It's Time For Cloth

Today is the big day!

I decided that it was time that we start using our cloth diapers.

I wanted to wait until Skogen was out of the newborn-poop-every-time-he-pees stage before starting on them.

I am so ready to start saving some money!

Disposable diapers were running us about $20.00 per week, which is about $80.00 a month. If we used disposables for the first year of his life, we would be spending almost $1,000 on diapers! I just could not stand spending money on diapers anymore!

Cloth diapers are just as easy as disposables and since we used the same exact ones with Maida, which means that we've already used them enough times to make the purchase of them worth it, using them with Skogen makes them that much better!

The only concern I have is that Skogen is so big that the one-size-fits-all diapers are almost too small for him! It's a good thing that I've decided to start feeding him every 3 1/2 hours instead of every three... maybe he'll loose some chub!h

I also wanted a post a super-cute video of Skogen talking to his Daddy on Sunday...

VBAC2

When things started going downhill while I was in labor and pushing with Maida, I remember looking at my midwife and saying, "Can I just have a C-section?"

She looked me right in the eye and said, "Kara! You are NOT getting a C-section. Getting a C-section would be giving up and you are NOT giving up."

I never knew that something I wanted so badly at the time, would end up being my worst nightmare later... and that it would end up being a re-occurring nightmare also!

Most of you are probably sick of all the C-section and VBAC talk on the blog, but since this is my journal, and I'll probably be the only one to look back and read it someday, I really wanted to post this link to a great article. I also thought the link would be good to post because I have more friends who have had C-sections than have had natural births. I also have more friends that are having babies in the near future, that have already scheduled C-sections, than are planning natural births.

Anyway, read the article if you care or if it would be helpful to you (a lot of my fellow C-section-ers read this blog). I've been encouraged and excited to plan my VBAC2 (a vaginal birth after two Cesareans) after reading it. Even though I probably won't be pregnant again for a looooong time (believe me, two kids are enough work!), I can now dream again, which provides a lot of closure and acceptance...

"Skogie Too Heavy!"

Maida: Mommy, me hold Skogie, pees?

Mommy: Sure! Let me take your picture with him!

Maida: Yeah! Cheeeeeeeeese!

Maida: Mommy, Skogie too heavy.
Mommy: (laughing) One more picture. You both have to look at me, though!

Maida: No, Mommy. Skogie get down! Too heavy!!

Maida: (grunting) Off, Mommy! Too heavy!

Maida: (laughing) Skogie lay down, Mommy! Skogie lay my arm.

Maida: Skogie big guy, Mommy.

Mommy: (laughing hysterically) Yes, Maida. Skogen is a big guy.

Skogen Learned To Shake It!

Skogen reminds me so much of how Maida used to look. In fact, I will admit that when Skogen used to wake up in the middle of the night, and I was half asleep, I would think that he was Maida!!! I would even call him Maida! They aren't only similar in looks, but Skogen has a lot of the same characteristics of Maida too! It's fun to compare their pictures.

23 Months Old

Oh sweet Maida,

Where do I start? You surprise your Daddy and me everyday with something new and funny. You do everything for attention, approval, and applause. You just love to make us smile and laugh. You've always loved to perform, but your newest trick is actually singing real songs! We have no idea how you learned to carry a tune when both your Daddy and I are tone deaf, but maybe you got your good singing voice from your Uncle Brandon.

You continue to be easy-going and have enjoyed traveling with us the past two weekends. Your favorite place in the whole world to visit is "Bumpa's hasss," and you ask to go there everyday. On the way there this week, you informed us that it was BUMPA'S house, not Grandma's house!

You love the snow. You love your cousins. You love Dora and really love to wear anything with Dora on it. You've recently discovered computer games and love to play on Mommy's computer. You can say the ABC's up to "E" and love to count, but you refuse to start at one. "Eight, nine, ten, eleven," is usually how you do it. You love music and singing. You love dress up and especially high heels.

You hate to be scared or startled and you are very leery of men that you don't know. You do not like the sun and almost always have to have sunglasses on when going outside or riding in the car because the sun hurts your eyes. You continue to enjoy playing with your friends at ECFE and Bible class, but just recently have been getting in trouble for being too touchy with your friends and hugging them too much when they are trying to tell you to stop. Your Daddy and I are trying to work with you on this, but it's hard since hugging usually isn't a negative thing and we think there are things that you could be doing that are so much worse!

Your love for your little brother continues to grow and whenever I tell you that we are going somewhere you say, "Skogie go too, Mommy?" If we go somewhere without him, you continually ask me, "Where Skogie, Mommy?"

I'm continually amazed at how beautiful you are. One thing I always notice about you is how beautiful your skin color is - your face is always glowing. You still have your beautiful ringlets and even your new hair that is growing in is curly. You actually let me braid your hair last week, which was a lot of fun. You looked like a princess. You are getting taller, in fact, size two toddler pants are usually too short now!

Your speech is becoming better and better. My favorite dialog between you and Daddy happened tonight before bedtime and I hope that I never forget it...

Maida: Daddy, I want prise.

Daddy: (looks at mommy for translation) You want what?

Mommy: She wants a surprise.

Daddy: Oh, you want a surprise? Well, I suppose I could give you one of your vitamins before you go to bed.

Maida: (in the cutest way possible) Oh yes! Yes! That would be nice!

We love you, princess, and can't wait for your two-year-old birthday party!!!

Life has been crazy! Here are some pictures from the last two weeks....

Mommy and Maida playing at home. A pig pile on Barkley!

Mommy and Skogie Bear

Trying on Dad's brace. He got his cast off, but has to wear this brace and can't squeeze his thumb at all, which means no more changing diapers for him (I bet he paid the doctor to write that order!).

With Great-Grandma Viola, "GG". We visited her last weekend. It was her first time to meet her first great-grandson.

Out to eat with Micah, Erik's BFF. He took us out to pizza while we were in Minneapolis.

Daddy and his little buddy. If you look closely, you can see a rash on Skogen's face. He has the same delicate skin as Maida does. No more fragrance for him! So much for all of this sweet smelling baby wash and lotion I bought, in hopes of him not being allergic to it!

Riding the pink dinosaur outside of Pizza Luce in Minneapolis. Maida wasn't as impressed with the dinosaur as Mommy was!

"Uncle" Micah and Maida. She loves this guy.

Erik got us a hotel room last weekend and here is Maida in our KING SIZE bed! We had a great weekend get-away to Minneapolis!

Skogen slept in the recliner facing the wall since we got a hotel room on the spur of the moment and didn't have the pack'n'play along. He loved his bed and still slept his 10 hour + four hour stretches that night.

Here is our chunky monkey.

I have the best job in the world...

I get paid in big drooly smiles, stinky upchuck, dirty diapers, monster hugs, and sloppy kisses.
I don't get raises or bonuses, no matter how hard I work or how much time I put in.
I work nights and weekends, in fact, I work EVERY night and weekend, ALONG WITH the day time shift too.
I don't get any vacation time or sick days and, come to think of it, I work every holiday too!
My Boss is an Awesome Being who can actually move mountains if He wanted to, and is always available to me 24 hours a day if I ever need anything.
My supervisor is a super hott, hard-working, Boss-loving, family-enjoying, army dude, striving to someday fix people and save lives.
And my co-workers are the most amazing things that have ever come into my life. They make my heart happy and my life so much more enjoyable. I just can't get enough of them...

T-Shirt Baby Sling

Last year when I traveled down south, I bought a Moby Wrap for the trip. It was the best and easiest way to take Maida through the airport and onto the airplane. I absolutely LOVED it. Now that Maida is too big for it, I am able to use it for Skogen, too. I think it's the best way to wear a baby because it's the kind of wrap that can be used for multiple baby wearing positions. It also stays put once you get it on and is really comfortable to wear.

The only problem I have with the Moby wrap is that you have to set your baby down to put it on and it takes a little while to get it all on and together. So, this morning I thought I'd get crafty and make a small sling for when I need to hold Skogen as I'm doing stuff around the house, or if I'm out shopping and want to attach him to me quickly. Here's how I did it...

1. I found an old t-shirt that I hardly wear anymore and that was tight fitting.

2. I cut the top of the shirt off, in a horizontal line, right below the armpits.

3. I tossed the top part of the shirt into the rag bucket and the bottom of my shirt (the tube that went around my torso) became my baby pouch!

4. The sling felt kind of tight at first, but after putting Skogen (an almost 17 pound baby) in it, the material stretched pretty far. It is not as secure as the Moby, and I wouldn't recommend mountain climbing or jumping around with it on, but for those times when I need to quick put him on my hip and go, it will work!

(Sorry for the blurry pictures!)

I got this t-shirt baby sling idea from http://www.chocolatefingerprints.net/ if you want to check it out.

Over the past year I have prayed less than any other year in my entire life.

Over the last week, I almost totally stopped praying.

I started assuming that if God already knew what was going to happen in my life, my prayer wouldn’t actually make a difference in the outcome. And even if my prayer changed his mind about something, He knows the present, past, and future, so he already knew what was going to happen anyway, so did I really have to pray in order for it to turn out that way?

These assumptions led me to doubting the existence of God. I have never doubted God before.

My doubts finally led me to open up and talk to Erik about my feelings before going to sleep last night. I told him about my doubts about prayer and his response was, “I just don’t know what to tell you because I’m confused too. Why don’t you put something on the blog about it and see what kind of response you get.” I told him that I wasn’t going to involve the blog in this because I was afraid of what people would think of me if they knew that I doubted God. I also didn’t want my nieces reading about me doubting God, or any other little person that looks up to me, because I didn’t want my doubts and imperfections to negatively influence their growing faith. I went to bed last night feeling very empty and lost.

While lying in bed trying to fall asleep, I prayed a prayer I’d never prayed before. I challenged God. I told Him that if He was real and if prayer was real, then he had to show me, to prove himself to me. I felt like I was walking on dangerous ground, but over the last 25 years God has proven Himself over and over to me, and I knew that if this is what it would take from God to help me spiritually, He would do it, I just had no idea when or how He would.

Not much about God had crossed my mind today. I prayed when I took Skogen in for his shots, but my prayer was very short and sweet, and I didn’t think too much about it. When I sat down in bed tonight, I decided to get on my computer quick and catch up on some blog reading. The first blog I checked was McMama’s blog because her son, Stellan, is sick and in very critical care. Her latest post was this morning at 8:38. As I began reading it, tears rolled down my cheeks, and I was immediately aware that this wasn’t McMama’s words she had written, this was GOD’S and he was speaking to ME!

“God answers prayers. Just not always in the way or in the time frame we want. God answers prayers, but the outcome we hope for, and beseech God for, is not always the outcome God has in mind.God hears our prayers. But God still does what He, in His sovereignty, is going to do. He listens to our prayers, hears us each and every time we speak to Him, think to Him, or even groan to Him. God is affected by our prayers and He wants us to pray. But God is still God and our prayers do not change God or His mind, at least not in the way we sometimes think. He knew we were going to pray before we ever prayed. He knows the past, present and future all at once. He listens to our prayers, but our prayers don't change things. God changes things. Yet nothing changes for God, per se. If God changes His mind, because of our fervent prayers (Which He very well, might, so please keep praying!!), it will be something that God already knew would happen. He knew we'd pray…It is our job to communicate with God, to love Him, and, ultimately, to trust that whatever He decides is best.”

After reading McMama’s blog, I then hopped over to Angie’s blog, who had talked with McMama earlier today, and she also had a similar post, which spoke directly to me again.

“Prayer matters. We are entitled to go to God with our requests, and there are incidences in scripture where people (Moses comes to mind first) "negotiate" with God, and when you read it, it looks like Moses changed God's mind. I don't know that that was actually the case, but I think that God knew Moses would ask him and He knew his heart. Was He surprised that Moses came? No. He wanted him to reach out to his Father the same way I want my children to reach out to me.”

What were the chances that both of them would write on this topic today and specifically address MY doubts? GOD PROVED HIMSELF TO ME ONCE AGAIN. God knew exactly how to speak to me and when. I am so thankful and so in awe of His power.

I want to end by saying that God did not answer my questions or take away all of my doubts, but God showed me that prayer is not only for asking of what we want (even if we can or can't change the outcome), but it's about walking with God, having a relationship with God, and being full of the Godly peace that only comes from being in Him. God showed me that I was doubting something that no human can possibly understand and that I am not alone.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20, 21

Children

But Jesus said,

Let the children alone,



and do not hinder them

from coming to Me;

for the kingdom of heaven

belongs to such as these."

Matthew 19:14