July 27, 2010 by jennifer
Six years ago this week, I woke in the middle of the night. My first thought was, “Wow, those fried pickles from Dixieland Cafe are not sitting well with me.” I thought I was sick. After about an hour, I realized, I was getting sick at regular intervals. Hmmmm…..could this be the day we meet? A few short hours later around 6am, there was no doubt we would be meeting you. Your Daddy and I went on a long walk in the Arkansas heat. We eventually made our way to the hospital. I will tell you more detail as you get older, but just know that your Dad was very nervous and hit about a million potholes on the way there. It’s comical now, but at the time, I was trying not to smack him. We got to the hospital around noon. After what felt like 12 million contractions and a little over an hour of pushing, you were born at 4:26pm.
Later that night, around 2-3am, I heard you stir in your bassinet, so I picked you up and just held you. The rest of the world melted away and it was just you and me. I suddenly knew what it was like to love someone so selflessly. I felt what it was like to be so overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising a child. I learned what it was like to have your heart fill with joy and melt simultaneously. I learned what it meant to suddenly have that “mother bear” instinct. I learned what it felt like to fiercely love someone you didn’t know very well. I learned and felt a lot in the moments that I sat there staring at you. It is a day I will never forget. It is the day you made me a Mommy. I love you so so much. Happy 6th Birthday, Sweet Boy!
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July 25, 2010 by jennifer
So, about 10 days ago I posted how Judah had just had a follow-up with the doc after his 3rd ear infection in a row. He was given a clean bill of health and we were sent on our way. That was a Wednesday. The following Saturday, a mere 3 days later, I was in the walk-in clinic with him again. You guessed it, ear infection came after his ear a fourth time, it got into his middle ear and it went bad, so I lopped it off. I apologize for the Army of Darkness reference there. Jeremiah is a huge nerd and made me watch this movie once in college and that line has stuck with me ever since. Anyway…. We did not lop his ear off, but he was put on a stronger antibiotic and we were sent on our way. This is his 4th antibiotic and infection in 10 weeks. The problem is, they are able to clear the infection but are unable to get his ears to drain. So, the infection keeps coming back. I came home feeling defeated and not really knowing what to do. I trust modern medicine. It has improved the quality of my life and my asthma. But anyone who knows me well also knows that I don’t think it is the answer to everything. I don’t think every problem has an easy medicinal answer.
If Judah gets one more infection within the next few months, his doctors will want to put tubes in his ears. Tubes that could scar his ear drum. Tubes that will fall out in 6-12 months anyway. Tubes that may not prevent further infections. But, then again, they may. I personally do not care to find out. I also do not care to have my child in a perpetual state of pain or constantly taking an antibiotic. So, with the full support of Jeremiah, I decided to turn to alternative treatment for his ear infection.
I have decided to use more natural treatments to try to kill the bacteria. Garlic infused olive oil can be used as ear drops. If you warm the oil up it helps the pain and the garlic is antibiotic. Breastmilk in the ear as ear drops. Again, breastmilk is very warm and soothing to the ear plus it is full of antibodies.
I have also decided that for all future and current infections, I will be taking my kids to the chiropractor for treatment instead of a doctor. I know several people who do this and swear by it. You can read more about the philosophy behind this method here and here.
Judah is already doing great after his first appointment with Dr Jill at First Choice Chiropractic. They adjust a lot of babies there so Dr Jill was very very sweet and gentle. He loved her! I’ll keep you posted on his progress.
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July 22, 2010 by jennifer
Okay, I realize I am not a crazy rebel. Truth be told, I am a conservative Christian housewife living in suburbia. Not exactly edgy. But I have always disliked the idea of my only identity being that of a mother and wife. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE being a mom and wife and wouldn’t trade it for anything, but I have always been a bit weary of losing my identity in the midst of it all. I like to think that there is still a little bit of “me” in there. I have passions outside of motherhood and cleaning house. Well, I have zero passion for housekeeping, but anyway….I fight becoming 100% mom for several reasons. Someday, my kids will be gone and I will need to survive that. I also like the idea that I can have conversations that don’t revolve around my kids. And, I want my wicked mommy-skills to be something about me that makes Jere love me more, not the only reason Jere loves me. I had a short conversation with a friend about this yesterday. We discussed the ways we have kept a piece of our pre-mommy selves in the midst of boogers, breastfeeding, pregnancy, and time-outs. Here are a few things I do (or don’t do) to keep myself feeling “edgy.” And by edgy I mean, not completely lame. Maybe only a little lame.
– Most importantly, I will never, EVER, EVER wear mom jeans. In fact, I refuse to wear anything that looks too mommified. Not a word, I know, but you get it.
– Judah’s lullabies are not your typical Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The songs I play for him are actually Metallica songs turned into lullabies. A little bit Momma, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.
– If it is cute and I like it, I am going to buy it. I don’t care if it is in the juniors section!
– I exercise. This might not seem that edgy, but I like to stay in shape. I have had 3 kids in 5 years, but I do not want to look like I had 3 kids in 5 years.
– I refuse to say things that make me sound old and lame. For example, saying, “I really like your shirt…NOT!” Or saying Woot-woot. I apologize now if you ever say either of these things in my presence and I smack you. It is a reflex, I can’t help it.
– I love rock concerts. I plan to teach my kids to love rock music as well. Metallica and GNR may not be wholesome, but they make/made very good music.
– I will never say things like, “They just don’t make (blank) like they used to.”
– I love Twilight. Deal with it.
– I am dying for an eyebrow piercing. The only thing holding me back….my husband’s blessing. Please tell him how cool I would look with one. It’s not like its a tattoo!
– I taught my kids the fist of rock at a very young age. A necessity in every household.
I know I have many more, but the baby is crying, so back to work I go. I would love to know how your keep yourself from becoming completely lame!
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July 15, 2010 by jennifer
So, we have been following our asthma-friendly diet as well as can be expected for the ridiculous amount of exhaustion both Jeremiah and I have been enjoying over the last few months. I have been trying to use one new recipe/week. I got off course for a while on the new recipe thing and was sticking to the pseudo-vegetarian diet, without lots of creativity. But, here are a few wonderful recipes that we have discovered and enjoyed.
Basic Homemade Hummus
I can Chickpeas (Garbonzo beans) drained
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tablespoons Tahini (can be found near the peanut butter or in a health food isle)
Put in blender. Add water to desired consistency. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with olive oil and paprika.
Pita Bread
This isn’t the exact recipe I use, but still very good.
Falafel with Cucumber Sauce
Add a few falafel balls, some veggies, and the cucumber sauce to a pita and YUM!
Delicious Stove Top Mac and Cheese
No exactly asthma-friendly, but very good and a great alternative to unhealthy box stuff.
Pasta with Basil and Brie
Very easy and very yummy.
Vegetarian Quesadillas
Serve with guacamole and plain yogurt. Very easy and very yummy.
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July 15, 2010 by jennifer
Wouldn’t you like to know…
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July 14, 2010 by jennifer
Yes, I am aware. I haven’t blogged in a LONG time. A really long time. Probably a record for me. But know there is a good reason. I haven’t slept in months. It all started around the day I found out I was pregnant with Judah…just kidding. It hasn’t been quite that long. While it is true that I don’t sleep well when pregnant, I have really been lacking sleep to a great degree since Mother’s Day. So, about 2 months. My descent into sleep deprived madness all started when Judah got an ear infection in the beginning of May. A double ear infection that has now taken 2 months, three rounds of antibiotics and 1 round of probiotics to get rid of. He had his follow-up today and while he still has water on his ears, his ears look clear of infection. Whew! I have had no time. The few moments Judah has felt well over the last few months we have been out enjoying summer. The rest of the time, I have spent my days in a severely sleep deprived stupor, chasing Judah around while he constantly destroys the house (oh the joys of the 9 month old!) or tries to “off” himself. Thankfully, the infection is now gone, so Judah is sleeping decently at night once again. As a result, I am sleeping decently at night once again. Not perfect, but decent.
Of course, with Judah getting sick, his sleep training was completely thrown out the window. Even once he felt better, he was still waking up 4 to 5 times a night out of habit. And don’t even get me started on how awful nap times were. WOW! So a week ago, I bought The No-Cry Sleep Solution. I was so sick of the “cry it out” solutions. It seems as though all of my internet research led me to two conclusions about babies and sleep. Either deal with it or let them cry it out. I have done the cry it out option in desperation before with Breckin and I HATED it. I have done it with Judah as well and still HATE it. Plus, it has been very ineffective with Judah. I hate hearing my baby cry. I wonder if they feel abandoned or confused. After all, Judah can’t possibly understand why I would put him in his crib and just walk away. So, I started reading this book to see if this alternative would prove effective. The whole process is one that requires some patience and initial loss of sleep. But, I am happy to say that after doing it for a week, Judah’s sleep has drastically improved. He was waking 4 or 5 times a night. Never went down at night or nap without a serious fight. Now, after a week, he is waking 2 times in a 12 hour period and happy to go to sleep at night. He is taking 2 2-hour naps during the day and happy to go down at nap. HIGHLY recommend this book to any parent who desperately wants more sleep, but hates the whole process of crying it out.
In summary, now that I am sleeping again, I should be blogging more. So, look forward to many more vegetarian recipes and delicious meals. Yes, we are still eating “asthma-friendly” foods here! Until then….(which will probably be sometime later today)
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May 24, 2010 by jennifer
Some may call it a soulless life in the suburbs. I like to call it some of the best memories my children will ever have.
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May 16, 2010 by jennifer
ADORABLE!
This one kills me! Quite possibly the cutest baby picture ever taken.
There is just something about those adorable little feet.
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May 12, 2010 by jennifer
I think it is safe to say I am a tomboy. Always have been. I grew up with 2 brothers that were constantly tossing a ball of some sort around. I was always happy to join. There wasn’t a day that went by in my childhood where I did not participate in some sort of sport. It was a part of my life. I was the girl you would find riding her bike all over the place, playing in the dirt to find the weirdest bugs, playing basketball in the backyard and one that could hold her own with her brothers (until they became much much bigger than me). I liked to watch wrestling, basketball, football and hockey. In fact, I didn’t know that girls could be “girly” until I met Jeremiah’s sister and mom. Hi there ladies! 
That was foreign to me. The girls in my family didn’t paint their fingernails or watch movies like “Clueless” and we certainly didn’t wear jewelry! The world of femininity was completely foreign to me as a child.
As an adult, I have grown to be more feminine. In some ways it has just happened to me but other things have been deliberate or forced. For example, I learned that makeup is my friend. A good friend. I have learned that I look good in and like pink, pedicures are heavenly, I love wearing skirts, and that it is okay to admit that I have a shoe problem! Other things haven’t come so naturally. I don’t like wearing jewelry unless necessary. I do like some pieces, but they are usually simple and classic. 99% of the time you will find me wearing my wedding ring, a ring I bought in Tel Aviv, Israel and my diamond stud earrings. If I am wearing more I must be trying to dress up. And speaking of dressing up, I am a stretchy jeans and cute t-shirt girl. When I do dress up, I feel odd the whole time. So, it is rare. I will never care about varieties of hot tea, wine, or which kind of rose is growing in someones yard. It is just not me. I would rather go for a run or bike ride than paint my toes. I still find myself feeling a bit confused by “girly” conversation. I am not crazy about romantic comedies or books about ooey-gooey love. It’s just not me. While I have become more feminine as I have gotten older, at heart I am still a tomboy. After all, I still LOVE to play in the dirt.
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May 6, 2010 by jennifer
If you are actually one of the few who read this blog, you know that our family has been making an extra effort to eat better. We have always eaten healthy, but now we are taking it up a level. Over the last month, we have found a few recipes that have been amazing. Anytime I can find a delicious vegetarian meal that causes me to forget meat is actually available to eat, I hang onto it. We have found several that we are very much in love with and will be staples from now on. Here are a few of our favorite recipes. Right now I am only going to post ones that I have found online and haven’t modified much. Later, I will post the full recipes of things I have modified a great deal or created on my own.
Stuffed Peppers
Spinach Strawberry Salad with homemade dressing
Wheat Dinner Rolls Delicious!
California Grilled Veggie Sandwich To Die For! These make me forget meat ever existed. Our grill was out of gas, so I just broiled the veggies in the oven.
Overnight Oatmeal
Foccacia Bread I have made this bread plain but I have also topped it with a variety of spices and cheese. Wonderful every time.
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