Archives for 2006

This smile’s for you!

Sitting Pretty

Girlfriends rock!

Oh, where do I begin? Well, I guess Thursday is a good place. This was the night of MY doctor’s appointment. Right before this appointment, I decided to breastfeed Emma. This just happened to be one of those wonderful feedings where she was sweet and calm and fell asleep on my shoulder — in the middle of the day! I was so happy I nodded off with her even though I knew I had to get ready for the doctor. It was a wonderful moment that I now realize was a blessing. It was almost as if God was saying, “This is my gift to you. You’ve done a good job. Now go take care of yourself.” So I did.

My doctor’s appointment was probably the first time I actually looked at my own health these past few months, and Dr. S really made me feel good. He was very positive about what kind of mom I’ve been so far and really encouraged me to take better care of myself. We went over a few things I’ve neglected since Emma’s been born. Nothing serious, just a few minor “to dos,” and I should be as good as new. Maybe better!

So I left the doctor feeling rejuvenated and okay with what we were planning on doing over the weekend — completely weaning Emma.

The last feeding happened on Friday night, and it wasn’t as emotional as I thought it would be. Actually, I would count that Thursday afternoon feeding as our last since it was so special. The Friday night feeding wasn’t as “peaceful,” which made me feel like she was just as ready as I was to move on to the next step. I did have a little bit of an icky feeling in my stomach that night, but I figure that’s normal. Emma was about to thrive without me…and with the help of others. For anyone who has breastfed, that is a very hard thing to come to terms with. But it was going to happen sometime, so I figured doing it while we were out of town was the best time. Besides the fact that I would be able to eat normal food, it would also be easier on Emma. Since her surroundings would be so unfamiliar, I thought she might not notice the difference as much. I wouldn’t be feeding her a bottle in the same chair as she normally gets a boob. Same thing with the night feedings. I thought this would help “ease” her into the idea so that when we returned from Geneva, she might not notice. Maybe I am justifying it all, but it made sense to me — and it worked.

I’m still not 100 percent sure she isn’t reacting to the formula, but she seems fine. In fact, she is sleeping great — naps and at night. She was actually amazing over the weekend. I was so proud of her!!! She was extremely happy and never missed one nap. That’s quite an accomplishment when 11 of us (including four kids ages 6 and under) were sharing the same living space. She adapted so well. I couldn’t believe it! Again, I believe it was God’s way of saying she was going to be fine and that I could chill.

And boy did I! Not only did I have pizza, pop, and lots of chocolate, I also got to work out and pamper myself with a facial. It was so much fun. And I didn’t have to worry about Emma, who was busy being loved by her cousins, aunts, and grandparents. At one point, I came back from the gym and wanted to hold her (I missed her like crazy!), and she wanted to stay by her Auntie Lexi. This was huge — she NEVER turns me down! But, heck, the girl was having fun. Who was I to interfere? :o)

As you all know, the title of this blog is Heaven Sent, and I truly believe with all of my heart (and mind!) that Emma was a gift directly from God. She is the closest to heaven I will ever experience in this lifetime. BUT I also feel like this weekend was a gift sent directly from God as well. A worldly gift, yes, but it renewed my spirit like only He could. His timing is amazing. This could have been a very stressful weekend as far as Emma’s sleeping schedule and her weaning, but instead it went extremely smooth and provided more relaxation than I have felt in a LONG time. I know this was not coincidence. He graciously gave me peace about what I was doing.

For those of you who may feel I read too much into things, I honestly don’t care what you think. I know what I feel, and I know my Father in Heaven is taking care of me. That is the blessing of being one of his children. He unconditionally loves us and gives us blessings we don’t deserve. Even when we (I) try to control everything and question His plan, he still gives us blessings simply because He loves us. Wouldn’t we do the same for our own children?

Okay, enough of my deep thoughts. Back to the fun stuff. Miss Emma had a great time this weekend. Here are some photos of her first swimming experience. Thanks to Grandma Bonnema for her adorable swimsuit!

Jackson and Emma have fun splashing around

“It’s a little cold, Mom”

“I love you, Daddy”

“And I’m spent…”

Check us out on this Web page: Click Here. (We’re the February 2 image of the day!)

Thanks to Cara for the heads up!
:o) Lisa

I can almost hear these words coming out of our little Emma’s mouth. Let’s just say she’s adjusting to this whole formula thing just fine. No emotional scars on this baby… just give her some food — any food — and she’s fine. She doesn’t even seem to mind the horrific smell of this stuff (although it makes me want to gag!).

It has been really nice letting other people feed her and not stressing about pumping and replacing bottles. Besides giving me a break, it’s a good way for her to get more comfortable around others. As some of you already know, she is a little particular about who holds her.

She even took a bottle from me okay. She was a little confused about how to suck at first, but eventually figured it out and was done in 2 minutes flat. Of course, that was a bottle of breast milk. The real test is when I try to give her formula, but she’s taken it fine from everyone else, so I’m thinking positively.

She doesn’t seem to be reacting to the formula either. She does have some dry skin on her cheeks all of the sudden, but I also gave her cereal the other day for the first time in a long time and it was caked all over her face. So, it might be from that, but I’m keeping a close eye on it. But if all goes well, she’ll most likely be weaned by this weekend or next week at the latest.

I am also doing better than I expected. I thought for sure I would cry through our first bottle-feeding together, but I found myself more worried about her swallowing air that I didn’t even think twice about it. Before I knew it, it was over, and I was fine. A much easier transition than I expected.

I have to say that I will miss the late-night feedings the most. That was the only time Emma nursed like a “normal” baby — all snuggly and not so EXTREMELY wiggly. There is something special about no one else being up in the house and the two of us spending some quiet, relaxing time together. As most of you know, the words quiet and relaxing don’t exactly describe miss Emma — AT. ALL. But during our late-night feedings, she nurses and ends up falling asleep on my shoulder. Her sweet face always ends up facing mine and I snuggle with her, cheek to cheek. That is of course, in between kissing those chubby cheeks and little lips a million times. It is in those moments that all of this is worth it. Every single second. By the way, for those who are wondering, I will be nursing our next child for as long as I can. Like I said, totally worth it.

So we’re doing great. Emma slept a pretty long stretch last night after Jeff gave her a bottle, so maybe we have finally turned a corner. Still, I’m not holding my breath. I don’t count on anything happening more than once with this little peanut. I just treasure the moments when it goes well. It’s the only way I stay sane. Plus, we are going away to Geneva this weekend, so I’m sure her sleep schedule will be all off and we’ll be starting from scratch next week. BUT, we’ll get spend some quality time with the B clan, and I may actually be able to order food from a menu, so I’m looking forward to it. I wonder if they have an Aurelio’s in Geneva… :o)