Camping with an infant...

A few weeks ago we started to pack for a camping trip with some very good friends.  We were super excited about it... we haven't been able to spend time with these friends in a while and we were looking forward to it.  Because this would be the first time I camped with a child under 3, I thought I'd search for advice.  The problem?  Most of the advice I found consisted of "Don't do it!!!!"  That didn't help me... we were camping as a family, whether it was a good idea or not!  We promised ourselves that we wouldn't let Nicholas miss out on things because he had a new little brother. 

I decided that after our trip, I'd post a POSITIVE post about camping with a 6 month old, to encourage other families to just do it!

1.  BRING THE PACK N PLAY!  This was something my husband and I kind of argued over... space was tight in his truck beacuse we were putting a lot of the gear for 7 people in there and the truck isn't all that big.  But I insisted and in a VERY rare moment, he was forced to say "I told you so."  Don't get me wrong... Ryan slept in our sleeping bags with us.  It wasn't too cold for him to be in the pack n play, but it was a different environment with weird sounds and he just slept better with us.  That being said, the pack n play was absolutely essential for his naps and for times when we just both needed to be occupied.  When I was making dinner and Jon was helping Nicholas, Ryan could be in the pack n play. 

2.  BRING A HALF TENT!  We didn't do this, but our friends did and it SAVED us on the beach!!  He was able to stay in the shade and even nap in the half tent!  It was awesome!

3.  BRING A BABY CARRIER!  We didn't bring the stroller but we did bring the carrier and for the longer walks, it was SO nice!  The stroller didn't lend itself well to camping because we were at the beach and strollers + sand = messy and a pain (we learned last beach trip). 

4.  PLAN SUPER EASY MEALS!  We try to eat healthy at home with as little processed foods as possible.  When we were camping, I didn't stress over it.  I did bring grapes, carrots, yogurt, raisins, nuts, and corn... but I also brought sausage, hot dogs, etc... Our friends made delicious and healthy food, and our next trip I'll likely bring healthier options, but for camping with an infant you want meals that are quick, easy, and can be easily made while multi-tasking.  I also got things I don't usually get because they'd be easy to pass out... Gogurt, which my 5 year old begs for regularly but I don't usually buy because it's more expensive than just a carton of yogurt... Cheese sticks, which I don't usually buy because it's easy enough to just cut a few slices and because if they're available he'll eat the whole package in one sitting. 

5.  BRING COFFEE!  Our friends brought Starbucks via.  We brought a coffee press.  Whatever you bring... BRING COFFEE!  If you don't drink coffee, you'll start when camping with an infant :P

6.  Lastly... BE FLEXIBLE!  Ryan napped for maybe an hour all day... he normally takes 2-3 long naps.  He ate randomly, he normally eats on a solid schedule.  He ate no solids while we were on the trip, he normally has a big dinner.  I was a little worried that when we got home it'd take forever to get him back to normal.  It didn't... it took no time at all.  Also, it helped that I was nursing, but that I also don't stress over a little formula.  In that regard, everyone do whatever you're most comfortable with... but it was nice to be able to mix a bottle of formula here and there... it didn't impact my supply or his nursing schedule when we got home.

I'm a different mom this time around...

Everyone is different… and all of our kids are different.  In fact, now that I have two boys, I can tell you that they are polar opposites.  In some ways, this is nice.  It means that while Nicholas never (and I mean never) slept… Ryan sleeps like a dream.  He’s never kept us up all night (literally never, not a single night) and has always slept for 3-4 hour stretches minimum at night. Nicholas was a total daddy’s boy… Ryan freaks out of he cries and I’m not there.   It also means that when Nicholas did wonderfully on his first day of kinder, I sighed because I’m sure that means that Ryan will have a hard time adjusting.  It just seems like they’re complete opposites. 

I’m also a different mom this time around.  I wouldn’t say an opposite, but raising Nicholas has taught me a LOT.  So much so, in fact, that I feel exponentially guilty because Nicholas had it so much worse than Ryan has or will.  Nicholas taught me patience… the hard way… Ryan will benefit from me having already had that lesson.  There are a lot of things I do differently now that I wish I had done with Nick…

1.        Babies grow up.  It’s a fact of life.  No matter how much we may want them to stay teeny-tiny, they don’t.  They get longer, they gain weight… if they’re like my babies, they turn into little mini-me versions of the Michellin Man.  The point?  We don’t need to push it along.  With Nicholas I was involved in some message boards that I thought were helping me.  It was a good support system for a military spouse who had little friends around me, right?  It was great to bounce ideas off other moms and get an idea of where my child was or should be, right?  For ME, that was wrong.  The message boards were a constant reminder of what other babies were doing… how other babies were developing or how other babies were growing.  The problem was that I was a mom to Nicholas, not to other babies.  I pushed Nicholas to do things early or “on time” according to experts that I now ignore.  I can honestly say he was sitting unassisted before 5 months.  I can also honestly say that it made absolutely no difference.  With Ryan not only do I not push him to do things, I enjoy and relish the fact that he’s still so little (figuratively, of course, if you’ve seen my child you know he’s huge).  They won’t go to kindergarten not sitting up or saying “mama.”  They all get there eventually… enjoy it if yours takes longer J

2.       There is no “right” way to parent.  That’s another reason I stay away from message boards (aside from BOS which is completely different :P).  I don’t care what the experts say… whether you steam mass quantities of veggies and make your own puree, or you pick up Gerber 2-packs at Wal-Mart, your child will be fine.  Whether you breastfeed for 3 years or formula feed from day 1… your child will be fine.  Whether you CIO at 6 months or co-sleep… your child will be fine.  And most importantly, none of these things make you a superior mother compared to the woman next door.  I don’t say this like the things we do don’t impact our kids… of course they do.  But in the overall scheme of life… there are much more important things to be worrying about.  Are we teaching our children to have compassion for others?  Are we teaching our children to consider the needs of those around them?  Are we teaching our children to forgive and show mercy?  For me, am I teaching my son to obey God and not give in to the temptations of the world?  Because when it comes down to it, no productive member of society ever looked back and said “I want to give thanks to my mom, because if she hadn’t pureed my first foods herself, I’d never be where I am today.”  Now, I have a LOT of friends who do make their own baby food, breastfeed children for 2 years or more, and co-sleep… please know that I’m in NO way saying these are bad things.  Heck, I breastfeed and co-sleep AND CIO.  I’m saying that we need to consider our options, do our research if we feel necessary, make our choices, and then move on without judging those who come to different conclusions.  I stressed over every.single.decision I made for Nicholas and, looking back, I feel like I didn’t get to enjoy his infancy & toddlerhood as much because of it. 

3.       Ignore the experts.  Or at least, remember that the experts never studied your kids.  I’ve been trying to remember all the things “they” say will forever harm your kids.  I remember that one thing was juice.  Never, and I mean never, give your child juice.  Then they will never drink water and will only drink sugary things that are horrible for their bodies and will make them fat.  Yeah.  They forgot to toss in that word, moderation.  I remember having someone look at me in complete shock when I gave my 1-year old a sippy cup of diluted juice.  I remember another mom proudly telling me that her kids had never drank anything in their lives except water and milk.  Congrats.  My kid had juice.  And today?  He’s a healthy child (of healthy weight) who drinks water about 75% of the time.

I’m learning daily and we still have bad days.  I’ve learned that I babied Nicholas too much and now I’m paying for it… so is he as we have to teach him to be a little less sensitive so he isn’t eaten alive by the world.  There are days when, at bedtime, I have to apologize for being cranky and impatient with Nick.  But you know what?  He knows that his mom is real… she’s human… she works hard every day to take care of him, love him, and teach him.  She tries to be an example of living for God each day… but she fails… and when she does, she apologizes and tries harder.  I hope and pray that as he gets older, he learns that life isn’t about being perfect… it’s about trying your best every single day… being humble enough to admit when you’re wrong and courageous enough to never, ever give up.

 

Dr. Seuss, Hot Rods, Putin, & Easter

{Warning - I'm pregnant, due in 3 days, and bored - This may get long...}

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!  Seriously, there is no better kid's author out there.  Yes, there are many others that we love and cherish, like the Bernsteins (so sad to see Jan passed) and Mercer Meyer...but Dr. Seuss is the best of the best!  Jon and I started collecting his books before we were even pregnant with Nick!  There are still a few that we need, but for the most part, we have all the greats!  I could do an entire post just about his awesome quotes!  I'm thankful for any author that has the ability to capture the imagination of a child and make him/her excited about reading!

Every year Famoso does 2 major events... the March Meet & the Hot Rod Reunion.  We (especially Nick) LOVE these events.  Not only does he get to spend time with Grandma and Papa, but he gets to see more hot rods than his little eyes can take in and hours upon hours of drag racing (the only kind he really likes; he doesn't like oval tracks).  This year?  We're staying home.  Thankfully, he doesn't actually know that.  He doesn't know that right now they're doing test and tune and that tonight and tomorrow start qualifying.  He doesn't know that the jet car will probably run tomorrow night or that he could be playing cars with the other little boys.  But I know that.  And it makes me sad... because I'm the reason we can't go.  I tried telling myself it's not THAT far... but it is... especially if I'm due on Monday.  I also tried convincing Jon to take Nick... but not only is he way too nice of a husband to go nearly 2 hours away days before I'm due, I also must admit that I'd rather him not.

Sunday is the election in Russia.  Should be interesting.  Putin obviously wants to avoid a run-off, but he also needs SOME amount of legitimacy and most of the world knows he'll have a hard time avoiding a run-off without some rigging, bribing, and threatening.  Oh, who are we kidding.  Legitimacy is for the birds!  This is the guy that sent a PROXY to debate FOR him because he can't be bothered to actually let Russians see him be potentially vunerable.  They're already starting to find voter fraud plots.  Lord knows there were plenty in their primary!  Either way, if there happens to be another dork out there who's interested, The Moscow Times is probably your best resource.  I'm not saying it's 100% unbiased, but it's the best you'll find in English ;)

Yes, Easter is still 5 weeks away.  Even so, I'm already wishing that Nicholas' friends lived closer.  He has friends at school, but I don't know their parents so I'm not really up for inviting them all over.  Most of his close friends are back in Bakersfield.  Last year I bought extra dying kits on super clearance and I wanted to have an egg dying party and bring out his Resurrection Eggs.  Fun, easter themed goodies... maybe around April 1st-ish.  We'll see.  I guess I may be getting a little overanxious seeing as I will still have a newborn on my hands. 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Leap Day!!!  Hope everyone is enjoying the extra day that we get this year!  Admittedly, I would love to celebrate with a new little one making his appearance, but it's looking more and more like he REALLY wants to be a March baby :P

Sacred Marriage

So far I'm really enjoying this book!  I picked it up at a MOPS meeting a while back, and I keep it in my purse for when I have a break in the day.  I love how it gives marriage a Biblical perspective and discusses why marriage isn't just about making us happy. 

Folgers Decaf Coffee

Thank goodness for decaf coffee!  I sometimes mix it with regular coffee for a 1/2 caffenated coffee... then I can have more than a cup and I get a little bit of caffiene.  Either way, it's a delicious and welcome way to start the morning!

Brown Rice

I admit, I used to be scared of cooking rice.  I'd buy the boil-in-a-bag because the first time I tried to steam my own rice, I burned it horribly.  Then I bought a cheap rice steamer but rarely used it because it didn't do that good of a job.  I finally perfected cooking white rice, so I make cilantro-lime rice, rice pilaf, and teriyaki rice sometimes... but Jon asked me to try brown rice.  I know it's healthier, but I don't know, it just didn't look as appealing.  I made it anyway though, and it's really good and I love knowing that it's a little more nutritious.  If I'm making rice anyway, I might as well make the healthier stuff.  I won't substitute it when I'm making lime-cilantro rice, but it makes yummy rice pilaf!  I just have to remember take it takes 3 times as long to cook!

No baby, but loving 1 John!

I haven't blogged in a week, and I wish I could say it's because I was busy having a baby, but no such luck.  Just as I have for the past 3 weeks, I have contractions all day (all braxton hicks of various strength) and other "signs of impending labor," but then night comes and once I lay in bed and fall asleep, it mostly calms down.  The good thing about this?  The false labor exhausts me all day so that by the time I go to bed, I actually sleep relatively well (despite getting up to pee every 1-2 hours, haha!).  God also humbled me a lot last week after I took Jon some lunch and was wishing that would be "the day."  It was a crazy day at work for him and it hit me that God isn't just planning for me to have this baby so I can get more comfortable, but that labor & delivery will be impacting MANY lives and our God is wise enough to know the best time for the overall picture, not just my selfish and self-focused desires.

We are 39 weeks today, and I keep reminding myself that before I was even created, Baby Monkey's birthday was picked out for a distinct and perfect purpose :)  I'm thankful that despite all the specialist appointments and worries, this little guy is 100% full term!  I'm also nervous that he's going to be quite a bit bigger than Nick (7 lbs 6 oz), because I've gained more weight this pregnancy and I'm bigger... but I know my body was made to do this and if God has made him a large baby, then I'm sure my body will handle it.

Our church is still going through 1 Corinthians but yesterday made a quick mid-sermon detour to 1 John and because I LOVE 1 John, I've been wanting to journal about it a bit.  I went ahead and just linked to Bible Gateway because if I copied all the scripture I want to copy from 1 John, I'd ctrl+V the entire book :)

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

What I love about this book is that, while convicting, it's also pretty clarifying.  Matthew 7:22-23 paints a scary picture... it tells us that many will stand before Him and say that that they knew Him and did great works in His name... and yet they will be turned away.  So how do we know if we're in that group?  How do I know if I will stand before Christ and be welcomed or sent aside?  1 John kind of goes into that.  In it, the author (not entirely clear who he is, though many say John the Apostle) says two things that always hit me hard. 

First, he talks about how if we say we're without sin, we don't have the truth (1 John 1:8-10).  We're decieving ourselves.  I like this because a major issue a lot of people have with "the church" is that it is hypocritical and arrogant... with a holier than thou attitude.  1 John tells us that those attitudes that TRY to say "I have no sin" actually mean the opposite... that you do.  If you really had the truth, you wouldn't act as if you were sinless, because you would be humble and wise enough to know that we have all sinned and all continue to sin.  I don't say that we continue IN sin, I say that we continue TO sin.  The analogy the pastor made was a good one... he used to run a lot, but he no longer does so regularly so he wouldn't want to be considered a "runner."  I may have been a drinker in the past, and it may still tempt me at times and I may stumble, but I'm no longer a "drinker."  You may have been incredibly self-focused in the past, and you may still have moments where you catch yourself doing so again, but you repent and renew your efforts to stop.  You're no longer living IN sin, but that doesn't mean that you never sin. 

The second part that always hits me hard has to do with the concept of living IN sin.  Throughout the rest of the book (which is short!) the author talks about how those who DO continue to live in sin, live in darkness.  They know OF Jesus and His sacrifice... they acknowledge it, but they don't have it inside them.  His love is complete inside those who obey His word.  Those who see His truth, take it in, and then live in out.  He says that you know if you have Him in you because when you really have Him in you, can't go on in your life of sin.  You just can't.  This is always convicting and while I hope to get closer and closer to living as Christ did as I grow, I hope it's always convicting.  There will always be parts of me that God needs to sharpen and refine... but I also know that as I grow in Christ, I will be unable to hold on to a lifestyle of greed or selfishness... because when you have Christ in you, the fruit shows.  You can't force the fruit from your heart anymore than you can force it from a tree... but you can tend to the tree and tend to your heart through a lifestyle of prayer, obedience, etc... so that the fruit grows outside of your power.

Our pastor finished with a question that I thought was pretty good.  Did you make a decision, or the decision?  Did you acknowledge what Jesus did, or did you take in it and let it change you? 

I'm NOT a Bible scholar... I don't have any training in theology and I'm forced to rely on English translations because I can't read Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic.  This isn't meant to spark debate on what 1 John means or says... it's just what's on my heart and it's what I feel when I read a powerful book in our Bible.

Stream of Consciousness Sunday

* I really don't understand some of the debates that are going on during this primary season.  I can't help but want to lecture the candidates kind of like a mom or teacher, reminding them to pick their battles and stop bickering at the table.  Really?  Are these the issues that we'll let divide our country?  If we're going to let something divide us, shouldn't it be a little more substantive?

* I'm reminded of a sermon that our head pastor gave a few months ago... asking if these are really the issues the church wanted to divide over.  He said that, as a pastor, he'd been asked his viewpoint on many issues from breastfeeding in church, to showing tattoos and body piercings, to the kind of music a church "should" play.  He knew as a pastor that people might value his opinion, but he said he wanted to ask these people "Really?  Is this really the issue that should separate you from your brothers and sisters?"  Right now our church is going through a long series on 1 Corinthians and today we were on Chapter 6... in in Paul admonishes the church in Corinth for taking their disputes before the secular courts.  He said if we can't just solve issues between brothers within the church, then we've already failed.  Better to be wronged or loose and drop your pride, than allow petty issues to divide brothers and sisters.  Just food for thought.

* Nesting has taken full force.  Tonight I cleaned both bathrooms (including my nasty shower, eww!), kitchen, living room, swept and mopped all floors, and vacuumed.  I got all but one load of laundry done, but not put away (I hate putting away laundry!)... still need to get the sheets done.  I even got Nicholas' shower curtain washed. 

------

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
• Link up your post at all.things.fadra.
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

How to Make a Marshmallow Shooter (and a happy husband)!!

I was trying to decide what to make or get Jon for Valentine's Day... At Christmas time we went to a family gathering that had a type of white elephant exchange and a marshmallow shooter was one of the gifts... it was, without a doubt, the best of the evening!  It looked easy and when I looked around online, I found out that it WAS easy... and cheap!!!  I was able to make 2 of these (because it's way more fun to battle!) for about $7 including tax.

Very Basic Marshmallow Shooter

Supplies Needed

• 1/2" PVC Pipe - 3 feet or so per gun (I bought the 5' sections so it would fit in my car, but it's cheaper if you buy the big 10' piece)
• 2x 1/2" Elbows (not threaded!)
• 2x 1/2" T-Joints (not threaded!)
• 2x 1/2" Caps (not threaded!)
• 1x 1/2' Coupler (not threaded) - Optional, I just thought it looked cleaner
• Mini Marshmallows (or pom poms for a food-less option)
• Electrical tape/paint/stickers - Optional if you'd like to decorate the gun
• PVC Cutter - Optional

Optional PVC Cutter

You can easily cut 1/2" PVC with a basic saw or even a Dremel.  However, I'm extremely clumsy even when I'm not pregnant.  Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you that me and sharp objects don't mix.  These were only $10 and I figure it's something I can toss in Jon's tool box to get used again someday.  This seemed like a safer bet and I was able to do the entire project on my living room floor in less than 10 minutes.

Directions

1.  Cut PVC into 5- 4" sections and 1- 7" section
2.  Use newspaper, tissue paper, etc... to stuff the two pieces of tubing that the arrows are pointing to (this will help with air pressure)
3.  See diagram above for putting together using elbows, caps, t-joints, and coupler
4.  Put a mini marshmallow in the top elbow
5.  Blow into the elbow and aim to shoot marshmallow
6.  Decorate as you want - if you choose to paint, paint all pieces separately... you don't want to glue the pieces together as you may need to take apart to clear blockages caused by sticky marshmallows!
7.  Make a 2nd one so at least two people can battle!!


In the end, I had an extra piece of PVC that I hadn't even cut on (and I made two)... another $3 in connectors and I could easily make 4 total of these things for a total of $10ish dollars in supplies. 

Another option, if you'd like to play with these inside and don't want sweet marshmallows flying around are those tiny craft pom pom balls.  At least if those get lost somewhere, there's no danger of bugs.  That being said, if I delivered this gun with brightly colored pom pom balls to Jon's work, I'd NEVER live it down. 

Happy Marshmallow Shooting!!