A Long Overdue Update

Almost a month since my last post, huh? You'd think not too much was happening around here if I'm not blogging about it, but not surprisingly, I've found the opposite to be true. Life is so busy happening that I have minimal time to write about it! I really want to do better about that. And not just for my blog readers, but for myself. I started this blog in 2008 to serve as a personal journal of sorts to help me remember all of the little details about life. You know, that stuff that sort of fades over time not to be thought of again? I don't want to forget it. But sadly I will forget all of it if I don't make the time to blog about it! Duh. So let me catch up a bit today...

21DSD

First of all, I need to address the 21DSD (21 Day Sugar Detox). To be honest with myself, my family and my readers, we have found ourselves completely unable to sustain the lifestyle of the 21DSD. In our world, at this time, it is just not feasible to eat 100% Paleo 100% of the time. It is just not possible to eliminate ALL refined sugar from our meals 24/7. I'm not sure if or why or how I could've possibly thought this would be feasible when we started, but alas, for us, it's not something we're able to do at this time. The UP SIDE, however, is that hubs has completely eliminated Coke from his daily lifestyle. This. Is. HUGE! I'm so very proud of him! Honestly the two of us very rarely indulge in a diet soda either, which is also great! And I personally learned a lot about what is healthy and what isn't; the foods that keep my body happy and those that don't; the foods that make me feel good and those that don't. So overall, it was a wonderful learning experience. But as I told hubs last night (coincidentally as I was making homemade chocolate chip cookies with M&Ms), our family just isn't ever going to be one of "those families" who can completely eliminate sweets and baked goods from our lifestyle. It's just not possible (for us) to rewire the way each of us have lived for 30+ years (we blame our parents for this, of course!). LOL! But it's all good. I know moderation. I know we can treat our kids to special baked goods and desserts on occasion and not every day. This is all good! Whew. Glad to get that out there.

E's Dedication

Next up? A huge day in the life of our little family! Baby E was dedicated at our church two weeks ago on Sunday, February 16th. It was amazing because ALL of our family was able to share in our special day. I made a lovely iMovie video of my favorite pictures of him over his first 9 months and it turned out amazing (if I may say so?)!

Here's a pic of our pastor and his wife as the children's pastor prayed over baby E.

And a pic of E that was taken after the service. Such a handsome boy!

I must also share that I was completely honored and proud to have made E's dedication outfit: a reversible long-all in off-white corduroy on one side with his monogram and a sweet blue and white elephant print also with his monogram on the inside. I put a little turtleneck onesie with it and found the cutest shoes on a whim at The Children's Place. I loved his look and was so proud to have made it all myself (with the help of Google and lots of YouTube videos, of course)!

LO's Daddy/Daughter Dance

Another big event took place last Friday, February 28th. It was the Daddy/Daughter Dance at LO's elementary school and she decided she wanted to go this year! In fact, she even had the perfect dress in mind for the big night and was nice enough to sketch it out for me.

It should be purple. With puffy sleeves. And a heart on the bodice. And floral trim along the bottom hem. And her hair should be in braids. And she'll be wearing heels. Pretty specific, huh?

Well, I found a pattern that was pretty close to what I thought she was looking for. Basically she wanted to look and feel like a princess. Okay, I can do that! I hope... So I found a pattern and prepared for what would honestly be the FIRST TIME EVER that I've worked with an actual pattern. I went with the Simplicity 2463 as shown below. I needed to use the bodice from Dress A to get the puffy sleeves, and the skirt from Dress F to have the princess-like tulle overlay.

Did I mention I picked up the pattern, fabric, notions and all of the necessary supplies on MONDAY, with the big event taking place on FRIDAY. Nothing like setting myself up for success, right?

So after hours of painstakingly cutting out pattern pieces in satin and tulle (seriously, the tulle.), lots of sewing, googling of sewing terms, YouTube video watching of sewing techniques, and at least one bout of tears (mine) later, I was done. A quick purchase of some shoes (with heels... shudder) and a little tiara for my princess, and she was ready for the big dance in her new dress! I should note that she made the decision earlier in the week to forego the heart on the bodice and flower trim on the skirt hem. She was straight SMITTEN with this dress, folks! And I was so proud of myself for sticking with it and not giving up (it would've been SO much easier to give up and go buy her a dress!). But knowing her heart was set on this dress made it easier to commit to finishing it for her. I'm so glad I did, and so was she!

One of my newest favorite pics of my LO!

Daddy made sure to set the bar high for her future dance dates... a sweet wrist corsage for her (and a beautiful rose for her mommy)! Love.

 This pic doesn't have the best focus, but I can't help but look at it and think how I will blink my eyes and she'll be riding off to her High School prom in no time. It makes me so happy and sad all at the same time!!!

Chase's Fontan

Chase is not one to be left out of the spotlight with this catch-up post. As you probably already know, Chase's Fontan -- his third heart surgery -- is scheduled this summer. We have a cardiology appointment later this month to talk through some of the specifics of the surgery. We were able to book a rental home in Charleston for the duration of our time there, and have our wonderful parents lined up to help with childcare. Plans are being made and things are falling into place. We're trusting God with every facet of this trip, the surgery, the recovery, the routine changes for LO and E, and everything that goes along with having a child who needs heart surgery. Please begin praying with us even now for a successful, uneventful surgery, minimal complications, no infections and a strong recovery for our little Rock Star. This time around will be MUCH different than his first two surgeries (at 1 week old and 4 months old), so we appreciate your prayers more than ever before!

Whew. Well I guess that's as good of a catch up post as any, right? I've got to make it a point to update more frequently! Starting with E's 10 month pics... hopefully tomorrow? :)

A Little Surprise, Unveiled...

First of all, I want to wish this sweet boy a Happy 9 Month Birthday!


Now then, as promised, I'm sharing with my wonderful readers the little surprise I mentioned last week. I told you we were having Chase's dedication at our church yesterday (Sunday) morning, and I had a pretty sweet little surprise up my sleeve. Well, here's the deal:

For Chase's dedication, I prepared a video montage and needed the perfect song to go with it. Well, as you may imagine, it was very difficult to find a song that says, "my baby was born with half a heart and has made it through more obstacles and difficulties and pain in 9 months than most people will see in their lifetime." It was weird: the idea crossed my mind to write a song, but I shrugged it off, considering I'm not a songwriter, or singer, or composer or whatever.

But I'd lay in bed at night, wishing I was asleep, but instead hearing phrases in my head that express what I was feeling in my heart. This happened night after night until I finally grabbed my iPhone (in the dark) and started writing down these phrases in my Notes app. It never was really a complete song; just a few lyrics here and a few more there, random night after random night, until one day I finally decided to give it a go and see what happens.

I sat down at my piano (for those of you who know me, you know I've been playing the piano for over 15 years) and thought through those phrases I had typed up. I started thinking through the lyrics more, connecting the missing pieces, not paying any attention to rhymes or rhythms or anything else that a "professional" music writer would care about. I just put my heart on paper using words. Next came the music. I thought through the lyrics in my head and played some random melodies on the piano, waiting for something to sound "right" (although I couldn't explain what "right" would sound like). After a couple of hours (broken down into 5-10 minute segments, compliments of two small kids at home), I finally had something that I felt would work. I met with the music minister at my church (he's awesome!) and he had some great words of encouragement as well as some wonderful suggestions for improving the song even more. Before I knew it, I was recording the track at our church one afternoon, about 2 months after the lyrics started showing up in my heart and head. With his help, I now had a music file I could use for Chase's dedication video.

So that's how this all came about. Without further ado, please enjoy Chase's dedication video, featuring my first (and only) song, written, accompanied and performed my little ol' me. And please remember, I'm NOT a singer so the "quality" of the vocals is nothing to brag about. Just listen to the words and you'll hear my heart expressing the journey God placed my family on when He blessed us with our little miracle/Rock Star, Chase.

((lyrics posted below))

Promise of Peace
© 2010
Music & Lyrics by mom2lo

Verse 1:
How do I begin
to tell you of the love
that awaited your arrival in our world?

Our lives would be complete
once you took your first breath
and we brought you to the home where you belong.

But before we knew your name,
we heard devastating news.
Our lives would never be the same.

And God said,

Chorus:
Rest in Me
Trust in Me
For I know the plans I have for you my child.
My peace I bring
in the midst of the storm.
You'll find hope
in My promise of peace.

Verse 2:
For months we prayed for you
and the healing we desired,
but it wasn't in the plan God had for you.

We prepared the best we could
and trusted with the rest,
knowing God would always meet our every need.

We knew He had a purpose
for this challenge we would face.
Yet we trusted Him and rested in His grace.

And God said,

Chorus:
Rest in Me
Trust in Me
For I know the plans I have for you my child.
My peace I bring
in the midst of the storm.
You'll find hope
in My promise of peace.

Verse 3:
The day that you were born
I was overcome with fear.
Would you make it through all that lay ahead?

I waited anxiously
for a chance to hold you son,
afraid each moment could be your last.

But I never should have worried,
you were held in His hands --
a miracle before our very eyes.

And God said,

Chorus:
Rest in Me
Trust in Me
For I know the plans I have for you my child.
My peace I bring
in the midst of the storm.
You'll find hope
in My promise of peace.

Bridge:
And as I watch you now,
growing stronger everyday,
I'm so thankful that I heard the Lord say,

Chorus:
Rest in Me
Trust in Me
For I know the plans I have for you my child.
My peace I bring
in the midst of the storm.
You'll find hope
in My promise of peace.

For the record, there is a copyright on file for this song (lyrics and music) with the U.S. Copyright Office. In other words, please don't reuse or distribute this song without my written approval/consent. However, I would be honored for you to link to this post to share it with other families to whom this song may minister.

God bless!