Humor Gets Me Through

Last week I visited a "new" bookstore (it's only new because I haven't been before; it's actually been around for several months!) I'd forgotten how much I missed a bookstore. Amazon is nice if you know what you're after, but it's really impossible to browse.

It's also very nice to be able to look in a book before buying it. Point in case: I found a book at this bookstore that looked interesting, so I picked it up to check it out. The book was "Feeding Yourself, Feeding Your Family: Good Nutrition and Healthy Cooking for New Moms and Growing Families," published by the La Leche League. I thought it might have some tips for transitioning from breastfeeding to solids, which is where we are right now. So I turned to the chapter on this topic and began reading.

I had to stop about two paragraphs in because I was laughing so hard, I thought I was becoming disruptive. I had come across this sentence: "[Your baby] is now very alert when she feeds, even as she looks into your eyes and relaxes by patting your breast, reaching up to touch your face, or simply grasping your fingers." All I could think was, "Oh, you mean when he slams his fist into my chest repeatedly and tries to rip my lips off of my face with his hand. I'm with you, now!"

Needless to say, we are not having the calm, peaceful nursing experience so often referenced in books. I guess you could call Lucas an "active eater," though that doesn't really cover it. But he is pretty darn cute, even when actively destroying me in order to eat.

LSNED: Failure

I fail when it comes to daily routines. At least daily routines that someone else isn't making me do or paying me to do.

It's been 6 days since I tracked my learning. My sister kindly told me that my posts really didn't make sense anyway. So I kind of gave up this week. I haven't even read the prompts for the past 3 days. I should take on short projects, like maybe a 5-day or 10-day thing. Or maybe I just need to stop setting myself up for failure at all, be pleased with whatever I record, and not expect things of my future self.

Yeah. Maybe we'll work on that for awhile.

LSNED September 8 and 9

I almost made it 10 days without getting behind! Weekends are hard, because they are usually so different.

September 8:
On Saturday, we took Lucas to the state fair. It was a lot of fun! I do not believe that I have ever been; I at least don't remember if I have. We watched a lumberjack show where they did a chopping context, and ax throwing contest, and a log roll (where they walk on the log that's floating in water). One of the audience members got to walk on the log - it looked like a lot of fun, and she actually stayed on in for a few moments, longer than I would have!

Probably the coolest thing I learned at the fair, however, is that they have a paper craft contest! We stumbled upon it as we checked out the photography, sewing, and paintings. It was so cool to get to see others' work. I think I'll submit some of my own next year.

September 9
Sunday was a necessitated lazy day. I've been feeling a little cruddy lately, so we sent the kiddo to church with the grandparents and relaxed at their house. We watched the first football game of the season (we lost), and then rehearsed for a friend's wedding.

Shimelle's prompt for Sunday was a little confusing to me. I think we were supposed to think about how we learn things, or see what we learn from others. I'm still not sure how exactly to follow what she was prompting, and I'm still thinking about what I learned. I'll get back to you on that one!

LSNED September 7

Oh, Shimelle. I'm doing good to write something once a day. Once an hour just isn't going to happen.

Learning for today: I need my friends. They're wonderful ladies. I need to make a concerted effort to see them, at least one, once a week. I can do that, right?

LSNED September 6

Thursday:

Gratitude. I am grateful for two Grandmas who will drive almost 2 hours each way to take care of Lucas so I can teach part time. Amazing.

I am grateful for the opportunity to teach college part time. So far, I love it.

I am grateful for an amazing husband who is truly my best friend.

And I'm grateful for this spitfire of energy currently turning himself in circles on my bed and "narrating his journey" as Mark called it. (I'm also grateful that he only woke up once last night.) He really is a cool kid.

He totally laughed at my routine last night. He was out cold by 7:30. No solid food for dinner. No bath. Fell asleep nursing. Wasn't even in his pajamas. But there was no waking that poor child up. So I let him sleep. I woke him up at 11 to nurse, and changed him into his pajamas at that time. He went right back to sleep and slept until 3, nursed, then slept until 7:15ish. I call that success. 

LSNED September 5

Wednesday:

Patience has been a life long learning for me. Whether attributed to my red hair, genetics, environment, or whatever, I have always been quick to temper and fast-paced. It has taken years of breathing and relaxing. And after having Lucas, I'm almost having to start over teaching myself patience!

The key to patience for me has been to focus on the other person. What is their perspective? What do they need? How is their need different from mine? I hope that this has made me a more discerning person, too; someone who thinks of others and can communicate effectively with all kinds of people from all different backgrounds. I think it has increased my skills of mediation, because I often am able to see multiple sides of issues. Of course, that makes me rather indecisive, but that's a tale for another day!

"Patience is a virtue," and my patience is something I find failing me often with a little one who is learning so many new things. I just pray that I can find and keep my patience, because there's no one in my life who needs it more than he does. And I hope in the process I can teach him patience, too, because, after all, he is my child. Maybe it will be something we can do together. And maybe we can start with being patient with each other.

Lunch with Valerie and a doctor's appointment. He woke at 3 am, 5:30am, and is now still asleep at 9:15. I however, got up to create a test for Reading Strategies. Total fail. An hour and a half later, no test, because I can't figure out how to access the online test bank. Ugh. Maybe technology just isn't for me today.

LSNED September 4

Tuesday:

Doing the same thing does not always generate the same result. Same bedtime routine. Up at 3, 5:30, and awake for the day at 7:45. Ugh. I need more sleep than this.

Teach today. I feel more at home in the classroom at Martin than I did at Bridgeforth. Must think about why, specifically. More relaxed? Less responsibility for behavior? Only twice a week, 3 classes instead of 8 hours straight 5 days a week?

Happiness is a sleeping baby. Or at least a happy baby.

Taught, lunch, taught, choir.

He was asleep at 3 when I called home to check on him! No meltdown, no rushing home to nurse. Today was a good day.