Beauty Revived, 50 Beautiful Children

Maybe you’ve seen her on my page, if not, here is her story!

I believe the first flutters an expectant mom feels are not those of her baby

but rather of her own heart falling completely into Mommy love.

In the beginning she was yet to be born. Her mom and dad followed great hope into their gender scan with anxious anticipation. Moments turned into a blur as the sonographer, and eventually the doctor, clicked again and again noting measurements that looked awry to Mom. Tracing every moment since her positive pregnancy test, desperately trying to ease her mind, this nurse mommy came up with a thousand valid reasons why this could be, dismissing each one back to a healthy baby boy or girl. She even told her husband they’d likely say something was wrong, but it would be fine, “Don’t let them scare you.” In that veneer of truth in denial, off they went determined to carry on with their family gender reveal party. More concerned with their older daughter and the family’s outlook, this sweet couple played games, stuffed a piñata and let the party start while secretly their hearts were torn. POP! PINK candy everywhere, giggles and applause; it’s a GIRL!

On the eve of their follow-up scan, Momma Bird told her husband to head to work; her mom would accompany her. There was nothing to worry about. Anything suspected would certainly be dismissed at the appointment. She was sure.

“What cannot be said will be wept.” Sappho

Whatever the weather outside, inside the small, sterile room, a storm raged. Each wave crashed, crushing every part of this Mommy’s heart. Her very soul was dying with every word the specialist uttered. Too much information and too few answers laced with the now undeniable knowledge her Baby Bird would not “be normal” fearfully invaded her everything. Muddled thoughts found unending questions and abandon. Eerie, unfamiliar and unwelcome hollowness of heart echoed the words “lethal” and “terminate.” There, grief grew. No. No, this little girl, no matter how small, would be born; she was already loved more than life itself.

“You were unsure which pain is worse- the shock of what
happened or the ache for what never will.” ~ Booy

Suddenly,

life

was

their

greatest

hope.

Still, there was a darker place where winds whipped and waves crumbled whispering hope- Mommy’s Womb. Unaware of life’s threatening turmoil, yet full of determination and the purest love, Baby Bird was already a fighter. And so, she fought. Could she have heard the prayers pled on her behalf? Maybe she felt those flutters from her mommy’s heart! Somehow she must have known.

Mommy’s tests and the search for answers, world wide, continued. Each fleeting answer brought a sense of fortitude where hopes and prayers were founded, but also eventual dismay. No one could determine what was going on with my scans and why my measurements were amiss. They prayed for my chest to grow enough to hold my heart and lungs, and for more-much more. Mommy and Daddy just wanted me to live. Soon, my birth day came along prematurely as expected, and the NICU became my home. I really was a tiny baby: very short and only a breath heavier than 2 pounds, but I was, I am, larger than life in resolve. From the minute I was born, long before I could talk, my big brown eyes would tell my heart’s story.

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most
room in your heart” ~Pooh

Answered prayers came with my grandma’s researching help, and finally, IMAGe syndrome with Adrenal insufficiency was confirmed. Although there are many people with dwarfism, I have this rare and complicated condition with less than 30 (documented) little people like me in the world. A few defining characteristics: intrauterine growth restriction, metaphyseal dysplasia and congenital adrenal hypoplasia. Scariest to us is adrenal insufficiency: physically super sneaky and subtle but life-threatening if not treated urgently. My diagnosis brought us as much hope as it did fear. It still can. My mom, dad and sister are my heroes. Without their love and care, I would die. I need a lot of medicine every day and Mommy’s intuition has already saved my life. They regularly have to teach others, medical professionals too, about my condition so they can help take good care of me.

I just turned three years old, and I’m still tiny. I’m too little to realize how big this world is. I love exploring and being outdoors. Horses, farms, swimming holes, bugs, worms and flowers are exciting. Ice cream and chocolate are yummy, and I just might be a ballerina. I think I’m heading in the right direction. Big world, be kind to me and I’ll light up your life! I am Beauty Revived!

Such a big miracle in such a little girl.

 

Vendor Information:

Gorgeous dresses donated by Angora Boutique

Side trips and Dinosaurs!

The Creation Museum

Dec 2015

We were excited to take an unplanned side trip to The Creation Museum while working in Cincinnati in Dec. The city was beautifully decorated for Christmas (my favorite time of year), and  we got a nearly private few hours at the museum. It was an incredible time.  I hope everyone gets the opportunity to visit at some point; it’s worth the trip!  You can’t imagine how hard it is for a photographer to show up  w/o her camera, so now I’m going to let the iphone (gasp)  pics-told you it was an unexpected trip-tell our story. Enjoy!

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Nothing to Wear?

CLUTTER GUTTER

Part 3

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

On my way to clutter-free. When my oldest was little, we happened upon a video called Mouse and Mole. Like Frog and Toad, these two were best of friends. One or the other of them was a collector of “stuff.”  I don’t think we’d see him on Hoarders or anything, but (more…)

Capsule Wardrobe: Fad or FABULOUS?

CLUTTER GUTTER

Part 2

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

We had a great start to this series and my closet is thanking me!  Check out  Clutter Gutter Part I here. After deciding to go for the capsule wardrobe idea for this fall/winter, I dug in-or rather out. EVERYTHING (of mine) in my closet was put in the middle of my bedroom.

If you’re not familiar with this wardrobe concept, check it out on google. Do some looking around and let me know what you think of it. In a nutshell, you choose a limited number of pieces of clothing and shoes to wear for the upcoming season, commit not to do additional clothes/shoes shopping and mix/match the pieces you chose, kept and love to wear. I encourage you to give it a try, and with spring right around the corner, what better time?!  Here is a place to start getting the right idea. The fact is, we wear only about 10-20% of what we have  in our closet and drawers. I believed it, so out it had to go! IMG_8493-8IMG_8501-13

I can tell you, as soon as I began the daunting task of pulling clothes and shoes out from any and everywhere they were in my house (this is key-get it ALL in the same place at once), I was a bit overwhelmed yet giddy in a strange way. I had clothes for every “in case” you could imagine. In case it fit later, in case it got really hot,in case we went to a ball (really?),in case the state was overtaken in snow– for months on end,  in case it comes back in style,in case the next 25 years offers me the chance to wear it, in case my other 7 get a hole in them etc.  The list was long, my friends. It was also completely fictitious, and the reality was I didn’t need these things at all.

It was during these 4 days I was most thankful for my son. He’s strong, he drives and he had a day off. So, out went nearly 700 pounds of shoes, clothes (and while I was on a roll I did my dining room and kitchen, too!).  I tried selling to www.thredup.com. It was very simple-they send you a bag,  you fill it and send it, but it really isn’t worth the time it takes unless you’re really strapped for money. I do much better taking my nicer things (so many with tags still on them) to my local consignment store. If you look around the thredup site, which is nice to buy from, you’ll see they pay a very low average for each piece of clothing they accept.   What I didn’t send to thredup, I got ready for a drop off to an area charity. Realize that places like Goodwill are FOR profit while others such as some church-sponsored charity sites are more for the needy and are not for profit. Either way, keep your receipt and if you itemize on your taxes, you can take the charity write off.

Packed all the way across the house, and shipped to charity via my burly son. Can’t tell you how great it feels!  Come back for Part 3!  I’ll show you the result of this effort.  You don’t want to miss the reveal!

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PS, the camera bag didn’t go. Whew!

Mommy Wars & the SAHM difference

Ordering Our Life

Part 2

 Purpose

In the first part of Ordering Our Life discussed our limits of time: we each get the same 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. Now, what are we to do with them? I asked a group of stay at home moms to share with me what they do with their time. Here’s a snippet:

*activities
*Bible time
*Breakfast with kids
*Family correspondence (birthday cards, calling grandma once in a while, etc)
*Garage sale for supplies
*Homeschool, lesson plan, plan fun activities and outings,
*I read lots of books to the kids. Books and books and books!
*I try to start my day with Bible reading and personal quiet time
*Keep all the doctor appointments dentist appts, specialists
*Pick up toys
*Read books together
*Research and sign up for kids classes and events at the library, community center, field trips, etc.
*Research curriculum

*Take walks
*Take care of myself and the kids
*Thrift for household supplies
*baking
*balancing checkbook
*bathe the kids
*being a referee
*bottles
*breakfast, lunch & dinner,
*breastfeeding
*budget.
*call my husband to see how his day is going at work
*call service providers or Drs for appts, or account questions (may include long hold times)
*chores
*church
*clean
*clean up messes made while you were on the phone,
*co-op
*cook
*crocheting (or some other hobby when I have free time)
*dance
*diaper changes
*dishes
*driving my children to weekly activities
*entertain two kids
*evening activities
*extra curricular for kids
*feeding animals
*field trips
*go to the zoo or science museum almost weekly,
*grading
*grocery planning
*grocery shop
*grocery store,
*helping family out during the day
*homeschool lessons
*horseback riding
*household chores
*housework
*keep the car cleaned & working
*keep the littles from fighting
*keeping order in the house.
*keeping track of hubs military schedule
*laundry
*library
*look for stuff on Pinterest, check my favorite freebie worksheet sites.
*lunch
*make breakfast
*meals
*menu planning,
*occupational therapy
*oh my gosh I can’t even list it all. Lol
*one on one time with each of my girls
*organize everything.
*pack hubby’s lunch
*paying bills
*photography
*piano and guitar lessons
*picking up toys or directing kids
*planning our cross country move
*planning our days/weeks
*potty training
*praying
*private art lessons
*provide support(baking/council) others
*running errands
*running my etsy shop
*school
*schoolwork
*sewing
*sleeping
*soccer
*speech therapy
*spend quality time with the kids
*spending time with hubby in the evening
*supper
*sweep & vacuum…
*take kids to the park or movie
*take online courses for myself
*taking lots of pictures of these cuties at home
*taking the dog for walks
*talk to the Lord
*teach children to clean up their own messes
*teach kids to do chores
*teach siblings to get along
*teaching each of my kids
*Therapy
*vacations
*vacuum
*visiting family
*work in the yard

A couple of moms echoed many others:

“I don’t know how moms keep up with everything and still have time for other stuff!”

“I feel like I’m in the kitchen for half the day lol…when I’m not doing that I’m (doing school with kids), chasing toddler around, straightening up, or taking kids to activities.”

Please, for the love of -of anything at all- do not turn this into any sort of  moms vs moms, because it is nothing of the sort.  I have done it all in terms of mothering and working: stay at home mom, full time teacher & mom, homeschooling mom, part-time working mom, working from home mom and self-employed mom. If you want, as bonus, add in the mix of it all a 12 year stint of full time, live-in caretaker, daughter/mom.

That said, as I wrote out the above list tonight I thought to myself, “I did all these things when I was working full time, too.” I’m sure some of you reading this had the same thought. Rightfully so! But…hang on with me here,  there is a difference. A big one. At the risk of this being a harsh reality, often times we hear the big difference  disguised in the words of every mom’s exclamation in looking forward to school starting at the end of summer…or Christmas break.  One of the laws of life reads: Neither you nor I can be in two places at one time…though it would be nice sometimes!  For every job listed that absolutely has to be done, someone is hopefully doing it. When MOM is at her job, someone is substituting for her. Before I was a mom, one of my early career jobs was an assistant in a day care. I worked 12 hr days  and took care of 8 infants in my nursery. Can you believe the law used to allow a 1-8 ratio for infants?!  If you’re like the majority of women, on any give day our to-do lists can turn pages, but when we’re not home (and even if we are sometimes) by default many things go undone-at least  for a time. A long time?   Many working moms are not in a place to get help with home duties, but some are blessed to be able to hire out some things.  (Three cheers for the  blessings of lawn service, maid service and/or a personal chef! ) BUT,  not everything can wait until we’re present: at minimum babies need changed, fed and  rested, children need meals, activity, safety and shelter.  We all can agree, when/if I’m at work, someone has to be taking care of the necessities. It’s 2016-01-14_0004just the way it works.

Truth be told, some moments I long for used to bes.  Even a short drive into work alone or a couple unaccompanied minutes to the potty without teeny fingers dancing under the door, or actually being in a little more control at some point of the day (even as mundane as showing up and leaving in a general semi-expected timeframe feels like more control than what is common to a lot of homeschooling moms, specifically) would be kind of nice. There’s more, much more,  but if I skip most for most of all,  my main pining of leaving for work each day it’s not in leaving at all. Nope. Actually, it’s all  in coming back home.  It’s not like I maintain a hotel-home always ready for the magazine photographers to pop in and shoot a 2 page spread.  No, but vacuuming and leaving the house has its perks and toys don’t really walk around, have tea-parties and plan their escape when left alone.Usually. Letting the kitchen sink dry, the toilet seats stay down and the trash can empty for even 6 hours a day all are harmonious gifts in  keeping a house tidy.  I admit, I miss it.

And, it can’t go without saying, some mommas who would want to be home in the way I’m going to speak about simply can’t due to no decions of their own. I know amazing single moms whose hearts have been crushed in their young lives. and they do everything they do well and  to the best of their ability, some with and others without loving help. The power and grace of God sustains them. You’re amazing!  God is for you and I am too.  I cheer each of you suddenly single moms on and encourage you through God’s Word:   Do  not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up. Galatians 6:9. 

Now the BIG difference I was referring to earlier.  I read three words written after one of the moms wrote out her list of things she does every day at home, they stopped me in my tracks. I finished copying the rest of the list, but  those three words were embedded in my eyes like a brightly lit and flashing amusement park sign.  The difference is in these words:

all

the

time

Most of the list could be written in non-stop mode. Never does it end or begin again, it just goes on and on:

do it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and over do it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and over do it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and over do it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and over do it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and over do it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and over do it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and over and over and over and over and over and overdo it again and again and over and 

all

the

time

I want to leave  a little encouragement for the Momma home with your littles, making the sacrifices financially and doing anything  and everything  ALL THE TIME: it’s worth it, and it’s pleasing to the Lord.

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Suddenly, all the time will give way to memories and leave a legacy of time passed while lovingly, obediently and sacrificially  investing in your  marriage, your home and your children.   There is no greater life, Momma. One day you’ll look back and while you may long for more time between babies and grandbabies, you won’t regret messy houses, fewer ‘things’ or the All The Time days and years you spent with your children.  It will be a great moment!

Chin up!  You’re doing great.

Proverbs 31: 27-31

She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

For women at home

MASTER OF THE SEAPEACEHe still calms storms

He calmed the storm to a

whisper, and the waves of the

sea were hushed.

Psalm 107:29

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hello@agirlinthemiddle.com