Well I had good intentions with my little "oh, I'm going to write something I'm thankful for each day..." idea. So here's a few for the sum of the past few days....
1. I'm thankful that even when Thanksgiving Day turns out completely wrong it doesn't cease being a national holiday & you can try again next year!
2. I'm thankful that my husband doesn't mind cooking everything I volunteered to make for Thanksgiving because I'm so out of it from lack of 8 hours continual sleep!
3. I'm thankful for a good love movie that makes you want to go home and romantically kiss your husband like you did the very first time! (Go see "Australia" with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman)
4. I'm thankful for breast pumps & the fact that my baby will take a bottle when momma wants a date with daddy!
Nov 29, 2008
Facebook...It's addicting!
Ok...It's 9:43pm on Saturday evening and for some reason (maybe the Mexican hot chocolate my mother got me hooked on - buy it at World Market) I'm trying to dust my living room but instead I've gotten sucked into Face book! Who here 'does' face book? I mean that thing is crazy! My high school girlfriends have started posting old pictures they are finding in their attics of all of us when we looked like Pretty Woman want-a-be's! (before she got all sophisticated) Now they are posting those 'remember when' stories we all want to forget ON THE INTERNET ----- I'm getting a little embarrassed! I have threatened them... But anyway that Face book is really addictive (did I say that already?). It's crazy how many 'friends' you can keep up with now. It's funny when you get a friend request from someone and you think 'do I know that person?' and it ends up being someone that you happened to be in high school with, who was in another grade, and you never even talked to them but here they are requesting you be their friend. Do you turn down their request and give them a complex (or reinforce the thought they already had about you that you are too good to be their friend from the 1990's or do you say YES! I want to be your friend even though I don't even know you!) Oh, the pressures of Face book!
Nov 24, 2008
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Just recieved this devotion today and loved it ----I'm going to start blogging once a day (ha ha ha) on something positive that I'm grateful for! Let's see if it works!
The researchers found that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, more satisfaction with life, and more vitality and optimism. All good qualities I want more of in my life. They also found grateful people show lower levels of depression and stress - two things I’d like to experience less in my life.
What’s more, they found that people who keep journals about gratitude on a weekly basis are healthier. They exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, and feel better in general than people who journal about neutral or negative life events. That sounds great, and I’ll take all the help I can get in the exercise department.
Finally, the research showed that people who daily count their blessings report higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and energy. Wow, the benefits of being grateful are remarkable and many! I guess that shouldn’t surprise me after considering today’s key verse. The Bible urges us to give thanks … all the time … in every situation … because this practice is the will of God.
Let me be clear, there are terrible things that happen to us that may not be the will of God, but us praising God and giving thanks in spite of them certainly is the will of God. As Christians, we can always find reason to give thanks – thanks for the salvation of Christ, the nearness of God, and the counsel of His Spirit for starters. The psalmist declared, “I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High” (Psalm 7:17, NIV). We can do that too.
Christian poet John Milton once wrote about every grey cloud having a silver lining. Purposing to give thanks, no matter the weather, will train us to look for it. Continuing in this manner day after day ensures that gratefulness will become our normal mode of operation.
No wonder those researchers found that people regularly counting their blessings grow happier, healthier, and more optimistic. After all, that research wasn’t discovering anything new, but rather confirming the will and wisdom of God. God already knows how great it is for us to be grateful. Now “science” does too.
What can you give thanks for today?
The researchers found that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, more satisfaction with life, and more vitality and optimism. All good qualities I want more of in my life. They also found grateful people show lower levels of depression and stress - two things I’d like to experience less in my life.
What’s more, they found that people who keep journals about gratitude on a weekly basis are healthier. They exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, and feel better in general than people who journal about neutral or negative life events. That sounds great, and I’ll take all the help I can get in the exercise department.
Finally, the research showed that people who daily count their blessings report higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and energy. Wow, the benefits of being grateful are remarkable and many! I guess that shouldn’t surprise me after considering today’s key verse. The Bible urges us to give thanks … all the time … in every situation … because this practice is the will of God.
Let me be clear, there are terrible things that happen to us that may not be the will of God, but us praising God and giving thanks in spite of them certainly is the will of God. As Christians, we can always find reason to give thanks – thanks for the salvation of Christ, the nearness of God, and the counsel of His Spirit for starters. The psalmist declared, “I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High” (Psalm 7:17, NIV). We can do that too.
Christian poet John Milton once wrote about every grey cloud having a silver lining. Purposing to give thanks, no matter the weather, will train us to look for it. Continuing in this manner day after day ensures that gratefulness will become our normal mode of operation.
No wonder those researchers found that people regularly counting their blessings grow happier, healthier, and more optimistic. After all, that research wasn’t discovering anything new, but rather confirming the will and wisdom of God. God already knows how great it is for us to be grateful. Now “science” does too.
What can you give thanks for today?
Nov 23, 2008
Looking back....
I've sat and thought about what I would write for this first post back from the hospital and honestly I have written out many a thing in my brain but never had the time or felt too pressured to write this great thought provoking essay that I didn't do it! But now I must face the blank white screen and overcome my fear of what to write (sound like college?).
Obviously we are back - one week exactly- from Vanderbilt and Elizabeth is doing great considering someone cut her open and sewed on her heart two weeks ago! I don't know if its me not facing the reality of what happened or what??? but I don't think much about that week when I look at her. Everyone that I see for the first time or talk to says to me "I couldn't have done it....how did you make it?" Well I think how could I not make it? How could I not have done it? It was my two week old baby that went through it and she didn't even cry that much so how could I not be strong while sitting beside her with those breathing tubes and chest tubes in her? How could I not stand their strong while they poked her too many times to count to try and get i.v.'s in her little veins even having to go through her leg bones once b/c her veins were too tiny. My sweet baby girl was the strongest person I've ever seen - not complaining about the pain once! Her precious little lung collapsed and she didn't even let us know but just kept on breathing and sleeping - she got an infection in her incision when it popped open and she didn't even cry when we would pick her up to hold her and nurse! I'm in awe when I look at that precious baby and know that she is going to be a strong woman in this world!
Wow...this is therapeutic! We had so many people praying for us I have heard - e-mails were forwarded on and on to churches and groups through family and friends. Baby Elizabeth's name was lifted up to our Heavenly Father throughout this ordeal by people who hadn't even met her. And you know what? I FELT IT. I've never, never had that many people praying for my family for something. We've never been through anything that warranted petitions in that manner. But I can honestly tell you that Nate and I felt like we were being held up physically, mentally and spiritually by God b/c of it. With soooo little sleep and countless doctors coming in spitting off terms about our baby that we needed to remember and people calling and visiting all the time where we felt like we needed to be 'at our best' for them since they took time to come see us - it was exhausting but yet we made it each day. The doctor's said many times how remarkable Elizabeth was doing considering what she had been through - how fast she was recovering - how "she doesn't look like a 'heart' baby" said one doctor! You can't tell me that wasn't God's hand on us!
Are we going to be overprotective parents now? Probably so---Elizabeth has been throwing up the past three days just once each night and of course we freaked out and called the cardiologist. And then her incision opened up on the other side this time and we called the on call surgeon Saturday. She seems fine but we are very hypersensitive now.
The one major thing I learned from this all is BE PREPARED if you have children --- (that's the boy scout motto in case you didn't know). Prepared for what? Prepared in all sense of the word - have a support system set up already that you can rely on to step in and pick up your world where you can't be there to keep it running. Know what to do if your child has an emergency....for us when Elizabeth choked for the first time both Nate and I freaked out and didn't' know what to do. Nate called 911 and I ran across the street to my neighbor who is a nurse for him to help her. What was I thinking? Do you know how to resuscitate your child if they quit breathing or choke - it kills me to think of all the times my kids could have done this and I wouldn't have known what to do even though I took CPR in college (it wasn't refreshed in my mind!). The hospital made Nate and I watch a video and show the nurse how to do CPR on a child/baby before we could leave. Thank God! If anything - go learn the few basic steps for that right now! And the last thing that can prepare someone in case they go through any kind of family crisis - have faith in Christ. Nate and I knew from the beginning that whatever happened we were going to make it b/c of our faith in Christ. We had HOPE that He would pull us through it....now don't think I didn't want to curl up and scream in pain from fear of not knowing what was wrong with her in the ER Sunday night at Vanderbilt but I prayed and I knew when I couldn't pray I could moan in fear and sadness and my Father would hear me and give me the strength. I can't imagine families going through a crisis like that and not being grounded in faith.
I doubt anyone has read all this rambling - but it was good for me to get out of my head and now I can carry on with my blogging like before! Much thankfulness and love goes out to my friends and family for 'stepping in' where I couldn't be and carrying my family through the past two weeks!
Obviously we are back - one week exactly- from Vanderbilt and Elizabeth is doing great considering someone cut her open and sewed on her heart two weeks ago! I don't know if its me not facing the reality of what happened or what??? but I don't think much about that week when I look at her. Everyone that I see for the first time or talk to says to me "I couldn't have done it....how did you make it?" Well I think how could I not make it? How could I not have done it? It was my two week old baby that went through it and she didn't even cry that much so how could I not be strong while sitting beside her with those breathing tubes and chest tubes in her? How could I not stand their strong while they poked her too many times to count to try and get i.v.'s in her little veins even having to go through her leg bones once b/c her veins were too tiny. My sweet baby girl was the strongest person I've ever seen - not complaining about the pain once! Her precious little lung collapsed and she didn't even let us know but just kept on breathing and sleeping - she got an infection in her incision when it popped open and she didn't even cry when we would pick her up to hold her and nurse! I'm in awe when I look at that precious baby and know that she is going to be a strong woman in this world!
Wow...this is therapeutic! We had so many people praying for us I have heard - e-mails were forwarded on and on to churches and groups through family and friends. Baby Elizabeth's name was lifted up to our Heavenly Father throughout this ordeal by people who hadn't even met her. And you know what? I FELT IT. I've never, never had that many people praying for my family for something. We've never been through anything that warranted petitions in that manner. But I can honestly tell you that Nate and I felt like we were being held up physically, mentally and spiritually by God b/c of it. With soooo little sleep and countless doctors coming in spitting off terms about our baby that we needed to remember and people calling and visiting all the time where we felt like we needed to be 'at our best' for them since they took time to come see us - it was exhausting but yet we made it each day. The doctor's said many times how remarkable Elizabeth was doing considering what she had been through - how fast she was recovering - how "she doesn't look like a 'heart' baby" said one doctor! You can't tell me that wasn't God's hand on us!
Are we going to be overprotective parents now? Probably so---Elizabeth has been throwing up the past three days just once each night and of course we freaked out and called the cardiologist. And then her incision opened up on the other side this time and we called the on call surgeon Saturday. She seems fine but we are very hypersensitive now.
The one major thing I learned from this all is BE PREPARED if you have children --- (that's the boy scout motto in case you didn't know). Prepared for what? Prepared in all sense of the word - have a support system set up already that you can rely on to step in and pick up your world where you can't be there to keep it running. Know what to do if your child has an emergency....for us when Elizabeth choked for the first time both Nate and I freaked out and didn't' know what to do. Nate called 911 and I ran across the street to my neighbor who is a nurse for him to help her. What was I thinking? Do you know how to resuscitate your child if they quit breathing or choke - it kills me to think of all the times my kids could have done this and I wouldn't have known what to do even though I took CPR in college (it wasn't refreshed in my mind!). The hospital made Nate and I watch a video and show the nurse how to do CPR on a child/baby before we could leave. Thank God! If anything - go learn the few basic steps for that right now! And the last thing that can prepare someone in case they go through any kind of family crisis - have faith in Christ. Nate and I knew from the beginning that whatever happened we were going to make it b/c of our faith in Christ. We had HOPE that He would pull us through it....now don't think I didn't want to curl up and scream in pain from fear of not knowing what was wrong with her in the ER Sunday night at Vanderbilt but I prayed and I knew when I couldn't pray I could moan in fear and sadness and my Father would hear me and give me the strength. I can't imagine families going through a crisis like that and not being grounded in faith.
I doubt anyone has read all this rambling - but it was good for me to get out of my head and now I can carry on with my blogging like before! Much thankfulness and love goes out to my friends and family for 'stepping in' where I couldn't be and carrying my family through the past two weeks!
Nov 5, 2008
My house is quiet
My first morning without anyone here although my sister should arrive shortly to visit and hold the baby while I rest or maybe shower (oh, who am I kidding...you know I really want to go to Kohl's and shop at their big sale today!)...
I'm doing good - nights aren't too bad. My body seems to have adjusted to waking up for periods of time and listening to little noises, differentiating between choking, spit up, hiccups, gas, big poops, or restful quiet! (I like the last one - no noise!)
It's definitely so different this third time around I really can't believe it. I'm actually trying to relish every moment of this b/c I 'know' it will be my last go around at it. It's kind of like when I had Eli in Alabama...just a lot of free time in the day (while the kids are at school) to hold and sleep her and stare at her. Of course when the boys come home there is a lot of juggling but they are so patient with me and very self-sufficient, playing together and able to get themselves ready with my coaching from the living room if need be. I realize how they emotionally need me more then anything to be engaged with them and not staring at Elizabeth at times. More Eli then Ian it seems lately. He just wants to know I'm still there for "him" I think.
Funny story to end...Eli comes home from school Monday and says "Mrs. Cliche wants to know how long we can play together this week." My heart stops and I feel a little sick. I even look up at my mom to see if she heard the same thing and she looks at me really weird so I know I'm not having a delusion. Here's what I heard inside my head...."I've been telling Mrs. Cliche how you ignore me because of the baby and she wants me to try and get you to play with me alone this week without that baby distracting you from your first born wonderful son who feels neglected!" I really don't know what to say b/c Eli doesn't' seem bothered by his comment. So ---later that night I'm giving the boys a bath (without baby - just me and them time) and I look at Eli and say "So, Eli...when you told me Mrs. Cliche wants us to play together this week what do you mean?" He said "wasn't it in my notes from her?" OH MY GOODNESS.... "No, I didn't see anything about us playing together." He said "there wasn't a bag with directions on it and some dice?" OH!!!!!!!!!!!!! "You mean that math homework...we are supposed to play that together this week?" Eli - "Yes, we have to play that as much as we can this week for my homework."
Good gracious I think - well, at least I know he hasn't gone to the school counselor yet!
I'm doing good - nights aren't too bad. My body seems to have adjusted to waking up for periods of time and listening to little noises, differentiating between choking, spit up, hiccups, gas, big poops, or restful quiet! (I like the last one - no noise!)
It's definitely so different this third time around I really can't believe it. I'm actually trying to relish every moment of this b/c I 'know' it will be my last go around at it. It's kind of like when I had Eli in Alabama...just a lot of free time in the day (while the kids are at school) to hold and sleep her and stare at her. Of course when the boys come home there is a lot of juggling but they are so patient with me and very self-sufficient, playing together and able to get themselves ready with my coaching from the living room if need be. I realize how they emotionally need me more then anything to be engaged with them and not staring at Elizabeth at times. More Eli then Ian it seems lately. He just wants to know I'm still there for "him" I think.
Funny story to end...Eli comes home from school Monday and says "Mrs. Cliche wants to know how long we can play together this week." My heart stops and I feel a little sick. I even look up at my mom to see if she heard the same thing and she looks at me really weird so I know I'm not having a delusion. Here's what I heard inside my head...."I've been telling Mrs. Cliche how you ignore me because of the baby and she wants me to try and get you to play with me alone this week without that baby distracting you from your first born wonderful son who feels neglected!" I really don't know what to say b/c Eli doesn't' seem bothered by his comment. So ---later that night I'm giving the boys a bath (without baby - just me and them time) and I look at Eli and say "So, Eli...when you told me Mrs. Cliche wants us to play together this week what do you mean?" He said "wasn't it in my notes from her?" OH MY GOODNESS.... "No, I didn't see anything about us playing together." He said "there wasn't a bag with directions on it and some dice?" OH!!!!!!!!!!!!! "You mean that math homework...we are supposed to play that together this week?" Eli - "Yes, we have to play that as much as we can this week for my homework."
Good gracious I think - well, at least I know he hasn't gone to the school counselor yet!
Nov 1, 2008
Elizabeth Rose is here
Wow...it only took a week to post - but this will be quick.
We are doing great - tired and adjusting to life with three kids and their different (some more grown up then others) needs this time around. Elizabeth is so patient, sleeps all time time, and lets the boys toss her around when they want. Both boys are so gentle and loving towards her - very full of questions about how she eats, why she does this...etc.
She had a weigh in today and she's gained 4 oz. past her leave hospital weight which is awesume for breastfed babies. Don't have to go back for 2 more months! I'm relearning this whole baby thing since it's only been 5 years since I've had one!!! Enjoy pictures -
We are doing great - tired and adjusting to life with three kids and their different (some more grown up then others) needs this time around. Elizabeth is so patient, sleeps all time time, and lets the boys toss her around when they want. Both boys are so gentle and loving towards her - very full of questions about how she eats, why she does this...etc.
She had a weigh in today and she's gained 4 oz. past her leave hospital weight which is awesume for breastfed babies. Don't have to go back for 2 more months! I'm relearning this whole baby thing since it's only been 5 years since I've had one!!! Enjoy pictures -
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
