dry skin?

This is a new topic added on the facebook page. Maybe you all can help! Since it got so cold, Lewis' skin has become almost like an elephant's--very dry and tough! At first I thought he had a terrible rash, and maybe it is eczema, but wondered if anybody else was dealing with that this winter? We keep piling on the lotion and it helps, but he is still so dry. Poor boy.

a meandering of thoughts

My pregnancy is plugging along--16 weeks. The little person inside is growing bigger and my clothes are getting tighter! Mostly out of a desire for comfort I have already turned in most of my normal clothes for the more forgiving early-pregnancy maternity pants that I have on hand. Despite the fact that I have to keep pulling them up all the time (which is quite annoying!) it is much better than sitting around with my pants unbuttoned all the time. It seems like when I wake up things are somewhat normal, except for the morning sickness which still lingers, but by the end of the day my belly seems huge. Of course, I don't look pregnant at all, just chunkier. The joys of pregnancy!

It feels so much different this time around. Last time I was thinking about the growing baby all the time. Now I find myself still thinking mostly about that first baby, Lewis. As my belly really grows it will be harder to avoid thinking about this second child. But for now, Lewis has my undivided attention. I hate to confess that a lot of this thinking would fall into the category of worry. He is making strides in a lot of areas, and we are thrilled with that. But it feels like there is a brick wall that we can't seem to knock down and it is standing in the way of some breakthroughs for him.

We are picking a new speech therapist on Monday, and I have been praying all week for wisdom in making this decision. We are longing to find the right person who can really help us in working with Lewis. God knows exactly what we need and who would be good with him, but it is so hard to trust him sometimes. It's harder to trust myself though, which always drives me back to trusting God, after much worry, of course!

If you think about us, please pray for us on Monday. Specifically we are longing for someone who is willing to try a variety of methods with Lewis to see what works with him. We are praying for someone who can help teach Lewis simple communication like nodding, shaking his head and pointing. It feels like our lives would be completely changed if Lewis could at least do those things. Beyond that we want him to explore making sounds and/or signing.....but it will take a special person to get through to him, or possibly the right technique which we have not found yet.

I know every family has issues, and ours are certainly not greater than anyone else's. Still, we'd appreciate your prayers the next few days. Please feel free to post your prayer requests too, either here or at the Facebook page.

Update: Our meeting for today (monday) was cancelled by our coordinator due to illness. We were disappointed and have not rescheduled yet, but we'll keep you posted.

transitioning to a crib?

I started a "discussion" on the Facebook group the other day, but wanted to post it here for those of you who may not be members (yet!). Just wanted to get some feedback from those of you who have transitioned from a crib to a big boy/girl bed. What age did you try this at? Did you feel it went well? Did you use bedrails or anything like that to keep your child from falling out of the bed?

Our 2nd child is coming right when Lewis will turn two years-old. We're leaning toward getting another crib for the new baby, but could use your advice!

So far we've had one response from Amy Udy in Hong Kong:

I have 3 kids and the first two started sleeping on beds when they were two. Both did it very well and successfully. We put an extra mattress on the floor just in case they fell.
However, I am a bit "lazy" to transit the third child to bed from cot even he is two now. Mainly it is because the house we are living at has door handles which are lower enough for the kid to open the door by himself. So, when I put him to his room to sleep, he gets off the bed and opens the door to get out. It takes me time and energy to put him back to bed again and again every night / during the afternoon nap.

This didn't happen to the older two kids cos' they couldn't touch the door handles in our previous house. So, they got out of the bed but couldn't leave their rooms,therefore, eventually they went back to beds to sleep.

BTW, Congratulations on your pregnancy. Hope you have a safe and smooth delivery.

Therefore, my youngest one is still in cot...sigh. Howeve, I think I should start putting him to bed though...

Hm...should pray for that.

Any other comments/advice appreciated!!

new format?

Well......it's been a while. I could use my pregnancy as an excuse for not blogging, or the holidays for that matter. But despite the fatigue that captured much of my first trimester, there were certainly times that I wanted to share something or vent my thoughts, but there just hasn't been a lot of inspiration as of late.

But it's a new year and I'm getting into my second trimester which means my energy level should be bursting forth anytime now. To get things moving, I've toyed with the idea of creating a group on Facebook. Many of you are on Facebook already, and it would allow for any group member to start a discussion on whatever topic is on your mind at any time.

If you are my 'friend' on Facebook you should have received an invitation to join this group already. If you don't have an account yet, but I have your email address, you may have received an invitation as well. If you would like to join and didn't receive an invitation, just post a comment with your email address or email me directly at shelleygwen@gmail.com.

We are dealing with all kinds of parental issues at our house and I personally need all the help I can get. I hope that together we can be an encouragement to one another, building each other up and sharpening one another to be better moms to the glory of God. It is something that often feels overlooked or mundane, and yet we are shaping lives of people who will grow up to lead and have families of their own.

We have discussed a lot of good topics through this blog already, but as kids grow the issues grow and change, and so if your child is not the same age as my child, hopefully the new format will provide a greater chance to share with other moms going through the same things you are now, or maybe who have been through something similar before.

If you're still checking this blog, thanks for hanging in there. You all have been a great encouragement to me, and I hope that you take something away from here occasionally to make your day a little brighter too.

blog slacker

Wow, I have been such a huge slacker when it comes to blogging. If you are out there and still reading, please forgive me! Thanksgiving sort of took over and I've been out of touch with reality ever since (struggling to get back into the routine of normal life, at least!).

One tip I would like to pass on is regarding diaper rash. Hopefully we'll have some more deep posts soon, but for now, this was really helpful and might help you sometime! Lewis came down with a terrible diaper rash just after Thanksgiving. Unlike every other time, Boudreaux's Butt Paste didn't clear this one up! I was pretty concerned, and talked to the ladies in the church nursery about it on Sunday as I changed another stinky diaper.

One of them mentioned that when her twins, now 3, had bad diaper rashes, she used something called Triple Paste. She said it is sold without a prescription, but it's typically kept behind the counter because it's pricier and is prone to get stolen. Sure enough, the Kroger pharmacy had some and it got rid of this awful rash right away. I was pretty thankful for this tip, and may never have known without some advice from someone who's been there.

back home

We've been back from our vacation for a week now! We had a good time. Travel-wise everything went fabulously. Every flight was early and we were able to catch an earlier return flight for the last leg which got us back 3 hours ahead of schedule. Since we didn't check any bags, we didn't have to worry about lost luggage. Everything went really well. We were so busy and tired from hiking, walking etc., that I didn't worry about Lewis. We talked frequently to the grandparents, but everything seemed to be going well, so those calls just set us at ease more than anything.

We also took the opportunity to completely wean Lewis from nursing. He is over 16 months-old now, and was only nursing at night anyway, so it has been a relatively smooth transition. Five days away made it much easier since I was unable to continue in our routine. It has taken us a few days to get into the swing of a new bedtime ritual. Lewis used to nurse with a low-lit lamp and got used to watching his clock tick on a nearby shelf (odd, but he likes it!), so I have switched to rocking him and singing a few songs instead so that he still has a good view of the clock. He still lays down awake and goes right to sleep. He has slept great since we got back home, which has been a great blessing!! It seems that sleeping is one of his best talents, and I can't complain about that. :)

All in all, we survived our first baby-absence. It was not as bad as I had expected, and the best part was not cooking, cleaning or changing diapers for several days. We were certainly ready to be reunited with our boy. He's become the sweetest part of our lives.

It seems like time really flies in the fall or is it just me? Next week is Thanksgiving. It's so hard to believe that we're into the holidays already. Soon we will be making the big decision about Christmas decorating........or really, seeing what Lewis' decision about it will be. If we put up a tree and he wants to un-decorate it on a regular basis, we may have trouble. We also have a 6 month-old kitty who could try to climb the thing, so I'm trying to keep my expectations low! If you have any good stories to share about your experience with kids and holiday decorating, it would be fun to hear your feedback.

getting away

This has been a good week in our home. Lewis is sleeping great again, despite a tooth coming through that is causing him to love his paci. The solution this time seems to have been covering the little lights on his humidifier and baby monitor. Maybe it was a coincidence, but once the extra light was gone he's had no trouble sleeping 11-12 solid hours once again, and for that we are truly grateful.

Along with this development, I have been able to get back into my routine of waking up before Lewis and spending some time in my Bible and prayer before things go crazy. My favorite part about this set-up is that when I wake up, there is a fresh pot of coffee waiting for me! Thanks to our lovely Krups programmable coffee maker, I can stumble around in the morning with easy access to the beverage that starts my day off right. It's funny how the little things mean so much sometimes!

In other news, we are preparing to leave Lewis for a few days and take a much needed vacation. Still, I am anxious about leaving him even though his grandparents are crazy about him and will take great care of him. If anyone has any advice or stories to share on getting through the separation anxiety, I'm all ears (or eyes technically if you post a comment!). I feel like the 23rd Psalm is coming true in my life as the Lord is making me lie down in green pastures and leading me beside still waters by taking this vacation. We wouldn't be going if our frequent flier miles were not expiring at the end of the year. So in a way it feels forced, but I know God, as my loving heavenly father, has a good plan that includes more blessing than I tend to expect. Justin really needs the break too, so it is coming at a great time and the trip will conclude on our fourth wedding anniversary. God is good. :)