7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 50)

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I feel like almost every week, I start my Quick Takes with prayer requests for friends and family members with health problems.  This week is no different.  I posted a prayer request yesterday.  In short, would you pray for my mom because her doctor thinks her thyroid cancer has returned and spread to her lymph nodes?  If you want to read more about her situation, you can here.

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As you’re reading this, I’m in Atlanta.  Lucia and I flew out yesterday to be with my best friend who is having surgery today.  It’s only a minor outpatient surgery, but she’s just moved here in the fall for grad school and I didn’t want her to be without someone to care for her if she needs it.  She should be feeling better in a few days and is planning to take me and Lucia to some places around the city. 

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My best friend and I met in high school, although we were only friendly acquaintances at the time.  We became very close while on a trip to Europe right after high school graduation.  She moved out of state for college a few months later and we’ve never lived in the same place since, except for a few summers during college when she’s stayed with her parents.  In fact, since I moved to North Carolina and she moved to Georgia last summer, this is the first time we’ve even lived in the same time zone (which makes phone calls much more convenient).  I don’t get to see her very often, and when I do, it’s usually not for very long, so I’m really looking forward to spending time with her.

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We think Lucia is starting to teethe.  She’s been much more irritable lately and especially difficult to put to sleep.  She’s been putting her fingers in her mouth every chance she gets and is drooling like a faucet.  It didn’t even occur to me that she could be teething this early, but David picked up on the signs (even though he’s never been around a teething or read any baby books about it).  We looked in the baby books and it sure seems like that’s what is going on.  I was hoping we’d have a few more months before we had to worry about that.

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On that note, what are your favorite products, tips, and tricks for a teething baby?  It seems like there are so many teethers out there (and many seem ridiculously expensive) that I just don’t know where to start.  (I love the Sophie The Giraffe Teether - any thoughts on it?  Is it worth the price?)  She only just turned three months so she is too young for many of the tricks I’ve read involving food (like frozen fruits in those mesh bags).

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I read this interesting article about "How Some Kids with a Van are Changing the Pro-Life Movement".  I think this was a really beautiful idea and that it should be more widely spread.  Any ideas of how we do this?

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I read this blog post from Andrea at Running with Perseverance the other day and just had to pass it on.  I love being a stay-at-home wife and mother, it’s what I’ve always wanted, but sometimes I struggle telling other people what I do.  What I do isn’t valued highly by our society and sometimes I get caught up in that.  Andrea said exactly what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it.  I may not do anything noteworthy by the world’s standards, but just try to say that what I do doesn’t mean the world to this little girl:

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

A Prayer Request

source

If you don't have time to read further, I just ask that you pray for my mother whose cancer has most likely returned and spread to her lymph nodes.

For those of you who have already been praying for my mother, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  It turns out that she needs prayers more than we thought.  Two years ago, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  After a surgery to remove her thyroid and a radioactive iodine treatment that would kill any remaining thyroid tissue, her doctors were certain that she was cancer-free.  She has gone in every six months for a cancer scan and they've all come up normal.  However, during the last one, her endocrinologist saw what she believed to be some thyroid tissue remaining.  It wasn't a serious issue, she would have just needed another radioactive iodine treatment to get rid of the rest of the tissue just as a preventative measure.  There was no concern that the tissue was cancerous, but just in case it was, it was best to eliminate it completely.

My mom was sent to an oncologist because she had a very extreme negative reaction to the radiation treatment last time.  She met with him and he wasn't certain that she even needed the treatment and since radiation can cause cancer, it's better not to do it unless it's absolutely necessary.  She had been waiting for the call about whether or not she needed this preventative measure and was completely blindsided when the oncologist called to tell her that he saw abnormal tissue in her lymph nodes and is almost positive that the cancer was back and had spread.  

She’ll have a biopsy as soon as she can get in and then as soon as cancer is confirmed, will start treatment.  We don’t really know what that will entail at this point, but we are hopeful that whatever treatment is will be effective and she’ll have many more years to be a Nana to my little Lucia.  

What makes the return of cancer even more difficult is that a good friend of mine was recently diagnosed with the same type of thyroid cancer.  She’s gotten a lot of comfort from the fact that my mom is healthy and cancer-free after her treatment.  We aren’t telling her right now about the return of my mom’s cancer because we don’t want her to worry that she’ll have similar complication.  I think one of the most difficult aspects of cancer is that even after years of being cancer-free, there is always a part of you wondering if and when it will return.

Although we have already been praying and it seems as though things have gotten worse, I feel that God has perhaps answered our prayers in ways we didn't even know they needed to be.  If the endocrinologist hadn't noticed the remaining thyroid tissue, my mom wouldn't have been sent into the oncologist or received more tests.  The spread of her cancer wouldn't have been detected, at least not for a while, and perhaps the cancer would have progressed to a more advanced and perhaps untreatable stage.  From what we know at this point, it seems that the cancer is treatable and that she will have a good chance of survival. 

Would you please pray for my mother and friend, that they will receive quick and effective treatment and find peace in the Lord as they wait for their outcomes?  And for their doctors, that they will be able to correctly diagnose and treat the cancers?  Thank you!

Baby on a Budget: Receiving Gifts

A large portion of the clothing and baby items we have for Lucia were received as gifts.  While it’s probably not wise to expect that you’ll get everything you need for baby as presents, you most likely can plan on obtaining some of the baby necessities this way.  Here are some of my tips for ensuring that the gifts you receive are items you actually need.

Know what to expect regarding gifts. Will many people want to buy things for your baby or just a few?  Will they spend a lot or will gifts be small?  You probably know your family and friends well enough to know who will get items for your baby, who tends to be extremely generous with gifts, etc.  If you are having a baby shower (or a few), wait until after the shower to buy for the baby yourself (unless you find a great deal on an item that you just can’t pass up) – even if you think you know what to expect, you may be surprised by the generosity of others. 

The crib and bedding we received off our registry.

My husband and I are fairly young, which means that our friends are as well.  Some are still in school and the others are just starting out in their careers.  I didn’t expect to receive many gifts from friends, but they were extremely generous.  One of my friends who works as a supervisor at a large clothing chain sent Lucia a box full of hundreds of dollars of adorable girly clothing a few days after she was born.  She gets a good discount, but still spent quite a bit.  (I previously wrote about the generosity we experienced at our baby shower.)  

Make a baby registry.  Even though many people like to buy cutesy clothes or other items not on your registry, others like to buy more practical gifts you really need and will look at your registry as a guide for what you may or may not already have.  I didn’t register for any clothing or other cutesy items (but don’t worry, I still got plenty of them!), and because of this, those that did purchase off our registry bought us items that we really needed.  And while those gifts weren’t awed over as adorable when I opened them, they are items I use every day and I think fondly of the gift givers each time I use them. 

Make sure to register for big ticket items even if you don’t think anyone will purchase them.  My husband and I registered for our crib and a travel system with a jogging stroller but never imagined that we would actually receive them as shower gifts.  Several of David’s aunts, uncles, and cousins went in together to buy the crib and many of my friends pooled money for the travel system.

Baby shower David's family gave us in IN

Exchange for bigger sizes. At my shower, I got tons of newborn and 0-3 month clothing.  After bringing all the gifts home, I went through the clothing I had for each size and realized that we had more clothes than the baby could ever wear in those first three months of life (and usually babies don’t even fit in the clothes that long; Lucia was already out of 0-3 month size by two months).  So, I exchanged much of the clothes for larger sizes.  In every case, I exchanged for the same exact pieces of clothing, just larger, because I know that the gift givers picked each item out special and would want to see a picture of the baby wearing the clothes.  I’ve done the same thing again since Lucia was born because we had tons of beautiful baby girl clothing pour once people knew the sex (I don’t know if we would have received so much had we had a boy, but pink baby girl clothes are just so fun to shop for!).

Accept hand-me-downs. Let your friends and family know that you would be happy to receive hand-me-downs (there is even an online registry, Encore Baby Registry, that allows you to register for new and secondhand items from family and friends!).  Most baby items are in great condition because they aren’t used for very long.  Of course, you may want to pick out a few special items for your baby yourself – the nursery décor, a particular piece of furniture you love, etc.  But one of the best ways to save money is to borrow baby items.  Many pieces of clothing, baby gear, furniture, etc. can be passed down for years from family member to family member or from friend to friend, which can also give the item sentimental value.  Do be vigilant, however, to check that items haven’t been recalled.  Certain items you will want to buy new for safety’s sake (especially the car seat). 

Be grateful.  When you receive gifts, take the time to show your gratitude. Be an “active” gift receiver.  Send thank you notes.  Send pictures of your little one with their gifts.  Of course, the purpose of this is to let the gift givers know how much you appreciate their generosity; but if you don’t adequately thank them, you also shouldn’t expect gifts for your little one’s first birthday or for the birth of subsequent children.



Please check out the other posts (including some great guest posts) in my Baby on a Budget series.  

My Three Month Old

As of today, I am officially the mother of a three month old.  While I do sometimes miss tiny newborn Lucia, roly poly three month old Lucia is just so adorable and so much fun.  I don’t have a lot of experience with infants, so I really don’t know what to expect at each stage, but I certainly didn’t expect her to be so active so early.  She’s not mobile quite yet, but she definitely is not staying still.  She’s a ball of energy!

During the past few weeks, Lulu has started to really interact with the world around her.  She grabs and holds toys.  She’s discovered her fingers and can often be seen with one or two of them in her mouth.  When she’s wearing a bib or is covered with a blanket, she loves to grab it, wave it around, and stick it in her mouth.  And if there’s no blanket, she’s perfectly content with lifting up her shirt or dress (much to her father’s dismay).  

Being so engaged in what’s going on around her, she is easily distracted.  Daddy can’t stand within her range of sight while nursing or she’ll pull off the breast to stare at him (she thinks Daddy is quite handsome and can’t ever seem to keep her eyes off him!).  She also seems to be more easily distracted and often frightened by loud noises. 

 

We have to be careful where we lay her because she is getting so very close to rolling over.  It’s going to happen any day now and I hate to take my eyes off her for just a second when she’s lying on her play mat for fear that I’m going to miss it.  I can’t believe how strong she is getting, holding her head up during tummy time has become a breeze.  During just the past few days, she’s fallen asleep a couple times during tummy time - one minutes she’s alert and looking around, the next she’s deep in a baby dream.

Although my husband thinks she looks like him, she certainly acts like me.  She gets so grumpy when she’s hungry or tired.  I always thought that a baby would just fall asleep when tired, but I really have to look for her sleep cues and help her get to sleep.  She’s started screaming before bedtime, then will suddenly stop and drift off to sleep.  Thank goodness for my husband, who is such a patient, gentle father and has taken over the most difficult bedtimes.  She continues to sleep through the night, but awakens anytime she break out of her swaddler (which seems to happen every other night or so no matter how tight we think we wrapped her). 

We’ve been attending infant massage classes and Lucia has started recognizing massage time.  I lay out the blanket, undress her on it, and she’s ready.  She’s not very keen on the stomach massages, but she loves when I massage her legs and arms.  She thinks it’s a game, the opposite of relaxing, and is full of smiles, wiggles, and baby babble.  I love having skin-to-skin contact with my baby, it strengthens my connection to her and makes me more sensitive to her needs. 

Nursing continues to be the most special time between us.  Although sometimes I nurse her while doing other things, I try to have at least one or two feedings during the day where I just spend the time with her, holding her, rocking her, rubbing her back, talking to her, singing to her, staring at her.  As I look down at her, I often pray for God to give me the strength and wisdom to be a good mother for her, to guide her in His ways.  Feeding is no longer only a mama thing though, because I’ve started pumping and David has given her a few bottles.  There will be occasions where I will need to be gone for longer periods of time, but I also knew that my husband wanted to have a chance to feed her as well.  As a father, he works to provide for her and being able to feed her is an extension of this.  It’s been hard for me to let go and have him take part in feedings, but I know that this is only the first of many difficulties I will have in decreasing her dependence on me.  She will grow up and someday will no longer need my care and protection, but today she is my three month old.

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7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 49)

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Have you ever said something and then couldn’t believe it came out of your mouth?  I was talking to my mom earlier this week and she was telling me that she found one of my old baby dresses.  In response I said “Don’t tarry long in sending it or Lucia might not fit into it.” Don’t tarry long?  What?  Am I from the eighteenth century?

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David gave Lucia her first bottle yesterday.  I pumped for the first time on Wednesday because Lucia will be three months next week and, although there hasn’t been any need to pump thus far, I know that eventually there will be.  It’s all gone pretty well so far, although I will have to say that breastfeeding is just so much more convenient.

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I bought a month of unlimited yoga classes.  There was a special on one of those daily deal sites and I just couldn’t pass it up.  Before I got married, I did Bikram yoga quite a bit and loved it.  Now that I’ve started pumping and David is working from home, I can go to the classes regularly.  I won’t start my month until I get back from my trip to Atlanta next week.  And the best part about it?  The name of the yoga studio is Vault because it is actually in the vault of an old bank.

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We found out this week that our insurance only covers well child visits and vaccines up to $500 a year.  We went over that in just her first two checkups.  Her two month appointment and vaccines were not covered and her four month visit next month won’t be either (we could possibly still be on this insurance for her six month appointment as well).  I am a little frustrated that the government is mandating that all employers provide contraception free of charge while childhood checkups don’t need to be provided (and I don’t even want it free, I would be happy to pay 10% of the charges like we do for other covered medical services).  But I suppose the reasoning is that if women can receive their birth control for free, there won’t be as many children needing checkups.

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Every time we have unexpected expenses, the Lord answers our prayers and we receive unexpected money to pay for them. We’ve had several other unexpected medical bills recently because insurance denied our claims.  We even appealed some of them to no avail.  But my husband has had the opportunity to work at a science camp for kids two Saturdays a month to make some extra money and we also found out that we should be getting a substantial tax refund this year.  I’ve also found ways to make a little money here and there online to help out.  Somehow we always make it through.

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Purdue is currently warning students to beware of nesting hawks.  If you are not already scared off by the detestable insurance, you might want to avoid Purdue (or at least carry an umbrella for protection - I kid you not, that is the advice of university officials) because hawks nesting on campus can be very aggressive during nesting season and swoop down on unsuspecting coeds.  [I do say this in jest, however; other than the aggressive hawks and stingy insurance, it's been a pretty amazing school for my husband.]

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In case you were worried that my little one isn't getting enough to eat, here she is in all her rolls and glory:

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!