Month: July 2012

Four Months

It’s hard to believe Chickadee is four months old already! It was also exactly one year ago today that I found out I was pregnant with her…how time flies!

This is another outfit that tells a story. I bought this one at the end of the summer that Bunny was born. She really didn’t need it, and didn’t get to wear it very many times, but it was on clearance for $3, so I got it…it was too pretty and girly not to! Seeing as how all three of our girls have now worn it, I’d definitely say I got my money’s worth!

July 21–Ezekiel

From the LCMS website:

Ezekiel, son of Buzi, was a priest, called by God to be a prophet to the exiles during the Babylonian captivity (Ez. 1:3). In 597 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army brought the king of Judah and thousands of the best citizens of Jerusalem—including Ezekiel—to Babylon (2 Kgs 24:8–16). Ezekiel’s priestly background profoundly stamped his prophecy, as the holiness of God and the Temple figure prominently in his messages (for example, Ezekiel 9–10 and 40–48). From 593 B.C. to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C., Ezekiel prophesied the inevitability of divine judgment on Jerusalem, on the exiles in Babylon, and on seven nations that surrounded Israel (Ezekiel 1–32). Jerusalem would fall, and the exiles would not quickly return, as a just consequence of their sin. Once word reached Ezekiel that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, his message became one of comfort and hope. Through him God promised that his people would experience future restoration, renewal and revival in the coming Messianic kingdom (Ezekiel 33–48). Much of the strange symbolism of Ezekiel’s prophecies was later employed in the Revelation to St. John.

Like Wrestling an Octopus

Have you ever tried to swaddle a wiggly baby in the middle of the night, in the dark, when you’re exhausted? It’s quite an adventure!

Chickadee still loves to be swaddled at night. She actually sighs in relief when I wrap the blanket around her at the end of the day. I think this is a great thing. Turkey and Bunny were never into swaddling, but Moose and Ladybug both liked it, (although maybe not this long), and it helped all three of them relax and sleep better, and I’m all for that. I’ve gotten special “swaddle blankies” for them, that have velcro fasteners, which are very helpful in keeping the swaddle intact, even when the baby gets bigger and more active in his or her sleep.

Despite being straightjacketed, though, Chickadee manages to work an arm (or two!) out in her sleep most nights. It starts innocently…a single hand sneaks out, usually in a desperate attempt at thumb-sucking. It’s usually followed, in frustration, by the second hand.

At that point, it’s easy for a whole arm to work its way out.

And, the second one often follows.

I usually discover this when she wants to nurse at about two in the morning. And so begins the wrestling match!

First, I try to open the swaddle as quietly as possible. But velcro is not a quiet material, especially in the middle of the night when the house is silent. So, hopefully I don’t startle Chickadee awake, but sometimes I do. In that case, lots of shushing ensues.

Then things get tricky. Once the blanket is open, I try to sneak the escaping limb back in a quickly as possible, so I can get the blanket re-wrapped. This doesn’t always work, however. Sometimes, as I’m trying to sneak the left arm in, the right arm pops out. Sometimes the left arm escapes before I can get the velcro closed back up. And sometimes (and this is really fun!), Chickadee throws both arms over her head when I open the blanket, and then I have to try to get them both back in at the same time, without really waking her.

The fun doesn’t end there, though. Because some nights, when she’s particularly restless, the legs pop out when I’m trying to get her re-swaddled,too!

You might wonder why I go to all of this trouble in the middle of the night. The short answer is: because Chickadee isn’t ready to sleep without it. Even though she’s the one undoing the swaddle every night, she’s not doing it intentionally, and she doesn’t want to sleep unswaddled. So, if I don’t re-wrap her, she’ll just grow more and more restless, until she fully wakes up, and then not only do I have to wrap her back up, I also have to convince her to go back to bed.

Yep, parenting is often like wrestling with an octopus. No one tells you about these middle-of-the-night gymnastics, but exhaustion aside, it’s actually one of the more entertaining parts of parenting a baby!

July 20–Elijah

From the LCMS website:

The prophet Elijah, whose name means, “My God is Yahweh *the Lord+,” prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel, mostly during the reign of Ahab (874–853 B.C.). Ahab, under the influence of his pagan wife Jezebel, had encouraged the worship of Baal throughout his kingdom, even as Jezebel sought to get rid of the worship of Yahweh. Elijah was called by God to denounce this idolatry and to call the people of Israel back to the worship Yahweh as the only true God (as he did in 1 Kgs 18:20–40). Elijah was a rugged and imposing figure, living in the wilderness and dressing in a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt (2 Kgs 1:8). He was a prophet mighty in word and deed. Many miracles were done through Elijah, including the raising of the dead (1 Kgs 17:17–24), and the effecting of a long drought in Israel (1 Kgs 17:1). At the end of his ministry, he was taken up into heaven as Elisha, his successor, looked on (2 Kgs 2:11). Later on the prophet Malachi proclaimed that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah (Mal 4:5–6), a prophecy that was fulfilled in the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist (Mt 11:14).

Happy Bunny Day!

Bunny had a fun time planning her birthday celebration. She wanted to open presents right after breakfast, instead of waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to get here, so that’s what we did. Her big brother knows her well…he got her a Bunny!

She wanted to have a birthday tea party, so that’s what we did for lunch.

Yes, we had jelly sandwiches shaped like butterflies, and, of course, bunnies! We also had heart-shaped scones with cream, cucumber-cream cheese sandwiches, and craisins.

And, a bunny birthday cake, decorated according to her specifications. This is at least the third year in a row I’ve made a bunny cake for her…at this rate, I’m going to be a pro!

Happy Birthday, Bunny!

July 16–Ruth

From the LCMS website:

Ruth of Moab, the subject of the biblical book that bears her name, is an inspiring example of God’s grace. Although she was a Gentile, God made her the great grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17), and an ancestress of Jesus himself (Mt 1:5). A famine in Israel led Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem to emigrate to the neighboring nation of Moab with their two sons. The sons marriend Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, but after about ten years, Elimelech and his sons died (Ruth 1:1–5). Naomi then decided to return to Bethlehem and urged her daughters-in-law to return to their families. Orpah listened to Naomi’s but Ruth refused, replying with the stirring words: “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). After Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech, agreed to be Ruth’s “redeemer” (Ruth 3:7–13; 4:9–12). He took her as his wife, and Ruth gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:13–17), thus preserving the Messianic seed. Ruth’s kindness and selfless loyalty toward Naomi, and her faith in Naomi’s God, have long endeared her to the faithful and redounded to God’s praise for his merciful choice of one so unexpected.