This past weekend I went to my parent's house, since Martin was gone at winter camp all weekend. I really debated if I should go, since Micah was so sick coughing like crazy, and Jaden was really fussy as well. On Saturday morning I decided to go ahead and go, and other than a few coughing attacks on the way there, Micah did good. That night before he went to bed, I gave him 3/4 tsp. of Children's Tylenol Cough & Cold Medicine. The night before I had given him a 1/2 tsp., but he had been coughing so bad (and threw up some more on Saturday) that I thought he needed a little more. The pharmacist had originally told me to give him 1/2-1 tsp. of the medicine, but probably 1/2.
I put Micah down to bed around 8:30pm, and around 9:30pm while we were all watching "The Nanny Diaries", I heard him making some weird sounds through the baby monitor. I went in the bedroom, and he was making these weird jerking movements, like body spasms, while he was asleep. I tried to wake him up and he was just jerking around and wouldn't fully wake up. When he did open his eyes, he started crying like he was scared, and it looked like he might have been having hallucinations of some sort. He reached towards my sister and was crying, "Mommy, mommy!" and I just continued to hold him and say, "Mommy's here, baby, I'm right here." I prayed for him constantly, not understanding what was going on, and kept telling my mom, "Something's wrong with him!" He finally calmed down and fell asleep in my arms, and then woke up again and started clapping his hands like he was excited. It was the weirdest things that has ever happened to him.
That night I layed next to him and barely slept. Every move he made, I opened my eyes and held him close to me. I just wanted to get through the night to know he was okay. He normally wakes up at 6am, but woke up around 8:30am on Sunday morning. He came in the living room totally fine, as if nothing had ever happened. I was so thankful. Thank you Jesus for protecting my baby.
I have seen on the news just in the past 2 days headlines about Children's Cold products and them being taken off the shelves, and children being admitted to the hospital for overdosing. I really felt that I was following the label and the pharmacist's instructions, but he still had really bad side effects. Needless to say, I won't be giving him that medication again any time soon, and if I do, it will be WAY less. Scary Night. I am so thankful God protected Micah.
P.S. And in regards to my last post, Jaden did get an ear infection on Sunday and he is on antibiotics, too - so we haven't been sleeping much around here lately! :)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tonight
I'm feeling sorry for myself tonight. I am tired, home alone with the boys, and feeling worn out. This has been the month of illness in our family... First, Jaden got croup around January 1st for about 5 days, then got better, then got it again around January 10th for 5 more days. Then Martin got sick with a bad cold, and he never, ever gets sick! Now Micah is really sick - he has not been ill in over a year, but this is a doozy. He has a double ear infection, and possibly RSV. Today he coughed for 30 minutes straight and threw up 5 times during that 30 minutes. I just had to hold him and I felt so helpless. He can't breathe through his nose, it is running like crazy, and his upper lip below his nose is so chapped it's almost bleeding. I thought Jaden had an ear infection too, and took both of them to the doctor today, but it looks like he's just teething, thankfully. That would have been the 3rd one in one month!
Martin is gone this weekend at youth winter camp, so I'm doing this solo. Tomorrow I'm going to my parents with the boys, although I'm wondering if I should stay behind since Micah's so sick. But then again, I'm tired of being in the house, and maybe it would be good for all of us to get out and get some fresh air and be in a new environment for a day and a half. So, we're going to go. I am just praying this passes soon and God protects me from getting anything too!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Back from Mexico!
So, last weekend, we went on our very first CRUISE to Ensenada with some close friends. It was also a college reunion cruise, but only 25 people from our college went, and we only knew 2 of them - our friends. Sooo, the night before we left I was really torn about whether or not to go, because Jaden had an ear infection and had not slept well through the night for the last 3 nights. I wanted to just hold him and help him to feel better. But after talking to my mom, who assured me he would be fine, we decided to go.
On Friday night we went to the "boat drill", where I ran into a dear old friend of mine who I knew in high school. I had not seen her for over 8 years! That was so fun! We then headed off to dinner where I found out that we could order anything we wanted in unlimited amounts - boy, do I wish I never had that information! :) Every night they served this "Molten Chocolate Cake" that was to die for, but there was always another dessert I wanted to. So, of course, I ordered 2 desserts I think almost every night. (Hence the 5 pounds I have gained as a result). At 8:45pm that night, we all decided to go to Family Feud (there were 6 of us - 3 couples - hanging out together). Mark & Martin got chosen to participate, and it was so fun to watch them. Mark got a "ship on a stick" trophy and Martin got a medal. Later on we played Bingo, but didn't win anything :( After that we headed off to bed and it was so weird to be able to sleep all through the night and not have to get up to check on the kids - although, I have to admit, I was really missing them and it had only been a few hours.
On Saturday we arrived in Ensenada and walked into town. We shopped, stopped at Starbucks (Yes, Starbucks is even in Mexico!), and ate lunch at a taco place. We bought a mini-guitar for Micah, which he LOVES, and got back on the boat in the early afternoon. After dinner that night, we went in the hot tub, and our friends won $720 after doing the dollar slot machines only twice! We went to the late night buffet that night (Mexican food) around midnight. I seriously don't think I have ever eaten so much in one weekend as I did on that cruise.
Saturday was definitely my hardest day - we had no cell phone service whatsoever, and I had not idea how the boys were doing. I mainly wanted to know how Jaden slept through the night and if he was feeling better. Martin and I talked about it and decided to call home. I made 3 phone calls, only a few minutes each (not more than 10 minutes total), and when we got the final bill, it was $90!!!!! I could not believe it. That should be a crime. But, I do have to admit, getting to call home and see how they were and talk to Micah was worth it. I felt so much better after that. The boys were doing great - Jaden had a few rough spots, but was feeling good.
Sunday was fun - it was our "Day at Sea". We shopped on the boat, had lunch together, went to "The Newlywed Game", bought a "Build A Bear" for the boys and stuffed it in our room, took a long nap, and went to dinner. Our waiters were really funny and one of them kept doing magic tricks for us. After dinner, we decided to take an "old time" group photo (like the ones at Knott's Berry Farm), and all 6 of us got dressed up. The photographer was hilarious - she was from England - and she kept wanting Martin to act like he was putting money in my bra. I kept saying, "No, No!" and she kept making him do it. She said, "You're a 'working' girl, honey - look at that outfit!" and I said, "I just thought it was cute! Don't make him do that for the picture- he's a pastor!" Everyone busted out laughing and the photographer was SO embarrassed. She kept apologizing and saying, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" We all laughed about it and told her it was okay :)
After dinner, we played the penny slot machines and I spent $5. I prayed that I would make my money back. I found a nickel on the floor, and right before we left, my friend Ginger said, "Hey, Jaimie! Play that nickel in the nickel slot right here!" So, I did, and I won $5! :) I got so excited I wanted to keep playing, but they all dragged me away from there.
Heather and I sang Karaoke that night - Mariah Carey's "You'll Always Be My Baby". It was fun - but more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be! After that we all went disco dancing - it was great!
The next morning (Monday), Martin and I got off the boat at 6:30am and were home by 7:30am. The boys had just woken up, and we were SO happy to see them. The weekend felt like a week. Martin and I had a lot of fun, but realized that we don't want to be away from our boys again any time soon. We love being with them, but then again, it was great to just have time alone again. The boys did great, and we had a great time. It was a wonderful vacation!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Ouches and Boo-Boos
Today I took the boys to a park near our house, and Micah fell on his face and hurt his front teeth (yet again). They were bleeding at the gumline, at the exact same place where he hurt them when he fell off the front porch steps a few months ago. I felt so bad for him... The first time this happened, we prayed and prayed, and the tooth did not turn grey. It is still chipped, but at least it is intact and not greyish. This time, we will be praying the same thing. Poor baby...
This Friday we leave for our cruise from Friday until Monday morning. I have such mixed emotions about it. I do want to go because I know it will be fun, yet my heart is torn at the thought of leaving our boys behind. What will they think? Will they be sad? Will Micah want to cry the whole time because he misses us so much? Will Jaden want to nurse again when I get back? Will they have fun? Will they feel abandoned?
I trust my mom and sister who will be taking care of them. It's just that we have never left them before for more than 3 hours or so. I actually tried to get out of the cruise last week but found out that our insurance will only cover it if one of the kids gets really sick, and we definitely don't want that! I am just praying that God will give me peace about the whole weekend, help me to trust in Him, and help us to have fun!
This Friday we leave for our cruise from Friday until Monday morning. I have such mixed emotions about it. I do want to go because I know it will be fun, yet my heart is torn at the thought of leaving our boys behind. What will they think? Will they be sad? Will Micah want to cry the whole time because he misses us so much? Will Jaden want to nurse again when I get back? Will they have fun? Will they feel abandoned?
I trust my mom and sister who will be taking care of them. It's just that we have never left them before for more than 3 hours or so. I actually tried to get out of the cruise last week but found out that our insurance will only cover it if one of the kids gets really sick, and we definitely don't want that! I am just praying that God will give me peace about the whole weekend, help me to trust in Him, and help us to have fun!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
New Years!!
Wow, I am realizing how long my previous blog posts were. Hard on the eyes. Sorry!!
I'm not big into New Year's Resolutions. I used to make my lists of what they were, and then not ever do them, and feel bad about myself, so I just stopped. But this year, there are a few things I would like to do. I am not calling them "resolutions" even though that's really what they are ;) Maybe if I psych myself out, I will actually keep them this time!
1) Go to bed earlier. Like, be in bed at least by 10:59pm (almost) every night.
2) Blog at least once a week. Fun!
3) Take an advanced photography class to boost my skills for my business
Okay, there. I just started with 3. Easy enough, right? These are really in addition to the hundred others I have in my mind, like: be a better wife and mother, a better listener, keep in touch with friends more, make new friends this year, spend more time with God, write more, lose weight (the proverbial N.Y.Resolution), eat less cupcakes, etc.
So, I'm curious. What are your resolutions?
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Great New Products
Last year I joined this great company called BzzAgent (www.bzzagent.com). They send me all sorts of free stuff, and my job is to tell others about it, write up a brief report, and earn points for cool stuff. I have already received a free Sonicare toothbrush, a free Jennie-O frozen turkey (through the mail!), and a few free books. Here is what they recently sent me that I want to tell you about!
1) A Sonicare Sanitizer - this is a machine that sanitizes your Sonicare toothbrush (or other toothbrush head) in 10 minutes using UV light. It is so great! The funny thing is, I was thinking, "yeah, but do people really need this?" The next day, Martin said, "I have something to tell you, but don't get mad." "I accidentally used your toothbrush!" Ewwww!!! See, after getting my free Sonicare from the company, we loved it so much that we bought Martin one. Well, we have the same color toothbrush and so they are easily confused. Needless to say, that Sonicare Sanitizer came in really handy that night. It is also useful for sanitizing your toothbrush if you are sick and don't want to throw your toothbrush out!
2) CVS Pharmacy PhotoBook - many people order photobooks online through Shutterfly or IPhoto, but now you can just take your memory card into your local CVS Pharmacy, and create a book right in the store. It is mailed to you after you create it. It is also a lot cheaper than some of the other websites - around $12.99 for a small book. These make awesome gifts! If you'd like to try it, I have a few 50% off coupons so that you can create a book for as low as $6!
3) Listerine Whitestrips - I have always been a Crest Whitestrips girl myself, but I received some samples of these in the mail, and they seem to work great. The best part is, they dissolve right onto your teeth. This means that you can wear them around the house or even outside and not have to worry about removing them. They leave your teeth feeling really fresh and clean, and help freshen your breath too! I have samples of these if you want to try them, too.
4) LypSyl Lip Balm - Anyone who knows me know that I LOVE lip balm- at my wedding shower, all the guests were instructed to bring a lip gloss for me, and I had a huge supply that lasted me over a year! Right now my favorite is Burt's Bees and Lip Smacker. BUT, I got a sample of this lip balm and it is great. It does not feel like Bees Wax, even though that is the main ingredient. It leaves my lips feeling silky soft, and it lasts a long time. Hours. I highly recommend it! I have samples of this too if you want to try it!
So, I know what you're thinking - how can I become a BzzAgent and get free stuff? Easy! Just go to www.bzzagent.com and join! Tell them I "sent you" - Jaimie Bowman - and get ready to receive lots of free stuff - it is so fun!!!
1) A Sonicare Sanitizer - this is a machine that sanitizes your Sonicare toothbrush (or other toothbrush head) in 10 minutes using UV light. It is so great! The funny thing is, I was thinking, "yeah, but do people really need this?" The next day, Martin said, "I have something to tell you, but don't get mad." "I accidentally used your toothbrush!" Ewwww!!! See, after getting my free Sonicare from the company, we loved it so much that we bought Martin one. Well, we have the same color toothbrush and so they are easily confused. Needless to say, that Sonicare Sanitizer came in really handy that night. It is also useful for sanitizing your toothbrush if you are sick and don't want to throw your toothbrush out!
2) CVS Pharmacy PhotoBook - many people order photobooks online through Shutterfly or IPhoto, but now you can just take your memory card into your local CVS Pharmacy, and create a book right in the store. It is mailed to you after you create it. It is also a lot cheaper than some of the other websites - around $12.99 for a small book. These make awesome gifts! If you'd like to try it, I have a few 50% off coupons so that you can create a book for as low as $6!
3) Listerine Whitestrips - I have always been a Crest Whitestrips girl myself, but I received some samples of these in the mail, and they seem to work great. The best part is, they dissolve right onto your teeth. This means that you can wear them around the house or even outside and not have to worry about removing them. They leave your teeth feeling really fresh and clean, and help freshen your breath too! I have samples of these if you want to try them, too.
4) LypSyl Lip Balm - Anyone who knows me know that I LOVE lip balm- at my wedding shower, all the guests were instructed to bring a lip gloss for me, and I had a huge supply that lasted me over a year! Right now my favorite is Burt's Bees and Lip Smacker. BUT, I got a sample of this lip balm and it is great. It does not feel like Bees Wax, even though that is the main ingredient. It leaves my lips feeling silky soft, and it lasts a long time. Hours. I highly recommend it! I have samples of this too if you want to try it!
So, I know what you're thinking - how can I become a BzzAgent and get free stuff? Easy! Just go to www.bzzagent.com and join! Tell them I "sent you" - Jaimie Bowman - and get ready to receive lots of free stuff - it is so fun!!!
"What's a Mother To Do?!"
I will never forget the wave of emotions that swept over me when I read the "positive" sign on my first pregnancy test. Within the first five minutes of my results, I was overcome by complete joy and excitement, thankfulness and peace. Before I even told my husband the happy news (he was at a meeting), I eagerly jumped online to read all about the first few weeks of pregnancy. I found websites galore, magazines to subscribe to, and books to purchase! I could hardly wait to start reading about my new journey as a pregnant woman.
My excitement was quickly overcome by nervousness, however, as one of the first things I read said that the risk of miscarriage is highest during the first three months. I read about what foods I should eat and be avoiding, and began to worry since I had eaten a "forbidden food" the night before. "Oh, no!" I thought after reading another article, "I haven't taken any prenatal vitamins yet and I'm five weeks along!"
Welcome to my life: I am an information addict. My husband, elated by the news that we were going to have a baby, soon became my sounding board for all of the new information that I read about daily. He also wanted to read all that he could, so he could be an educated and helpful partner. We attended classes together, stayed up late reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, and talked to our baby through the womb. In all of our efforts, however, I never realized that we were becoming slaves to our new knowledge. We began to put our trust in what the doctors and authors were saying about our child, and found ourselves questioning every decision we made, wondering if it was the right decision or not.
When we finally announced to the world that we were expecting, we might as well have hung a billboard from my belly that said, "Please Deposit All Unwanted Advice Here!" We got tips from other parents on everything from how my labor and delivery should go, to what the best stroller was to buy, to what pediatrician to choose. While some of the advice was very helpful, much of it was conflicting advice, which confused us even more. Suddenly we realized we had some important decisions to make: Epidural or All-natural? Breast milk or formula-feed? Circumcision or Not? Vaccinations or no vaccinations? Return to work or Stay at home? Put the baby on a schedule or feed on demand? And eventually, Put the kids in school or home-school? We both felt like the questions were endless.
One night after our baby was born, my husband saw me tearing up after I put down a book I was reading. "I just feel so inadequate," I explained. "Everything I read is telling me that I am not doing enough, and making me question every decision we make for our child." "Honey," he responded, "you need to stop reading so much!"
There are conflicting opinions on virtually every topic related child-rearing out there. Part of the confusion is that so many well-meaning Christians can have such opposite viewpoints on the same topics. It is amazing to me to hear the judgmental attitudes that so many Christian mothers have towards their sisters-in-Christ who choose to do things differently than themselves. Many of these woman try to use Scripture to back up their personal choices, making others feel almost as if they are "sinning" by making a different choice. One thing is true: we are all women just trying to do our best. We are trying to find out what works for us. And we may find that what works for us is not what works best for someone else.
I now have two young boys, and I continually find myself in conversations with other mothers about these decisions and choices that we all have to make. While the Bible does not clearly tell us the solution to many of these questions, the Bible does give us wisdom that can help us in making our decisions:
1) We are not to live in fear.
Much of the information we are given as parents is fear-based. "If you don't do this, then this bad thing will happen to your child." Whether you choose to feed your child organic food or not, or vaccinate your child or not, the ultimate reality is that each of our child's lives are in the hands of God. He determines the course of our lives. Psalm 27: 1 says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?" We can also apply this to our lives and say "of what shall I be afraid?" God does not want our relationship with our kids to be driven by fear. He loves us, and we do not need to constantly be afraid that something bad will happen to our kids, because their lives are in His hands.
2) Our trust cannot be in ourselves, but in God.
Our children are gifts from God. They are His children, even more than they are ours. He cares for our children even more than we do. If we are putting our trust in anything on this earth to protect our child, our trust is in the wrong object. That is not to say that we should not do everything we can to protect our children, but our trust needs to be in Him instead of in our own efforts. Is our trust in the choices we are making, or is our trust in God himself? Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Today we could (jokingly) say, "Some trust in Babywise and some trust in breastmilk, but do we trust in the name of the Lord our God?"
3) We are not to have judgmental attitudes towards other parents.
It is tempting to look down on other parents who have different viewpoints than our own. After all, you think, "I have done my research and I know more about this." However, unless it is a life or death issue, Christians have room for disagreement in parenting, and we need to be okay with that. Matthew 7:1-2 states, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Each parent is responsible to God for how they raise their children, not to us. We are instructed not to judge, and leave that job up to God.
Each day I am humbled by the realization that God has given me two beautiful boys to raise, and I cannot claim to know more than my sister-in-Christ, despite how much I have read and researched. God has not called me to become an expert on parenting; he has called me to love my fellow believers. That calling is one I hope to be found worthy of.
*All Scripture references taken from the New International Version.
My excitement was quickly overcome by nervousness, however, as one of the first things I read said that the risk of miscarriage is highest during the first three months. I read about what foods I should eat and be avoiding, and began to worry since I had eaten a "forbidden food" the night before. "Oh, no!" I thought after reading another article, "I haven't taken any prenatal vitamins yet and I'm five weeks along!"
Welcome to my life: I am an information addict. My husband, elated by the news that we were going to have a baby, soon became my sounding board for all of the new information that I read about daily. He also wanted to read all that he could, so he could be an educated and helpful partner. We attended classes together, stayed up late reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, and talked to our baby through the womb. In all of our efforts, however, I never realized that we were becoming slaves to our new knowledge. We began to put our trust in what the doctors and authors were saying about our child, and found ourselves questioning every decision we made, wondering if it was the right decision or not.
When we finally announced to the world that we were expecting, we might as well have hung a billboard from my belly that said, "Please Deposit All Unwanted Advice Here!" We got tips from other parents on everything from how my labor and delivery should go, to what the best stroller was to buy, to what pediatrician to choose. While some of the advice was very helpful, much of it was conflicting advice, which confused us even more. Suddenly we realized we had some important decisions to make: Epidural or All-natural? Breast milk or formula-feed? Circumcision or Not? Vaccinations or no vaccinations? Return to work or Stay at home? Put the baby on a schedule or feed on demand? And eventually, Put the kids in school or home-school? We both felt like the questions were endless.
One night after our baby was born, my husband saw me tearing up after I put down a book I was reading. "I just feel so inadequate," I explained. "Everything I read is telling me that I am not doing enough, and making me question every decision we make for our child." "Honey," he responded, "you need to stop reading so much!"
There are conflicting opinions on virtually every topic related child-rearing out there. Part of the confusion is that so many well-meaning Christians can have such opposite viewpoints on the same topics. It is amazing to me to hear the judgmental attitudes that so many Christian mothers have towards their sisters-in-Christ who choose to do things differently than themselves. Many of these woman try to use Scripture to back up their personal choices, making others feel almost as if they are "sinning" by making a different choice. One thing is true: we are all women just trying to do our best. We are trying to find out what works for us. And we may find that what works for us is not what works best for someone else.
I now have two young boys, and I continually find myself in conversations with other mothers about these decisions and choices that we all have to make. While the Bible does not clearly tell us the solution to many of these questions, the Bible does give us wisdom that can help us in making our decisions:
1) We are not to live in fear.
Much of the information we are given as parents is fear-based. "If you don't do this, then this bad thing will happen to your child." Whether you choose to feed your child organic food or not, or vaccinate your child or not, the ultimate reality is that each of our child's lives are in the hands of God. He determines the course of our lives. Psalm 27: 1 says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?" We can also apply this to our lives and say "of what shall I be afraid?" God does not want our relationship with our kids to be driven by fear. He loves us, and we do not need to constantly be afraid that something bad will happen to our kids, because their lives are in His hands.
2) Our trust cannot be in ourselves, but in God.
Our children are gifts from God. They are His children, even more than they are ours. He cares for our children even more than we do. If we are putting our trust in anything on this earth to protect our child, our trust is in the wrong object. That is not to say that we should not do everything we can to protect our children, but our trust needs to be in Him instead of in our own efforts. Is our trust in the choices we are making, or is our trust in God himself? Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Today we could (jokingly) say, "Some trust in Babywise and some trust in breastmilk, but do we trust in the name of the Lord our God?"
3) We are not to have judgmental attitudes towards other parents.
It is tempting to look down on other parents who have different viewpoints than our own. After all, you think, "I have done my research and I know more about this." However, unless it is a life or death issue, Christians have room for disagreement in parenting, and we need to be okay with that. Matthew 7:1-2 states, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Each parent is responsible to God for how they raise their children, not to us. We are instructed not to judge, and leave that job up to God.
Each day I am humbled by the realization that God has given me two beautiful boys to raise, and I cannot claim to know more than my sister-in-Christ, despite how much I have read and researched. God has not called me to become an expert on parenting; he has called me to love my fellow believers. That calling is one I hope to be found worthy of.
*All Scripture references taken from the New International Version.
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