Tuesday, February 27, 2007
We're Moving!
You can now find your favourite bloggers at: http://peteandchels.wordpress.com
Update your favourite links, your bloglines, your blog roll, you name it. It's painless and it will be worth it, we promise!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Byte-sized Babble
I listened to Sufjan on the way to church this morning. Eva fell asleep in the back seat and we were early so I headed up Mt. Tolmie. It was pretty clear this morning, you could see downtown really well, and the sun was shining on the mountains as they ripped the sky in half. I live in a truly beautiful city. I don't want to ever take that for granted... he gives and takes away.
Also I'm thankful that my fridge is working and my freezer, and the furnace, and I have a wood burning stove that keeps me nice and warm too. But the batteries died in my remote, so there's something to complain about. Tim knows what I'm talkin' about.
Anyway, I have a lot to say, but not right now. I always have things I want to say on here but it never seems like a good time. Mostly because I don't have a lot of time to say it how I want to. So for now, I'm babbling. Telling you a bunch of random things. Talking about the OC and my appliances.
I have a George Foreman grill that I never use. Do you want it, Tim?
Saturday, February 24, 2007
The Baby Whisperer
I'm giving up "The Baby Whisperer".
Have any of you read that book?
If the Baby Whisperer works for you, that is great. It just doesn't work for me. It only messed me up. Shook my confidence. Stole away my joy. And for some reason, I kept returning to its methods like an abused puppy... sure that I could make it work, confident that The Baby Whisperer was the ultimate authority.
I have since decided against it. I will no longer refer to it. And I will not recommend it. I am not going to force Eva to fit into some Western routine. I am not going to deny her needs to make things more convenient for myself. I am holding her when she needs holding, rocking her when she needs rocking, feeding her when she needs feeding, and putting her down when it is time to put her down. I am trusting in my instincts. I have never met any adults that still need to be rocked to sleep or still need to be held by their parents. Until just very recently there were no "baby books" to learn from. And everyone lived.
Dr. Sears asks, "if babies can't have needs, then who can?" Our babies are only our babies for so long. I'm not saying I'm going in the total opposite direction and that I'm going to spoil her and give into everything that she wants. But seriously. She's 2 months old.
Since I decided to relinquish the BW, Eva and I have been living in harmony together. I have felt so happy being a mother. I can't stop giving her little kisses and telling her how much I love her.
But we miss Daddy, who is away skiing this weekend.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
For a long time now I've wanted to rent the movie Magnolia. I had already seen it a few times and I remembered really liking it. Peter had never seen it and I had decided that he should, due to the fact that I remembered liking it and that there were so many good actors and actresses in the film. But every time that we tried to rent it, it was already rented. Finally, yesterday we were able to pick it up, and this afternoon we watched it.
Well...
part of it.
About half way through, I was so sick of it that I had to turn it off.
I guess I liked it when I was living in a different time, a different world.
I feel that world calling me lately, especially now that I have acquired a new proverbial hat to wear: mother. There have been many times in the past 8 weeks that I have taken a step back in disbelief. Disbelief that I am a mother, disbelief that I live in Victoria, that I am married, that I am a PW (pastor's wife), that I believe in God and try to live for him. Those are a lot of hats. We all have them. But lately, mine are feeling a bit heavy.
Mostly, it's the mother hat. I'm sure that's to be expected. But it seems like I'm not fully ready to dive into the deep end, if you know what I mean. It's like I want Eva to fit into my life instead of being willing to give up mine to meet her needs. I don't want you getting the wrong idea, I love the kid to bits. I don't regret anything. I'm not wishing this all to go away or anything like that. I guess I just feel a little weighed down by the sudden demands that I need to fulfill on a 24-hour basis. I guess I just don't really want to sometimes. I guess that's probably normal.
Motherhood is very missional. Any other "mission" work that I've done it has seemed as though I can die to myself for part of the day, and then go home and live for myself the rest of the time. But now there is no escaping God's call for my life. It is 100% in my face. I need to die to my selfish desires every day, all day long. Probably for the rest of my life.
It's not a bad thing.
It's just hard is all.
At least for me.
So Magnolia sits by my DVD player, unwatched. I'm remembering other hats that I have worn. I'm leaving them behind. I'm pressing on toward the goal.
And getting very little sleep while I do it.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
saturday
Well the day is here. It's our last day with Keri-Lyn & Alvaro. We are really going to miss them a lot. There have been a lot of laughs. And farts. But more laughs than farts, so that's good.
Yesterday the boys went golfing and Keri-Lyn, Eva, and I hung out on the beach at Cordova Bay for a while. Then we went shopping and then back to pick up the guys. Pete apparently had his best game of the year and is hoping to beat his dad the next time they play. We went downtown to Cafe Mexico. The music there was really loud and intrusive and Alvaro said that he'd never heard that kind of music in Mexico before. He said he couldn't even understand it. We had some good food. Then we came back to our house and Peter and I introduced them to the game Settlers of Catan. I know that Tim knows about this game, but for those of you who don't, you should find out, because it's pretty great.
After that, Eva had one of her best nights of sleep to date and today we went over to Kirk & Vivian's. Now it is so gorgeous out that we are going to move our table out onto the patio and play Settlers outside.
By the way, means is great.
Oh and one more thing, Mark has a blog too.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
mum num yum yum
Keri-Lyn & Alvaro got here on Saturday and we love them. We have been having a lot of fun. And its nice to have people to help take care of Eva. She loves them too. Tonight we are having a night in front of the television. The Hills, two hours of 24 and then CSI Miami. We are pretty much losers.
We had a doctor's appointment today. Eva now weighs 11 lbs and 5 oz. We all placed bets beforehand and Alvaro won. He is so Mexican.
It's true, he is. Keri-Lyn says that it's my blog and I can say what I want to about Alvaro.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Mother's Helper
She could do my dishes while I enjoy my little girl. She could clean my house while I go out walking. She could take care of Eva while I have a nap or stay up to date with the blogging community. She could tell me that I'm beautiful even on the worst days. Maybe she'd even be a personal masseuse. Or have magic breasts and she could feed Eva in the night sometimes. I say sometimes because I don't want her taking over. She is just the nanny.
I'm just saying I can understand why people have them, that's all.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
dear fellow photobuffs
Friday, February 09, 2007
Monday, February 05, 2007
Velvet Elvis
It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another thing to become more and more and more and more the person God made you to be.
...
It is one thing to be saved. To believe in Jesus. It is another thing to be healed. It is possible to be saved and miserable. It is possible to be saved and not be a healthy, whole, life-giving person. It is possible for the cross to have done something for a person but not in them."
- from Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Home
One thing that I have really come to enjoy is witnessing the joy that Eva brings to people when they hold her. I watched so many people from our church family light up with joy, just from cradling her in their arms. It's amazing. I love being able to be a part of it and to share with them the joy that she brings me every day.
We are home and I am tired, of course.
Now for some questions for some mothers out there:
1) Have you ever used a breast pump before, and what kind? What worked for you? I just got one and so far, I haven't had the best of luck... I only was able to pump 2.5 oz.
2) What kind of "routines" did you have with your newborns? Did you rock them to sleep? Did they nap in their cribs or did you hold them? I've been reading "The Baby Whisperer" and the books have been very informative and helpful, but there are some things that I question and I'm curious about. For example, if you do pretty much anything (rocking, holding, use a swing, etc.) to put your child to sleep, that is considered a prop and is discouraged so that you don't get into bad habits. I don't want to start a bad habit that I'm going to have to break later, but I haven't met anyone yet who sits by the crib and teaches their 4 week old to fall asleep on their own.
Motherhood, huh. Who knew?
Back to camp, I feel sad for those who missed out, it was a great bonding weekend and I think it was very powerful for a lot of people. I am so thankful to God for the people that he has placed in my life and for the paths that have lead us all to where we are right now... and to where we are going.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Habits
I've spent the past couple of days thinking about generosity. Not all day, of course, that's ridiculous, but here and there, on commercial breaks, 2AM feedings...and I'm thinking 'what is there to say about generosity'? Or, more truthfully, 'what do I have to say about generosity?'.
I thought about sharing a touching story, one that would really melt your heart, but I just wasn't in the mood. I thought about talking about how I'm the most generous person I know at this moment as I give my life, my body, and more importantly, my sleep, for Eva. I realized that I was a little full of myself (and less than generous!), so I started to think about all the people who are more generous than I (and also more humble), but there are too many to list and I didn't want to leave anyone out. Since I didn't seem to have any original ideas, I thought about putting some quotes up from 'The Power of Generosity" by Dave Toycen... but I already did that.
So I turned to Wikipedia, your friendly, neighborhood know-it-all, for some inspiration. And this is what they say:
The first thing that struck me is that they called it a habit. Usually I think of habits in a negative context, but wikipedia says that generosity is a habit, and not only is it a habit, but it is a desirable habit. Now I've never looked at someone chewing their nails off and said to myself: "I desire that habit", but when I read through about how Christ lived his life and when I see others living in the same way, it's another story.
Jesus is generous always. It seems that every story about Him is a story of generosity. Sit down and take a read through Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. You'll see that it's true. You may find yourself thinking: "Man, that is desirable. I'm gonna have to get me some of that habit."
And then, you should.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
BODYBREAK with Hal Johnson and Joanne Mcloud
Until next time, keep fit and have fun.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
We love grandparents!
I am now a stay-at-home Mom.
I had my first day yesterday. Up until yesterday we had a couple of sets of grandparents visiting and helping. And before that, Pete was at home with me. So yesterday was my first official day of being a stay-at-home Mom. You know how first days go. Whenever I start new jobs, the first days are always filled with mixed emotions. Some moments I think I'll like the job, other times I'm thinking of walking out.
I felt some of those mixed emotions yesterday. Of course it must be said that I love being a mom, I'm sure you already knew that. But yesterday brought many-a-doubt of my capability, the future, how to handle things, should she be allowed to drink pop, how do I get her to sleep on her own, will she love me?
Eva (prononced ee-va) didn't have such a great day yesterday. I'm pretty sure she misses all of her grandparents. And her daddy. She had an upset tummy and would hardly sleep.
Later in the evening she slept and I cried while I held her, memorizing her little face, thinking of how she is going to grow into a woman and thinking of how she is truly a gift. It was a moment. I was also watching "World Trade Center" so that didn't help the range in emotions.
Anyway, today is day two of being a SAHM. Little things like being able to go to the bathroom or get yourself some lunch get put off until you have met the needs of your child. Today I put Eva down in her playpen so I could do a little task, and now she is completely asleep.
She did it all by herself.
She's practically a genius.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
From one mutha to anotha
To sum it all up, basically my schedule revolves around eating. Eva wakes up in the morning and wants to eat. I feed her. Then I eat. Then I bathe or shower. Then she usually wants to eat again fairly soon. I feed her. Then I have a nap. I nap until she wakes up and wants to eat. I feed her. Then sometimes I have time to do stuff like blogging, but there is always something to do and email checking and picture uploading seem to not be so important. I eat or I visit grandparents. Or I hang out with Eva. Now she usually stays awake for a good part of this time. Then she wants to eat again. I feed her. Usually this is during our suppertime. Then I will try to eat something and go to bed and try to fall asleep as fast as I can. This is usually around 8 or 9. She sleeps, she wakes, I feed her. She sleeps, she wakes, I feed her. Then we start again.
So I do wish that I have been uploading more photos for you all and sending more updates, but little tasks like that sometimes just get pushed aside until there is time.
Eva is wonderful. She is so funny and fiesty and she has quite the little personality. You should meet her, if you haven't already. She is growing and growing and changing every day.
Check Flickr for some photos.
Monday, January 01, 2007
New Year's Eva
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." Genesis 21:5-7
I have always liked this passage and when I became pregnant I appreciated it even more. Now that Eva is here, the verse only gets better with greater understanding. I cannot describe God's grace and sovereignty with words, but he has displayed these and so much more throughout my pregnancy, delivery, and in the life of Eva. I have spent the week laughing with joy.
It may have been a joke, but I guess God took me seriously. I am so thankful that He did.