Haiti, Coupons, Free Baby Stuff

One ministry that is near and dear to my heart is on the ground assembling wheelchairs in Haiti to give free to those who have had amputations.  I blogged on my other blog about how this all works and why it is so important.  Check it out here and watch a video to see what the Free Wheelchair Mission is all about.

Here are some great coupons for today:

• Kohl's Extra 15% off Coupon
• Carters:  20% off any purch4ase of $50 or more.  Great sales going on now too!
• The Limited: $50/$150, $30/$100, or $15 off purchase
• Smokey Bones:  Buy One Entree Get One Free
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Lastly, some freebies!  I always use a "junk" email for freebies and offers just to keep my inbox clean.  If you are offered other things, feel free to skip what you don't want to get to what you want.
  

Sleep Update

I have blogged in the past about how Baby has always been a poor sleeper.  Quite poor.  He is nearly a year old and, up until just recently, would wake 5 times or MORE a night!  I have been a chronically tired mommy!  Baby just couldn't put himself back to sleep.

A little background - Baby was a preemie born 4 weeks early.  He was a tiny 5lbs 2oz.  Due to all sorts of problems, he had a hard time growing until he was about 4 months old (was still just 8lbs 6oz at 4 months but then porked up).  I still worry about his growth.  Each time he is sick, his growth falters a little.  With this most recent batch of illnesses including a MRSA scare and 2 colds, I got quite concerned because he had not grown AT ALL in a month.

Also, I just am not comfortable with the cry-it-out method at all.  It's not just me not wanting to hear him cry.  I just don't feel sleep should be so stressful and traumatic.  I have avoided it for the most part.  Occasionally, I would let Baby cry awhile.  It always ended in everyone being miserable.  I know it works really well for many, it's just not for us.

We went on a sleep adventure this past weekend.  I had HAD IT and really needed a good night's sleep.  I caved and tried cry-it-out for a nap.  No way was I trying it for bedtime.  I endured 45 minutes of "rabid-animal" screaming.  Baby finally fell asleep, still sobbing.  He woke 20 minutes later with a horriffic diaper and a great fear of his crib.  I felt terrible as I realized he had been hungry because my milk supply had a big dip that day.  Hubby and I agreed we were not going back to crying.

We took out the book The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night and re-read it.  I started right away with keeping the sleep journals.  I was amazed to realize how much activity we had for Henry within the hour before bed.  We made a few small changes in his routine.  We had one day where he was incredibly busy.  Since then, Baby has been able to put himself back to sleep during both night time and naps.  He has cut down his night wakings to just one feeding!  This morning, he even slept through the dog having a bark-fest!  I got to sleep in until nearly 8am!  Heaven!

Now, to see if this is going to last!  We are praying hard for his sleep!

Prayer Request

I want to ask all of you to pray for a wonderful man, Steve. Steve is the pastor who married my husband and I 9 years ago. His family has been through a lot. See, nearly 3 years ago, Steve's oldest son was in a terrible car crash that nearly took his life. He was in a coma for years - I don't know the scientific terminology for his current state, but he has definitely come an amazing way. Ian is now starting to relearn how to speak. He is relearning how to walk. He still loves the Lord. Well, this family, after living the amazing trial with Ian and watching God slowly knit his body back together, is dealt another blow. Steve was life-flighted for seizures on Thursday. An orange-sized cancerous tumor was removed from his brain. He is awake and talking now but the prognosis is not promising. The doctors do not know the specific type of tumor yet. There is still some tumor left inside.

Please pray for healing for Steve and strength for his family. Steve has a loving wife, 4 sons, one daughter, Ian's "pre-fiance" that has stayed by his side through this ordeal, and a brand new grand-daughter. Also pray for continued healing for Ian.

You can read the whole story at prayforian.com.

Thank you for praying!

Quiet

I had a wonderful evening. It was quiet and I was alone - sort of.

We've been having a really rough two weeks with Baby teething. I spoke with the doctor today to make sure he didn't have an ear infection or something else that needed treatment. Doc said it is just teething. Watching Baby move his tongue around the top gums confirmed it - teething. Two weeks of waking every 45 mins to 2 hours all night long. Last night, he slept 4 one-hour stretches and then was up from 1 - 5am just writhing around in pain in my arms and then playing contentedly on the floor for a half hour (he even learned to brush my hair!). After that painful stretch, he had a couple more one-hour stretches. Hubby has been a great help by taking the morning shift and doing breakfast while I catch up on some sleep.

Anyway, during this rough patch, it has been rare for me to have any time of quiet rest - time to just pull away and listen. Listen for that still, small voice of God speaking to my heart.

Tonight I made a deal with Hubby. Baby was not going down for a nap for me. Hubby was staining the deck. I said "trade you!" He agreed! Baby slept over an hour and then played with Daddy. I got to do easy manual labor in a quiet backyard. It was good for my heart and good for my soul.

Have you had quiet lately?

We'll be out of town tomorrow. We're taking Baby to his first amusement park! We'll be driving about 2 hours - stopping at my parents' on the way to pick them up (and to drop off the dog) since we are going for my father's company picnic. I am excited to see a lot of childhood friends that I have not seen since leaving for college nearly 15 years ago! Pictures will be posted! Deals will resume quite soon!

The Stand

Hubby and I have been re-watching Stephen King's miniseries "The Stand." It is quite an interesting movie. It definitely isn't a cinematic masterpiece. It is not a work of theological excellence. It does, however, make me think. One scene in particular sticks out in my mind.

The character, Nadine Cross, has made her pact with the Satan-figure, Randall Flagg. He has sent her on missions before taking her as his bride. After completing her mission, she is walking through the desert and hears him call to her. "Come here, Nadine." "Right over here." She follows the voice for quite awhile and finds Flagg after dark.

Why does this scene stand out in my head? I was struck with how clearly Nadine hears Flagg's voice. I want to hear God's voice like that. I was struck by how quickly she obeyed. I want to be as quick to obey God's will. I am sad to say I drag my feet too often. I close my ears to His soft, still voice.

God, open my ears to your Word. Incline my heart to Your will.

In My Weakness, He is Strong

"He said to me,

"'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'

"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I am an excitable person. I am nearly 32 years old and I still do not sleep Christmas eve .... or Easter eve .... or Thanksgiving eve .... or Flag day eve ..... You get the picture. I often am quite impulsive and speak before I should. I act before I think things through and often fall on my face.

I was thinking about my menu after shopping today. I spent more than I should have. I got excited about sales and didn't stick to my list. I decided today, on my second trip to Kroger (more on that later), that Kroger is my shopping weak spot. At Target, Rite Aid, and CVS, I can shop and use Gift Cards and Extra Care Bucks rather than spending out of pocket money. At Kroger, I go into hoard mode and buy anything we will eat that I have a coupon for. I get a tingle of excitement down my spine as I walk the aisles. I need to keep my tushie OUT of Kroger if I am going to be intentional about sticking to my super low budget for the month.

What is your weakness in regards to money? Daily living? Do you struggle with saying the little word "no?" Do you give in to the "tyranny of the urgent?" I know I do. I struggle to follow advice from a very wise woman. She told me I need to sit down before the Lord each morning to see what HE has for me to do that day. I get caught up in daily life and don't do that. Today, I did not have the TV on until late afternoon. I did not get on the computer for any leisure activities until around 9pm. I got so much done today. What about tomorrow? The rest of the week? The rest of the summer?

I know I am weak. I know I have a lot of growing to do (those of you who know me are probably chuckling and thinking of witty comments on my short stature - I am not even 5 feet tall). I need to harness some excitability and put it to good use. I have a plan for tomorrow. I have laid out a few small goals. Thank you for letting me share them as it helps me stay on track.

• shower (I realized just now that it has been 3 days since my last one - ick!)
• pray/have a quite time for more than 5 minutes
• put laundry away
• craft next blog post
• work on baby napping in crib rather than on me (fell into this habit again recently since we removed the bassinet insert from the pack n play - the transition hasn't gone well)
• start working on dinner earlier so I am not tempted to change my plan and make something quick and super easy and not very healthy
• watch my Penguins win!

Now for a quick story about my two Kroger trips today. I realized when I got home that I had purchased an open pack of hot dogs and that the cashier had shorted me on a coupon. After stewing for awhile, I decided to go back. Within minutes, I had a new pack of hot dogs and a full $1.67 in cash for the coupon (it was for a free ketchup - the cashier only took $.20 off!) and I went home happy.

I hope and pray that in all of my weaknesses, God is using me. Sometimes He gives me a glimpse of how. Other times, I just don't see it. I'm human, fragile, fallible. We all are. In our weakness, He is strong.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day. A day of picnics and parades. A day to spend time outdoors with family and friends. A day of celebration. A day of remembrance. A day devoted to heroes.

Are there any who served to protect our freedoms in your circle of family and friends? I want to honor those in my circle today. My uncle, father-in-law, grandfathers, many friends, and now several past students have all served or are currently serving this great nation.

I encourage you to not forget the meaning of today amidst the celebration. Thank those who served. Thank those who are serving. Pray for them. Kristin over on the We Are THAT Family blog has a great post about a way to serve those who are currently serving. Click on over there for the details. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Postpartum Adventures

What better time to begin a new topic than the first gloriously warm day after a week of dreary rainy days?! What a parallel to the subject of this post. As a new mom, I am learning so much every single day and desire to share with anyone my stories in case they may help in some small way! My son is now 6 months old and we have had a bit of a rocky start. Some issues we faced I had read about or had heard someone talk about. Some issues were a complete surprise and often went against what I had read. Here is one story.

It was a sunny early spring day. The air was crisp, the birds were singing. I was all ready to go out with my son for a morning of errands. Standing in the doorway, holding him in his carrier with the diaper bag over my arm, I hesitate. I am gripped with fear. The simple act of turning the doorknob and walking outside was a terrifying thought. What in the world is going on? (Internal monologue) A few deep breaths. Calm down. More deep breaths. This is crazy. The roads are great. We need milk. The car has been fixed and is driving as best as can be expected. The cell phone is charged. The auto club card is in the bag. Get it together and get to the car.

I suck in a deep breath and press forward. I am shaking as I start the car and head down the hill. Something is not right here. I'm not right. What is going on? Nerves begin to calm as we get up to speed on the highway. I catch myself scanning the road constantly, going over scenarios of what I would do if the car died to keep me and my son safe. I go over my shopping lists and think through the coupons I have and the deals I would get wanting to make sure I get it right.

That was the first day I admitted that I was having a problem. I thought I was finally out of the woods with my baby blues. I only had anxiety while breastfeeding, not constantly like right after birth. I had been explaining these creeping feelings away. My son was a preemie. He was healthy and had no need to go to the NICU. He had a few illnesses early - especially one at 3 weeks when he was only 5 pounds. I was just worried about him. We had a lot of struggles with breastfeeding and weight gain. My hormones were just out of whack. That trip to Kroger changed my thinking. This was more than just baby blues.

I hesitated calling the doctor. I thought I could just make myself feel normal. I could will myself well and pray myself well. I began to notice that this anxiety was much more deeply seated than I had imagined. Each time I nursed my son, a flood of fear washed over me. Even just snuggling with my little man brought on these feelings of terror, impending doom. I realized that I was due in 2 days for my next thyroid check and knew my doctor would need those results before anything else would be done. I was terrified that I would need to go on medication for postpartum depression/anxiety and I would need to stop breastfeeding after all the months of struggle and hard work. I felt lonely because not only had I not admitted this problem to myself until now, I hadn't let anyone else know what was going on. I don't know which was harder, admitting to myself or admitting to those who are closest that I had a problem and couldn't handle it all by myself.

I went for my routine blood work. Just a couple days later, my doctor called me. She was amazed at how crazy my numbers were. At 5 months postpartum I had already had blood work done twice. The first time was at 3 weeks and was a little off from normal so I was retested almost immediately to make sure the results were due to post pardum adjustment by my body. Those results came back and were perfect. The doctor wanted to watch me closely so she had me schedule for 6 weeks later - the test that came back crazy. The doctor explained that my thyroid levels were quite high and that she had already called in a lower dose of medicine (I have had thyroid issues since I was 10 - Graves disease, radiation, and now permanent hypothyroidism) that I needed to pick up immediately.

Fast forward to today. I have a little over a week until my next test. I know I am not completely on track yet, I am feeling so much more normal. Almost all of the anxiety and depression is gone. My milk supply is quite abundant now when before I was struggling to provide daily for my son. I drive my car without fear, well, it's a 13 year old car so there is always a LITTLE fear! I feel free again. I can see that God worked through this time to teach me that I cannot do everything in my own power. I need to seek Him for strength daily. I need to allow those He has put in my life to help me: friends, family, doctors, etc. The rain clouds have lifted and I am standing in the sunshine again!

I am just amazed at how the thyroid issues presented this time. My test results have been MUCH worse in the past and never did I have problems with anxiety. I had assumed that the thyroid and anxiety were not linked at all. I had assumed that the milk supply issues had nothing to do with my thyroid - all the articles I had read lead me to believe that.

I thank God for this experience, as hard as it was. I pray that anyone who is noticing anything out of the ordinary during the crazy hormonal postpartum period not hesitate to talk with the doctor. Self diagnosis is a dangerous thing! If I had just told the doctor how I was feeling rather than following through with lab tests, I would probably be on medications that might have ended breastfeeding and would still have thyroid issues that could damage my heart from being too high.