Anyone Have a Comb?

New babies come at a high cost.  No, I’m not just talking about money or those sleepless nights - but there’s something else that these precious little ones cost us mothers… and that’s the toll on our personal hygiene.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the full length mirror on the way out the door yesterday and I barely recognized myself.  My hair was carelessly pulled up in a bun-tail (you know, one of those half pony-tail, half bun thingies);  My black shirt had a very large smear of white dried spit-up on it; and my Capri’s looked like they had just come out of the hamper (it was actually the dryer – but hey, at least they were clean!).  

Raise Your Hand If You're Sure!

After seeing my legs, it dawned on me that perhaps I had also neglected to ‘groom’ my pits…  I pulled up a arm and gasped!   Yikes… I was officially a hippie!  We live in an area where tank tops and shorts are normal attire year round.  I have gone into public several times like this – to the store, to visit friends, and have even attended church!

Even though I’ve been able to shower on a semi-regular basis, shaving hasn’t exactly been high on my priority list.   Our newborn son has a bad case of Acid Reflux and as a result must remain upright all of the time.  My arms are always full and most of my time spent caring for his special needs.  I suppose one should be able to rationalize this and not let it bother them, but yesterday it really got to me.  

I started to descend into a little pity party, when a small voice from behind me said ‘Mommy, you’re the most beautiful girl in the whole world and you’re a wonderful maker!’ (I’m assuming he meant food).  My oldest son (4) had poked his head around the corner and in two seconds set me straight.  He reminded me why I had let everything go in the first place…  there are more important things in life than looking well groomed.  Who cares what anyone else thinks? Besides, I know that this ‘season’ of my life will pass all too quickly and my hairy-legged days will be over.

With a renewed spring in my step, I proudly grabed my hairbrush and neatly combed those lucious locks… on my legs!

God Bless!

~ Erika

I Want My Mommy!

I’m pretty obsessive about making sure that hands get washed regularly; I try to minimize our exposure to other sick people; and of course the #1 defense is to eat a healthy diet full of ‘whole’ and ‘raw’ foods… but inevitably, everybody gets sick sometimes. Especially children who lack the judgment not to put their hands in their mouth… Or in my son’s case; lick the counter at the post office. Eeewww! It must be a boy thing?

In my opinion, the biggest thing that taxes a mother’s emotions, energy, sanity, and just about everything else is: sick kids.

Well, it was our turn last week. We had just brought home our newborn son from the ICU – where they drilled into us the importance of not exposing him to ANYTHING for the next 6 weeks (is that even possible without a bubble?) – and especially a fever! We weren’t home three days when my oldest son woke up from his nap with a 105.5 degree fever! He was so sick that he kept saying to my mom ‘I see two of you Grandma!’ Then the throwing up started.

At this point, I’m already running on fumes from the lack of sleep – but now I’m torn between caring for my oldest son and comforting him – while being gravely concerned for our newborn who has now been exposed to this flu. I knew there would be days like this, but didn’t expect to jump two feet in my first week as a mommy of 2!

Immediately we bowed our heads and prayed, sincerely asking the Lord to heal our son and supernaturally protect the baby. With a strength that comes only from the Lord (and from an amazing family), we kicked into high gear and began to clean, wash, launder, and sanitize everything in the house. We quarantined the baby in an entirely different area of the house and nobody could enter it without changing their clothes and scrubbing up to their armpits!

It lasted 48 hours, generated 31 loads of laundry, used up 2 bottles of Purell, filled 4 full garbage cans, cost $84 in supplies/medicine, and I’m not sure I ate or slept the entire time. Yet somehow, by the grace of God, he completely protected us from it – especially the baby. And we survived to talk about it… Nothing short of a miracle in my book!

And although we’re over the flu for now, we’ve moved on to an infected belly button (the umbilical cord fell off too early), two eye infections, a sensitive circumcision, angry diaper rash, and a switch in formula (since the last one was too gassy).

Yet one look into my children’s eyes, and I’d do it all over again if I had to… which will probably come sooner than later.

God Bless!
~ Erika

A Precious Gift from God

Three nights ago, we received a call from our adoption agency… They had a baby for us!  Even more exciting is that ‘he’ (yes it’s a boy!) was already born and waiting for us to pick up!  (That’s the short story – I’ll tell you the long one another day).  However, he was in the NICU until today when the doctors decided he was good to come home!

Needless to say, I’ll be taking longer breaks in between my posts while I tend to my newest addition… but I am working on putting together a video of our adoption experience to share with you soon!

Thank you to all of those who prayed for us, our son, and for all your encouraging notes! And a special thanks to the Birthmom who Chose Life for this child and who gave me the extreme privilege of loving him as my own.  Once again, I am in awe at how awesome God is!

Rejoicing from home with my new son sleeping on my chest,
~ Erika

The Purse Curse

Why is it that husbands get away with just a wallet and keys, while us ladies have to carry around purses filled with all the ‘necessities’? 

Before children, I still carried a lot; but now my purse qualifies as luggage.  I’m starting to re-think this whole purse thing… 

Here’s what’s in my purse right now… seriously!

• My 24 oz Water Bottle – In my favorite flip lid Nalgene Bottle
• My son’s 12 oz Water Bottle – In a perfect kid sized Nalgene Bottle
• Wallet with: ID, Credit Cards, Checkbook, Photos, Receipts and at least 100 stupid membership cards (just one more punch and I’ll get a free something).  Oddly enough, there is no actual money in my wallet – except for a few loose coins.
• Keys
• Cell Phone, Case and Headset
• Sunglasses, Case and Microfiber Cloth
• 2 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer: One in 2 oz pump and another small keychained size.
• Wipes
• Pocket Sized Bible – Love this one from Amazon.
• Digital Camera (a Sony Cyber-Shot if anyone cares)
• Gerber Multi-Tool – With a built in screwdrivers, I use this all the time!
• Swiss Army Knife – mostly for the cool tweezers!
• Pack of Gum
• Aspirin
• Mini Hairbrush
• 2 Band-Aids
• Tissues
• 3 Toothpicks in plastic
• Matches
• Eyeglass Repair Kit
• Rubberbands – Both the hair and standard ones.
• Disposable Rubber Glove – you have no idea how many times I’ve had to use one of these (like the time my son peed all over the floor in Macy’s and I had to mop it up – Yuck!)
• Book of Stamps
• Travel Pack of 5 Toilet Seat Covers – compliments of my mother-in-law (she really knows me!)
• Chapstick
• Hand Lotion
• 16 crayons – accumulated from restaurants (which I am removing from my purse right now!).
• 2 Sunday School projects from my son
• Pen
• Note Pad
• Costco Coupon Book
• Today’s Mail
• and finally… a tampon! (even though I haven’t had a period in almost 10 years – see ‘our adoption story’ for more info on this)

I can’t even imagine if I had another baby or if I wore make-up!  I’d have to upgrade to a full time pack-mule!!  And I have a confession:  Even though my son has outgrown his stroller, I often take it with me when I go shopping just to hold my purse!

I’m normally such a neat freak – I can’t imagine why I let my purse get like this… Perhaps there’s a 12-step program for this.  I’d like to what you’ve got in your purse and perhaps you have a tip on how you’ve tamed the ‘purse curse’.

Help Me!

~ Erika

No Whining Allowed

Even Supermoms have their Kryptonite… Mine is whining.  Nothing gets my eye twitching faster than hearing kids whine.  It doesn’t even have to be my own children – other people’s kids can grate on me too.  

Thankfully I’m not a pushover, so by now my 4 year old son knows that whining will get him nothing but a consequence – which is often nothing (like missing out on a particular snack or toy).  However, that doesn’t stop him from the occasional whining binge.  Or if we have play-dates with a particularly whiny child, my son quickly digresses into whining right along with them.

So, in an effort to curb whining in our household, I’ve posted a ‘No Whining’ sign and added it to the list of ‘House Rules’ (see related post on ‘Our General House Rules’).  Consequenses range from: No Snack; a Time Out; to a 1/2 hour earlier bedtime…

I’d love to hear what creative ways you’ve come up with to ‘Tame the Whining Beast’ in your home.

~ Erika