10/25/09 - Visiting Family

Taking advantage of some discount airline tickets we bought over the summer, David and Eva flew down to San Diego to visit family and friends for 5 days.  They took Eva to Disneyland for the first time, and she had a blast!  She still hasn’t stopped talking about it.   Eva was so excited to go on the “hair-plane”, she told Amanda “Don’t worry, Amanda.  When you get bigger, then you can go on the hair-plane!”  

 

Amanda handled her sister’s absence better than I thought she would.  She whimpered a bit the first time she had to go down for a nap by herself, and climbed into bed with me half-way through the first night, but other than that she did really well, even playing well by herself.   I took her on several outings to get us both out of the house and try to make our time special for her.  Having only a two-year-old and a newborn gave me flashbacks to when Eva and Amanda were that little and I had just the two of them.

 

Growing Up

At 5 weeks old, Bethany is 10 1/2 pounds.  She's already outgrown most of her 3-month outfits and graduated to size 2 diapers.   She’s spending more time awake now, quietly looking around in wonder.   She has such a serious expression as she observes the world and tries to take it all in.   At times it almost makes her seem wiser and more mature than her older siblings, who are busy with the typical antics of the preschool/toddler stages.

 

The other morning, Dave noticed that Amanda had a dry diaper (which never happens) and wondered who changed her, since I was still asleep.  As it turns out, Eva had pulled out a fresh diaper, made Amanda lie down on the floor and changed her all by herself!   She put it on a little loose and crooked, but hey, she did it!  I’m honestly surprised that Amanda cooperated enough to let her.   As impressive as that is, she won’t be changing Bethany’s diaper any time soon.   That requires much more skill.  Already I’ve had a couple incidents where I took the baby’s diaper off to change her, only to have her cut loose and projectile poop.  The first time she got it all over our bed sheets, and the second time she overshot the changing table, hitting the couch and carpet.  Good thing she’s only breastfed!  That could be a lot more disgusting than it already is! 

Preschool

I’ve started occasionally working with Eva on simple preschool projects: coloring in the lines, recognizing patterns, matching colors, drawing shapes, etc.   I started with a preschool workbook from the local educational supply store that has pages we can tear out.  Grandma Glynna bought us the preschool curriculum from Rod and Staff publishers – the same one she used to teach Uncle Caleb and Aunt Barocha.   My friends Katya and Libby recommended the preschool curriculum from “My Father’s World” that they used with their daughters.  Between the two, it’s a perfect balance.  Rod and Staff is more book oriented, while My Father’s World involves more hands-on activities. 

David Crowder Groupies

Eva and Amanda love Dave Crowder’s new CD, and they sing it at the top of their lungs at every opportunity, especially the song “How He Loves”.   They beg David to play it on the computer and then rock out on their toy guitars.  It’s so cute to watch! 

Under The Weather

Amanda came down with a cold earlier this week.  Try as I might to keep her from kissing her baby sister, my efforts were futile, so Bethany ended up with a stuffy nose within a couple of days after her big sister.   We’ve been battling it with the humidifier, saline nose drops, aspirator, and Vicks Baby Rub on her chest, trying to keep her nose clear enough for her to be able to breathe while nursing.   She sleeps better upright, so Dave and I have been holding her as she sleeps or putting her in the little vibrating bouncy seat (the only way she’ll sleep for more than a few minutes when not in our arms).  

 

Thankfully Bethany has been sleeping pretty well at night, but with the seasonal and swine flu going around (we already know 3 people who’ve come down with it), I decided to play it safe when she started spitting up and took her to the midwife, who is also a Naturopathic doctor.   No flu, thank God, but she did discover that Bethany has thrush in her mouth – a clear sign that her immune system is fighting something.  It’s notoriously difficult to get rid of in nursing babies, but thankfully I haven’t gotten it from her.  I’ve been told by other nursing moms that it’s extremely painful.    Now I’m on phytobiotics and have to give Bethany Nystatin four times a day.  She hates it and spits most of it out , but I’m told that having the medicine coat her tongue is the most important thing.  

 

I was also told to lay off the sugar because yeast thrives on sugar and it makes it difficult to cure the thrush if my milk has too much in it.  I’ve got such a sweet tooth, I went into withdrawals just hearing her say that!   

10/14/09 - Baby Bethany

It’s hard to believe that Bethany is already 3 weeks old.   Where does the time go?  Already she’s lost those little newborn characteristics, like long, paper-thin fingernails and wrinkled hands.  Her cheeks are starting to round out with baby fat, and she’s starting to look like an older baby.   She holds her head up like a pro and smiles at familiar faces.  At almost 9 ½ pounds now, she’s graduated to size 1 diapers and 3-month outfits.   

 

Bethany has proven to be an easygoing baby, with one exception: she HATES being in the car seat for any length of time.  Long car trips will just have to wait, apparently.   She loves to be held, and sleeps much better when someone is holding her than if she’s laying down.  That’s OK – I have my Moby Wrap, and they’re only this small once.   I remember someone once told me that even if you held a baby 12 hours a day, that’s still 50% less than what they’re used to from being in the womb.  So true!

 

Aunties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were so excited to have Aunt Laura and Aunt Nanci come to visit us this weekend.  Eva and Amanda couldn’t wait to show off their new baby sister!   Aunt Laura wanted to take the girls to K-mart to buy them presents, and when she asked Eva what she wanted, Eva replied, “A bunk bed!”  (Shoot for the stars, kid!  LOL!)   She was thrilled with the toy puppy and vet kit she got instead, and Amanda entertained us by playing rock tunes on her new toy electric guitar.

 

On Saturday we went to a local pumpkin patch.  The weather was perfect: dry and sunny, though a chilly wind blew in from Mt. Hood.  Local firefighters were hosting the event, so the girls got plastic fireman hats and Eva got to explore inside a fire truck.   Later we enjoyed a hay ride and catapulting apples at targets in the field.   Eva looked adorable trying to haul a pumpkin in a little wheelbarrow that kept tipping over.   She managed it, though!

   

Family & Friends

We’ve had so much support through my recovery, especially with Dave’s unemployment, that we really feel spoiled!   My mother and brother Caleb spent the first week helping taking care of me and the girls, cleaning the whole house as a gift before they left.   Our next door neighbors tied a pink balloon to our mailbox and brought coloring books and gifts for Eva and Amanda so they wouldn’t feel left out.  Dave’s former marketing director, Kathy, dropped off four packages of diapers and a bulk box of sensitive wipes so we’d have one less strain on our budget.  My friend Katya brought us a box of Dreft detergent as a shower gift (it’s so expensive, and Bethany’s skin is still too sensitive for regular laundry soap, even the dye-free, perfume-free variety).   My friend Patti also brought us much-needed Dreft and diapers, and a gift of scented body butter to help me relax.

 

My friend Terra hosted a little baby shower for myself and another friend from church group, Rocio, who had her son shortly before me.   It was a small gathering of friends, but a lot of fun, and I came away with so many wonderful gifts!    Friends from church have been dropping off meals every couple nights for two weeks, so I wouldn’t have to cook during recovery. 

 

We have been truly blessed! 

Family Time

Amanda has acquired a sudden interest in the potty, wanting to watch “Elmo’s Potty Time” every day and sit on the potty at every opportunity.  She hasn’t done anything in it yet, but I’m hoping that the fact that she’s so eager to try means that she’s ready to learn quickly. 

It helps that Dave is home to help with the girls, though he’s certainly starting to get restless from so many weeks off work.   Cold, rainy weather that keeps us indoors can get old, but Dave enjoys getting some extra time to play and bond with the girls.   He’s been applying to at least two jobs a day online, and has had one interview for a marketing position at a community about 20 minutes away.   Thankfully we still have some savings, and Dave has made some extra cash by selling a few things on Craigslist.  God has been faithful and all our needs are being met. 

Bethany's First Bath

She'll forgive me someday! :)

Bethany First Swing Ride

How Bethany's ever going to survive her big sisters, I don't know! ;)