Wordless Wednesday: Joyful Girl

Wordless Wednesday: Indoor Hammock Fun!

PS - I used a gauze wrap (woven would work, too) and tied it up.  Best.plaything.ever!

Wordless Wednesday: Can't Get Enough

Wordless Wednesday: A Visit from Midwife India

You're Two Now, India

You're two now, you know.  Seems like just yesterday your Daddy was saying with tears in his eyes, "Genny, it's a girl!"  I held your little body so close to mine and knew my heart and life were forever changed at that second. I still hold you that close everyday, even though you're two.

Right now, you, my sweet India, are laying on the floor singing "issy bissy 'pider...down came...out came, out came..." and distraction sets in as you talk to your baby Ahna and play the little drum Daddy got you when he was in Ghana.  I ask everyday, "What did you get so big?"  When someone asks you when your birthday is, you respond, "July 8", with a huge smile.

You are so full of joy.  And oh, so sweet.  That is probably the word people use to describe you most often.  Sweet, sweet, sweet.  You laugh and joke and like to tell knock knock jokes.  You're two now.

You're still very sensitive and tender.  You can't handle seeing others hurt, as you will talk about it for days.  Even if someone pretends, it affects you greatly and instantly go to see how you can comfort them.  Such a gift, India, is your compassion.

My view of my babies

You frequently kiss me, hug me, ask me to hold you, and ask to be near me.  In fact, you are never very far from me.  I love my little shadow.

If I get upset with you or you bump into me (or a doll) or if I'm in pain from this pregnancy, you're little voice calls out "Sawwy!"  You say 'sorry' many times a day, most of the time with full sincerity.  I guess you got that from me.

But don't be confused, you will tell exactly what you want and need and desire of others.  After you warm up to someone, you are often overheard bossing them and telling them what to do.  Stay strong, little girl, and keep your heart sensitive to others.   

You say 'hi' and flirt with everyone in the stores, but are quite timid if you're put on the spot or if someone initiates conversation with you.  You still get overwhelmed in large crowds and after a busy few hours, you can be found in the back of your car seat crying, "I wanna STAY HOOOOOME!"

You love swimming (fwimming), playing at the park, being with family, playing with your babies, all your cousins, bubbles, going on walks and doing anything outside.

If you could and if I could, you would love to spend half the day cuddling with me in bed and on the couch while I read you books.  Biscuit books are your favorite and you also enjoy longer stories.  The board books have started to bore you and you love to hear stories from your Bible.  It's because you're two now.

You're still a skinny little thing, with head and hair that seem to overtake a quarter of your body.  You still don't really eat much at meals and if there is ANYTHING distracting you while you are eating, you would rather do that than eat.  You wouldn't even eat all of your cupcake at your birthday party!  You beg for fruit, cereal (sometimes hot, sometimes cold), kefir, vitamins (yes, you cry if you don't get your fish oil), yogurt and candy.  But mostly, you beg for fruit and cereal.  You still only drink water and occasionally will have a glass of goat's milk.

You love shoes - on your feet or on others. Your babies are always near you as you don't really play with many other toys.  Oh, except your books.

In the last few days, all on your own accord, you have decided you are done with diapers.  I love your cute little booty that runs around with underwear too big for your tiny self.  No more diapers.  Hmmph.  That makes you seen really old.  Like, two-year-old old.

Pookie, you are a Mama's girl, but you LOVE your Daddy.  Lately you've been running to him when you're upset or if you need something. Your Daddy is so unbelievably protective, patient and overjoyed with you.  He loves you deeply.

You talk about "baby come out...soon...but not now. I wait."   You randomly and frequently ask to kiss my belly and talk to the baby.  Most of the time, you think this baby will be a girl. You talk about how you will kiss the baby, how you will hold its hand, how you will nurse with the baby and how you will help.  You're two now, you know.

You also have a baby in your tummy.  I'm asked to kiss and hug the baby a lot and told the "baby is kickin'."

Playing the "tiano"

I love you, India Josephine.  Always have, always will.  I'm so proud of the two year old you are and consider it pure joy to be your mama.  I can't wait to see how God uses you to change the world!

Love, Mama

Wordless Wednesday: Daddy Built Me A Snow Tunnel!

Firsts

One of the most exciting things about being a parent is watching your little one do all the 'firsts' that you've dreamed about.  You imagine how they will say 'I love you' or what their first expressions will be when they experience a swing at the park for the first time.  Or there's those not-so-fun firsts.  The first time they drop a deuce in the bathtub or the first time they figure out how to open the toilet lid. 

At 19 months of age, my daughter is taking in everything!  Watching her interact with the people, things and world around her is the best entertainment.  Her firsts with some of these things provoke the most hilarious and charging responses.

This week we experienced a few firsts:

-She said 'Target' when we went to Target.  PROUD mama moment, the girl knows where she should shop!

-She has really started to beat me in the ABCs.  If I say 'H', before I can say 'I', she says it and grins.

-She had some of her first nitrate-free chicken hot dog and really liked it!  There are some things I'm willing to give on, but eating normal hot dogs is something we won't be doing any time soon.  I've never liked those things after I found out what they were made out of!

-She also had her first sucker or lollipop, which was a gift from Halloween.  She liked it but lost interest after a bit.  I think she would've been happier with some fresh berries.

-We had our first visit to the hospital emergency room.  It was a simple injury (you wouldn't have known by India's crying) and was a quick trip.  The doctor was nice and showed me how to fix nursemaids elbow, in case it happens again.  We figure she did it by throwing her hands up in the air.  No, we weren't dragging her anywhere or throwing her around like a circus puppy.

-We also experienced our first facial bruise the very next day.  She fell off a chair and got a little bruise on her cheekbone.  Thank the Lord she didn't need stitches because I'm pretty sure I could've then blogged about the first time our daughter went to foster care.

-If she doesn't know what something is, she asks, "what's this?" and listens carefully as you tell her its proper name and what it does.  

-She has started to recognize Chinese words that we haven't taught her!  Today, she was watching her Chinese language videos and responding to the directions and questions on the videos!

-We had our first full-blown meltdown in Target.  Completely caught me off guard and she wouldn't tell me what was wrong.  When we got home she told me it was a "poopy" in between sobs.  She wasn't lyin'.  It was a non-stinker and one that burned her really bad.  Poor thing.

-Everything, everything, everything can be and will be used for her babies.  The candle on the table?  It's a cup.  The plant marker in my potted plant?  It's a bottle.  My underwear?  Blankies.
 
-I bought some Playdough (after promising I would make my own because I dislike all the dyes and unknown ingredients) and she had her first Playdough experience.  She LOVED it!  But I'm still going to make my own.  :-)

My daughter LOVES Playdough!

Wordless Wednesday: Hello, Cookie Lips

Baby girl and her bright, inquisitive eyes

Not Wordless Wednesday: Holiday Photo Highlights

I've been super behind on posting anything about our time during Christmas, so here are some picture highlights, spanning about 8 days, of our fun Christmas activities!

Even babies need to nurse!

Sitting by Uncle Nick in her own chair!

Hanging with Grandma

Poor girl also got the flu on Christmas Eve night.  She was all better and FULL of energy on Christmas morning after a bath...

Crazy on Christmas morning!

She loved opening all her Christmas presents!

She played in her new kitchen for hours!

The play kitchen was actually a gift for her birthday in July, but she didn't have any play food, so we had to wait until Christmas!  She LOVES it!

Mama got the flu shortly after India did, and Daddy got it a couple of days later, right as he was preparing to travel to Ghana, Africa.  NOT fun to be sick while you're traveling so far!

India missed a lot of naps, which caused her to press the limit....

...and the lack of sleep also caused some meltdowns.

Having a meltdown, but still so cute!

Beautiful girl!

In the end, Christmas was wonderful and I'd say India enjoyed her second Christmas much more than her first!  We're still sorting through gifts and toys (and preparing for a garage sale)  and even through sickness, missed naps and late nights, it was worth it all!

Teaching your Baby Sign Language

When my daughter, India, was just a few months old, we began to teach her American Sign Language and Mandarin Chinese.  I still use a little Chinese with her, but wasn't confident enough in my language skills, so that's on the back burner. 

We focused more on American Sign Language (ASL).  We don't have anyone close to us who is hard of hearing or uses ASL, but we knew that any extra language development would only accentuate her mind.  Why not use one that encouraged early communication, is shown to help children how to read, and is practical as it's the third most common language in America?

We have primarily used Baby Signing Time and Signing Time DVDs to learn ASL.  Most of the time, I am around to engage in the videos too, but sometimes I do let her watch one while I make supper or start laundry. 

4 months old, India's first time watching Baby Signing Time

We started when she was around 4 months old and have gradually increased to watching three or four videos a week and then we practice them throughout the day.  While I don't normally walk around in the store using only signs to communicate, I do use them here and there publicly.  At home we use them a lot.  If I don't know a sign, I just omit it and sign the words I do know. 

My very favorite story was when India was maybe 11 months old.  She would kind of hug herself.  I wasn't as aware of the fact that she was possibly communicating to me, so I just thought she was being cute.  One day, I put it together, she was signing 'baby'!  She had been signing it for months but I never caught on!  She had been trying to tell me about her baby!  I realized at that time there were several other signs that she using, but I just wasn't paying attention.

That being said, her signs aren't perfect.  Obviously, her fine motor skills are developing, so some signs don't look exactly like they're supposed to.  It's OK, though.  I still understand what she is communicating and sign the correct sign back to her.

India getting Signing Time DVDs for her 1st Birthday

At 17 months of age, India is able to use about 50 signs in their proper context and can understand many more than that.  In addition to her spoken language, it has really enhanced communication, starting at about 10 months.  She can almost always communicate her needs with me, which is a blessing for BOTH of us.  There are some words she says that she no longer signs, but there are some words that she only signs.  Sometimes I only sign to her, which is a really nice thing if we're somewhere that she needs to be quiet!

As her spoken language develops more and more, we will still continue with ASL.  I had several students in my grade who used ASL to communicate and I always wished I would've been able to talk with them more.  If India continues to learn ASL, if she is ever in a situation like that, hopefully that ASL she has acquired will help her form relationships with others she never would've been able to communicate with otherwise.

It's never to late to learn another language.  Never!  It only benefits one's mind to be used in such a capacity, no matter the age.  If someone is 2 or 11 or 36 or 97, it's never too late!  

Do your children know a second language?  Have you ever wanted to learn another language?

I thought I formed her personality

When India was a baby, within hours of her birth, we learned she was very vocal and extremely content in my arms. 

Within a week or two, we realized we had a very passionate, opinionated, vocal, determined, intense, affectionate little girl who loved attention and being close to people, especially me, her Mama.  She didn't like to change clothes, disliked her carseat, hated baths, was easily distracted, wouldn't sleep 'just anywhere' and she also would never tolerate being alone.  No bouncy seat, no swing, nothing.  That's one of the reasons I bought a water sling - otherwise I never would've been able to even shower.

I remember being slightly jealous of other moms who told me stories of their newborn babies laying contentedly on a blanket, while they made dinner.  Really?  Babies do that??

At the same time, a part of me believed a lie that is prevalent everywhere, especially in the church: if you just do this, this and this with your baby, you'll have a compliant baby.  I sometimes wondered if I was doing something wrong and if I had created India's spirited personality.

When India was a newborn baby, I asked a couple of mothers of older children, "Around what age did your child's personality develop?"

All of their responses:  "Right away.  Looking back, their personalities are very similar to what they displayed in their early months of life."  I worried a bit because I had seen some indicators that India was strong-willed.

But I didn't totally believe what they said.  Nope.  I couldn't believe it.  See, I was under the impression that YOU make your child's personality for the most part.  If you just parent this way, or discipline like this, or follow this book, or teach your child about this, or don't do that so your child won't learn your bad habit.  As time went on and India grew, week by week, I noticed some of the same preferences in her little world. 

But wait, I was teaching her something different, so why was she continuing to dislike her carseat and always cry quickly and loudly?!?  I've spent the last 15 months telling my daughter to be gentle with other children and animals, and she isn't.  I've told her a bajillion times to please stop screaming and tantruming in stores because she wants to either get down and/or grab everything and Mean Mommy won't let her, but she doesn't listen.  I've bathed her for 15 months, and she still screams and cries the second she hears that it's bath time.  She's rode in her carseat hundreds of times, but I still get an arched back and a screech nearly every time she's getting buckled in.  For over 455 days, India has had her clothes changed, sometimes many times a day, and she still cries like I'm destroying her life every.single.time.

My previous belief that I determine her behavior from Day 1 is debunked.  If that was true, after a couple of weeks of bathing her, she'd be fine with the bath.  If my consistent, disciplined actions controlled personality, she'd stop the hysterical meltdowns when it's time to change her clothes.  Also, I see parents of multiple children, all parented the same way, with different personalities. 

India at 5 months, throwing a pretty big tantrum (for a 5 month old) because I wouldn't let her eat the Christmas lights.

Over the last month, we've been to several weddings. I've sighed a bit while I've watched other children her age sit in their parent's laps for the entire wedding ceremony!  Then they sit contentedly in a high chair during the meal and reception and maybe even take a nap in their dad's arms.  All the while, my child climbed out of my lap hours ago and hasn't stop running around and screaming since.  Heck, she won't even sit long enough to eat!  I watch my nieces who are her age sit and play nicely at family events (until India comes and terrorizes them).  They don't scream and tantrum and attack other children every 3.5 minutes.  Not much has changed since her first days - she would aggressively hug her cousins since just a few months old. 


She's still loud, vocal, aggressive, affectionate, passionate, constantly moving, fearless, an entertainer, loves to be around people, hates to change clothes, doesn't play on her own or with toys, hates baths, doesn't like her carseat, and will only sleep under the perfect circumstances. 

And you know what?  Nothing I've done has created those things.  In the same way, nothing I've been able to do so far has been able to persuade her otherwise. (Really, I've tried) 

But I'm SO proud of my girl.  I love her spirit!

And really, can I expect anything different?  She has two outspoken, aggressive, passionate, determined, loud and outgoing parents. :-)

Of course I don't let her run around like a little hooligan at all times.  She stays in the cart at stores.  If she screams or tantrums at church, we leave the area.  Throughout the day, I tell her no, we re-direct, I praise her for her accomplishments, express my sadness when she disobeys, and watch her experience natural consequences.

I get the stinkeye from some people in churches, you know, the Christians who have the answer.  Some people look at me with the your child shouldn't be so loud look, or the if you taught her correctly, she wouldn't scream look or the if you made her do that everyday, she wouldn't do that look or the you should be doing this right now in response to her look. 


I think when you aren't a parent, or maybe even when you are a parent, you are quick to judge on how you would do XYZ and problem ABC would be solved.  But that's not always the case.  There is no 'book answer' that works across the board.


I could make my daughter into the little girl others want her to be. 

I could do all the things some popular Christian parenting books tell me to do.  I could control her.  I could break her will.  I could swat her over and over again until she obeyed.  I could make her fear me.  I could yell at her.  I could threaten her.  I could make her submit.  I could do all those things and more to get a quiet, little child.


And those things might calm her outwardly, but it would quench her spirit, crush her trust, and equal outward obedience without a heart change.  It would ruin who God has made her to be. 
 
There are some things in her personality that as her mother I need to work with; to help gently carve, to encourage and to instruct, but ultimately, I love who God has made her to be and see great value in all of her personality traits - even though some need refining with time and growth.  I know that God has created her brimming over with passion and charm and I know He has amazing plans for my zesty, passionate, fearless girl.


God has made her magnetic and full of life, shining and entertaining wherever she goes. For now, I'm learning to shrug my shoulders at the judgmental eyerolls and I just need to remember that I can't control everything about her and I also can't control their judgments.   After all, this is good practice for the rest of our lives and whatever adventures she may partake in, because I have a feeling this is going to be an adventure!  ;-)

My spirited little girl, making her cousin Xiomara hug her (I think we have 30 pictures like this, some of them with Xiomara in tears)

Do you have a spirited child?  When did you realize they weren't just going to 'lay down and roll over'?  What has helped you the most in parenting them?

If you see a zombie mom...

*this was written on Monday, but in my zombieness I didn't get this published until today, Tuesday*

If you see a zombie mom, that'd be me.  Yep, hi there, I'm sleep deprived! 

And if you see a zombie dad, that's be my husband.  He says hello.

Forgoodnesssake, you'd think we had a newborn baby in our house, but no, we're actually the parents of an almost 15 month old little girl.  She's super cute.  Really, she is. 

She's also getting her molars, which makes for interesting sleep.

On top of that, we decided that since she's teething this would be an awesome time (sarcasm font) to see if she would possibly take a bottle in the middle of the night from her Dad, instead of me breastfeeding her. 

"What a horrible idea!" you say.  And I know that.

But see, it's actually a good idea because we're trying to get away for a night or two for our 10 year wedding anniversary coming up in a little over a week.  In order for us to 'get away', we need to leave our daughter overnight with someone else.  She still sometimes wakes in the night to nurse, so we wanted to see how she'd fare with a bottle at 5 AM from this someone else. 

Let's just say it wasn't good. 

I "slept" on the couch last night, while Dallas got our bed all to himself, something he probably enjoys because even though he is the largest member of our family, when the smallest member of our family joins us in bed at night, she takes up half of it because she insists on sleeping sideways.  She also insists on kicking him in the face (which, is hilarious), so a night with the bed all to himself is almost as grand as the Vikings winning a football game.  Obviously, neither happen very often.

This picture accurately depicts the average husband/wife bed....

And then you throw the kicking face toddler in there and it actually looks like this...

His lone enjoyment of our bed lasted for, um, maybe 15 minutes when the baby started crying way earlier than her normal middle of the night waking time.  Of course, my Mom Alert, which can standard with the growth of my uterus, kicked in and I laid silently on the couch, listening to the lil' drama mama in the room next door.  I really, really, really just wanted to solve the problem with my b00b...like, Hello!  I have the answer!  We can ALL be happy again! 

But I stayed out of sight on the living room couch.

The good news is that she did take the bottle.  The bad news is that she screamed for two hours before, after and during, resulting in zombie mom and zombie dad.

I guess this could quite possibly be called a 'real parent' now that we're finally experiencing some sleep deprivation.  We've been spoiled rotten and she's always been a great sleeper, so we actually got more sleep during the newborn stage of parenting than ever before in our lives!

I do have to give major props to Zombie Dad; two hours of a screaming 14-month old in the middle of the night is really equal to about 8 hours of sceaming baby in the daytime.  Yep, in the realm of parenting, nighttime woes are quadrupled.  My husband gets major points for last night for dancing with her, singing to her, cuddling her, bobbling her around and just all around loving the little zombie creator who did nothing but scream at the sight of him. 

We're going to try it again tonight, but so far the jury in our house is saying that it looks like India might join us for our anniversary trip because we definitely don't want this zombie-ness to consume another family member!  ;-)

Stay tuned for more Zombie Mom and Zombie Dad....

I take her for granted

A couple I know lost their precious baby boy this week.  Devastating. 

My heart aches and breaks every time I hear these stories no matter if it's a good friend or someone I've never seen because it would be one of the most crushing circumstances that we can imagine as mothers. 

So, I cry and I hold my baby close, smell her head, kiss her a million times, apologize a billion times and ask God to help me remember what a blessing she is.  And I pray for those who are hurting because of such a traumatic loss.

It's easy to take my daughter for granted in the routine or even difficult moments.  It's easy to yell at her, sigh as she ruins one more thing, lose my patience as she cries and whines at my feet, curse under my breath as she arches her back in a tantrum, and ignore her when 'I have things to do'. 

I have many friends who have lost children and would love to have even a few hair-pulling moments with their child right now....if that meant having a few more minutes with their precious baby.  I don't want to forget what a gift she is, to thank God for this little person and be grateful for this beautiful piece of my husband and me.

I love.love.love....

-the sweet smell of my daughter's breath

-her little and big tooth bite

-when she pulls close to me and kisses me

-her chubby wrists

-the endless sounds, shreiks and shrills

-her signs, communicating her needs

-how she dances the instant music turns on

-her whisper voice

-her call for 'Mama' - "mamamamamamaaaa"

-the way she walks around the house, calling for me, not satisfied until she's right back at my side

-her smile when I hide my face

-her sleepy eyes while she breastsfeeds

-her smiles and giggles when she breastfeeds

-how she has been a little ham since forever

-the way she mimics everything I do

-when I whisper in her ear that there is nothing she could do to make me love her less and she giggles

-the way her lower lip quivers when she cries

-her excitement when Dada comes home

-the way she tucks her lip in

-how she opens her eyes wide and says 'Oh' as soon as she wakes up and many times thereafter

-her desire for comfort

-how she takes apart and climbs on everything

-how she MUST have a baby in her arms at all times

-how she signs 'baby'

-her inhale giggle

-the way she says and signs 'outside' - "ouss-ide"

-her smart mind

-the smell of her head, it's delicious

-her proud smile - big and cheesy

-how she MUST as 'was sat?' (what's that) a hundred times even when she knows full well exactly what it is

-the way she explores everything

-her wispy curls

-how she pats my back as we cuddle

-her tiny tears that take a lot of emotion in order to appear

-when her little hands find their way to my mouth

-her shreiks of glee as she is the center of attention

-bright blus eyes that love me

-when she wears tight shirt or pants and I can see every roll

-the way she makes friends with EVERYONE by yelling 'hi', flashing a big cheesy grin and waving

-when I ask her if she's Mama's baby and she shakes her head and says 'yah'

-the way she says goodbye to al her new friends by blowing kisses and waving 'bye'

-her nekkid body

-her big hugs

-the way she runs away from my laptop when she gets caught pounding on it

-how she thinks she's hilarious when she signs 'potty' and makes the SSSSSSSSSSSsssssss sounds

Every single minute of her life, this life, is a gift.

India trying to wear my flip flops. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Good Lil' Mama

India says Tickle, Tickle & yells at Daddy!

My baby was diagnosed with lead poisoning

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but India's blood lead level test came back high."


The words of India's doctor on the other end of the phone pierced my heart.  I remained calm as he went through a list of questions as to how my daughter could have possibly got lead poisoning.

Do you have peeling paint or has she eaten paint chips?  Do you live near a gas station or highway or was your house previously a mechanic's shop?  Does she eat a lot of dirt?  Are there any toys she chews on that could be a problem?

No, no, no, and no.  Not that I know of. 

I was baffled, the doctor was baffled.  He ordered a venous re-test as soon as possible, citing that sometimes the heel stick can inaccurately measure blood lead levels.

His calm, gentle, reassuring but yet very concerned voice left me slightly unsettled, but still with peace.  I had NO IDEA what a BIG deal lead poisoning is.

We almost didn't get the lead test done.  At India's one year well child visit, her doctor had asked if we had had a lead test done yet.  No, we hadn't.  He said he's never really seen a problem with it, but the state likes all children to get them.  He ordered the lab and we waited and waited for her name to be called at the lab.

India started to get impatient, walking the hallways, and getting frustrated we weren't letting her roam free.

We considered just skipping the test since we assumed this would be fruitless and there was no possible way our daughter had any exposure to lead.  Was a lead test really necessary?

It was a few days later when I got the results of her lead test with that devastating phone call. 

As quickly as the phone call ended, I was online reading and devouring every bit of information about lead poisoning. 

For every 10 points of lead, a child loses 3 IQ points.
Lead levels take years to go down.
Sometimes it's impossible to find the source of lead.
Clean everything with rubber gloves and wet paper towels.
Lead takes 20 years to leave the bones.
Lead is particularly harmful in early childhood as brain development is at its peak.

I didn't know the accuracy of all that I read, but it was enough to make me not want to eat, sleep or do another stinking thing until I found the source. 

In between gathering information, I was using the lead test kits I bought from a store and testing everything.  Toys (I heard of several families that found some toys that were the SOURCE of their child's lead poisoning - eek!  All the more reason for me me to be a picky Mama when it comes to the toys India plays with), paint, door frames, electrical cords, windows - everything I could think of.

No matter what, from all I gathered from people's personal stories I was reading, this was a nightmare and was going to take years to lower her levels and we still ran the risk of delayed development, behavioral problems and even fertility issues.

Any level of lead in the blood isn't good, but if your levels get to 10, it's a red flag and measures must be taken.  Around 70 is where brain damage begins.

India's level came back at 35. Dangerous and alarming.

How could this happen to us?!? 

I have spent much time making sure India's environment is safe and the best for her.  She eats mostly organic and whole foods; nothing processed and no sugar.  I wean her from the pacifier instead of giving her antibiotics.  She wears cloth diapers, I don't clean with chemicals, we make sure she gets enough Vitamin D, omega-3s and healthy fats.  She doesn't have cheap toys (some people laugh at this one, but after this scare, limiting plastic toys has merit beyond just the dangers of BPA).   She's within a few feet of me for the majority of hours in a day.  We teach her American Sign Language and Chinese and limit the amount of TV she watches. I'm a car seat freak, making sure of every last detail for her safety.   Goodness, the child doesn't even drink anything but water and breast milk - not even watered down juice!

We sure had a bit of anxiety in the mean time.  There are a lot of 'what ifs' in this situation: what if she had lead poisoning and we skipped the test?  How much damage could be done before we noticed?  What if her blood lead levels continue to go up?  What is causing this?  How could have WE prevented this?
I started her on iron and calcium supplements and upped her Vitamin C intake.  I thoroughly washed every stinkin' toy, dusted every nook, swept 3x a day and washed my floors. 

For a few days, I was pretty down.  Who wants to hear such news about anyone, let alone their own child?  We prayed for our little girl, hugged and kissed her even more (I didn't think that was possible) and hoped for the best as we waited for the results to come back for her second, more accurate test.

To our complete and utter amazement, her next test came back fine!!!  I could hardly contain myself when my husband came home and I told him the good news: our Pookie was fine!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  

 **I know you just got good news, but keep reading, I have more to share!**

A lead test at one year of age is standard in many areas, but as I was talking to several other mommy friends that live all across the US, several hadn't had a lead test done on their children. 

Someone asked me if I would get the test all over again, in spite of the trauma it caused.  My answer is YES!  After learning the dangers of lead poisoning and reading of many 'healthy' families whose children came back with elevated blood lead levels, I was glad we did the test in spite of the stress. 

And if anything, it got my house really, really clean. :)

My happy, healthy girl!  No lead poisoning!!!

Now, time for my PSA:   I didn't know much about lead poisoning, and I'm guessing many reading this are in the same boat as me.  Unfortunately, lead poisoning is often bypassed (in the county I live in, only 12-18% of children are tested for lead), but over 310,000 American children have too much lead in their blood.  I would highly encourage a lead test for your child if they are under age 6, especially if you suspect lead in your home.   If you're pretty natural and medically hands-off like I am, this non-invasive test is worth it in my opinion.  Please share this information!

It may turn out to be nothing, but what if it's not?

Do you know of anyone who has had lead poisoning?  Did your children get their blood lead levels checked?

Sunshine 1st Birthday Party (pics and video)

What a day of celebration for our little girl!  After a long time of dreaming and planning and doing, the day to celebrate India's first year of life came!

But first, here is a picture of her last day as a technical baby!

And here she is on her actual birthday!

OK everyone, take me serious, because I am ONE!

We had a Sunshine Party last weekend in honor of our girl. 

Think: Mason jars, classy country, gentle yellow and white, fresh breeze, barbeque, lemonade, music, fresh blue water. 

Here were the invitations to her party!

We decorated and my Dad even turned on the fountains in the front of the house....

The entrance to the party

The Birthday Banner that took hours to make!

India, month by month!

Beautiful hydrangeas!

The sweet birthday girl was a bit overwhelmed with all the people and was pretty sober the whole party, but was very interested in someway, somehow, getting outside!

We not only celebrated her first birthday last weekend, but her Daddy led us all in dedicating her to the Lord.

Of course, since we knew I was pregnant, we've dedicated her to God, but it was great to do it corporately with our closest friends and family members!

For the dedication, everyone gathered, Dallas and I shared a little bit (and cried),and I played the piano and sang a song.

Then we all gathered around her and whoever wanted to was welcome to pray blessings over our little India girl. 

Her Daddy closed the prayer time.

We then went down to the beautiful lake for Barbeque and Sunshine Party! 

It was the perfect day for swimming!

For the 10 days previous to the party, the weather forecast was horrible, predicting rain, which isn't a great thing considering this was to be a Sunshine Party!  Thankfully, the weather completely changed course and we all had a great (but hot) party outside. 

We had some yummy snacks, while waiting for the Grillmaster!

Cold drinks on a HOT day!

Everyone had their own personalized Mason jar for drinks!

Then we ate, and celebrated with cupcakes!

The menu: brats, hamburger beans, chips and watermelon!

My homemade, slightly unstable cupcake stand. :)

Yellow cupcakes, with buttercream frosting and lemon curd filling!  YUM!

Then it was time for India to enjoy her first bites of cake (and sugar, really)! 

 Everyone gathered around to watch her delve into her cake....

But after one bite, she just thought it was more fun to throw pieces of fondant on the ground.  All the while, I'm going, "Child, it probably took me one hour just to roll that little piece of fondant out just right!"  Then she decided she didn't want the cake anywhere near her.  Next year, I'm not spending hours making her the perfect birthday cake.  She can just have a Twinkie.

Well, at least Dallas and I got to eat the cake in the days following the party.  Seriously, what kid doesn't like cake?  Probably the same kid who doesn't really like to eat more than a few bites of solid food.  My kid.

It was then time to open gifts!

She was very happy to get more Signing Time DVDs!



A cool money tree!  We're putting the money towards a wood play kitchen for her so she can cook with Mama!





Ultimately though, she was more interested in treating her cousin Xiomara as her doll.
 

Aren't they cute?  Her cousin Brooklynn was there as well, but I didn't get a good picture of the three of them! :(

It was a great few days to celebrate our baby.  The Sunshine Party was a perfect fit for our family and mostly, for India.  A lot of work, but worth it.  BUT, this will be the last party I throw for her of this magnitude.  


I think. ;)