Living an Intentional Life
Actually, she is looking right at the most amazing gift one could ever hope.
Tatum Isabella Knight…Her name brings joy to my heart. My little girl.
Today, I had the incredible blessing of meeting with the paralegal to go over all the necessary paperwork for my hearing for Tatum. Soon, it will be final. May she know how much of a gift she is, and how much love..how much SHE is LOVED!
What did I do to celebrate? I went to Cheesecake Factory with my mom and put Tatum at Temple Chai for the day. Hmmmmm….fair? Probably not, but I sure did need to breathe the air outside and feel partly human.
When she awoke this morning, she gave me the HUGEST smile, and I just melted.
Tatum is EXPLODING with personality as of late. Only roughly a week ago did she cry at the drop of the proverbial hat. Now, we spend many minutes googling and goggling; oogling and awgling; blubbering and bloobering…it’s dynamic! Pure gibberish, and if one were a fly on the wall he would think me ridiculous. One person’s ridiclous is another’s treasure.
She is my treasure.
She was conducting the ultimate test: What will fit in my mouth?
Today, Tatum was caught chewing on her fist! It started with a binky. She then graduated to her index finger; then three fingers. Now, it’s the whole darn hand!
To her chagrin, it would not fully fit. Therefore, we figured she may be starting to teethe. Enter teething beads. My mom put a bit of Tylenol drops on a bed in case she was in any pain. The result? She loved it!
But then…The fist ultimately won.
So, I know this is on its way, so I want to remember these tips from Scottsdale Mom’s Blog
http://www.scottsdalemomsblog.com/2012/11/20/teething-baby-must-haves/
I know every child is different in terms of how they handle teething, or really, how they handle any situation, but man, teething sucks!
My little man just finally had his first tooth break through, and it took a while. I felt like I always heard friends say that one day their baby’s gums were red, and the very next morning they had a tooth fully popped through. Well that? That was definitely not our case. Bray started drooling and shoving his fist in his mouth as early as four months, then had swollen gums for a week or two, then had the slit in his gums for about a week, thenyou could finally feel the tooth. It took another full week and a half for the tooth to really be visible. So what’s that, a month? Not exactly the overnight magic like I had heard of!
Since our process was drawn out, I really have had time to learn some things to help make the pain of teething a little more easy for our sweet babe. Here are my top 5 life-savers (no sponsored stuff in here – just my mom-to-mom recs):
Baltic Amber Teething Necklace:
No, I am not a fan of my son wearing a necklace all the time…but I am a HUGE fan of what it does for him. This is not a necklace for them to chew on, which many people think is the purpose. The amber beads {get unpolished over polished} naturally release succinic acid, which helps with inflammation, controlling drooling, and helps heal the wound. It is all natural and has been around forever. For more info on that, read here. During the day I keep it around Brays neck {and he has never noticed it being there} and at night I wrap it around his ankle, which is in his footie jammies.
This is our favorite teething toy ever. He chews on all parts of it, and the squeaking entertains him…and our dogs! It’s also super is to clean, which is always nice for toys that go in the mouth.
Habba Wooden Toys and Munchkin Ice Ring:
These two teething toys are our next best options. The wooden toys is great for his gums, and the way the wood slides and clinks together, he loves banging it around! The ice ring is fabulous to cool and numb the gums, whether its taken out of the freezer or refrigerator.
These tablets are completely natural, and completely awesome. If Bray is being extra fussy and I can tell a tooth is about to break through I pop a few of these in his mouth {they melt under his tongue} and usually within minutes he is back to his chipper self. Love them!
CVS Infant Tylenol:
When all else fails, Tylenol. We tried the Little Fevers brand first since it is dye-free, but Bray would literally spit it out. Then we tried the CVS brand, and he eats the stuff like its the best tasting thing he has ever had! We’ve only had to use this a few nights before bed time, but it sure did the trick!
In my laid-up/leg-up position, I’ve been made me keenly aware of the world of blogging. Not only that, but I’m just hungry for information, ideas, inspirations, ideals and interconnectedness:
Tim Challies Blog: http://www.challies.com/about
Personal Finances: http://christianpf.com
Desiring God: John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog
Albert Mohler: http://www.albertmohler.com
Good Commentaries: http://www.easyenglish.info
Serious lifting advice! http://www.leangains.com
Overall health and fitness: http://fitbottomedgirls.com
Overall and just fun recipes too: http://www.pbfingers.com
Well done and beautiful: http://101cookbooks.com
Beautiful site + a Christian with great recipes: http://www.eatliverun.com
Just like the magazine: http://www.eatingwell.com
Gluten Free and healthy: http://www.elanaspantry.com
Although I’m not Paleo, this is great: http://nomnompaleo.com
Local! http://www.scottsdalemomsblog.com/about/
Lisa Belkin/Motherlode: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com
Parenting Mag: http://www.parenting.com
Cup o Jo…She is just a great read..everything: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com
Getting Things Done! http://lifehacker.com
General: http://www.edutopia.org
General for ENGLISH: http://www.ncte.org/middle
http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html
Independent School blog Peter Gow http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/independent_schools/
WRITING!: http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com
More Writing/Program:http://www.bravewriter.com/program/home-study-courses/the-writers-jungle/introduction
I SLEPT! The pain was not as intense in the evening, and I actually awoke quite rested. Sadly, I would not get to go to church today, but I did spend some time in the Word.
What’s the plan today!? Hmmmm….. Well, it has been recommended to me to watch Downton Abbey. Saturday was Season One. What a guilty pleasure!! We used to countdown the minutes to Friday night for Dallas, and this reminds me of that a bit. I love seeing Elizabeth McGovern in a series! I remember her in a Kevin Bacon movie about babies (She’s Having a Baby), and since then, I’ve missed her. She plays such a perfect part with a mix of compassion, austerity, and wit. Maggie Smith is also perfect in the role of the matriarch. The beauty of her character is that you want to hate her because she is so above-it-all, and then you see she has a big heart. Season Two is now beginning with the war against Germany. I’m sure hoping Anna will be with Bates and Mary will wed Matthew. Again, a fun guilty pleasure, and I never do this!! 🙂
Oh yes, the little girl! She was part of the fun today! Her cooing and aahing and her adorableness and ….the fact that I can’t do the mundane is killing me. My mom has to carry her to change her diaper, to put her down for a nap, to put her to bed, to bring her to me to feed her. Meanwhile, I hop around to TRY to help out as much as I can. Honestly, the frustration of being so helpless gets to me. I tend to focus on the things I CANNOT do: For example: Going to the store, getting my mail, grabbing a cup of coffee, carrying my child as I walk…
Now, what CAN I DO? Let’s focus on that:
Spend more time in my Bible and with God, building a stronger bond with my mom, watching Downton Abbey with a friend/mom/family, reading a great book (like Every Great Endeavor by Tim Keller), taking silly pics with Coti
AND OF COURSE, holding Tater.
What the heck did you do, mommy? How can I help? Coti sensed something was amiss when he saw me hopping around. Now, he comforts me as only he knows how.
Took a Vicodin at 11pm last night because the throbbing began. Not only was the incision felt throughout my body, but the nerves in my leg pulsated. Without truly falling asleep, I decided to get up and attempt to crutch my way to the kitchen and eat something. I also popped another Vicodin at 4am. Now, the pain is really starting. Thankfully, I slept until 8am, and as much as I wanted to sleep, I needed to be with Tatum. This morning, I am really experiencing the full brunt of this injury, physically. WOWZA!
Humbled. Thankful. Confused. Many different emotions flood my mind, but the most important one is my love for Tatum, my mom and Coti. Family and togetherness…These things are what matter, and I don’t think I ever have known this concept until now.