Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas everybody!
Here is my unofficial Christmas Letter...
Well, it's been a wonderful, crazy, joyous year. We brought home our new baby boy last year right before Christmas and have been enjoying his sweet spirit and contagious laugh ever since. My family started a Home Inspection business in January and we are still plugging away at laying the foundation and getting our name out there. Since then we have been working hard to learn how to be good parents and to change our family tree (as Dave Ramsey would put it). Recently Chad got on a Peachmac and was promoted to Assistant Manager soon after. I have been continuing to work with the Vineyard and several other companies in the area while at home raising our son.
I love my job as a mom and graphic designer. But I think mom takes the cake hands down. Corben's smile is all it takes to make my day better. God is so good to have entrusted us with such a wonderful little person. It was a rough start with Corben's sensitive stomach and possible colic but we made it through and it was all worth it.
We moved into our new house just over a month ago and are in love with it. There is plenty of space for Corben to play and we don't feel like we are all on top of each other! Corben is wanting to walk but hasn't quite gotten the guts up to take those first independent steps yet. Which I'm okay with.... I want him to be a baby as long as possible. I know that might be a little selfish but he can take his time. No rush :)
Today was an abundance of emotions. I am so exhausted, elated, and anxious with anticipation for the new year. We had wonderful news this morning that I wrapped and put under the tree for Chad. A pregnancy test that was positive :) We are very excited. It's a little sooner than we had planned but we are both very happy. On this day especially we see what joy a baby can bring to a family and to the world. So merry Christmas everybody! Surprise!
Here is my unofficial Christmas Letter...
Well, it's been a wonderful, crazy, joyous year. We brought home our new baby boy last year right before Christmas and have been enjoying his sweet spirit and contagious laugh ever since. My family started a Home Inspection business in January and we are still plugging away at laying the foundation and getting our name out there. Since then we have been working hard to learn how to be good parents and to change our family tree (as Dave Ramsey would put it). Recently Chad got on a Peachmac and was promoted to Assistant Manager soon after. I have been continuing to work with the Vineyard and several other companies in the area while at home raising our son.
I love my job as a mom and graphic designer. But I think mom takes the cake hands down. Corben's smile is all it takes to make my day better. God is so good to have entrusted us with such a wonderful little person. It was a rough start with Corben's sensitive stomach and possible colic but we made it through and it was all worth it.
We moved into our new house just over a month ago and are in love with it. There is plenty of space for Corben to play and we don't feel like we are all on top of each other! Corben is wanting to walk but hasn't quite gotten the guts up to take those first independent steps yet. Which I'm okay with.... I want him to be a baby as long as possible. I know that might be a little selfish but he can take his time. No rush :)
Today was an abundance of emotions. I am so exhausted, elated, and anxious with anticipation for the new year. We had wonderful news this morning that I wrapped and put under the tree for Chad. A pregnancy test that was positive :) We are very excited. It's a little sooner than we had planned but we are both very happy. On this day especially we see what joy a baby can bring to a family and to the world. So merry Christmas everybody! Surprise!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Merry Christmas Eve's Eve
That one could just go on forever right?
So in the tradition of my other fellow bloggers... A cup of cold water, and sterling and topaz. (Had to throw some link love your way).
I am going to post my christmas letter here. Well really it's the christmas letter I would have sent out. Okay, I'm not very good at the whole mail thing. Email I can do... but snail mail... not my niche. Those of you that have received thank you cards from me months later know this too well. Hey they got there didn't they... took me a while but I did it. This is one of the many areas of my life I am working on. I know the power of a handwritten note or thank you note so I am trying to make them more of a priority. Anyway! Little steps first... this year I did our first Christmas cards! Yay! They are really cute and have Corben's pic on it. I was so proud that I got those ordered and sent out. Okay... maybe just a few days before christmas but they are gone! Grace people... Grace. So next year the goal is to get the christmas tree up on Thanksgiving, Take picture soon after, order cards and have them out by the end of the first week of December with a christmas letter.
This year I got the cards out but no letter. So the people that follow my blog can feel extra special because they are some of the few people that will see my christmas letter this year. I will post after Corben goes to sleep this evening.
So I know New Year's is right around the corner and I've been thinking about some of the things I want to change about my life. Not just because it's new years but because it is just part of my personality. I think it always a good thing to sit back and evaluate yourself, ask God to evaluate you and to even go so far as to write down some of the things you want to improve. So that will be another post soon but you already got a little taste. You guessed it - being timely with thank you notes, invites etc. is definitely one of those things!
Got to go love on my baby ~ stick around... my christmas letter is coming soon!
So in the tradition of my other fellow bloggers... A cup of cold water, and sterling and topaz. (Had to throw some link love your way).
I am going to post my christmas letter here. Well really it's the christmas letter I would have sent out. Okay, I'm not very good at the whole mail thing. Email I can do... but snail mail... not my niche. Those of you that have received thank you cards from me months later know this too well. Hey they got there didn't they... took me a while but I did it. This is one of the many areas of my life I am working on. I know the power of a handwritten note or thank you note so I am trying to make them more of a priority. Anyway! Little steps first... this year I did our first Christmas cards! Yay! They are really cute and have Corben's pic on it. I was so proud that I got those ordered and sent out. Okay... maybe just a few days before christmas but they are gone! Grace people... Grace. So next year the goal is to get the christmas tree up on Thanksgiving, Take picture soon after, order cards and have them out by the end of the first week of December with a christmas letter.
This year I got the cards out but no letter. So the people that follow my blog can feel extra special because they are some of the few people that will see my christmas letter this year. I will post after Corben goes to sleep this evening.
So I know New Year's is right around the corner and I've been thinking about some of the things I want to change about my life. Not just because it's new years but because it is just part of my personality. I think it always a good thing to sit back and evaluate yourself, ask God to evaluate you and to even go so far as to write down some of the things you want to improve. So that will be another post soon but you already got a little taste. You guessed it - being timely with thank you notes, invites etc. is definitely one of those things!
Got to go love on my baby ~ stick around... my christmas letter is coming soon!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A reply from the doctor post
I started to reply to the comments and decided it was getting too long so I might as well make it a post.
I do understand the pressure the doctors are under. Unfortunately, I think it leads to bad medical practice. Individual attention is sacrificed because of the assembly line system of care. Same thing happens with labor/birth. Your crazy if you want to do it another way. I think what Kelli is trying to say (correct me if I'm wrong) is that we wish the doctors would appreciate that we want to take an active roll in our children's medical care. They see it as an inconvenience and they are doing us a favor if they treat our child in the way we ask them to. Vaccination is something for each parent to take seriously and its totally between them and God. As long as you are educated about your decision and you think you are doing the best thing for your specific child then that is what you should do. Same thing with labor and delivery.
Your the parent, it should be your decision and that decision should be respected.
I'm not mad at the doctors, I'm mad at the system. Our system of medical care is broken. It's no wonder many mothers I've talked to have stopped doing well visits. The doctors don't want to listen to them or try to understand. Too many doctors have a God complex. And their are too many crazy people out there that don't respect doctors and just want to mow them over with their opinions. If you don't want to listen to your doctors opinion and get medical counsel. Then don't go to the doctor. Obviously you can take care of everything yourself (sarcasm). I know I need second opinions and I have questions... that's why I go. Does that mean I will do everything the doctor says... no. My doctor told me my milk hit a plateau at about 5 months and that I should start feeding him full servings of real food. I called a lactation consultant and she told me something completely different. Your milk doesn't hit a plateau. He's just going through a growth spurt and needs to eat more to get your milk supply up. I started letting him nurse more often and everything was fine. If I would have given him large servings of real food my milk supply would have went down which is the opposite of what Corben was trying to do.
Are doctors wrong sometimes? Yes. Do most of them want to admit it? No.
If you had 10 doctors in a room you would probably get 10 or maybe 8 different opinions.
I know they are doing the best they can with what they know, their experiences etc. But they need to at least entertain the idea that someone may want to do something different than what they suggest.
Medicine and science is ever-changing. One day coffee is bad for you the next day it isn't same thing with chocolate. One day Pluto is a planet and then the next day it's not.
I hope that one day they can without a doubt say that vaccines are safe for all children and that I can vaccinate without any concern. That would be wonderful. But right now.. I can't do that. Corben has already had a reaction to the dtap that he had for the first time at his last visit. You know the beautiful thing about that? If I would have followed the traditional schedule, I would have no idea which vaccine gave him the reaction. But because I separated it out I know exactly which one it was. I have reasons behind what I am doing. I'm not just doing it because its the "thing" to do. I wouldn't go through this much headache just because it's the "thing" to either be totally for vaccines or totally against them.
I want to feel like I can have open conversations with my doctor. I want to know what's going in Corben's body and how it affects my child. I want to give Corben as much time as possible to recover from each vaccine. I want to be able to know that I did everything I thought was right, if something does happen. Even with a modified schedule it doesn't ensure that my child won't be the 1 in 1000 or whatever the statistics are for each vaccine to get a serious reaction like seizures or brain damage. But this is what I have a peace about. I will have done what I thought was best and that is all I can do. That is all any parent can do.
I do understand the pressure the doctors are under. Unfortunately, I think it leads to bad medical practice. Individual attention is sacrificed because of the assembly line system of care. Same thing happens with labor/birth. Your crazy if you want to do it another way. I think what Kelli is trying to say (correct me if I'm wrong) is that we wish the doctors would appreciate that we want to take an active roll in our children's medical care. They see it as an inconvenience and they are doing us a favor if they treat our child in the way we ask them to. Vaccination is something for each parent to take seriously and its totally between them and God. As long as you are educated about your decision and you think you are doing the best thing for your specific child then that is what you should do. Same thing with labor and delivery.
Your the parent, it should be your decision and that decision should be respected.
I'm not mad at the doctors, I'm mad at the system. Our system of medical care is broken. It's no wonder many mothers I've talked to have stopped doing well visits. The doctors don't want to listen to them or try to understand. Too many doctors have a God complex. And their are too many crazy people out there that don't respect doctors and just want to mow them over with their opinions. If you don't want to listen to your doctors opinion and get medical counsel. Then don't go to the doctor. Obviously you can take care of everything yourself (sarcasm). I know I need second opinions and I have questions... that's why I go. Does that mean I will do everything the doctor says... no. My doctor told me my milk hit a plateau at about 5 months and that I should start feeding him full servings of real food. I called a lactation consultant and she told me something completely different. Your milk doesn't hit a plateau. He's just going through a growth spurt and needs to eat more to get your milk supply up. I started letting him nurse more often and everything was fine. If I would have given him large servings of real food my milk supply would have went down which is the opposite of what Corben was trying to do.
Are doctors wrong sometimes? Yes. Do most of them want to admit it? No.
If you had 10 doctors in a room you would probably get 10 or maybe 8 different opinions.
I know they are doing the best they can with what they know, their experiences etc. But they need to at least entertain the idea that someone may want to do something different than what they suggest.
Medicine and science is ever-changing. One day coffee is bad for you the next day it isn't same thing with chocolate. One day Pluto is a planet and then the next day it's not.
I hope that one day they can without a doubt say that vaccines are safe for all children and that I can vaccinate without any concern. That would be wonderful. But right now.. I can't do that. Corben has already had a reaction to the dtap that he had for the first time at his last visit. You know the beautiful thing about that? If I would have followed the traditional schedule, I would have no idea which vaccine gave him the reaction. But because I separated it out I know exactly which one it was. I have reasons behind what I am doing. I'm not just doing it because its the "thing" to do. I wouldn't go through this much headache just because it's the "thing" to either be totally for vaccines or totally against them.
I want to feel like I can have open conversations with my doctor. I want to know what's going in Corben's body and how it affects my child. I want to give Corben as much time as possible to recover from each vaccine. I want to be able to know that I did everything I thought was right, if something does happen. Even with a modified schedule it doesn't ensure that my child won't be the 1 in 1000 or whatever the statistics are for each vaccine to get a serious reaction like seizures or brain damage. But this is what I have a peace about. I will have done what I thought was best and that is all I can do. That is all any parent can do.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Another Doctor's Visit... yay
Okay, if you don't want to listen to a rant then stop reading. You know... I want to go to a doctors visit without being nervous. Why am I always the one choosing the most difficult way to do something. I think it would just be easy to either do vaccines or don't do them at all. Trying to do your own schedule is a pain!
This all stems from Corben's one year doctor's appointment today. My doctor informs me that there is a measles outbreak that has killed 45 people. So they are recommending every child get their vaccine as soon as possible. And if I didn't get the vaccine my doctor could no longer see Corben.
My first thought... "See you later." But I calmed down internally and started asking questions and explaining. Now, my doctor has been pretty good about our choice to do a modified schedule and has been very gracious. I know he is just doing his job and looking out for the good of his patients and his insurance bill. He explained that if Corben had measles and was in the waiting room and a 9 month old caught it from Corben then he would be personally liable. Okay, I want to strangle every person that is sue happy right now. A child could catch this kind of disease anywhere... Come ON! I'm not saying this is not a cause for concern for me. Of course when I hear there is an outbreak I want to do the best thing to protect my son.
So on our personal vaccine schedule we had the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine separated. We knew it would cost extra to do it that way but it is worth it to us. I had Mumps first on the schedule so I asked him if he would recommend to do the measles first instead. He said yes but he could still not see me unless I had all of them done. Wha? Why? I thought it was a measles outbreak? Measles... not mumps and rubella. On my schedule I have them spaced about a year apart. 15 months-mumps, 27 months rubella, 36 months measles. So that means Corben would not be seen until after 36 months if I continued with my current schedule. He offered to bring Corben in and seclude him so he could receive his shots etc. Which was nice. I know he was trying to do everything he could and save his rear-end as well. Which there is nothing wrong with that per-se. I'm just so fed up with the medical community and people that want to sue everyone with a stethoscope that doctors are afraid to pee without asking first.
We are trying to do what's best for our son and the doctor said he was just trying to do what's right for the thousands of patients he sees.
Was he implying that we weren't? Did we put our child in daycare with no vaccines and not try to breastfeed him so he would have antibodies and a strong immune system. NO, we choose to keep our child at home and breastfeed him exclusively. Because we made those decision we thought we were being responsible enough to modify the vaccine schedule the way we thought best. We were being considerate of others. We didn't put our son in a situation where he could easily contract a disease and give it to others. We took every precaution that was safe for our child and beneficial for others.
But we're the crazy ones! We're the inconvenient ones. Don't get me wrong... I'm not mad at my doctor.. a little frustrated, yes. I told him I totally understand where he is coming from... totally.. he's a medical professional. All he knows is what he has been indoctrinated with in medical school. Vaccines are better for the masses so that's what we should do. Vaccinate. No matter what. (I didn't verbalize all of that I just thought it).
I explained we would not be making these decisions about vaccines if Corben was in daycare etc. And I am just trying to do the best for my specific child. HEY THATS MY JOB IM HIS MOM!!!!
You know the first week they want to listen to your motherly instincts but eventually I guess you are supposed to hand over those to the doctor.
I'm just mad, frustrated, and my heart is broken from wondering if I'm going to have to make a medical decision about my child that I am forced into.
I'm looking into getting the measles vaccine separate asap. And I am going to continue to think and pray on the rest. Maybe this is my cue to find another doctor that will actually understand where I am coming from. Or maybe I should just stick it out and do my schedule the way I've already set out. We are both making our choices, him to not see us anymore and me to continue with what I think it right for my son and what I have a peace about.
He's my son, my responsibility, God entrusted him to my husband and I and we don't take that lightly.
Please know that I am venting and I'm sure I'll have this figured out soon. Just feels good to get all these thoughts out.
This all stems from Corben's one year doctor's appointment today. My doctor informs me that there is a measles outbreak that has killed 45 people. So they are recommending every child get their vaccine as soon as possible. And if I didn't get the vaccine my doctor could no longer see Corben.
My first thought... "See you later." But I calmed down internally and started asking questions and explaining. Now, my doctor has been pretty good about our choice to do a modified schedule and has been very gracious. I know he is just doing his job and looking out for the good of his patients and his insurance bill. He explained that if Corben had measles and was in the waiting room and a 9 month old caught it from Corben then he would be personally liable. Okay, I want to strangle every person that is sue happy right now. A child could catch this kind of disease anywhere... Come ON! I'm not saying this is not a cause for concern for me. Of course when I hear there is an outbreak I want to do the best thing to protect my son.
So on our personal vaccine schedule we had the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine separated. We knew it would cost extra to do it that way but it is worth it to us. I had Mumps first on the schedule so I asked him if he would recommend to do the measles first instead. He said yes but he could still not see me unless I had all of them done. Wha? Why? I thought it was a measles outbreak? Measles... not mumps and rubella. On my schedule I have them spaced about a year apart. 15 months-mumps, 27 months rubella, 36 months measles. So that means Corben would not be seen until after 36 months if I continued with my current schedule. He offered to bring Corben in and seclude him so he could receive his shots etc. Which was nice. I know he was trying to do everything he could and save his rear-end as well. Which there is nothing wrong with that per-se. I'm just so fed up with the medical community and people that want to sue everyone with a stethoscope that doctors are afraid to pee without asking first.
We are trying to do what's best for our son and the doctor said he was just trying to do what's right for the thousands of patients he sees.
Was he implying that we weren't? Did we put our child in daycare with no vaccines and not try to breastfeed him so he would have antibodies and a strong immune system. NO, we choose to keep our child at home and breastfeed him exclusively. Because we made those decision we thought we were being responsible enough to modify the vaccine schedule the way we thought best. We were being considerate of others. We didn't put our son in a situation where he could easily contract a disease and give it to others. We took every precaution that was safe for our child and beneficial for others.
But we're the crazy ones! We're the inconvenient ones. Don't get me wrong... I'm not mad at my doctor.. a little frustrated, yes. I told him I totally understand where he is coming from... totally.. he's a medical professional. All he knows is what he has been indoctrinated with in medical school. Vaccines are better for the masses so that's what we should do. Vaccinate. No matter what. (I didn't verbalize all of that I just thought it).
I explained we would not be making these decisions about vaccines if Corben was in daycare etc. And I am just trying to do the best for my specific child. HEY THATS MY JOB IM HIS MOM!!!!
You know the first week they want to listen to your motherly instincts but eventually I guess you are supposed to hand over those to the doctor.
I'm just mad, frustrated, and my heart is broken from wondering if I'm going to have to make a medical decision about my child that I am forced into.
I'm looking into getting the measles vaccine separate asap. And I am going to continue to think and pray on the rest. Maybe this is my cue to find another doctor that will actually understand where I am coming from. Or maybe I should just stick it out and do my schedule the way I've already set out. We are both making our choices, him to not see us anymore and me to continue with what I think it right for my son and what I have a peace about.
He's my son, my responsibility, God entrusted him to my husband and I and we don't take that lightly.
Please know that I am venting and I'm sure I'll have this figured out soon. Just feels good to get all these thoughts out.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Who knew type was so much fun?
Another cool video. Done completely with typography. Way cool.. okay maybe it's just me. :)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Corben's Birthday
Well, I think we finally decided to wait until the first few weeks of January to have Corben's first birthday party. I know he doesn't know the difference but I hate to celebrate a month after! Oh well what can you do? Chad isn't allowed to ask off for specific days during the holidays so we never know when he might be off on a Saturday or Sunday. I really don't want to throw a party together last minute either. If you aren't going to do it right then why do it? I hate doing things half way, so we are going to wait... as much as it kills me. I think more people would be able to make it too because it won't be right in the middle of the holidays.
So I'll continue to plan. The theme is still "BEEP, BEEP Corben is turning one," with simple cars in light blue and red I think. I'm finding all these cute things you can make into cars for party favors.I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed by it all. Throwing a kids party is something I've never done before. I've got all these ideas whirling around in my head and I think I'm just getting dizzy from it all. I think this calls for some hands-on Gifton time. I can always think better when I'm doing a craft with my hands, drawing or painting. It relaxes me almost instantly. I guess it gives my mind one thing to focus on and nothing else!
So I'll continue to plan. The theme is still "BEEP, BEEP Corben is turning one," with simple cars in light blue and red I think. I'm finding all these cute things you can make into cars for party favors.I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed by it all. Throwing a kids party is something I've never done before. I've got all these ideas whirling around in my head and I think I'm just getting dizzy from it all. I think this calls for some hands-on Gifton time. I can always think better when I'm doing a craft with my hands, drawing or painting. It relaxes me almost instantly. I guess it gives my mind one thing to focus on and nothing else!
Friday, December 5, 2008
That's right baby... we're multiplying!!! mwahaha!
I'm so excited I can barely put it into words. I got this email today and it just made my year! This is just too sweet, I had to share...
Hi Gifton,
How are you doing? Looks like you are doing well for yourself. Little Corben is very precious! There truly is no greater gift than the love of your own children. When we (Tj and I)were pregnant the second time around I wanted to name my daughter with a G name to go with my son's Grady. Well I named her Kimberly Gifton. I always liked your name and it was so original! So sometimes we call her Kimberly and sometimes we call her Gifton and sometimes we call her both. But if it weren't for you I would have never have heard the name before, to have named my daughter. We had such a hard time picking names and agreeing on a name, b/c My husband would mention a name and I would say definitely not b/c the name would remind me of some person I did not wish to think about every time we said her name. So With the name Gifton, I said "ok, I only know one Gifton and she was always very kind and smart" so there you go, that is how my daughter got her name. Just thought you might like to
know. Boy this was lengthy. I hope you are doing well and please keep in touch.
Love,
Jennifer
This was from an acquaintance that I knew in high school that looked me up on faceboook. She was such a sweet girl and apparently she thought the same :)
So that's right people... there is more than one of me out there... so watch out!
How cool is that?!
Hi Gifton,
How are you doing? Looks like you are doing well for yourself. Little Corben is very precious! There truly is no greater gift than the love of your own children. When we (Tj and I)were pregnant the second time around I wanted to name my daughter with a G name to go with my son's Grady. Well I named her Kimberly Gifton. I always liked your name and it was so original! So sometimes we call her Kimberly and sometimes we call her Gifton and sometimes we call her both. But if it weren't for you I would have never have heard the name before, to have named my daughter. We had such a hard time picking names and agreeing on a name, b/c My husband would mention a name and I would say definitely not b/c the name would remind me of some person I did not wish to think about every time we said her name. So With the name Gifton, I said "ok, I only know one Gifton and she was always very kind and smart" so there you go, that is how my daughter got her name. Just thought you might like to
know. Boy this was lengthy. I hope you are doing well and please keep in touch.
Love,
Jennifer
This was from an acquaintance that I knew in high school that looked me up on faceboook. She was such a sweet girl and apparently she thought the same :)
So that's right people... there is more than one of me out there... so watch out!
How cool is that?!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
No-Conditioner
Okay, I've finally jumped ship. Of course you know this is going to be another trial of something natural as opposed to some manufactured etc. So... I have been having some issues with itchy scalp since Corben was born. I've just assumed that is was my hormones changing etc. But it is still bothering me and Corben is one!
So I did some digging and some said to rinse your hair in apple cider vinegar and I also found some people that use this as a conditioner.. something about it balances your ph blah blah. So I thought why not?
All you do is put a few tablespoons of ACV in a glass and fill the rest with water and pour it over your hair in the shower.
Itching is mostly gone after two hair washes and my hair is sooo soft. I love it. I think I'm sold. You don't even have to rinse it out if you don't want to. It doesn't smell after you dry your hair by the way. Works like a charm. Next step is going totally no-poo with baking soda and water. We'll see what happens. Sara, I know what your thinking... "What a dirty hippie!"
I guess if the shoe fits.. who can deny it?
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