http://www.storyofstuff.com/

It’s a little lengthy… but wow… talk about informative.

You totally ROCK!

The awesome gifts:

Notice the adorable handmade hat and booties! (The onsies say, “Man in the making” and “I’m new here”… too cute!)

Words can’t really say how it feels to know that others are thinking and caring for you and your family. Thank you so much Sarah:)

]]> http://www.thechristianmomsoutlet.com/2008/08/thank-you-sarah/feed/ http://www.thechristianmomsoutlet.com/2008/08/please-pray-for-my-brother/ http://www.thechristianmomsoutlet.com/2008/08/please-pray-for-my-brother/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:30:51 +0000 g7webb http://www.thechristianmomsoutlet.com/?p=250 My brother Dave has been in thhe hospital for the past week. After numerous tests, the found he has chronic leukemia. He had worked in a toxic environment at his last job; which we believe is what started all this. He waited a long time before he finally went to the hospital; which has contributed to his case being so bad.

At any rate, he has been on pain meds and is in and out of it most the time. They can’t really do much for him until they get him stabilized, at which point they can start treatments. My mom left here early to go and help him. Please pray that his levels would stabilize and he would eat again; and that whatever treatments my mom and the doctors do are effective. But most of all, please pray that he would make it through this and come to know Christ in a personal and loving way. I thank you all in advance.

We didn’t have much prepared in the way of a boy, so we’re still working on a name; but I will post it whenever we settle on one.

It was a crazy week. My parents came over last Saturday, thinking it would only be a matter of days before this little guy showed up. I had been 80% effaced and 2-3 dilated for a few weeks. But that didn’t seem to mean much for me. Wednesday morning around 9am I started having stronger contractions, not as mild as the ones I had been experiencing for the past few weeks. So, I thought, oh cool, it’s finally going to happen! I had no idea that this labor would be so different from the other ones. I experienced timeable contractions that were really really far apart for the entire day. I went walking twice, got things ready in my room for the actual birth. But still the contractions had only shortened to being every 7 minutes apart. Well, I thought, I will wait until they are 5 minutes apart before I call my midwife to come over. I had given her a heads up around noon that day.

I got into the birthing tub to relax, that was not a good idea. It relaxed me a little too much and my contractions stopped for about another hour and then started up again. This time they were about 5 minutes apart. I had tried to sleep, but they were too regular and uncomfortable, so about 2am I called my midwife and asked her to come see what was going on with me. I figured I was safely into active labor, so I decided to hop in the tub again. When she came in, she checked and I was at 4 to 5 cm! I was so shocked. I was like, what?! I am not in active labor yet? All this was just a run through still? Oh my gosh! I was so bummed. With the other labors, I was in early labor for a few hours and then once my contractions were 5 minutes apart, active labor would just pick up out of nowhere it seemed and I would have a baby within 4 hours. Not with this guy. She suggested I try to get some rest if I could and to call her if things picked up.

We turned everything off and went to bed. Within a few hours I was breathing hard through each contraction. I got up out of bed to use the restroom. It was definitely time. Aaron called his dad to take my dad to the train station (he was scheduled to leave that morning at 7:30); and I called my midwife, but I couldn’t make it through the call. Aaron ended up being on the phone with 2 people and me holding on to him breathing loudly. What a man!

I tried to get to the tub. Aaron had to practically carry me, because my legs decided they weren’t going to work anymore. It’s weird, the last 2 labors my legs just spaz out and I get these uncontrollable cramps in my calves and my feet point straight and won’t go flat. What’s up with that? Well, this time my hands decided to do the same thing. Ah! So, here I am in the tub breathing through these contractions that are just right on top of each other; my midwife comes in. My in-laws show up. The kids are waking up wondering what’s going on. Aaron’s dad takes my dad to the station; his mom takes the kids down stairs to go play. Micaiah wanted to stay, so she was allowed in the room.  (She stayed for the whole birth, but when he began crowning, she got scared and stayed over in the other corner of the room. She said she didn’t want to see me in that much pain. Aw.)

My midwife checked me and said I was complete. I was ecstatic! “I’m done!?”, I said. She said, “Well, you have to push him out!” I almost laughed. I didn’t really feel the urge to push for a bit, so I just breathed through the contractions. Finally, I decided enough was enough and I had better get pushing this baby out. I attempted twice, after which I said, “oh those were so lame!” My midwife thought that was funny. On the third push out he came; I was impatient for the shoulders so I just went ahead and finished pushing him all the way out. The midwife picked him up out of the water and placed him on my chest. He was just a screamin’ away.

He was so mad about the whole ordeal; nothing would calm him down. He was quite vocal and persistent for the rest of the day, actually - anytime anyone moved him, or picked him up, he let them know he did NOT appreciate it. He was 7 pounds and 11 ounces. The newborn exam shows that he was not overdue, but rather looked to be about 39 weeks. Which means the dates were way off on the due date. My last 3 babies had been 8 and half pounds, so this was different. He is about 19 inches long. And what else, oh, he has dark hair! The last 2 were blondes, so hurray! I have one who has my hair:) hehe, not that it’s all that important. The pictures we have are on the flickr account, feel free to check them out.

He’s super healthy and doing great. I am healing well. God has been so good to us. I have nothing to complain about. Ever. I need to learn to be more patient and to remember that things don’t always go according to the way I expect them. And when they don’t, I need to accept that maybe God wants to do something different from what I have been used to. The other night, right before I feel asleep (from complete exhaustion) I felt such an overwhelming thankfulness. I have so much to be thankful for. I thought about the time when I was first a mother and did not know anything. I did not even know how to know any better. I had no way of moving beyond where I was. I had no good role models of what I now know a biblical, godly mother to be. God has moved me so far from where I have been. And I am so thankful. So thankful that He did not leave me in my ignorance. He did not leave me frustrated, knowing there was a better way, but not knowing how to get there. I am so grateful He has given me such a full life. That He has seen fit to bless me to be a fruitful mother of wonderful children. I pray that I can daily instill a love for Him; a passionate love for Him that exceeds my own. Thank you everyone for your prayers. I am so thankful for this little gift God gave to us Thursday morning.

http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/dirty-secrets.html

and thought it was way too informative not to share. I have decided that I am going to try and make my own dairy products, particularly kefir and yogurt. I found someone in the area who sells the grains to get started… I am pretty excited to be able to make my own nurtitious foods from scratch and also save money at the same time! I will keep you posted on how it goes.

I figure since my mom will be here for the next 3 weeks, that this will be a good time to experiment with “from scratch” things like kefir, or soaking grains before baking. She is so good at all that sort of thing. And with her help when the new baby finally decides to show up, I won’t feel so overwhelmed:) This little girl is 2 days late… but as I was talking with my midwife, she was telling me how the “wheel” that all doctors use to estimate your due date is not based on very good research in the first place. And that a more accurate prediction would be adding 10 days to that date for a first-time mom and 5 days for mutiple children moms. So, really Monday would be a more accurate due date for me… I guess I say all that to say I am not overdue at all! hehe… And that my other children were actually right on time. Well, at least for me. Every woman carries differently.

Nonetheless, hopefully the next post will be a birth story.

If I could remember just that, life would be good. He said that He would equip us for every good work. If my good work is to raise and train children for the glory of God, then He will equip me to do so.

Looking back over this first year of homeschooling and listening to all the hub for the new one approaching, I have learned much. It definitely is not an easy path to choose,  but it is one that God has dealt with my heart about and one I know He has placed me upon. So, with that in mind, I know that He will equip me to do that job. Last year, was the first time I taught my own child how to read, how to do his math facts, and how to write his own thoughts on paper. But that is not the big accomplishment in this life. It is not about the academics. With small children it’s about the heart, the attitude, the spirit. There was more for him to learn about God and what He expects from this little 6 year old, than there was to learn about the ABCs. Disciplining issues and training sessions were what took place most days. That is what God has commanded me to do. To train up my child in the ways of the Lord. I need to remind myself of that on days when I feel we didn’t “learn anything” academically, so it would seem.

Doing focused attention teaching was not the easiest some days, with little ones needing attention constantly. But I found that we didn’t have to do academics on any one else’s schedule, but what fit with our day. Being an active boy, I divided up his schooling into bite sized chunks. With the most focused time during nap time, when I could give him my undivided attention.

I have been wanting to do a more God-centered approach to our schooling; with more of a chronological line up of history and Bible woven together. I love the RC method that we utilized last year. I have found a few things that I want to add to it. I want the kids to be able to explore what they’re learning more on their own and to retain the information they absorb from their classic living books. So, I am going to try notebooking this year, as well as incorporating some of the Veritas Press classical education aspects - mostly the history and extra literature books. I am also looking forward to checking out the Institute for the Excellence in Writing program for my oldest 3. I am hoping to be able to connect their Bible-centered learning with our everyday life and how it applies to today. Making sure that they view their world from a biblical perspective I know will help them make decisions based on God’s truth, rather than the world’s “wisdom”.

At any rate, this is an encourage myself in the Lord post:) Once the baby gets here, and I have all our curriculum in order, I am hoping I won’t feel so disoriented and disconnceted.  Life is so much better with a schedule for me… though there is always the huge flexibility factor, I need a guide to my everyday schooling and every other wife/mother aspect to keep me sane. Hopefully, my next post will be about our newest little blessing:)

Here’s my first attempt at making a fleece cover for Hannah. I printed the pattern off the internet (for free - I love that!), but it didn’t turn out right. My sewing machine was freaking out on me yesterday as well, which added to the frustration. (I need a new one, it’s been around for like 20 years.)

Anyways, I found another free pattern online that I printed and am waiting for some lastin and FOE that I will use for the next one. Hopefully I will get better at this:)

Well, our trip to Tennessee was really great. On the way down we stopped in Jerseyville and enjoyed a Saturnight service with the church family there. Jessica was so sweet to keep us in her home that night and we had a great time of fellowship with Gina and Sam and their 3 little cuties.

Breaking up the trip was really nice on the way down. We then on Sunday stopped in to see the Hunts. That was really awesome. They invited us back and made us some super yummy smoothies (which I had been dying for this entire trip - I was going through withdrawal). It was really nice of them. And Hannah actually had a great time and played with Bro Hunt like they were old friends. This is quite a pleasant change from the anti-social little thing she was when they came to stay with us in May.

Off to the Massie’s we went then from there. They were so gracious to keep us for our entire stay. The kids all felt so at home and had a great time with their children. They all got along so well. It was really a blessing to be able to be there. We had many wonderful talks with them. I hadn’t really had a chance to get to know them before, and I am so thankful now that we had the time to fellowship. They are such a wonderful couple. They compliment each other so well. It was really encouraging. My favorite was the atmosphere in their home. It was very relaxed and joyful. Julie always had a smile to share, which made me feel so comfortable. I normally am really worried that we’re being a burden on people when we stay with them, since we have so many people in our family and take up so much space. But Julie really made me feel welcome and that it was really no big deal. It made me enjoy my trip that much more.

VBS was neat. The kids enjoyed the crafts and especially making so many friends. They were sad to have to leave, but I am glad they had the opportunity to meet so many like-minded youth to be encouraged by.

It was really cool to be able to hang out with our friends on various evenings. I had a great time talking with everyone. Thanks Janelle for the books! I am LOVING the book by Vickie Farris. Her chapter about how the Lord dealt with her on family size and birth control was really inspiring and made me want to research it more in depth. The history of birth control was something I had not really dug into and now I am really interested in learning more about the why’s and politics behind it. I can’t believe it was illegal in our country until 1960 when Planned Parenthood was in the works. Anyways, that a whole other blog:)

Only 3 and 1/2 weeks to go! I have the urge to get everything in order before new baby gets here. I have decided to re-work our homeschooling schedule to work Nathaniel in (he really wants to read and write) and to spend more time conferencing with the older ones on their subjects. We are still going with the Robinson Curriculum and Saxon math; but I would like to try and squeeze in some extras this year, now that I have the “hang” of the basics. I decided to break out the Managers of Their Homes guide on scheduling and get things worked out. Even though we don’t always adhere to a schedule, it is definitely less chaotic and less stressful to have the outline and general guide for the day to day homeschooling/chores/housework/and QT with each child.

Most importantly, I have been wanting to get back into the habit of studying/reading/praying during the day. I have been doing little snippets here and there throughout the day, but it’s not been enough. I can tell when I am “running dry” and have lost focus in the midst of the everyday hub. So, this time I am going to try and break up “quiet time” into smaller chunks of like 10-15 minutes and try and do them throughout the day. I want to invest in a good study Bible to keep me motivated and I was going to get the books “Experiencing God” and “My Utmost for His Highest”. I have been wanting to read those for a long time.

I also wanted to organize my house to better fit our everyday lives. Since we had moved into our new area, I have more space than I was used to. I wasn’t quite sure how to use it all efficiently. We have a formal dining room and an office on the main floor. The formal dining room was more being used for a sewing room than anything and the office was kind of unorganized and not really utilized. I hate having anything not being used efficiently and if there is a better way to be doing things, then I am all about it. So, I had Libby over to help me move things around yesterday and she was a great help. We brought up all the arts/crafts stuff from the basement and put them in the formal dining room. We rearranged all the books so that the artsy ones were in the formal dining room, homeschooling ones in the office, and everything else in the living room. We rearranged all the furniture so that there was an art table for the little ones in the sewing room; a table for sewing; and the hutch is holding all the arts supplies in baskets. The office now has 3 desk/tables for every size so that I can do preschool with Nate and the kids have a place to organize and store all their academic supplies/books.  I feel so much better! We can still use the formal dining room if needed; I will just put away all the sewing and craft stuff into their boxes and store them away. I also created a little diaper changing area in there so that I didn’t have to keep going upstairs every time. I think I will do another all-day potty training excursion with Hannah next week to see if she is ready to move on to the next step beyond “recognition”.

I also wanted to say how awesome my neighbor Jodi is once again for sending her boys over yesterday with the most delicious raspberries! Everyone ate them up within minutes. lol And yea, you can buy strawberries that yield fruit 2 times, once in the early summer and then again in early fall. I can’t remember the name of them, but those are the kind my mom’s is bringing next month:) So, when we get some, I will definitely be sending one of the boys over with them.

So, there’s the Webb update. I will post some pics as soon as I can re-locate the camera:) I am also going to start sewing Hannah and the new baby some new cloth diapers… I will take pics this time, S:) You’d be so proud of me, I actually bought a book and supplies on how to knit! That will definitely be a cooler weather project… More later!

Anyways, anyone care to share their methods or what worked for them and how long it was before they caught on would be some welcome encouragement.

I am going to try and infant train this new baby, so that going to the potty won’t be an issue and hopefully by the time she’s walking, she’ll be taking herself. I don’t really know anyone that well who has done this, but I would love to hear if anyone has or knows someone who has and what they did. I need to do more research in the area. Basically all that I have learned about it came from a NGJ issue that discussed how most third world countries infant train their little ones out of necessity. And how babies come into this world without one single habit, why start them on one by allowing them to wet in a diaper instead of the potty? I thought, huh, good point.

Alrighty, enough of the potty training excursions. Hope everyone is well. I will try to be more inspirational in my next post;)

Oh, and for those who are wondering how we are doing with all the natural disasters near by, all is well. We are northwest (I think) of where the severe damage is. Though many have had to evacuate their houses, crops have been lost, and several have lost their lives, God has been merciful to us and keeping us safe. Please keep praying for those families that are suffering during this time. And thanks everyone for your concern.