Comfort Like No Other

Two weeks ago, our pastor preached about God protecting us. I can't sum it all up the way he said it. But, he talked about how he can't protect his little boy from everything and how much he needs God's help to protect him.

I found this to be true today in comfort as well. We can only comfort one another to a certain extent. We cannot reach the heart and soul as God can.

My precious Snugglebug had a second eye surgery today, and the anesthesia was awful. He was older this time and it was harder for him to come out of the anesthesia. He wasn't a happy camper. Neither my husband nor I could comfort him enough. Nothing would soothe him, not his favorite blanket, not his bottle, not mommy, and not daddy. He just cried and cried.

It broke my heart to see him so upset and to not be able to comfort him. Finally, as my husband held him, I placed my hands on his head and prayed for God to comfort him like I could not. A short time later, Snugglebug started calming down and even took his bottle.

I am reminded that God can comfort and protect us like no other. He is always there even when we think all is lost. In Exodus, he never left the Israelites, and if anyone deserved being left behind they did. They complained and griped and complained some more. But, God never left their side. He never stopped taking care of them.

It takes moments like today to be reminded of that comfort and protection. I am grateful God is there to handle those moments when we need Him the most.

This Season's Color is Pink!

I am no fashionista, and I don't think you could call me stylish by any means. My style is t-shirt and jeans, and at best, a t-shirt that is not cotton. When it comes to fashion, I am clueless. If it is cute and in one of my favorite colors, then I buy it. I don't worry about whether it is stylish or not.

But the last couple of years, the colors have been aweful drab colors. I like bright, happy colors--reds, blues, pinks. But, those colors haven't been instyle in a while.

Today, as I raced through Wal-Mart to get diapers, I was stopped in my tracks by a sea of pink. Yes, pink!! Pink is back in style. I had to pause and look at the pink striped blouses, polka dot pink blouses, pink pants, pink sweaters, and all the other beautiful pinks. I quickly reminded myself that my time was limited, as was my finances, and I continued to the diaper aisle.

Nevertheless, I am celebrating that pink is back in style. How wonderful to finally have a happy color on the racks. Even if I can't buy a new pink outfit, I will at least see more pink out there in the world.

A Hug to Make It All Better

So, Snugglebug is having issues with Acid Reflux and Constipation once again. My poor baby just can't let these two things go. We are working on it but the meds are still oh so necessary.

Because of those two issues, we are having a few tough days. Yesterday was a bit frustrating, and although, it was only the afternoon, as the morning was church, it was a very long day. I was trying to hold it together till bedtime.

As Snugglebug and I headed to the bath, I said, "Can you give Mommy a hug?" The sweetie through his arms around my neck and gave me the best hug ever! He held on for what seemed like five minutes giving me a hug that reminded me why I became a mom in the first place. It was the best hug ever and definitely made it all better!

Remnants of Lunch

Ok, I can't resist. This is just too rich. These pictures were taken after an hour and a half battle over lunch. We tried finger food pear, sweet potato, peas, and chicken. We also tried pureed broccoli and chicken noodle soup. In the end, he ate half a pear and 4 ounces of broccoli. Better than nothing!

War Zones and Hunger Strikes

Do you ever feel like you're caught in a war zone? That's how I feel after the last several weeks, but especially the last few days. It has been a battle to get my son to sleep lately. That is nothing unusual for us. We have battled sleep since the day he was born. He wasn't one of those babies who would eat and go back to sleep. A full night's sleep for him was 3 hours and a nap was 30 minutes. I have learned over the past year that I don't function at all on 4 hours of sleep, and anything less than 6 hours is difficult, especially when those 6 are spread out into increments of 2 hours each.

And to make the war even more interesting, my sweet Snugglebug, who typically eats anything I put in front of him, went on a hunger strike yesterday. It was my husband's first double shift after having been home everyday for two weeks. He had returned to work on Monday with just his regular shift, so he was home in the morning. And, today was my husband's weekend, so he was off all day and home with us.

The only reason I say Snugglebug had a hungerstrike was that he refused to eat lunch, snack, and dinner last night. When he got up this morning, he refused his cereal.

That is until my husband entered the room. Hubby had taken a shower while I was preparing breakfast, so Snugglebug hadn't seen him. When my husband picked up the spoon, Snugglebug's mouth was open wide. Not only did Snugglebug eat, but he ate voraciously downing his entire bowl of cereal. He had a few bites left when my husband left to take the car to the shop. And Snugglebug once again buried his head in his arm and refused to eat.

So, I did all I knew to do. I put the bowl away, and loaded Snugglebug into the car. The plan was to pick up my husband and enjoy a rare breakfast at IHOP which is exactly what we did. We ordered our favorites and Snugglebug tasted pancakes for the first time. He ate about half a pancake, and he downed almost half a jar of Gerber breakfast food. As long as my husband fed him, he was perfectly happy. This trend continued the entire day. I tried to feed him lunch and, no, he wouldn't have any of it. Same with snack and dinner. The hunger strike continued as long as I was the one loading the spoon, and ended when my husband took over.

Tomorrow, my husband works the second double-shift of his week, so we won't see him the entire day. He'll leave at 7 am and return aroun 11 pm. It is a long day for him and for us. But, it is necessary not because we have a high standard of living, but because our health insurance rises each year and his salary does not. It is necessary for him to work 16 extra hours per week so my son can have his eye surgery and visit the opthalmalogist monthly. But, how do you explain that to a one-year old? How do you tell a one-year old who misses his daddy so much that he skips dinner that Daddy has no choice? I think it would be easier to convince the city that the police need a raise than it would be to convince a one-year old that he needs health insurance.

Book Giveaway!!

Well, I am discovering so many great things about blogging and following other's blogs. This week's incredible find is the Book Giveaway Carnival hosted by Bookroom Reviews. Joining the festivities is as easy as clicking the link above and going to the Carnival listings. Once there you'll see almost 150 listings. Peruse the list, click the link, and enter the contest. Each blogger has different requirements for entry. Some only require a comment. Others ask you to visit a sponsor's site and come back with a favorite item from that site.

It's that easy and who doesn't want to win free books. Oh, and did I mention that a few are giving away gift cards. Free books and you get to choose those books. That's even better.

Here are a few of my entries:

Rainbow Fun and Five Little Ducks at Young Readers.
Dolphins and Oceans, Oh my! at Becky's Book Reviews
The Rose Of Sebastopol Book Giveaway at Bookroom Reviews

I may enter others later as my time allows this week. The carnival leaves town on Saturday, so get your entries in now!