Meet Bear H

Every parent dreams about their child's birthday, especially when they kinda understand it for the first time. This was the case with me for the last week or so as I thought of something that would be memorable and special for Kara's second birthday.

Saturday morning, July 17th we headed off on a family excursion to Build a Bear for the birthday girls surprise. I was so excited as I thought of the joy she would have picking out and animal and watching it get stuffed with life and lots of stuffing! I thought about how she would pick out some fun clothes for it, and dress it in her choice of apparel. I thought about how we would choose a name for it, and head home with her new best friend!

It was going to be great!

Now for the real story! We pulled up and got Kara out of her car seat. She started to cry because I took away the cheap and old bear she had brought along with her that came from who knows where. I explained that we were going to get a new bear and that she was going to get it in the cool store with the bears all over the front! She cheered up as we entered the store and saw all the toys. After a few minutes of debating who would be lucky enough to be stuffed and sent home with us, we settled on a white, fluffy, lovable, little bear.

Suddenly with a look of horror, Kara saw all the animals of the other children getting stuffed! With a look of absolute dread on her face, she let out a loud and terrifying wail for the whole store to hear! I wondered what could possibly be the matter! Here we were picking out a new toy and she way screaming! She started to say something and as I listened I heard her say, "hurt!" Why was she saying this? I had no idea so we proceeded to stand in line to stuff her new bear and hope that she calmed down as she saw it get bigger.

We walked up to the "stuffer lady" and handed her our flat little friend. As she placed it on the fluffer and turned on the machine, Kara began her sobbing yet again. "Hurt!" she cried! It was then that my wise husband realized that she was afraid for her bear! All this time she had been upset about the bears being stuffed, she thought they were getting hurt! Something I thought would be so special was instead so scary to a little 2 year old!

After her bear was done in the torture chamber we headed over to clothe it. We picked out a little shirt that had a cupcake and said "Happy Birthday." By this time she was way past her limit and was still crying, I guess when you see bears get stuffed it has this effect on you. We headed over to the computer to create the birth certificate to our new friend and sat down to choose a name. "What would you like to name your bear Kara?" I waited for her response, knowing it would be something entertaining. "Bear H" she said with a still sad voice, and so with that we named it Bear H. Why she wanted to name it Bear H, or where she even came up with that in her sweet little head is beyond my imagination, but I was not about to say no. And so the birth certificate says Bear H.

Now that the trauma is over and Bear H is home safe and sound, I am glad we went. Despite the fact that she screamed the whole time, she is now completely obsessed with Bear H and carries her around everywhere. She has given the bear the nickname H and loves it with all her heart!

That is the story of Bear H and how we rescued her from the scary, stuffer and gave her a happy home and a very doting mother :)

Vaccines....Friend or Foe? Part 2

As christian parents we question many things that the world does morally, we not only question but we go against the majority and do what is best for our kids. We should also be asking questions about everyday life stuff. Remember that Vaccinations are a billion dollar industry and so they will be pushed and pushed and more will be created, so we must ask questions and understand each one.

Most of what I have written is just my own thoughts, I don't feel like I could accurately compile a lot of research because so much of it is a bunch of different opinions, but I can recommend some resources I have found helpful. The best book on vaccines as a whole that I have found is called "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears. This book is very thorough and covers each vaccine preventable illness, its cause, whether or not its curable, the ingredients in the vaccine, the side effect profile, and his opinion on how important it is for your child. Dr. Sears is definitely pro vaccine, but he does give an alternate schedule for parents who want to limit some of the shots or spread them out a little. You can also check out his website askdrsears.com.

I also read a very thought provoking article as well by another doctor who makes the case for waiting to vaccinate until age two. Even if you disagree with waiting that long, the information is still very helpful.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html

If you are interested to know the vaccines that I choose for my kids and why here is the list:

1) HIB- This vaccine has been around for a long time, and although it is not very prevalent in the states anymore, if your child were to catch it, it can be serious. There is also a very low side effect profile on this vaccine so it is not very probable of any short or long term effects.

2) Polio- Although this disease is basically eradicated from our country getting your child vaccinated can assure it stays gone. This vaccine has also been around for a long time and so we can see there has not been a consistent problem with it.

3) DTaP- This vaccine is a combination of Tetanus, Pertussis, and Diphtheria. This vaccine answers yes to both my questions so I choose to get it.

4) Hepatitis A- This is one I am still deciding on and will probably get when my kids are older.

5) MMR- This one I would like to see separated into 3 separate shots again as an option. Each part of this vaccine is made of the live virus, so I am not really a fan of giving three live virus vaccines at once. It used to be that you could get them separated but they stopped making them that way and I hope they will do it again.

All the other vaccines I don't do because either they are to new for me to feel comfortable with, or the disease is easily treated at home so I don't see the purpose.

The only other one to mention is Hepatitis B. I feel as if this vaccine is used to prevent something that is usually caused by promiscuity, or using needles for drugs. There are some people who need it, for instance if you are in the medical profession or if you go overseas where there is a chance you could have to be treated at a hospital with less than high standards in cleanliness. In most other cases I feel like we are just vaccinating sin. I also worry about this vaccine being given to most infants at birth and the reasons behind this. When reading why we started administering this at birth I found that the argument for the people who were pushing it was that adults who were promiscuous or homosexuals would most likely not get this when they were older so we might as well vaccinate all babies to protect them from sexual disease. Never mind that they are bringing the disease on themselves by living lives contrary to the Bible and engaging in a sinful lifestyle. So, most of the time I think it is pointless to give a vaccine which was not even tested for infants, to all babies at birth when the majority of people who it helps are those who are bringing it on themselves. This may seem harsh, but if there are no consequences for our sins how will we learn?

I think I have rambled long enough on this topic, I could probably go on and on but I will spare you.

Please know this is all just my OPINION and I am by no means an expert in any way. I just thought it would be good to write it all down and just present my ideas and findings. I am not in any way saying that if you don't vaccinate this way you are wrong or a bad parent, this is just simply one way of doing it!

Vaccines....Friend or Foe? Part 1

If anyone knows me well they know I'm a little bit of an overprotective parent.

I like to think about the "overprotective" part as just careful and thinking but sometimes I can get a little carried away. It has been my constant challenge to trust the Lord with Kara, and now I have begun to do this with my new little Noah.

And so began my thoughts on immunizations...

When Kara was a newborn we headed off to the doctor for her 1 month check-up,and at the time I knew very little about newborns or really anything and was ready to hear what she had to say! We started talking about her 2 month appointment and the six vaccines she would get at our next appointment. I had already decided I wanted her vaccines spread out because I just felt like that many at once was a lot for a tiny newborn! The doctor assured me that the normal way of doing it was fine but said I could if I wanted to.

Anyways, long story short, I ended up finding out about this great Christian doctor that friends had referred me too and I switched to him. One thing I miss about San Diego is this doctor! He was exceptional! Not only did he deeply care about each one of his patients, take the time to sit down and actually talk with you and listen to your concerns, but he also loved the Lord and that always made me feel like we were on the same page.

Another thing about this doctor was that he had the opposite view on vaccines as Kara's first doctor; he started them around age one and sometimes age two and he only recommended a select few. This was very interesting to me since I had never heard this. Being the researcher I am, I have spent the last 2 years researching and understanding vaccines. I have not even cracked the surface because it is an in depth and complicated subject. So much of it is very medical and so I can only understand what my mind is able.
Here are my findings thus far:

There are several positions in this area, the first is that ALL vaccines are good, and that they should be given at the time the American Academy of Pediatrics says and all at the same time ( meaning not spread out) . The second is that ALL vaccines are toxic and harmful for the body and that we should not give our children or ourselves any. The third is a balance between the two, which is SOME vaccines are useful and should be given, the time they should be given is different depending on who you ask.

After reading, and praying about this topic for a while now I have come to this conclusion as a personal decision for myself and my kids:

SOME vaccines are helpful and useful for the body. All vaccines have side effects, and can be potentially harmful for our body, if you look at the ingredients that are in some vaccines you would not believe it! However, there are some that when you look at the risks and weigh the scales with the side effects and harmful ingredients on one side and the possible chance of getting the disease the vaccine is fighting on the other, the vaccine side wins.

I have come up with a method of discerning and deciding which vaccines to get and when. When I look at each one, I ask myself these questions:

1) How old is the vaccine?
* For instance, the Polio vaccine has been around forever, and when I was a baby I got the Polio shot, so I can look at this immunization and see that as far as we can tell there are no long term effects that are caused.
* On the other side, you might look at PC or Rotavirus, these vaccines are both fairly new, and it is difficult to tell what the long term effects may be on our children.
* When we look at some of the newer vaccines we can't be sure of what the long term effects will be. Studies can only be done for a short time, since longer studies would have to require one group of kids to not be vaccinated at all. The only way to know then is to look at kids and think back to which shots they received and see if there is a pattern of consistent problems. An example of this would be autism, which is very highly debated but in my opinion is very likely based on things i have seen and read.

2) Is the vaccine-preventable disease life threatening or can it be treated in most cases?
* An example would be the flu shot...can the flu be treated? Is it most often handled well at home with proper diet and careful parenting? My answer is yes, so I don't see how the risks of this vaccine are worth getting it when the flu is common and usually cured easily.
* However, something like Pertussis ( which is whooping cough) although usually handled fine by kids above age 1, is very scary for young babies, and especially infants. So you have to decide if the risks of possible side effects, toxic ingredients, etc. outweigh the chance your young infant could possibly catch a serious case of whooping cough.


Those are the main two questions I ask but you might also want to think to ask yourself these:

1) Will I be breastfeeding?
2) Will my children be at home or will they be in daycare?
3) How was the strain of the virus or disease to make the vaccine made?

These questions can be helpful because those who are breastfeeding either exclusively or mostly and their children are at home full time, have a small risk of catching these bugs. The third question is good to think about because some vaccines were created from aborted babies who were infected and that may be a cause for concern for some. I know for me it is when I think about the possibility that these precious babies were aborted because they had these illnesses. If you want to know the ones that are, I can tell you the three I know of; Rotavirus, Varicella (chickenpox,) and Rubella.

I think it is important to at least take the time to do a small amount of research on this topic because no matter what your doctor says there is always a risk when getting any shot. We need to know what these risks are and be prepared to feel like we are making informed decisions.

Laugh a little....Cry a little...

Having a newborn of course is a recipe for no sleep and going a little bit crazy some days, needless to say last night was no exception!

After a night of many wakings and grunting on Noah's part, i had finally fed him and had him back in bed around five. Just as i was about to enter my blissful and much needed state of rest, i heard a little voice on the monitor say "awa," which to Kara means water. Grumbling, i rolled out of bed and went in to give her some water and to tell her to go back to bed, then i preceded back to my own bed to sleep. From 5-6:30 it was back and forth between who was awake, Kara or Noah. Finally at 6:30 Kara decided it was morning and told me so loudly on the monitor until 7 when Tommy finally went and got her. I thought Noah was asleep and Kara was with Tommy so yet again i laid down to rest, but of course! Noah woke up yet again! I dragged him into bed with me feeling very frustrated and extremely tired and felt like breaking into tears! Now anyone who knows me knows that i often shed tears over small and meaningless things, but for once my crying would have been warranted. However, as i sat there looking at my little baby, i realized how blessed i truly was!

How many people around the world woke up to find that their children didn't wake up, either because they were taken or because they went to sleep and never woke up again? This is depressing to think about but it knocked me into the correct perspective when i realized that God has given me these precious gifts and for today they are still with me. I need to focus on this instead of getting to caught up in the moment. Isn't is hard to realize that our children are not our own and to let them go and let God have control in their lives? This for me has to be the hardest thing!

More than anything, we as sinful human beings desire to have control over our lives. Whether it be finances or relationships, we want to know what will happen next and for what happens to be positive and self gratifying. I know i feel this way about my kids! I want nothing more that to know that they will always be safe, always be well behaved, always be close to me, and most importantly that they will come to know Jesus as their Savior and therefore always be saved in the most full sense of the word. It must be my goal to let them go in every way, even giving the goal of their salvation up to the Lord, praying daily, but realizing that God is the one who saves and not me.

Kara and Noah will only be little for a short time, and this is what i thought as i held my now sleeping newborn. I can get frustrated if i want to and make my life more complicated, and of course i will still will do this in my weakness, but i can also choose to take each day as its own and cherish the precious little babies that they are, realizing one day they will be grown and the influence i have on them will diminish.

And so for now in my sleep deprived state, I will choose to be content with red eyes, and rumpled clothing and i will enjoy my kids while they are still small and still so eager to have me near, and i will daily work on letting go of my fears about their well being and trust the One who loves them more than i do! Praise God for His faithfulness and wonderful blessings to teach us and grow us when we choose to listen!

Love this picture!!!!!

A great verse!

Psalm 144:12

" May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace."

This verse is so neat, Tommy's grandma posted it on his facebook after Noah was born! Its so neat to say this verse applies to me in both ways, a son and a daughter! I am so grateful and i hope these things in this verse will be said of my children!

So here we go.....

So as I am new to this whole blogging thing, its a little strange to be writing down random thoughts and ideas for who knows who to read. My brother in law Lucas says i have a lot to say so i should say it here! Although this is true, i sometimes think most of what i say would be best unsaid, but i think with wisdom sometimes we can be helpful to others with our thoughts and life lessons...and i definitely am learning many of those lately!

Although I have far to go before being a "seasoned" mom and wife, i do feel like as i make this journey, the Lord has been and will continue to teach me many neat and sometimes difficult lessons.

And so this blog will be about things i am learning, practical and spiritual, and maybe at my brother in laws request a movie review every now and then :) I think that by talking about where we are at in our spiritual and personal lives and on a regular basis, and being open and honest with our doubts and fears, we can be accountable to others and from that be more sanctified in our walks with God.

What can be more sanctifying than marriage and child rearing? I have not found two things more challenging to my life as a christian woman, nor two things more beautiful! I am abundantly blessed with having Kara and Noah in my life, both so sweet and both at such different places, but both a challenge to remain a godly woman who they can look to for advice and guidance. If i am to be Kara's primary role model as what a christian woman looks like as both a wife and a mother, than i must be prepared for what that means in my daily life. She will always be watching and mimicking what i do, and i pray that who she becomes will be glorifying to Christ! I also hope that Noah will see me as an example of what true biblical womanhood should be and that one day he will say, "i want to marry someone like my mommy," what precious words those would be! I also hope and pray that I can be a kind, encouraging, submissive, respectful and adoring wife to my precious husband that God has graciously given to me and that our lives can be more and more weaved together as the years go by.

I have much to learn...and so my domestic ramblings begin :)