I am so sorry that the world is so mean and rude. I am so sorry for the pain and sorrow that you will experience from acquaintences and strangers, but also from us, your mom and dad, and others close to you; the very ones who are given by God to love and encourage you. You precious dear girl – the world can be so confining and controlling, so aweful and hurtful. I wish you didn’t have to experience it, and yet I don’t wish for what that would mean. I pray for so much more time with you, getting to know you and having fun together. There is also so much beauty here, and many wonderful things that I look forward to sharing with you.

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

~~ John 17:14-19

The truth is, the world in which we live is not at peace. You, like us and everyone else, have been born into a war. That is why it can be so aweful, mean, and sad, and yet so lovely, kind, and joyful. So broken, and yet so beautiful. There is a fight going on here, between the God of the universe and the enemy. God creates beauty, and the enemy trys to destroy it. God has already won, though - that is certain – so there is no need to be afraid. God sent Jesus, and He is our salvation. He gives us a special light and a special message of grace that the world is desperate for, and yet it comes against us for that very reason. So we must put on our armor: peace, truth, hope, faith, the sword of the spirit / God’s word, and the helmet of salvation. We must, little one, because the world is so dangerous.

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” ~~ Ephesians 6:14-17

One thing is certain: Jesus is on our side (or rather, we are on His side), and it is safe for you to entrust your heart and your life to Him. Whenever you are happy, He will rejoice with you. Whenever you are sad or hurt, He will comfort you. Whenever you are in need of something, He will help you. He will never fail you; you can trust Him completely.

Little Hannah, God has entrusted you to our care, and it is our desire and intention to keep you safe. We do make mistakes though, and like you, we get frustrated. I pray for your understanding and forgiveness. You are such a joy to us. We love watching you learn and grow. You light up our lives, baby girl, and we are so thankful for you, and to be your mom and dad. I pray that your life would be wonderful, joyful, beautiful, full of love and peace, with many dear friends and family. I pray that you would have a sense of purpose and fulfillment in your life. Most of all, I pray that you would love our Lord Jesus, and enjoy His presence and guidance in your whole life.  

For now, we must take heart, and trust in our Lord and our God. We must go out into the world with our light and our message and be bold and courageous, until our sovereign, gracious God calls us home to His kingdom.

Mother, oh mother, come shake out your cloth!
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby. Babies don’t keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
(first appeared, Ladies Home Journal, October 1958)

What really helped me was a book called “Diaper Free Before Three” because it approached the subject in a much more relaxed way than anything I had read before. It suggested beginning simply, at what ever age you wanted, and just taking the baby to the potty/toilet as part of your daily routine. First once a day, then twice, etc, and at whatever time is easiest or most convenient for you, really. When you wake up, before you eat, after you eat, before you go out, when you come back, before a bath, after a nap, before bed, etc. You just begin with whatever you can handle, and build on it as you’re comfortable. And your baby learns that going to the potty/toilet is just part of the day, like eating, rather than when they are older and it becomes an interruption to their play and something to fight over. (http://www.diaperfreebefore3.com/excerpt.html)

Something else that I got from her book is: The sooner you start, the sooner you finish – generally. So that helps to motivate me (as well as my great dislike for changing diapers…), because I will have to deal with this eventually. There is no stress at all though, or guilt. It was a relief to me, because the goal was no longer to always be observant to Hannah for her ‘signs’ and trying to ‘catch’ every pee. It is just a simple matter of working the potty/toilet in to both of our daily routines and us both becoming familiar with it as just a part of our day. The other big thing for me is that it *is* working.

I can’t remember when I first discovered that Hannah would wake from her naps and cry/fuss because her bladder was full and she needed to pee, but that was where I started: whenever she wakes from her nap, I take her to the toilet, and 95% of the time she will pee. More recently, I suspected that her diaper was hardly wet all night and that she was having a major pee first thing in the morning before we even got out of bed. So I got up and took her to the bathroom, and to my incredible surprise, her diaper was completely dry, and she really peed. I’ve only found a dry diaper a couple times, but 90% of the time she will still pee. (The other 10% is when I don’t get up because I’m too cozy or sleepy…)

One of the coolest days was Christmas Eve day – I took her to the bathroom about 6 times during the day, and she pretty much stayed dry. The only times I had to change her, I know when she peed but I didn’t trust my intuition or I was feeling lazy. Also, on that day, her signalling me was so clear. I don’t know if it was her or me (I think it was me…), but I didn’t have anything else to think about, so I was more perceptive I guess about what she was ‘saying’. I don’t know, but it was so cool. I felt so close to her after that day, like we really had something going!

You are so beautiful and peaceful as you lie here, asleep on my lap. Your left arm is around my waist; your right arm lies by your side, bending at your elbow, fingers touching my skin. Your head rests on the pillow that it shares with my left arm. Your mouth softly holds my nipple.

The dryer buzzed, and it startled you awake; nursing comforted you back to sleep.

I love your closeness and your quiet breathing.

You learned to crawl this week! You are so pleased, as are we. It is such a delight to us to see your joy and independance as you explore our little apartment. There is a brightly colored box of videos on the lower shelf of our tv stand; you love to crawl over to it, take the lid off, and dump everything out. Your confidence in your abilities and purpose is cool to see. I love it when you follow me down the hallway, or come looking for me when I am in the kitchen.

You laugh the most when Daddy tickles you and gives you a wisker rub – and when he tosses you lightly into the air. You have full confidence in him to catch you.

You are so happy and bright. I love the way your face lights up when you see us, and when we play together. I can see that you love us, and that you know we love you too.

Blessings to you, dear girl, as you sleep.

Love, Mommy

Written by Jean Leidloff.

http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading/whosInControl.html

 *****

This is really interesting! It is about the lack of ‘terrible twos’, tantrums, and disobedience in the South American Yequana Indian culture. Instead, toddlers and children are happy, relaxed, and respectful. They run, shout, laugh, and play outside, but are quiet and helpful inside the huts.

“The crucial difference is that the Yequana are not child-centered. They may occasionally nuzzle their babies affectionately, play peek-a-boo, or sing to them, yet the great majority of the caretaker’s time is spent paying attention to something else…not the baby! Children taking care of babies also regard baby care as a non-activity and, although they carry them everywhere, rarely give them direct attention. Thus, Yequana babies find themselves in the midst of activities they will later join as they proceed through the stages of creeping, crawling, walking, and talking. The panoramic view of their future life’s experiences, behavior, pace, and language provides a rich basis for their developing participation.”

“In other words, because a toddler wants to learn what his people do, he expects to be able to center his attention on an adult who is centered on her own business. An adult who stops whatever she is doing and tries to ascertain what her child wants her to do is short-circuiting this expectation. Just as significantly, she appears to the tot not to know how to behave, to be lacking in confidence and, even more alarmingly, looking for guidance from him, a two or three year old who is relying on her to be calm, competent, and sure of herself.”

This is enlightening to me, because of my experience so far with Hannah. When she was only two months old, we went to our friend C’s birthday party and Hannah absolutely loved it. She was calm, alert, and interested in everyone and everything. She sat on our laps, or was handed from person to person. She only ‘fussed’ a few times when she wanted to come back to me, when she needed food, and when she was getting tired. 

As the months have passed, I have wondered if certain fussiness is just boredom. There are just some times that she is tired of her toys, and seemingly tired of me. This article gives a good explanation as to why. Hannah  is the most fussy when I dont have anything to do, and she is almost always calm when something is going on. It could be that we are out with family, friends, shopping, or just going for a walk, or as little as being carried around the house while I put things away. 

So I guess I need to find more for us to do. Lol.

This is a picture I took yesterday:

I sat her down by the red blanket facing towards the exersaucer. The next time I turned around she was pushing up on her her hands and knees/toes in the middle of the Baby Einstein, facing the opposite way. And the next time I turned around, she was sitting right there by the exersaucer. What a surprise! She has never done that before.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love you, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
And take us to heaven, to live with you there.