SAHM

SAHM. This is an abbreviation used online for the term Stay At Home Mom. Now of course, any mom knows that we SAHM, don't really just stay home all day. I mean some days, sure. But its more like we are MTDWOTH... Moms That Don't Work Outside The Home. But that would be silly. Anyway... this is a title I am proud to hold.

I know being a SAHM isn't for everyone. And that's fine. I'm just talking about myself. But my friend Kendra and I had a lovely conversation the other day about being a SAHM. Being a SAHM mom means we are sacrificing a crap load of money. Ok, so maybe not a crap load. But a significant amount. Being a SAHM is expensive. Its hard. I know being a working mom has its own set of immensely difficult challenges. I. Could. Not. Do. It.

But our conversation continually turned to the subject of God's provision. For both of our families God has provided us with a safe, clean home. Food on our table every day. The ability to pay our bills. Wash our clothes. Diaper our babies. Yes. We stress about money. There are times where we question how we'll get through another month. But we do. God always provides.

Nathan and I were talking and Nathan asked the question. Why? Why would God be so good to us, when we are constantly letting Him down? Why would God be so faithful to us, when we are so unfaithful to Him? Then the real big question. Why would God send His son to DIE for us???

Us. Ungrateful. Sinful. Us? I would not send my son to die for the likes of us. But we are His children. He loves us. Just like our parents still love us even when we disappoint them.

We do not deserve His provision, His grace, or His love... yet He still offers it freely. I know we will never be worthy... but we will try. We will fail day after day, but we will try. And in our efforts, God will see our hearts were pure in our attempt to please Him. I hope that the struggles and sacrifices of being a SAHM are some how pleasing to God. {That's not to say that being a working mom is not pleasing to God. I'm just talking about my own personal life and journey. We are not all called for the same thing in life.}

I spent months and months and months playing around with the nursery before Milo was born. It was such a great way to pass the time until his birth. Well... the crib very quickly moved from the 'nursery' to our room... and you know the rest... co sleeping and all. Well we have decided to begin the transition to Milo having a room of his own. We are going to do this with no pressure and few expectations. Maybe by two he'll be sleeping on his own. Like I said, no pressure and few expectations. But I am SUPER excited about putting his room together. It should be a lot of fun!

Milo is as busy as ever, and his language is really progressing quite quickly. He's now using two word sentences and repeating everything. Today he said Kroger?! LOL Not too bad for a 14 month old. He also has NO sense of personal space. He will see another little kid, walk up to him or her and stand within two inches of their nose... just about ready to give them a smooch. Its hilarious! He's such a little lover. And his feet. Oh his big ole feet. He is currently in a size 8. Yes. A size 8. That is with the fingernail amount of space at the toe for a little growing room, but yeah... I think he is going to be a tall one.

That's about all I've got for now.

Goodbye Grandpa. We Love You.

This morning, my mom called with the sad news that my Grandpa had passed away during the night. We had been anticipating this day for years now. The last few times I saw him, I always assumed it'd be my last... making that goodbye even harder. But nothing gives me more comfort than the fact that he passed on the same day as my Grandma, six years earlier. That is not a coincidence. While I am sad that Milo never got to meet Grandpa {They would have been two peas in a pod, as neither one of them has ever known a stranger!} I know that Grandpa is finally resting peacefully. He was loved and will be dearly missed.

Milkshake Update

Hey guys.

So I thought I'd give a quick update about Milkshake Breastfeeding Education & Counseling. Things are progressing... a little slowly, but still progressing. We are on hold with a few things at the moment... but I anticipate things picking up as we near fall. I have a consult tomorrow with a friend of a friend who has an almost two week old. And as far as the diaper bank... my plan is to connect with an already established nonprofit to get that up and running. So all in all things are going well.

This past week was World Breastfeeding Week. Milo and I went to a Latch-On in Louisville which was supposed to break the world record for most breastfeeding women at one time... and to raise awareness. Well... I was pretty disappointed. It was not well organized... not very exciting... and it was not in public view so how does that get the community involved at all?! That got me thinking...

It would seem that there is enough support in place to support breastfeeding women. Most hospitals have lactation consultants, WIC offices have peer counselors, and there are always the hippies. {I say hippies with complete respect...} See... the crunchy families are all about breastfeeding. I am crunchy enough. Not politically but in terms of liking to do things naturally. I fit in just fine with the hippies... but I realized something. What about the new moms who may not feel as comfortable or as welcome among the crunchy folk. And again, I do not mean to be insulting... but I have found crunchy people are often lacking in organizational skills. So even if there is good support... you may not know about it unless you are on the inside circle in Crunchyville. I have a friend from high school who lives in rural WV. She has NO support. She has three young boys and had to sit on the floor of a Walmart bathroom to breastfeed her newborn while still getting nasty looks from people. She said that the counselors she has encountered act like you're bothering them if you call with a question. And WIC offices have formula... so its easier for them to give out the formula than to invest the time in breastfeeding support. That's what happens with the government. Then there are the hospital lactation consultants... tangled up with hospital bureaucracy. The one I had was AMAZING (I know GREAT hospital lactation consultants are out there), but the other at our hospital was... not. And I don't know how many women have said that they asked to see a lactation consultant and no one ever came. I'm sure they're busy with paperwork and getting their big old breastfeeding initiative on paper... but what about the real women who need real support. This was the story with so many women in several different states.

Its has just given me great perspective on where the gaps are. And where I can step in to make sure that ALL WOMEN ARE GETTING GOOD BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT.

{SO sorry for the rambling. My thoughts aren't terribly complete these days with this busy boy!!}

Quick Milo update... he has pooped on the potty so many times now. Just a few minutes ago... he came to Nathan saying, "Potty. Potty." We took him in and he was actively pooping. He is really doing great with the laid back potty training approach. He's definitely starting to understand. And he can pray with us now. When we say let's pray, he folds his hands and will say, "Amen." at the end. It just warms our hearts so deeply.

Ok. Bath time. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. And Praise God for all of the new life being born in the past few months... Phoebe, Caroline, Silas R, Silas T, Barrett, Reese, ... So many beautiful babies. And a fellow IVF-er friend is expecting twins. I just love it.

Quick Little Update

Happy World Breastfeeding Week! In honor of WBW... I just want to say THANK YOU to my mother for breastfeeding me. <3

This past weekend, Nathan and I celebrated seven years of marriage. My parents came up to spend time with Milo while we enjoyed a lovely meal and went to see a movie. And I'm pretty sure Milo didn't miss me a bit. :( I was a little sad, but really happy at the same time. Its nice being able to sneak away and spend time with my hubby, especially on our anniversary.

Last week Milo had kind of a mystery fever. It spiked up to 104 at one point. Aside from the fever and low appetite, there were no other symptoms. It lingered for about three days, then went away. Well... the next morning he woke up with a lovely rash from the top of his head down into his diaper area. Our first though was chicken pox... but a quick call to our pediatrician, and she said it was Roseola. Fortunately Roseola is a mild illness and the rash is a sign that its nearing its end. I'm pretty sure Milo probably caught it at the zoo. Roseola is very common in daycare centers. We visited the zoo... I let Milo touch the dirty windows in the gorilla area... with all the smudge prints from the massive number of kids that pass through (lots of daycares...) and then that night the fever came. Regardless... the rash is gone and he is feeling just fine now.

Aside from that... not much else is new. We got to go to the Shelbyville Horse Show... which is kind of a big thing in these parts. It was actually a lot of fun. Sticky and hot, but still fun. Milo loved the horses and tractor that combed the field. All in all, it was a great evening.

OH and shoes. Milo has such big, wide, fat feet that we struggle to find shoes for him. And the shoes that fit a week ago... no longer fit. I have a feeling over the course of Milo's first 18 years... I'll be spending a small fortune on shoes. Ugh. That's why I will be buying them on consignment!

OK. That's all I've got for today. :D