You may be right; I may be crazy

That little black bundle of fur will be joining our family on Saturday July 2.  Little Rusty and his 5 brothers and sisters and his momma were rescued during some of the recent flooding.  His momma’s previous owners had her tied to a tree 24/7 and she gave birth to the pups tied to the tree.  She is a border collie/corgi mix and they think the dad had some Lab and chow.  Rocky found these pups via one of his coworkers who volunteers at B.A.R.K., taking great photos of the rescued pups and cats.  We picked out one via the photos and stopped by last Saturday to check them out.  They had just been given their parvo shots, so we weren’t able to go in and play with them.  Sandy told us we could bring Maggie by on Monday (the day they are closed) and let her go in and pick out a pup.  Based on the pictures, again, we were sold on Rusty. When Maggie and I got there Monday afternoon, it was a wild bundle of black fur!  Maggie played with them a bit and then I asked for clarification on which one was Rusty.  She told us – the mostly black one with a little white mark on his back -- and Maggie focused on him and even picked him up.  I asked Maggie a couple of times if that was the one she wanted and she was certain.  Rocky and I were really only concerned with getting a male as Wiconi most likely wouldn’t put up with another female in the house.  So we told Sandy that we would take Rusty.

As we were leaving, Sandy came out to the car to let us know she mixed up Rex and Rusty.  Rex is actually the mostly black on with white paws, tail tip and marking on his back.  Maggie didn’t care.  She decided she wanted us to get Rex, but we will call him Rusty.  And on Saturday, we go pick him up.

Pretty sure we’re a little crazy for taking on a puppy.  But it will be nice to have a young dog around – we’ve always gotten adult dogs.  And Maggie has been asking for a puppy for several months (even asking for one barely an hour after we told her about Otis).  Many more pictures to come.

God is Wild About You! VBS 2011

Maggie spent her mornings this past week at Bible School. As her daycare is at church we didn't have to concern ourselves with transportation as Miss Carol took all the kids in preschool who were signed up to and from VBS. Every day Maggie had stories to tell us about what she learned. She told me today that her favorite story was the one about Jonah and she could listen to it over and over. Her favorite part of the story was when Jonah was swallowed by the big fish. She was disappointed to discover that story was not on the CD we got. You can see her dancing and singing here.

She enjoyed all the music and seemed to learn a lot. And she is teaching ME what it truly means to have faith like a child.

This is my favorite picture of Maggie dancing at VBS today. She just looks so joyful!

Happy Birthday Baby Cakes!

We celebrated Jessie’s birthday after the baptism by having some friends from church over for hot dogs and hamburgers and, of course, cake!  It was a beautiful afternoon (maybe a little hot, even).  The kids played outside enjoying the sun with bubbles, the hula hoop and a ball toss game that Grandma Alana brought.  After enjoying lunch it was time for cake.  We were hoping Jessie would dig into her pink bear cake, but she was a little more dainty than her big sister was, just poking at the frosting and then sharing with me.

 

She got lots of nice presents and had help opening them from Maggie & Caleb.

 

We are so blessed to have this great group of friends from church and some family to be with us as we celebrated this milestone in Jessie’s life.  Thank you all for coming!!

The roads of my childhood

Going back to South Dakota is always an interesting trip. There are still so many remote spots and the sights of old abandoned farm houses, green or plowed fields takes me back to my childhood days riding in the backseat to grandma's. On this trip, we hit almost all the old familar roads as we spent a night in Wilmot. A night in Wilmot means going to the playground -- which is no longer the playground of my childhood as that was moved to make way for the new auditorium, which isn't new anymore. Familiar store have changed hands and no longer bear the signs I remember. I struggle to remember what was there before. Some houses look the same and I try remember who lived there 20+ years ago.

Today we drive the old familiar route to visit grandma, though we won't visit the house I remember. We drive through the same towns: Henry, Clark, Doland but will end in Redfield, not Hitchcock. I watch the familiar farmland go by. Families are probably on the same farms though the head of the table is someone of the next generation. It amazes me these little towns continue to survive. Rival high schools still join forces to compete against other joined schools in some sports.

Partly cloudy blue skies, big sky like Montana. I had forgotten how many trees there are in Minnesota and I like being able to see all of the sky again.

The ride is familiar and comforting. But I don't know there will be many more rides upon this road. Grandma does not have much time left and I know this ride will not become familiar to my girls. Not in the way it is for me. We'll not drive to their grandmas' several times a year. And I wonder what travel will look like for them with their own children.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Welcomed into the family of God

On Sunday June 5, we had Jessie baptized at our church.  As with any baby baptism, you can never be quite sure how well it will go, but Jessie did wonderfully.  Grandma Alana, Grandma Bonnie & Grandpa Mike came out for it.  We also had a little birthday party for her with our church group after service (but I’ll post about that later because there are too many pictures for one post).

It was a beautiful service,  as it always is and it’s so wonderful to be in a place that it is obvious the pastor loves kids.  Jessie tested out the water earlier, but was none too impressed with Pastor Tim putting it on her head.

She didn’t take her usual church time nap, and instead played with a box of tissue through the sermon, and a few times became the “Amen corner” while Pastor Tim talked.  Always the professional, he incorporated his love of children into the sermon and talked about how even though Jessie didn’t know it, she is a part of something bigger as a part of the family of God.

Nursing my babies

As we're a week past Jessie's first birthday (& I'm the only one up with nothing else to do) this seems like a good time to write about my nursing relationship with both of my girls.

Growing up I didn't know many people who breastfed. I can think of exactly 3. I can remember it being discussed once. I never though it would be something I would do. Even when dreaming about my babies and family, nursing never crossed my mind. Then I got pregnant.

There's a lot of information out there about nursing and there's a lot of stuff on the internet about what's best and then there's a lot of crap too. I was a bottle fed baby and both my sister and I are very healthy people, so I don't really "buy" that breastmilk is what keeps my kids healthy (good genes yo!) I put that in as a nod to the formula fed babies. I truly believe we live is a wonderful time where parents have the luxury of choosing how and what to feed their babies. Now on to my story.

It was really Rocky who "decided"/ urged me to breastfeed. He had watched one of his sisters nurse her babies and probably did his own research too. Maggie was born the day we were to have gone to our breastfeeding class so we struggled in the hosptial. Then she turned out jaundiced and spent another night in the hosptial where I learned how to pump. The Pediatrician wanted to know exatly how much she ate and how much she peed out and in the hormonal mess I was in I didn't want to give her formula. From that point it took 3 long long weeks for Maggie to get how to nurse. We struggled through the vicious cycle that was try to nurse, feed her with a bottle, pump and start all over. I had people tell me it was okay to give her formula -- things I had told other struggling friends -- but I was determined to make this work. Which was really odd because it was never something I was that strong on to begin with.

Maggie did get it down and I nursed her for 13 months when her gymnastic moves got the better of me. She was probably 60% breastfed. I stopped pumping when she was about 6 or 7 months old. Because of our early experiences Maggie never met a bottle she didn't love (a different story!) and daycare provided formula so it was a decision that made perfect sense.

Then there's Jessie. I worried a bit about nursing her because of the c section. I'd read all the horror stories about how it messes up you milk production. The only early issue we really had was my boobs not really knowing what to do right away. A nipple shield fixed that and Jessie got nursing down very quickly and was even off the shield by the end of her first month. Here we are 12 months and 4 teeth later and showing no signs of stopping (though plenty of signs of slowing down).

It's been fun to watch Maggie take it all in. She's pretended to nurse her babies. She's wanted to help me pump -- and I let her. She'll even tell people "Jessie likes the boob."

I've sometimes said I'm a lazy mom which is why I co sleep and nurse. I can do both without getting out of bed and therefore get my sleep! I've never had those euphoric moments some women talk about yet it does secretly make me happy that sometimes I'm the only one who can satisfy my baby. Sometimes. Sometimes it's a pain in the ass.

I've been reading a lot about the mommy wars lately. How to feed our children/babies is definitely one of the big ones. I don't write this to put my hat into the ring as someone interested in fighting that fight or even to be all let's all get along. I do think it's good however to talk about our choices and why we do what we do. Even if the answer is simply "'cause."

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.0

Day 365

My how time flies when you are having fun. Jessie is one year old. She had her one year check up today and is healthy as ever. She is right around the 50th percential for weight, length and head size. She is 19 lbs 13 oz and 28 inches long. I think her head circumference is 18 inches. She showed off her walking skills, but wouldn't howl or talk for Dr Sorenson. She got 3 shots and was pisses for about 2 minutes. Daddy and Maggie were in the cafeteria when we got done.

Jessie has her 2 top teeth coming in and a little more hair but not too much yet! It's hard to not compare her to where Maggie was at a year. As much as they look a like there are so many differences and similarities in their personalities. They are both so independent. Jessie wants no help walking. Even if she's struggling a little she will wave off your hand.

Her first real word was "touch;" will point at something and say "Touch!" She has also said "sister" and "baby." Momma and dadda have made the rotation, but momma typically only comes out when she's upset.

She is my little sweet potato and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.0