For those of you who don’t know, our golden retriever, Ryleigh, has a humongous head. Huge. It is a little ridiculous. And, when Ryleigh was a just a small pup, she learned that she could use said head to open/move things. So, at age 6, she still rams things like doors, gates, and Gracey (our other dog) with her massive noggin in order to get them to obey her will.
Chloe, who loves our dogs and desperately wants to be part of the pack, has picked up on this hidden talent of Ryleigh’s and accordingly has started to try and butt things with her head. Chloe’s head is not as large as Ryleigh’s, nor as hard, so most of the time Chloe just ends up yelling because it hurts. The whole ordeal is 3 parts sad and 1 part funny…is it bad that I laugh at my child in pain? Currently, Chloe’s little forehead has 3 small bruises inflicted upon it from where she tried to ram something out of the way and the thing won. Hopefully, this is just a small phase, and she will quickly learn that her hands are more adept at moving things than her head. What a special girl we have!!
Originally, I had wanted to use cloth diapers with our wee little babe, but Jeremy was a little more than unsure about my green ideas. Then, when Chloe was two months old, some of the people in my hometown of Borger, Texas threw us a diaper shower and blessed us with an abundance of disposables. (she is now ten months along, and we have yet to buy diapers–thank you for your generosity!) Once we had the diaper shower, the debate became a moot point, and we trucked merrily along using Pampers. But, like they say, all good things must come to an end, and we are down to our last few boxes of disposable diapers.
Once our supply began to dwindle, I got back on the cloth diaper track, because honestly, I am cheap, and so are cloth diapers. We are like a match made in heaven. But, once again, my husband was unsure. So, we decided to compromise and buy a “trial run” supply of cloth diapers. I was immediately sold! Jeremy is slowly coming along. But as of this week, Chloe is officially a cloth diaper baby…at least when she is with me. When she is with dad , disposable diapers are still being used…until we run out or he gets comfortable with the idea!
Because I love cloth diapers, I feel like you should too! I know they are intimidating, but maybe if I introduce you, you can become friends and live happily ever after in your cheap heaven as well. So, without further adieu, here we go:
The covers. We are using the flip diaper system, and it is fantastic. The covers come in an amazing array of fun colors, and they are all snaps–no hassling with velcro and super easy to adjust.
The soakers. Sounds intimidating, but these are super easy. You just fold one of these suckers (on the clearly spelled out lines), and slap it in your cover. You can tuck in under the flaps in the cover or you can just lay it in…depends on your mood or availability of time. They are extra absorbent, and the soft suede-like top wicks all the moisture away from your sweet baby’s behind.
The liners. These are an optional feature for cloth diapers, but I believe they are mandatory. It catches all of the “solids” your little one produces. You lay it on top of the soaker when it is about that time of day; then, when stink appears, you can just yank it out and flush it down the toilet. Heavenly…and much less stinky.
The baby bum. (my favorite part) These diapers are a little more bulky than your average disposable, but Chloe is kind of small, so I like that it beefs her up some! All in all, the diaper fits nicely in all of her clothes and gives her a cute little J-Lo booty.
The finished product. You can barely see the diaper peeking out through the edges of her little onsie.
Let me start by saying that Chloe is in love with animals. IN LOVE. She loves our dogs. She grabs whatever part of them she can whenever they are in her reach, and she smiles from ear to ear each time they enter the room. In the cabin that we shacked up at in Beaver’s Bend, there was a GIANT elk head hanging on the wall (translation: creepy), and she loved it. She waved to it every time we passed it (apx 50 times a day), and she crooned her head to find it as often as possible. There was also a small bear-shaped table that was disturbingly life-like and about the size of a dog in our cabin. When she first saw it, Chloe giggled and clapped with delight. She was very disappointed to find out that it was not as responsive as our two puppies at home.
Since our baby has so much love for animals, we decided to take her to the OKC zoo! It is around 100 million degrees here in Oklahoma right now, so we just took an abbreviated tour to the petting zoo and the aquarium. They just redid the childrens’ zoo, and it combines two of Chloe’s favorite things: small, furry animals and water. It was a massive success.
We started off the morning by chasing around some goats, petting a rabbit, and laughing at the donkey.
Then we played in the splash park until we were sufficiently soaked.
After that, we visited the Lorikeets. If you get a chance to go, DO–it is very entertaining. The birds land right on you, so we had a chance to feed them, and Chloe had a chance to get bit by one (don’t worry–she wasn’t hurt, and it took about 3 bites from the bird for her to finally figure out that she should stop sticking her little fingers in its beak).
We finished up our zoo adventure with a tour of the aquarium. At this point, the small one was pretty tuckered out and was angry that she couldn’t pet the fish like the goats and rabbit…consequently, we have no pictures. But, all in all, it was a wonderful time!
As of the past 2 weeks, Chloe has developed some major entitlement issues, and it is quite a sight to behold! Everything exists for her exploration and her amusement…absolutely EVERYTHING! The clementine I am eating–it’s Chloe’s. The telephone I am trying to talk to daddy on–Chloe’s. The toilet bowl–also Chloe’s. Ryleigh’s fur–you guessed it, Chloe’s! Her curiosity is endearing, but the fits that follow if you do not hand over her object of desire are incredible. These said fits range from a small squeal of anger (imagine an angry pig) to an all out throwing herself on the ground, stomping her feet and screaming (imagine an angry banshee).
While laughing and watching Chloe throw her ridiculous tantrums, I have once again been struck by the realization that she and I are all too similar. I feel as if I am entitled to much–a comfortable life, peace of mind, my own time, feeling love towards and from all my fellow Christians…the list goes on and on. And, like Chloe, I do not behave attractively if my self-proclaimed rights are not met. I do throw tantrums (ask my husband), but most often I express my unhappiness in a more civilized manner: by harboring bitterness, anxiety, jealousy or insecurity (all beautiful qualities, of course).
Yet when I look to God’s word, there is no mention of my “rights.” There are promises of fruits of the Spirit, peace and comfort from God, but these gifts are not given in the way that I feel I deserve them–at my demand and without restraint. And because of this, I have found that I fear to lay my life in the hands of an untamed God and allow Him to do as He pleases. He does not promise me an easy life, and that thought is uncomfortable to me. He does promises Christ, and honestly, this thought is often uncomfortable to me as well. My heart and mind fear trading in my rights for Christ. Unlike the writers of the Bible, I have yet to fully embrace Him as life and life more abundantly. Yet, in Christ, there is LIFE, not to mention peace, joy, love, comfort, companionship…but it comes by resting in Him and rejoicing in Him–not as a pay out of something I have merited.
So, instead of growing embittered by what I feel I deserve, I am going to be thankful for the daily blessings that I don’t: like another day with Jeremy and Chloe, a roof over my head, clothes to wear in my closet, clean water, a good night’s sleep, a family who loves me… I am going to sing of the love of Christ that has given me this and more. And when I come to bumps in the road, I am going to praise Him all the more, knowing that these momentary sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed.
Lord, help me to surrender my rights and to embrace You.
Nothing says summer to me like a dip in the pool! I love it!!
This weekend, we went to Dallas to see Jeremy off to Moscow, Russia! (he is going on a two week mission trip with CRU–prayers much appreciated!) It was our first time in a hotel with Chloe, and she did wonderfully! During the day, Jeremy was in meetings with the team, so Chloe and I scoured the hotel for things to keep her amused. We found the hotel staff (she would wave, smile, and flirt every time we saw them), college kids (also loved to smile at them), the elevator, and her favorite–the pool! The first trip to the pool was a wild success, and she soaked everything that she had on through and through! Trip two, I stripped her down to her diaper (forgot to pack swimsuits), and she really went at it! (Ignore me in this…I am awkward for some reason…)
Chloe talks all of the time now. I keep trying to record her, but every time she sees the video camera she clams up and just stares at me. I feel like I am in that Looney Tunes cartoon where the man finds the singing frog. Every time they are alone the frog busts out with a top hat and a show tune, but as soon as someone else enters the room, the frog sits and just says, “Ribbit.” Eventually, people start calling the man crazy. I am not crazy. One day I will catch her and share the adorableness of her jabbering with the world! It is so sweet to listen to. She will sit in my lap and gesture and talk like we are having a great conversation; most of it sounds like ,”Mamamamama and bababababa,” with random clicking noises throughout. Yesterday she tried to talk to Gracey (our lab) who in turn just stared at Chloe like she was crazy. Lots of craziness in our house!
Chloe also has a tooth. Well the beginnings of a tooth…it is really just a little nub right now. She has worked very hard at cutting it in–thus the tantrums. *random confession: I have had this post in my head for about a week now (since Chloe started teething and jabbering non-stop), but I could not think of another “t” item to go in the title, so I postponed writing it. Yesterday mid-tantrum, I got so excited because I finally had another t! Ridiculous, I know…but it is the kindergarten teacher in me!* Overall, teething really hasn’t been too bad. The hardest part was that she went on a hunger strike in the midst of it all. (apparently this is a normal reaction to teeth, but since this is our first baby, “normal” is unknown to us). I DID go a little crazy over that. But, by the grace of God, she has gained tons of weight over the past week, so I am off the crazy train!
Chloe on the floor post tantrum...
And the tantrums are slightly funny. She mainly has them when one of 3 things happen: 1) You interrupt her playing/take something away from her, 2) Her teeth hurt, 3) She is sleepy. For the most party, you can simply kiss her, distract her or snuggle her and the tears quickly fade away.
Chloe is terrific (another t!!) and we love her so much!
No silly! We are not having another baby! But, we have been married for FOUR years today! Hooray! On this day, four years ago, I was so blessed to see Jeremy standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me. It was a long road to get there, but it was well worth the wait! I love my husband so much, and it has been such a privilege to grow with him! He is daily becoming a man of character and worth. He is a loving husband who seeks ways to serve me, challenges me in my often stubborn ways, and humbles me with his love. He is a doting father in whom our daughter will be blessed to find shelter in. He is an excellent provider. He is a lover of Jesus and is always looking for ways to lead us toward Him. He is my one true love, and for that, I praise the Lord! I am so lucky that I get to be molded and shaped with him for the rest of our lives! I love you Jeremy Alan Horton!!!!!
April 8, 2006! “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. His banner over me is love.”
