A Picture of Parenthood

I've been meaning to write about Lucy's Valentine's Day painting for a while  now, but kept getting distracted by other stuff...so here it is: A picture of parenthood in one painting.

On Valentine's Day Lucy was 3 months and 3 weeks old. I decided that a painting by Lucy would be a great present for Jason. Conveniently for us, Valentine's was on a weekday so he was at work, leaving Lu and I free to shop for supplies and do some art. Since it was going to be her first painting I wanted it to last forever so I got an 8"x10" canvas board and some acrylic paint (which I did manage to keep out of her mouth but not off our legs and clothes).

I had a brilliant idea for a picture.
                                                           I thought...

We got green paint so I could paint Lucy's toes and do little toe prints across the bottom of the picture for grass. Then I would fingerpaint a stem and use 2 little Lucy-footprints for leaves.

We got orange paint so I could let her dip her hands in it and (with my help and guidance) make a circle of handprints at the top of the stem for a beautiful orange flower. ...we might even mix in a little yellow to make it even prettier!

Of course we got yellow paint because what is a picture of a flower without the sun shining down on it? Some nice yellow handprints radiating from the top corner of the picture should do nicely....

It didn't turn out how I planned. I gave her the tools, but the picture is all hers (well, I did fingerpaint the writing for her).

She looks pretty proud of herself and I guess this is a pretty good illustration of how life is as a parent. You can make plans but in the end....well, you know!

Food Sources

We are rapidly approaching the end of an era (several of them actually, but that's another story). The days when I was Lucy's sole source of food are coming to a close and with that comes a whole new set of parental decisions that need to be made. It's a big thing being responsible for the health of your child...making sure they eat right...trying to develop healthy tastes and habits...knowing that although your parents tried to feed you a nutritious diet you still struggle with an addiction to processed food and sugar...and chocolate...hoping your child won't have quite the battle you do....

 In trying to decide how we are going to feed Lucy my first decision was to do some research.

To that end we purchased Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right by Dr. Fuhrman. It is a fascinating book and I recommend it to all parents (especially if you have a child who suffers from chronic illnesses such as ear infections and colds). There is a lot of research and scientific information but it isn't too difficult of a read, and I confess I sort of skimmed over some of the technical-sounding stuff. Still, It made a big difference in how I view children's diets so I'd like to share a few of the high points and surprising statistics with you here:

- In the typical American diet children get about 2% of their calories from fruits and veggies.
- About 25% of American toddlers eat 0 fruits & veggies.
- By 15 months of age, french fries are the most common vegetable consumed in America.
- Kids don't have to be sick all the time (we only think they do because most are). If they are getting enough nutrients their bodies can resist most illnesses.
- Poor nutrition is linked to practically all health problems, from allergies to ADHD to eczema.
- Consumption of saturated fat (found in milk, cheese, & animal products etc) has a shockingly high correlation with heart disease, cancer, and high cholesterol
-antibiotics kill good bacteria along with bad bacteria making it more likely for children to get sick repeatedly once they've been prescribed...especially evident in the treatment and recurrence of ear infections
- Cow's milk is both deficient in iron and it bonds with iron so it is the most common cause of anemia in infants and young children
- One 60 year study of about 5,000 people found that those who consumed more fruit in their childhood (highest quartile) were 38% less likely to develop cancer as adults
- Dietary influence on Breast and Prostate Cancer Risk is vastly higher under age 10 (as in over 500% higher) than it is at age 25 and beyond

I can't come close to doing it justice - there is a lot more information in the book which is often accentuated with charts that show relationships far more effectively than my single-sentence blurbs. Suffice it to say that thanks to this book I am questioning the marketing "information" that says we should feed our young children cow's milk, cheese, fruit snacks, fruit drinks, and other processed foods. Now I just have to figure out a good balance so my child(ren) can eat primarily high-nutrient diets and be healthy without feeling completely left out, weird, or awkward around others.

We have to figure it out for ourselves too because parenthood is all about setting examples! Coming up next: Eat for Health....learning how to modify your diet without going crazy or giving up all your favorite foods =)

Mirrors (repost)

Last year I spent a lot of time looking at myself in mirrors, staring at my growing belly in awe and trying to see if it was moving; if it was lopsided, if it had any odd lumps, anything that would point to the fact that I really was growing a real live person in there. In the last 4 months, I have spent very little time looking at myself in mirrors. There's the quick glance in the morning to see if my hair is looking ridiculous before throwing it into a half-ponytail, bandanna, hat, or some other quick-fix, and there's the part before I change Lucy's diaper where I hold her up to the mirror over the changing table so she can look at herself and me before smiling and burying her face in my neck (not sure why...maybe mirrors make her nose itch).

It distresses me to look any more than that. All I can see are the imperfections, especially the tummy that is still very soft and round, and the hair that I have yet to figure out how to style...even after 26 years of having it! I don't like conventional mirrors. 

My favorite mirrors are much better than those shiny glass things. I see myself in my baby girl, which is funny because I don't think she looks like me. When I go in to get her in the morning and her face lights up, I feel beautiful because I see her joy. When I'm in bed at night and realize my hand is over my eyes or feel some other expression on my face, I don't picture my face but hers, because she does the same things. When Lucy and I are in the bathroom, I don't notice any of my own imperfections because my eyes are focused on her reflection and to me she is perfect.

Lucy is a great mirror. But the best mirror is my husband. He's the one who makes me feel truly beautiful. If I had never seen an image of myself and had only him as my reflection I would think I must be a super-model. He's the one who whistled at me when I was nine months pregnant and felt HUGE, who comes into the kitchen and wraps his arms around me so I am overwhelmed with his love, who looks at me like I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever seen and he couldn't bear to lose me. My husband transforms the way I see myself until I think 'who needs those shiny things anyway'. I love him for that and a million other things. 

Still...although mirrors are overrated and Jason loves me the way I am, I want to be the best I can be for my family and that means staying (or getting) healthy and fit. So. New Year's Resolution that I made this week: lose the rest of the baby weight (maybe 30 lbs...optimistically), get in shape by my 30th birthday (July 1st) (aka: be able to run at least 2 miles without dying, do a couple of pull-ups and generally not feel like I'm 50 and falling apart), and read the whole Bible by January(actually Jason and I are doing this together and we're off to a good start - 8 days so far without falling off the wagon!). We may love each other for who we are and be happy with ourselves, but I think we should always strive for excellence.

In the last few months how I look has become a little less important, and being able to take care of and have fun with my family has become more important... so here's to 2011, finding balance in life, growing closer to God, and seeing my reflection in the greatest mirrors on earth every day.

Weekends!

I love weekends. I especially love them when Jason gets to stay home. I particularly love them when Jason gets to stay home and  we have visitors. Both weekends connected to this week qualify! Lucy turns 6 months old tomorrow (Wednesday) so it's kind of appropriate to have visitors bookending this week.

Last weekend Jason's parents (Nina and Grandbob) and younger brother (Uncle Aaron) came to visit.

Friday was beautiful so we met Jason for a late lunch in the park then had bakery pizza that evening. I was a little bit stressed because since Lucy learned how to roll from her back to her tummy she has forgotten how to go to sleep...and sleepy, teethy babies tend to be cranky babies, but what can you do? I think that's what car rides are for.

Saturday we were out and about most of the day and Lucy did fabulously! We hit the toy store, Stella's (the new restaurant in town) Lowe's, and Wal-Mart before heading home for naptime. Then, while I fed Lucy (and held her while she napped to ensure some sleep on her part) Nina and Grandbob cooked dinner! It was wonderful! Speaking of dinner, in celebration of Lucy's new milestones she got to try 'real' food for the first time. Sweet Potatoes!

This weekend my dad (Props) gets to come visit! Unfortunately tax season has mom trapped in NM but hopefully she'll be able to make it out soon.



 On the agenda? Fun, grandbaby bonding, and weather permitting - help with a few yard projects! =) ...and of course, reading some stories!

How Healthy....?

With the stall on losing baby weight and a baby I want to be able to take great care of, I've been thinking a lot about making some healthier lifestyle choices. The big question with doing this is precisely how healthy I want to be. At first glance it seems like a no-brainer: as healthy as possible, but to me (with my talent for over-analyzing) it is a bit more complicated than that. When it comes to working out, it's easy to set goals. If I get in a good 20-30 min workout 6 days a week, I feel fabulous...and not just proud of myself, I really feel a LOT better physically than I do if I don't work out at all. So naturally my goal is to work out every day...or almost every day. Some days though, the laundry or the dishes are just too overwhelming so I sacrifice my work-out for my sanity and that's ok, I'm slowly getting better at balancing it all. But the really the hard part is food.

I LOVE to eat. I love steak. I love lasagna. I love love love chocolate. If there are chocolate chip cookies in the house I consider myself to be showing great restraint if I only eat 5...before dinner. I'm not that crazy about vegetables. I prefer to eat bread...and oreos...and granola bars...and cereal that's fortified with extra vitamins and minerals...and all of these things I love are, by and large, NOT good for my body. I want to fix this...mostly.

I haven't read the book Eat to Live. I want to...but quite frankly, I'm terrified of it. I'm afraid I won't be able to make all the changes I need to in order to be really healthy - to be the best mother and wife I can - and that I will subsequently spend a lot of my time feeling guilty; which I don't need. I am also not sure I want to eat only to live. (I don't want to live to eat either) I think there is great joy in cooking, eating, and sharing something that tastes absolutely amazing. Although I have found some very tasty vegetarian dishes, not one has measured up to steak, manicotti, or chocolate chip cookies.

So...for now, here's my plan:

1.  make green smoothies. They are delicious and I don't mind loading them up with Kale or spinach. At least I'm getting more fruits and veggies than I was! (probably a 150% increase with one drink)

2. search for and try meals that have little or no meat and lots of veggies. Save and repeat the ones we like.

3. Break my addiction to processed sugar/foods (ok, I'm actually still working up to this one. It's the most daunting of them all and will probably require a couple months of something drastic)

4. Focus on helping Lucy learn to eat right by feeding her a variety of fruits and veggies and avoiding processed sugar as much as possible.

That's it for now. Hopefully in the next several months I will be able to report that I am no longer addicted to sugar, that at least 5 meals a week consist primarily of veggies, and that my extra weight is melting away as Jason, Lucy and I eat healthy and get plenty of exercise. Maybe I will also be able to report that I have read something by Dr. Fuhrman. Maybe. We'll see!

Memories

There are few things more wonderful than looking down at the perfectly content face of the baby girl who thinks you are the whole world and who does not want to be anywhere else but in your arms. I spend a lot of time looking at that face...she is a very extensive eater. The other day as I stared at her I thought how sad it was that she will retain no memory of time that I will cherish forever. I suppose the important part is that she will grow up with my love imprinted on her. Still, I thought, it's almost tragic.

Then I imagined my own mother doing the same for me. Something I have had no memory of up to this point. At that moment, I felt like I was transported back in time. Suddenly, I could see my mom sitting in a rocking chair holding me. I could see that same expression of contentment on my face. It was as if I was looking through her eyes, feeling what she must have felt 29 years ago. I don't have any memories of my infancy, but in becoming a mother myself I can share in the memories of my mom and everything takes on much more meaning.

Gazing into Lucy's eyes I wonder if someday she will have a daughter of her own and 'remember' the joy of this moment with me.

Milestones: 8 weeks (repost)

I have now been a mother for 8 weeks...which astonishes me. Can time have flown by that quickly? It seems like we just brought Lucy home from the hospital, just had her first check-up, just took her downtown to introduce her to people...and already she's 8 weeks old, nearly 2 months. The funny thing is how many milestones we've reached since she was born. And how our lives had very few milestones before she was born.  For example: Before Lucy milestones: Dating, getting engaged, moving to a new state, getting a new job, buying a house, getting married, getting pregnant, paying something off....all pretty big things that didn't exactly happen several times a week.  Now... After Lucy milestones: Sleeping 2 hours, getting the hang of nursing, sleeping 3 hours, losing the umbilical cord, getting a nap, Lucy's first bath, sleeping 4 hours, Lucy's first obviously-on-purpose smile, getting Lucy to take a nap in her crib for the first time, sleeping 5 hours...etc. It seems like something big happens nearly every day! Making it to 2 weeks was big because that's when things stopped hurting so much and sleep started to come in slightly larger chunks so I could enjoy parent hood more.  Making it to 4 weeks was big because, hey! That's one month! Making it to 6 weeks was really big because that's when they are safe to travel on airplanes and pretty much any other way, and the US government says they are a grown-up baby and don't need their mom full-time anymore, so mom should go back to work now and put the baby in daycare. (Thankfully we are able to ignore that last one for the time being) Now at 8 weeks I can't believe the change I've seen in Lucy just in the past 7 days. It is truly mind-boggling to me. She has greeted both Jason and I with a I'm-really-happy-to-see-you good morning smile She slept for an 8 hour stretch two nights in a row! (mom didn't, but Lucy doing it was a start!) She laughed at mom's funny voice she woke up at 6 in the morning and put herself back to sleep until 7:30, then entertained herself until 8:00 She stayed awake through several car rides she watches our faces as we talk and moves her mouth like she's trying to figure it out herself She has discovered her voice and started practicing with it, 'talking' to toys, pictures, and people...which is pretty much the cutest thing ever.  All of this in just the past week! I can't believe how big of a deal everything has become since she came along. I guess I never imagined watching someone grow and change so quickly. I'm not ready to parent a teenager, but I feel like we'll be there in a couple of heartbeats.  Someone slow down time please!!!!

The wonderful world of blogging

Hello blogger, nice to meet you. So far my only complaint is how long I had to make my address but that is a very small thing. I have been using xanga off and on for the past several years, but it was getting a bit annoying and had picture issues. Besides, practically all of my friends use blogspot or tumblr and their blogs all looked cooler than mine, so here I am! Ta Da! Yay peer pressure! I haven't quite figured it all out yet, and it is entirely possible that I never will, but I like things so far. My first couple of posts will probably be repeats of things I've posted on xanga...just 'cause, but after that I'll be off and running (I hope).