Natural Parenting

Before I had Emma, I thought there was no way that I would be one of those hippie, natural parenting (also known as attachment parenting) mommas. Those moms were just weird. Then, after having Emma, I become more and more interested in the idea of natural parenting. I did lots of research and my husband and I gradually made some changes in our parenting style. It is so interesting in how your ideas of parenting before you have a child and your ideas of parenting after you have a child are completely different (most of the time). My husband and I are truly embracing the natural style of parenting now and know it is best for us and our daughter (though it may not be best for all parents/children).

While I had many struggles with breastfeeding in the beginning (mastitis, thrush, low milk supply, etc.), I would not change it for the world. I greatly enjoyed breastfeeding Emma until she self-weaned at 11 months. We cloth diaper (and LOVE it). We "wear" our child (and will wear our new baby). I made Emma's baby food. We love natural toys. We co-sleep. I could go on and on. Though we do many things the "natural way", we in no way are crazy anal about being natural. I in no way had a natural birth--got lots of drugs and a c-section. We eat many processed foods. My daughter knows to ask for "fries" when we go through the McDonald's drive thru. Really, none of the details matter. What matters is that you and your family find out what works for you. I am glad that we have found what works for us! :)

And just for fun, here are some of my favorite natural parenting links:
www.mothering.com (Mothering Magazine)
http://www.novanatural.com/ (Nova Natural Toys & Crafts)
http://www.kiwimagonline.com/ (Kiwi Magazine)

the name game

Everyone is chomping at the bit and asking if we have a name picked out.

Yes, we do.

We debated a lot and ended up with our original name that we picked out for a boy years ago.

Eli James.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

A lot has been happening in our lives during the past couple weeks. Because of some unfortunate, yet completely understandable circumstances, I was laid off two weeks ago. Some crazy stuff was going on within the company and the decision was made to shut down the nursery. While it was quite unexpected, I felt at complete peace with the situation. It was just what needed to happen. I am now keeping two of the children three days a week and getting unemployment. While I know I can't get unemployment forever, it's been a nice change to only be working part-time! Emma and I (and the two other girls I keep) have been enjoying the beautiful weather by going to the zoo, many different parks, going for walks, and playdates with friends. It has been fun (and exhausting)!

Though I am enjoying my time at home now, I know it is only for a season. We simply cannot afford to live in this city we love on one income. Matt and I are currently pursuing a great mission opportunity in this city. While I cannot write of the details now, because nothing is certain yet, just know that it would be an amazing opportunity for our entire family to serve those in need in this city! We are greatly excited about this opportunity and just praying that God allows all the details to fall into place. I will update more about it when the time comes.

Oh, and in other news, I will have my 20 week ultrasound a week from today to find out if it's a BOY or GIRL! Can't wait!

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Halloween

from a punk rockstar!

Halloween Photos

Check Out our Halloween Photos

Another rainy day at the Children's Museum

Yesterday, we were keeping one of Emma's friends, Lucas, for the day. It was a rainy day, so we decided to head to the Children's Museum.

Getting ready to slide down the slide

Making big bubbles.

The bubbles are a favorite.

Hanging out by the steam boat.

Driving around...there was a fight over who got the drivers seat!

They both have a stroller obsession!

Happy to be in the stroller by herself!

Toddler love...so cute!

It's about time!

It has been over a month since I blogged last. Whew! That's crazy! All I can say is I have been busy chasing around my 16 month old and sick and exhausted due to the pregnancy. I honestly don't have anything really exciting to blog about right now (and not many pictures), but thought I'd just give an update on what Emma is up to these days.

*Emma's verbal skills have really taken off lately. I can't even count the words in her vocabulary. She is very into labeling things these days. She walks around with objects saying who they belong to and what they are.

*Emma loves animals! Her favorite animals are giraffes, monkeys, lizards, ducks, and dogs. She loves to go outside and look for "didards" (lizards) and gets so excited when she sees one.

*Emma loves music. She loves to dance and sing. Her favorite songs are "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Wheels on the Bus", and "If You're Happy and You Know It".

*Emma loves her friends in the nursery at work. She can say all of their names and gives them hugs and kisses all the time.

*Emma's favorite foods are blueberries, green beans, and cheese.

*Emma has an obsession with shoes (and really always has).

*Emma's favorite toys are baby dolls, her baby doll stroller, puzzles, and books.

*Emma insists on having a "bow" (clip, rubberband, or bow) in her hair at all times. As soon as she wakes up, she says "bow" and wants us to put her hair up. We have to leave her hair up until right before we lay her down to bed. Her hair has gotten long and she definitely doesn't like it in her eyes!

That's our busy girl for ya!

I only have two to share. I'll try to do better!

Here is Emma with her first pigtails!

This is Emma and her friend, Lucas, who we were watching for the day.

Hooray!!!

Emma has something she would like to share with you all...

"Hooray! I'm going to be a big sister!"

Here's proof there's a little peanut in there!

Emma is quite excited! Can't ya tell?!

Now, for the details. I am 10 weeks along and the estimated due date is April 2nd. We are all excited about this new little bundle of joy!

Callaway Gardens

Last weekend we took a mini-vacation to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. Our dearest friends, Kelly and Paul, joined us and we had a wonderful time making memories. We enjoyed a butterfly conservatory, a show on birds of prey, geocaching, a trip to Butts Mill Farm, and just spending time together. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend.










Can't wait to make the trip again next year! :)

Glad Game

10 things I am glad about tonight...

1. My amazing husband who took care of my wild 15 month old this weekend so I could get some rest, as I wasn't feeling well.
2. Emma can now say "mommy", though she says "my me", it melts my heart.
3. 4 days of work until a long weekend at Callaway Gardens.
4. Izze sparkling juice. I love this stuff!
5. My job. I am so thankful that I have an amazing job and get to spend every day with my daughter and 8 other crazy cute kiddos!
6. New Orleans. I love this city--the good and the bad of it. I have learned so much about people and life since living here!
7. www.mycharmingkids.net I just love MckMama's blog!
8. Cloth diapering. Seriously, I love diapering my child now! I love saving money, saving the environment, and doing something healthy for my child. Plus, cloth diapers are so darn cute!
9. The amazing relationship I have with my family.
10. Thoughts of going back to South Carolina for Thanksgiving. Good food and fellowship with those I love!

And just because she's cute, here's a picture!

Shoes that attract dogs

Guest appearance by Matt.
Emma got some squeaky shoes, and she LOVES them. She tries to run so she can hear them squeak more but she normally falls due to lack of walking skills. We went to the park to let her squeaksplore and swing a little. She attracted a friend who thought she was a squeak toy (daaa, daaa). My little girl is so smart!

-Matt (Sarah's Husband)

Yummy Yogurt!

This is how you enjoy yogurt to the fullest...

First, you eat it with a spoon and get lots all over your face!

Next, you lick the bowl to get what you missed with the spoon.

Then you smile really big because the yogurt was so delicious!

Finally, you place the bowl on top of your head to complete the mess!

Then you definitely hop in the bathtub! There you have it!

Another day at the Children's Museum

We headed back to the Louisiana Children's Museum this afternoon for some fun in the air conditioning! Check out Matt's post about our adventures!

But I do have to share my favorite picture with you. Emma LOVES to give kisses!

Crazy haired girl!

Just thought some of you might be interested in Emma's new developments these days...

*Emma is very vocal these days. Her language is developing so quickly and it's amazing to hear new words almost daily! Here are the words she can say right now: mama, dada, kitty "iddy", DJ "eyay", uh oh, pat "pa", milk "mi", hello "eyo", hey "ey", bye bye "ba ba", ball, baby, night night "ni ni", no, and mine "my". She also goes around saying "die" all day long and we can't for the life of us figure out what that means. Haha! Emma can also imitate sounds, such as animals sounds, if we say them to her.

*Emma's signing has also progressed. She can sign all done, milk, thank you, please, more, cat, baby (her favorite), and shoes (another favorite). She will also imitate some animals signs if I do them (monkey, elephant, dog).

*Emma is officially a two legged baby now. She walks all the time and would run if she could figure out how!

*Emma loves to be outside and would stay outside all day if we let her. She gets bored very quickly if we are inside, either at home or at work. She bangs on the doors all the time to tell us she wants to go outside. She loves to ride the riding toys at work, swing, play in the sandbox and in the pool.

*Emma will now follow directions (I know this stage won't last long!). If we tell her to sit down, stand up, lay down, go get an object, find an object, etc. she will do it. So cute!

*Emma is a climber. She loves to climb on anything she can. She is proficient at climbing up slides and climbing on tables!

*Another tidbit...Emma and I have been going to Itsy Bitsy Yoga classes this summer and she is such a yoga baby! The instructer was way impressed today because Emma did ALL of the poses (some with my help and some on her own!). It is so precious and we have a blast doing it!

And just for good measure, I'll leave you with a picture of my "crazy haired girl" after we took her two pigtails out yesterday (sorry I don't have a before picture).