New Stuff

As you may have noticed I have been adding some more items to my blog. For starters I have buttons from other blogs on my sidebar and at the bottom, under my posts... there are 15... i didn't think i had that many :) Some of these buttons are from some events that are/will be going on... like Fluff Baby Home  both on Fb and on Biehl Adventures - if you haven't checked it out you should! (it is for a really, really great cause) There are also buttons from blogs which I have entered in different giveaways and contests. And others from homeschooling mommies that I just love to read... of course you can also see what i love to read by looking at my left sidebar under "Blogs I Read"

And one of my now favorite things is the little alligator right under my header (I saw a similar thing on one of my friends blogs and had to have one)... Lilypie has some cute things! So now everyone can now just how old my baby boy is right down to the day :)

and I was trying to figure out where to put this



hmmm i will have to think on it more...

(and if you can't tell... my favorite color is green)

So i will still be working on my blog more but that is what i have for now :)

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me

Psalm 51:10(ESV)

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Self

It is a little different for the photo challenge this week... it is Self!

So the picture isn't necessarily focused around baby, but I like this picture so I will enter it :)

Trying on clothes at the mall

View all Paper Mama Photo entries here. And feel free to enter as well :)

 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him 

 in order that sin's dominion over the body may be abolished,

so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,

since a person who has died is freed from sin's claims.

Romans 6:6-7 (Holman)

Super Rock

First off i would like to say this is primarily a video post :)

The videos are a little blurry because it is the computer camera not the digital camera i usually use (the camera batteries are dead...sad) and the sound isn't very good either :( but it'll do

1st Vid: It is good to know that I have fun toys just laying around for Rock to play with...
like the wipes box :)

Also, Rock and i decided to have some flying lessons today... He likes to fly on mama's legs. I love hearing his laugh when he does it too! So that is the second video: Super Rock

I hope you enjoyed the videos (even if they aren't the best quality)

oh yeah... and i keep looking at the camera in the super rock video because i wanted to make sure it was recording and it was supposed to turn off on its own after 60 seconds

Praise be to the LORD my Rock,

who trains my hands for war,

my fingers for battle.

Psalm 144:1 (NIV)

Chores... but I love being a SAHM :)

So it is 11:30 pm and i am still up because the baby boy is still up... again. It's ok though because I'm not really tired anyway and he is content playing in his walker. My husband has already been in bed for a few hours because he had a long day at work and was exhausted by the time he got home... good news is today was his Friday so i have the next two days with him :)

I don't feel like I really did much today. I know that all the clean laundry is folded (except the load that is in the dryer right now) and I have three loads left to do. I know all the bills are caught up  but i still need to balance the checkbook (I'm bad at the sometimes) I have yet to do the dishes but don't really feel like starting them this late at night so they can wait till tomorrow. And I had to clean up after the dog this morning because he got sick in his room sometime between when hubby left for work and when i got up. Yup... that is about it... I have more chores to do still than what I already did. I tend to have less to do during hubby's days off because i want more time with him and load up my other days it didn't work that way today for some reason...

More than likely I will do most of them tomorrow while hubby is on the computer or something and he will probably help with some of it because he is a great guy like that :)

I really REALLY don't like to do chores, but i know that need to be done....

Through indolence the rafters sag,
and through slackness the house leaks.

Ecclesiastes 10:18 (NASB)

hmmm...

I started to write this post about chores and was about to rant about what i don't like and what I enjoy about chores... then Rock interrupted me... you see he gave me his cue that he had to poo :) then he did... right into the potty :)

So he interrupted and reminded me that I haven't really talked much about him or our family on this blog, so I will give a quick overview of my baby boy.

Rock was born April 2nd of this year measuring 8 lbs 13 1/2 oz and 21 inches. I had a completely natural birth and i really don't remember much of it. We went to the hospital at about 5 am that morning because i was trying to hold off as long as possible just in case it was false labor... it wasn't. At 9:30 I had a baby to hold.

Rock was/is exclusively breastfed... except now he ocassionally has some rice cereal with pumped milk (only like 4 times so far in a couple weeks).

I really want to cloth diaper him (i have won a couple now)... but he is still in disposables. He is partially ECing also. I had a run of almost two weeks with absolutely no poopy diapers to change because he always let me know beforehand so I could take him potty. He doesn't have a real clear cue as to when he needs to pee... but he will pee in the potty too if i take him when its time.

He loves to roll over, play with is toes, eat my fingers, and laugh. He also really loves playing with daddy (its enjoyable to watch).

Having a baby of my own is all a new experience for me. I have babysat so many different kids at varying ages, but it doesn't compare. So i love that i get to be home for my baby boy and take on the task of learning everything as he develops. It is so new, exciting and fun!

Well, Rock is starting to get hungry and ready for bed now (hopefully). I will post more on him and our family in other posts.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord,

my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14(Amplified Bible)

I'm glad i didn't go into a rant :)

HappilyDomestic Date Night Package

HappilyDomestic is going to have a giveaway when she reaches 1000 blog followers... she is at 996 right now! So just six more and she will have the drawing. The Date Night Package includes a $20 gift card to Regal Cinemas and a $30 gift card to one of the restaurants she has listed... my choice would be Chili's, or maybe Red Lobster :)

Follow her blog and enter to win too!

(BTW she is a Christian momma who has several neat giveaways, some recipes and crafts, and cloth diapering and child rearing advice... I like to read her reviews and her other posts too!)

Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life, and

I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

Psalm 23:6 (NIV)

Go to Sleep!

I have tried and tried to get little Rock on a sleep schedule. At one point i had a routine down and then it changed :(

This past week the only way he will sleep is either laying on his tummy or next to/on me. I don't like it when he lays on his tummy because it is harder for me to hear him when he fusses and it is harder for him to breathe also. If he were able to successfully roll back onto his back when he tried i wouldn't have a problem with it. So during the day i try to give him his naps while on his back, but he rolls. (and i usually let him stay rolled on his tummy since i am completely alert anyway) I also try to strap him into his swing to sleep. The swing works, plus he stays asleep longer, but he gets used to it and won't sleep without it.

He also has decided that taking a nap at eight and being up until 11 or midnight ish is good. I do not agree!Hubby has to be up and out the door before seven currently so i have to keep Rock quiet so he can have adequate sleep. So in trying to keep Rock quiet and get some rest myself i resorted to letting him sleep on my chest. I realized that this wouldn't work for long and tried to fall back on swaddling again. (swaddling an almost 20 lb baby is amusing) Rock hadn't been swaddled since he was a month old (or less). He hated being swaddled and would squirm until he freed himself. Now he thinks it is a game. We got a new swaddle blanket just the other day so i tried it out... it is huge:

escaping a diaper

It fits around my baby boy and stays tucked, but he can still kick and get his feet out. And since his arms are snug tight against him he has nothing to suck on (plus drools all over the blanket). So he is amused with it for a while (even calms down to nurse some) and then gets fussy again. :(

I also tried to skip his last nap yesterday to see if he would sleep earlier. He was extremely fussy because of tiredness and then, while he was in his walker, he konked out! I was trying to get him to stay up for just a little longer even if it meant fussiness, but it didnt work

So once again, i stayed up late with my baby boy while hubby got rest before work. And since he took a late nap again today it wouldn't surprise me if i have to do it again. The problem isn't if he will sleep but rather when. I would like to have a semi-normal sleep pattern. But i will have to change it again soon anyway because hubby is about to switch to midnight shift.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Psalm 62:7 (NIV)

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Orange

This time The Paper Mama photo challenge is: Orange.

Orange is a bit more difficult. And, once again, i had no photos of Rock in, on , or doing something with orange. So i took another photo (or four)

I put him in a lovely orange shirt and he rolled over

Then tried running away

and face planted to eat the blanket

And then i got a good one of him looking at the camera :)

I originally found The Paper Mama challenges at Biehl Adventures - check out her photo entry or other entries at The Paper Mama.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children,

because he was the son of his old age:

and he made him a coat of many colours.

Genesis 37:3(KJV)

Wordless Wednesday: Play

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm 95:1 (NIV)

Pooters!

So i got my first cloth diaper today. I received the diaper in a contest from The Cloth Diaper Report.

It is a Pooters one size fitted diaper; 55% hemp 45% organic cotton. I was super excited when i received it then i remembered that it needs a diaper cover... I don't have a diaper cover yet.... sad day :(

So i can't try out the diaper and have to wait longer while my little one continues to wear disposables.

About the disposables:

I have been using Pampers primarily since Rock was born. Occasionally we use an off brand or Huggies, but Pampers just seem to fit and work better, at least they did. In the past week i have had to change 3 diapers that were blow outs. This is not fun. We had previously only had one blow out so this is just disappointing. I really cannot wait until i get to use a lovely cloth diaper that will, hopefully, not have this problem.

Nursing Top Giveaway

You can win a free nursing top at BumbleWee.

They are giving away a free nursing top daily for the next 30 days. And just for entering you get a 50% off coupon. Plus if you tell them I sent you then I get more entries :)

So you can enter once a day from now until September 15th... what are you waiting for?

(I hope i win one)

I Like Projects!

I like to create useful stuff! Well, most of it is useful... I have always liked to create new things in many ways. Draw, paint, write, sew, cut, paste, color, fold, bake, crochet, knit, etc. I like it all!

I have started many projects but haven't finished anything lately. I think i am going to start posting soem of the things i do just to have more motivation to finish. My sewing projects take a little longer than what i plan because i only hand sew, no sewing machine (yet). Today i started a shrug/nursing shirt. I am going to take an idea about a tshirt shrug and splice it with something else to make it more useful for me. Nursing shirts are way to expensive and most of them are WAY too low cut for my taste. So i will make my own!

Here is where i found the tutorial for how to make a cute, easy t-shirt shrug. This will be my starting point for my new nursing shirt... I will keep you updated on when it is finished and what other projects i do (there will be lots!)

But to give you an idea of what i have sewn already here is a picture of  a project from during my pregnancy (completed Oct. 30, 2009):

Jester outfit for hubby

I also did sewing type projects for Christmas projects: ornaments for all adults that i saw the day after christmas, coasters for my Nanny (dad's mom), purple ponchos for my female cousins, and nifty little airplanes for the boys... Hubby tested the airplanes before the boys got a hold of them. I wish i had pics of those too... i will have to ask my step mom and aunt to see.

Then I was the craftsman at his side.

I was filled with delight day after day,

rejoicing always in his presence,

rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.

Proverbs 8:30-31

Anywho, more projects to come so keep watching... err..reading :)

BabyEcoMart

I have news about a BOGO sale at Baby Eco Mart... check out their other great products while you are there :)

Plus you can get a free doopsy diaper if you purchase one, try it out, and post a video on FB or YouTube... check out the site for more details

thats all for now!

Wordless Wednesday: Laundry makes me tired!

By the seventh day God had finished

the work he had been doing;

so on the seventh day he rested from all his work

Genesis 2:2

Cloth Diapers... freebies and giveaways

I have been entering into giveaways for cloth diapers everywhere... but i havent won any... yet...

However in the process of entering the giveaways i found a wahm who makes cloth diapers out of BDUs. I questioned her about getting one out of some of my Dhs old uniforms and found out something great....

Send in three military jackets or pants and get a free cloth diaper out of the material...yay!

So after i clear it with my husband we will have use for those uniforms that just hang in the spare bedroom closet

Cow Patties Cloth Diapers are so adorable... you can visit her store on her Facebook page or check out her blog

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Water

It's water week at the paper mama...

http://thepapermama.blogspot.com/2010/08/photo-challenge-water.html

I decided I wanted to enter, but I only had a video of Rock in water. Therefore, I needed to take a picture...

But bathtime is later (and I dont want a nude picture anyway)...

No puddles to splash in....

He doesn't drink water yet....

But he can still hold the water bottle!

Here is the best one (in my opinion)

I even put him in a surf outift... but you cant really see it

So this will be my first entry into her contests but I will keep checking in to see if I want to enter more.

God called the dry ground “land”

and the waters “seas.”

And God saw that it was good

Genesis 1:10 (NLT)

Bumpy Road and a little Rock

My pregnancy was a lot more interesting than I expected. Several things changed during those nine months and it wasn't just because of the baby growing within me. Here are some of them: found out of pregnancy while out of state, evicted from apartment in MO, lived in tent/car, moved to VA, lived in car again after dispute with family, husband lost job, moved to KY where husband found another job. I know it isn't a very in-depth description of what all happened, but it seems like so much when I try to type it out. All in all it was a pretty bumpy experience as my baby bump grew…


Anyway, I had seen several doctors during my pregnancy and explained to each one that I didn't want to know the gender of my child until he/she was born. I got pretty much the same reaction, "really, it isn't very often you hear that these days" (or something similar).

So onto the part where my son gets the name Rock...

On our way to Kentucky I was very pregnant and we still hadn't settled on any baby names. We had the first name pretty much decided but middle names were a different issue. We wanted something that sounded natural but I hated was against most of the names my husband suggested. We stopped the conversation with Lavender for a girl and Rock for a boy, though I wasn't quite convinced.

We arrived at the house and my husband, brother in law, and I looked around at all the damage the previous tenants had caused (though that isn't really part of this story.) I was kind of haphazardly looking because it was already decided that this was where we were going to live, whether I liked it or not. So I just followed along and pretended to pay attention. I finally decided to open just one cabinet in the kitchen. In that cabinet there was a dog tag that had a large R on it. Under the 'r' was written, you guessed it, "rock." It also had Psalm 18:2 on it and we were instantly sure that 'if' we had a boy his name would be Rock.

This dog tag became another token of what God was doing in our lives.

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; 

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock

Psalm 27:5

Our little Rock

He Before Me

When trying to figure out what I wanted to name my blog I had quite a bit of difficulty. And then there is the issue of the url for the blog. Now the url is permanent so I needed something that would always be true. So I finally landed on "He before Me"

Who is "He" and why do I place him before "me?"

He could easily be my husband. I seek to serve him and love him and submit to his authority but he is not the "He" to which I refer. He could also be my son. Little Rock is my baby boy and I put his needs before mine. I seek to give him all he needs and a little more with all my power, but he is also not the "He."
"He," as you probably already knew, is the One I call Lord. Our Father in heaven, the one true God! I will always strive to put "He before me." I am not perfect and am selfish at times, but at the beginning of each day I will start again. Regardless of my previous failures I will still try to put "He before me."

Now, as for the title of my blog: Rock Steady. I'm not sure I will keep it but for now it will do.

Rock Steady refers to not waivering in my faith and principles. The Thomas Jefferson quote says it pretty well "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

And Rock is my baby boys' nickname/middle name. I will have a post later about how we came to the conclusion that it was to be his name, but for now i will leave you with this verse:

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

TOKEN OF GOD’S LOVE

     For my first blog post i thought it would be good to give a little about me. But then i decided it might be better to give the testimony that my husband and i now have from events since our marriage. Following is the letter i had typed up and written to a little church in Virginia that had helped us when times were rough. The letter was read out loud by a man at the church just shortly after we had moved. (it was also printed into their church bulletin later)

TOKEN OF GOD’S LOVE

token - (noun) something serving to represent or indicate some fact, event, feeling, etc.; sign

We had come to the point where we couldn’t take anymore. I was six months pregnant and not working and my husband had recently become unemployed as well. The coming paycheck would not be enough to pay rent and electric or any of our other bills. With only a few dollars in our checking account and our gas tank on empty, going anywhere to apply for another job was out of the question. We were drained financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

My husband and I were lying in bed on the second Saturday of the new year and we finally broke down. In tears we prayed a desperate prayer not ready to be homeless again for the third time in less than a year. My husband prayed for something, anything, to show us we weren’t forgotten, just a token of God’s love.


After the long heart-felt prayer my husband decided he would go to a prayer meeting early the next morning. He had stumbled upon the prayer group during an early morning walk a couple months ago. The group met at the local library weekly and invited him in that morning. He kept planning to go back another Sunday but the desire for sleep was greater than his plan. This time, however, we would both make the effort for him to go.

We didn’t drift to sleep until sometime after two and the alarm went off less than four hours later. I got out of bed still half asleep to start the coffee while my husband woke to get ready. He left for the meeting and I tried to get more rest but all I could do was cry and pray. I felt like I had just fallen asleep when my husband got back home to wake me. At the meeting he had told of our hardships and was handed a monetary gift at the end. This brought some financial relief but I was still filled with grief. My husband tried to get me to get out of bed but I didn’t want to move and just wept. He asked if I could be ready in time to try a new church, I promised him I would be and he left the room.

I sent up another prayer so that I might have strength and energy to get through that day and I rolled out of bed. I cried the entire time I was getting ready: during my shower, getting dressed, and even while fixing my hair. The tears wouldn’t cease from flowing. My husband didn’t tell me to stop crying and just continued through the morning as if my tears weren’t even there. He made me breakfast and he was so filled with joy that some had rubbed off on me. We ate then got into the car to leave. Though my eyes were still red and wet I received a compliment from my husband about how beautiful I was that morning.

Before we could make the drive to church we filled our gas tank with part of the gift from earlier that morning. The drive to church took longer than we anticipated but it gave my complexion time to clear of the pain. We arrived late during children’s story time, but we were still welcomed and seated in an empty spot near the back.

It seemed as though every word spoken that morning was intended for us. Children’s story time was about not fearing, songs about faith and trust and a guest speaker whose sermon was about God is in control. We were invited to attend Sunday school so we followed the crowd down the stairs. One of the men from that morning’s prayer group was there and asked if it would be okay to share our situation with the class. The church offered to pray for us but didn’t stop there. They also voted to help us financially and gave us a check.

We sat and listened to the lesson intently and were greeted by many as class finished and dismissed. A woman from the church came up to us and presented us with a jar. She said she didn’t know who she was supposed to give her jar to until that morning. She gave us a book along with the jar to explain it: Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright.

When we arrived home we opened the jar and it was full of change, mostly silver, and some bills; also in the jar was a golden game token. It took us a while to realize that this token, inscribed with “No cash value,” was really more valuable than we could imagine. For that day our prayer from the night before was clearly answered. We received not only help financially, but also a token – a token of God’s love.

     Anytime my husband begins to tell our story to someone he feels the Spirit come down and touch him. He knows that though we went through a low valley our faith grew stronger through our Lord.

     We still have that token, as well as other items that remind us that: if we have faith, the Lord provides. I will continue to share some of those stories in later posts. Until then, God Bless!

So don't worry about tomorrow,

because tomorrow will have its own worries.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34 (NCV)