If you're a bird, I'm a bird

I think we all have to remind ourselves that parents choose to raise their children differently. I know I am guilty of looking down on parents who choose to do things differently than us and thinking our ways are "best". Of course, there are people out there, older people mostly, who tell us how they used to do things. Times have changed, like the use of walkers, cereal in bottles, carseat laws, and babies sleeping on their stomachs. These are some things we Joseph and I have decided on right now: God- Lincoln will be raised in a godly home where he hears Bible stories, prayer at the dinner table and at bedtime, prayers over his sicknesses, thanksgiving for answered prayers, clean television (once he is allowed to watch), church attendance, give 10% of all the money he receives to the Lord. Breastfeeding- I'll breastfeed him for a year.We were given the okay today to start introducing cereals (if we want to and think he is ready). I think we will wait a little longe

So as a breastfeeding mom, as I was told to "feed on demand". When Lincoln was a newborn, if he wasn't sleeping, he was eating. Now that he is older (4 months), he does more. Some places say to establish a schedule for your baby. It's on the notes at the pediatrician's office, Lincoln's school has one, there are books like Baby Wise that talk about the importance of a schedule. I still do not feed by a clock. At school, the teachers will ask, "He eats every 3 hours?" My response, "We do not follow a schedule, we follow his cues." So that is why I say we have a routine. We eat, play, sleep. There is not a certain time or duration we do these things every day. When he wakes up at 6:00am on weekdays (because we have to get ready for school), I feed him. Once he gets to school, he plays for as long as he wants. He'll let you know he is finished by rubbing his eyes, sucking his fingers and lying his head down, whining, etc. We rarely let hi

So when I heard how breast milk is like the first vaccine, I had a preconceived idea that it would keep my baby from getting sick. It would be a miraculous cure-all that would protect him from the air born illnesses and germs flying around at daycare and from us. At least healthier than babies not being breast fed! It all started with one of my students at school proclaiming that he went home with strep throat one day in December. He was back the next day. Even if he was on antibiotics, they hadn't been in his system 24-hours to make him not contagious anymore. I'm one of those people that can think about being exposed  to a sickness and then I'm sick. Someone says they have a sore throat and then I just know the germs are flying down my throat and the next thing I know, my throat hurts. Saying that, I do not get sick very often though. So my throat is sore and I asked the nurse at school to check my throat. She takes a flash light and shines it down my throat. She says,

Instead of resolutions, I like to call them "goals". I also made sure my goals were reasonable and attainable. I don't need added stress in my life. start running again (No weight goal) knit for pleasure (no project goal) only read books I already own update resume' and apply for jobs in Beaufort, SC have a job I enjoy have nightly prayer and marriage devotion with Joseph spend quality-time with Lincoln and Joseph simplify by purging old and unused things (try living with the minimum) continue blogging conceive a second child so Lincoln will have a sibling build up savings account