4.20.2010
A "Mary" Day
What is it about gloomy days? It's one thing to have a gloomy day that's busy. It's an entirely different matter when the day is gloomy and empty on the calendar. Lynn is in and out with Festival and in the city for Camerata tonight, and here I am, home, once again. What am I to do with myself? The house is a mess and could use a cleaning from top to bottom, but that's always true... That's not necessarily going to fill my day with purpose and enthusiasm. I could play with my girls all day, but right now that makes my head feel like it's going to explode :) (Though of course I will be doing that anyway.) I could tackle some big project around the house or file...
I think today is for listening. I'm just going to settle my wrestlessness beneath the mighty hand of God, forget about housewaork, and sit at His feet. I am much more comfortable in "Mary" mode than in "Martha" mode anyway.
Today is a day for one of my favorite songs, The More I Seek You:
The more I seek you
The more I find you
The more I find you
The more I love you
I want to sit at your feet
Drink from the cup in your hand
Lay back against you and breathe
Feel your heartbeat
Your love is so deep
It's more than I can stand
I melt in your peace
It overwhelms me
Okay Father, I am pressing in to You today. Speak to me and give me peace. Build my confidence in your unfailing love.
I think today is for listening. I'm just going to settle my wrestlessness beneath the mighty hand of God, forget about housewaork, and sit at His feet. I am much more comfortable in "Mary" mode than in "Martha" mode anyway.
Today is a day for one of my favorite songs, The More I Seek You:
The more I seek you
The more I find you
The more I find you
The more I love you
I want to sit at your feet
Drink from the cup in your hand
Lay back against you and breathe
Feel your heartbeat
Your love is so deep
It's more than I can stand
I melt in your peace
It overwhelms me
Okay Father, I am pressing in to You today. Speak to me and give me peace. Build my confidence in your unfailing love.
4.09.2010
"I saw horses!"
Yesterday morning had an interesting beginning. After the sound of pitter patter across the floor, the old-fashioned door handle on Roya's bedroom door began moving and banging back and forth. Lynn responds from downstairs and me from our bedroom...
"Horses, Roya see horses!!" Roya declares in a burst of excitement, the very first words out of her mouth. "Horses? Where are the horses?" asks Lynn. "Roya see horses. Roya see horses!" Roya says as she pulls his hand and leads him down the stairs and out towards our back deck, overlooking the back yard.
Lynn and I took several turns walking Roya outside and into our backyard, trying to explain that there are not really horses or a barn hiding there, but that she had seen them in a dream... a very vivid and real dream. It was a gift from God.
What you need to know for background info:
1. Lynn has a gift with dreams. Throughout his childhood, God has given him many special dreams. He can recount them today as clear as though he had watched it on TV. Whether prophetic, interactive, or just special... Lynn is especially gifted to experience God through dreams.
2. Roya's name is deeply spiritual in the Persian language. It means "sweet dream" referring to visions and premonitions, a sweet anointing of the presence of God through dreams. We pray regularly over her dreams and for God to speak to her in that secret place.
We are quite certain that Roya is beginning to experience God in her dreams in a very vivid and real way just as Lynn did as a child. Yesterday morning was our first peek into that secret world where God carefully and personally unfolds His mysteries.
Thank you, Father, for showing your faithfulness already and being active and present in the minds and hearts of our little ones!!!
"Horses, Roya see horses!!" Roya declares in a burst of excitement, the very first words out of her mouth. "Horses? Where are the horses?" asks Lynn. "Roya see horses. Roya see horses!" Roya says as she pulls his hand and leads him down the stairs and out towards our back deck, overlooking the back yard.
Lynn and I took several turns walking Roya outside and into our backyard, trying to explain that there are not really horses or a barn hiding there, but that she had seen them in a dream... a very vivid and real dream. It was a gift from God.
What you need to know for background info:
1. Lynn has a gift with dreams. Throughout his childhood, God has given him many special dreams. He can recount them today as clear as though he had watched it on TV. Whether prophetic, interactive, or just special... Lynn is especially gifted to experience God through dreams.
2. Roya's name is deeply spiritual in the Persian language. It means "sweet dream" referring to visions and premonitions, a sweet anointing of the presence of God through dreams. We pray regularly over her dreams and for God to speak to her in that secret place.
We are quite certain that Roya is beginning to experience God in her dreams in a very vivid and real way just as Lynn did as a child. Yesterday morning was our first peek into that secret world where God carefully and personally unfolds His mysteries.
Thank you, Father, for showing your faithfulness already and being active and present in the minds and hearts of our little ones!!!
4.07.2010
Tribute to Baskets.
What is it about baskets that makes life so much better?
I was in the mall with my girls today to get Alea's picture taken at Sears, which in a surprising turn of events didn't happen... After the appointment date changing at least three times (twice by them, once by me), I showed up to a closed studio. The sign said, "Sorry we're closed. Please see store hours above." Store hours above said, "Open Wednesday 9:30-8:00" (or something like that). I was pretty sure it was Wednesday and pretty sure it was 10:00, which I was pretty sure was my appointment time... But alas, the studio was vacant and obviously closed.
I was not to be dismayed. We were out of the house and could do any number of things with our free time. Then it hit me... baskets!! I have been waiting to get to the dollar store to buy several cheep, plastic, yet beautifully functional organizational baskets.
After nursing, having snack time, surviving the pet store, and working through several two-year old tantrums along the way... we made it to the Dollar Store! Maneuvering my sit-and-stand double stroller through the isles while picking up several large baskets and while carrying the large Sobeys bag I've been carting as my diaper bag was somewhat awkward... But I made it to the cashier and this time she did not tell me their debit system was down, praise the Lord!!
About an hour later, we arrived home and I excitedly positioned my baskets where I knew they belonged. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment organizing toys and hygiene articles under the bathroom sink. I couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for the invention of baskets. :)
Home with two babies... I guess its the simple things in life that start to bring out the most joy :)
I was in the mall with my girls today to get Alea's picture taken at Sears, which in a surprising turn of events didn't happen... After the appointment date changing at least three times (twice by them, once by me), I showed up to a closed studio. The sign said, "Sorry we're closed. Please see store hours above." Store hours above said, "Open Wednesday 9:30-8:00" (or something like that). I was pretty sure it was Wednesday and pretty sure it was 10:00, which I was pretty sure was my appointment time... But alas, the studio was vacant and obviously closed.
I was not to be dismayed. We were out of the house and could do any number of things with our free time. Then it hit me... baskets!! I have been waiting to get to the dollar store to buy several cheep, plastic, yet beautifully functional organizational baskets.
After nursing, having snack time, surviving the pet store, and working through several two-year old tantrums along the way... we made it to the Dollar Store! Maneuvering my sit-and-stand double stroller through the isles while picking up several large baskets and while carrying the large Sobeys bag I've been carting as my diaper bag was somewhat awkward... But I made it to the cashier and this time she did not tell me their debit system was down, praise the Lord!!
About an hour later, we arrived home and I excitedly positioned my baskets where I knew they belonged. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment organizing toys and hygiene articles under the bathroom sink. I couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for the invention of baskets. :)
Home with two babies... I guess its the simple things in life that start to bring out the most joy :)
3.29.2010
"Yummy"
A snippet of my morning...
Sometime after breakfast, Roya goes in time out chair.
Refuses to stay in time out chair.
A two minute punishment lasts about an hour because she will not stay on the chair.
(Nursing, bathing, and dressing Alea while keeping tabs on the toddler.)
Then she claims she has to pee.
I take her to the potty (knowing it's a lie) and of course she has no pee.
She sits on the potty for a while, then receives a consequence for lying to Mama.
We go to the Bible and look up Psalm 34:13, saying it together.
Snack time.
Both girls are settled and enjoying a snack...
I sit down, ready to eat and drink myself.
"I peed." Roya says.
A pool collects underneath her high chair.
I get Alea to sleep.
Time for a bath.
Strip Roya in bathroom.
Clean up pee.
Try and get ready in the bathroom while Roya plays in tub and Alea sleeps.
Roya drinks the bath water.
Which means I remove her toys.
I am desperate to get my wet hair brushed and up... (I had showered around 6:30am)
Then I hear it... "Mmmm. Yummy."
I spin around and gawk at my barely two year old daughter.
"Did you drink the water?" I ask
SLURP.
"Mmmm. Yummy."
And there you have it.
Sometime after breakfast, Roya goes in time out chair.
Refuses to stay in time out chair.
A two minute punishment lasts about an hour because she will not stay on the chair.
(Nursing, bathing, and dressing Alea while keeping tabs on the toddler.)
Then she claims she has to pee.
I take her to the potty (knowing it's a lie) and of course she has no pee.
She sits on the potty for a while, then receives a consequence for lying to Mama.
We go to the Bible and look up Psalm 34:13, saying it together.
Snack time.
Both girls are settled and enjoying a snack...
I sit down, ready to eat and drink myself.
"I peed." Roya says.
A pool collects underneath her high chair.
I get Alea to sleep.
Time for a bath.
Strip Roya in bathroom.
Clean up pee.
Try and get ready in the bathroom while Roya plays in tub and Alea sleeps.
Roya drinks the bath water.
Which means I remove her toys.
I am desperate to get my wet hair brushed and up... (I had showered around 6:30am)
Then I hear it... "Mmmm. Yummy."
I spin around and gawk at my barely two year old daughter.
"Did you drink the water?" I ask
SLURP.
"Mmmm. Yummy."
And there you have it.
3.27.2010
Happy 5 months my sweet Alea!!!
I cannot understand why Alea must grow up so fast!! The top row of her incoming teeth can be felt just beneath the surface of her gums, and she is definitely unsatisfied with only nursing. She needs rice cereal at least twice a day just to get by!! She sucked away at my apple yesterday; I feel like I have to hold her back from taking and eating a whole plate of adult food!! What's up with that??? (She's 5 months today.)
3.25.2010
Potty Training.
Potty training is something I knew very little about until a couple of months ago. After growing up with two younger brothers who are 5 and 10 years younger than me, all I could remember of potty training was little boys peeing everywhere :). Then there were the stories told by my sister and other fantastic moms who lived to tell the tales of their own potty training experiences. Still, I was mostly hopeful embarking on this journey from dependent baby to full grown toddler :)
Roya started out text book child. She loved the pink potty from Aunt Kaia and the sticker chart pasted to the bathroom wall... She loved getting praised, picking stickers, and receiving treats. She loved wearing panties and knowing she is a big girl. Still, I knew we were just beginning and it was too goo to be true...
Yesterday, everything changed.
The day started out poorly (in the potty training arena). I couldn't figure out how much control Roya had over her bladder. I sat her on the potty to pee. She waited for some time. She said all done. I made her stay longer. She got wrestless. I eventually let her come down with her affirmation that she has no pee. Within five min or so, she'd pee on the floor, or in her chair... whatever. Things escalated throughout the day, and her creative defiance was becoming more and more evident. Mid-afternoon, lessons began (voice&piano) and Miss Becca arrived to watch the girls (Yay Miss Becca!). Roya was tired, distracted, and showing defiance at every turn. I had her sit in time out, but she would not stay on the chair. The consequence for this behavior is room time with the gate-up. Sometimes this works as a punishment (separation from others) and sometimes it does not. This time it did not.
I carried Roya upstairs to her bedroom explaining the situation as always and that we expect her to show an obedient heart and a respectful attitude. I knew, however, that it had been a while since the last time she peed and didn't want to leave her in her bed without sitting on the potty first. I told Roya that Miss Becca would be up with the potty, and once she had some pee, she would spend some time in bed.
Becca agreed to the task at hand and carried the pink potty upstairs. In no less than a minute, however, she was back. "I don't mind sitting with her," she said, "but Roya's already peed all over the floor. "UUUUrrrrggghhhh" I said. I quickly began gathering cleaning supplies for the hardwood upstairs. This took longer than expected, and when I arrived at the top of the stairs, this is what I found...
Roya was standing at the gate in wet panties and squishy socks. Pee foot prints covered the floor in her bedroom. Because we live in an older home and the floor isn't level, the pee had formed a river and traveled under the gate out into the hallway. Because Roya was so delighted by this unique turn of events, she conducted a creative experiment. Taking all the things within her grasp from the change table, she threw them one by one into the pool of pee on the other side of the gate. Needless to say, within a short few minutes, pee was everywhere!
Roya greeted me with a huge smile when I climbed to the top of the stairs and said, "Mama," (in that way every child knows will melt their mother's heart), "Roya made a big mess!" "Yes, honey. Yes, you did make a big mess." I sat Roya on the potty and proceeded to clean up the "big mess". "Mama," Roya says, "What' ya doin', Mama?" She continued talking to me, saying the most adorable things and making the cutest gestures she has ever made. At the bottom of the stairs, Lynn was doing a very good job conducting a piano lesson. Miss Becca was in the basement with Alea (our family room not dungeon), and I could not help but laugh at how amazingly smart, creative, and adorable my little two year old is!
In short, I think Roya has more control over her bladder than I had originally suspected. Just what I am supposed to do with that knowledge, I am not so sure...
I'm sure there are many more creative stories out there; my sister has the corner on some of them to be sure!! God bless little toddlers and may His grace be sufficient for potty training!!!
Roya started out text book child. She loved the pink potty from Aunt Kaia and the sticker chart pasted to the bathroom wall... She loved getting praised, picking stickers, and receiving treats. She loved wearing panties and knowing she is a big girl. Still, I knew we were just beginning and it was too goo to be true...
Yesterday, everything changed.
The day started out poorly (in the potty training arena). I couldn't figure out how much control Roya had over her bladder. I sat her on the potty to pee. She waited for some time. She said all done. I made her stay longer. She got wrestless. I eventually let her come down with her affirmation that she has no pee. Within five min or so, she'd pee on the floor, or in her chair... whatever. Things escalated throughout the day, and her creative defiance was becoming more and more evident. Mid-afternoon, lessons began (voice&piano) and Miss Becca arrived to watch the girls (Yay Miss Becca!). Roya was tired, distracted, and showing defiance at every turn. I had her sit in time out, but she would not stay on the chair. The consequence for this behavior is room time with the gate-up. Sometimes this works as a punishment (separation from others) and sometimes it does not. This time it did not.
I carried Roya upstairs to her bedroom explaining the situation as always and that we expect her to show an obedient heart and a respectful attitude. I knew, however, that it had been a while since the last time she peed and didn't want to leave her in her bed without sitting on the potty first. I told Roya that Miss Becca would be up with the potty, and once she had some pee, she would spend some time in bed.
Becca agreed to the task at hand and carried the pink potty upstairs. In no less than a minute, however, she was back. "I don't mind sitting with her," she said, "but Roya's already peed all over the floor. "UUUUrrrrggghhhh" I said. I quickly began gathering cleaning supplies for the hardwood upstairs. This took longer than expected, and when I arrived at the top of the stairs, this is what I found...
Roya was standing at the gate in wet panties and squishy socks. Pee foot prints covered the floor in her bedroom. Because we live in an older home and the floor isn't level, the pee had formed a river and traveled under the gate out into the hallway. Because Roya was so delighted by this unique turn of events, she conducted a creative experiment. Taking all the things within her grasp from the change table, she threw them one by one into the pool of pee on the other side of the gate. Needless to say, within a short few minutes, pee was everywhere!
Roya greeted me with a huge smile when I climbed to the top of the stairs and said, "Mama," (in that way every child knows will melt their mother's heart), "Roya made a big mess!" "Yes, honey. Yes, you did make a big mess." I sat Roya on the potty and proceeded to clean up the "big mess". "Mama," Roya says, "What' ya doin', Mama?" She continued talking to me, saying the most adorable things and making the cutest gestures she has ever made. At the bottom of the stairs, Lynn was doing a very good job conducting a piano lesson. Miss Becca was in the basement with Alea (our family room not dungeon), and I could not help but laugh at how amazingly smart, creative, and adorable my little two year old is!
In short, I think Roya has more control over her bladder than I had originally suspected. Just what I am supposed to do with that knowledge, I am not so sure...
I'm sure there are many more creative stories out there; my sister has the corner on some of them to be sure!! God bless little toddlers and may His grace be sufficient for potty training!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)