Thursday, July 31, 2008

Living Insight

We need each other. You need someone and someone needs you. Isolated islands we are not.  To make this experience called "life" work, we've got to lean and support.  And relate and respond. And give and take. And confess and forgive. And reach out and embrace. And release and rely.

Blink:




One year ago August 10th (also my moms birthday) I was 5 weeks pregnant in the Bahamas shooting a week long shoot for Kawasaki Jet Skis.  Now I am booked with the client again, but this year in Lake Havasu AZ, where my brother lives.  So I will be traveling for a week with Hunter and Morgan to AZ.  My parents, sister and her family from Texas are all going to travel out there the same week, so now I get to travel, see my entire family and earn a few bucks shooting a fun action packed photo shoot for Kawasaki.  Here are a couple of pictures from last years shoot:  

1.  Last year (5 weeks pregnant) on Kawasaki shoot in Bahamas. The actual week I found out I was pregnant. 

2.  One of the jet skis I shot on. There is a helicopter right above shooting this shot.  So cool! 

3.  And me today (the picture I had to take and send to client this week before they agreed to book me, since I did just have a baby).  I AM BACK to pre-baby body weight!!!  Now just got to find time to get in the gym and tone it up!!!  

Maybe I will explore some of my photography on my down time with the jet skiers out there.  




My First Photo Shoot


Okay - here are some pictures from my first photo shoot with people other than my kiddos.

This couple just got engaged (Brad and Lindsay), and are friends of mine. Little Madison is Lindsay's daughter (almost 2 years old). They got engaged over the 4th of July holiday down in Key West Florida, and are getting married in the same spot on December 6th, of this year.

Lindsay and Brad honored me with the pleasure of shooting some engagement photos of them and their new soon to be family.

I still have a ways to go, but I have to say that as nervous I was, I had a great time and I am so thrilled with what I got.

Now I am looking forward to taking a photography course even sooner.

Also Payton was my first picture of the afternoon just checking out the lighting. I thought she looked adorable and had to share it.

Thank you Brad and Lindsay for the experience.


Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Today's Quote 

 

The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open.

 

-Unknown

(I had to delete yesterdays quote for it was causing problems on the blog, must have had a glitch or something)

My Little Man -


Okay, look at this face.  I mean are you kidding me??  Hunter has been in Cape Cod with his dad for the last 3 weeks. The longest I have gone from not seeing him, but due to hockey camps this year it was the only way we could work the schedules.  His dad took this picture of him talking on the phone with ME (mommy) while he was enjoying his pancakes.  He returns home to me this Saturday and I just can't wait!!!!  


Saturday, July 26, 2008

Susan's Mom - Update

Please keep this family in your prayers:

Dear Family and Friends:

           This is an e-mail I had hoped we would never have to write.
Throughout this entire ordeal, we have been honest and open with
ourselves, our family and our friends.  We have always dealt with things
as they are not how we wanted them to be and today is no exception.

           Since my last e-mail which was encouraging, Eileen developed
symptoms of an infection.  After several tests it was determined that a
tumor is growing in the lower area of her abdomen.  The fact that she
has appendix cancer and the type she has is very rare and fast growing,
there is probably little we can do except to make her as comfortable as
possible.  We did discuss more chemo and more surgery, but with both
theses options the risks far outweigh the possible limited benefits.  We
will make all the final decisions next Friday when meeting with Eileen's
oncologist but we believe we have run out of reasonable options.

           At this point we are just looking for her to have some
quality of life and to make her as comfortable as possible as the days
progress.  We have talked and have decided to be thankful for the good
life we have had, the family we have raised and all the friends that
really care so very much.  We will take each day we have and look at it
as a blessing.  As horrific as this disease is, it does buy us some time
to say what may not have been said and to do some things we should have
done.  

           As always, thank you for your love, support and concern; we
are going to need it more than ever now.  

Love, Dave & Family 

Snail-ella


This is my friends daughter Payton (4 years old).  While out looking at their soon to be new place to live here in FL.  Payton found this snail.  She has never seen a snail before and quickly picked this one up to show to her mommy.  The snail was not shy at all and came out to play on Payton's hand.  She seriously carried the snail around for about 30 minutes and put him out on her balcony to be it's new home and her new pet.  

So here is a picture I took (again) with the camera phone of Payton and her pet Snail-ella!!!!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Blink:

Tonight I read from one of my favorite bloggers "Angie - Audrey Caroline".  I have been following her blog since Morgan was born because her daughter was due the same day as Morgan, but was born a week earlier and lived only 2 hours.  

Tonight she wrote a blog (check it out) about things that you just want to close your eyes (blink them) as to capture life in your photographic memory forever.  I loved how she wrote it and I thought, that's what I want to share tonight.  Posting that picture of Hunter when he was six months old, I closed my eyes just remembering him at that age, his smell, his sounds and touch.  

Blink: 

I love the pictures I have captured of Morgan, one with her tongue out and one I didn't post where she was blowing huge bubbles.  Loving her voice when we lay next to each other in bed just talking to one another.  Smelling her up when I smother her with kisses.  Watching her little eyes exploring the world around her.  Watching her hair turn to blonde from brown.  Squeezing her chunky thighs and loving how squishy they are.  Looking at her hands just reaching out and wrapping around my fingers.

Blink:

My friend Val just moved back here from WI (my old roommate) with her 4 year old daughter (my god-daughter).  We were looking through her photo albums of all the things she and I have experienced together, now seeing we have children of our own and just how time fly's by when you are moving too fast to enjoy it.

Blink:

Two years ago this month I met my husband, 1 year ago this month we conceived our little girl. Now this week, this month (July), we will hand over our relationship to God, and ask for guidance and insight on how to grow and mature our marriage (a new marriage) into a loving and respectful marriage. Reconcile with counseling, with baby-steps and with hope!!! 

Blink:

My friend Susan, she has been given her fair share amount of hard times, but right now and for the last year she has watched her mom slowly shrink in size and struggle with her fight of cancer.  Just a year ago her mom was here with us healthy as could be taking us to see the circus.  

Blink:

Just 13 weeks ago I was in the hospital bringing new life into the world for the 2nd time.

Blink:

Just a couple of months ago, my son was a first grader with no braces.  Now he has braces, looks years older to me and is a second grader.....I have a 2nd grader?  

Blink:

21 years ago (age 9), I was sitting in a red wagon in my backyard alone (Dallas TX).  I remember feeling the breeze on my skin and listening to the silence around me as I prayed to God, and I was born again.

Blink:

This week I have yelled at God instead of Praying, for I have been so angry, but still when I lay down at night, although I have probably disappointed HIM and hurt his feelings..... he still loves me more than anyone that walks this earth.  
  
Blink:

When I first moved here I knew no one but my sons father.  Today (11 years later).... I have one huge group of friends and support system any girl could ever want.  I am so blessed with the beautiful friends God has put in my life.  Girls that I will walk with until the end of time.

Blink:

Just 12 years ago I was a young teenage girl, living life single and free.  I took home two cute little orange kitties ..... and still today those beautiful, loving gentle lions are with me today.  I love them so much and I see angles behind their eyes.  

Blink:

There is a song by Kenny Chesney "Don't Blink"..... it talks about how life will pass you by so fast, don't blink or you just might miss something.  I love that song. However sometimes I think we need to 'BLINK' so we can capture those moments forever....

Blink:

I remember one time laying in bed, it was in the middle of the night and Hunter is next to me.  He had to be about 2 or 3 years old at the time.  When all of the sudden he sat up in the dark, felt around for me with his hands, found my face with his hands and half asleep just leaned over and kissed me on my forehead.  

Blink:

From time to time when I would take back roads, I would let Hunter sneak up and sit in the front seat. The rule though that we had to call it 'mommy and son date' and we had to hold hands.  He loved it!!!  I can still still my little man sitting next to me with the world to face ahead of him, simply enjoy a simple moment as riding in the front seat holding my hand.  (TEARS ARE FLOWING NOW)

Blink:

One time I was going through another season in life.  It was around Christmas time and I was crying to a friend. I went to the bathroom to get myself some tissue.  Hunter came into the bathroom with me and out of no where he started to sing to me "Santa Clause is coming to town"  (you better not watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, for Santa Clause is coming to town)  My friend Amy just loved that story and so for Christmas that year she gave me a picture of me and Hunter sitting in Santa's lap, with the lyrics to that song in a frame.  

Blink:

I have heard this phrase a few times and forgive me if I say it wrong or mess it up.... but it goes something like "life isn't about how many breaths you take, but the things in life that take your breath away". Did I get it right?

Yea....thus my new blog name THEY TAKE MY BREATH AWAY!!!!!  My kids truly are 'the wind beneath my wings' and they simply 'take my breath away' every day.

BLINK: BLINK: BLINK: BLINK:


OMG Look What I Found.....

Makes me want to cry!!  I see a lot of Morgan in him too!!!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Basil Skin Cancer -


It's true.  I went and had a growing lump on my forehead looked at and when they did a biopsy on it, it came back as Basil Cell Carcinoma. It is the most common form of skin cancer.  I was supposed to go back and have it surgically removed, but soon found out I was pregnant and just ended up waiting and it ended up growing back really fast. So finally 3 months after having Morgan, I went back in today to have it looked at.  While there they happen to have a patient in the office with the same thing so they could show me the before and after photos and scar on her face from the Mohs Surgery. It was awful looking. It really scared me and I almost wanted to cry.  The good thing is that they say my cancer spot is much-much smaller than hers so my section and scar will me much smaller.  I know that is superficial to worry about it, but for what I do for work, it is important, and who wouldn't worry about any type of surgical procedure being done on their face. 

Anyways, while at my appointment my friend Val took this picture of me and my baby girl.  Everyone just thought HE was the cutest thing ever.  I guess the brown colors and her little hat threw them off.  Come on people girls wear brown too..... look at mommy!!!! LOL  She is just darling though isn't she? 


Round Two




 


More Photography Testing






Okay so I realize just how much I actually stink at photography right now. I am good at POV (point of view) and lighting (most of the time), but working with DOF (depth of field), aperture, f-stops....etc.  It is all just so confusing.  I figured out how to use the AV mode on my camera and adjust the f-stops for the background blur, but quickly realized that it doesn't automatically adjust the lighting for you as automatic mode does.  So unless you are in the perfect light, you have to manually adjust to the lighting on your camera and I just haven't gotten that far yet.

I have had a quite of few people asking me about this online course.  Well it is actually an online course of learning my way around my specific camera (EOS Canon Rebel XT Digital).  I think I am seriously going to take on a photography course in person. I love photography too much to not do so. 

Anyways, here are the most recent things I have done.... and yes the toads are real and where in my back yard. I know gross, BUT.... I needed to practice and they were the subjects available at the time.  (LAUGHING)

I want to be a good photographer.....  :(  Sigh!!!!!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

First Day of Online Photography Class





























Morgan is SO in trouble when she wakes up from her nap.... mommy needs a professional model to explore my new photography on.  He! He!  Well Milo is pretty professional, but I mean human professional. :)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Who's little girl ???


Is she daddy's little girl or mommy's??  

Well right now she seems to be a mommy's little girl.  However I am sure that won't last long.  Morgan seems to be very attached to me this last week or so.  I don't know what has come over her but she refuses to let anyone (and I do mean anyone) feed her.  Several people, along with daddy have recently experienced this change in her.  When they try to feed her or are left alone with her she screams.  When I say screams, I mean like you are hurting the poor girl kind of scream.  It's awful!  

In this picture we just got back from a walk around the block and daddy got home from work.  As you can see by her face she is looking at me like "you better not go far mommy, you know what happens if you do."  LOL 

She will smile at daddy, at strangers and coo at you.... but you try to feed her or get her to sleep, not going to happen.

I don't know maybe she is with me 24/7 and I am always the one to feed her and put her to sleep that on those random days now if anyone else tries... she realizes its just not mommy's smell or touch.  Sounds sweet .... but not good for little butterfly for she only makes it hard on herself and everyone else when mommy needs a break. 

I think she looks adorable in this picture.  We found this flower on our walk. 

By they way this is a camera phone picture (thus the fuzzy look), however I did get my new camera, along with a photoshop program for my computer.  I am also taking an online photography class so we shall see what fun that will be in my future postings.  


Saturday, July 12, 2008

Mega Baby -



Morgan went in for her 3 month check up and OH MY, my MEGA BABY GIRL! She weighed in at 15.04 lbs and in 4 weeks went from 23 1/2 to 25 inches long.  She is growing so fast.  She is in the 95% for weight and 90% for height, so she is well balanced, just a big baby.  She may be taking after her 6'6" daddy.  Wow!!!

Anyways, she is starting to do better with tummy time now that we use her boppy pillow and place her in front of the mirror. I get on the floor and talk with her at the mirror and I think she finds it fascinating that there is two mommy's in the room and another baby to play with.  HA!!  Before she wouldn't look at herself in the mirror (my modest child), but now she smiles at herself.  It's so cute. 

The picture of her on her tummy is really cute in full zoom, so click on image to view it larger and check out her face!!!! 

She is getting really good at grabbing my hair, as you can see by her expression on her face, she gets a kick out of it.  


Friday, July 11, 2008


"East To West"

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness 
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

I think she is ready to be free of swaddling...


Lately I have noticed that Morgan is wiggling more and more out of swaddles at night, thus causing me to be more nervous, because on a few occasions I have heard the smallest little baby noise from her and when I check, she has wiggled out of the swaddle.  Before it has only been an arm or two.  Recently (a couple of times) she wiggled herself down into the swaddle where the it covers her mouth and nose.  Thankfully I am such a light sleeper I hear her getting frustrated and am able to redo her swaddle.  I ask myself how I can stop this from happening, do I make the bandana tighter?  I don't want to squeeze her too tight and I already tie it pretty tight as is.  

Well the night before last night I look over at her and she has totally gotten out of the swaddle. Her entire bare body is exposed (naked with diaper).  However the bandana is still tied in a knot and so the blanket is all bunched up underneath her back and neck, while the bandana is around her neck.  I quickly jump out of bed with my eyes half open when I notice this on the monitor.  My heart pounds and I am thinking "I am really starting to hate this swaddling thing".  I never swaddled Hunter. I never heard of it then.  

So anyways I googled "swaddling" and when is a baby ready to be unswaddled.  Morgan shows all the signs.  She recently screams and fights to not be swaddled, and as before she would often calm down automatically and be calm once swaddled.  Now she gets mad and wiggles, and fights and cries when you go to swaddle her.  BIG SIGN!  Getting out of her swaddles more and more during the nights because she is moving more during her sleep.  BIG SIGN! 

Constantly wakes herself or can't get comfortable while you hold her swaddled and so she fights you, making it hard to get her to sleep.  BIG SIGN!!!

Also she doesn't nap any more being swaddled and she sleeps great with out it during the days. BIG SIGN!

So tonight my little girl is in a "night gown" and no swaddle.  By the way she has ALWAYS liked her feet to not be covered up, even when swaddled we would have to open the bottom to let her feet hang out.  So cute!!! 

Well its late and I need my sleep, lets see how night #1 goes with no swaddle!!! And please no snake dreams!!!! Ugh!!! 


PS:  Sorry for the bad photo, my camera was dropped the night of 4th of July and is broken.  I plan on getting a new camera this weekend.  Until then I have had to resort to the camera phone!!!! 


Expert Answers

The BabyCenter Editorial Team

Wrapping your newborn snugly in a blanket, or swaddling her, can help her feel safe and secure and may even help prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). A study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in May 2005 suggests that babies who are swaddled sleep better (have fewer spontaneous awakenings and fall back to sleep more quickly) and are more responsive to outside stimuli than babies who are not swaddled during sleep. Swaddling, then, may help your baby feel more secure sleeping on her back and enable her to wake up more easily if something is amiss.

Not all babies like to be swaddled, though, and most outgrow it quickly. "By about 2 months, your baby will be moving around more in sleep, and swaddling could make her uncomfortable and contribute to night waking," says Judith Owens, a pediatrician and director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorders Clinic at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. If your newborn starts to fuss when you swaddle her but you'd like to keep doing it a bit longer, swaddle her with her arms and hands free.

If you're worried that your unswaddled baby will be cold, dress her in a blanket-type sleeper at bedtime. And keep in mind that your baby probably doesn't need to be dressed as warmly as you think. Cooler temperatures are actually more conducive to sleep, Owens says.

Overdressing your baby or keeping her room too warm can put her at an increased risk for SIDS. The temperature in your baby's room should feel comfortable to you; 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit is a good range.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Enough Already -


Okay so this is like snake #2 in 3 days sitting at my back door.  However get this... I opened my mouth too soon and he must have heard me because the cat sitting next to this snake was MILO.  Yes Milo, the one that I said typically only brings me live lizards, drops them near my feet some place and then walks to the food bowl for his treat in return.  

So now I am terrified to step out onto my patio.  For I see Milo sitting there and I am calling him in and mind you it is 10:00 pm.  He isn't coming and and he just sits there, so I of course go to pick him up in annoyance at him and all of the sudden this brown that blends in with my brown door mat moved just enough to catch my eye.  I look and right next to my right foot all curled up is this snake.  

The first thing I noticed was his head (slightly triangled) and so I freak out.  "OMG, bad snake, bad snake" is all I could seem to say.  So I grab Milo toss him away from the snake.  And sitting on the table from Sunday was the net.  So I grab the next and I toss it over the snake.  He is a feisty thing too. 

I run in and I grab the "thong" from the kitchen and I grab this little bug capture thing Hunter has. I grab the snake and slowly pick it up and put it in the bug capture.  This snake strikes by the way.  I am literately shaking while I am doing this and of course with all the noise I was making, Hunter comes running to see all the excitement. I quickly tell him to shut the door that this is a BAD snake.  

So the snake is inside the bug thing and the bug lid on top is a magnifying glass so here I am studying the snake as he keeps striking at me.  I have to admit the little guy made me jump a couple of times.  Hey man he didn't look so small looking through the magnifying glass.  LOL 

So I go in and I do one of my favorite things, and I think it is one of my favorite things because I love to learn and I feel I learn something new all the time... and that's GOOGLING! So I googled the snake.

As it turns out it is a baby "Brown Water Snake" in which can appear and be confused with the cottonmouth water snakes.  Brown water snakes have all the appearances of that of a poisonous snake, such as the head shape, color and location. 

All this time I am thinking what am I going to do with this "BAD" snake and how did Milo not get bitten by it.  

So of course after my "google research" on the snake, I realized Milo my super brave kitty #2, brought to me a baby brown water snake.  In one of the research things I found it said this:

Conservation Status: Brown watersnakes are common in our region and are not protected. However, like other watersnakes, this species is often mistaken for the venomous cottonmouth because of their coloring, habitat, and slightly triangular head. Sadly, this ignorance leads to the needless killing of many watersnakes annually.

Okay so how in the heck am I to kill a baby brown water snake after reading something like that?  And I don't want to leave it trapped in that bug thing all night either so I can think about it and have bad dreams over it.  So I go get my fancy UGGS, I get the pink gloves, I get the thong... (I need to take a picture of my very fashionable, snake catching gear) and I pick up the snake inside the bug catcher.  I walk it to the back fence and I toss the entire bug catcher, hoping it would open and the snake would escape. NOOOO... of course the lid didn't open.  By now I am about to pee my pants, for it is dark, I can barely see anything and I am thinking "what if there is more snakes where I am standing now".  YIKES!!!  So I then lean over and I quickly take the thongs and tap on the lid causing it to open.  I jumped back and ran inside and locked the door (as if the snake was going to chase me back or something) and I look out the window to see if I can see the snake leave.  I couldn't it was too far away and too dark.  

So there you go.  I didn't kill the baby brown water snake... I learned a thing or two tonight about different types of water snakes and now I need to go give MILO a big fat rub down and some extra treats and hope that he doesn't feel the need to bring me another any time soon and he showed me that he isn't just some lazy lizard catcher after all.  SMILING! 





Baby Smiles or like Drugs ---

Baby's first smiles give mom's brain a buzz

Tiny grins light up reward centers that lead to quality care, study says





Any mother who's ever felt a jolt of joy at her baby’s first grin knows how intoxicating that can be.


Now, scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine say there’s more to the baby buzz than just a rush of happy feelings. Turns out that seeing your own child smile actually activates the pleasure receptors in the brain typically associated with food, sex  — and drug addiction.


“It may be that seeing your own baby’s face is like a ‘natural high,’ said Lane Strathearn, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor and and Texas Children's Hospital who studied the brain reactions of 28 first-time moms.


“We know similar brain circuits are activated,” he added. “Whether that feels the same as a shot of cocaine, I’m not sure.”


Strathearn and his team used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the mothers' brain reactions to photographs of their own 5-month to 10-month-old babies and those of others in three emotional states: happy, neutral and sad.


As expected, the sight of their own happy babies sent blood rushing to the moms’ brain regions associated with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in addiction. The spike rewarded the mothers with a neural kick that prompted them to want to take action to care for their babies, Strathearn said.


“It makes sense biologically,” said Strathearn, whose work is published in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics. “It establishes that bond between parent and child.”


The work is important, Strathearn said, not only because it documents the brain activity of healthy moms, but also because it could provide a baseline for studying the brains of abusive or addicted mothers and lead to possible interventions.


"We want to understand what happens in this relationship with mothers and babies," added Strathearn, who is a research associate in Baylor's Human Neuroimaging Laboratory.


No spike for crying babies

Surprisingly, however, the moms in the study didn’t respond as strongly to their own infants when their expressions were neutral — or when they were in distress. The neural scans showed the mothers responded to all crying infants about the same, by activating areas of the brain involved in conflict.


“We were expecting a different reaction with sad faces,” Strathearn said. Although it’s not exactly clear, that could mean that mothers are wired to react to all crying babies, not just their own.


The new study provides important insights into maternal responses to babies' emotional cues, said Regina Sullivan, a researcher at Joe LeDoux's Emotional Brain Institute, which is affiliated with the National S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and New York University.


But it doesn't clear up one big mystery of brain study: Are the documented brain reactions the result of instinct or socialization?


"We don't know whether this response is learned or innate," Sullivan said. "People tend to think that we're innately good parents, but it so happens that parenting in humans and in non-human primates has to be learned."


‘It's got to be like crack’

Whether she responded because of instinct or expectation, the results of the study were no surprise to Katrina Lyons, 39, a Houston high school science teacher who joined the research project three years ago, just before the birth of her first son.


Lyons said it’s hard even to describe the joy she felt at the sight of Aiden’s first smiles or those of his brother, Jack, who is 1.


“Does it feel like a high? Oh, yeah,” said Lyons, who surrounds herself with photos of her boys. “It’s got to be like crack. I just have to see them everywhere."


The Pediatrics study focused on the brain reactions of well-educated, middle-class mothers, but it could have implications for others. Moms who are depressed, for instance, typically fail to respond to their smiling babies.


And other studies have shown that using cocaine, a drug that activates the dopamine reward systems, might interfere with the brain perks prompted by smiling babies. That could explain high rates of child abuse among cocaine-addicted mothers, Strathearn said.


Other scientists are looking at the effects of infant emotions on fathers, but the current study was limited to biological mothers and babies, Strathern noted.


His work was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Kane Family Foundation, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.


If the research can help, Lyons said she was happy to participate.


“I think that’s good for all babies,” she said. “Everybody deserves a mama who loves them.”

Monday, July 7, 2008

4th Trimester is over!!!


I'm 3 Months Old 

Well they say that the first 3 months of a babies life is considered to be the 4th trimester.  As of today Morgan is 3 months old, so I guess I can now introduce to you my new baby girl.  

We will be going in for her 3 month appointment and for her other 2 shots she was to have gotten at the 2 month appointment. 

She currently weighs about 14 lbs and something. She is 23 1/2 long and is very healthy.  

Morgan is learning so much every day.  She is such a strong little girl.  She has been holding her head up for many weeks now and loves to sit up and face outward when you hold her.  She is eager to grow and be independent already.  She normally hates tummy time, but recently when placed her in front of the mirror on her boppy pillow (on tummy), she would coo and smile at herself.  I think it just gives her the distraction she needs to not focus so much on tummy and holding her head.  

Recently what I have noticed in her is that she is really trying hard to figure out and control her arms and hands.  I have to say that I guess I didn't pay that close of attention with little things like this with Hunter.  I really noticed while watching Morgan in her swing the other day and on her playmat or just about anywhere.  She is learning to get her hands and arms to move where she wants them.  She is figuring out how to extend them when she wants to touch something.  With out having full control right now, her arms still jerk and quickly swing back at her almost hitting herself in the face.  At one point she reached out and got her hand on the subject she was reaching for, and she had it there long enough that she was opening and closing her fingers in a quick motion, trying to figure out how to grab the toy. I was so proud of her and amazed as I watched her learning how to do something. 

She has not learned to roll over or anything yet, but she has on a couple of times wiggled herself off her playmat by pushing herself backwards with her feet. She just loves attention and she will talk to you and giggle, and be ware when she smiles at you it lights up the room.  I love, love, love her smile.  I can be having a bad day, exhausted from a long day, even frustrated at her at times....and the moment she smiles, all of those emotions are melted away.  I think she has this figured out too, because she will be fussing about something and I am frustrated with her, all of the sudden we will star at each other and before you know it, she has both of us smiling and giggling.  It is the best. 

We are sort of starting to get on a regular sleeping and eating schedule (with some flex).  Meaning for the most part she is pretty regular with her sleeping times and feeding times, but on occasion she will mess it up.  In the last week or two I am finally able to get her down to take naps.  As before she would have days where she would sleep 15-20 minutes here and there all day long.  The other days where she would take a 1-3 hour nap.  For me it was exhausting because I am still getting up with her in the nights, then unable to try and catch a little nap with her during the day because I wouldn't know what kind of napping day it would be.  So was never able to catch up on sleep. 

She still wakes up twice during the nights, giving me 5 hours at the most of solid sleep time.  I want more, but no complaints with this either.  Morgan sleeps in her swaddle, in her bassinet during the nights.  At he 4:00 am feeding I will typically let her arms out of her swaddle, feed her and let her sleep next to me for the next few hours, because after the 4:00 am feeding, it goes back to the every 2 hour schedule.  Often when she is in bed with me, I also let her get in a little tummy sleep time, as well when she naps.  This has only been over the last few weeks, as before we swaddled her even during nap time just so her arms wouldn't jump, scaring her and waking her.  She really seems to enjoy sleeping her her tummy even more now.  She gets that from mommy, I love to sleep on my tummy. 

I was just saying to myself and then to Hunter last night while at Rain Forest Cafe at the mall, that I was nervous that she may already be starting to teeth.  She has learned how to put her hands in her mouth and she tried to eat her entire fist to the point she gags herself sometimes.  Additionally she is drooling like a waterfall. Which is a sign of teething.  Hunter got his first tooth at 4 months old, so Morgan may follow that the same.  I don't want her to have her first tooth yet.  I am pretty confident she is my last little offspring, and I want to enjoy every baby phase as long as possible. 

Oh and recently she has gotten herself in that stage where she wiggles in constant distraction when eating.  So as you try to feed her a bottle she wiggles her head around and can't sit still.  Yea that's fun! HA! She is also getting to where she will fight to not go to sleep. It's too funny to watch sometimes, she will fight and fight to not close her eyes.  

Anyways, I am sure I could write all day long about my little butterfly.  She is lovely. I am so, so, thankful I have my little girl.  I can't imagine life with out her now. 

I love you baby girl!!!!


Sunday, July 6, 2008

My Sunday treat from Shilo - 'Water Snake'


Okay so I have 3 kitties in the home at this time for I am 'cat-sitting' Hunters cat from his dads house since they are up in the Cape for the summer.  She is a super sweet and gentle kitty named Maddie.  

Well all 3 cats are supposed to be indoor cats, for they are all declawed and fixed.  However they love to sunbath out on my patio, or relax in the shade in the bushes or on the chase chair and they never go any further than my fence in my back yard (well except for Shilo).  Anyways, they are all so desperately wanting my attention and I am often giving it to the baby.  So lately and just about every day they bring me treats.  Maddie you have to understand this is her first time getting to play the hunting lion she is underneath all that fluffy girly looking fur.  So she recently brought in her first lizard.  You could see how excited she was and so proud.  Then a couple of days later she brings in a frog, yes a FROG!  

Milo he just brings in lizards to me (alive) and then he walks over to his food bowl because he knows I reward him with his own treat and Milo, like Garfield LOVES to eat. 

Shilo however is known to bring to me just about anything he can. He is creative and brave!  He in the past has brought to me snakes, but typically they are small in size and harmless.  Well lately he has been the one wanting most of my attention.  When I rock the baby while feeding her he will jump up in my lap, while trying to balance himself with the motion of the rocking and sit next to the baby and just look at me with these pitiful eyes.  So today he decided he would make me OH SO PROUD.... I look out my door and there is the BIG SNAKE.  OMG!!!

So the first thing I do is I make sure to get all cats in and away from it.  I put on my UGG boots (they are think and will protect my legs and feet), I grab my really thick pink cleaning cloves, Hunter's bug catcher net (from Easter Bunny) and cooking thongs.  Here I go.....

So I step outside and this thing sticks it tongue out at me.  Although all curled up, he is letting me know to not come near him. I am very nervous at this point, but my son is watching and I have to be OH SO BRAVE myself (dang it!). INHALE...EXHALE....

Okay so I take the net and in my head I count to three really fast and plop the net down over the snake.  Okay.... crap-hola...now what? So I then take the cooking thong and I grab his head and I hold on tightly on outside of net.  

Now this is the tricky part, I have to now turn the net over while keeping focus on my grip of the snake with the cooking thongs.  So I do this with graceful coordination and wah-la I have a net, with a cooking thong, with a snake.... now what? So I walk out to the back of my fence but I am too scared to let it go.  So I am walking around in circles looking for anyone near by to scream help to.

A few homes down I see a guy out cleaning his grill, minding his own business, probably just thinking what he was going to cook up on the grill later today.  Here I come, with my net, with a snake, with the cooking thong, as well as my fancy uggs and pretty pink gloves in my PJ's.  He looks at me sees the long tail of the snake hanging out of the net and he says "HOLY S---" you get it. 

So then he goes into the house and I hear him with excitement telling his wife that there is a girl out there with a snake that her cat brought to her.  They come out holding a trash bag and the thought goes between letting the snake go in the water or putting it in the trash bag and killing it.  My thought...I don't want to see this snake a few weeks from now back in my yard and twice it's size. A snake is a snake as a spider is a spider to me - simple!!  So we opt for the trash bag.  

So here we go, I have to take my net, with the snake with the cooking thong.... (can you tell I like to say that - HA!) and now place it in the trash bag.  Mind you the guy is looking pretty scared himself and so I do it, I take the snake and the net and I slowly toss the snake in the bag.  The guy jumps (yes he jumps back two feet) and DROPS the bag, with the net with the snake... I still have the cooking thongs in my hand.  So I act quickly and I press down on the trash bag and snake with the thong and take the net out and as I hold down the snake the guy then grabs it, ties it up and we all take a deep breath.  Actually I was sweating by then.  

He says he doesn't want to kill it but doesn't want to let it out either, so I said "its your now do what you want" and I leave to go back to my kids at the house.  So I assume he killed the snake, I don't know...but I do know this, SHILO is going to get some much needed luv'en when he comes back in.  My brave, brave.... kitty. 

So how is your Sunday going so far?  

It's not even noon here yet and already I have gotten up with two kids, we took a little Sunday ride to Mc D's for some pancakes and hash-browns. Come home start a load of laundry (washing all sheets on beds) and Hunter is playing hockey on xbox 360, while I just fed and put Morgan down for a nap and I take a moment to share my snake story.  Now the whites are done....gotta run!!!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

The Power of a Praying Parent


Award-winning author, singer, and songwriter Stormie Omartian and her husband, Michael, spent 20 years raising their children...and learning the power of praying for them. Now, in 31 short, easy-to-read chapters, Stormie shares how you can pray through each stage of your child's growth, from early childhood through adulthood.

Learn how to turn to the Father and place every detail of your child's life in His loving and capable hands: safety, character development, peer pressure, school, marriage, friends, relationship with God, family relationships, adolescence, career choices.

Whether your child is three or thirty-three, it's never too late to discover the joy that comes from being a part of God's work in his or her life. Being a perfect parent doesn't matter. Being a praying parent does.



I love this book.

The Family Bed-


To sleep or not to sleep with your baby....

There has been a lot of media lately claiming that sleeping with your baby in an adult bed is unsafe and can result in accidental smothering of an infant. One popular research study came out in 1999 from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that showed 515 cases of accidental infant deaths occurred in an adult bed over an 8-year period between 1990 and 1997. That's about 65 deaths per year. These deaths were not classified as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), where the cause of death is undetermined. There were actual causes that were verified upon review of the scene and autopsy. Such causes included accidental smothering by an adult, getting trapped between the mattress and headboard or other furniture, and suffocation on a soft waterbed mattress.


The conclusion that the researchers drew from this study was that sleeping with an infant in an adult bed is dangerous and should never be done. This sounds like a reasonable conclusion, until you consider the epidemic of SIDS as a whole. During the 8-year period of this study, about 34,000 total cases of SIDS occurred in the U.S. (around 4250 per year). If 65 cases of non-SIDS accidental death occurred each year in a bed, and about 4250 cases of actual SIDS occurred overall each year, then the number of accidental deaths in an adult bed is only 1.5% of the total cases of SIDS.

There are two pieces of critical data that are missing that would allow us to determine the risk of SIDS or any cause of death in a bed versus a crib.

  • How many cases of actual SIDS occur in an adult bed versus in a crib?
  • How many babies sleep with their parents in the U.S., and how many sleep in cribs?

The data on the first question is available, but has anyone examined it? In fact, one independent researcher examined the CPSC's data and came to the opposite conclusion than did the CPSC - this data supports the conclusion that sleeping with your baby is actually SAFER than not sleeping with your baby (see Mothering Magazine Sept/Oct 2002). As for the second question, many people may think that very few babies sleep with their parents, but we shouldn't be too quick to assume this. The number of parents that bring their babies into their bed at 4 am is probably quite high. Some studies have shown that over half of parents bring their baby into bed with them at least part of the night. And the number that sleep with their infants the whole night is probably considerable as well. In fact, in most countries around the world sleeping with your baby is the norm, not the exception. And what is the incidence of SIDS in these countries? During the 1990s, in Japan the rate was only one tenth of the U.S. rate, and in Hong Kong, it was only 3% of the U.S. rate. These are just two examples. Some countries do have a higher rate of SIDS, depending on how SIDS is defined.

Until a legitimate survey is done to determine how many babies sleep with their parents, and this is factored into the rate of SIDS in a bed versus a crib, it is unwarranted to state that sleeping in a crib is safer than a bed.

If the incidence of SIDS is dramatically higher in crib versus a parent's bed, and because the cases of accidental smothering and entrapment are only 1.5% of the total SIDS cases, then sleeping with a baby in your bed would be far safer than putting baby in a crib.

The answer is not to tell parents they shouldn't sleep with their baby, but rather to educate them on how to sleep with their infants safely.


I love sleeping with my kids.  Hunter has slept with me his entire life basically up until the day I got married.  With Morgan, she sleeps in her bed next to mine and then I put her in bed with me around 4:00 AM after her feeding.  She gets up around 7:30 AM, so I enjoy those few hours of snuggle time in the mornings, hearing her breath, filling her warm body next to mine and oh that yummy scent she gives off.  The way I see it, this is OUR time as parents to get in all that together time with our kids.  For too soon they will not even think about having you next to them in bed.  As well, I also think that you have all your life from childhood to adult life to sleep alone.... who would want that, especially those little children? So I say go snuggle with your children for you never know when that opportunity will be gone. Safe snuggling and Safe sleeping moms and dads. 

Quiz here.  Do your kids at any time sleep with you or not? Curious!!!  



Happy 4th!!!



We are thankful for our freedom!!!
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