Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 In Review

Like most years, 2015 has been a roller coaster of ups and downs.

We had a baby (yay)
but my right ovary was removed (boo).
I graduated law school (yay)
but failed the Bar and didn't get a job (boo).
However, I've been able to stay home with Dash (YAY)
and work on projects like writing and illustrating a children's book,
starting my own Etsy shop, and
creating a family history game (yay). 
While the first few "ups" of the year were planned, the "ups" at the end of the year only came because of unplanned "downs." How grateful I am for the gospel and the knowledge that while we face adversity, God is always with us.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Baby's First Christmas

Christmas break was a huge success! 
we went sledding at Seven Peaks 
Dash wasn't a fan of the snow
looking at videos with grandma 
we all got matching REAL soccer shirts
Dash made a super cute "baby Jesus" for the family nativity
opening presents
grandpa giving Dash a 'home alone' hairdo 
one of the only photos of me and Dash...
despite his expression, he loved all of the company

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Friday, December 18, 2015

Married Reading

I realized that I haven't posted about the books Matt and I have been reading as a couple for almost 10 months!!

After reading Tuesdays with Morrie, Matt and I moved on to reading "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown. It took us months and months to finish! We listened to part of it on audio when we went to Rexburg in April and then we had to take a break until we got another copy from the library. However, it was a really good read. There is so much information in the book, it's hard to sum up, but here's a glimpse of what the book can teach you to do:



We also read "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson. It's a great sequel to "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and focuses on looking for the good in others, even when they seem to be the baddest people around.

As part of our Scripture Study this year, we read the "Infinite Atonement" by Tad R Callister. This took a long time, because sometimes we would only read a page a day. We had a lot of good discussions about the different theories it puts forth. I loved how he quoted scripture frequently to support his points. I could probably write a whole blog post on the book, but for now I'll just recommend that you read it.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Allergies

We went to the allergist today and it looks like Dash has Food- Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrom (FPIES) with oats. FPIES is a type of food allergy affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of FPIES include profound vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration.

As a precaution, the doctor still ordered a back prick and blood work to see if Dash has any anaphylactic allergies to oats, but at this point it looks like he doesn't.




Dash was a trouper as he got his back pricked and blood drawn. In the end he got a hot wheels car, which kind of helped him forget about crying. 

What this means for us is that Dash won't be eating oats until they do a oral food challenge when he turns 3 to see if he's grown out of it.  Until then, I'll be compiling a list of all foods that don't obviously contain oats, most of which are cereals. Here's what I've got so far:

  • Cheerios
  • Lucky Charms
  • Fruit Loops
  • Apple Jacks
  • Anything Quaker brand


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Baby Cereal Banana Muffin Recipe

As we're working on introducing solids, I wanted something that was soft and healthy for my baby to practice feeding himself. So I made a few modifications to a banana muffin recipe and thought I'd share it! This is a non-dairy, non-fat recipe.

Ingredients:
1 c flour
3/4 c baby cereal (I used whole wheat)
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 c banana, mashed (you can even use jars of banana baby food for this)
1/2 c applesauce (again, you can use baby food jars)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients and pour into muffin tin. For full size muffins, cook 15-20 minutes. For mini muffins, cook 8-10 minutes. Makes 12 regular or 48 mini muffins.

We ended up freezing a bunch and then defrosting a few at a time.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Friday, December 4, 2015

Dear Dash: Eleven Months

Dear Dash,

Although you don't have a favorite toy or blanket, you love sleeping with my robe.
You've started "talking" more, especially when you are upset. Your most common phrases are "ba-ba" "da-da-da-da" "blah-blah-blah" and "je-ju."
You are the tippy-toe king, and use this ability to reach things on countertops and in drawers.

You have a cardboard addiction. We may need to have an intervention soon.

You've been teething. And it's been awful. I really thought I'd be singing "all I want for Christmas is Dash's top tooth" but it finally came in this week! This brings your total up to 8 teeth. (Even though you can't tell in this photo).

You had your first full haircut this month! I used the electric clippers with an 8 guard around your whole head.

You are getting more confident in your cruising abilities. You can now cruise on walls.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving Break exceeded my expectations. Here are some of the highlights (in reverse order):
Family Photos on Saturday! My cousin Jen was kind enough to take them.
We were originally just going to get a professional photo of Matt
and then I realized I could sneak in family photos. #momwin

We put up our Christmas decorations! Here is my wreath.
On Friday, we went to my aunt's cabin.
Dash enjoyed kisses from grandma and attention from everyone else.
On Thursday, we went to Matt's aunt's home.
Dash tried pumpkin pie for the first time.
"Hey Dash, let's take a Thanksgiving Selfie!"
He immediately smiles at his picture. Such a ham.
Front row seats for the Panthers game.

And of course, Dash enjoyed spending time with cousins.

Rhetorically, Rebekah

Saturday, November 21, 2015

What to Expect When Breastfeeding



A year ago, I sat in a breastfeeding class, learning all that I needed to know before my baby came.

Just Kidding.

A year ago, I sat in a breastfeeding class, learning about the benefits of breastfeeding, which would hopefully be enough to motivate me to stick with it for at least a year.

Because breastfeeding is hard.

I believe that each mom has the right to make the best decision for her and her baby- whether that is breastfeeding or formula feeding. However, this post is for those moms who want to continue breastfeeding, but are facing difficulties. So for the first-time-nursing mom, here are some obstacles you can expect.

Expect a Learning Curve. As I watched other moms breastfeed I thought it would be easy. But instead it turned out to be incredibly awkward--I was trying to use my breasts in a way that I had never done before. I spent the first month wearing just a nursing bra on top because it was too hard for me to coordinate nursing with a shirt on. It took several more months after that to be confident enough to nurse outside of my home.  In addition, my baby initially couldn’t latch because of my inverted/flat nipples. I ended up having to use a nipple shield to trigger his sucking reflex and also to soften my overactive letdown reflex.

Expect Engorgement. Expect to be extremely engorged when your milk “comes in” during the first week. You also might experience engorgement as your baby adjusts to eating solids, sleeps more at night, or goes on a nursing strike (my baby goes on nursing strikes when teething- I found this article extremely helpful). What has helped me most with engorgement is being able to pump either by using my manual hand pump or by renting a hospital grade one.

Expect to Get Wet. This will happen not only when your milk first comes in and you are leaking all over the place, but also whenever you have a letdown reflex (which could be triggered by a baby’s cry) or when your nursing baby pulls off unexpectedly. These cloth nursing pads have worked the best for me, although I have tried disposable nursing pads as well. With disposables, I found that they were too small and would move around too much even if they had an adhesive to help them stick my nursing bra.

Expect Sore Nipples. I'm very grateful that my doctor prescribed a medicated nipple cream for me to use. Of course my nipples were very sore at the beginning because they weren’t accustomed to being used that often! My baby also happened to suck extremely hard, which I had to adjust to. Throughout the year I have used the cream sporadically due to soreness from growth spurts and latching/unlatching issues.

Expect to Worry About Your Milk Supply.  At three months, my baby was not gaining weight appropriately and the doctor recommended supplementing with formula. We were confused by this because it seemed like my baby was nursing all the time—an average of three to four hours a day! After meeting with a lactation consultant, we realized that my baby was a lazy nurser. He was so used to nursing all the time that he didn’t bother to drink effectively. After two weeks of training, my baby learned to nurse in half the time and was gaining more weight. All of this goes to show that sometimes the issue may not be your milk supply, but rather how your baby is nursing. Additionally, by meeting with a lactation consultant you can learn the ways in which to boost your milk supply. Lastly, for those women who feel like they aren’t producing enough milk because their baby nurses frequently, I would recommend reading this article.

Expect to Bottle Feed. There will probably come a time where someone will have to bottle feed breastmilk to your baby. It may be because you go back to work, attend school, or you have a medical emergency.  The latter two examples were true in my case. I was in my last semester of school when my baby was born, and I had to have an emergency surgery a month after he was born. I was lucky enough to have pumped enough breastmilk to sustain my baby during these times (even if that meant pumping at the hospital). Part of what helped me do this were these breast milk storage bags.

Expect to Compare. There will be times when you will observe or talk with other mothers who breastfeed and wonder to yourself whether you were the only one who’s having a hard time. You aren’t! Hopefully this article lets you know that not only should you expect issues to arise, but that these issues are normal, and you can handle them. Breastfeeding doesn’t always have to be hard--as you and your baby adjust, there will be times when it will be easy and enjoyable. Issues may arise along the way (as they have for me over the course of a year) but they will be separated by stretches of good nursing experiences.

Expect to Sacrifice. You will have to worry about what you eat, drink, and what medicine you take, as all of this could negatively affect your baby. Breastmilk digests more quickly so you will have to feed your baby more often than a formula fed baby. This means you may lose more sleep at night, since you will be the one to get up and feed your baby. You may have to arrange your schedule around your baby’s feeds. You may not be able to travel without your baby.


So what makes it worth the sacrifice? Besides the medical benefits to mother and baby, breastfeeding has been worth the sacrifice because of the bond I have been able to create with my baby. It’s the comfort of knowing that when he is sick I’m providing antibodies so he can get better quicker. It’s the security of knowing that if I ever get locked out of the house with him, he can still eat. It’s looking at his chubby thighs and thinking, “my milk did that.”

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Fixed Fairytales: Jack and Jill

Here is one of my favorite fixed nursery rhymes from HISHE Kids Youtube Channel:


In the spirit of fixing a nonsensical rhyme:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack lost his grip, headfirst he slipped
Into the well of water

Jill was not scared, she came prepared
With scuba gear for diving
She tumbled in and soon did swim
To aid Jack in surviving

She lifted Jack onto her back
And up the rope they rose
They reached the top and there did stop
To dry their soggy clothes

Then Jack and Jill went down the hill
Their pail full to the brim
Jack's head was sore from their chore
Though Jill enjoyed the swim.

The End!
The moral: always have scuba gear on hand.


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Dear Dash: Ten Months

Dear Dash,

It seems like each month is a new adventure! This month we tackled sleep training, worked through a brief nursing strike, and speculated whether you were going through a growth spurt or teething or both. Turns out it was both. You sprouted a new tooth on the top and bottom left side, which means you have two more that will be coming in pretty soon.
you have the weirdest sleeping positions
you love making messes!
and exploring new things
you love chasing the vaccuum
k
and you resemble someone famous...
dennis the menace!
complete with hair bump
you're officially in the double digits!
despite being sick, you've been in a great mood today

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Quick Fix Fairytales

I recently came across a youtube channel of "fixed fairytales" for kids. I really loved their creativity and thought it would be fun to do a series of blog posts where I could fix a few fairytales or nursery rhymes! Here are a few quick fix fairytales:



Sleeping Beauty
The scene opens in the king's courtroom. The queen is largely pregnant and is constantly moving in her throne, trying to get into a comfortable position. The king bends forward to better concentrate on the servant who is going over the final details for the baby's coronation.
Servant: "And lastly, we will invite all of the fairies so that the princess can get amazing magical gifts."
Queen: "Just a moment! How will you know that you have invited all of the fairies?"
Servant: "Why, by consulting with the most up-to-date fairy directory."
King: "Check it twice! It would be awful if we forgot anyone."
Servant checks the directory.
Servant: "Oh dear! We missed Maleficent! I guess we were distracted by Meriweather's name. We'd better get that invitation off right away!"
The scene changes to Maleficent in her nightgown, going out to check the mail.
Maleficent: "Every other fairy has received her invitation! If I don't get one by today, I'm going to...oh! my invitation arrived!! I guess I won't curse that little girl after all."
So Maleficent came to the coronation and she gave Aurora the gift of invincibility, so that she would never be cut or bruised by anything.
The End.
The moral- always check your guest list twice.


Rapunzel
The scene opens with a man and a woman in their small kitchen. The woman is largely pregnant and crying.
Man: "What ails you, dear wife?"
Woman: "If I do not get some rapunzel from the garden behind our house, I shall die!" *sobs*
Man: "Well if it's really that bad I suppose I could go steal some..."
Woman: "Don't be ridiculous! A witch owns that garden! She'll curse us if she catches you stealing! You have to pay for it!"
The man then walks to the witch's door and knocks. The witch pokes her head out.
Man: "Parden me, ma'am, but my wife is pregnant and craving rapunzel. Would I be able to buy some from you?"
Witch: "Well, I've never had anyone offer to buy my herbs before- they usually just steal them, the cowards. Of course you may have some!"
So the woman ate rapunzel for a week and then her craving went away. When the child was born, they named her Rapunzel.
The End.
The moral- buy, don't steal.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year!! 
We had our ward trunk-or-treat the night before Halloween where we dressed up as batman, batgirl, and robin. 


On Halloween day, we had some of my cousins over to make caramel apples!! I used this great recipe to make homemade caramel- my only clarification is that it took at least 15 minutes for us to reach the "medium call" stage. 


We were visited by Belle, Merlin, Mad Madam Mim, and Archimedes the Owl. 
Dash stood for a few seconds on his own. 
We finished the day watching Hotel Transylvania.

Rhetorically, 
Rebekah

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Nursery Art

I love Dash's room, and thought I'd share about the artwork that's in it:

Dr Seuss sketch- I did this for a ward christmas poster a few years ago, and decided to keep the sketch at the bottom.

I painted this right after we decided to start trying to get pregnant. Inspired by the movie 'Up.'

I made this poster for Dash's room the week before he was born- I needed something to do while I waited for him to make his debut. 

We just framed this poem and hung it today! It's inspired by the poem 'The Dash.'

Rhetorically, Rebekah
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...