) understand and keep an appropriate perspective on this truly, most wonderful time of the year.
Which leads to a tradition another couple shared - giving Jesus gifts. They talked about a tradition where each family member decides on something they will give back to Jesus...maybe a commitment to more time with Him, or doing an act of servitude, for example. Then as each member shares on Christmas morning their gift to Jesus, the family can keep each other accountable to those gifts. I personally loved this one and think it is a good way to get the whole family involved!
Other traditions shared were having a "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake, and then their was one about Advent that I think we might try and do next year:
For each of the 4 Sundays before Christmas, light the appropriate Advent candle and prepare a dinner to share by only the light of the candles, while reading appropriate Advent readings and scripture. Likewise, the first of these would be eaten by one light, next by two, and so on, before the celebration of Christ's birth, symbolizing no more darkness and full light. I think it is a fantastic way to re-center each week the true meaning of Christmas and get a small glimpse into the anticipation the people must have felt long ago.

Those are a few of the traditions that stuck out to me and seemed like something we might try to incorporate. I'm just curious...what are some of your traditions and how do you keep alive the true meaning of Christmas?

My Mush Brain

Please please PLEASE let me blame this following story on being pregnant! I feel like everything else can be blamed on pregnancy (literally, the comprehensive symptom list pretty much covers EVERYTHING), so I'd like to throw the blame that way for this mishap for sure.

The story kind of starts last holiday season (which, yes, I am full aware I was not pregnant then...but still)...

It was Black Friday and Jason and I had been shopping all day long - the exhausting, feet detaching from your ankles kind of shopping, when we decided to make one last stop (at dark) at Gordman's before coming home...and to make matters worse, it was Gordman's - the store where it always seems like I can find some good things but yet always seem to leave empty handed in disappointment (I still haven't figured it out, apparently). So we were literally in and out within a matter of 15 minutes maybe, and as we were driving home, I realize the heart-wrenching fact that my wallet was gone. Sparing the details, we knew it was stolen (from Gordman's!), so I quickly cancelled everything (always fun) and slummed into the depressive state of making a list of all I wold have to change and get new to replace what was stolen.
Low and behold, a few days later - on my birthday to be exact - I get a package in the mail, sloppily addressed to me - with EVERY CONTENT of my wallet wrapped nicely in it - seriously??! They even mailed back gift cards! But no wallet and no return of the cash I had stashed in it. I couldn't believe it - mean enough to steal it but nice enough to save me the hassle of the DMV. Folks, they even mailed back my credit cards.

Now, flash forward to today...this was our designated day to finish up the Christmas shopping. We headed to the mall (about a 30 minute drive) after church this morning. After we had been driving for about 20 minutes, a van pulls up next to us (on the highway - going 70) and yells something in Spanish while pointing to the back of our car. All we get is that something is wrong with our car so we pull over and Jason gets out to check the damage. He's looking confused, not figuring out what the guy saw on the highway - and then the face. The "Oh my lovely wife" face.
He comes back to the car - not a word, but a sheepish grin - and hands me my CELL PHONE. I had left it on the trunk of the car, by which some man had happened to notice driving 70 mph, and it had stayed for 20 minutes on the highway. I've always thought it was a pretty awesome phone.

So we shop, shop, shop...then shop some more, flash forwarding to nightfall and feeling the exhaustion coming in, when, before you know it, we find ourselves making one last stop at none other than Gordman's. Why always the last stop? As we're walking in I joke with Jason about the last time we went there together a year ago..."hang on to your wallets in here!".

Okay. So we leave Gordamn's with no mishaps and actually bought a couple of things this time! On the way home I reach into the diaper bag to see if my sister has called me, and OH MY GOSH. No phone. My mind races to a scene in Gordman's where I let Lincoln look at my phone...but I got it back from him, right? Oh my goodness - it's in the shopping cart at Gordman's.

So I quickly call from Jason's phone (as we're turning around to head back to the store and my husband has that "I'm trying to be patient with her" look)..."Hi, yes. You might remember me from last year - I lost something in your store, again."

When we got back to the store, I frantically searched the carts and talked to employees...nothing. So we left my name and started the long trek home, this time feeling CRAZY depressed and wondering if my brain could fall to pieces even more. People - my phone had already survived a car ride on the trunk earlier that day - what were the chances of it surviving this? Not good.

So I called and had outgoing/ingoing calls blocked, as well as Internet access (which you can directly access a handful of some accounts from my phone) and felt creeped out that someone was reading my text message conversations. I also had Jason send a text to my phone offering a reward. We spent the whole ride home doing these arrangements.

Then we got home. And it was there I became utterly convinced it had to be the pregnancy because no one was as ridiculous as me without a grand excuse...

My phone was in the diaper bag all along...I never thought to check twice.

My poor husband.

Bartlesville

This weekend Bentonville has been playing in a tournament in Bartlesville, OK. All the coaches get their own suites provided by the tournament, so us wives came up for the occasion and are making a vacation out of it (except for Bethany - we miss you). Christine and I have had quite the adventure taming 4 crazy kiddo's between the two of us through basketball, basketball, and well, more basketball. She took off to Dallas today to run her first marathon (superstar woman, let me tell you), but I'm still trooping here in Bartlesville through tomorrow. Might I add, this town is ADORABLE. I absolutely love it. It's full of old money (home of Phillips 66) and the houses here are incredible! So much so, that I have been calculating just how bad of a commute it would be from here to Bentonville everyday...2 hours isn't terrible??? I've even found us a house :).
Before we left from Siloam yesterday, my new diaper bag came in the mail! I ordered it last week with some birthday money from Jason's parents, and I have been anxiously awaiting it's arrival - hoping it would come before this trip. When the time came to leave, it still had not arrived and I was a little bummed, but then as we were pulling out the driveway, it came! I ordered it from Gap.com - it's a SkipHop bag and it has been fabulous! I absolutely LOVE it. Perhaps my favorite feature is it is designed to fit on the back of the stroller (it actually has about three different ways you can even carry it for your convenience). Here's a picture of it below...highly recommended.

And then below "in use" today as we trekked through the mall between games.
At the mall today, we went into Hibbett Sports and Lincoln immediately outstretched his hands, wonder in his eyes, and started saying, "Ball! Ball! Ball!" I looked...looked again...no balls. But he was persistent and I could not figure out where he was seeing a ball. Then I saw it. Lining the ceiling were basketballs all around the store - I never saw them, but he sure found them withing seconds of entering the store. Oh dear. It's already started. So we found some junior basketballs that were on sale and he got treated (only because it's vacation!). And he has gripped that thing ever since.

Also this morning, I went to put on Lincoln's shoes and they don't fit! None of them! He literally grew overnight! So we got him some new Nike kicks at the store today (50% off = $15 = great deal!).

Below are some pictures with his buddy little Matchell that he got to hang with the past few days. However you have to watch him because he loves to grab everything right now and one time i looked down and he had a fistful of her pretty blonde hair in his hands! Sad. I'm glad she's forgiving. :)

All in all it's been a great weekend with some wins sprinkled in there...reminding me how thankful, again, I am that I have such a hard-working husband and get to to go on these trips with him without work's interference. :)

It's Official

I've realized, in my adventures as a stay-at-home mom, that since I no longer have to "get ready" in the mornings or decide what to wear to work, I have fallen into the slump of wearing the same thing every day - I call it my pregnant outfit. But the sad part is it is really no "outfit" by any means. And perhaps the even sadder part is that Stacy and Clinton would probably drop kick me off the planet if they caught wind of my fashionista ways. Note to self: do not watch "What Not to Wear", "America's Next Top Model", or (tip from Leslie), the Victoria Secret Runway Fashion Show while you have an ever-expanding belly that is unstoppable. So what is my "outfit" - you're dying to know, huh?
Well, I have 2 choices between pants (though they're both black): either my $8 tight yoga pants that will forever just keep expanding or the lovely black track pants I purchased from Express in the year 2001 - no joke. These expand, but not forever like the first pair mentioned, but I wore them all the way through with Lincoln, so as long as they still fit, I'll consider it success this time around. Might I add though, since the pants are almost 10 YEARS OLD - they now also have new white spots on them - in the knees. Money well spent.
And the top? Jason's large grey Nike sweatshirt. Yes, I look like a goddess. And yes, I literally wear this everyday (don't worry, I do wash it occasionally) except for the occasional switch up when I go to a basketball game (or church) - however, I did wear this lovely ensemble to 1 of 3 basketball games last week. :)
And I think this can officially be called my pregnancy outfit because, if you remember a picture I posted the morning we went into the hospital to have Lincoln a year ago...yeah, I was wearing it - with pant choice #1. I've posted a picture for memory sake of that morning. And by the way, the pink pumas in the picture? Yeah - also purchase at the Puma outlet in California...10 YEARS AGO, as well. Sorry Babe - I'll go back to caring about fashion in the spring.
So all you pregnant ladies, what is your "outfit"? Come on - you know you have one.

55 Days...Oh My

As my husband and I were laying i bed talking last night, I asked him what the day was and he told me it was the 6th...the 6th? Really? Oh my. That means, at the latest, baby Noah will be here in 55 days. OH MY. And yes you read it right - I am making a prediction, because, well (close your eyes for those who don't agree with this - I know you're out there) we have a set induction scheduled for the 6th of February - unless of course, he decides to grace us with his presence at a sooner date. But a later date? I don't think so Mr. Noah. :) And before the gasps and judgements partake, let me explain. My husband's a basketball coach and Noah's due in February. Right. Most of you still probably don't quite understand (except for you Christine), but I have found my own mother sometimes has a hard time with this one...I probably would have too until I married one. :)
So without going into the details of why, Noah is set to be induced Saturday morning on the 6th of February...3 days earlier than his due date. And since Lincoln was a little late, I'm hoping Noah continues that tradition so we can make it to the 6th! Water breaking in the middle of Bentonville vs. Southside game does not sound too exciting. Now confession time - we induced with Lincoln (for similar reasons - I swear our lives don't revolve TOTALLY around basketball!), and it was GLORIOUS. Such an incredible experience that I swore my next birthing experience just had to be torturous and I so long to have another experience like I had with Lincoln. There were so many positives about being induced for me, and I'll admit, the whole going-into-labor-on-your-own-terms and not knowing if you'll make it to the hospital or HEAVEN FORBID in time for the epidural - terrifies me now. So we'll see how this one goes. And obviously, as long as a healthy baby is on the other end - it will be perfect (in the end).
This last trek of pregnancy has proven to be more uncomfortable than with Lincoln - I've started having very annoying back pain...that I know is because I'm continually lifting a 25 pound baby (not to mention all the gear he comes with). Last night I got nervous it would not go away after pregnancy and I would not be able to resume the active lifestyle I once enjoyed. Hopefully that is just paranoia. Nonetheless, I cannot wait for Noah to be here! I'm probably most curious as to what he is going to look like - not in a superficial way, it's just that everytime I think of him I can't help but think of him with Lincoln's face because that is all I know. It is fascinating to me. 55 days and I'll get to see. :)

Oops...One More

I can't believe I forgot this one because it was something we experimented for some time before figuring it out...DIAPERS. Yes, of all those choices staring at you when roaming the diaper isle, there is (at least for us and some other mom's I've talked to), a kind that won't leak in the middle of the night when the baby is a newborn:

Pamper's Swaddlers. They are amazing. Simply put. We had a diaper shower at some point and got to try everything and found that these baby's were the only ones that kept the pee in all night long. Huggies? Nope. Parent's Choice? Nope. Target? Nope. Off brands? Absolutely not. It's worth your money - believe me - not to have to wash crib sheets every night. Not to mention the added feeling of "I'm not a horrible mom!" when your baby actually wakes up dry. And I have found that this is not just something that worked for us - I know of at least a handful of other mom's who have said the same thing!

*Sidenote - ironically, when Lincoln started wearing about a size 2-3, Huggies became the "way-to-go" and he, believe-it-or-not, pees through Pampers now. Go figure. :)

Survival Tips for Newborns

So time is getting close when we get to meet the new addition to our family and I had "a moment" the other day where I wondered if I would be able to remember how to care for a newborn. I know it wasn't that long ago when I had one (like what? three weeks or so ago??) but folks I can't tell you how much I studied, mulled over countless books, tried to memorize schedule plans, prepped the belly and boobies (yes apparently there are things you can do preventative to ease the pains of breastfeeding), and frankly drove myself insane from being up all hours soaking my brain with this information. There were countless nights of 10+ pee-trips, but I think I might have woken up abruptly even more times with the sudden fears of "Oh my gosh! Was it 'sleep/eat/wake-time' or 'eat/sleep/wake-time'" moments...by which of course I would have to go grab the book, pamphlet, or google the answer before I could rest easy again.

So this time around - yeah, none of that. I guess I self-consciously consider myself a "pro" - right. So it got me thinking today about what were some of the essentials that helped us survive those first few months. And don't get me wrong - it's not about "survival"...I would never describe those precious first months in that way, but let's be honest - those first few months can be CHALLENGING!!!!! Lincoln hit his stride at 4 months. That's when his gassy, tummy issues subsided and when he started sleeping through the night.

So I put together a list of our survival tools those first few months for my own reminders (cause let's face it - Noah will be here SOON!!) and for those that are expecting and could maybe find it helpful:



First, I know this is uber cheesy (so roll your eyes if you must), but Jason and I headed into this newborn thing truly 50/50. I wrote some stories about it last year when he was born, but I cannot emphasize enough how easy our partnership in this made those first few months!! We equally changed the poopy diapers, took shifts when letting the Mr. cry-it-out (which we will this time around start much earlier!), and since my milk supply became a bare nothing at 3 months, he definitely had his share of night-time bottles. Most importantly, he created an early bond with the little monster that was one of the most precious things to watch.



Bear with me on this one. Oh the infamous "Babywise" book. Yes, it offered some great insight and strategies, but topped with all the other recommended "top sellers" (which of course I also read), they all say something that contradict each other and before I knew it, everytime I would read one of these or run to it for answers when I couldn't figure out why Lincoln was screaming, the end result was always the same - "Oh my gosh I've been doing it wrong!" Which then led me to believe I was ruining my child and World's Worst Mom.



So one day I had a ceremony and this is where the books went. Can't tell you how much easier it made my life!!!!

I love to work out and so a jogging stroller was essential. It's been fantastic. We use it all the time and will stop half way through or at the end for a swing or slide in the park - Lincoln stinking loves this thing, too.

Okay. If I could only put one survival tool on here, the following would be IT. This was a LIFE SAVER. I swore I would buy one for every expectant mother because it made such a difference for Lincoln. It's gripe water. I will say it didn't do much until about month 2...and I believe we continued to use this through month 6 or so. Lincoln had bad tummy problems and would cry CONSTANTLY when the gassiness would invade. Mylicon drops (which will be discussed later) didn't seem to help the gassiness much, but this stuff was GOD-SENT. And ONLY THIS BRAND!! You can get it at Target and we would stock up everytime we were there. The beauty trick of it, too, was it would, within 5 minutes, cause a huge poop that wold help relieve him, and if you dabble a drop on his passy - it'd help him stop crying and help him get to sleep. We used the "dabble-drop-on-passy" FREQUENTLY. Jason discovered this trick and it was fabulous. At church and he suddenly wakes up crying? Dabble trick and he's back asleep. And it has no sleep agent (if you're wondering), and is made with all-natural ingredients. FANTASTIC.

This nipple cream was recommended to me and I found it great! Never cracked or had much soreness to be honest with you.

My child LOVES music. And Coldplay's soothing sounds, and the fact that mommy LOVES them, was a regular hit.

Baby Einstein videos had a CRAZY way of grasping baby's attention and captivating them - I don't understand it because it looks like they were made for pot-smokers in the 60's, but they're great if you need a quick shower or to clean something up. Lincoln watches them still when we show the house.

We tried a lot of different bottles when he was little from the Drop-Ins to Dr. Brown's...everyone swears by Dr. Brown's, but to be honest, they're a hassle to clean. I think these were my favorite and the ones we'll use this time around. At the time he was born, we were on-the-go a lot (between tons of basketball games and the holidays), so the ole Medula Breast Pump (which that just reminded me I need to clean!) and stored breastmilk in carrying case was a must - along with these tiny little bottles.

[I had a picture of AVENT BOTTLES here, but I accidentally deleted it and don't wanna upload it again]

And the Mylicon drops. These were helpful with the "Dabble-on-the-passy" trick more than relieving gas pain. We used these a lot the first month and then Gripe Water took over from then one. We still always had a bottle of them though.

The boppy is great and useful for many things including breastfeeding, holding, and helping him with tummy time - Jason always used it, too, when he would feed Lincoln. As I mentioned before, we were on the go a lot and it was winter, so the below bundle thing was GREAT!!!! It kept the little guy snug and warm and protects them from the wind.

Oh the SWING. We have the below swing and Lincoln LOVED it. In fact, the wold only sleep in it for the first 3 months of his life. I had a few panic attacks at times that he would in fact ALWAYS sleep in it and we would be looking for an adult size papsan swing. I think I cried a few times over this because what mother let's their child sleep in a swing??!!! But he did - for 3 months. No joke. And then magically, he transitioned to his crib - quite well, actually, and I stopped searching for the adult-sized version. :)

Pacifiers. Some like them and some don't...ours LOVES them and this is the new "I wonder if it wold look weird for him to still have it as an adult??" worry I have. They were his soother and still are. And I only use the following brand because they are clear and don't hide his precious face. Target sells them and I LOVE THEM.

So that's a list to start I guess. The one I left out is the double pump Medula Breast Pump that was fantastic and essential. I am hoping breastfeeding lasts longer this time - I'm pretty confident about since since I won't be working this time, so we'll see how it goes!!!