Getting moved and settled

Moving and moving with a young child in tow, are two completely different things. The process of getting everything packed moved and then unpacked again, organized and put together in ways that feel, logical, beautiful and homey all takes twice as long as it should! 

Though Guiny is only 13 months, she is very much (though not completely) out of the "baby" stage. She toddles all of over and gets into as much as possible. She's always trying to climb and I've just had to order my first set of child safety locks. I thought perhaps I wouldn't have to buy any, Guin is usually really good at listening when I tell her no, even when she doesn't like it. But at this stage the cabinets are just too available and too interesting.

The bathroom is pretty much done as is the living space. The kitchen is also very close to finished and the bedroom, well I guess that's half done. The spare bedroom is quite a mess though, at the moment it's kind of storage and things I don't know what to do with.

But hopefully it'll be done enough soon that I can do a proper post with pictures and everything. Till then here's a somewhat dark picture of the living room.

Being Intentional

I mentioned in my post about the Miracle gel nail polish that I was trying to be more intentional with my life. I feel like it's really easy when you become a mom, especially a stay at home mom to get a bit shall we say lazy or lax with your life. Now when I was a teenager I was very intentional about my appearance, I wasn't over the top but I was intentional. I brushed my hair and put on at least eyeliner everyday and I would take ages in my closet finding what I wanted to wear, I think I owned one pair of sweatpants and I never wore them.

Now as a stay home it's easy to find myself wearing the same shirt 3 days in a row with badly chipped nail polish, dry skin, hair that hasn't been brushed and no make up and really, really not caring. But that reality has started to bother me recently. Not just my indifference towards my appearance, but my indifference towards a lot of things, from my appearance, to my health, to relationships. I remembered recently a time when I was in college and God challenged me to "fast" make up for a week, and it was actually really hard because I had gotten to the point where I cared to much. Now though I feel the pendulum has swung to far in the opposite direction and I'm needing to pull it down to a normal place again.

So this years resolution is to be more intentional. I am not going to wait till Newyears to make it either, 'cause let's face it there is no time like the present. We signed a contract for our new place today, lots of change is coming and it's going to be a good season. 

So I challenge you, any of you ... If you are feeling lazy about your life, make a change and make this the year of intentionality.

First Birthday

Happy First Year to my first little bundle of joy! It's hard to believe it's been a full twelve months since you first came into this world, just before the sunrise ready to greet the day! You've done so well and grown so much. You love to eat, your always on the go and you usually listen when I say no. With your 4 little teeth and your head that loves to nod yes and shake no. I'm so looking forward to watching you grow!

you can read about the full year over hear.

First year being a First time mom

I have always wanted kids, ever since I can remember. But being the baby of the family I never got a hole lot of experience taking care of them. Nonetheless going into this I had every expectation of being super mom! I was going to breastfeed and pump, I was going to baby ware and get everything done and blog a lot and make a huge vegetable garden and still find time for arts and crafts and writing maybe even pick up guitar again! I was going to do it, do it all and be fabulous! Well that isn't really how it went.... at all.

So labor and delivery went well, I wasn't scared or nervous I didn't want an epidural and that's probably good because I wouldn't have time for one if I did. Contractions started around 4 am on the 7th and I went to the hospital in the afternoon and they said oh your only about a centimeter dilated and three days early, first baby just go home honey, it could be days before this baby pops out. So next morning 5 am arrived back at the hospital they looked at me and said we'll check but they might just send you home or have you walk (I'm thinking I'm not walking anywhere) and at 5:58 am my little Guinevere Annette came into the world at 6 lbs even and 19.5 inches. She was so tiny and so perfect, with the deepest blue eyes and the blackest baby hair. Everything was going smoothly, she found my breast and latched on within an hour or so and the hospital does rooming in with all their newborns, so that was nice.

Labor wasn't all that bad, and honestly the thing that hurt the most was having the monitor strapped to my belly. But oh boy after ... I was not prepared for how painful the postpartum experience would be, or how long (it took over 3 months for me to heal completely).

And then there was the breastfeeding problem, it started out great and for the first month she only ever gained weight, she wanted to nurse almost constantly and I was exhausted but she was gaining and growing. Then some strange thing happened and she was still nursing all the time but it just wasn't enough. I tried supplements to produce more milk and even cut out dairy (which was dreadful) but it didn't do much and for some other dreadful reason I just can't pump. So after fighting a loosing battle for a while, I ended up supplementing and as much as I had wanted to be super mom the stressed exhausted mom I had become was so beyond happy for the 5 minutes of peace a 4 oz bottle of formula could bring.

That was all on the up and ups but of course life never throws just one thing at you and adding a squirt of lemon to that paper cut was just what I needed. I was still nursing and she was still ravenous and also a terrible sleeper so I slipped into a bad habit of letting her fall asleep while nursing just so I could have a break. She still will not go to sleep without me 75% of the time (bad habit, not going to repeat that mistake).

Also I couldn't find a nursing bra that fit properly and my breast were super sensitive so wearing anything more then a loose shirt  was extremely painfully and I couldn't do it for more then an hour or two. I remember going to a woman's meeting one evening and thinking its all moms and girls and I'm going to forgo the pain tonight, they might not even notice, they did though, no one said anything but it was obvious and that was the last time I did that. 

Another big issue was Guinys problem with car seats it is so much better now, but she still doesn't like it. When she was about 2 weeks old we went to my friends wedding an hour and a half away and the ride took probably 3 or 4 hrs because she screamed and cried the entire time and we kept having to stop. Side note we got a 5-50 lbs rear and front facing type car seat and that helped considerably.

Around 5 months I started feeding her baby food because she just wanted real food so bad. I almost wished I had started a bit earlier because after that she finally seemed to normalize eat and drink and then actually be full and okay for a while not so constantly hungry. But oh could she eat, no airplanes for her one mouthful swallow, open mouth, another mouthful swallow, open mouth and cry when the 4 oz bowl was empty and then when we started eggs and noodles and cracker and things she could actually pick up and eat oh you would not believe how happy she was. And she would eat anything and I mean anything (except green beans).

The summer went by fast and she went from rolling to crawling and then cruising along furniture, just last week she started to walk  and already she try's to run. She has 4 teeth and another two obviously not far behind. She's about 27 in tall and oh she must be 19 lbs or more by now. She loves to sing with her daddy and she has the sweetest giggle. Also she loves dogs, my brother and sisters pittbull is her favorite, and any other very large dogs. Actually she loves most animals except giraffes. She hates being strapped down (car seat high chair etc) unless she's going for a walk in her stroller, she loves the fresh air and sunshine. Oh she also loves sorting laundry and dusting furniture (mommies little helper).

Special thanks to my mom and dad and husband but esspecially my mom for all the help.

Till next year!

Miracle Gel Review

I love nail polish, but it doesn't really love me ... well not enough to stick around when the going gets tough. I'm naturally rough on my nails, though not as bad as I use to be. I work my with hands a lot, washing dishes, gardening, making things and taking them apart, I use my nails to pick poke and pry on a pretty regular bases. It should come as no surprise that I usually can't make it more then a day before my freshly painted nails start chipping round the edges.

Recently I decided that I need to grow up a bit and start being more intentional about certain things, like my nails. I know if I don't take care of them they will be gross, so I bought some gloves for gardening and some for washing dishes and I'm going to do my best to be intentional about my hands (and feet). I also finally decided to try Sally Hanson's Miracle Gel nail polish and see how well it works.

                

This is Sally Hanson Miracle Gel in Birthday Suit two coats with one layer of Miracle Gel top coat. I was really impressed by how nice and smooth it went on, and the quick dry time, not only that but it didn't start chipping till day four! My only complaint is that I didn't realize I was going to have to buy a special nail polish remover to get the gel polish off. Otherwise I really like it!

* update - it does come off with regular remover you just have to rub extra hard and long.

Miracle Gel Review

I love nail polish, but it doesn't really love me ... well not enough to stick around when the going gets tough. I'm naturally rough on my nails, though not as bad as I use to be. I work my with hands a lot, washing dishes, gardening, making things and taking them apart, I use my nails to pick poke and pry on a pretty regular bases. It should come as no surprise that I usually can't make it more then a day before my freshly painted nails start chipping round the edges.

Recently I decided that I need to grow up a bit and start being more intentional about certain things, like my nails. I know if I don't take care of them they will be gross, so I bought some gloves for gardening and some for washing dishes and I'm going to do my best to be intentional about my hands (and feet). I also finally decided to try Sally Hanson's Miracle Gel nail polish and see how well it works.

                

This is Sally Hanson Miracle Gel in Birthday Suit two coats with one layer of Miracle Gel top coat. I was really impressed by how nice and smooth it went on, and the quick dry time, not only that but it didn't start chipping till day four! My only complaint is that I didn't realize I was going to have to buy a special nail polish remover to get the gel polish off. Otherwise I really like it!

* update - it does come off with regular remover you just have to rub extra hard and long.

Excited for a New Start

So the plan this year was always to stay with my parents until after the China trip and then to find a place of our own. I must confess I was not looking forward to rental searching in Delaware, however last week a cousin of mine sent me a message and we went over to have a look. It's a little two bedroom trailer for $500 a month, and though I've never been a big fan of trailers I'm feeling very happy with the prospects of this one, it is very small. But it's a good starter I think, I can't wait to get it all fixed the way I want and show you all the before and after pictures of our new little home!

A Long Hard Month

So after a long hard I'm getting ready for what looks like another long hard month, we've been back stateside for three days now and still we've not yet fully recovered from the jet lag. The room is a mess and as much as I want to just get all cleaned up ... the little miss will not permit. She's getting to that stage where she is into everything and with our recent excursion she's over clingy and rather off schedule, all in all a very bad combination. Not to mention trying to find rental at a non exorbitant rate, without moving to another state.... and all I want is to take a relaxing bath, paint my nails, bake a cake and then eat it with coffee.

A Final Update

For a few weeks at any rate. I know it's been a while but I have a million excuses, life has been quite busy and quite stressed the last few weeks. And to be entirely honest I've been exhausted and my mind quite lacking in topics of interest, and things worthy of the time it would take to write and read them. But we'll be on the ups with lots to share when we get back.

Where are we going?   China.    How long?    Three weeks.    When?    In three days.

So the rest of my week will be quite busy, trying to finish everything, pack everything, clean everything, and hopefully forget nothing! Well here are some garden pictures  as well as a few of my corset for you and if you think of us say a prayer for easy, safe, successful and enjoyable travels.

Neutrogena Build a Tan Review

Till the age of 13 I couldn't get a tan to save my life, my friends would spend hours in the sun and come out glowing .... I on the other hand would burn and peel and be just as white underneath. When I was a teenager I guess my skin changed and though I never got really tan I'd always have just enough of a glow to make me feel more vibrant and energetic, full of life and warmth and just really quite happy.

This summer however I have my little Guin, and even though she doesn't burn as easily as I do I would still like to keep her out of the hot summer sun. This has made this summer feel slow, kind of boring, not so warm and alive, and just really not very much like summer. So I thought well to combat that perhaps I should a sunless tanner. The problem with most of those is they take a while to dry and just come off when you get wet. Being a mom I'm rather on the busy side I might just find enough time to apply, you can forget about dry time, and haveing to reapply after every shower or sweat or rainy day.... It's just not what I needed. 

So I got looking around and found Neutrogena build a tan. After some research and reading lots of reviews I decided to try it. So far I have to say I am very satisfied with it! It went on nicely, it didn't irritate my legs, the smell was nice, and it didn't leave me streaky or splotchy. My only warning is to stay away from or cover very lightly any excessively dry patches. I have a dry patch on each knee, that I can't seem to get rid of and it did stick there, making them look a bit orange, also remove any rings before apply and always wash you hands after.

My New Specs

So as with most babies and small children Guin loves to pull my glasses off and play with them. Well last week she pulled the arm out of the hinge, my dad was able to glue it back together but they are now even loser then they already were. So now when I look down or bend over they quite simply fall off. They have been good glasses and I have had them for almost 5 years, I can still use them, but all in all I figured it was time for an upgrade. My sister in law suggested Eyebuydirect, and I soon after decided on a pair that I and my husband both liked. The company is really amazing and I will definitely  be buying from them again, they also regularly have great deals if you need new glasses I definitely recommend them!

Thoughts on self sufficiency and community

Self sufficiency is another big thing that's started popping up all over the place recently and it takes the idea of green organic living to an entirely new level. Anything from growing your own salads to large kitchen gardens accompanied by chickens and people who make there own of anything they can and try to live off the grid as much as possible. Even if you can't be entirely green and self sufficient, any little bit counts towards living better and less dependent! And while I readily admit this to be a dream of mine I will also admit that in some ways the base of this isn't entirely good.  Now I know perfectly well that the idea is to be able to rely on "yourself" and not " the industry" but we should never be fully self sufficient, if we were to be fully self sufficient we would have no need of others and there would be no community, and though we could do without "the industry" we should never attempt to do without each other, friendship and community are a crucial part of our existence. God said its not right for man to be alone and it's true. We need people, people to love, people to share with, people to help and people to laugh with. People are important and so is community.

Thinking about Feminism, Family and Priorities

Just in the past few years I've noticed more and more young families with multiple children. Even in advertising you see it more and more, three or four children running around, more compact car seats and cars that have room for more of them. Moms who want to stay home and are finding ways to make that dream work, not allowing the social norms of "feminism" to make them feel bad about not having a career.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with having a job, or wanting a job or even enjoying a job ... But to treat those who enjoy being "stay at home wives & mothers" as though they are letting themselves and "all their sisters" down by being somehow less then they can be is ludicrous! I would go so far as to say the feminist movement is probably one of the least feminine things that has ever happened to women! Yes we can do most anything men can do (we are after all human beings), equal in rights and abilities, but to say we are "the same"  it just isn't true, and believing that is really letting yourself down. We are different, just as every individual is different from another (thus the term "individual") we are meant to be different and it's a good thing, we shouldn't be afraid of it. And I think more and more woman are beginning to think this way.

Perhaps society is slowly returning to a more natural way of thinking about life. Life has gotten so big and so complicated, but it really doesn't have to be and I don't know about you but I'm ready to make my life more simple, more relaxed, filled with family, love and hard work.

Just this morning I got out a notebook from Guins baby shower, in it was written tips and motherly advice from those who have gone before me in this adventure. All of it was good, but the note from my sister in laws mother was particularly touching. Unfortunately it was also quite long so I'll just give you a synopsis.

"Keeping priorities strait seems simple enough. #1 My relationship with God #2 My relationship with my husband and #3 My relationship with my Children. But when life gets hectic it's easy for these relationships to get out of order. It's easy for our children to slip into first because their needs are so ever present and occasionally overwhelming, they become in a seance 'little gods' and that is not good. Even if we manage to keep God as #1 it is easy for our husbands to slide into 3rd place. As believers our spouse should never want to be first but they always need to be second. Having second place in our heart helps them maintain their own position as head of the family, allowing them to do their job the way it needs to be done. Also the security this order gives to children is fundamental, knowing and being able to see the priority that God and their daddy have in your life, builds security and respect in their hearts. When you have young children they consume much of your time. Thankfully the intensity of relationship is not based on time but intentionality and purposefulness. Keeping time to focus on the Lord even if only for 5 minutes a day is crucial and always keeping a strict bed time for the children not only assures that they get enough sleep but also that there is time for you and your spouse to spend time together as adults."  

That's a simplified and shortened version but it is something I think I should try to read monthly to remind myself. It put me in mind of a book I read (most of) called The Creative Counterpart, she also talked about keeping that set of priorities. My goal for the rest of this year is to work on keeping my priorities straight and my life simplified.

7 Months

My little girl hit 7 months on my first Mother's Day and I can't get over how much she has grown and changed since we brought her home! She's now 11 lbs 8 oz and she is my little piggy, she eats eats eats and is always ready for more! We got a lovely crib for free last week and yesterday I got it set up next to our bed as a sort of "co-sleeper" hopefully I can transition her to sleeping over there, as she gradually eats less at night I think it will get easier.  The room feels a bit more crowded the bed is bigger so that at least is nice!

No Photo Update

No pictures, the only real difficulty I've had "blogging with a baby" is finding the time to take cool pictures. But it's been too long since I posted last and if I don't post something soon I'll roll into a non-blogging slump. It's been busy this month ... well last month actually, hard to believe it's May already! We took a trip to D.C. And then to Philly for my sister(in law)s bay shower, which was really a lot of fun, I had been dreading both of those as Guin doesn't go for car rides, she's not that baby you drive around just so she will sleep. Despite all that she travelled really well and the only problem we had was exhaustion from not getting a nap all day.

Last week I also had a pretty exiting trip to a local second hand store I'd never been to before, perhaps sometime I'll post pictures of my haul but for now I'll just tell you about it! I found some nice wool sweaters some of which I plan to keep and some I plan to unravel and re-use, at 25 cent each I couldn't resist. I also found a couple shirts and the grand finally which has me quite excited ... a 4 pelt sheep skin rug in great condition for only $30! It could do with a rinse, fresh air and a fluffing, but is all in all in great condition and for something like 10% the original price.

Well let's see now what else? My little girl has been eating anything I'll feed her (except green beans) and I think will probably be crawling soon. Today has been good so far I managed to cook and mash up some sweet potato and also some pear for freezing, hopefully I can do some banana too!

The garden is looking lovely with all the rain we've been having, seedlings sprouting lettuce growing well, radishes, peas, onions and garlic sprouting higher and the trees and grass as green as green can be! I guess that's all for now, if my sleepy baby will actually start sleeping at nap time maybe the next post will have some pictures!

Thinkin Baby Names

Yes my daughters only 5 and a half month old, no I'm not pregnant again ... I just love thinking about babies and names. Names, how they sound together and what they mean, it's always been a favorite topic of mine. My brother and sister in law are having a litte girl this summer and she's going to be named after her two great grandmothers.

That got me thinking on family names and I realized that there aren't a ton of "family" names that I really really like. Doing genealogical research this past year has brought a few extra interesting names that came to light  such Benoni, Deliverance, Calista, Lydia, Teague and Vanilla but there were also a lot of Marys', Roberts', Annas' and Johns'. Not that any of those are bad names, they are however heavily used. 

But not everyone feels the same when it comes to using family names. Our first little girl we named Guinevere Annette, though I tell you I was so close to giving her 4 names Guinevere Annette Mae Li and if I'd known that a friend of mine had recently given her son 4 names it probably would have tipped me over that edge. At any rate none of those names are family related but my husband and I loved it, Guinevere Annette means unblemished grace.

Some of my favorite family names and what they mean include:
Francis  = Free   Katherine = Pure Mollie = Beloved  Blanche = Fair
George = Farmer William = Resolute protector 
Seth = Anointed  Teague = A  poet

Some other names I like are Finnegan, Jemimah, Nora, Rory, Patrick and Erin. I had a huge list of names I loved, unfortunately I saved it on Evernote and they deleted about 95% of my notes last month. I'm never using Evernote again.

If our next little one is a boy we plan to name him Finnegan Seth Li. What about you? What are some baby names you like? And what do you think of using family names?

Carrots are mMmm Good

JWe've started with a spoon and there is no turning back! Guiny loves her some carrots and she is remarkably good at eating them. You always see pictures of babies with baby food all over their face, and bib and tray and hands and hair .... you know those pictures. But Guiny she hates to waste her precious carrots! Tomorrow we'll try butternut squash and then in a few more days sweet potatoes, after that we might try for some fruit. Feeding a baby with a spoon is a remarkably fun business, esspecially when reward with the satisfactory mMmmM MMmm MooM noises.

     

     

She is 5 and a half months now and has been begging for "real" food for a month or more already, I just couldn't resist any longer. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't wait! How old were your babies when you started giving them food? Did you go fruits or veggies first? Puréed baby foods or something a bit more solid?

Scattered

Check out my Pinterest board Cut Flower Garden
for this and other pictures.

My blog post may seem scattered and a tad slapdash recently, but I guess that reflects how I have been feeling in my life. Writing blog post always seemed so easy and when I had my daughter I thought this is a great time to really get into a routine of writing every day. But since she was born back in October I've felt very "uninspired" to write, not that I don't want to write, it just seems every time I sit down to do it that I just really have nothing post worthy to say. I'm sure that isn't true and perhaps it's just a strain of writers block. But in all honesty I think it's because I have so little time to be creative these days, no time to do things let alone photograph and write about them.

You see my little girl is the sweetest most adorable thing, if I had a dollar for every time someone stopped to tell me how sweet, adorable and beautiful my baby girl is it would practically be a second income for us. However, she is not a sleepy baby and she is always wanting to go and see and do, which as I'm sure you can imagine doesn't leave much extra time. But that's alright I think, because it's a beautiful messy life with a baby in the mix and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Favorite Friday's : Baby day

These Boppy pillows have been two of my favorite baby products and I use them both every day, multiple times a day! I know some moms who say they don't really use their nursing pillows, obviously people did without them for centuries and they aren't a survival necessity. However, if you have large breasts and or a small baby or if your baby eats a lot and for long periods of time this will make meal times so much more comfortable. Also if you are trying to get something done while breastfeeding it will make that much easier.

I must say though that convenient or not I personally would never pay full price for one. I got mine for $5 dollars at large consignment event. You can also find them on Craig's list and other sights for a better deal then brand new. But that's me, I love cheap and free is even better! But someone has to buy it brand new, so if that's your cup of tea ... Please be my guest.

The other Boppy I love is this donut shaped one, it primarily for infants but my little girl is so little that she's gotten a lot more use out of it. This pillow was lent to me by my sister-in-law, who is expecting her own little bundle of joy in June, I am so greatfull for it. Up till just recently I have used this pillow so much. It was esspecially useful through the winter when the floor was really cold. It's great for when you just need to to plop the baby down for a minute or two. Unfortunatly Guiny is now strong enough to sit up and land in a nose dive if I don't watch her carefully, so I think it may possibly be time to pass it back to Aunt Mimi.