Blessings abundant!!

Whoa! So much has happened this past week, I can't believe it has only been 10 days since all the changes! It is so funny how just when you let go of something that is when it is given to you. How many times have I been taught this lesson? A couple of weeks ago, when I was in my frustrating doldrums of wanting a job, I had gone to talk to the Head of the private Episcopal school here as well as the Rector of our church. I had handed out my resume but nothing, of course, was available part-time. Monday morning, we are coming back from Houston after Ava's appointment (her ears look great!), and I get a phone call. The Head of School just got an opening for Director of Early Childhood and instantly thought of me. What an ego booster! I went the next day to get the deets, and then I started Wednesday. School started this past Monday. What a rush! 5 days to get a classroom ready, enroll the girls, start school! Let me fill in the blanks: I work 7:30 am to 12:00 pm only every day. I teach a 3 year-old class as well as administrate the Early Childhood program. That consists of 3 3 year-old classes and 2 2 year-old classes. My title is Director of Early Childhood. Isn't that fancy? I will, of course, need to put in extra hours on occasion. There are late afternoon staff meetings once a week and there are various things that need to get done in the afternoon. However, my girls are attending the school now. I have a friend keeping Noah in her home, and I can pick him up and bring him back to the school if I have work to do. I can always go in after Na gets home too. But really, I imagine to be home by 12:30 most days. How awesome is this!?!! Just when I had given up and was learning to be content with my situation, God moves me again! I don't feel like Nathan and I even remotely deserve any of the blessings in our lives, but I suppose that is the point. God is always good. Period. It is just amazing to see the plans He has for us playing out!!!

Lessons in nursing

So, I was talking to a Moms group here in town, and they encouraged me to blog some of my lessons in nursing. This might be a little TMI for guys that read this blog--so BEWARE. I only nursed my girls for 3 months each. I got my period back at 8 weeks with Elisa and 11 weeks with Ava. My milk supply dropped dramatically. I was also working (full-time with Elisa, part-time with Ava), but pumping. both girls started sleeping through the night at this time as well. I always regretted that I didn't feed them longer. But I thought it was out of my hands. This time around, with Noah, I got my period at 11 weeks as well. I wanted to keep nursing him when I noticed a drop in my milk supply. So I just fed him every 1.5 to 2 hours. As soon as my period ended, my milk supply went back up and he was back to eating every 3-4 hours! I realized that I was so into Babywise and scheduling my girls by not feeding them unless 3 hours had elapsed. Even though they were hungry!!! I wish I had this knowledge them. Babies do need scheduling but sometimes to make nursing work for you, you have to change tactics. And that's ok. Your baby won't be a little hellion. Noah pretty much follows Babywise anyway...good napper and eats every 3-4 hours. Unless I am on the rag. :)

Footwear

They love a sparkly flip-flop in this town! Um, I think I dress my feet "too fancy"! Who doesn't love a wedge heel? :)

Friday morning sunshine

Here are my loves. They are all in a good mood. Amazing. I want to take a moment to say how blessed I feel to have such a wonderful family. God has blessed us indeed. I have (*ahem* reluctantly) been taught about contentment. Everyone talks about the "slower pace to life" here and it is true. I didn't realize how much time I was spending in the car in Houston and how cranky that was making me and my children. Now we can go out and it doesn't take more than 10 minutes to get anywhere! While I still want a job (desperately!), God is teaching me every day to just be in the moment. How wonderful is it that I get to spend so much time with my children as babies? And if no jobs turn up, I need to be content with where I am now. Time flies. And I know I am going to want all this back. So, for now, I rest. And listen to the Lord. And let Him calm me down and bring out gratefulness and fullness and kindness from me. But, let's just get real for a minute: my kids still drive me nuts quite often. And being at home has some really lame moments. Don't get me wrong. I am just open to the possibility of a change of heart. Let's not lose all sense of reason and succomb to whimsy... :)

A well thought-out article on the plight of families today...

http://www.newsweek.com/id/210252/page/1