Mommies Just Know

Me: "Jacin, his tummy is hurting."
Jacin: "How do you know that?
Me: "I don't know..."
Jacin: "Are you a doctor or something? He can't tell you what's wrong."
Me: "Well, Mommies just know."
And it's true. I can't explain it, and Jacin probably thinks I'm crazy, but I can't explain it. Mommies just know. Babies are a mystery, especially since they can't tell you what's wrong, but Mommies do a pretty good job of figuring it out. Mommies just know.

Puke and Poop

Oh yes, that's right, puke and poop. According to Jackson's daycare teachers, that's all he did today. And maybe some crying. Yikes. The doctor blames it on a stomach virus. Tonight Jacin and my WONDERFUL in-laws cuddled him and fed him Pedialyte every few minutes while I was at work. Now the JBird is sleeping like a rock. Really. He's not moving. If I couldn't see his stomach moving ever-so-slightly up and down, I'd seriously be worried. He's OUT! I'm taking tomorrow off to be with him. He's kept the Pedialyte down (so far) tonight, so maybe he will feel much better tomorrow. Either way, I'm looking forward to spending a day with my Bird tomorrow... puke, poop, or not.

The Spit-Up King

Well, I have officially dubbed Jackson the Spit-Up King. Geez, the kids spits-up all the time! I really don't see how he could possibly be holding down any of the milk he's taking. Meanwhile, in the midst of soaking himself and his surroundings with "twice-as-nice" milk, he seems very happy! Right now one of his favorite things is to be tickled. It makes him laugh like crazy.
Because I'm having trouble keeping up with all the laundry constant spit-up yields, I called the pediatrician for some advice. She suggested adding rice cereal to his bottle. Okay, I'm willing to try it. This evening I gave him his bottle with cereal added to it, and the results were disasterous. His little tummy obviously did not approve. When I held him, I could actually feel his tummy rumbling. He cried and cried until he finally drifted off to sleep in Jacin's arms. Oh, wait, scratch that. He just woke up screaming. Booo. Maybe he just needs some time to adjust to the cereal in his bottle. I guess we'll see.
Gotta go rock my baby!

The King getting some tickle time!

PostPartum Celebration

Tonight I read an article a friend shared with me about America's lack of respect for new mothers. The writer described the rituals and celebrations other cultures hold after a mother gives birth. He went on to tell about members of the community who serve and care for the Mom for several weeks after she gives birth. The author pointed out that, for most of us, the extent of our service for a new Mom is a casserole. It was an interesting read, but I'm glad to say that my experience as a new Mom has been different. Though I've definitely had times of frustration (and maybe even temporary despair), I have been fortunate enough to have incredible support from family and friends. It's definitely a shocking transitioning into motherhood - sleepless nights, sore boobs, fluffy body, crazy hormones, etc. Thanks to my friends and family, though, I have been able to enjoy the ride (for the most part) and celebrate the blessing that Jackson truly is. I'm especially thankful for my Mom, who stayed with us for the first few weeks, teaching me all kinds of things and helping me in innumerable ways. Thanks, Mom. I pray that I'll learn to mother like you.

All Grown Up

This weekend we attended a wedding of one of my youth from Calvary Baptist. It was the 2nd wedding I've been to recently where one of "my kids" got hitched. I have to admit that it's difficult to see "my kids" grow up. It seems like just yesterday that I was a recent college-grad working at CBC and loving on these kids as middle and high schoolers. I didn't realize it at the time, but that group of CBC kids I was privileged enough to share life with was an extremely unique group. The lives of those kids and their families radiated love and acceptance. While in the youth ministry, I tried to be an example and teach the youth about Christ. Only later did I realize that they had taught me much more. Though we all will grow up and follow different paths, I'm so thankful that God allowed me to love and be loved by that special group of Calvary families.

Starting Out

I really enjoy reading blogs. Sitting in front of the computer at night is my "me-time." I love reading about other people's daily lives and gaining wisdom from their experiences and insight. I've thought about blogging myself for a while, but bristled at the idea of baring my inner thoughts to the world online. I've finally decided that the relaxation and enjoyment blogging might bring outweighs the risk. I'm not sure anyone will actually read this, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to journal about the daily lives of the Burns' family.
By the way, the name of the blog comes from my husband, Jacin. One of his favorite things to do is to sing popular songs and change the lyrics as he goes. The subjects that frequently come up in his nonsense songs are squirrels and chickens. Jacin has even started calling our son Jackson "squirrely" when he's wild and "little chicken" when he's hungry. It may seem strange, but squirrels and chickens are often discussed in our household, with lots of smiles and laughter. Hope you too have squirrely days and chicken nights.