The Plank in My Own Eye

I know I'm off the sleep schedule topic right now, but I want to jump to faith for this blog post, and then we will be back to sleep logs with the next post.

I have been working on a blog post for awhile now which I titled "Something doesn't feel right in modern religious feminism". I kept going back and adding, deleting or changing things, and it never felt like it was getting my point across just the way I wanted it to. Well, this morning as I was trying to finish it so I could post it today, I realized something....who am I to write that post. As I re-read the blog, it was seriously bashing people who I don't even know. That was not my intent. My intent was to show why I don't agree with tactics, executions, or even the base principles of the movement. Instead I just was saying everything that was wrong with the movement and those involved in it.

That is why you will never see that post. In fact, it has been deleted, and this is replacing it.

Instead, I want to share this scripture, Matthew 7:1-4 (KJV):

"1 ^aJudge not, that ye be not ^bjudged.
 2 For with what ^ajudgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what ^bmeasure ye mete, it shall be ^cmeasured to you again.
 3 ^aAnd why beholdest thou the ^bmote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the ^cbeam that is in thine own eye?
 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?"

We (especially me) need to remember that we don't know our brothers' or sisters' hearts. We don't know their circumstances. We are not meant to judge, no matter what the issue. We know what we believe, and we are to share what we believe, but we are NOT to condemn others. Only Heavenly Father in all of his infinite wisdom and mercy has that right.

Thanks for letting me post a reminder to myself more than anything. And always remember, your Heavenly Father knows you and loves you. Jesus Christ not only died for you, but he suffered everything you will ever suffer. He is there for you when you are struggling or need someone to lean on. He is the perfect example for us to strive to be, especially as a friend. I love you all!

Sleep Training-Step 1: Redefining definitions

When I was pregnant, I went to a baby shower for a friend. One of the women there said: "All of my kids slept through the night from the day we came home for the hospital, and here is how I did it...." I thought to myself....no way! How does a newborn sleep 10-12 hours straight without waking up to eat??

That is where I began to set myself up for failure. According to my research, from the book as well as random sites online (if you want more info, just ask me) experts define a baby sleeping through the night as sleeping anywhere from 4-8 hours straight. So....wait a minute....if I put my kid to bed at 9pm (the current bedtime for Peanut), and he wakes up around 2am he slept through the night technically?? Sucky!!!

All though this Momma would love to sleep for 8-10 hours straight every night, I had to come to the realization that it just wasn't going to happen anymore. Especially for my son who had trouble gaining weight. He HAD to eat in the middle of the night up until a week or so ago (between 15 and 16 weeks), and he still needs to eat some nights depending on how much he has eaten throughout the day. This means, if Peanut will sleep from 9-2am, wake up and eat a few ounces and then sleep again from 2:30-7:30, not only did I get my 10 hours of sleep, but he got the food he needed, and only interrupted my sleep for a little bit! :-) Now since he is only 4 months old, we need to work on extending his nighttime sleep a little, but so far we are on the right track!

Another thing I need to realize is how much my son really needed to sleep a day. I thought he was sleeping enough, but he really wasn't. Through my research, I've found a few different opinions on how much a child should sleep by age, but it is all pretty close. Remember though that you should always double check with your pediatrician in case there are certain reasons your child should be sleeping more or less.

Here are some sites where I found information.

Baby Center
Parents.com
WebMD

As you can see, they are all a little different, so again, check with your pediatrician and decide what is the right amount of sleep for your little one!

And then here is some random information on children and sleep, just for the heck of it! National Sleep Foundation: Children and Sleep


Next post: Step 2-Sleep Logs

Sleep training is from the devil....

Ok, so it's not really. It is actually an amazing thing, but my son seriously hates it...like a lot! I'm not too much of a fan right now either, but it is working. Training myself to train JD to sleep better is as tough as training him. LOL! He has been sleeping through the night much better than before, with only 1 or 2 nights a week where he wakes up now. I can live with that. Hopefully soon it will be even better!

I know that when JD was born, I didn't realize that sleeping well and on a schedule was a learned skill. I just figured it would happen totally naturally. Don't get me wrong, it did to some extent, but little Peanut needed a little help figuring out how to sleep enough, because he is so dang curious he doesn't want to miss a thing! *Insert cheesy Aerosmith song here* I had to do some research to find out how to help him, because he was super tired, but just wouldn't sleep. My research simply started by going to the non-fiction section of the library and picking up the first book about getting your baby to sleep through the night. Here was my thought process: "I'll grab the first one I see, read it, realize it is total crap, return it, and try again....probably many many times before I find something I can actually use, or just give up and figure it out on my own." Let's be honest, as parents, that's kind of what we do, right? Look at all the information out there, realize most of it is absolutely useless, ask for advice for all of the parents we know, determine most of that won't work for our child, and finally we just muddle our way through, hoping to get it right.

This time though, I caught a break. The first book I picked up was actually awesome! It challenges and contradicts itself by presenting multiple theories for multiple experts. It teaches you a few different techniques that are so different that most parents will find a solution in there that will work for their family, and it allows you to see the benefits and downfalls for each. Most of all, it encourages you to realize that not everything works for every family! I'll be the first to admit that I am a sucker when it comes to crying. I just can't let my child "cry-it-out". But that's ok. This book let me know that there is more than one way to help your baby become a great sleeper! You have no idea how happy that made me!

By now I'm sure you want to know what this miracle book is. Well, here you go!

The Complete Guide to Helping Your Baby Sleep Through the Night So You Can Too: 101 Tips and Tricks Every Parent Needs to Know

Now as I said before, not every method or book will work for every parent, so you may hate this book as much as I love it, but hey, it's worth a shot, right? I recommend checking your local library to see if they have it before buying it just to make sure it is right for your family. No sense in wasting money on something you hate, right?

Well, that is all for now, but I will be posting our progress as we go along so that you can see how this works for our family. See you soon!

The beauty in success

This is a strange blog post for me to be writing, but I have beat infertility, for now. I am currently 14 weeks pregnant. I didn't think that I would be able to ever post this. It's.....amazing, and scarey all at the same time.

I know how hard it is to hear success stories when you have yet to have one, so here is what I want those of you who are still struggling to know. It's ok to be mad. It's ok to be frustrated and to wonder why it wasn't you. And it is even ok to sulk. But only for a little while. Don't let that anger and frustration rule you. I did when a friend of mine got pregnant, and it made everything worse. In fact, it just made me feel like crap.

Also, I don't expect you to be overly excited for me, but I do want you to take this away from my success..........

There is hope. Infertility can become fertility, and even when it doesn't there is beauty in the acceptance of trails and in adoption. You can have a family. You are not a failure. It was when I finally accepted that it was ok if I couldn't have a child (mostly) that I destressed my life enough to be able to recieve this blessing. I know the last thing you want to hear from someone who has come through this is to just hold on, but that is what you must do. Please always know that there is hope.

This pregnancy has not been without complications thus far, which is why I have waited so long to tell everyone, but I trust my Heavenly Father. I trust that I will have a beautiful, healthy baby. Not because the doctors have told me so, or the tons of ultrasounds have, but because I have faith. Without my faith I would be a giant ball of fear, not to say I don't have my breakdowns, and that fear never gets the best of me. However, I have decided to walk in faith instead of fear, and I hope you will too.

First comes Love, then comes Marriage, then comes a Baby in a baby carriage!

Photos courtesey of Sheri Pulley. Find her on Facebook or at her website!!

Priesthood Blessings and the true blessing they are...

 James 5:14-15 

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Priesthood Blessing: A blessing given by a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, by the laying on of hands and by inspiration, to one who is sick or otherwise in need of special counsel, comfort, or healing. If the blessing is for the sick, consecrated oil is used.

The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood God created and governs the heavens and the earth. Through this power He redeems and exalts His children, bringing to pass "the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act in His name for the salvation of His children. Priesthood holders can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern the kingdom of God on the earth.

(All above were taken from lds.org)

<sup>I wanted you to understand the principles behind what I'm going to talk about today. For those of you who aren't LDS, I want you to understand how important the Priesthood is in our church. It is one of the most important things that we believe in and if you would like some more information, just let me know.

The other day my wonderful husband gave me a blessing. It gave me the peace and comfort that I have been searching for since this whole infertility thing started. It let me know that Heavenly Father truly knows and loves me and is aware of my struggles. It blessed me more than I can ever describe. If you ever want to feel the power of God, ask for a priesthood blessing. Even if you aren't LDS, look up the missionaries in your area. They will be more than willing to come and talk to you about what is going on and offer a blessing. All it takes is faith. Just like I quoted in another post, "Thy faith hath made thee whole."

There were some other events that helped me to see how aware Heavenly Father really is of us, but I'll talk more about those tomorrow.</sup>

 

 

Helping the Hurting

When you are struggling to get pregnant, things like child abuse, children dying of unnatural causes, etc. really get to you. It angers you. It makes you emotional and it makes you all kids of crazy.

The good comes when you are able to be a part of one of those children's life. When you can hold them, tell them you care and help them see the world through different eyes. It brings joy back into something terrible. That is really all I have for you today. I'm thinking a lot lately, so you all just get some random thoughts from me. I hope you enjoy it! :-)

Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole

Last night, my wonderful husband gave me a priesthood blessing to encourage me, comfort me, and help me through this time of trial. It helped so much. It was beyond comforting...I am so grateful to have that priesthood power in my life. For those who don't know about priesthood blessings, let me know, and I will explain!!

Today on the way home, I was listening to a cd and the song "Go in Peace" by Jessie Clark Duncan. The song is based on the passage in the Bible about the woman who touches Jesus' cloak in order to be healed. (Mark 5:25-34) The basic story is that a woman had been sick for 12 years and when she heard that Christ was coming, she knew that if she could just touch his clothing, she would be healed. When she touched him, she felt the healing, and Christ asked who touched Him. When He saw her, He said, " Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague." (v. 34)

While listening to this song and thinking about this passage in the scriptures, I realized something. Doctors, medicine, even Christ's Atonement can only take us so far. If we don't have faith that we can be healed, that Christ can overcome anything, we won't be healed. If I don't have faith that the doctors know what they are doing, that Heavenly Father and Christ know what I'm going through and that they will heal me and help me get pregnant, I won't ever get pregnant. Faith is what will heal me...that is what Christ says, "thy faith hath made thee whole". Not anything else...just faith.

I also find comfort in the next part of what Christ says, "go in peace". Not only does healing come physically but spiritually, and emotionally as well. Faith brings peace. Isn't that just so comforting? All you have to do to find peace is to have faith in Christ and Heavenly Father.

And that is my wonderful, comforting thought of the day. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!