Daylight Savings Time SUCKS!!

Whoever is responsible for Daylight Savings Time totally stinks. He's dead, but if he weren't, I would write a letter. Ashlyn hasn't figured it out yet that she can sleep an hour later! We put her to bed an hour later, but she's still waking up at the same time--UGH!! It's not like I'm getting tons of sleep these days, either. OK, enough whining. Seriously, though, right now I wish I lived in Arizona!!

My Little Puddle Jumper!

Well, it was rainy last week, and Ashlyn learned that she loves to jump in puddles. On Day Two of Puddle Jumping Extravaganza, the puddles were muddy. Thank God for Oxiclean! While we were at Babies R Us yesterday, I just happened upon some cute boots for our little puddle jumper. They're lined, too, so I think they'll just be good for the winter. Ashlyn was all bummed when we got home from the store and there weren't any puddles to jump in. :-)

Mark says Day 1 of his big inspection went well and just two more days to go and he can have a little time to relax (finally!).

Matthew slept from 6:00 PM last night until 12:30. I went to bed early to take advantage as much as possible of when he likes to do his long stretch. :-) After that, he did not sleep well...I could hear him coughing and gagging a lot. I moved the swing up in his room...I think it will help with the refulx for him to sleep on more of an incline. We'll see.

Ashlyn's Second Birthday!

I can't believe I have a 2-year-old! Ashlyn turned two on October 31st and we had a party for her the next day. It was supposed to be a costume party for the kids, but most of the kids took off their costumes after the first five minutes (Ashlyn never would wear her bunny ears)...so I was the only one in costume. :-) It was a fun party, though. The attendees were: Ashlyn's best buddies from church and playgroup, Grandma and Grandpa Harris, our neighbor Susan and her daughter, Haley (Ashlyn's babysitter), Haley's boyfriend Zach, some friends from the ship and mommy, daddy and Matthew, of course. Zach and Grandpa were the live entertainment, and the balloons were a big hit, too. I saw Zach getting pounded with balloons by enthusiastic four-year-olds almost incessantly.

I made the bunny cake, and even though Ashlyn opted for ice cream instead, she still mentions the bunny cake on occasion. She liked it. I think her favorite gift was a little purse that her Great Grandma Ruth sent...she was carrying it around for days afterwards saying, "I'm going shopping!" And when we asked her what she would buy, she said, "Pancakes and ice cream and brownies." Whoever said to keep your kids away from sugar as long as possible was sooo right!

Learning to Trust Him

Having children is tough for a type-A gal like me. They are unpredictable and they don't always go along with my plans. I am pretty convinced that God has given me "hard to read" babies so that I will have to trust in Him. With Ashlyn, I tried to follow the guidelines described in the book "Babywise," but it never worked out. I had trouble getting her down for naps after every feeding and she would just cry and cry and cry. And because I am such a type-A person, I felt like I must be doing something wrong...to me, Babywise was a roadmap to parenting my new baby. I was a new parent and I needed some guidance. Babywise was it, and I was failing.

When Matthew was born, I had it in my mind that I was going to enjoy my baby and not get caught up in a bunch of rules. Quickly, though, I began doubting myself and went in search of other strategies. Then the Lord gave me a verse during one of my quiet times: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)

It has been difficult to trust Him when Matthew is taking a super-long afternoon nap and the Babywise rule-follower in me says: "I must keep on schedule!" "I must wake him to feed him!" But I am learning. I just have to pray for wisdom and trust that I have received it.

James 1:2-8
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

I can't tell you how many times I have been a double-minded mother! I read a little of so-and-so's book and I do that for a few weeks...then it doesn't work so I try another book. Insanity!

I resolve to trust in the Lord! He is the one who knit Matthew together. He knows what is good for my little boy and He has PROMISED to give me that wisdom. It's going to be difficult to not be swayed by all of the professional opinions and all of the advice that is available, but I just pray that God will give me grace to trust Him so that I can honor Him with the way I mother my children.

Mama's Little Helper

Ashlyn is always very concerned with her brother (and keeping him quiet). In the car, when he fusses, she says "Mama give Matthew paci." (And when I can't and he continues to fuss, she puts her fingers in her ears and says, "WAHHH!"). This morning, Matthew was having trouble staying asleep, so I brought him downstairs and put him in his swing. Ashlyn started pushing the swing and then decided that Matthew needed doggie and bunny...so she gave him her two bunnies and her doggie. She is normally very possessive of them, so this is a big deal. Anyway, then I gave him his pacifier and of course he spit it out. So then she stood next to the swing and gave him his pacifier each time he spit it out. Very cute! She made him gag a few times, but other than that, she was a big help! I've caught her chewing on the paci a few times. She is so very interested in pacifiers for a girl who never took one as a baby.
Mark is home for a few days so we are enjoying some time together. Next underway period is his big inspection and then we will have a whole month with him home for the holidays. We are REALLY looking forward to it.

Brotherly Love

Well, it seems that Ashlyn is really starting to enjoy being a big sister! Today while I was getting dressed, I had Matthew in the bouncy seat by the bathroom door and Ashlyn was sort of playing in the general area. She said, "Bunny kiss Matthew," and proceeded to make her lovey (Bunny) give Matthew a kiss right on the nose. He smiled and it was so cute! Later on when I was burping Matthew, she wanted to help. She got a bit vigorous with her patting on his back, but didn't produce a burp. Anyway, it's nice that she likes to help.

Often, when he is crying, Ashlyn will venture a guess as to what is wrong. She will say he's hungry or he has gas or he is tired. She is a great big sister. She in general is a great helper. Yesterday, she helped me water plants (and the floor :-). She had the craziest hair ever since she went down for a nap with a wet head. I think she looks a bit like Annie.

Getting into the Swing of Things!

Well, here we are, five weeks later...finally beginning to figure things out. Matthew is doing amazing...he's already over ten pounds and he's grown over three inches since his birth. That makes sense with all the eating he's been doing! We are starting to figure him out a bit and have learned that he naps very well if he's put down early enough (so much like his big sister!). He is still nursing every 2-3 hours during the day and every 2-4 hours at night. Last night was our best night EVER! He gave me three long stretches of 3 1/2 to 4 hours each. I got eight hours of sleep (in three stretches). I feel so much more human (but not quite altogether normal).

Mark is at sea for two weeks and my dad is flying in to the DC area from Bermuda for a few days, so I have taken the opportunity to come up to visit. I'm staying in Annapolis with my in-laws and my dad will stay here tomorrow night, too, so we can have a nice visit. I'm really looking forward to it especially since I haven't seen my dad in over a year!

Ashlyn is doing great as a big sister. She is bag to her normal self and is more independent (thank the Lord!). She helps give Matthew a bath and tells me when he's crying (and sometimes she'll tell me what's wrong with him: either he's hungry or he has gas). Funny girl.

The video is of Ashlyn (and her bunny and doggie) playing the piano at my in-laws house. She made such a racket she woke up her napping brother. Oh well!