From "The Wonder that is Woman"

"Because if we are only what we are, we are most decidedly not divine. As beings unto ourselves, we are finite and self-absorbed things, manufacturers rather than creators. To create, we must rise above our individuality. To actualize our divine essence, we must transcend the bounds of self."

By Yanki Tauber

Still & Bare

"When the earth is still and bare, the somber gray-brown bark of the hickory tree trunk can be quite magical. The deep forest-green ivy that cascades over the aged brick wall beside my kitchen door becomes the rarest of gifts.
...
In my wintertime garden no butterflies flutter, no honeybees hum, there are no whimsical Johnny-jump-up faces or graceful summer dahlias. Yet I know each is safely hidden away in its own secret bed, where winter's silence holds the promise of spring's exuberance."

~Emily Jenkins for Victoia Magazine January 1993

Another Three Weeks

It looks like Baby Girl will be in her brace for another 3 weeks, but her hips show GREAT improvement so that will do the trick. Another 3 weeks will be challenging for us, but we are SO BLESSED her progress was as good as it turned out.
Praise God!

Wordless Wednesday

Of Peas and Peace

I'm genuinely contented and happy to be a mom. I enjoy my soft and squishy little blessing even when she's crying, which is a lot, because quite frankly she's been dealt a challenging hand so far. With skin irritations, potential allergies, and Hip Dysplasia, she is learning a lot about life here on earth with its hurdles to overcome. I know she can't make heads or tails of why she must be forced to be slathered in ointment and wear a restrictive contraption, so I hope she can feel my love for her with every kiss, cuddle, song, feeding, Eskimo kiss, back rub, and even our naps together. I pray she knows I am always here for her and never worries that I might leave her (however instinctual that fear is).

These past 7 weeks have been a learning experience/marathon for me as well. I am restricting my diet, something that is much more challenging for me than a sleepless night, and eating only the basics until we determine what was causing the extreme rash she had a few weeks back. My snacking sources are scarce and mostly consist of vegan, gluten-free bread with something on it (bananas, avocado, vegan buttery spread, honey...). One of my favorite snacks, though a little pricey, are freeze dried fruits and veggies. I can go through a bag in one sitting. Yum, yum delish!

These Minutes are Milestones

Every pursed lip,

Nod of head - 

Bobble and Reach:

Prepare a path

And part the proverbial

SEAs

For onward steps

Across the divine divide

And show us mountains

on the other side.

Love and Demand

"Demand nursing, as I saw it, was no different from caring for a family member who has been rendered powerless. Would we refuse an incapacitated father a meal because it was "not time"? Or leave a paralyzed spouse alone in a room to "cry it out"--checking in every 10 minutes to say, "It's Ok"--without trying to find out what is wrong and doing something about it? If he or she only wanted to be held, would we refuse, for fear of spoiling someone we love?"

From:
So I Nursed Him Every 45 Minutes
By Elizabeth N. Baldwin, Esq.

Catching Zzzs

 

Around here, we're all catching our Zzz's wherever we can.

 

Baby Girl here is in her infant insert that goes inside of the Ergo Baby Carrier I've been using when I need to get some things done that are particularly challenging when trying to hold a darling little nine pound bundle of cuteness.

 

 

When I "emptied" her out of the carrier onto the bed, she was deep in a dream, so I decided to leave her as she lay and snap some photos.  I'm sure these will embarrass her when she gets older. 

 

I couldn't resist snapping some shots of her sweet feet!  These babies are HUGE!  When she sits on my lap (propped against my thighs), I like to kiss them and make them dance.  When I do, she just looks at me like I've gone crazy.  Sweet thang!

Whoah!

 

When every experience is a new one, it's easy to wear a shocked expression.

 

Like a little black dress.

 



A Week of Blessings

Baby Girl did not want to leave my belly, so she was handed her eviction notice 2 weeks past her due date on 11/26.  Even with that intervention, she tried her darndest to stay put.  However, after about 15 hours of labor, she finally entered the world and my arms.

 

 

She loves her mommy and daddy very much already and seems to only calm down if she is stationed on one of our chests.  Unfortunately, Numbers Man has come down with a cold so he is having to stay some distance away (which is SO VERY DIFFICULT). 

 

Just look at that face!

Not everything has been easy, but with every trial comes gem, ready to be uneathed and polished,

 

2 Corinthians 5: 6-8

Therefore we are always confident , knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:    (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)   We are confident , I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.