The Baby Whisperer

When Finn was a few months old we had some real trouble getting him to take a nap longer than 45 minutes. A friend recommended I read the book Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, by Tracy Hogg. I am not one for parenting out of books, but after reading this and two weeks of using her tips I had a little boy who would take 2 hour naps and put himself to bed without crying or needing to nurse. It was a very long two weeks, but totally worth it in the long run.

Now I have a newborn and I’m rereading and using the same tips much earlier on in the game. I’ve noticed a huge difference already. Do I expect Seannan to magically start sleeping through the night? No, of course not, but I do have a little guy who can put himself to sleep already without crying or needing to be nursed to sleep. When he does get up at night, we change diapers, nurse, and go right back to sleep.

Tracy Hogg passed away after a battle with cancer several years ago, but she’s made a difference in many parents lives, including mine. Thanks Tracy!

The vicious cycle.

Here’s the vicious cycle I have found myself trapped in this week. Baby has jaundice, billirubins make baby sleep all.the.time. Baby misses feedings. Mama’s milk gets backed up, her ducts get clogged and she gets a fever, Mastitis. Mama works really hard to express/pump/feed all the milk. Body says, “OH hey! Make more milk, we are out!” Baby still has jaundice, billirubins make baby sleep all.the.time. Baby misses feedings. Mama’s milk gets backed up, her ducts get clogged and she gets a fever…

This too shall pass. It’s hard to be really upset when I am holding such a cutie pie through all of this. Although the first night the mastitis showed up a had a wee bit of a postpartum meltdown.

Seannan Michael Durf is here

Our son, Seannan Michael Durf is here. He was born Sunday June 6th at home at 4:31 in the afternoon. He weighed in at 8 pounds 14 ounces and is 21 inches long. He is, by far, my biggest baby and has the sweet smooshy cheeks to prove it. We are all madly in love with him.

His birth was long and hard, but certainly worth all the effort in the end. I will post a full birth story when I can, but for now here are some beautiful photos of Seannan, literally moments after he arrived. Photographs courtesy of Casey Smith.

The Monkey

I am a proud mother to a wonderful 14 year old daughter. I was looking back at pictures of her when I started this blog, just 4 short years ago. She has changed so much. In appearance, in personality, in maturity. Long gone is that little girl dancing around the kitchen with a broom. Now I have a beautiful young woman dancing around the kitchen with a broom.

I have watched this wonderful person emerge over the past few years. I have watched her tackle her studies with an ease that makes me jealous and proud. I have watched her sense of humor, her sense of style, her likes and dislikes all grow into something that is truly hers. She really is an amazing person.

This past Monday as we were posing for a photo shoot, me reclining on a bench, her with her head on my belly, we began to reminisce about things from her own infancy. Songs we used to sing, stories I would tell her with my hands, late nights with a sick little baby and singing Beatles songs to sooth her. She began to cry and I nearly joined her. How fast it all goes by. My baby, my original baby will drive a car in two years. She will graduate in four years. I will probably be a mother in law and a grandmother within the next ten years. Looking at this lovely 14 year old, I realize how fleeting 10 years can be.

I love you Elizabeth.

photography by Casey Smith

I may not feel beautiful…

but I am. My ankles are swollen, my leg with all the hardware in it is protesting this heat, the baby is pinching a nerve which makes my fingers go numb in my right hand every now and again, the slightest talk of heat makes me break out into a sweat, I weigh six thousand pounds. Yet even despite all of this, I am beautiful, because God is creating a miracle within my own body, and His glow shines through every pore.

Last night a very dear friend who is enhancing her portfolio photographed my family and I so we could document this important time in our lives. This is just one of the many beautiful photos she took, Casey Smith, photographer extraordinaire. She really needs to get a website up so others can take advantage of her talent. Ahem, ahem, Casey?