Stylish and Medicinal: A Winning Combination!

So, check out this nasty batch of eczema! Poor baby! Hosea had this on his chest for 2 months straight. I finally looked at some hazelwood necklaces from Inspired by Finn. According to the website:

Hazelwood is an ancient remedy first used by aboriginal people -- It has the medicinal property of neutralizing the body's acidity.

It relieves or prevents ailments such as ulcers, acid reflux, heartburn, skin problems (psoriasis, eczema, acne), arthritis, constipation, migraines, sensitive & bleeding gums, helps reduce dental cavities and more. These necklaces are a great remedy for heartburn and nausea during pregnancy!

I figured, at best, it might help him. At worst, it's fashionable. So we gave it a try. I'll let the before and after shots speak for themselves. The "after" picture was taken a little less than 24 hours after he began wearing the necklace.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ever!: The New Exclamatory

Do you ever find yourself saying something to your children like, "Don't ever (fill in the blank) again," with the emphasis on "ever"? Yeah, so do I. Sometimes I even add an extra "ever" on the end to convey the true finality for this particular wrongdoing. So then, perhaps it goes something like this, "Don't ever do that again. Ever."

In another startling realization that my children do actually listen, I have had this little word repeated back to me (and the rest of the family) a lot recently. However, the exact meaning has gotten a bit lost in translation. You see, little Anastasia, in her ever increasing state of drama, has really caught onto this word as a catch-all exclamatory to be used when needing to add emphasis of any kind to any statement, which, when you're two, is every other sentence. For instance, the first words spoken to me this morning were, "They took my box EVER!" Other examples include, "I need milk EVER!" "They made me sad EVER!" and, "Abijawbahnakiwudana EVER!"

I know I'm not helping matters, but sometimes when she comes to tell or ask me something I can't help but ask, "Ever?" just to hear her so sincerely answer, "Yes." I even admit to having fun trying out this new exclamatory in some of my own statements. The nonsensicalness of it really does add great emotional emphasis.

So, next time you're at a loss for just the right thing to say to drive home a point with real passion, give "ever" a try. Anastasia says it works great EVER!

Letter to Hosea

My precious baby boy,

As I again find myself captivated by your tiny body in my arms I am struck once more by God's goodness to me. I am a mother--a mother!--and you, a priceless treasure, are my son. I cannot look upon you without feeling blessed to be in this moment, and, at the same time, I almost feel as if I can see the future. I am living tomorrow's memory.

I pray that someday these tiny lips of yours will sing God's praises.
But today they are puckered so sweetly in sleep.

I pray that your cheeks will one day know the roughness of stubble, as you grow and mature in body and in spirit.
But today their softness begs to be caressed.

I pray that your mind will be stretched by amazing truths concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and His creation.
But your sucking right now reveals that, for now, your mind is mostly concerned with dreaming of your next meal!

I pray that your eyes will one day behold a God-fearing woman joyously walking down the aisle to be your bride.
But today, you only have eyes for me.

I pray that your strong arms will one day hold my grandchildren.
But today your arms are rolling with baby fat.

I pray that your hands will build up, restore, strengthen and encourage all with which they work.
But today your tiny fingers are wrapped around my thumb.

I pray that your grown legs will support you well as you labor in this life.
But today your legs only kick in the cutest bicycle-pedaling sort of way.

I pray that your feet will know the toughness that comes with good use, as you follow where God leads.
But today I find these little feet and toes to be the most kissable things ever!

I pray that you will one day be a strong, God-honoring leader for your family, that our Lord would be pleased to use you to pass on the light of the Gospel to the next generation.
But today...today you are my baby.

And today is a blessing.

With everlasting love,
Your blessed mother

A New Blog is Born!

I am excited to announce the creation of my new blog, Random Thoughts by Evangeline & Co., which I intend to be an archive of entertaining questions and statements by and conversations with my children.

This blog will still highlight my adventures in motherhood and life in general, so keep checking back. My one-handed, baby-holding typing these days often limits my patience for typing out more thoughtful posts, but I promise to keep it up as life allows.

Presenting...Hosea Christopher!

We have a SON! Our newest addition was born Sunday, July 4, at 4:28 a.m. He weighed 8 lbs. and measured 21" long. We praise God for His goodness and faithfulness to us! It was another smooth, gentle birth, and we are all doing well.

We have named our firstborn son Hosea Christopher. The name Hosea means "salvation" and is borne by one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. Hosea declared the Lord's unfailing love for His people, and he called Israel to repent and turn away from the wickedness in which they had entangled themselves. Hosea's own family life reflected God's faithfulness to His unfaithful people.

"Christopher" means "bearer of Christ" and is, of course, also husband's name. We pray that our Hosea's life will be a testimony to the good news that "God is salvation" as He bears the name of Christ and remembers God's covenant faithfulness to His people.

And now, without further ado, I will share with you some photos from our first days with Hosea:

just a few minutes after birth

Eliana & Evangeline were eager to hold baby brother.

Weighing in at 8 lbs. even!

Eliana holding her brother for the first time

Evangeline holding her brother for the first time.

one of Hosea's first close-ups

Anastasia holding her brother for the first time.

exploring the outdoors

Mommy & her SON!

Hosea taking a bath with eyes open!

napping

the proud father

Sisters

Now Entering the Baby Zone

It's hard to believe in some ways, but baby #4 is considered "term" today (i.e. 37 weeks, or 3 weeks before my arbitrary "due date"), which means we are cleared for take-off whenever he/she decides to make his/her appearance over the next, oh, 5 or so weeks.

You know what that means! It's time to submit your guesses. When do you think baby will be born? Do you have a hunch about the gender? Think you know how much the baby will weigh? If you already have your answer ready, go ahead and leave it in the comments.

For those of you analytical thinkers (who like to make guesses based upon what is often inconsistent and irrelevant data) here are some answers to the most common questions I get from those trying to make an "educated" guess:

1.) Do you feel any differently this time compared to your previous 3 pregnancies? Umm...yes and no. And for that matter, I would pretty much say the same thing when comparing those 3 pregnancies to each other. Some similarities. Some differences. I've had varying degrees of nausea in the first trimester with each pregnancy, though I will say that I've had occasional stages of tummy sensitivities and heartburn throughout my pregnancy only this time. And so what if I have felt a little more tired and hormonal this time--I have 3 kids! I think that gets more and more true with each passing pregnancy. :)

2.) Are you carrying any differently this time compared to your previous 3 pregnancies? Yes and no. Sorry, I know I'm not being very helpful. I am "all baby" again, but I am carrying lower this time than ever before. Then again, that could have something to do with that business about this being my 4th baby and my abdominal muscle being split down the middle...

3.) When (gestationally speaking) were your other babies born? Our firstborn came 15 days before her Estimated Due Date (EDD). The second and third were both born 2 days before their respective EDDs.

4.) How much did your other babies weigh? 7 pounds. No, that's not an average. They have each been exactly 7 lbs. or 7 lbs. 1 oz., which is really just a difference of who peed on me more before having their measurements taken. And keep in mind, that's even with a significant difference in gestation.

5.) Do you have a "feeling" as to what the baby's gender is? No, and I'm really not kept up at night wondering about it, as some seem to think. I truly enjoy the open possibilities of the unknown and the anticipation of our big surprise. We'll be finding out pretty soon now!

As an added bonus, for those of you "visual" guessers, the pictures in this post were taken about 2 weeks ago. Okay, it's time to comment if you'd like to guess!

Protecting Midwifery Care in TN

My friend Toni has made me aware of a new grassroots organization in Tennessee working to fight back against some recently drafted regulations that could limit Tennessee families' access to evidenced-based maternity care (i.e. midwifery care). Check out the Tennessee Birth Coalition's website to read more about the goals of this organization and to find out how you can get involved.

Anastasia Ushers in the Terrific Twos

Birth Unbound

Here's a shout out to Toni Payne, a dear friend and fellow childbirth educator and doula. Toni lives in the Chattanooga, TN/North Georgia area and recently started a new blog about childbirth called Birth Unbound. Check it out at: http://birthunbound.blogspot.com/

I'm still working on updating my own blog. Thanks to those of you who have let me know you're still out there and have encouraged me to keep it up! I have managed to back-post about my business, so feel free to scroll down and take a look. More is coming, so hang in there with me!

Been waiting for an update?

Hello, dear readers! Should any of you be out there still holding out hope for my blog I want to let you know that I am still here and I apologize for the lack of posts in, well...a really long time.

This has been such an incredibly busy season of life for us--busier than I think it's ever been before! I've had a lot to post about, but somehow I kept getting behind on actually posting it. So, here you go. Spring is here, I have lots of pics and updates I want to share with you, and the blog is back on my radar. I'm going to try to catch up and back-post a little over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes open for new updates. In the meantime, you can enjoy the above picture taken of our Evangeline while waiting for this year's Easter egg hunt to begin. More pics to come soon!

Oasis Birth Services, LLC

As of January 1, 2010, my business, Oasis Birth Services, LLC, is registered in the state of Ohio! I am really enjoying the work I do as a birth doula and a childbirth educator, and business is really picking up! If you haven't seen it yet, check out my website at: http://www.oasisbirth.com