Dathan is 3 ~ Short walk down memory lane

3 years ago today I went in for an 8am induction to deliver what I thought was my last baby :) I told my nurse that I would be done by noon so I could eat lunch. They didn't start the process until 8:30 and  Dathan was born at 12:32, so I was absolutely correct in my prediction of a 4 hour labor and delivery! Of course, I didn't get to eat lunch since there were some complications with me afterwards - I was scared and thought that any second my doctor would say we're heading to the OR for a hysterectomy. I thank God that didn't happen and soon after I was holding my precious baby boy and getting to know this new part of our family.

Dathan has been such a blessing! His first few months of life were quite rough (for me), spending many hours of the day and night crying as I walked from one end of my house to the other trying to soothe him. But after that he was a good baby and has been a good toddler as well. He's so smart and says some of the funniest things (I only wish I had written down all the cute & funny things my kids have said over the years). In one sense it's weird that my baby is already 3, but in another it's like he's been here forever - and I can't imagine life without my Boo-Boo!

Happy Birthday baby boy, we love you so much! You are proof that even when we don't plan a pregnancy and other people think you're crazy for "having another baby"... God, the giver of life, knows what He's doing!

Coming of Age

The time has come - tomorrow I'm entering a new decade of life, the 30's. I can hardly believe it. Sometimes I still feel like a teenager - like when I sleep in til 11, try to shop in the juniors section and don't understand "adult" conversations about politics or 401k's or the stock market. And I still have thoughts of "what am I gonna do with my life?" Other times I feel like I should be 20 years older than I am for how much life I've lived. After all, I've been having babies for 13 years now!

For some strange, annoying reason I've been waking up every morning with no alarm clock at 6:30 everyday. Of course, I don't actually get out of bed until my alarm tells me it's time to do so, but it's the strangest thing for the girl who literally had to be dragged out of bed by her mother for years and years! I also recently started watching Frasier, a show I remember seeing my parents watch years ago and absolutely did not ever grasp the concepts or humor in. But now I laugh! That made me realize that I must be getting old - to find that show funny and actually understand most of the words they say. Sounds dumb, I know.

I remember thinking 30 was so old! "Why do 30 year old women even bother wearing makeup and getting their hair done?" or "Why do old people in their 30's still have babies?"  Yeah, how ridiculous?! But really, when I was a kid did the women in their 30's feel and act like I do now? Because they sure seemed much more mature. If I do sit and think back to 5 or 10 years ago, I can see how I definitely have matured and changed. And I'm glad I don't still think and reason as I did when I was 20. Even more so, I'm glad I'm not spiritually where I was 5-10 years ago.

I won't cry or get depressed about getting "old". My hope is that I'll be like a fine wine, and only get better with age :)  *I've never had wine, but I hear that's what happens... haha*

They're Not Ready!

I'm not an expert at parenting, not by a long shot. But I do know one thing - if you let your kids "date" at an early age it will only lead to negative outcomes. Trust me, I know this from experience. It makes me sad (and almost sick sometimes) to see 12, 13 & 14 year olds hugging on the opposite sex and talking about who's the new girlfriend/boyfriend this month or even week. It makes me even more sad when this behavior is actually encouraged by the parents! Do you like seeing your child completely focused on a boyfriend or girlfriend? Does it not bother you when they they are depressed from the latest breakup? At that age they have no idea what being in a relationship really means and I don't believe that even if they did intellectually understand what goes into a relationship that they can emotionally handle any of it. We all know that these kids will not end up together in adulthood, so basically they are just wasting their time and lots of energy on "flings". And the sooner they start "dating", the sooner they will do things that should only be done by adults in marriage - this is a proven fact.

My son is not happy about having to wait until he's at least 16 to start dating and brings it up once in awhile with the argument of "everyone else is doing it". I tell him I feel sorry for the kids whose parents don't care enough to at least try and prevent their kids from getting caught up in the boyfriend/girlfriend drama, but I DO love him and want only the best for him. And because I know personally the heartache that can last for years and years due to choices made at these tender ages, I want to do whatever I can to spare my kids from having to deal with that.

*I'm not trying to point fingers at anyone in particular so please don't take it that way. I just had to share my feelings on the subject as it's been on my heart for quite some time.