There's plenty of hard days, but today was one of those days when being a mother was really fun all day. Elizabeth ate nearly an entire scrambled egg cooked in oil with melted cheddar cheese for breakfast, which kicked things off nicely. Then we had storytime at the mall (she dangled her feet in the mall fountain), a two hour nap, a visit from Aunt Lindsay, and gymnastics. At gymnastics she swung on the big trapeze four times and climbed the 'rock wall' up to the slide by herself for the first time. At the end she hugged her teacher and told her 'bye bye', which is such big progress. After we got home, she ate a pretty big bowl of zucchini soup (GREEN vegetables!), went on a bike ride with Jon, took a bath and laughed when I washed her hair, and went right to sleep. It doesn't get much better than that. And throughout all that were lots of hugs and smiles and reading her favorite books many, many times.
She even took her baby doll for a swim in her little pool and didn't complain when I didn't let her bring her to bed because she's all wet. So now I have to go try to dry her out, because Elizabeth is sure to ask for her as soon as she wakes up in the morning.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The wonderful selfishness of kids
I'm reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I just got to an example of how we need to pray like little children in a way I never thought of before. Here's a passage:
Little children never get frozen by their selfishness. Like the disciples, they come just as they are, totally self-absorbed. They seldom get it right. As parents or friends, we know all that. In fact, we are delighted (most of the time!) to find out what is on their little hearts. We don't scold them for being self-absorbed or fearful. That is just who they are.
That's certainly how Jill and I responded to [our daughter] Kim. We were uncertain whether she would ever be able to walk, so when she took her first step at three years old, we didn't say, "Kim that was all very well and good, but you are two years late. You have a lot of catching up to do, including long-range walking, not to mention running, skipping, and jumping." We screamed; we yelled; we jumped up and down. The family came rushing in to find out what had happened. Cameras came out, and Kim repeated her triumph. It was awesome.
This is the gospel, the welcoming heart of God. God also cheers when we come to him with our wobbling, unsteady prayers....So instead of being paralyzed by who you are, begin with who you are. That's how the gospel works. God begins with you.
Little children never get frozen by their selfishness. Like the disciples, they come just as they are, totally self-absorbed. They seldom get it right. As parents or friends, we know all that. In fact, we are delighted (most of the time!) to find out what is on their little hearts. We don't scold them for being self-absorbed or fearful. That is just who they are.
That's certainly how Jill and I responded to [our daughter] Kim. We were uncertain whether she would ever be able to walk, so when she took her first step at three years old, we didn't say, "Kim that was all very well and good, but you are two years late. You have a lot of catching up to do, including long-range walking, not to mention running, skipping, and jumping." We screamed; we yelled; we jumped up and down. The family came rushing in to find out what had happened. Cameras came out, and Kim repeated her triumph. It was awesome.
This is the gospel, the welcoming heart of God. God also cheers when we come to him with our wobbling, unsteady prayers....So instead of being paralyzed by who you are, begin with who you are. That's how the gospel works. God begins with you.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Is the Ear Infection Going Away?
Yesterday we had our 18-month well baby check at the pediatrician's office. I was my usual nervous wreck for her weigh-in and Elizabeth's subsequent screaming through the entire visit. The news was mixed: she gained 7 oz. to maintain her current growth percentile at 20lbs, 5oz, which was the good news, but she has a double ear infection. Grrrr. There's always something, isn't there?
I've been suspecting either teething or an ear infection for three days, so I wasn't very surprised. We've decided not to give her antibiotics for the time being because she has no fever, seems to be improving a little, and I'm nervous with her sensitive system that she might get diarrhea and diaper rash as a result of the medicine. Which would make the cure worse than the ailment! She slept pretty well last night, so I'm really hoping she is kicking it on her own.
These visits wear me out because they're never quite as positive as I hope they'll be. I remember the very early doctor visits when she was gaining lots of weight and it was so fun to see how much she was growing. These days, I'm physically exhausted by the end from holding a child who cries through EVERY appointment. So in times like these, I immediately go home and make a Duncan Hines cake and DEVOUR every bite. This time I shared some with Jon, but I have one piece left from yesterday and since Elizabeth is taking a nap, I'm about to go eat it. :-)
I also like to think about how fun she usually is. After her nap yesterday, we went outside and played in the sprinkler. She loves to run around naked and dip her head in the stream of water. Then she laughs and shivers and comes to give me a big wet hug. I end up nearly as wet as her, but it's so cute that I don't care (much). It's awesome. I'll do almost anything for those smiles.
*UPDATE on Sunday, August 23rd:
We had our good friend Jeffrey, who is an ENT, look at Elizabeth's ears after church today. The ear infection has cleared up! Yay. Just teething now- I can actually see the tip of one just starting to come through. Elizabeth HATES having her ears checked, but Jeffrey and his wife Katie spent a long time using the otoscope to look in her baby's ears first (and each others') to try and ease her into it, with some success. She still cried, but not as hard as she does at the doctor's office....
I've been suspecting either teething or an ear infection for three days, so I wasn't very surprised. We've decided not to give her antibiotics for the time being because she has no fever, seems to be improving a little, and I'm nervous with her sensitive system that she might get diarrhea and diaper rash as a result of the medicine. Which would make the cure worse than the ailment! She slept pretty well last night, so I'm really hoping she is kicking it on her own.
These visits wear me out because they're never quite as positive as I hope they'll be. I remember the very early doctor visits when she was gaining lots of weight and it was so fun to see how much she was growing. These days, I'm physically exhausted by the end from holding a child who cries through EVERY appointment. So in times like these, I immediately go home and make a Duncan Hines cake and DEVOUR every bite. This time I shared some with Jon, but I have one piece left from yesterday and since Elizabeth is taking a nap, I'm about to go eat it. :-)
I also like to think about how fun she usually is. After her nap yesterday, we went outside and played in the sprinkler. She loves to run around naked and dip her head in the stream of water. Then she laughs and shivers and comes to give me a big wet hug. I end up nearly as wet as her, but it's so cute that I don't care (much). It's awesome. I'll do almost anything for those smiles.
*UPDATE on Sunday, August 23rd:
We had our good friend Jeffrey, who is an ENT, look at Elizabeth's ears after church today. The ear infection has cleared up! Yay. Just teething now- I can actually see the tip of one just starting to come through. Elizabeth HATES having her ears checked, but Jeffrey and his wife Katie spent a long time using the otoscope to look in her baby's ears first (and each others') to try and ease her into it, with some success. She still cried, but not as hard as she does at the doctor's office....
Monday, August 3, 2009
Some (semi) notable developments in Elizabeth's life
It has been ages since I updated my blog. I was afraid this would happen because I'm a little manic- I can't think of anything to say for weeks at a time but then suddenly feel like making 3 posts in a day, but restrain myself because I think it might be too many. Here's some of the things Elizabeth has been up to that I find interesting as her mother:
1. She squeaked by her last doctor's appointment weigh in with (finally!) a 5 oz. gain, maintaining her growth percentile and narrowly avoiding a trip to children's hospital for a blood draw. Phew. We have sort-of-good food days and not-very-good food days (where she would prefer all of her calories via breastmilk). Today was good! She ate an entire baby yogurt for breakfast, not that much at lunch, but 2 chicken nuggets for dinner, and various snacks including ice cream and a fruit twist in between!
2. Tonight she really got the hang of jumping. She gets in the air now. She's been able to do it every now and then for a couple of weeks, but tonight she seemed to start doing it consistently. Her practice is paying off and she loves it. She also swings on the big trapeze at gymnastics and can hold on for several seconds. See below for a video clip.
3. During baths and at swimming lessons, she blows bubbles in the water! It's so cute because after she does it she looks up at me to make sure I saw what she did and gives me a huge smile.
4. Her new thing at night is that she likes to fall asleep propped up on a big, soft, fluffy pillow. I love watching her fall asleep. I guess she finds the pillow nice and comfy because she does actually fall asleep faster. She's been sleeping a little better lately. Several days a week I feel rested when morning comes, and the days I don't it's because I felt so good the day before that I stayed up too late. :-)
5. She just got over a small cold. It wasn't a big deal, but a couple of times I used saline and suctioned her nose to help her breathe, and she LOVES it. She cries when I put the saline spray away. She does the saline and suction on her baby doll, too (and pats her own chest and calls herself 'mama'). The baby is extremely well-cared for. Her finger nails were clipped this morning and she played in the sprinkler and went down the slide after her snack this afternoon.
6. Elizabeth loves to put my shoes on (or Jon's) and walk around the house. Especially if they are flip flops or thong sandals. But she also really likes a pair of black patent flats. She puts on her own shoes by herself now, too.
Overall, this is just my favorite age yet! Especially with the concern of her weight being lifted a little and her molars in, I'm having such a great time with her. She is putting lots of words together and seems on the edge of taking it to the next level. I can't wait. One of her favorite activities is watching home video clips on the computer of herself and her friends and cousins. Also, I personally have made the adjustment from my preexisting expectations that I would be done nursing by this point and am truly enjoying it right now--it's so different nursing a toddler than it is an infant, and I know it won't be long in the grand scheme.
Well, hopefully it will not be another month before I think of more to write! Until then, here's the trapeze video:
1. She squeaked by her last doctor's appointment weigh in with (finally!) a 5 oz. gain, maintaining her growth percentile and narrowly avoiding a trip to children's hospital for a blood draw. Phew. We have sort-of-good food days and not-very-good food days (where she would prefer all of her calories via breastmilk). Today was good! She ate an entire baby yogurt for breakfast, not that much at lunch, but 2 chicken nuggets for dinner, and various snacks including ice cream and a fruit twist in between!
2. Tonight she really got the hang of jumping. She gets in the air now. She's been able to do it every now and then for a couple of weeks, but tonight she seemed to start doing it consistently. Her practice is paying off and she loves it. She also swings on the big trapeze at gymnastics and can hold on for several seconds. See below for a video clip.
3. During baths and at swimming lessons, she blows bubbles in the water! It's so cute because after she does it she looks up at me to make sure I saw what she did and gives me a huge smile.
4. Her new thing at night is that she likes to fall asleep propped up on a big, soft, fluffy pillow. I love watching her fall asleep. I guess she finds the pillow nice and comfy because she does actually fall asleep faster. She's been sleeping a little better lately. Several days a week I feel rested when morning comes, and the days I don't it's because I felt so good the day before that I stayed up too late. :-)
5. She just got over a small cold. It wasn't a big deal, but a couple of times I used saline and suctioned her nose to help her breathe, and she LOVES it. She cries when I put the saline spray away. She does the saline and suction on her baby doll, too (and pats her own chest and calls herself 'mama'). The baby is extremely well-cared for. Her finger nails were clipped this morning and she played in the sprinkler and went down the slide after her snack this afternoon.
6. Elizabeth loves to put my shoes on (or Jon's) and walk around the house. Especially if they are flip flops or thong sandals. But she also really likes a pair of black patent flats. She puts on her own shoes by herself now, too.
Overall, this is just my favorite age yet! Especially with the concern of her weight being lifted a little and her molars in, I'm having such a great time with her. She is putting lots of words together and seems on the edge of taking it to the next level. I can't wait. One of her favorite activities is watching home video clips on the computer of herself and her friends and cousins. Also, I personally have made the adjustment from my preexisting expectations that I would be done nursing by this point and am truly enjoying it right now--it's so different nursing a toddler than it is an infant, and I know it won't be long in the grand scheme.
Well, hopefully it will not be another month before I think of more to write! Until then, here's the trapeze video:
On the trapeze! 7/29/09 from Jodi VanMeter on Vimeo.
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