Four Months

 Eamon is now four months old. He had his four month check-up (and vaccinations) and is right on track developmentally.

Of course he is small compared to many his age, but he has almost doubled his birth weight. He is now 10 pound on the dot and 23 inches long!

He can roll from his front to his back. He holds up his head and reaches for things, although he hasn't quite mastered the art of grasping when he wants to. He is better at bopping things with his fist. He does suck on his fingers whenever he gets the chance and gags himself regularly while doing it.

He smiles when he is talked to, and Saturday night, he laughed, though he hasn't really done it again. He coos and talks quite a bit and sometimes it sounds like he is singing.

He usually sleeps from 9pm to 5 am, though he is a noisy sleeper, so sometimes we are awake listening to him grunt, snort, and breath.

It has so much fun to watch him grow!

Thankfulness

Since writing about comparing, I have realized how much I do it. I compare my house, my food, my husband, my child, etc, etc, etc. And I was also realizing that it isn't always bad. It is bad when it leads to judgmentalism, discontent, complaining, and unthankfulness. But it is good when it leads to frugality, thankfulness, and creativity. For example, I was comparing my house decorations to some that I saw on a creative blog that I read and I was inspired to hang winter decorations. I am now very happy with the outcome of that comparison.

And when I compare in right ways, it leads me to thankfulness. I don't mean that I am thankful because it could be a lot worse, but comparing makes me see how many good things I have. And sometimes, only occasionally, I become thankful for things in spite of how uncomfortable they may seem at the time. Things like conviction of sin, a do-nothing day that makes me go cleaning-crazy the next, feeling sick when the next day I feel so much better, a baby who fights sleep which means I get to cuddle him longer...

Thankfulness with a sense of humor can be quite helpful when confronting exploding diapers and 4:00 am feedings. Thankfulness can point out what is really good and let the bad be used by God. Thankfulness helps me appreciate the little, rather than pine for the more.

But thankfulness doesn't come naturally. I can begin to list things that are good in my life, and that might cheer me up a little. But it can also make me think of things I don't have, or make me feel superior to others. Until I ask God to help me be thankful, my "thankfulness" is empty. But when I see all good things as gifts from God, then I can be thankful for them. And then be thankful that the bad things don't change the love and power of God. When I am thankful for what God has done, it is easier to trust that he will continue to work in my life and situations.

He will work through the leaky kitchen roof and frigid kitchen. He will give me grace to love the sinners that I have to deal with. He will change the biggest sinner I have to deal with, my Self, to be more like him. He will be with me, guide me, and love me no matter what it feels like.

So my thankfulness becomes more than being thankful for the stuff I have. It is thankfulness for the God I have and who has me.

Time for News

• This week is Book Week at ICS. Today was Book Character Day. I think this has been my favorite day of the school year ever since Kindergarten. All the students in Kindergarten through 8th grade are invited to dress up like a book character. I did this all the time anyway, so it was fun to share. I only remember dressing up like Heidi, Betsy from Billy and Betsy, Lucy from Narnia, and Cinderella, though I am sure I did it every year. As a teacher, I was the Queen of Hearts, Rapunzel, and Mama Bear. This year, I couldn't think of anything, so Thomas recommended I put Eamon in my Moby and be Kanga and Roo. But in the end I didn't have time to dress up anyway. I did get some cute pictures though, and I will put them up on the ICS website within the next week or so. I don't have time or energy tonight.
• I did the dishes last night, and tonight. I want to keep up this nightly dishes washing. It only took me 15 minutes to wash all the dishes. I can let Eamon cry that long if he isn't being happy about me not holding him. I feel very satisfied with my accomplishment, and I think Eamon recovered from not being held. :-p
• We got a changing table today from the Thrift Store! I hope to someday repaint it, but it might not happen before we use it for Eamon, with it being winter, and not having a changing table. The floor works fine, but I am really happy to have a real one.
• We were also given (from the Thrift Store) a video monitor. I just wanted a normal baby monitor so I could hear Eamon if I went up to the attic or to the basement or something. But with the video monitor, I can see what he is up to as well as hear him. It is so fun, even if it is a little bulky.
• All the work I did in the Drama "Green Room*" last year got undone by the roof collapsing in the fall flood. Boxes of material and props destroyed by the rain... Fortunately all the hanging costumes are safe, but it was disheartening to see all my carefully labeled boxes and my carefully organized room in a state of destroyed disarray. *It is called the Green Room, not because it is where we warm up before performances, but because it was actually painted green.
• Eamon is growing so big! We have an appointment next Monday, so I will give his length and weight then, but I can tell he is growing. And he can do more and more things, like stuff his whole fits in his mouth and gag himself. I'm loving this time of watching him grow and develop.
• I decorated my living room for winter. Pictures/tutorials to come!

Haman's Ears

I expected these to be more like Funnel Cakes, but they were drier and breadier. My favorite part was the light lemon flavor.

2 eggs
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly grated lemon rind (save the lemon for the dipping sauce)
3 tbsp olive oil (I used vegetable oil because our current olive oil has a bitter flavor that I didn't think would go well with the rest of the flavors)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp rum or brandy (we used rum)
2 1/2 cup flour

1 cup oil for frying
confectioners' sugar

1. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks with the sugar, salt, lemon rind, olive oil, vanilla, and rum.
2. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. 
3. Roll very thin. (I rolled mine about 1/4 inch thick, and I think they wanted to be thinner, but the thinner they are the faster they cook.) With a sharp knife, cut into strips 1 inch by 4-7 inches.
4. Slowly heat the oil in a small sauce pan. The oil is at the right temperature when a small piece of dough dropped into it floats and begins to sizzle.
5. Fry a few strips at a time, twirling them to give then odd shapes, until they are slightly golden. Tie the longer pieces into a knot before frying them. Drain and place on a paper towel.
6. When all the ears are done,transfer to a large serving plate, sprinkling each layer abundantly with confectioners' sugar.
7. Yields 2-3 dozen

They are better warm; both Thomas and I think they needed a dipping sauce.  Honey worked well, but I also tried mixing the juice from the lemon with enough confectioner sugar to make a glaze texture. It was ok, but very messy.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I have been trying new and different recipes this week, and they have all been delicious. We had Chicken Scampi, made according to the recipe, instead of short-cutting, and it tasted so much better. We had a rice a bean mix-mash salad, Haman's Ears, and Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.

I got the recipe from Recipe Girl, and since she does such a good job with it, I will not type it up here. Just a few notes:

1. She is absolutely right about the consistency of the cinnamon swirl. My consistency wasn't right, so I sprinkled it on like the topping for coffee cake. It wasn't nearly as pretty, but tasted amazing.
2. Do not try to make this while carrying a baby on your belly, especially if the baby is fussy and wanting a lot of attention. The pancakes while being fried are a little time sensitive, so you have to pay attention to them, and fussy babies don't like that. Thank goodness for Thomas!
3. We ate it with sausage patties, which helped cut down the sweetness factor. The recipe is incredibly sweet, more like a dessert than a lunch, but also amazingly good. However, the pancakes themselves aren't sweet; they could be very yummy by themselves (without the swirl and glaze).
4. It does coat your griddle with sugar, so make sure you spray it, or use an non-stick griddle. Better yet do both.
5. It took me an hour and a half to make everything rather than the 20 minutes she estimated. Probably because it was my first time making it.

I hope you get to try it! It was delicious.

Three Month Pictures

Eamon seemed to have a growth spurt while we were in Georgia. I packed all newborn size clothes and by the end of the week, they seemed too small! Here are some comparison photos to show how much he has grown and developed.

With Barry, the Beary Christmas Bear

In his 12 month outfit... still doesn't fit yet.

I am loving watching him grow and develop. He can't quite suck his thumb, but he takes both hand to his mouth, as if he is holding one of them in, and suck contentedly. He like to sit up and see the world; none of this reclining easily. He tries to reach for things and follows sounds with his eyes. And he loves being talked and sang to.

Not as Planned

So this year hasn't started as I planned. Eamon has been fussy and stuffy and unhappy a lot of the time. We have been crazy busy but nothing seems to be getting done. And we are not sleeping well, although for me, last night was better than the night before. Today we are taking Eamon to the doctor to see if he has an ear infection, though this morning he seems so much better than he did yesterday, and even last night.

But in spite of everything, Eamon has all his 0-3 month clothes out now and the too small newborn clothes all packed away (well, there are a few things still coming through the wash, but most of them are packed away. His bigger clothes are also sorted by size and packed away. Because he has been sick and grumpy, I haven't taken any of his 3 month pictures, but I haven't forgotten and will do it soon.

He loves the rattles he got for Christmas, and has enjoyed sitting propped up on the couch (with me right there, of course) reaching for the toys in my hands. He doesn't quite have the coordination to get them, but he grins and works hard at it. However, he doesn't like when I lay him on his tummy to practice his push-ups and rolls. He makes terribly sad faces and starts to cry. Today he held up his head really high though and looked all around and even smiled at the monkey rattle when I held it out for him. He didn't mind being propped with the Boppy under his belly though.

I also discovered a new hold in his Moby - facing out. He seems to enjoy looking at the world, but falls asleep too quickly to leave him that way for long.

Yesterday, we looked at some books together. He likes animal noises. The other night, he made a sound like a wolf's howl, so Thomas and I made the sound back to him. He had fun with that too. I love the way he is interacting more, even if that sometimes means yelling at Thomas and I when he is not pleased with what is going on. It was so sad yesterday, when I could tell something was wrong and he couldn't tell me what. He kept looking at me as if he were saying, "Make me feel better, Mommy; can't you do something?" But I didn't know what to do because I didn't know what was wrong. So I cuddled him and sang to him and nursed him and tried to take a nap with him.

In other news, Thomas and I are enjoying our Christmas music, books, and chocolate. Not all the gifts are unpacked yet because of everything else going on, but the living room and dining room are a little more orderly, even if they still have gift bags full of presents in them.

Well, I am off to get lunch ready before, Eamon wakes up. Then we will eat and hopefully get some dishes done before the doctor's appointment.

Comparing vs Comparisons

Discontentment, complaining, anger... those are easy to spot, obvious sins. But behind them are often more subtle motives, often things that can be good,but have been twisted. Recently, I have been realizing the danger of comparing.

Comparing isn't always wrong. In fact sometimes it is very beneficial, but it depends on what is being compared and how the comparisons are being done. I have discovered that comparing myself or my situation with anyone else is usually detrimental to everyone involved.

For example, when I compare my body with another woman's, I am left feeling very sorry for myself. I am too short or my hips are too wide. I want to be tall and willowy, but instead, "I'm a little teapot, short and stout." My focus has completely shifted from all my positives attributes because I am comparing myself to her. Rather than thankfulness, I am filled with discontent. I begin to dislike my outfits and complain about the fact that "I don't have anything to wear." What stops this spiral is realizing that I was comparing myself to a false standard. God didn't make me to look like her; he made me to look like me! Would I really rather it any other way?!

Other examples could be comparing the amount of sleep I get with the amount of sleep my husband gets or the inconvenience of my kitchen with my friend's spacious kitchen. I am very good at comparing, and finding my situation to be much worse than anyone's else. And recently it has been sickening me.

I hate the discontent that comparisons breed in me. Being thankful is much more pleasant than being grumpy, but I settle for being grumpy because things aren't going my way. Sometimes I even like wallowing in my discontent.

Now let me make some application, because I know I am not the only who is like this. When you look at someone else, do you immediately begin to think how they have it so much better than you; or pity them because they have it so much worse? Do you find yourself being discontent after you read someone's blog or looking at the pictures of their kids? Do you feel like an outcast because everyone else has it so much better than you? Do you wish your life was different, but feel unable to change anything? Then guess what, very likely you are comparing, just like me.

But the good news is that there is so much more to life than this miserable comparing existence. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. We are complete in him and can be completely satisfied with him. You may look at my life and say, "She can say that because she has..." but if you do, you are missing my point, because very likely, I could look at you and say, "Yeah, but you have..." It isn't about what we have and don't have, but about what we do with what we have. We can treasure it or we can compare it to others and find it lacking.

There is the other side of comparing, where I look at others and find myself to be so much better than they are, and I do that too. But that is a topic for another post.

Happy New Year

I have too much to do today, so a real post will have to wait. I have pictures and thoughts from the holidays to share, but laundry to do, presents to finish (tonight is Christmas at my parents), and groceries to buy. But I didn't want to wait too long before I posted something in the new year.

As I think about a new year their is no sense of a fresh start. Since the summer, I have been thinking that each day is the beginning of a new year, so rather than waiting to have resolutions, I would just start what resolution I wished to have.

That being said, this year I want to:
1. Post regularly, more than once a week
2. Keep up with my photo a day project
3. Do more with music and/or video work

But goals without steps to accomplish those goals are not good enough.
1. So during Eamon's first feeding after Thomas leaves for work, I will work on blog thing.
2. Every day I will take a picture, and since I don't want to put up Eamon pictures, this will encourage me to get out of the house more, i.e. exercise. (You see, if I resolve to exercise, I will probably not do it because I dislike exercising. But if it is a means to a creative end, then I will be more likely to do it,
3. I will start by practicing my voice after his morning feeding when he stays awake for longer. And I will read the screen writing book that Thomas has, and write during Eamon's afternoon feeding, before supper. That leaves his lunch time feeding to work on the ICS website.

I know that as Eamon gets older, his schedule will change, but if I get in the habit of these things, then as the schedule changes, maybe these things will just be part of the day.