Bruno | The wild side

This is Bruno's new thing. It's really thrilling when he does this instead of napping.

Bruno | "The Mom Weakness"

You know that moment when you look over and say to yourself, "Dang. I made a cute baby!",

so you waltz on over to snap just one picture to capture the magic and prove your mad baby making skills to the world, but somehow, 15 minutes later, you mysteriously have 518 new photos on your camera? Babies don't have a bad angle, after all, so you must capture one photo of each.

Welcome to my life, friends, and to what I call "The Mom Weakness." You can call me vain if you want, but chances are you know exactly what I'm talking about.

P.S. Many thanks to Cody for contributing some outstanding genetic code, too.

Create | Mini felt storyboard

Take a box...

for a moonlight drive through the city,

or for a walk in the park.

This project may fall flat on my 2 year old, but if that's the case, I'll just save it for later. I'm going to try to find a few special little toys for him to play with that fit the scenes. I love that this project is reminiscent of Polly Pocket, and the possibilities are endless! Any ideas for what I could add to these scenes to spice them up a little more?

Coming up... a shoebox racetrack! Can you tell I'm gearing up for our August roadtrip?

Home | Life lately (Not according to my iPhone. Don't let the "blur effects" fool you. Those are Seb's fingerprints on the camera lense...)

One & Two

Cody is unanimously voted "best dad ever."

Three

Wednesday evening brought a delightful dose of the stomach flu to my door, and to Cody's on Friday. God bless Miss "Edie" (that's Katie, in case you missed it) for coming to watch Sebastian on Thursday morning so I could sleep. It was a rough second half to our week, Friday being the worst day for me since Bruno was born—it was ugly, I was ugly—but Saturday was the best day since he was born. How that happens, I don't know, but it was a good reminder that God is present in every day, even the worst ones, and... sing it with me, please... "The sun'll come out tomorrow!"

Four

On Saturday Sebastian learned to climb out of his crib. He had done it once months ago, but was left a little traumatized and had stayed firmly put thereafter. Not so this time! Cody stared him down at nap time until he went to sleep, and that seemed to do the trick. We've had no more escaping when he's supposed to be sleeping. Hallelujah! And yes, that is a boppy you see. Sebastian insists on sleeping with it. It's a good thing I find them to be entirely worthless for nursing.

Five

This was Bruno yesterday after a diaper change. He is sporting his favorite outfit, which knocks him out cold because, you know, it's exhausting looking so rad. Thanks, Nanny!

Fact: Linen is the cutest and the comfiest of fabrics.

Six & Seven

That's not an optical illusion you see! I am, indeed, doing a bit of crafting again. It's good to be back. This Saturday I'm co-hosting a baby shower for my upstairs neighbor and I couldn't be more excited. It helps that the invites remind me a bit of Harry Potter, and that I got to use the chicken pencil that my friend Emily got me years ago. Book showers are the bomb-diggity.

Eight

Weight loss is calling my name. This is the delightful and enormous cup of green tea that I am imbibing as I type. High fives for skipping the coffee (and sugar and cream). Notice the reflection? That's our laundry drying. Saving money on electricity is also calling my name, so we've even started air drying our diapers, which takes foooorrreeevvvveeeerrrrr. Wendy, I think flats are sounding better all the time. How's that going for you?

Nine

We went to the library this morning. You know, me, Seb and Bruno.

Joke's on me.

I want to say, "Never doing that again." But we know it would be a lie.

P.S. In case you're worried that we're enriching our minds too much, have no fear. We came home with about 6 movies, too. Yes, 6.

Home | Shifting gears

I think I can say that things are going very well around here. I feel a bit like I have to re-learn everything, though, which isn't a bad thing, but definitely requires patience and lots of deep breathing. I'm realizing that I have to up my game when it comes to organization or I'll drive myself nuts with my inability to keep things tidy and organized the way I like. Yes, tidiness and organization are closely tied with my sanity, I'm convinced. This week, one of my goals is to make snack containers for Sebastian. We still have some issues with a variety of foods, and a disinterest in food in general, so these will help make sure that if my hands are tied up with Bruno, I can still grab something for Seb when he's hungry. I foresee some entire meals coming out of these snack containers when we're having a rough day.

Also, in case you find yourself having a rough day, I am certain that this will make it better. I still get chills when I hear it.

The Nightstand, VOLUME TWO

My nursing/reading spot, already well used and well-loved. And Cody has since set up a reading lamp for me!

I finished reading Babies, Breastfeeding, and Bonding, by Ina May Gaskin, and wanted to share my thoughts on the book, as promised. This started out as my favorite book on breastfeeding. I really appreciated that Gaskin wasn’t writing about breastfeeding from the angle of a specific method, but was clearly sharing what, in her experience, works and doesn’t work, as well as challenges a nursing mother can or will face, and ways to overcome them.

Gaskin makes the point that it is traditional for children in non-industrialized countries to be breastfed from birth up to seven years, and rightly so because of a lack of alternative good nutrient sources. I’ve heard many in the U.S. argue, as I’m sure you have, that extended breastfeeding of this kind should be the case for American women and their infants, as well. To my surprise, Gaskin stated that although extended breastfeeding is the norm in other cultures, it need not be the norm in the United States. We have such easy access to all the nutrients we need that our babies need not be dependent on breast milk for nearly as long as other children who have very limited access to nutritious food. She still maintained that a child should be breastfed for no less than one year, and I doubt would be against extended breastfeeding, but it was refreshing to hear her take such an approach to the topic of extended breastfeeding. Lining up well with Gaskin’s statement, most sources that I have read seem to point almost exclusively to extended breastfeeding as a means of continued bonding and closeness with ones child, and that it is nutritionally unnecessary after 2 years.

Once one gets past the great practical advice in the first half of the book, Gaskin’s work starts to show it’s age. Many of the topics she talks about are worthy of time and discussion, but she spends much of these chapters sharing quotes from people whom she had surveyed who were born in the 40’s and 50’s. These opinions and anecdotes are interesting, but tell me nothing about the way our generation views breastfeeding, or how one ought to view it today and always. There is most assuredly nothing of a timeless nature in the latter half of this book. 

One of the reasons I had been eager to read Babies, Breastfeeding, and Bonding, was to gain further insight into the appropriateness of public breastfeeding, further developing my thoughts on the matter, and to understand how some seem to be able to at least pretend that there is nothing sexual about breasts. All that Gaskin really did to shed any light on these subjects was share what others, again, born in the 40’s and 50’s had to say. She, and others, argued that there is simply nothing sexual, or at least nothing inappropriate about bare breasts, particularly when they are exposed for the sole purpose of feeding a baby. I agree that breasts have an incredible functional purpose, one that I thank God for, but I can’t help but be aware of their sexual nature as well. Perhaps it would be more convenient if they weren’t viewed that way, but in 21st century America they are. Although I am in full support of discreet public breastfeeding (and this doesn’t necessitate a cover!), it seems futile to me to pretend, as it seems many would like to, that there is nothing sexual about breasts. My thoughts, which are still forming, is that breastfeeding in public should be just as accepted as bottle feeding in public. When there is no exhibition, but simply a mother providing nourishment to her child, it is something that should be praised by all. 

It was good to read this book, and though the latter half was not what I had hoped it would be, it still enabled me to think through a few aspects of breastfeeding, and form my own opinions a little more concretely. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

P.S. I’ve heard from friends that when they had their second baby, they tended to shed the cover more when they were in public, because they had gotten good at being discreet without it. I’m interested to see what it looks like for me to breastfeed this second little babe of mine. DId you go without a cover more with your second?

And in case you missed it... The Nightstand, VOLUME ONE.

Home | An evening with The Little Engine That Could

I had to laugh a little as I sat on the floor of our bedroom, my huge stomach filling my lap, meticulously taping Sebastian's favorite book back together. We often leave books and toys in Seb's crib for him to play with/look at while he falls asleep or after he wakes up. A few days ago, I peeked through the crack of his door to see if he had fallen asleep yet, and what did I find, but a peaceful little babe lying on his back, studying a single page intently, all the others littered about him. He didn't really mean to destroy it, and felt quite bad about it, the poor little guy. Since then, he's been begging me to read The Little Engine That Could to him, but it was so torn up, I couldn't have possibly known where to start. All is well now, though, since I finally bought some tape, and tomorrow we'll read it again (and again and again and again) and remember not to leave it in his crib. Perhaps we should invest in the board book version... I love my life.

Mama | Courage to keep love & discipline together

And finally, part two of things I learned, or more accurately—am learning—from my Virginia roadtrip. If you missed it, here is part one.

One of the things that came to mind while away was the connection between loving our children and disciplining our children. E. and I talked a great deal about discipline, as we’re both entering and in that beautiful but daunting age of toddlerhood. Sure, there may be some boundaries set or some form of discipline before your child turns one, but it looks very different, I think. During those first 12 months, your primary goal is to form a bond with your baby, making him feel secure and loved, while taking care of his most basic needs. It’s really the time of setting a strong foundation so that your child is well-equipped to handle his new toddler abilities, be separate at times from his mother, and learn obedience. But the fact is that sometime around when your child turns one, he will start the process of learning to be an individual and can take a more active roll in experiencing the world around him. This is such a beautiful, exciting and precious time, but can be hard on mothers as they see their babies growing up, not wanting to cuddle all the time, losing interest in breastfeeding, or being defiant in public places. Oh the days when your baby just wanted to sleep snuggled in your sling at the grocery, instead of reaching around, unbeknownst to you, and dumping all the eggs into your cart (true story)!

Essentially, there is this gradual transition that your child makes as he learns about the world and begins to grow into the adult he will one day be, but how do we navigate it? How do we look into that sweet little chubby face crowned with soft ringlets and say no? Will your child grow to despise you, feel distant from you, or worse, will a little part of him feel abandoned, creating a hole that will haunt him throughout his life? Okay that sounds dramatic, but I think it’s what we fear sometimes because the life of a child is so delicate. Their little souls and hearts and minds are soaking up every little detail, experiencing the simplest things for the first time, and all the while, only understanding a tiny portion of how the world fits together. It’s easy to feel, when your child needs discipline, like your squashing his little heart and his little dreams before they’ve even had a chance to take root.

As a mother or a father, this transition may come fairly easy to you, or it may be excruciating.

One thing is certain, though, we aren’t left without instructions. Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe his reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” 

I love that it says, “...a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” Disciplining our children is far from a declaration that we don’t care for them, that our hearts are hardened towards them or that we wish them harm or hurt. It is an expression of our love. 

And this is the point I want to get at: loving and disciplining our children are inseparable, and one without the other will cause great harm to their little souls. 

Ephesians 6:4 is a warning not to be too harsh towards or ungracious with our children. I love The Message version of this verse, which says, “Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.” Our children need discipline, but they need grace, too. They need someone to take their hands and lead them, just as our Heavenly Father graciously leads us, and shepherds us, even though we have gone astray. A  parent choosing to guide, direct and steer a child towards righteousness, even when that means reprimands and punishments, is an amazing expression of love.

Proverbs 29:15 speaks to those who would rather neglect discipline for fear of it harming their children or creating separation. “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.” Even if it seems selfish to you to be concerned with your child shaming you, one can’t deny the desire for our children to have wisdom, and if only for that reason, we shouldn’t neglect discipline under the guise of love.

We have such a vast and weighty duty, a high calling, to teach, guide and admonish our children. Proverbs 1:8 says, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.” I don’t pretend to know what discipline should look like all the time, and fail daily, but I do know that it should be there and will make and mold Sebastian into a godly man. Every family has to decide, day by day, what discipline will look like. I pray that we will all have the courage to love and instruct our children, clinging to the promise that if we are faithful, they will grow into lovers of our God (Proverbs 22:6). May our children be wise enough to accept instruction and grow still wiser (Proverbs 9:9) and when it comes time for them to teach, may it be “a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death (Proverbs 13:14).”

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. I know it’s controversial and weighty, and not everyone will agree with what I’ve said, but I hope it will get the wheels turning in your head about love and discipline. This post is not a sermon, just thoughts. And it’s something I’m still thinking about and will continue to think about, praying that the model of discipline our family follows will honor God. I've been reading The Discipline Book by Dr. Sears and it has been insightful and wonderful. I highly recommend it. There is even a chapter on birth to one year, so if you have a teeny weeny little one, you should still read it!

P.S. In case you're wondering, making our child wear his daddy's shoes around the house is not a form of discipline. No folks, he does it of his own free will, and it's probably the cutest thing ever. Also, Sebastian can say shoes now, but it sounds something like "sssshuuszzssshhzsszzze." You could knock me over with a feather he's so cute.

North Carolina | Pullen Park makes for one blissfully happy toddler

We had strawberry picking on the docket for today, but the weather looked pretty iffy, and since it's 45 minutes away, we didn't want to risk it. Instead, we met up with our friends in Raleigh and checked out Pullen Park! We chose this one because A. said that there were train rides for $1, and since Sebastian is obsessed with trains right now—making the sound, but saying dhoo dhoo!, instead—I knew it would be a big hit.

I was so excited that A. and her little Z. introduced us to this park because I've been trying to collect ideas of fun things to do when Cody's parents come to spend a week with me and Seb at the beginning of June. Of course, little baby might arrive early, and then we'll be guaranteed a week of endless excitement! But just in case baby comes around his due date, or later, Pullen Park will definitely be on our list of fun things to do. In addition to train rides, there is a carousel and little boat rides for the kiddos, as well as paddle boating! This is a cool park, let me tell you.

So, dear strawberries, I'm sure you taste yummy, but we're not so sorry we had to take a raincheck after all.

____________________________________

Ready for an adventure!

Drumming

The train is coming the train is coming the train is coming!

Are you sure this thing knows how to get us home? Here, let me plug it in.

Perhaps I could be in charge of pushing the pedals...

Little One | Wooden Baby Gyms

1 / 2 / 3

With the arrival of this little baby boy just 10 weeks away, I've been thinking a lot about all the baby stuff we'll be pulling out of storage and using again. Which makes me think that I would love an update  on our play gym. Well, not an update, just one that's more my style. We got one as a hand-me-down for Seb, and it worked well, so I'm sure it's what we'll be using again. But that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the lovely wooden play gyms out there that effortlessly blend in with the surroundings! So charming, aren't they? Tell me, did any of you snag the $25 IKEA version while it was available?

Seb | Breakfast when Noni's in charge, by Seb

"This morning Da and Mamama went out to breakfast, so I stayed home with Noni and Auntie Jo. When Noni asked me if I wanted to sit in my highchair, I of course responded with an emphatic 'noohh!'

"Noni let me sit in a big boy chair instead. Holla!"

Seb | Melons on a truck bed

Sometimes, you just get a good idea...

One moment, he was eating his melon, the next he was lining them up on his tray, and the next, they were stacked neatly on his truck. I love watching the gears turn in his sweet little head.

A special message from Ocracoke Island, N.C.

Seb | Spring in the South feels more like Summer in the Midwest

It's become a fun routine on nice days for us to take the wagon to the park, play for a bit, and then ride home, snack in hand, just in time for a lovely sun-induced nap. Seb usually isn't able to walk the whole way, but asks to be put in the wagon towards the end of our walk. It is 69 degrees today, and the first in which Seb got to wear his sandals without socks. Yes, sometimes I let him wear sandals with socks. Just look at that top photo... I'd like to see you say no to that face.

Speaking of that top photo, I'm kind of in love.

P.S. Be sure to let me know what you think of Cody's glasses!