7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 79)

 

 

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Lucia seems so big to me but apparently she's a very petite little girl.  She's in the 5th percentile of girls her age for both weight and height.  At one point, she was in the 90th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height, but she's slimmed out so much recently.  She's started walking (not usually more than 5 or so steps at a time) and is so active.  The doctor wasn't worried and neither am I, just unaware that she's so itty bitty.  Although she is still fitting in 9 month clothes at 14 months so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised.

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Speaking of my petite princess, I believe she would like you to take a look at her special pinecone.  By the way, that was the first time she wore gloves.  I thought she would take them off right away but she loved them and kept opening and closing her hands like crab claws.  Adorable.

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My parents have been awesome about asking what gifts they can get Lucia for holidays.  She has so much that there isn't often things she needs.  They asked what they could get her for Valentine's Day and I immediately knew: my baby would love a baby doll of her own!  They gave it to her this evening and she wouldn't let it out of her sight.  She hugged it and rocked it and fed it a bottle.  So cute!  She's going to be an awesome big sister some day.

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Yesterday, David was throwing up.  Interestingly enough, this isn't the first Valentine's Day that he's been sick. Our first Valentine's Day, he flew out for the weekend to be with me.  We went to this little tapas restaurant in Denver that I had been dying to go to.  It was wonderful!  I bought a dress special just for that night and he brought me roses.  A few hours after we got back to my house, he got so sick - throwing up, shivering while he was burning up, the works.  Food poisoning.  He had to fly out the next day (as if flying wasn't bad enough without exhaustion and weakness from a night of food poisoning).  I felt awful, but after the fact he told me he loved seeing me take care of him.  I did my best to take care of him yesterday, but it's not as easy when you have an active toddler as well. 

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David and I got each other awesome Valentine's gifts this year.  Since we've got married, we have been pretty poor, so we haven't been able to do much in the way of presents.  Living with my parents the past six months has allowed us to save a little and have some "spending money", so it was fun to be able to get each other some nice things.  I bought David an awesome personalized iPhone cover with pictures of Lulu and the three of us from her one year old photo shoot.  It was perfect!  I slipped it on his phone when he wasn't looking and the next time he picked it up he was amazed!  He loved it! I had debated about getting it for awhile because it's not something that last forever, but I think that buying gifts that can be utilized and enjoyed now, instead of stowed away as a memento makes more sense anyway.

David bought me an ice cream maker (which, after two failed attempts, has yet to produce actual ice cream).  I was so excited because we haven't had any ice cream since starting the Perfect Health Diet at the beginning of February.  Hopefully tomorrow's attempt will be much better.

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I'm thinking of round-up of the best Lenten resources, blog posts, prayers, reflections, etc. on the internet.  If you know of any that you think I just HAVE TO include, please leave them in the comments!

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Last week I mentioned that Kaia has a family! Her family needs help fundraising the cost of her adoption.  If you would like to donate to this young lady and her family, you can do so here.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Kung Poo Cloth Diaper Giveaway

 

Kung Poo cloth diapers are pocket diapers with a kick!  They are affordable and work just as well as the more pricey options.  What baby wouldn't love to being wearing a diaper that says "Kung Poo"?  Read my review here and enter to win below.

Giveaway is open to US residents only.  

Please read the Official Rules.  

Contest will end Feb. 21st.

Good luck!

Kung Poo Cloth Diaper Review

For parents new to cloth diapering, the options can be overwhelming.  Not only do you have to navigate the different types of cloth diapers, there are also innumerable brands whose diapers have unique designs and features.  I noticed early on in my cloth diaper research that there always seemed to be tradeoffs when choosing a diaper: the best-fitting diapers didn't have leg gussets or the ones that were most leak-proof where much more expensive than the average diaper.  

I recently received an email from a new cloth diaper company, Kung Poo Diapers, with the opportunity to review and giveaway a diaper.  At only $9.95 a diaper (inserts are $1.95), I had my doubts that they could compare to our diapers that cost double that.  I was surprised to find that it's just as good as any diaper in our rotation.  

In addition to the great price, our favorite features include the double pocket opening (so much easier to stuff the pocket!) which I personally think should be part of every pocket diaper.  I also like the adjustability of the diaper - at 14 months, Lucia is still only 18 pounds and quite the skinny minnie, which has made diaper-sizing a bit  difficult.  It seems like it would easily fit a much smaller baby and I anticipate it growing with her until she's potty trained (and then using it again for a little brother or sister).  She's not a heavy wetter, so I can't speak specifically to the absorption of the diaper, but we haven't had any leaks.  

However, the absolutely best thing about the diaper is the name.  I've had many people laugh when they see that her diaper says "Kung Poo" and they always ask where I got it.  I love companies that run with a fun theme, and the fact that the colors of the diapers are the colors of karate belts is a prime example of this.  Some parents might want more "cutesy" designs, but I like the versatility of solid colors.  

Buy: You can get Kung Poo Diapers from the Kung Poo website! There is free shipping with every purchase, so no need to have to calculate additional shipping costs.

Or win: Kung Poo Diapers is giving away one diaper to a Messy Wife, Blessed Life winner.  Click here to go to the giveaway page.

I received a Kung Poo cloth diaper to facilitate this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  Opinions are 100% my own.  See Disclosure Policy

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

     

This Lent: Wandering in the Desert

The post I had planned to write on Ash Wednesday and Lent just a few days ago is much different than the post I now write.  (For a more traditional reflection, see last years' posts on Penance.) With the resignation of the Pope, this Lent takes on new meaning for me.  For me, the next forty days (and perhaps beyond) will be much more like wandering through the desert than I expected them to be. 

On Monday morning, my husband woke me with the news.  In addition to being quite shocked, I'll admit that I was also a bit angry.  "Pope John Paul II continued to lead the Church through old age and poor health until his death," I thought.  "So why is Pope Benedict abandoning us?"  And that's exactly what I felt like, a child abandoned by her Father.  And during Lent, a time in which the faithful even more in need of a shepherd.

But then I stopped being selfish and started to think about the reasons why the Holy Father resigned.  And read this post that highlighted how truly unique and humble his act was.  And all anger faded away.  Instead, I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for our Pope.  I cried.

Then I saw this image:

(on CatholicVote's facebook page) and I cried some more.  The tears came from love, from gratitude, and from a much deeper, darker emotion: fear.

I am afraid.  Pope Benedict is a good man.  He is a good Pope.  He has guided his flock well.  There are no guarantees that the next Pope will do the same. 

Do I believe that Christ guides His Church on earth?  Absolutely!  Yet I am also aware that the Church, while perfect, is comprised of humans who in their weakness are capable of distorting the Truth of the Church (either purposefully or unintentionally).  I was a history major, I've read about Church of the middle ages - the Popes who lived immoral personal lives, who sold indulgences to pad their pockets and bought their seat in the Chair of Saint Peter through money, power, and intrigue.  While the Church has been able to endure these papacies with its Truth intact, certainly their hypocrisy pushed some away from the Church.  There was damage done to the Church.

Pope Benedict is the champion of orthodoxy.  I fear a more liberal Pope.  There are already those whisperings, "Maybe the new Pope will change the Church's views on ___________."  (You can fill in the blank with a myriad of counter-cultural Church teachings.)  While I believe the doctrines of the Church will remain faithful to God's Truth no matter the Pope, there is still that fear that a not-so-orthodox Pope will lead his flock astray.  A prolonged lax attitude toward contraception and sexuality during my mom's generation resulted in Catholics who were ignorant of Church teaching and when finally confronted by the Truth, rejected it in large numbers.  What if the next Pope decides to turn a blind eye to certain lapses in teaching? 

This Lent will be a period of intense prayer and fasting for me.  I will be praying for our Holy Father, for the conclave who will elect his successor, for the Church as a whole, and for an increase of my faith and my trust in God.  In the past, I have struggled to find meaning in Lent. I was not raised in a family that celebrated liturgical seasons and I still have a hard time following the cycles of the Church instead of the cycles of the secular world.  Today, I thank Pope Benedict for bringing me further into the life of the Church with his supreme action of humility.  Our Shepherd is still shepherding even in the act of stepping down.