Another thing I am claiming of who I am is a baby whisperer. I got the name from one of my very best friends, Jen. She said I "rehabilitate babies and train parents". I think that's what she said anyway. :)
It's true, it is something that comes natural to me. I always had a love for kids and never really had any issues with knowing what to do with one. Discipline and caring for babies and kids has always just come very second nature and natural to me. And I'd often heard that I had a way with children and that I got them to do things that they'd never done before.
Now, it hasn't ALL been natural...I've done a lot of reading, had a lot of experience (I've worked with kids for 10+ years in one form or another), and some education. But the book that changed my life forever (and Jen's too and the reason for her naming this) is Babywise. The pediatrician who wrote the book is a genious! HE is the real baby whisperer, here. Everyone that I know that has followed his plan in this book had children sleeping through the night from 2 weeks old to 6 weeks old! My baby was one of those and it was a true blessing! It made me a better mother.
Now, I know there are some of you who turn your noses up to Babywise and I understand why. Many of the parents who read the book, take what they want from the book and leave what they don't. One of the things they don't take from it is probably the most critical thing he says...basically, above all else...use your motherly instinct! You know your baby best! If you think your baby is being malnurished...feed it more! However, many a parent have read the book and somehow missed this, causing their child to be hospitalized for malnutrition and causing the medical world to HATE this book. I want to challenge that. It's not the book...it's the reader. My challenge is for you to read the book yourself with an OPEN MIND and made up your opinion from that.
Anyway, I'm done with my soap box about it. This blog is about my head and thoughts and those are just them. But back to who I am...I am claiming that I am a baby whisperer of sorts. It's a gift I was given and treasure. And I'm tired of hearing how LUCKY I am that my daughter is sleeping and eating so well and is so well-mannered. While I agree, yes, that some of it is her personality (her daddy is pretty laid-back), I need to take some credit for that, too. I've worked very diligently and hard with her. When I do something, I do it all out and passionately. (Which I was told again today that I was dramatic - come on people...I am PASSIONATE...get it right!) Anyway, I don't things half-assed and my daughter is a testimony of what CONSISTENCY can do for your children. That's my secret...consistency. I don't care what you...just do it well and be consistent and all will be well.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Bun In The Oven
Here's my story...
Fourteen months ago, I had my daughter Isabel. A perfect pregnancy, a perfect delivery and a perfect baby! I couldn’t have asked for more. After not wanting to go on the pill again, we sought out other forms of birth control and came across a form of natural family planning. About six months into it, I discovered I have a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Isabel is like a miracle baby!
Anyway, I went in for an ultrasound to confirm the condition and to my surprise, was told I was pregnant. A week later, I lost the baby, due to the PCOS condition. I went on medication and was told I would have problems with infertility. A few months later, I was having symptoms of other sorts and went back to the doctor, thinking I had a bug. She told me she thought I had endometriosis which made the infertility issues worse and made me be in a lot of pain every month. I went to another doctor for a second opinion and everything was confirmed…the PCOS and the endometriosis.
So, for the past 4 months I’ve been waiting to hear back from the best doctor in the nation about getting in for surgery with him this summer/fall to hopefully correct the PCOS and to remove the endometriosis to improve my chances of having more babies. The surgery and other procedures were going to cost us $5,000 (which we don’t have) and a 7-10 day stay in Omaha, NE. I was told I should maybe think about trying to get pregnant, as it puts your endometriosis into dormancy (at least until you start cycling again). However, the trick is conceiving and if you are lucky enough to conceive, not miscarrying.
Anyway, this past Tuesday, I took a pregnancy test because of some symptoms I’d been having. We weren’t trying to get pregnant because my husband wasn’t ready for another one, but to our surprise, I am pregnant! And my husband had a heart change instantaneously! He was so excited! We went back to my charts to find out how it had happened because I didn’t ovulate this past month! We are still scratching our heads! Ladies, according to all the laws of nature…I should NOT be pregnant right now!
My first reaction was to not tell anyone for fear that I will lose the baby (I am just over 4 weeks along right now). But, after talking to a select few Christian friends who I trust very much, they claimed, “The devil is NOT going to take this baby from you!” and I was instructed to tell everyone I know! The reason was to claim that this baby is mine and WILL make it to full term and also to get people to rally around me with the power of prayer. So, here I am, telling you all my story with tears in my eyes. I am asking for you to stand in agreement with me that this baby is MINE and rally around me and my family in prayer.
And lastly, endometriosis is an incurable condition and I have been told that it will return when I start cycling again and the $5,000 surgery in Omaha is inevitable. I am asking once again that you stand in agreement with me that both the PCOS and endometriosis conditions will NEVER return! That God will not only give me 2 healthy babies that never should have existed, but that he will cure my body of these conditions and the surgery will never have to take place!
So with that said, thanks for listening to my story and I look forward to all the wonderful things God has planned for my family and for yours!
Fourteen months ago, I had my daughter Isabel. A perfect pregnancy, a perfect delivery and a perfect baby! I couldn’t have asked for more. After not wanting to go on the pill again, we sought out other forms of birth control and came across a form of natural family planning. About six months into it, I discovered I have a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Isabel is like a miracle baby!
Anyway, I went in for an ultrasound to confirm the condition and to my surprise, was told I was pregnant. A week later, I lost the baby, due to the PCOS condition. I went on medication and was told I would have problems with infertility. A few months later, I was having symptoms of other sorts and went back to the doctor, thinking I had a bug. She told me she thought I had endometriosis which made the infertility issues worse and made me be in a lot of pain every month. I went to another doctor for a second opinion and everything was confirmed…the PCOS and the endometriosis.
So, for the past 4 months I’ve been waiting to hear back from the best doctor in the nation about getting in for surgery with him this summer/fall to hopefully correct the PCOS and to remove the endometriosis to improve my chances of having more babies. The surgery and other procedures were going to cost us $5,000 (which we don’t have) and a 7-10 day stay in Omaha, NE. I was told I should maybe think about trying to get pregnant, as it puts your endometriosis into dormancy (at least until you start cycling again). However, the trick is conceiving and if you are lucky enough to conceive, not miscarrying.
Anyway, this past Tuesday, I took a pregnancy test because of some symptoms I’d been having. We weren’t trying to get pregnant because my husband wasn’t ready for another one, but to our surprise, I am pregnant! And my husband had a heart change instantaneously! He was so excited! We went back to my charts to find out how it had happened because I didn’t ovulate this past month! We are still scratching our heads! Ladies, according to all the laws of nature…I should NOT be pregnant right now!
My first reaction was to not tell anyone for fear that I will lose the baby (I am just over 4 weeks along right now). But, after talking to a select few Christian friends who I trust very much, they claimed, “The devil is NOT going to take this baby from you!” and I was instructed to tell everyone I know! The reason was to claim that this baby is mine and WILL make it to full term and also to get people to rally around me with the power of prayer. So, here I am, telling you all my story with tears in my eyes. I am asking for you to stand in agreement with me that this baby is MINE and rally around me and my family in prayer.
And lastly, endometriosis is an incurable condition and I have been told that it will return when I start cycling again and the $5,000 surgery in Omaha is inevitable. I am asking once again that you stand in agreement with me that both the PCOS and endometriosis conditions will NEVER return! That God will not only give me 2 healthy babies that never should have existed, but that he will cure my body of these conditions and the surgery will never have to take place!
So with that said, thanks for listening to my story and I look forward to all the wonderful things God has planned for my family and for yours!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Free Health Clinic
St. Mary's Clinics provides free health care for those who don't have insurance and don't qualify for Medical Assistance or other governmental programs. Services are provided every Thursday from 1-5 p.m. at Redeeming Love Church, 2425 White Bear Ave. in MN. Call 651-690-7029 to schedule an appointment.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
I Couldn't Have Said It Better
In looking for the words to describe who I am and the role God has placed on my heart to be on this earth, my life's purpose so-to-speak, again, Rob Bell says it best. I couldn't have said it better. So, here's my life journey, my life's task...who God's called me to be.
"I see it happening and it gives me great hope. I see leaders getting help and refusing to stuff it anymore. I see communities embracing their brokenness and healing is taking place. I see honesty. I see people who want to be fully alive. I see people who want the life Jesus promises and who are willing to let go of ego and prestige and titles to get it. I continue to dig things up and process new insights and learn about my insides. The journey continues. Very few people actually live from thier heart and connected with their soul. And those few who do the difficult work, who stare their junk in the face, who get counsel, who let Jesus into all of the rooms in their soul that no one ever goes in, they make a difference. Their coming from such a different place that their voices inevitably get heard above the others. They are pursuing wholeness and shalom, and it's contagious. They inspire me to keep going."
"I see it happening and it gives me great hope. I see leaders getting help and refusing to stuff it anymore. I see communities embracing their brokenness and healing is taking place. I see honesty. I see people who want to be fully alive. I see people who want the life Jesus promises and who are willing to let go of ego and prestige and titles to get it. I continue to dig things up and process new insights and learn about my insides. The journey continues. Very few people actually live from thier heart and connected with their soul. And those few who do the difficult work, who stare their junk in the face, who get counsel, who let Jesus into all of the rooms in their soul that no one ever goes in, they make a difference. Their coming from such a different place that their voices inevitably get heard above the others. They are pursuing wholeness and shalom, and it's contagious. They inspire me to keep going."
Velvet Elvis ---- Rob Bell
"So many people have superwhatever rattling around in their head. They have this person they are convinced they are supposed to be, and their superwhatever is killing them. They have this image they picked up over the years of how they are supposed to look and act and work and play and talk and it's like a voice that never stops shouting in their ear. And the only way to not be killed by it is to shoot first. You have to kill your superwhatever. And you have to do it right now. Because your superwhatever will rob you of today and tomorrow and the next day until you take it out back and end its life."
" 'You did not choose me, but I chose you.' A rabbi would only pick a disciple who he thought could actually do what he was doing. Jesus gets frustrated with his disciples because of HOW CAPABLE THEY ARE. He sees what they could be and could do and when they fall short, it provokes him to no end. It isn't their failure that's the problem; it's their greatness. They don't realize what they are capable of. God has an incredibly high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things. Jesus belives in me. God has faith in me. The rabbi thinks we can be like him."
"HELL: A way, a place, a realm absent of how God desires things to be. We can bring heaven to earth; we can bring hell to earth. For Jesus, this new kind of life in him is not about escaping this world but about making it a better place here and now. The goal for Jesus isn't to get into heaven. The goal is to get heaven here."
I absolutely love this book and I love Rob Bell!!! His perspectives are so great, aren't they? I'd be curious to get others' thoughts on what I've written. These are my notes from the book that stuck with me for different reasons. Part of my journey of discovering myself is: what is my superwhatever? What does Jesus say about me? How can I bring heaven to earth? Great stuff!
" 'You did not choose me, but I chose you.' A rabbi would only pick a disciple who he thought could actually do what he was doing. Jesus gets frustrated with his disciples because of HOW CAPABLE THEY ARE. He sees what they could be and could do and when they fall short, it provokes him to no end. It isn't their failure that's the problem; it's their greatness. They don't realize what they are capable of. God has an incredibly high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things. Jesus belives in me. God has faith in me. The rabbi thinks we can be like him."
"HELL: A way, a place, a realm absent of how God desires things to be. We can bring heaven to earth; we can bring hell to earth. For Jesus, this new kind of life in him is not about escaping this world but about making it a better place here and now. The goal for Jesus isn't to get into heaven. The goal is to get heaven here."
I absolutely love this book and I love Rob Bell!!! His perspectives are so great, aren't they? I'd be curious to get others' thoughts on what I've written. These are my notes from the book that stuck with me for different reasons. Part of my journey of discovering myself is: what is my superwhatever? What does Jesus say about me? How can I bring heaven to earth? Great stuff!
What I'm Not
In learning who I am, I am also learning, who I am NOT.
I am NOT a morning person. You probably don't want to talk to me until at least 9:30 a.m.
I am NOT a geography or history person. Don't ask me where China is on a map. I don't know. Don't ask me which direction is North from where you are - I don't know. Tell me right or left, instead. Don't ask me anything about past wars or politics. I don't know.
This is who I am NOT.
"I am not defined by what I am not. And understanding this truth is a huge part of becoming whole." ~ Rob Bell in his book Velvet Elvis
I am NOT a morning person. You probably don't want to talk to me until at least 9:30 a.m.
I am NOT a geography or history person. Don't ask me where China is on a map. I don't know. Don't ask me which direction is North from where you are - I don't know. Tell me right or left, instead. Don't ask me anything about past wars or politics. I don't know.
This is who I am NOT.
"I am not defined by what I am not. And understanding this truth is a huge part of becoming whole." ~ Rob Bell in his book Velvet Elvis
It's a Priviledge
Last Sunday a guest speaker came to our church. It was a man who was born with Muscular Dystrophy. His sermon was totally unrelated to what I'm about say...
As he was talking, it hit me like a ton of bricks! Who the hell am I? I sit here and complain about exercising. I say, "I hate exercising", etc. I realized though, that being able to exercise my body is not a burden or chore, but a gift - not everyone was given that gift. There are people like this man, that would give anything to be able to move a muscle again and here I am complaining! Wow! What a different perspective!
As he was talking, it hit me like a ton of bricks! Who the hell am I? I sit here and complain about exercising. I say, "I hate exercising", etc. I realized though, that being able to exercise my body is not a burden or chore, but a gift - not everyone was given that gift. There are people like this man, that would give anything to be able to move a muscle again and here I am complaining! Wow! What a different perspective!
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