Hark the Herald Angels Sing

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in these parts. The sunshine here in Florida is deceiving. You walk outside and it feels like 30 degrees.

I remember growing up in our home in Massachusetts, and being so excited as I ran up my long driveway in anticipation of watching the latest movie on "Countdown To Christmas". This usually consisted of the classic, "A Christmas Story" being played for 24 hours straight on the local TV station. "You'll shoot your eye out!" became a famous line associated with any talk of Christmas movies.

You really knew it was Christmas when your parents had a fresh pine tree in the living room right after Thanksgiving. My mom always gave my dad the messy string of lights to sort out (that is, the ones that still worked). He would last about 5 minutes untangling them before he got frustrated and gave up. Then we'd take a trip to Walmart for a set of new ones. Carefully, we'd unwrap each delicate gold-plated ornament and strategically start decorating our tree.

Then, the anxiously awaited Christmas Day finally arrived. My brothers and I would get up at the crack of dawn and run down our long hallway to the living room to take a peak at all the beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree. As a family, we didn't do "Santa", but my parents still felt the need to sneak around in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and plant our presents under our Christmas tree. They knew we liked surprises. We'd catch the local Christmas parade, and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" while playing with our toys as my mom basted the turkey and prepared for Christmas dinner.

To be honest, I can only remember one or two presents I received over the years. Christmas for me is not about getting or giving gifts. It's about God's greatest gift of all - His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of our hope in Him, we can come together as a family and rejoice because we have the most indescribable gratitude for what He has done for us. I love how the Apostle's Creed describes this gift:

I believe in God the Father Almighty. Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only son our Lord. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. Suffered under Pontious Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead. He descended into heaven, where he sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence, he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

I love this old hymn by Charles Wesley. My favorite part of the Charlie Brown Christmas movie is when all the kids sing,





Hark the Herald angels sing!
Glory to the newborn king!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.

Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the trimphs of the skies.
With angelic hosts proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Hark the Herald angels sing!
Glory to the newborn king!

Merry Christmas, let's not forget why we celebrate this season.

Bleaching for Beauty

I don't know about you, but on occasion I like to watch the Tyra show. She has interesting topics that seem to be relevant for this secular culture we're in.





Today the topic was "Bleaching for Beauty". A mother of three boys interviewed on the show admittedly bleaches the skin of her three boys all under the age of 8, before they go to school each morning. Her 8 year old says, "being lighter makes me better".





As a Mom, I think the most important thing to instill in your children is how beautiful they are to you, and in the sight of God. When this is at the forefront, there is no room for "if you do this to yourself, then you will be beautiful". It's simple. You're beautiful (and for boys handsome) in the sight of God, your Maker. The Creator of all the universe thinks you are wonderful, marvelous, and worthy of unconditional adoration.





Psalm 139:12-14 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well".





As parents and ambassadors of Jesus Christ we are to be teaching are children by loving example that they are more precious than rubies in our sight and in God's.





I admit, I own a 7.5 oz Jergen's Natural Glow in the hope that it will make my skin a slightly darker tone. In a similar way, I can understand the desire to want to edit one's skin color. In no way am I basing my self confidence level on the tone of my skin.

If you are reading this, what do you think?

Transitions All Around

Wow, April was my last post. Time flies when you have a little one. She's getting so big. I can't believe she's already 7 months! She started crawling 3 weeks ago. Ronel and I were astounded. She started with a little army (or as we should say in my family -Marine) crawl, and now she's doing an all out two-handed scoot. You should see her go! And when she's motivated enough, she makes a bee line for the desired object. It's hilarious.

Yesterday she went straight for the cat. Cloey is my parent's cat. I named her after Cloey Morgan on General Hospital when I was in high school, haha. She has the sweetest temperament otherwise I wouldn't let her near Madison. My mom was tickling her nose with Cloey's tail and she was hysterical. If we could bottle her laugh and store it for days that are extra discouraging, I think we'd be all set.

Oh, by the way, I'm publishing this post from my parent's house in Chesapeake, VA. Ronel and I have officially left the compound and our first home together in Chicago. Surprisingly, I was more emotional leaving than I thought I would be. I've been so excited for this move since the day we decided to go and I found myself on the plane, sleeping little one in my arms, saying good-bye to Chicago with tears.

I think my wonderful hub put it best in his blog when he said, "we're leaving our old stomping grounds". It's where we met, fell in love, and started our lives together. It's also the birthplace of Madison. You can access his blog @: http://ronelb.blogspot.com/ .

And now we're onto Pembroke Pines, FL. We'll be starting over from scratch. It's a good thing for us. We were getting antsy in the Midwest. Too busy, too academic, too patronizing. We're longing more for simplicity, to be able to really know what it means to "rest". I think being closer to family will be a wonderful change for us.

We met with my parent's prayer partners today and they told us that they've been praying for us since our wedding! What an honor and a blessing. It's amazing how God uses His people as a network for His glory. I know that God has heard and answered their prayers over the course of the last 2 years. He has provided for us at the last minute, exactly what we need more than once. Praise God.

Now to be faithful to Him no matter where we are for His cause...

Safety: A Warning to My Daughter and All Who Read

It feels like a really long time since my last post.

A few months ago a former friend recommended I read this book. We'll call her E. the concept is to identify relationships that are good for you and avoid those that aren't. E had nothing but great things to say about the book. Praising it she said things like, "I'm learning so much about myself through this book. It's a great counseling tool!". I like to think that I am an individual who is not opposed to change, or too prideful to do so. Naively, I borrowed it.

Little did I know that my close former friend would just a few short months later be nothing more than a figment in my memory. I have to say, the book is a great book. I identified parts of my personality that have had "unsafe" tendencies in the past. I learned about past relationships that were unsafe. When I finished, I returned the book to her. I even recommended it to others.

In the future, when a friend recommends a read like this to me, I will head it as a great warning. I should have seen it clearly. Three months after making this recommendation, E and her husband slipped out of our lives (mine and my husband). First, they ignored our phone calls and voice mails. Next came the facebook messages, and finally emails. Eventually they cut all contact whatsoever leaving both myself and my husband going, "What did we do wrong?". We even asked them. They avoided it.

Without jumping up and down and yelling, "I'M UNSAFE! I'M UNSAFE! BEING MY FRIEND WILL HURT YOU!", essentially this is what she did by recommending this book.

To my daughter, be careful who you choose as your companions in this life. Inevitably, everyone will disappoint you one way or another. This is because we are nothing but sinful humans. The only One who will not disappoint you or hurt you ever is your Lord who loves you desperately. Your Dad and I will try our best, but even we will disappoint you at times. We pray that you will carefully watch those you may consider to be your friend, in different situations. Watch how they handle their anger, hurts, and disappointments. Take note of their character, and most importantly ask yourself, "Will this person help strengthen my relationship with Jesus, or bring me away from Him?". Lastly, pray that God would give you wisdom when making your decision. We love you, Mom and Dad.

To anyone else who reads, I hope you found this article helpful. My husband and I are still grieving the loss of our friendships to both E and her husband. I don't know if we'll ever get closure or even a simple decent response to our efforts. But even if we don't, at least we have a concrete example of some unsafe people. No need to worry we'll forget, our pain helps us remember.

Joy

Today, I must confess I am blogging for the sake of blogging. I feel I have nothing important to say.

That aside, this week one particular word has been on my mind. I can't help but think this word in itself is a blessing from God. This word describes the feeling in my heart when my little one makes me laugh, or when my husband plays with her. Each day, it's like God has written this word on my forehead and I'm thinking, "Am I walking around with this thing on my head?".

So let's see what the Bible has to say about the word: Joy.

1 Chronicles 16:33 says, "Then shall the trees of the forest sing for JOY before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth".

1 Kings 1:40, "All all the people went up after him playing on pipes, rejoicing with great JOY, so that the earth was split with their noise".

Nehemiah 8:10, " ...And do not be grieved, for the JOY of the Lord is your strength".

Psalm 4:7, "You have put more JOY in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound".

Psalm 20:5, "May we shout for JOY over your salvation and in the name of our God, set up banners!".

Psalm 63:7, "..for you have been my help and in the shadow of your wings, I will sing for JOY".

And the list goes on.. What can I deduce from this word study? The Bible is PACKED with verses on joy. Based on the scriptures above, where does joy come from? My joy comes from the Lord, and I praise Him for giving me this gift. I think parenting is a joy. There are so many moments throughout the day where I'm thinking, "Thank you, God. Thank you for giving me this joy in my heart that I know only comes from You." And in the midst of sleepless nights, worrisome days, and an overall sense of fear for the future - God reminds me, "The joy of the Lord is my strength".

Nursing Blues

Hello, hello! It's officially been two weeks back at work for me and my milk supply has depleated. :( It's a little disheartening. I want the best for Madison and in this case that inludes breastmilk for her.

We called a lactation specialist today because my little rose has been stopping half way through her feeding, crying. It's the most awful thing. And she refuses to finish. She appears content and usually falls asleep shortly afterward. I gauge her feedings by timing them. Lately, her feeding time has been cut in half. The consultant we spoke with today suggested this may be because I am not pumping as much as I should be. Fortunately, I spoke with my director at work and she was so understanding. She doesn't mind if I step out for 15-20 minutes morning.

I'm trying out an herbal supplement called, "Fenugreek"..Walgreens didn't have it. My wonderful hub went and found it at GNC. If I take it 3, 3x per day supposedly my milk supply will increase. I can testify that it works! I started last night and my milk supply has doubled! This is such an answered prayer. Praise God.

My little one's alterness and vocabulary are increasing. She is so talkative during her waketime. She fell asleep while eating dinner tonight and woke herself up by giggling. :)

Thoughts on Going Back to Work

Hello again. Welcome to my blog. If you've been following along thus far you've probably heard that I've started back at work. It's been slightly hard being away from my little rose in the mornings. I miss her talk times mostly.

She is in the best possible care she can be - in the loving care of her Daddy, who takes such great care of her. Yesterday, he came home with this awesome "Ocean World" fisher price play mat. She loves it.

I don't think she even knows I'm gone, which is fantastic. By the time I get home, she's had two feedings and is onto her mid-morning nap. She's so peaceful. By the time she wakes, she needs to eat again. By the late afternoon, she is ready for play. Play consists of 10-15 minutes of laying on her back and talking, watching her mobile, swinging in her swing, or sitting in her musical boppy.

Today she made me hysterical. If I'm wearing a tank top and she's resting on my shoulder, she immediately starts sucking on my shoulder. It's the funniest thing.

So, yes I'm back at work in the daycare with 5-6 babies in my classroom. From my experience working with kids I have had so many theories about parenting - theories about not "spoiling" and sticking to a schedule. The truth is, every little one is different. God didn't make all babies to be perfect replicas of each other learning at the same rate. He made us different, unique, and special. It's easy to say, "That parent does____", "I'll never____". When the time comes, and your faced with the most precious gift anyone could ever bestow to you, you tell me if you wouldn't sway from your predetermined theories.

=) That's all for now..

Saturday Morning

Madison does the cutest thing when she first wakes up. Every single time, without fail, she takes a very loooooonnnnggg stretch. I'm talking, its about a five minute stretch. It doesn't matter if she's waking from her night time sleep or a quick cat nap. It's the funniest thing. I'm seeing little bits of myself and Ronel in her already! It's scary. As I woke up this morning, I tried it out for myself. I stretched for what felt like ten minutes and let out a big, "uraaaghhhhh!". Now I see why she does it. :D

I can't believe how much her face is changing, and so fast! Her first week she looked like her features were too big for her tiny head. She seems to be more proportionate now. And, she's the most beautiful little turnip there ever was.

She's my little stinker. Literally. I'm not sure if it's her mittens (aka - boxing gloves, nickname given by my Brother, her uncle Brandon) or what. Each day, now matter how many baths we give her, the creases between her fingers and hand chub stink! They smell like stinky feet. Speaking of stinky feet, the creases between her little perfect toes are smelling too! She bathes twice a day, one full bath at night time, and a sponge bath in the morning. It doesn't make sense. Where does the stink come from? She's always fresh and clean!

As I type this, her Daddy is bathing her and explaining to her about cramps. The last thing I heard from the bathroom was, "It hurts!".

Currently singing:

Over every thought

Over every word

May my life reflect

The beauty of my Lord

You mean more to me

Than any earthly thing

So won't you reign in me again

"My my life reflect the beauty of my Lord" - Amen?

Wednesday

As is to be expected, my little one was a champ at the doctor on Monday. She had the second part of her Hep B shot and this time I think she cried for 3 seconds. The doctor told us that we'll be able to start slowly weaning her off of some of her night time feedings. Praise God! This means perhaps, just perhaps, we'll get some more sleep at night.


Yesterday we took her to the city for her second time ever. Her and her Auntie Cathy have been enjoying one another. I think Maddy has adopted her as a second Mom. Cathy is naturally wonderful with babies. I would gladly have it.

We were reflecting this morning just how long it takes to leave the house now that the little one is here. There are constantly things we forget, have to run back for, or do not pack enough of. Cathy said, "It's crazy how someone so small has so much stuff!". It's true.

Next Monday is the big day. I'll be back to work and missing my little rose. The good news I'll be home long before I'm too exhausted to enjoy my precious one.

I'm seeing first hand what parenting is. I'm finding its about selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love. No matter how exhausted we are, we still come second. She comes first. Of course, we still place God at the forefront and ultimate center of our lives and marriage. To be specific, her physical needs go before ours.

To God, I believe we are as helpless as babies. Not to excuse our sin, but by His grace He unconditionally loves us in spite our daily disobedience. Proverbs 13:24 says, "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but He who loves him is diligent to discipline him." Like any good parent, God doesn't spare us discipline when we offend Him.

Be blessed this "hump" day.

Monday Morning Madness

Good Morning and happy Monday to all of you. Today's the big day. We find out how our little one month old has developed. She'll get her vitamins (ya, I know, weird isn't it?), and we'll see if she's gained weight. My prayer is that she is growing and developing as a normal healthy infant. I get scared sometimes when nursing. I think the part that scares me the most is that I have no gauge for how many ounces she gets. It's obvious when I pump because it's right there on the bottle. But, because the only way I measure is by the time, I really don't know how much she gets. So I think that's why I worry she hasn't gained weight. My wonderful hub reassures me that if she was still crying after feedings, we would have a problem. There's comfort in that.

I hope she doesn't have too many shots today. Then again, she's a trooper. Two days after birth the doctor wanted to see her so we brought her in. He gave her her Hep B shot. She cried for about 10 seconds and I think it was only because she was cold. As soon as we got her dressed, she stopped. I'm telling you. She's perfect! Two weeks later we brought her into see another doctor for her little red bumps on her face and found out she had already gained a whole pound! That was music to our ears. This other doctor gave us some great practical advice with dealing with the acne and also let us know that it will be gone in one month. She's right! Maddy's face is almost all clear. My hormones must have caused "baby acne". Bizarre.

It's snowing here in Roselle. It's a little strange because the falling snow looks like little white floating bugs. It's not really falling. The local forecast says, "few snow showers". It's more like "few floating snowbugs".

I'm reading Ruth 1:16, "Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God". I am amazed at this woman's loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth came from a pagan land, married a man who worshiped Yahweh, and lost him. In mourning, her mother-in-law asked her and her other daughter-in-law to return to their homeland. While the latter daughter left, Ruth was devoted to Naomi. God must have chosen her long before she knew Him.

Well, time to start the day. Happy Monday!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Today was a super busy day for the Borromeos.

Early, about 5 am, our little turnip pooed 3 times in ten minutes. I'm not even kidding. After her second change I walked her over to finish her feeding and she pooed again! Thank God for diapers.

Maddy Rose slept through most of her Daddy's preaching this morning. She's so perfect. What a fantastic message! I'm so proud of my wonderful hub. He's an amazing pastor and expositor. One elderly lady commented afterward, "Why don't they just make you our new senior pastor?" He graciously accepted her compliment with a smile. If the opportunity presents itself, it's going to go on the top of our prayer list.

Afterward, she was awake long enough to give her new best friend Sophia a great big high 5. Sophia is the daughter a couple from our small group Bible study. She's four weeks older than my little rose. They had the same mittens on today.

I have to share this one thing. Tonight after the Olive Garden, Ronel and I decided to stop at Wal Mart on the way home to get a few things for the week. I stayed in the car with my little angel while Dad ran in. She started to fuss when her pacifier feel out so I climbed in the back to put it back in. I held her little hand. Or I should say, she held mine since mine is about 5 times the size of hers. As she clutched my index finger I noticed her demeanor changed from fussy to relaxed, and then comfortable. Soon after she fell asleep.

I told my hub on the way home, "Doesn't this just go to show that God didn't create us to go through life alone?". As soon as my finger was in her little hand, she rested. Even babies know they need people.


Cath comes tomorrow. Yay!

Saturday Morning

This morning, after I finished feeding the little one she stuck her tongue out at me! Well, maybe it wasn't necessarily at me, but it was definitely there. Then she went into a series of coos and gurgles. Oh I want her to be a talker like me!

Then, after he father was finished feeding her again, she started to stick her tongue out at him! She's a punk.

Ronel and I were debating finding a sitter for her during dinner tomorrow night (Valentine's Day). He, like a wonderfully romantic husband, wants to take me out to a nice dinner. We thought about calling a woman from church who offered a few times already to sit for us. Then we stopped because we realized she's single and we don't want it to come across as, "Hey you won't have plans tomorrow, do you mind if you watch Maddy for us?". Needless to say, we opted out for the sitter. So, I'll have to pump like a mad woman to make sure we have enough dinner for Maddy Rose.

I can't imagine someone so beautiful is called mine. My mornings with her are my favorite. I'm a little sad about not having them once I go back to work. However, since she's getting older, her "wake" time will increase and I'll get to have that time later on in the day. But, after I give her her morning sponge bath, she looks into my eyes and coos for what seems like forever. I talk to her. She talks to me. It's beautiful.

I hope she always knows how loved she is. Her father and I won't be here forever, which i why it is vitally important we instill in her the truth of the Gospel. God will never change. He will always be there for her, even after we are not. I'm listening to a song, "Beautiful you" by Johnny Diaz. I love the message in the lyrics. It says, "There could never be a more beautiful you. Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through. You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do. So there could never be a more beautiful you.. I promise you there's a man whose love is true and He'll treat you like the jewel you are". I want Madison to understand that. She is fearfully and wonderfully made by her Creator, God, who loves her more than she will ever understand. So much that He gave up His only Son to die a horrible death on the cross so that her sin may be forgiven. This truth will last far longer than the lives of Ronel or I.

Sorry about the photo. I can't figure out how to post it vertically. Hopefully you won't have a crick in your neck after turning to far to the left to check out my little rose.

Be blessed!

My Family

Howdy once again. I think I'm hooked on this blogging thing.. You see this handsome gentleman in the center? He's my hub, aka hubby. This is Ronel. Isn't he wonderful? This was taken at our pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving at my friend Crystal's downtown.

My mother once described him as having, "gentle eyes". She was right. He's the most gentle human being, and sweet. This morning after feeding the little one, I asked him to burp her so I could catch up on some rest. I was starting to drift when I peaked over at him, and he had her nestled on his chest, both napping. I think I melted a little.

My little angel is napping in her bassinet at the moment. We've gotten her used to a little routine. After her 9 am feeding, she gets her bath, and then we play. The good news is, I no longer consider it an accomplishment if I can take a shower. :)

She'll sit in her musical boppy chair and track different objects. Usually she sits a half hour before we scoop her up and talk to her. I posted some videos on our facebook page of her talking. It's the cutest thing ever!
I'm realizing that day time television is junk. Somewhere between Martha Stewart and morning news, I realize I'm getting slightly excited to go back to work. Don't get me wrong, I love being a stay-at-home-Mom. Realistically, it is better for us financially if I go back. Thank God the daycare I'm working is so understanding. They've given me extra maternity leave understanding Madison came a little later than we expected, and they are willing to work with my schedule to fit my preference. I'm blessed. So, February 22 is the big day. I'll be going in part-time to start in the mornings, and coming home by 1:00pm to be with Maddy.

Next week my best friend Cathy flies in from Massachusetts to stay with us for a week. I can't wait for Madison to meet her surrogate Aunty Cathy! That's it for today. The sun is out, the weather is gorgeous.. if you're able, take a walk and enjoy!

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it' - Psalm 118:24

Maddy Rose

Hello to everyone and anyone who chooses to read my first official BLOG. Over here on the left is my daughter, Madison Rose. Isn't she slimy, and beautiful? This was taken instantly after she was born by wonderful husband and her father, Ronel.

This perfect angel was born after 20 minutes and five BIG pushes. Of course, four hours preceding were the most painful in my entire life. The doctors and nurses were just wonderful thanks to my student's mother who happens to be a head nurse in the ward I stayed. My midwife said, "She's crowning, would you like to take her out yourself?". I was on too many drugs to attempt it so think I gave her a blank stare and said, "No, you do it". Then again, I can barely remember what I said. I probably muttered some gibberish.

Do you see that bottom lip? It kills me every time. When she's a little tired, or feeling the need to be held, she quivers this little lip and I can't resist scooping her up into my arms. It's simply adorable.

Today she giggled during her morning nap. She's starting to stay awake a little longer throughout the day and take in a little more during feedings. She'll be five weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe it. It feels like we took her home from the hospital yesterday. Everyone at church keeps telling Ronel and me, "Just wait and watch how the time flies. Pretty soon she'll be all grown up". I really believe it.

I can't wait to see how she develops and what her personality will be like. Both her Mom and Dad are incredibly stubborn so I think she'll have a little of each of us. But, we'll see. Maybe she will be a compliant child like her Mom was.. ;) Or, she could be spoiled like her Dad... ;)

Either way, the journey is 'exceedingly abundantly more than anything we can ask or imagine'.

=D