Kayleigh is growing! I just did the first sweep of her clothes! She's wearing 3-6 month clothes now, so most of the 0-3 month stuff was too small. Actually the 0-3 month fit just fine around...it's the length that's too small....Especially with her big bootie cloth diapers on. She is starting to chub up a little too. Her legs are so cute and full of rolls, and she's getting those adorable chubby cheeks finally!
Okay, so I'm taking suggestions.... For a while Kayleigh was sleeping from 11 pm to around 6 am. Now she has decided that 4:30 am is going to be her wake up time, but she's not going to bed any earlier...which means I'm not either! I'm wondering why she's doing this all of a sudden. I'm thinking maybe she's going through some sort of growth spurt and needs an extra feeding a day. Any thoughts? Any suggestions on getting her back on the 11-6 routine (which was much better for mommy's sleep needs!)?
I'm trying to get myself used to not going anywhere during the week, so I haven't been out except to the grocery store for about 30 minutes. It's not so bad... although I find myself wanting Kayleigh to wake up so I'll have something entertaining to do! I have been able to spend alot more time reading and studying God's word. I'm really loving the JOY study we are doing. We are going through Proverbs using this really awesome study guide. I find it difficult to just read the Bible without some sort of guidance, so this is wonderful. I can't wait to get together with my small group and discuss it. I think when I start doing childcare, I'm going to see what the interest in a Saturday morning small group would be. I know there has to be more women like me who can't make it during the week. I'm also studying the book of Ruth with the Freshman Girls group I co-lead. I love this story of loyalty and God's divine provision.
In the minichurch Justin and I attend on Monday nights we are studying 1 Corinthians. I have to say I have never read through it until now. Last night we talked about how a person can do all the right things and look like a spiritually mature person and still not please God. It got me thinking about stuff. Like do I pursue spiritual maturity or am I pursuing God? Am I seeking to know God or to know stuff about God? I think so many times I get caught up in what spiritual maturity should look like that I forget it is just a result of knowing and following Christ. Spiritual maturity is a product of a life loyal to Christ. It should not be the object of my pursuit, but the natural progression of Christ working within me. I cannot mature myself....only Christ can cause the growth in me. Kinda makes boasting about how spiritually mature you are pretty dumb...seeing as you had nothing to do with it. Kinda like being in the right place and the right time. Well there's my deep thoughts for the rest of the month!
2 comments:
Well obviously I have not made it as far as you have in parenting yet, so I can't totally say, but I was reading just yesterday that when your baby goes through a temporary growth spurt they may lessen their normal sleeping habits, but not to worry b/c that is just temporary. Can you take a nap or two with her during the day to make up for what you lose at night? I know for myself it is so hard to make myself lay down during the day but when I do it sure helps my mental state! :) I was wondering what days you go to MOPS? I want to start MOPS now that Mahna is over two wks old, I just don't know if it is "too late" or what, but I also just wanted to know what days u went cuz it would be nice to KNOW someone when I start. Good luck with the sleep thing and I enjoyed reading your DEEP THOUGHTS. :)
Someone once gave me some very good advice: "there are two things you cannot make a baby/child do: eat and sleep." That doesn't mean that you can't make all of the conditions right, but whether they sleep or not is ultimately their choice. If she needs a 4:30am feeding, she'll wake up for it. If not, she won't. The best way to make sure your schedule isn't too interrupted by that feeding is to take her to your bed to nurse her and doze while she nurses.
Another really important thing to realize is that babies change their schedules to meet their needs. Atley slept 10 hours every night from 3-6 months. At six months he totally ditched that schedule in favor of all night-time feedings. I altered it as much as he would let me and got him down to two feedings a night, as well as before bed and first thing in the morning (and then once around 2pm in the afternoon). Even now, at 14 months, on days when he does nurse, it's at either midnight or 5am. Oh well...that's what works for him and I'm not willing to force anything else on him right now. There's a fine balance between scheduling your life around your baby (a bad idea) and forcing your baby to fit her life to yours (another bad idea). Being a parent to an infant is all about finding that fine line and walking as close to it as you can.
I understand your epiphany about spiritual maturity. In a sermon the other day, our pastor discussed how we gear our church ministry toward those who are not in relationship with Christ. Sometimes this causes "mature" Christians to ask "where's the spiritual meat?" His answer: Jesus said that spritual meat is to "DO THE WORK OF HIM WHO SENT ME." So spiritual maturity isn't a formula of Bible study and knowledge, but a way of life and ministry that can only come from knowing the true and living God and having an honest-to-God relationship with him (pun intended). I couldn't agree more: our goal is a relationship rather than maturity. As the relationship deepens, and we focus on what God's will is (and do it), then maturity will come.
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