Easter Dress
I bought Lydia Catherine an Easter dress from Ebay. Maybe it's a bit sad that her "first" Easter dress is a used dress ordered online, but it's what I wanted. I just hope it's going to be warm enough for her to wear it.
I love "old-fashioned" baby clothes...like simple cotten dresses that are hand-stitched. The dress I bought is a light green simple, cotten dress that will come beyond her knees. It is hand-stitched and so dainty! I love it. Best, it was $5.00! Hoorah!
I cringe at all the frilly, big, stiff "church dresses" that are made for infants. I just do not like the look, but more important they just seem so uncomfortable! I don't want to dress Lydia in something that feels like sandpaper on her delicate skin.
While on dislikes, I also intensely dislike headbands on little baby girls. They always leave an elastic mark around the head. And they seem so uncomfortable! As soon as I found out I was having a girl, I informed Frankie that she wouldn't wear headbands or bows (if she had hair) until she was old enough to let me know if it hurts! Well, Lydia Catherine was born with a headfull of hair and immediately many family members wanted to put bows and clips and headbands on her. Frankie graciously took the blame and told everyone he didn't like that. Now, they all lament to me that they know I wish I could put bows in her hair...it's too bad Frankie is so against bows and clips. One day I'll confess it's me that dislikes them (on infants).
Time
Having a few thoughts I wanted to share this morning.
Since Lydia Catherine was born, my daily routine of getting up, having coffee and quiet time with the Lord, then checking email, etc. has been changed...tremendously. I'm lucky to get coffee, and my daily devotion has been sporadic. Frankie and I also got really slack in doing a family devotion together. This week, however, we've scheduled our devotion time right before the baby goes to bed. It's a good "down time" for her and hopefully she'll start relating that time to going to bed...a tradition we can continue as she gets older. So Frankie and I are reading through Ephesians. He reads the first chapter aloud, then I read the first chapter aloud. We spend ten days on each chapter. We've only done this type of devotion through one entire book (Ruth) but after we finished, we felt we were really familiar with the book.
As for my own personal time with God, I've started getting up before Lydia to do that. The only problem is that sometimes when I get up she wakes up. I really want to do my devotions in the morning. Anyone have suggestions?
~~~~~
I recently got in contact with a friend from high school. Her dad passed away last Monday and it was such a reminder of how brief life on earth is.
Job 14: Man, who is born of woman,
Is short-lived and full of turmoil.
Like a flower he comes forth and withers
He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.
You also open Your eyes on him
And bring him into judgment with Yourself.
Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!
Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
~~~~~
Lydia is loving this weather! (70's-80's) I'm loving it, too! We've been strolling every day!
Husband started blogging: http://frankmelton.blogspot.com/
Start of the weekend
Our weekends start on Friday, since that is our "family day." And today is supposed to be 71...WOOHOO I love it! Hopefully it won't rain though.
Mom left yesterday afternoon and drove halfway, got a room and is getting on the road now to finish the trip back home. Her leaving was pretty emotional. She and Lydia Catherine really had fun and enjoyed each other's company. I hate that we aren't closer, but I reminded myself and mom that God could have (and still could) call us to another continent! We're blessed to be able to get home as often as we do. There are missionary families that have never even see their grandparents.
We're blessed.
Lydia Catherine rolled over yesterday! From her back to her stomach then back again. She did it once and I couldn't get her to do it again for anything. Maybe today :)
She is getting so big and doing so much these days!
I love her so much!
More sickness
Well, my mom's still here and she has been terribly sick all day. She's been very weak and has a fever and has been vomiting. Hopefully no one else will get sick. I feel so bad for her, since her time here is so limited and she's not been able to spend any time with Lydia Catherine today.
On another, more humorous note, Frankie said something very funny recently. The pediatrician told us we could start feeding Lydia rice cereal whenever we wanted to. The other day Frankie asked when I was planning to do that. I told him we'd wait a few days until my mom arrived, so that she could witness that big milestone. Frankie then turned to me, with a curious but serious look and says, "So do we just feed her rice crispy cereal really soggy?" It was hilarious. He thought 'rice cereal' was Kellogg's Rice Crispies cereal. Somewhat logically he reasoned that you'd have to let the cereal get soggy so the baby could eat it.
:)
Saturday morning
Well, mom arrived Thursday evening and unfortunately Lydia had been very ill because she'd missed her nap and was ready for bed. Also she had a small fever from vaccinations! (Not an ideal time for a new visitor!). She did, however, give mom a big grin immediately. Mom then tried to hold her, but that didn't work at all. We went to bed, then Friday morning mom was able to hold her and play with her quite a bit. Lydia Catherine was really showing off yesterday! She was in the car seat (we were parked so we had unbuckled her) when suddenly she just sat straight up and leaned forward, grabbed her toy then leaned back. Quite a big deal! Then later yesterday she did the same thing while propped on the boppy. She's been struggling to sit up, but she topples over. Yesterday, however, she had mastered balance! At one point yesterday I was playing with her...I'd look away from her, then turn my head toward her really fast and laugh and she'd laugh. After several times, she turned away, then looked back to me really fast. She had caught on to the game! It was awesome! Mom loved being able to witness all those new things!
Something else
I forgot that I wanted to write about a recent discussion Frankie & I had. I wonder other's opinion on this. Yesterday we took Lydia Catherine for a walk. It was great...lots of fun to get out of the house and take her for another stroll. So as we passed things I would tell her what they were and make comments about them. We passed a soccer field and I said, "That's a soccer field. When you're a big girl you can play soccer if you want to." I started talking to Frankie about sports and I commented that I only would let her play soccer or basketball (softball is too dangerous)..or she could take up running or swimming (they seem very safe). So Frankie responded by saying he didn't really know how he felt about a daughter playing sports. He commented that most (90%) of the girls he knew (high school...college and even as a pastor) that played sports are tomboyish or even very masculine. He said he didn't think it very feminine to play sweaty sports and get all scratched up and beat up. Plus (he threw this in) it's hard on joints and bones...unsafe. I was a little scandalized. I'm all for biblical manhood and womanhood. I loved my class on embracing femininity. I want Lydia to love being a girl. And we will teach her that the husband is the head of the home...he is the leader and wives are to be submissive. We will also teach her husbands are to love their wives as themselves. BUT I was a tomboy! I climbed trees, I had a dirtbike even! I loved sports, but I also loved dancing and piano. I think our children should be allowed to play sports or instruments or anything they are interested in. We can still cultivate and encourage their individual personalities and gender roles. Part of me is very annoyed, but then again, I wonder if it is not culture. I want to say, A girl can do anything a boy can do! But that's not Biblical...it's just cultural...and what I was taught. So should sports be off limits.
2 Days Til Grandma Arrives
My mom's coming to Louisville on Thursday to visit for a few days. She hasn't seen Lydia Catherine since the beginning of January (when she was 2 months old). I am excited for her to arrive! I just hope the baby cooperates and lets mom hold her and play with her. Otherwise I know she'll be disappointed. Of course, we both realize Lydia definitely has her own personality and there's no telling how she will react to anyone...we never know. To illustrate: A friend of mine comes over every Thursday evening to go to SWI. She has to be somewhat familiar to Lydia by now, but still each week Lydia screams when we start talking. As soon as we stop chatting, she's fine. She just doesn't like me talking to my friend...and she definitely doesn't like to hear my friend talk. My friend and her husband came over one night to have dinner with us and Lydia Catherine screamed uncontrollably(!) the ENTIRE time. When they left, she immediately stopped. It was pretty funny actually. So then last Friday a friend of Frankie's came over. He has never seen Lydia and Frankie and I both braced ourselves, ready to explain that she's not big on strangers. To our absolute amazement she just grinned at Tim and every so often, as he was talking she would just squeal and babble! She just stared at him and was even content a little while in her swing! (Between the three of us).
Also as church in Munfordville she tends to throw a fit if anyone comes too close to her, however, recently at an Asian Buffet, she let an Asian girl hold her! And as the girl was speaking in her quick, Asian language, Lydia actually laughed!
So it'll be interesting to see how she reacts to family!
Sunday Stroll
Yesterday after church Lydia Catherine & I came back to the apartment and I studied awhile (for a midterm I have today) while she slept. It was about 60 degrees here and bright and sunny so I thought I would take her for a quick walk. She's actually never been outdoors for a stroll! I bundled her up and strapped her in the Snugli & off we went. She loved it! Our walk was short because her little cheeks were cold and red...the breeze was chilly. I look forward to warmer weather so we can get outside with her more!
Lydia Catherine's 4 month check-up
She had her 4 month check-up with Dr. Hinkebein yesterday at 1pm. She screamed quite a bit! (Big surprise).
Wt at birth: 7.2 lbs Wt at 2 mos: 11.1 lbs Wt at 4 mos: 13.12 lbs
ht at birth: 19 inches Ht at 2 mos: 22 1/4 in Ht at 4 mos: 24 in
Hd cir 2mos: 37.5 Hd cic 4mos: 40
For weight, she's 55 percentile; height 45 percentile; and head circum. 25%
Frankie's family all are very short, but my family are mostly tall . . . I'm curious if she's be short, tall or average. It doesn't really matter much to me. (However, since his family struggles with weight issues and there is only one overweight person in my entire extended family, I would rather her get my general body composition as opposed to his).
Regardless if she's chubby, short, tall, slender, she's loved.
Morning ranting...
I'm not sure if I wrote about this during the Christmas season or not, but it's worth retelling even if I did. My mom and I went shopping one day in December and of course, in every store (although we were supposed to be buying Christmas presents for friends and family) we rushed immediately to the infants' section. In Goody's Department Store there were onesies that said, "I'm Too Sexy for My Diaper." I was horrified and beyond angry. My mom hurried me out of both stores and did her best to make me forget about it. I found out that JC Penney had the same onesie, but pulled it after complaints. Goody's, however, did not do the same. I am uncertain if they still have the onesie for sale, but I am in the process of checking.
I cannot even adequately convey the emotions and concerns I have since I now have a daughter. From the Bratz dolls to clothes for infants right on up to teenage girls... our society is not only sexually charged, but childhood is becoming over sexed.
I am scared senseless for my little girl. It's not like I have 13 or 14 years before I have to really worry about her. That's clearly not the case in our society. My thoughts this morning are prompted by John Couey's trial in Florida. I looked at Jessica Lunsford's pictures (8 years old) and read the caption that stated John Couey kidnapped, raped, then buried this 8 year old little girl alive. She was found clutching a purple stuffed dolphin. I cried, then immediately launched into prayer for my own daughter. What is scarier is that these perverted, possessed pedophiles are not limited to alley's in cities or trailers in rural areas...they are everywhere. They are even in our churches. Recently in SC news a pastor was arrested for child pornography.
As a Southern Baptist, I am very concerned about the recent attention the denomination is receiving regarding sexual abuse. Of course, it is not just limited to any denomination.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/21/southern.baptist.ap/index.html
Is Childhood Becoming Oversexed?http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05128/500945.stm
Parents sue MySpace after girl is sexually abusedhttp://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003658.cfm
Teacher accused of raping 16 year old special ed student.
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?030807/030807_hc_teachersex&Hannity_Colmes&Teacher%20Sex%20Scandal&acc&US&-1&News&350&&&new
Convicted Sex Offender John Couey Found Guilty of Murdering Jessica Lunsfordhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,257320,00.html?sPage=fnc.national/crime
I feel completely overwhelmed as I read the headlines.
I pray that Christ returns quickly.
Lydia Catherine 4 months old
So she's four months today. Hard to believe . . . she'll soon be 6 months, then a year . . .then 15. Dear Lord. It's going too fast!
I just adore our baby girl. I can't wait to have more children!
She was recently sick, as I last posted. During that time she got into a routine of waking up every couple of hours and nursing (really pacifying on the breast!) to go back to sleep. She did much better last night. She also went about a week without taking any naps! She got back into her three hour nap routine yesterday though. (And is actually napping now).
We are really struggling with a few things regarding Lydia Catherine. Each night I lay down on our bed with her and she nurses about 5-10 minutes then falls asleep. I transfer her to her crib and she usually sleeps about 4 or 5 hours, then wakes up crying. At this point, I usually just nurse her back to sleep (in our bed) and again transfer her to the crib. I really don't think I can manage to let her cry it out at this point. It just seems unhealthy. I do want her to learn to put herself to sleep. But when should she learn this?
Another situation we have is best given in illustration. Ok, last night we visited a local church where there are many seminary students...and therefore tons of infants and children. In the nursery there were about a dozen infants, most of which were sitting peacefully in their carriers, sucking their pacifiers. These infants did not whimper, whine, cry, or shout. So I went to feed Lydia and she fell asleep. I was trying to ease back into the sanctuary, but before I got out of the nursery, she woke up. She looked around at the unfamiliar walls, gave me a confused look, then tensed. I knew what was coming and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I begged her not to, I tried to sooth her quickly, I finally closed my eyes as the first PIERCING scream rang out. I was mortified. The nursery staff was mortified. Several women ran to me...I imagine they thought I dropped her or hurt her in some way. Someone asked if I needed gas drops, another young mother offered Tylenol. I muttered, "no, she just does this sometimees." A woman came over and offered to take her for me...then she said, "The poor thing...what
is
wrong with her?" "Don't know" I mumbled, feeling my face turn red. So she finally calms down, but is still sniffling with tears on her face. I tentatively ease from the room and a woman comes forward...an older lady who runs the nursery. "Awww...is this who I've been hearing cry?" She reaches out and I desperately want to scream, "NO! Don't touch her." It's too late though and how do you say that to people anyway. She reaches out and touches Lydia on her hand with her finger. Lydia tenses, quivers, her eyes snap shut and she ROARS out...SCREAMS. I ran. Thankfully church was over...I gave Frankie a look and just said, "go go go" He knew what it meant and we rushed to the car. He asked what she did and I told him the whole story. As I'm talking, we get in the car and get settled. I look at Lydia and she's laughing! She then coos and babbles as if to explain what her problem was. She was fine from that point on. The thing is, she does that EVERY time we're in Munfordville, too. At least five times someone has either touched her or looked at her and she just went off. I have no idea what we're doing wrong. Other babies do not do this. I see other babies. Lydia also has fits when we aren't holding her. She will swing or lay on the floor or sit in her bouncy seat for about ten minutes at a time. When she's sick of it, that's it. You have to pick her up. She doesn't calm herself down or relax or even get distracted. I don't mind any of this (although it is a little embarrassing at times), but I don't know if we're doing something wrong or if it's just her personality or what. ANY ADVICE WOULD BE WONDERFUL!
(I AM FINALLY ABLE TO UPLOAD PIC ON MY COMPUTER! FRANKIE'S COMPUTER WOULDN'T DO IT. YAH! IT'S SO NICE TO HAVE MY COMPUTER BACK!)
