Consider the lilies…

Ok, I am just going to breeze right over the fact that I haven’t blogged since December!  I’ll get right to the point as if I’ve been here all along!  My first “little” baby is about to turn one in a couple of weeks and that has had my mind spinning about what special traditions I want our family to have as we celebrate every year of our childrens’ lives.  I’m sure as the years fly by some traditions will essentially evolve on their own as each of our kids (yes, I hope to have more, Lord willing) chooses their favorite cake for me to make year after year or a special family dinner is served in honor of that child.  But, I am trying to think beyond the more obvious ways we can celebrate a birthday in hopes of establishing something a little more unique.

I know that many of you have posted, at least at some point about various traditions and have probably touched upon this, so I’m beckoning your help!  I have contemplated writing letters to Will as he approaches each birthday and then saving them for a special birthday to come. But although I really like this idea, I worry that it may be a daunting task to stay on top of as more children enter the picture and the years pass begin to pass. 

SO…what special and unique traditions do you remember from growing up and what kinds of things do you do know with your kids?  Who knows, this may be compiled already on an existing blog out there.  If so….lead me there!

There is something about being on a airplane with a child, particularly a baby or toddler, that seems extremely daunting to many new moms (or even some veterans out there!).  I suppose it could be the idea of being confined to one seat, with a child on your lap, for at least several hours at a time, not knowing if the person next to you will find your child endearing or annoying, as you frantically try to entertain him with the 25 toys you’ve jammed into the diaper bag and your own version of “Wheels on the Bus”!  Or maybe the fear creeps in at the thought of your little one crying (or even screaming) in pain from the ear popping that can be so painful as you change altitude levels.  And, if none of those pictures convince you, one only needs to consider the germs that are embedded into nearly everything your child touches which will most likely lead to, at best, a minor case of the sniffles.  But, whatever the reason, I think it can be said that there is most definitely an understandable level of anxiety, or at least apprehension, at the thought of traveling with little ones.

Having recently ”flown the friendly skies” with my 6 month old son to visit family out of state (some with help and some solo), I have been determined to find ways to make our journeys with as little stress, and as much joy, as possible.  And, while I know my “bag of tricks” will inevitably have to change as Will gets older, I am grateful for the few little gadgets I’ve found that have helped make our trips thus far quite uneventful…which in the world of babies can be a very good thing! 

In an effort to help anyone who may be anticipating traveling during the holidays, I’ve decided to post my top three traveling necessities.  I had thrown them in my diaper bag “just in case” and they turned out to be life-savers!  Will has managed to endure his recent flights with grins and giggles, and we all survived without getting sick! Thank you, Lord!

Baby Tooth and Gum Cleanser~Who would have thought a little soft bristled, rubber toothbrush could work such wonders on a baby?  I think this little gadget kept Will entertained and quiet for at least 15 minutes straight!  It doesn’t hurt that he is in the very early stages of teething so I’m sure this felt good on his gums.  But, he loved gnawing on our fingers and letting us “brush” and massage his gums with it.  I vowed to buy an extra just to keep in the diaper bag. (Hmmm, could it also be perfect for church?)  It’s made by Gerber and comes with baby toothpaste, though I have yet to try it.  Maybe we’ll save the flavored touch for when the “toothbrush” gets old!

Teething Feeder~ I think this is one of the all time greatest inventions for babies! The one I have is made by Sassy and it’s designed to introduce little ones to solid foods before they have the ability to chew and to prevent choking.  But, it also helps with teething.  Many of my friends have them and put pieces of apple, carrots or other fruits and veggies inside to allow their babies to gnaw on something hard while still getting some flavor, juice or at least a few nutrients.  But, since Will has just begun to start solid foods, I have only used this with ice.  It certainly does the trick! On the plane, I just asked the flight attendant for an extra cup of ice and refilled it for as long as he seemed interested.  And, since the ice melts, it forced him to swallow frequently so it also helped with his ears.  Another 15 minutes of sanity!   It has also proven to work wonders when eating out!

Antibacterial Wipes~  Since new air travel regulations prohibit you from bringing liquids on planes, our hand sanitizers had to be packed in our checked luggage.  This was a big disappointment since I for one am well aware of the germ fest that lies aboard any aircraft! It’s pretty gross actually.  But thankfully I had thrown a travel pack of antibacterial wipes (which are different from regular baby wipes) into our carry-on luggage. These actually proved to be far better than the hand sanitizer because they allowed me to wipe down arm rests, tray tables, and even the seats themselves. And their fresh citrus scent smelled far better than the stale air and burnt coffee that I had previously been so familiar with when flying.

Again, these are just a few of many little remedies I found that made traveling with a 6 month old a little easier. What are your life-saving traveling tips?

There is a popular phrase in our family for those things in life God allows which we can’t control and are unable to change….”It is what it is.”  Who would have thought that five simple words could be such a powerful reminder to deliberately choose to accept unwanted circumstances rather than giving in to the temptation to complain, be angry and utterly stressed out. A flat tire on the way to work, an unexpected illness that forces you to cancel dinner plans at the last minute, and an interrupted phone call by a toddler in need of some attention (good or bad!) are all perfectly acceptable opportunities to practice the “It is what it is” mentality.  So is staying in a hotel with a 5 1/2 month old.

Paul and I had the joy of attending a dear friend’s wedding in Pennsylvania this weekend. While I could not have been more excited to celebrate such a special event, I admit I was a little apprehensive of the day’s festivities because of Will.  Though he is certainly a happy and pleasant little guy, and even fairly flexible despite his parents, I knew it was inevitable that I’d have to forgo the desire to keep him “on his schedule” and that certain expectations would not be perfectly met.  “Lord, I surrender my desires and expectations to You,” I prayed as we began our journey, “It is what it is.”

Test number one came as we arrived at the hotel just in time to put him down for his afternoon nap. Perfect.  Everything thus far had gone just as we had planned.  He took over a 2 hour nap in the car and was a joyful little traveler.  And…we arrived at the hotel exactly when the Internet directions predicted, something that rarely happens!  Will even went down without any trouble despite the unfamiliar and new surroundings.  Thank you, Lord.  Forty-five minutes later however, just as I had finished getting ready for the wedding and was laying down for a quick snooze myself, he decided to foil the plan for a good, solid nap by playing in his crib rather than falling back asleep.  So much for my rest for the weary.  It is what it is.

We arrived at the wedding on time and as any proud parents, were deligted to show off our precious little baby to all our friends from college.  It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day in Pennsylvania, just perfect for such an occasion, and my friend could not have looked any more beautiful as she prepared to walk down the aisle and unite with her husband.  Just as we stood up in awe of her radiance as she took her first steps, the air was filled with a gigantic belch followed by a loud “SPLAT”.  Though it was a rather humorous sound, I was beginning to think critically of some child somewhere who was less than well-mannered. Then I felt the harsh nudge from my husband. Yep.  That belch and splat was myless than well-mannered son. An acclaimed “spitter”, he made his presence known in true “Will fashion” as he spit up all over the pew in front of us. Now I am not talking about small little baby spit up, easily cleaned with a tissue or burp cloth.  No, that would not make enough of a statement. I mean spit up that could have coated a small plate!  It had even managed to fill the the corners and crevasses of the wood. The nicely dressed woman in front of us, while trying not to appear horrified, looked down at her seat with an expression that cannot be appropriately captured in writing.  Battling the desire to burst out in laughter and in tears at the same time, Paul and I both frantically cleaned the seat with burp cloths, paper towels and antibacterial wipes and most likely created a far bigger scene than Will had. But despite our efforts, and the reality that the pew was most likely much cleaner now than it had been before the wedding, that woman never fully sat back in her seat again.  She sat on the very, very edge through the entire service! The whole event traumatized my husband, I think, because he immediately took Will out and never returned. We met up after the ceremony was over. It is what it is.

The reception was truly delightful, and surprisingly uneventful for our family compared to the wedding itself.  It was a quaint and cozy environment and the food was incredible! Will entertained all those around him with his sweet disposition and attempted very hard to maintain conversation with them through his new-found sounds! Little did we know that our precious little baby was really just getting himself geared up for a late night party…in his crib!!!

Thinking the day was behind us, we returned to the hotel with plenty of time to get Will to bed relatively close to his normal bedtime. Paul and I were both extremely impressed with ourselves for being able to leave the reception so promptly and anticipated a great night ahead of us because of our intentional efforts to effectively plan out the day. Again, Will surpassed our expectations by going to sleep without any trouble and we crawled in bed for an early night and were thrilled to be getting some extra sleep.  Boy were we fooled.

Our son, the precious little angel, must have thought he was on a field trip that revolved entirely around him.  Between 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. he managed to wake up almost every hour for his own little play-date with his sheets, his blanket, his binky, the sides of the crib…you name it.  He was talking, laughing, moving about and then eventually fussing when he decided he was tired enough to go back to sleep. Sometimes these episodes lasted only 5 or 10 minutes…but the worst was nearly 45 minutes of sheer fun for our little guy that resulted in his daddy removing the binky from his mouth and forcing him to cry and burn off some of that pent up energy.  Much to the disapproval of our hotel neighbors, I’m sure, this tactic did seem to work and we all managed to fall back asleep.  However, I would be lying if I said I was not secretly angry that my hopes of sweet rest were shattered.  I should have known.  It is what it is.

I suppose I could continue the story and explain the crying bouts and interrupted naps Will suffered through on our trip home, which again had me uttering (through clenched teeth at this point!) “It is what it is”.  But somehow, I think you get the idea.  It was certainly an opportunity for us to practice surrendering our desires and expectations and to accept whatever He chose to bring our way.  I’m not sure we were able to please Him with the way we responded in every situation, but at least I can see growth and I am so grateful for that.

So…my prayer for you today is that you would be able to embrace those little, unwanted circumstances that tend to show up almost daily and are really quite unimportant in the grand scheme of things, with a heart that longs to see Christ glorified.  May you not be discouraged.  May you not be easily angered, or even annoyed.  Instead,  may you be able to smile with joy as you realize how little control we have in life…and thankfully so!!!