Sun, Sand, and Salt Water

We made it to the beach on Saturday! Abby did exceptionally well in the car. She took two really great naps. It wasn't until we were very close that she opened her eyes with a look like, "I can't believe I'm still in this stinkin' car!"

She took her first trip to the beach Sunday morning, and LOVED IT! The sand and water were too much for her. We were blessed that first day with an overcast sky, but the water was rather chilly. By the time we pulled Abby out of the water, her little lips were blue. If I can work it out, I'll post pictures soon.

Tomorrow the plan is to skip the beach, go to the pool and then eat seafood and head to Broadway at the Beach for fireworks. It will be fun.

Until then, we're off to eat burgers and putt putt.

On Our Way

And we're off! We're headed down to the coast today for a much needed vacation. I'm pretty excited about having a few days "off". I mentioned to my wonderful husband that I only wanted two things while we are gone. I want to sleep in one morning, and I want to have a date night, just me and him, no Abby, to eat seafood.

I'm pretty sure he can handle it.

I'll be in and out if I can find internet service.

Great Contest

Here's a great contest for any of you moms out there who already use or who are thinking about using cloth diapers!

Here's the link

http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2008/07/giveaway-12-bumgenius-30-diapers.html

Please Pray

If you watched the news last night or this morning, you probably saw where North Greenville University was hit pretty hard by some severe weather. I'm writing this afternoon to ask you to say a prayer for the school, for the administration, and for those of us who teach in the buildings that were damaged.

Dr. Epting, our president, said that the damage is estimated somewhere between $500,000 and $1,000,000. I know that insurance will cover this, but it is still devastating when classes start in less than a month.

I haven't been up to campus to see the damage for myself, but I got this photo off one of the local news station's sites.

Thanks for praying.

A Foray into Cloth Diapering

So I must be a glutton for punishment. I've been thinking about cloth diapering for a while now, but I've never taken the initiative to try it myself. I think that something inside of me thought that you had to start something like that when your child was born; you can't pick it up when the child is say, one.

Please don't be confused. I'm not one of those super-environmental women who does everything in order to save the earth that humans are, according to the media, destroying at an incredible rate. I'm simply a woman who is very, very, very frugal (okay, okay, cheap, a tightwad). I've also realized that although we aren't killing the earth as so many (Al Gore) would like for us to believe, we are called to be good stewards of it, and if I can use cloth diapers instead of plastic ones, then perhaps I should do that simply as a steward of this earth.

It all came about by chance really. We were at some friends' house, and they happen to use cloth diapers. I'm not sure how we even got on the subject. It's not like you're eating tacos one minute and suddenly the next you're talking about cloth diapers, but anyhow. I mentioned I'd like to try cloth diapers, and she said she'd like to get rid of hers to someone who would use them. Up to that point, everyone they offered them to turned them down, emphatically. We took them, and here we are.

It's not as bad as it seems. The smell isn't wonderful, but what dirty diaper smells especially good. Abby's had some issues with leakage, but I'm still learning.

I haven't let her wear them to church yet because I feel the ladies there already think I'm a freak because I breastfed Abby for a year. I'm just not willing to explain that one yet.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

Something New

Hey Guys! I wanted to share with you something new I am trying. I don't know how it will turn out, but I think it is going to be a great thing.

Jason went to Wal-Mart on Saturday night to get some school supplies for me, notebooks, pens, folders, that kind of stuff. For those of you who are nerds like I am, I can't resist a new pen and notebook. There's just something about opening a brand new notebook and writing on the first page with a brand new pen. I know; I know. Some of you are sighing right now and shaking your heads at what a nerd I am. I embrace that and move on.

Anyway, this morning, the new notebooks were calling me, and I had an idea. I've always kept a prayer journal (well, more faithfully before Abby was born but you get the idea). I thought it might be interesting to start a prayer journal in just a simple 5 cent notebook. I wrote a verse on the front (James 5:16) and then wrote a prayer on the inside cover.

I wrote immediate prayer needs and long term prayer needs. I firmly believe that in keeping a journal, I can more easily see what God is doing when he answers a prayer. Beside each of the immediate prayer needs, I wrote a verse that spoke directly to that need (with the help of my handy-dandy concordance of course). Scripture is powerful and effective, and I'm anxious to see how God uses pairing scripture with the requests.

Satan is one slick fellow and he has been hitting me hard lately. God is faithful and "greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world". Aren't you glad we serve a God who answers prayers and is big enough to handle it.

Shadows - A Lesson From Abby

Most of you know how blessed Jason and I have been. Abby started sleeping through the night consistently at about 6-8 weeks of age. Life was back to normal, so when the princess wakes up in the middle of the night, we know that something is wrong. Well, last night, we had our Sunday School class over like we do every Wednesday night. Of course, Abby didn't get into bed until later than usual (somewhere around 9:30). Jason patiently took her in her room and rocked her to sleep because we knew there was no way we could just lay her down with all the noise from our guests.

He said that she was dozing in his arms when she popped her head up and saw their shadows on the wall. Apparently, the shadows scared her some. Jason turned on the lamp in her room and she went to sleep with no problems. Well, at about 11:30 last night, we heard her crying. I let her whimper for a few minutes and then went in to comfort her. She snuggled into my shoulder and went back to sleep; all was well.

This morning, Jason and I were talking about it, and we figure that she either had a night terror or she saw the shadows again and became scared.

I was sitting at the table thinking about it, and I realized that there was an amazing lesson in that. Remember Psalm 23 - "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me"? I'm scared of shadows too. I've often been characterized as one who is afraid of her own shadow.

But really, what power do shadows have? None! I know that they indicate that there is something there, but often they are much bigger than the real thing, and in order to have a shadow you must always have light! Christ is the light of the world, and we have no need to fear the shadow if we remember the light!

I heard David Gallamore at Rock Springs in Easley say one time that he would rather be hit by the shadow of the bus than by the bus itself. That stuck with me. Shadows may seem scary, but they really aren't.

It's amazing what a cry in the night can help me remember.

A book worth reading

I have to share with you a book that I recently found called The Shack. It is absolutely incredible. The head of humanities at North Greenville recommended it, but I hadn't picked it up because with a one year old, who has time to really sit down and read for pleasure.

I finally broke down and bought it on Amazon, and started reading on Thursday. I was finished by Sunday night. That is quite a feat considering that Abby's birthday party and the fourth of July all happened in that span of time.

I'll briefly recap it for you - without giving away the plot of course.

Mack's young daughter is kidnapped and murdered at a shack in the wilderness. Mack receives a note from God asking him to come to the shack for a weekend meeting with him. Mack is reluctant but finally goes and meets God.

I know it sounds strange; I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be one of the most amazing books I've read in a long time! Please take the time to pick it up and read. If any of you have read it, please share your thoughts.

Small and Mighty

Abby went to the doctor yesterday for her one year checkup. It's amazing how much she's grown in a year and even more amazing still how small she really is. She weighed in at 14lbs 14oz. For those of you who don't have children (or for those of you who are like me and have no idea what a one year old is supposed to weigh) Abby is at .5% on the growth charts. Let me put that in perspective for you since I've always had problems with numbers. 95.5% of children a year old are bigger than my Abby. She was in the 15% for her height. In other words, Abby's going to be short and small. Dr. Anderson said that he doesn't want to "fatten her up" and make her someone she isn't.

With all of her personality, I think she'll be able to handle being small. She screamed and screamed at Dr. Anderson as he poked and prodded her. He took it in stride. I guess after you've been practicing pediatrics for 40 years, nothing much bothers you.

When it came time for shots, I thought I was prepared. We've done shots before. Two nurses walked in the room, one with shots in hand, the other prepared for a choke hold. They gave Abby a shot in her leg; no problem. Then one nurse bear hugged her while the other gave her a shot in one arm. I was okay, tears and all until I saw how much Abby was bleeding. I lost it then. It is a good thing my mom was with me. She kept saying, "It's okay, Alicia. She's just mad they're holding her." I cried.

After a shot in each arm and a blue plastic dinosaur, things were okay. Abby hasn't fussed at all.

Maybe I'm the wimp. Good thing I'm not small like Abby.

Let Them Eat Cupcakes

Here's Abby eating her cupcake for her birthday. Please notice that I stripped her down before we set out on this endeavor.

Abby's 1st Birthday - Cake and All

Here are some pics of Abby's first birthday.


Before the cake.


Blow out the candle, Abby. She never really got the hang of blowing out the candle.


What is this wonderful thing that they are going to let me eat!


We weren't disappointed with the cake performance.


It was so worth it!!!!

I'll have more tomorrow after the big party, but for now it's off to watch fireworks!!!

One Year

Karis informed me that I need to post a reflection on the past year, and I have to agree with her. It has been an amazing and trying time. I can't honestly say that I have loved every minute of it; sometimes, it is just enough to say that I have learned from every minute of it. Jason, I'm quite sure, has learned much too. I'm remembering one instance when Abby was maybe 6 or 7 weeks old and she was crying uncontrollably. Jason was in the backyard and I was inside. Abby was crying; I was crying, and when Jason came inside (after a tearful cell phone call from me), he was almost crying.

I can laugh now, but at that moment, I was a wreck.

To say that I have learned a lot would be an understatement. I didn't know I could love another human being as much as I love little Abby Elizabeth Looper. She makes me smile, even when she frustrates me. I can't imagine sacrificing her for another human being, especially one who had wronged me. I've learned that God must really, truly care for me if He was willing to allow his only son to die on my behalf.

As I've watched Abby mature, I tell her no much more. This no is not because I don't want her to have fun or because I somehow want her to miss out, but because I see the harm when she doesn't. Somehow, I'm sounding very cliched, but God's love and compassion is coming more and more into focus.

Motherhood is hard. I won't lie. I've often thought over the last few months about the days when I could sleep as long as I wanted to in the morning, when I could just up and go without having to put a carseat in the car, when I could watch whatever I wanted to on television. Those days are gone, but the days I traded them for are so worth it.

Give your mom a hug today and tell her how much she means. She may not know how to express her love adequately to you, but I am certain she loves you more than you can know.