Not wanting to divulge too much private info on a public blog, let's just say I have anatomical reasons my babies can't nurse very well in the beginning. (Amy- are you glad I held back?) Anyway, as I have done with several others, I am pumping and will wait a few weeks to try to get this little guy back on, so if you think of it, please pray that he will.
I have some favorite products that have been a serious help to me this time around. I already told you about SuperMom supplements. Have you tried them yet? This is our first baby to not have breastmilk jaundice, and I strongly suspect the high Spirulina content he is getting through my milk to be the factor in that.
A few other great products, reviewed here just for you!
-The Miracle Swaddling Blanket This one is really, truly a fabulous find. I like to swaddle my newborns, and they seem to like it for at least a few months. Despite the fact that we also refer to it as "the baby straight jacket", the Miracle Swaddling Blanket calms Christian right down and allows him to sleep without flailing his arms out of the blanket while sleeping on his side. If you are interested in looking at one, see the link at the right. Amazon has a good price on them.
-Wish Garden Herbal Cord Care One of our homebirth midwives turned us on to this. It is a blend of Oregon grape root and goldenseal root powders, and it helps to dry up their cords and belly buttons quickly. I like that it's gentle. Even the doctor who checked Christian out of the hospital asked about it and thought it a better alternative to alcohol, even though I jokingly called it a "hippie homebirth thing".
-Soothies Gel Pads OK, These are fabulous. Fabulous! Because of my nursing issues, nursing is also excrutiatingly painful. And the other tricky part for me is that I produce an overabundance of milk. Soothies relieve the pain, absorb the moisture (this is the first time ever I haven't leaked constantly), and don't show under a shirt. They don't show at all! They are ridiculously overpriced, so ask your hospital lactation consultant if you can have some to take home, and also look for them on ebay. Just don't bid against me 
I'll be back in a few days!
Sometimes blog entries are written because God drops something in my lap. This is one of those times, because I received the following emails within weeks of each other.
Dear Kendra,
I have a 2 year old girl and an almost 5 year old boy.
Lately, they have been at each other's throats. Some
of this stems from the fact that in the past, the two
year old just did whatever the older sibling expected.
Now, she knows how to push his buttons! I was just
thinking today, "Wow! I only have two. How does
Kendra get all her crew to get along?"
So, I guess my question is, what are ways that you
promote harmony in your home? I would welcome any
ideas and suggestions. I truly appreciate the effort
you put into your blog. It has been so helpful to me.
Thanks,
Lauren S.
And from Dana:
Do your kids ever go through a stage of arguing/bickering? That's eating at me right now. Praying fervently.
I know Lauren and Dana are not alone with this. Raise your hand if you can relate. Yep, that's what I thought. Me, too. Daily.
Recently Lisa and I were discussing the unkind words our children exchange with one another. She told me she's been addressing the offending parties with the following question, "Were you being as kind as possible?" That tends to get to the heart of everything, and I find that the answer is usually, "No", from all parties involved.
From there we can move on to addressing other attitudes and wrong actions, and then set to work apologizing and working to solve the problem, like perhaps making all guilty parties work at cleaning up the mess together (or whatever the issue was).
But we are also extremely proactive, or at least we try to be. From the day each baby is born, we tell the children that they are best friends. We watch for outside relationships that might take a child's heart away from his siblings, and we even put the kibosh on friendships that have developed that take precedence over sibling relationships. If they are being kinder to a friend than to a sibling, we take a serious hiatus from the friendship.
We also do a lot together. School, reading aloud, projects, family movie night... Our desire is that our home be a place that is so exciting, so fun, and so attractive to our children that they won't be looking around for someplace else to be those things to them. Or worse, looking around for friends to validate and love them because they have ample validation, love, and acceptance from their parents and siblings.
And we do observe a daily quiet hour in which no one is allowed to be near anyone else. We all take a book or two and find a couch, bed, hammock, or floor where no one else is. At the end of the time alone, we are usually refreshed and ready to enter into life together again.
I have asked adults I know who have healthy, dynamic relationships with their siblings and parents what their years growing up were like. Were they always best friends? Did they squabble a lot? What did their parents do to foster a close bond between them all? Many have answered that no, they weren't always as close as they are now, yes they did argue, and yes, their parents regularly communicated that they were going to be best friends. Their parents also put family above their own friendships and worked hard to make their family circle very close.
Sometimes when I feel I am growing weary of refereeing squabbles, I try to envision our lives in 10 to 20 years. I like to see a barn filled with our adult kids, their spouses, their children, and close friends. Thanksgivings, Christmases, and summer bashes have the potential of being riotously fun, but those things don't just happen on their own. Left to our selfishness, we would be a family marked by strife, irritation, and solitude. By the grace of God, we are working diligently on our personal areas of sin and on not allowing those sins to consume us or our friendships with each other.
And our greatest goal is that our family brings glory to God!
P.S. Check out the book Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends. It is an incredible resource!
).
But because we've been laughing a lot about it around here, my husband posted a commentary of answers to questions we're being asked. Read at your own risk- we can get snarky and sarcastic when we are feeling like everything is up in the air.
And of course above it all stands our almighty, omnipotent God who holds our baby's days in His hands. I know there will come a time when I will begin to think I can't take anymore, and He will faithfully deliver me. This morning I read Isaiah 43 and thought it was a perfect fit for labor:
"But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;"
We had this nondescript corner in our living room that puzzled me for quite awhile. What should go there? Then I got the idea that the kids could fill that up pretty nicely (and inexpensively) with their artwork. As an added bonus, we could count their painting time as school.
I chose a range of colors and then told them I wanted something “beachy”. Or tropical. It was really great to see how they each interpreted those directions, some with surfboards and others with palm trees. Sweet three-year-old just wielded the brush and had a ball.