For God so loved the World...

Unlike millions of homes this Christmas, Santa did not come to our home with a bag of goodies. We did not set out milk and cookies or sprinkle reindeer food on the front lawn. No tracking Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve or looking for Rudolph's nose in the sky. All of these things are perfectly fine... but I can't get past the feeling that this is the only thing parents care about when it comes to telling their children about something so unbelievably special and encouraging them to believe in something. Not many parents emphasize the true meaning of Christmas. 

Jesus was not born on Christmas. He IS Christmas. 
He came not so that we could have a great tradition and story to tell, but to make a way for Man to be redeemed from his sins, and to be saved from eternity in Hell.

The birth of the Messiah was prophesied in the Bible hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. It was prophesied in Isaiah I believe that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. And again in Micah it was prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. And we know, that both of these things took place. The whole world changed on that night...but unfortunately not everyone has taken advantage of that sacred sacrifice that God made for us...and He made it because He loved us that much!

Simeon

There's a baby in a manger,
and you just won't believe.
The angels have been singing,
the shepherds came to see.
A star is brightly shining,
it has everyone amazed.
It shines down on a little boy.
lying in the hay.

Simeon can you believe this story,
Could this be deliverance for our souls.
Has El-Shaddi come down to dwell among us,
To keep his promise in your days of old.
Do you believe that He's the One,
You know, I heard they named Him Jesus, Simeon.

I recall that special promise, that you would never die.
Until you saw the true messiah, and beheld Him with your eyes.
My brother you've been faithful in the service of the Lord,
You know Simeon it could be the fulfillment of God's word

Simeon can you believe this story,
Could this be deliverance for our souls.
Has El-Shaddi come down to dwell among us,
To keep his promise in your days of old.
Do you believe that He's the One,
You know I heard they named Him Jesus, Simeon.

Can you believe his story, Simeon?

I believe He's the One...

The promise to Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Messiah is an incredible act of Grace toward Simeon. God knew he wanted to see the coming of the Messiah and God was faithful in fulfilling His promise. Isn't He always? Faithful and True.

It was so great to get to act out a small piece of history. I love to imagine the real Simeon and watch Him bless the King and smother Him in tears and kisses. God formed the hands and feet that would be nailed to a cross for the sins of the world. God gave up something I never could...

I'm starting a family tradition where we lay the Bible out next to the tree instead of milk and cookies. And we read the birth of the Savior instead of "T'was the night before Christmas" and we'll have a gift for Jesus every year. We will celebrate the joy of the promise of a mansion awaiting us and a King that is coming again for us! 


Santa is alright, and he's a sweet thing to teach children about giving...but nothing tops the gift of the Savior. I'll let my children enjoy the "spirit" of Santa and will not hinder any imaginations of a sweet place where elves make toys and sing songs and drink hot chocolate...but they will know first and foremost that Christmas was the beginning of a sacrifice and that Heaven is a real place unlike the North Pole. I want to teach them what this special time of year, really means!

Born to Die

Shepherds gaze in wonder
While angel voices sing
This night of nights has come
And brought the world the long-awaited King

The earth is filled with gladness
And yet the heavens weep
For heaven's eyes can see
He was born to die for me

Jesus
Baby Jesus
Is that a tear in your eye
Jesus
Baby Jesus
You must know you were born to die

It must have broken God's heart
For the future He could see
Yet He formed His hands and feet
Knowing one day they'd be nailed to a tree

So all the world could know it
A gift came from above
For God so loved the world
That He gave His only Son

6 Weeks and Baby Wise!

Wesley is 6 weeks old- this Friday he will be 7 weeks old. So, markedly he has made some changes and progress along the way. For instance, he is sleeping about 5 hours at night now in between feedings, which allows me to get some much needed rest. His Zantac has now gotten into his system and seems to be helping a lot with the reflux issues and he isn't crying as much. We still give him gas drops about every feeding and before bed to ensure he doesn't wake from a sound nap/sleep cycle with piercing pain. Sometimes this happens anyway. 

We are also taking this week to start Wesley's routine. The Baby Whisperer books as well as my beloved Baby Wise books have taught me more than I ever thought you'd need to know on establishing sleep/wake routines for newborns and babies. When I nannied for a family in college I learned and put to good use this technique, not even knowing what I was doing. The children's mother gave me exact orders on what to and to call her if something wasn't right or I had questions. I gotta tell ya, when I saw "naps at 1:00" I was dreading 1:00. Every kid I ever knew hated naps and screamed their way through them. So I was NOT a believer that kids could like naps. So, when 1:00 rolled around I said, "Ok, time for naps." Expecting that shrill screaming tantrum to begin. "Ok." Libby says and grabs her dolly Bria. "Ok" follows Lucy grabbing her doll Saphra.  

WHAT? YOU'RE KIDDING ME!?! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SCREAM? WOW!

It wasn't until I was expecting Charlie that she let me in on her little secret. Or should I say, the Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. "This was my baby bible" she told me. And then she handed me "On Becoming Baby Wise" and she said, "I kept this with me wherever I went." I read them in no time flat and when I had Charlie I did exactly what the book said. 

When it came to feedings, I used the PDF (Parent Directed Feeding) method and it worked like a well oiled machine- I knew exactly what his cries meant because I had a "sechedule". I knew if he should or shouldn't be hungry. I knew when he was tired. I knew when he had gas or just wanted to be cuddled. I felt very empowered because I knew him!

When it came to sleep, he slept in his crib. He went down awake and learned very soon to put himself to sleep. No rocking him to sleep every single time by me. No nursing him to sleep. No way. I rocked him while I fed him, burped him, changed him, and kissed him goodnight. Back to bed. During the day, he would cry for 10 minutes at nap time. Burning off energy and learning to put himself to bed. I'd go in and calm him down, hug and swing him. Then back to bed. It typically took 3 times of me going in his room and laying him back down for about a month before he got the idea that he should just give up and go to sleep. Now, he's almost 20 months old and I have had the pleasure of a kid who naps no problem every single day! 3 naps a day in the early months, then 2 naps and now 1 nap a day. *when they wake up crying, they're not done napping. Leave them in there for about 10 minutes, they'll fall back to sleep. When they wake up happy, they've had enough.

There are 4 phases in a baby's first year. They are:

Phase 1: Stabilization, birth through week 8

Phase 2: Extended Night, weeks 9 through 15

Phase 3: Extended Day, weeks 16 through 24

Phase 4: Extended Routine, weeks 24 through 52

Wesley seems to be having a bit more difficulty with the sleep routines because of frequent waking caused by trapped gas. We never used gas drops with Charlie and he actually never made me use one burp cloth either. He drooled and that was it. Wesley has me going to burp cloths night and day, I constantly am wearing spit up on my shoulders and hair and the poor guy just aches...it is getting better, but that's one main reason I have waited until now to start this routine. And the adding fact that because of this I have been very sleep deprived and am trying to catch back up on what I've lost. It's getting there! So I try and stay positive and keep the routine as consistent as I can. The great thing about routines and not schedules is they are flexible. And we all need flexibility and plus it teaches the kids how to go with the flow.

The one thing I love about the Baby Wise books is they tell you that the baby is a member of your family, not the center of it. They are welcomed in and belong with you. Everything does not revolve around the baby. This is so true- and once another one comes into the family they really begin to see that everyone in the family matters, not just them.  Mommy and Daddy need each other first and then the kids...sounds a little backward from what we're all taught by every psychologist out there- but Mom and Dad were there before anyone else, and if you want to remain being there when the kids leave the home, you best keep it that way the whole time through. I love hearing my husband tell me he misses me, and when we get to spend time together it is usually long over due, but feels so wonderful- for a change I get to be cuddled!! Then I am rejuvenated to go it again with the boys! :)

I am just glad that I am almost through the Stabilization phase and almost on to the Extended Night phase- this means more sleep! :)

The routine is as this: (in case you were curious)

Early Morning: Feeding and diaper change. Waketime: rock/sing to baby, swing, bouncy seat etc. Nap.

Midmorning: Feeding and diaper change. Waketime: run errands, visit the neighbors, take a walk etc. Nap.

Afternoon: Feeding and diaper change. Waketime: bathe the baby, infant seat near window (or Christmas tree) play music etc. Nap.

Midafternoon: Feeding and diaper change. Waketime: sing songs, read a story, put baby down for tummy time on colorful blanket etc. Nap. 

Late Afternoon: Feeding and diaper change. Waketime: family time. Nap.

Early Evening: Feeding and diaper change. Waketime: possible. Bed time.

Late Evening: Feeding and diaper change then back to bed.

Middle of the Night: Feeding and diaper change then back to bed.

During Phase 2 this middle of the night feeding will be dropped off and there will be 5-7 feedings during the day.

So that's it. The Baby Whisperer calls this the E.A.S.Y. system. Eat, Activity, Sleep and time for You. Once you get hooked on the EASY system, you never go back! I do love the Baby Wise book, I also have Birthing Wise, but I'd like to get Baby Wise II. There's a whole series from Toddler Wise, Potty Wise (which you better believe I will be getting) it deals with timing, education and motivation, Preschool Wise, Child Wise, PreTeen Wise and Teen Wise. Granted, I may not need every single one of these books, I think the library will do just fine for that. But Potty wise is one book I think I will be going to time and time again!

Well, I do have a thousand things to do before Charlie wakes up and none of which involves a nap today, so sad for me. But, this is the name of the game: The Endless Party!

"Life as we know it will never be the same"- as if change is a bad thing! Some look at it merely as survival. I like to think of it as leaving a legacy in my name. I'd be remiss if I never told a new mom that life for the first 6 weeks will be difficult, a small dose of newborn reality straight from the recovery room on the 9th floor- and she'll know it right away- but I don't see harping on the negative a very "blessed" thing to do. The fact that we can bare healthy children is a miracle. 

It keeps me humble. It keeps me thankful. It keeps me happy.

A Legacy of Friendship and Some Fun Times

This really is two blogs in one.

The other day we had a great, old friend stop by for a visit. He came to visit Wesley John. His name is John Whitaker. We used to go to church with John and his lovely wife Betty, who passed away in 2002. John wears cowboys hats and never forgets to smile- about something. He's a great friend, Christian, father and grandfather. He's a man who has a kind heart and wisdom and patience I hope to have one day. I remember when Betty died, someone gave him a huge teddy bear. He seat belted it in the passenger seat and drove it around in his convertible. I guess having that seat empty after all those years who be kinda weird feeling. He'd walk in to church with a smile and a handshake and tell you the latest of what was going on at White Castle's. All old men sit for breakfast at White Castle's, it's White Castle University. John with another old, dear friend of mine, Gene, call themselves a bunch of Professors- solving the problems of the world! Ha! I'd love to sit with them for a morning and take in all they have to say and listen to their stories. These fellas are pretty wise and FUNNY! They got more one liners than the best comedian out there, all without using one derogatory word.

Here are a few pictures of John holding Wesley.

John had a grandson named Wesley who passed away at age 33 or 34 from cancer. It was unfortunate and I know the family took it very hard, especially his wife and son. I got the chance to meet him and get to know him a little before he died. So naming him Wesley was something John could connect with and I hope he realizes just how much we love him and his family. Wesley is also a family name on Jeff's side, a name that goes way back. And to tell the honest truth, I really didn't like the name the entire time I was pregnant and shortly after Wesley's birth. I went with the name purely because that was what Jeff really wanted. He wouldn't even compromise with Caleb for a middle name because it was 2 syllables. So, John being one of my favorite names for a boy was the one I chose. I would have preferred Jonathan, but like I said, I only was allowed 1 syllable! (Just waiting my turn to name a child that I'm the one laboring to bring into the world!) And the name has grown on me since I have a face to put it to. I think it suits him, although I still can't help seeing that he looks like a Johnny. Anyway, it could have been a worse name, like the girl name Jeff just thinks is so adorable, Delores. Nope. Not happening. Not ever.


So that's the story behind Wesley's great name. An even greater friend. I couldn't think of a better person to name him after. I do have, however, the pressure of feeling like the next boy needs to have a name ending in "y" to fit in with the other 2. If we have a girl next (I know, thinking way far ahead) I like Audrey, so that fits...


Anyway, last night after dinner we decided to visit our other friend Paul Young's, funeral home where he has a live nativity display ever year at Christmastime. Here are a few photo's from that!

one of my favorite photos

 Ok, we don't look great, but Charlie does!

The reason for the season!!!


Wesley stayed locked in the van. It was too cold for him to get out. Speaking of cold, how about this snow?! I love it! Hope it snows till Christmas! Well, that probably wouldn't be the best thing for those who have to work outside the home...but a white Christmas sure would be awesome! 


Well, I am going to hang out now with the boys...and Pandora just began to play The Christmas Song by Nat king Cole...ahhh...
Wish I had that open fire Nat!
:o)