Truthful Thursday (Thanksgiving Day edition) - Psalm 50

"Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God..." Psalm 50:14a

The babe is tucked away in bed, we are home from spending the day with good friends, our stomaches are full, and I am thankful.

There are many, many things in my life for which I am thankful;

1. A husband who shows me the meaning of unconditional love daily, no hourly.

2. A daughter who delights my life in a way I could never before have imagined.

3. A family who is crazy but wonderful.

4. A Heavenly Father who blesses me far more than I could ever deserve; who loves me at my worst; who is faithful to me far, far more than I will ever be to Him; who sent His one and only Son to die a sinner's death just so He could spent eternity with me. Whoa.

God is amazing. His greatness humbles me day after day. And while I am thankful that I can spend my earthly life rejoicing in Him, I am even more thankful that I can spend eternity in His presence praising Him.

God, I love you. Thank You for Your goodness and grace, I am undeserving of everything You have given me, from my salvation to my daily life, and that makes You all the more amazing to me. Your daughter, Sarah

Toilet to therapist's couch

In my quest to start potty training (or at least learning more about it), I have come across very, very strange ideas. One of those is that being potty training before two is a sure fire why to send your child into emotional distress and thus leading to mental therapy later in life. Another (and obviously my favorite) is that diapers are made better and better nowadays and thus we should take advantage of them until the child is entering school (approximately 4-5 years old) and must be potty trained in order to attend. Umm... no.

Now I realize that I have never, ever potty trained someone. I imagine it is difficult and trying on both the mother and child's patience. I can only think that there is a level of self-discipline that moms are called to (in taking the child every 20-30 minutes all day, every day) that I have never known. I am also realistic that potty training doesn't just "happen", especially if the child is very young, and that some children take longer to "get it".

But saying that Julia will be emotionally scarred from the experience, or that I should just let her decide when she is ready, seems bogus to me. I mean, sure, if you are pushing them, making it a horrible experience, I can see the downfall in that. However, if, like all parenting should be, you act in love, patience, gentleness, I would see the experience as enjoyable and even fun. Well, as fun as pooping and peeing can be.

I am currently planning on starting potty training come the spring. I thought that we could start sooner, but that would mean keep the house really warm during the day, and for me to have my act together. I am a little doubtful on that last part. Seriously, if I can let my clean laundry sit in a basket for nearly a week, I don't think I'm ready for a new adventure.

Julia Mabel

One year ago today I set out on a life changing course. I became the mother to a wonderful, beautiful daughter. Our first months together were rocky, actually, that might be an understatement. I had no clue how to feed, clean, change or care for this tiny life that expected everything from me. Then there was the crying. Endless crying. I mean, I can't totally blame a person for being upset when they have gas, especially when they have never actually used their internal organs. But still, crying babies aren't fun. I don't care who you are, they just aren't. It's a proven fact. And to top that off, if you've read any post on my blog you are all too familiar with our anti-sleep rules. Technically, they aren't Jonathan and mine's, but Julia's. So, roll together complete ignorance, complete dependance, raging hormones and emotions and you will get a new mother.

I can remember thinking that everyone around me seemed to "get it". All the other moms seemed to have their lives together, knowing beyond a doubt what each cry meant, what each grunt would or would not lead to. I felt like I had stepped into a final totally unprepared, with a sense of utter failure.

But God is good. Oh so good.

One year has past. I will never say that I am a perfect mom, but I will say that I am the best mom for Julia. I can read her almost better than I can myself. I know when she is tired, hungry, angry, happy, or frustrated. I understand her "signs" for more, food, and all done. I know that certain situations will delight her, while others upset her past consolation. I have become her mom.

Through this past year, learning who Julia is has not been my biggest feat. More than that, has been learning who God is through me. I am continually humbled and amazed at who God is, who He has called me to be, and how that relationship reflects on my parenting.

I always thought it silly when people said that God wants to be in control of every area of your life, every area of your parenting. But I have come to learn that it is so true. I can tell when I am in control and when the Holy Spirit is in control. I know the difference between Sarah-led Parenting and God-led Parenting. And in those moments I realize that there is no way I can make it without God. There is no way that I can produce a kingdom building, God loving, selfless daughter unless I am that way. And I can't be that way unless I center absolutely everything on Christ. Funny how that circle works.

My life is blessed. My daughter is a blessing beyond what I could imagine. She has been a true delight this past year and I am looking forward to many, many more.

In celebration today, we will be having poppyseed chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate cake. This is my birthday dinner each year and I am passing it along to Julia. :)

My life in two years

Today I got to watch my friend, Leah's, almost 3 year old girl, Belle. It was a lot of fun, and gave me a good insight to what my life will look like in two years with a 3 year old and *gasp* 18 month old.

Here are just a few of my favorite moments:

*Choices*

Me: Belle, what would you like to drink? Milk or water?

Belle: Apple juice.

Me: We don't have apple juice. Just milk or water.

Belle: Lemonade.

Me: Water it is!

*Where's your daddy?*

Belle: Where's Jonathan?

Me: He's at work.

Belle: Why?

Me: Well, he works during the day just like your daddy.

Belle: You mean Jason.

Me: *laugh* Yes, Jason.

*Animal or food?*

Me: Belle, do you know what that is? (pointing to a gorilla in a picture book)

Belle: No.

Me: It's a gorilla.

Belle: I eat granola!

Me: *laughs* No sweetie, I said gorilla, not granola.

Belle: Well, it sounds like granola. I eat granola.

After that, I don't think I will ever be able to eat granola again without thinking about gorillas. They really do sound alike!

*Obeying*

Me: Belle, thank you so much for obeying and cleaning up!

Belle: My mom obeys me.

There was more to this conversation (don't worry Leah! I think she was a little confused as she later said she obeys you), but I was rolling on the floor at this point.

Ahh, things are going to get interesting in the Windham household!

Wordless Wednesday - Peanut butter face

See more at Wordless Wednesday.

Uh-oh

Every time Julia accidently drops something, hits something or falls down, I always say "uh-oh".

Yesterday she threw something down, I heard it crash, followed by "uh-oh". Totally precious.

Now all morning she's been walking around saying "uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh". I can't help but laugh.

Potty training

More and more lately I have considered potty training Julia over the next 6+ months so as to have her out of diapers by the time Dubya Dos arrives. In all reality this is a long shot, but some part of me is hopeful that it could be done. And here's why... gory details and all.

A couple of weeks ago Julia was taking a bath. I was sitting next to the tub reading, when she stood up along the side to start interacting with me. I was still half reading, half playing when I realized she was acting a little, well, strained. Immediately I asked "Are you pooping?". Obviously, she gave no answer but a grunt was enough to confirm what I expected. I picked her up, sat her on the toilet where she did her business. A few days later, during a diaper change I caught her pre-poo and dashed off to the bathroom.

Then again tonight we had another random success. We allow Julia to have naked time sometimes after she's just had a diaper change. So tonight during NT I noticed that she was needing to using the bathroom. I sat her on the toilet and she did her thing. Pretty impressive for a 11 1/2 month old. At least I think so.

With these "victories" under my belt, I can't help but wonder if I could feasibly potty train a 1 year old. I've heard about elimination communication, but mostly viewed it with an upturned nose. Now I'm starting to reconsider my stance on EC and toying with the idea of having a few diaper free days, to assess the situation. Hmmm... This might require laying down some plastic all over the floors, or scheduling for Robert to come clean our carpets the following day! We'll see. I always have grandiose ideas that don't pan out exactly as I imagine, and this could just be one of those.

Truthful Thursday - Galatians 5

"Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian." Galatians 5:23-25

One of those days

You know when you have one of those days. A day where you are counting down the hours and minutes until you can crawl back into bed, white flag waving. Yesterday was one of those days.

Julia and I both are suffering from our first "winter" colds. Poor little girl (and poor mama!) woke up at 12:30 am because she couldn't breath through her nose, didn't go back to sleep till close to 1:30 and woke up for the day at 4:45 am. Not quite how I wanted to start my day.

But, in all things rejoice.

As a way to love and support me, Jonathan surprised me last night with:

a bag of M&M's
a hand written love note
a bouquet of flowers
and....


a roll of Christmas wrapping paper.

He's the best.