Invitations

I finally finished Kaylin's birthday invitations; they're nothing special, but since it took me so long to make them (partly because I'm constantly chasing after a baby), I wanted to show them off. We decided not to do a particular theme for her party, so I just went to Michaels (I love that place!), found some blank card stock in a color I liked, some ribbons and matching buttons, and just went from there. It's funny how even the simplest creations can take a lot of work! It was fun though, and I realized I missed being creative! Creativity is releasing and energizing to me at the same time. I love it, just wish it were came more easily to me and that I had a little more time for it. What are some hobbies that you guys enjoy?

Sponsoring a child

It's been on my heart lately to consider sponsoring a child. A friend and I sponsored a child together back in highschool, and ended up doing it for seven years! Unfortunately moving and life changes caused us to stop sponsoring her (at least on my side). But it was such a great thing, and it really didn't take much on our part to do it. We'd receive letters every once in awhile telling us how she was doing and what she was learning in school. I'm sure it meant so much to her and her family. And it was nice knowing we were doing something to help, even in what felt like a small way. Anyway, I can't remember what organization my friend and I went through, and I'm sure there are a million online, but I want to make sure it is a Christian organization that is really giving the money to children in need, and not some scam. I was wondering if anyone has a specific organization that they know and like and could recommend?

Update

I wanted to give a little update on how Kaylin is doing. Her fever broke last night, and she finally slept much better. Today she had all her energy back (in fact, so much so, that I just got her down for her first nap at 2); she wanted to keep playing! She still has some diarrhea (sorry if tmi), and we'll see how long that lasts, but overall, she seems to be much better. Thanks to all of you who kept us in your prayers. We appreciate it!

Jumped the gun...

Okay, so I guess I was a little bit quick to celebrate Kaylin's newly acquired sleep habits. Last night was about as opposite as you could get from sleeping through the night! Yesterday, after having a nice long nap in the morning (also a rarity), I went to change her diaper, and she felt really warm, so I took her temperature. Turns out she had a fever. She wasn't acting any differently, still had plenty of energy and a good appetite with no other symptoms. The fever wasn't too high, so I didn't call the doctor and decided to just watch her. Her temperature stayed about the same throughout the day, so I gave her some Tylenol drops, which brought it down a little bit. No other symptoms ever showed up, we gave her some more Tylenol before bed, I nursed her and tried to put her in her crib. That's when the fun began. She woke up everytime I put her in, and didn't want to be held or rocked. I tried giving her to Tim, but the same thing, she pushed him away too. Eventually she fell asleep, not in her crib, but back again in our bed, where this whole unwanted sleep pattern started several months ago. She didn't sleep well at all, kept moving and crawling around (which meant we didn't sleep well either), so Tim put her back in the crib eventually. She lasted awhile, but woke up a couple of times (I didn't know, I was too tired to wake up, I guess.) Tim took her out into the living room and held her on the couch until she fell asleep. She woke up again at 6:30; I thought she was going to sleep longer since she didn't sleep well, but guess not. She still has a slight fever this morning, but again, is acting normally. I have no idea what she has! Part of me thought maybe she's teething (she still doesn't have any teeth) but she has no sign of any coming through--no drooling, no swollen gums. Anybody have any ideas of what she might have? I'll just have to watch her, and if she has the fever still tomorrow, I'll probably call the doctor. Poor thing!

Yay for sleep!

Okay, so I just wanted to report that Kaylin slept through the night last night, without waking to nurse even once! This is about her third time in about a week and a half that she has done so, and I'm so grateful for the sleep--I just hope it lasts! Of course, she's been waking up at 6:30, so if that keeps up, I'm going to have to adjust to the earlier mornings. But, yay for her improved sleep!

Figuring things out

Like I titled my blog, I feel like now is a time in my life that I am really trying to figure things out. I haven't posted in awhile because I was trying to figure out what I wanted to say. I have been inspired by others' posts of late, which I feel have opened my mind and heart to several important topics. It's so easy for me to get caught up in my world of family and small community (and myself), especially when I spend most days inside with my daughter. I catch the news on t.v. and online, but in reality, my world has become small. I forget that millions are hurting, and that I could do something about that, even in just a small way. (And that's another thing that I'm trying to find some direction in.) How does the Lord want me to use my time and energy? I'm here for a purpose; there's a reason that God created me and put me here, and for a long time, I have felt that I am not fully living up to my purpose. (Does that make sense?) I look at my daughter and I know that she is a big part of my purpose, as is being a good wife to Tim, but I feel that there must be more. Like the topic of Kate's post, I feel too that Tim and I are in transition and I'm just praying that the Lord will start revealing his plans for us. I know there's a reason that we are in Davis right now, I'm just waiting to see what it is. The world is so much bigger than just myself and my family, and that is easy to forget. I feel like I am rambling, and I'm still trying to piece everything together in my head. But I wanted to share what was on my heart, especially after several similar post topics.

Food + Baby= Very Big Mess!

So we discovered tonight that Kaylin is able to feed herself with a spoon! (Okay, but she still needs lots of help!) Tim and I were eating dinner, and Kaylin was in her highchair next to me. Usually when we have dinner, the two of us eat and take turns feeding Kaylin her dinner so we can all eat together. We feed her stage 2 or 3 Gerber baby food, not our dinner since she doesn't have teeth yet. Well tonight we were eating late because I had just gotten home from the gym, and Tim had gone grocery shopping, so we were eating our food more than feeding her. I left the jar and spoon on her tray, and I guess she gave up on us feeding her and decided to feed herself, because I looked over and she had gotten the spoon out of the jar and (mostly) into her mouth! Needless to say, most of the food did not make it into her mouth, but rather, all over her, her chair, and the floor. Because she hasn't done too much self-feeding, her meals are usually pretty clean, definitely never as messy as in these pictures! I think she enjoyed the experience of feeling "all grown up" as she spoon fed herself, as well as the texture and feel of the food all over her! (Good thing her bath was next.) Lately she hasn't been as interested in her baby food, and I figured she was outgrowing it and was ready for more lumpier solid foods (I think that's part of it) cause she usually only eats a little before she starts refusing it. This time though, she ate almost all of the six-ounce jar (with our help) and I think it was partly because she felt that she was doing it. (So I know that most of you with young kids have already had this experience and so it may not be as exciting, but as it was our first, I wanted to share pictures.)
"I can't get all the food out, so I'll try this"

Kaylin attempting to feed herself