Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts
Saturday, April 15, 2017
On Continual Growth
Tonight, as I was putting Daxton to bed, I wondered if he is going to sleep well tonight. Last night, he slept until 4:30 and Stephen and I were ecstatic, hoping we had made it through the worst part of the sleep regression. I jokingly told Stephen it was our reward for giving time to the church for Good Friday when we could have had a family day instead. Tonight I thought, "Maybe there was something to that comment and maybe he will sleep well tonight because I served again and I'm really feeling the power of the Lord". But how silly is that; I am not serving because of the benefits or rewards, I am serving because I want to connect with others and grow in my faith. As I laid D down, I heard God remind me, "It isn't going to be easy." If I continue to look for ease or comfort, I will never be challenged, so I will never grow. Life is about continual growth. Earth experiences challenges every year. During winter, trees lose their leaves and grass is browned. But once spring comes, we see how the earth grows again out of it's challenges; a beautiful cycle set forth by the Creator. Winter is not easy for many, but come spring, we are able to see such wonderful rebirth. As a parent, we will face challenges, dry season, and a lot of storms, but the beautiful growth we will see in our children is such a magical thing. All our challenges, all our struggles, will bring forward some type of growth. It may not be something tangible, it may not be something big, it may not even be soon-God's timing will always trump our own-but it will happen. During your storms, pray for growth and pray for patience. Give God a chance to work in your life and you will be amazed with the outcome!
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
On Applying Spring to My Life
Spring has sprung! My favorite season is autumn, but spring is a close second. Spring in North Carolina is so beautiful. The weather will become perfect, and then sweltering hot, then a storm hits, and your'e back to perfect weather, rainbows, and all is green! It is truly the season of rebirth.
Yesterday, D and I began our day early. He woke up at about 6:30 and I didn't try to get him back to sleep like I normally do. I let him lay in bed with me and play for a bit after I nursed him. At 7:30 he started rubbing his eyes and getting a little fussy. I put him back down for a nap at about 8 and realized I could start working us toward a schedule. After he woke up (at 9:30!), we had breakfast and went for a run.
Applying this rebirth to my life, I have began running again. I have been unable to get back to working out due to some health issues post-pregnancy. I wasn't cleared to begin non-strenuous exercises until D was about 3 months old. Yesterday, I finally was able to get back out and run. I love running (its okay, you don't have to understand) as a stress reliever and a pick-me-up. I used to run all the time, but once I became pregnant, the doctor told me running would mess up my back an my sciatica a lot more, and eventually it wouldn't be safe for the baby, so it's been about a year since I ran last. It was so wonderful! I didn't want to overwork myself, so I only did about a mile and a half, but this time, I was pushing 20 lbs up and down hills. Running with a baby is so different! Daxton enjoyed it, minus the loud sounds of big rigs when they passed us by.
I felt so good after this! When we got back home, D played a little and then I put him down for his second nap. Unfortunately this one didn't last more than 35 minutes, but the point is I tried and he knows that there will be a nap around noon. So I got him up and let him play for a little while I made lunch (a kale, chicken, and quinoa salad with a homemade lemon vinaigrette). When he started to fuss, I laid him on his back on the rug so he could play with his feet. Suddenly, he began to cry a real cry, not a fussy cry. I was draining my quinoa and I looked up. D was on his tummy and I could see he had had a blowout all up his back! Poor kid was miserable and I was frozen in shock. I scooped him up and got to work cleaning him up and throwing that onesie away. An impromptu bath was called for (second one in as many days), and I had to get in with him; D could not calm down! It wasn't until he was out, changed, and nursing that he began to calm. He ended up falling asleep on me and slept for an hour. Safe to say our schedule was kaput after that, but I got some sweet baby snuggles. Today, we've been doing well with a schedule. He woke up at 6:05 and went down for a nap at 8:20 (after 23 minutes of rocking, shushing, and feeding). I have no idea what today holds, but I pray that D feels better today than he did yesterday and that he sleeps better, too!
P.S. I didn't eat my lunch until 5 PM, so I'm hoping I can eat earlier today!
-T
Yesterday, D and I began our day early. He woke up at about 6:30 and I didn't try to get him back to sleep like I normally do. I let him lay in bed with me and play for a bit after I nursed him. At 7:30 he started rubbing his eyes and getting a little fussy. I put him back down for a nap at about 8 and realized I could start working us toward a schedule. After he woke up (at 9:30!), we had breakfast and went for a run.
Applying this rebirth to my life, I have began running again. I have been unable to get back to working out due to some health issues post-pregnancy. I wasn't cleared to begin non-strenuous exercises until D was about 3 months old. Yesterday, I finally was able to get back out and run. I love running (its okay, you don't have to understand) as a stress reliever and a pick-me-up. I used to run all the time, but once I became pregnant, the doctor told me running would mess up my back an my sciatica a lot more, and eventually it wouldn't be safe for the baby, so it's been about a year since I ran last. It was so wonderful! I didn't want to overwork myself, so I only did about a mile and a half, but this time, I was pushing 20 lbs up and down hills. Running with a baby is so different! Daxton enjoyed it, minus the loud sounds of big rigs when they passed us by.
I felt so good after this! When we got back home, D played a little and then I put him down for his second nap. Unfortunately this one didn't last more than 35 minutes, but the point is I tried and he knows that there will be a nap around noon. So I got him up and let him play for a little while I made lunch (a kale, chicken, and quinoa salad with a homemade lemon vinaigrette). When he started to fuss, I laid him on his back on the rug so he could play with his feet. Suddenly, he began to cry a real cry, not a fussy cry. I was draining my quinoa and I looked up. D was on his tummy and I could see he had had a blowout all up his back! Poor kid was miserable and I was frozen in shock. I scooped him up and got to work cleaning him up and throwing that onesie away. An impromptu bath was called for (second one in as many days), and I had to get in with him; D could not calm down! It wasn't until he was out, changed, and nursing that he began to calm. He ended up falling asleep on me and slept for an hour. Safe to say our schedule was kaput after that, but I got some sweet baby snuggles. Today, we've been doing well with a schedule. He woke up at 6:05 and went down for a nap at 8:20 (after 23 minutes of rocking, shushing, and feeding). I have no idea what today holds, but I pray that D feels better today than he did yesterday and that he sleeps better, too!
-T
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