Joseph's First Sentence!

"It's the baby!" Ahhhh....Soooo cute!

My Little Boy

This is the updated haircut. A #4 all around. :)

And look at him, just around the time he was 3 months old (Emma's age).

Another Post about Money...

I won't post another non-child topic on my children's blog. But here it is, on my other blog.

3 Months

Emma turned 3 months this past Wednesday, so here she is:

And here's Joseph with his Daddy. :)

The Decadence of Rome

*Warning: This is a dismal entry, and doesn't compare at all to cute pictures of smiling children. Sorry.*


Yes, I know that I'm slowly turning this blog into a family soapbox, but hey, at least Joseph and Emma have an opinion on issues that matter. :) And I usually include a photo - isn't that consolation enough?


Take a look at this chart: http://www.speculativebubble.com/images/homevalues1.gif

This man charted the prices of homes since 1890. He has factored in the rate of inflation, which means the prices reflect the changes in the value of the dollar over time. He says that, in 1890 if a "standard" house sold for $100,000 then, according to history, in 1920 the same-standard house would have only sold for $66,000.

The point, however, is that you'll notice the huge (enormous!) spike in home prices since around 1997. They have increased 83 percent! You want to know why? I read a quote from an up-scale home builder. He says that what they sell is not shelter, but an eg0-driven, look-at-me lifestyle that has a very high price-tag.

Think about that. Ultimately, because of the typical American mindset of "I deserve anything I want", there has been an 83% spike in the price of homes. People are so eager to be envied, to have lives better than the Jones', that they are willing to pay outrageous prices for a home that they can't afford (heard of ARMs?).

Why is this post titled "The Decadence of Rome"? Because this spike in home prices merely reflects a decadent, greedy, self-centered attitude in America; similar to how the Romans became at the peak of their Empire. They were indulgent, lazy and selfish. And right about then came the Fall of the Roman Empire.

In 2004, my capstone professor at OU prophesied that if Americans didn't change course soon, that our own civilation would decline and fall, just like the Romans. There are rumors and whisperings of recession. Does anyone else see the direct link between our greed and this bad economy? I'm no expert (not even close!), but I do know that HGTV, banks, schools, the government, McDonald's, magazines - and even churches - have been telling us that we deserve to be happy. And look where it got us.

This is Reality

It's terribly gruesome, but here's a video showing just where the beef on our table comes from. Aaron and I are trying to figure out a way to provide our children with healthier meat.

How to Make $30 an Hour

Cut your own little boy's hair. Yes, it is sort of a sad job. But practice makes perfect, right? And saving the money (and the trouble! Have you ever seen a child at a hair salon?) is worth it.

11 Weeks

Updates:

• Her hair is growing - she looks like a baby chick. Color still to be determined.
• She is officially too long for many of her 3-6 month clothing. Joseph was still wearing 0-3 month as a 5 month old!
• I'm not sure how much she weighs - need to remember to do this at the McIntyre's!
• She still has a runny nose and some congestion; that's 8 weeks straight (or more than 3/4 of her little life). My current theory (b/c I've always got one) is that she might be teething. It consoles me, you know.
• Current "schedule": Okay, there isn't one really, but here are the predictables during the day: up around 7:00, Nap around 10:00, Nap around 1:00 (long), Catnaps in evening, down for the evening around 8:30 (if she makes it), Eat around 3:30, Eat around 6:00. During the day she eats every 2-3 hours. She's almost 3 months and is *trying* to figure out a routine for herself; so I'm going to help her. I'm going to start picking a wake up time and see how that works out for her.
• She is a people person, so she will stare at and talk to a face for a loooooong time; she smiles, coos and even squeals for her Aunt Kelly. Joseph was so different! He did not (and still doesn't really) like to interact with people, but enjoyed looking around and studying objects. Once he got older, he liked to play with a toy or explore. Emma does not play well by herself. She might lay on her back for 5-10 minutes happily; but once she realizes no one is going to talk to her, she gets unhappy. She doesn't like to play on her tummy, and doesn't even know what a toy is. Babies are so different!
• She has enjoyed her treatments at the chiropractor, and they're fading out. We are believers!
• She is trying to sit up. Anytime she's at a 45 degree + angle, she can't stand it. She tries and tries to sit up.
• She's calming down. She has been a fussy baby since birth, but her demands are less demanding and her cries are usually reserved for a need or a loud noise (that has usually come from Joseph). She still is crying to sleep most of the time (it takes about 10-15 minutes of fussing/crying - some wailing). She will sometimes be rocked or patted or nursed to sleep (especially if Daddy pats her), but for the most part still gets too wound up when she's tired. I'm still trying to watch her carefully for tired signs. For now, I'm relying more on the clock to tell me when she's tired (she can handle being awake for about 50 minutes now). Nighttime is the best: she usually nurses a while, then I lay her in the bassinet awake but still sleepy, and she drifts off to a deep sleep. Ah.
• She has a sheepskin blanket that her Meme sent her. So far, I think she LOVES it. I do, anyway. It's so thick and soft!

If you can't tell, a lot of these updates are for me. I had a baby just Emma's age about 16 months ago - not very long. But I cannot CANNOT remember the details. How did Joseph go to sleep? Did he ever wake up after 45 minutes? Did he ever do this or that? What did I do with him when this thing occurred? Etc., etc. etc. I need a log. Pregnancy brain with Joseph has developed into a permanent case of Mommy Brain that hasn't improved. :)

Here are some pictures for you all:

A belated "9 Weeks" photo

Baby "Gangsta J"

He thought it was hilarious to pull his shirt over his face and run, at top speed, around the kitchen. Yes, he ran into things. And yes, he still thought it was hilarious!

Happy 11 Weeks, Emma! We are so glad you're here! :)

Martin Luther on Motherhood

Taken from one of his sermons on the Estate of Marriage:

"Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason... , takes a
look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, "Alas, must I rock the
baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with
it,
take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores... ?

What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all
these
insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is
aware that
they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest
gold and jewels.
It says, O God, because I am certain that thou hast created
me as a man and hast
from my body begotten this child, I also know for a
certainty that it meets with
thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I
am not worthy to rock the little
babe or wash its diapers, or to be
entrusted with the care of the child and its
mother. How is it that I,
without any merit, have come to this distinction of
being certain that I am
serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how
gladly will I do so,
though the duties should be even more insignificant and
despised. Neither
frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or
dissuade me,
for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight...

God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling--not because the father is
washing
diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith."

Who says that now? Quite the contrary, I find that I am tempted to consider myself a martyr for being a mother. But a privilege? An honor? Something I'm not even worthy to partake of? Now that's another perspective altogether. Ultimately, it comes down to humility. Do I think too much of myself to undertake a task that does not gain great glory for myself, and, in addition, requires sacrifices of convenience and self-indulgence? Yes, most of the time I do. Mothers need to hear that in all things we are to be like Christ.

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! " Phil. 2: 5-8