Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Potty Training
Drakeford is officially potty trained! I feel like the fog of the unknown has lifted and we can now see clearly beyond diaperhood. After suffering from terrible rashes, I tried to potty train a little while back, but to no avail. Then the rash seemed to go away and only flare up here and there. Once it came back with a vengeance, I said no more and we went the big boy route. Praise the Lord he was ready this time and with a little more than a week, we were accident free (if mom remembers to take him). But now, a few weeks later, we are totally trained, complete with prideful announcements of "I go peepee on the potty" to family members!
With only one baby in diapers, all the cloth fluff won't fit in the drawer, who knew I had so much??? Well it didn't feel like a lot when I still got the feeling of "Oh no, if I don't switch the laundry tonight, no one will have a diaper tomorrow...maybe we will EC...or just play in the sprinklers..." But now Marlow has an abundance of fun diapers, but a horrible rash too. After "stripping" the diapers in multiple ways, including boiling them one by one and almost ruining my whole stash, I am not sure if it's the diapers...perhaps a food intolerance? In both the children? I am praying that God gives me some piece of knowledge that I am missing on this issue or just heal them by His power. Ultimately, Marlow will just have to be the smart girl she is and learn to go on the potty like all the other children outside of the pamper-ized world. Yes, I use disposables from time to time too, but I realize that the reason for the average age of children being potty trained in America at 3-5 years is a result of a convenience based parenting shift that is oh so hard to break from. Especially when someone else is there to pick up our poo so to speak. In most other countries, 2 years is on the later end of the scale. I do think there is truth in that babies must reach a certain age at which control of the sphincter muscles are developed, but we are led to believe it is much later than the average 6 months to a year. In fact, I have seen this in experience with my own children. One boy at 18 months, having never sat on a potty up until the point of potty training, looking totally clueless as to what his body is doing and when, much less knowing when to tell me and go himself. I trained him to go in his diaper from the time he was born, now it was a much higher mountain to climb to un-train him. In contrast, a baby girl, from 5 months old, waiting to be put on the potty before doing her "big job" and staying dry through the night because of nurtured instincts and the reward of not being wet in the morning when mommy comes to put her in the potty. Only because of my lack of commitment is she really still in diapers, but I know God's plan is not mine and He can redeem the times according to His will, yes, even concerning something as silly as pottying a baby! She now knows the sign for potty and we are communicating much better now. We will see what happens and if she is simply potty trained at the same age Drakeford was or if the early intro to the potty will make it a easier, less bewildering, transition.
With only one baby in diapers, all the cloth fluff won't fit in the drawer, who knew I had so much??? Well it didn't feel like a lot when I still got the feeling of "Oh no, if I don't switch the laundry tonight, no one will have a diaper tomorrow...maybe we will EC...or just play in the sprinklers..." But now Marlow has an abundance of fun diapers, but a horrible rash too. After "stripping" the diapers in multiple ways, including boiling them one by one and almost ruining my whole stash, I am not sure if it's the diapers...perhaps a food intolerance? In both the children? I am praying that God gives me some piece of knowledge that I am missing on this issue or just heal them by His power. Ultimately, Marlow will just have to be the smart girl she is and learn to go on the potty like all the other children outside of the pamper-ized world. Yes, I use disposables from time to time too, but I realize that the reason for the average age of children being potty trained in America at 3-5 years is a result of a convenience based parenting shift that is oh so hard to break from. Especially when someone else is there to pick up our poo so to speak. In most other countries, 2 years is on the later end of the scale. I do think there is truth in that babies must reach a certain age at which control of the sphincter muscles are developed, but we are led to believe it is much later than the average 6 months to a year. In fact, I have seen this in experience with my own children. One boy at 18 months, having never sat on a potty up until the point of potty training, looking totally clueless as to what his body is doing and when, much less knowing when to tell me and go himself. I trained him to go in his diaper from the time he was born, now it was a much higher mountain to climb to un-train him. In contrast, a baby girl, from 5 months old, waiting to be put on the potty before doing her "big job" and staying dry through the night because of nurtured instincts and the reward of not being wet in the morning when mommy comes to put her in the potty. Only because of my lack of commitment is she really still in diapers, but I know God's plan is not mine and He can redeem the times according to His will, yes, even concerning something as silly as pottying a baby! She now knows the sign for potty and we are communicating much better now. We will see what happens and if she is simply potty trained at the same age Drakeford was or if the early intro to the potty will make it a easier, less bewildering, transition.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Pregnancy #3
I am actually announcing this before it has been officially announced to the extended family and friends with the presumption that no one actually reads this on a daily basis. But before life gets going too fast again, I thought I should post. So if you are reading this and are feeling out of the loop, first off, I am impressed that you check this blog at all since we are so bad at updating it and the next time you see anything may be this child's first birthday!! Secondly, you should feel let in on a "secret" that you technically shouldn't know about yet :) So on to the announcement.Baby Peeples number 3# is in the oven! Due to arrive in early April (possibly 7th) of 2013.
This pregnancy has been soo different! I feel 9 months pregnant already and I am only about 6 WEEKS. Nausea and exhaustion are a constant reminder to pray for this precious soul being knitted together inside my belly. All ten fingers, all ten toes, and a spirit to please the Lord.
More updates to come soon!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Deaf
We have always done some light sign language starting around 6 months to aid in communication. I always try to use signs as close to ASL as possible just in case one day they decide to learn it as a second language or marry someone deaf, or begin ministering to the deaf. That way maybe they could have a head start...(hey, a white guy can survive in a latin country by knowing only "more food please" and "bathroom", it could happen!) When looking up the sign for "potty" the other day, I was struck with a desire to look up local support groups and baby-mommy sign language classes for the truly deaf. It was strange, almost as if I needed to know that there were resources just in case. A comfort came over me thinking about all the help that is out there for the hearing impaired, but I found myself comforted imagining attending with one of my children, perhaps unborn. My head was in a spin of all the areas of life that one little gift would change, how we would be forced to see the world differently and learn things we otherwise would never take the time to learn.
I shook myself a little and went back to reading the Word, but I sent up a quick prayer telling the Lord "Your will be done." As I was telling Kevin about the incident later that night, I was amazed to see him react with the same kind of excitement that I had felt. But how can this be? I would NEVER pray or ask for my children to be born anything less than "complete". In fact, my constant prayer, as was my mothers, is that the baby would be healthy and love God. There are enough tests in this life to be handled with all the senses then to ask for God to take one away.
Perhaps God is preparing us to open our hearts to love through adoption that we might know more deeply our own adoption into Christ while we were yet imperfect (Gal 4:5, Eph 1:5). Or to go a step further and adopt the "unwanted" children with disabilities. I was just reading in the Duggar's book about how after their daughter Josie was born 3 months early they received some encouraging letters from families who had been through the dark times in the NICU. One family had a son born with spina bifida and it turned their world upside down! They began to see how blessed they were to be in America with the overwhelming support of other families encouraging each other, but their hearts broke for children in other parts of the world who are left to die in the orphanages due to harsh conditions and no one to care for their special needs. They began adopting special needs children from around the world as God led and what a burden of love they have experienced! A local church in Charlotte puts on a huge Prom for men and women with disabilities that Kevin had the privilege to film at a couple years back. What an awesome thing to see scripture, Luke 14:12-14, in action!
The next morning (yesterday), I pulled out an old issue of Prayer Line for Kids (a great tool to pray for missionaries in other parts of the world each day of the week). I hadn't read this particular issue yet and when I went to the day, I began to read the story of a deaf pastor in the Philippines who ministered to other deaf Filipinos. What is God trying to tell us? I cannot be sure. One thing I do know is that He is speaking, so we are getting really quiet around here trying to hear His voice. Ps 92:5-6:
I shook myself a little and went back to reading the Word, but I sent up a quick prayer telling the Lord "Your will be done." As I was telling Kevin about the incident later that night, I was amazed to see him react with the same kind of excitement that I had felt. But how can this be? I would NEVER pray or ask for my children to be born anything less than "complete". In fact, my constant prayer, as was my mothers, is that the baby would be healthy and love God. There are enough tests in this life to be handled with all the senses then to ask for God to take one away.
Perhaps God is preparing us to open our hearts to love through adoption that we might know more deeply our own adoption into Christ while we were yet imperfect (Gal 4:5, Eph 1:5). Or to go a step further and adopt the "unwanted" children with disabilities. I was just reading in the Duggar's book about how after their daughter Josie was born 3 months early they received some encouraging letters from families who had been through the dark times in the NICU. One family had a son born with spina bifida and it turned their world upside down! They began to see how blessed they were to be in America with the overwhelming support of other families encouraging each other, but their hearts broke for children in other parts of the world who are left to die in the orphanages due to harsh conditions and no one to care for their special needs. They began adopting special needs children from around the world as God led and what a burden of love they have experienced! A local church in Charlotte puts on a huge Prom for men and women with disabilities that Kevin had the privilege to film at a couple years back. What an awesome thing to see scripture, Luke 14:12-14, in action!
The next morning (yesterday), I pulled out an old issue of Prayer Line for Kids (a great tool to pray for missionaries in other parts of the world each day of the week). I hadn't read this particular issue yet and when I went to the day, I began to read the story of a deaf pastor in the Philippines who ministered to other deaf Filipinos. What is God trying to tell us? I cannot be sure. One thing I do know is that He is speaking, so we are getting really quiet around here trying to hear His voice. Ps 92:5-6:
5 O Lord, how great are Your works!
Your thoughts are very deep.
6 A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.
Your thoughts are very deep.
6 A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.
We pray for wisdom to discern these deep thoughts that God's great works might be shown in our life! I may look back on this blog post in 10 years (Lord willing) and still not know what God was preparing our family for. But in the mean time, we will prepare our hearts for His out pourings so we don't miss a drop when it comes.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
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