Tender Mercies

As a young girl living in Japan, I remember my parents going out one day and picking up some free desks that someone was giving away to be used in our home. I thought they were the coolest desks, and enjoyed using mine all the way through high school. These hand-me-down desks weren't the fanciest, nor were they on the front cover of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, but they were sturdy, functional, and didn't put a big dent in the budget, if at all. And that's how I remember growing up. We almost always had second hand or homemade furniture, and my parents didn't buy a brand new sectional for their living room until they had been married for nearly 30 years. My parents taught me that money is better spent on wise investments, service, and family vacations.  And so I suppose this thrifty mindset is in my blood.  Adelai was so generously gifted with an entire wardrobe of clothing for the first 12 months, and 2/3rds of the clothes are second-hand, which I apprec...

Dear Adelai, Happy 5 months, sweetheart. This past month has been full of discovery! You've discovered your feet and your toes and love to stick them into your mouth whenever you have the chance, especially when Dad or I try to change your diaper. But honestly, you love to stick anything that comes within twelve inches of your face into your mouth, so your toes shouldn't be too surprising. You've also become more aware of faces, discovering that you have a tongue and smacking away with it and making adorable noises and a great deal of drool. You also love touching faces and putting your fingers into open mouths. I love the giggles you give when I "chew" on your fingers! I do not know why it excites you so much, but it sure is fun to find things to make you giggle. Speaking of giggling, you do it so often! I even managed to make you giggle in the same breath as a scream one evening. You were having a rough time as we were getting ready for bed and I...

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”- Theodore Roosevelt How often do we tell our children or the younger generation, "You can do it!" "Believe in yourself!" or "Don't be afraid of failure"? But then why are we so quick to be our worst ...

Dear Adelai, Your 4th month has been the most difficult month for me as a new mom. It was as though the honeymoon stage of having a small little newborn, where meals were brought over from welcoming friends and the social acceptance of mommy naps, was over.  I was exhausted. The accumulation of three months jam-packed with round-the-clock nursing sessions, wiping up spit up, doing yet another load of laundry, and trying to figure out how to balance motherhood with my own autonomy was taking its toll. When you were first born, I took advantage of your naps and aimed for 2 naps a day myself. But this past month those naps slowly stopped becoming a priority because I felt like I "needed" to get things done while you slept. You were "supposed" to be sleeping through the night by 3 months, or so the baby sleep "experts" claimed, as long as I was being efficient with our sleep routine. Consistency, they said, was key. So I tried to be consistent.  But y...

In my wedding guest book my maternal grandmother wrote, "Rose--the 'love' namesake." I was the third girl to have the middle name of Rose, with my grandmother being the first. Ever since I was little, I hoped to have a girl who I would give Rose as a middle name. I was full of joy when we discovered that we would be having a little girl, and were excited to pass the tradition on to her. She is now the 4th Rose , and I pray, will be able to spread love to all who meet her. I am sure her Great-Grandma Carolyn taught her in heaven before she was born about love and prepared her, in a way, to come down to our family. After Adelai Rose was born, my father-in-law made little rose necklaces, engraved with her name on the back. He gave one to my mother, myself, and my daughter, as well as making a tie tack for my husband. We love them. Adelai is a special girl who is loved beyond a shadow of doubt. She comes from a lineage of strong and courageous women. I hope she n...

Dear Adelai, This morning I put away all of your 0-3 month clothes and organized your 3-6 month outfits. These onesies that looked so large just one month ago are now fitting you marvelously. In a way it seems like an eternity that you were born, while at the same time these past 13 weeks have flown by. I guess that means I am soaking it up and enjoying the moment. You're not so little anymore, though you're not so big either. The cuddle bug you were just a few weeks ago has evolved into a girl who loves to see the world. You're most happy when you are standing with just the assistance of a couple of handholds, when you are on the changing table watching your mobile, or when someone is talking to you.  Oh, and your smile! One of my favorite memories from this month was when we were at the store and you talked to both of the cash register ladies. You stood up on the checkout counter and told the sweet elderly ladies all about your life and wooed them wit...

4,500 miles. 12 days. Kansas to California.  When we mentioned that we were going to take our 10 week old baby on a road trip out to the Bay Area in California, we received many strange looks and opinions from others regarding our pending trip. My husband and I had already driven the ALCAN from Alaska to Kansas in 2014 , so we were ready to take on another road trip, this time with baby in tow.  My goal for our trip was to pack all of our meals while on the road so that we wouldn't have to eat out during the long days of driving. We were blessed to stay the nights at friends' and family's homes and to receive of their hospitality, which made meal planning a little easier. I have shared what meals we ate during the trip below. I learned so much from traveling with a breastfed infant and hopefully this post will help me remember what worked well for our next adventure (mommy brain is a real thing). Tips for Traveling With an Infant: Sit in the backsea...