Then the devil Leaveth {her}

I feel like I have fallen off the blog train lately. Between having the most needy infant, taking care of a home and all its needs, and other obligations, I feel like I have no time for myself anymore.

BUT

I am trying to put Eleanor down just a little earlier for bed now and taking just a few minutes for myself at the end of the day. Hopefully this will stick.

I wanted to share with you though a small testimony that has been on my heart for the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago, my pastor preached about "The five most important words in the Bible". I was so curious as to what he thinks are the bibles most important words. He finally shared the answer to the questions that I was asking in my head.. "Then the devil leaveth him." He talked about the many men and women in the bible that were devil possessed and that when they were prayed for, the devil left them. The devil couldn't harm them or hurt them anymore.

He shared a story with the church about his family many years ago. He, his wife and young daughter were staying in the back of a church where they pastored. He said that one night the presence of the devil was so strong that everyone could feel it. He said his wife could feel it, he could feel it and even though his daughter was a year old, she could feel it. He said that their young girl started crying. She cried and screamed and it seemed like nothing they did would stop her. She would scream for hours.

This really hit a note with me. It seemed like he told this story just for me. You see, for the three nights leading up to that service, Eleanor had the worst time sleeping. She would go down to bed for 20 minutes, then wake up in a scream of terror. She screamed like someone (or something) was hurting or frightening her. Nothing that John or I would do would calm her down. She literally screamed for 3 or 4 hours straight. She refused to nurse, take a bottle, be rocked, or played with. At first we thought it was her teething. We gave her teething tablets. Nope. We gave her Tylenol. Nada. We took her Pajamas off, thinking she had a hair or a string that was hurting her. No thanks.

I prayed and cried over her every night for three nights. Then Sunday came and he told that story. I was convinced then, that there was something that was keeping Eleanor from her sleepy time. That evening, I had a prayer cloth anointed for her (Ended up being a dirty burp cloth, Eh..). I had multiple people pray over it, that there would be peace in her room and that the evil spirits that were scaring her would leave.

Then bedtime came again. I prayed one last time. The night wasn't a perfect night. She did wake up, but she was not nearly as bad as she was before. Then Monday nights bedtime came. She was even better. Each night from then on got just a little bit better. She sleeps now fairly well. She gets up to eat once in a while, but now I can at least sleep for a few hours, knowing that God is protecting my little pickle from all those evil spirits. I have now gotten into the habit of adding a few prayers into her nightly prayers.

"God, send your angels to protect Eleanor tonight. I pray a hedge of protection around her. Keep her safe from everything around her. Give her peace of mind. Let her know that she is safe and that YOU are watching over her. Let her know that she is safe to sleep in peace and to wake up happy. No evil can enter into this house. No evil can enter in this room, for YOU are here. We are not afraid of the devil, for he cannot come near us when You protect us, God. You are the almighty God. I thank for for all the blessings you've given us. In Jesus Name, Amen."

Those fishy lips though! AH!

Why I do CLOTH

As many of you know, I chose to cloth diaper Eleanor. I chose cloth diapers for SO many reasons. And I don't think some people really understand. Here is what I hear on a regular basis when the topic of cloth diapers come up.

"That's so cool. I've never heard of cloth diapering before"

"Ew, really? That's so gross"

"How do you handle the poop?"

"Its so much more work than disposables."

"Cloth diapering. Like prefolds and rubber pants?"

Lets take this comment by comment.


Yes, I cloth diaper my child. Cloth diapering dates back to the very beginning of time. People needed to catch pee and poop and even those little stone age and bible day babies needed something on their bum.

Gross? How can it be more gross than disposables? every time my little one had a blow out in a disposable, there was ALWAYS leakage. Didn't matter if I waited until E was finished pooping, or changed her at the first sign of poop. there was always a change of clothes or even a bath in her near future. So riddle me this: How is changing a cloth diaper more gross than changing a diaper, changing clothes, and even sheets or blankets if those were in the way when baby pooped? Do you throw a onsie or a pair of pants away if the baby pees or poops in them? No. How is cloth diapering different if soiled linens and clothes go into the wash to be cleaned but its nasty if cloth diapers go in the wash?

How do I handle the poop?
Well, I am a parent. I have a baby. That means there is pretty much no way around it. I am going to handle poop. Its not like those cute little diaper commercials where they drop 2 tablespoons of liquid in a diaper. Those kids SOAK them. And they poop. Big time. Part of being a parent, means you have to handle poop. But if you're asking how I get it out of the cloth diapers, that's also another story. Breastfed baby poo is water-soluble. So there is no need to scrape, dunk or spray that booby poop. :) Once baby is eating real food, you can get a diaper sprayer that sprays the poo away in the toilet. so I really don't have to touch it there either. No more than a 'sposie.

Its so much more work than disposables
The only difference between cloth and disposables, is one more load of laundry every three or four days. Its no more work changing a cloth diaper, than a disposable.  You change a diaper, just like a disposable. Take the diaper off, put it in the pail, wipe baby and put a new cloth diaper on!

Cloth diapering, like rubber pants and prefolds?
Nah, cloth diapering has come a long way since your grandma diapered her kiddos. they have so many different kinds of cloth diapers.. All-in-one, pocket diapers, diaper covers and inserts, and fitted hybrids. Most of these types are just different types that just fit a little differently, depending on the size of your baby, or the preference that you and your family prefer. I'll explain all that later in another post!

So here are the top 5 reasons why I cloth diaper:

1. Disposable diapers have chemicals in their diapers. Those little beady things that absorb all the liquid? Those are special chemicals designed to absorb any and all liquid that it comes in contact with. That means that it can dry out the baby's skin and cause a rash. Also, if the diaper is defective, those little beads can leak out onto the baby and can cause chemical burns. I saw a story once that a mama laid her baby down for a nap and the diaper the babe was wearing a 'sposie. She woke the baby up to find that the diaper leaked all the way down his leg, causing severe second degree burns on the baby's legs. That just broke my heart! As a mama, I would feel AWFUL if that happened to my Pickle.

2. Cost. Diapering a baby in disposables can cost in the upwards of $2000 for 2 years. cloth diapers are more of an upfront cost, but save a TON of money in the long run. So far, I think I have spent about $400 on cloth for baby #1. When baby #2 comes along (which wont be for a LONG time), I can use them again for another few years. If I have a boy, there are Buy/sell/trade sites that I can trade my girly colored or printed diapers for boyish prints. So, if I spent about $500 total (because lets face it, it can be addicting), I will have spent $500 on two kids in cloth, or about $4000 for two kids in disposables. And that's just for two kids. Lots of families have more children than 2.

3.Diaper rash. Or lack thereof. When Eleanor was born, I put her in disposables, just because that's what the hospital prefers. Also, Since Eleanor was a little on the small side, she wouldn't fit into the One Size diapers I got for her (they made newborn diapers, but I didn't invest in any, just because I didn't know how big she would be). from the moment we brought her home from the hospital, she had a diaper rash. Bad. Like raw, bleeding rash. It was awful. I hated that in her first moments of life, she was already hurt. No one wants to see their little squishy baby in pain! :( When Eleanor was big enough, we put her right in cloth. Within a day or two, the rash was gone! Sometimes she gets a little red on her bum, and instead of using diaper rash cream, we put coconut oil and it clears it right up! FYI, you aren't supposed to use the regular diaper rash cream on cloth. Only certain ones are "cloth safe".

4. Cloth diapers make literally no waste. They are used, cleaned and used again. The water that is used, is often cleaned, purified and used again. Even though disposables are "biodegradable", they still take YEARS to decompose. And that's only if the diapers are exposed to air. Most diapers quickly become covered by other trash and can take hundreds of years to decompose.

5. The prints on the diapers are just darling! I can't get over how cute some colors are. And the prints. It just makes my heart so happy to see such a cute little fluffy butt rolling around on the floor. Not some paper diaper that crinkles and isn't pretty to look at. Yes, It is covered most of the time in public, but its just too cute to cover up sometimes.

BUT LOOK HOW CUTE SHE IS!!

 This is Eleanor when she was a bit younger. She was about 4 months here. She is with her cloth friend, Kai. And they matched! Seriously, it doesn't get any cuter than that!

And it doesn't have to be all about prints. My sister came over one day and E just happened to be hanging out in this shirt and dipe. She ended up doing a little Impromptu photo shoot and it turned out so beautifully! Sometimes simple is all you need.

So there you have it. The main reasons why I do cloth. There are some more, but I just thought I would share the top 5. I cant wait to break cloth down even more, soon!

DIY Triangle Quilt

Now that the gift has been given, I can share!!

Last month, my sister and I got an invite to a baby shower for a sweet couple at my church. My sister told me she wanted to try a quilt pattern that she found on one of the blogs she follows. And she thought that the baby would LOVE a quilt. After we found out the colors of the nursery we set to work.

"It'll be simple" she said. "We can knock this out in about a day", she said. "it'll be a good project", she said. Well, it was a good project, and it turned out okay in the end, but it was not best project for two beginners who have never made a quilt before.

It took one trip to Joanne's, a few hours cutting out over 120 triangles, an entire day of sewing triangles together, and another entire day putting the rest of the quilt together. But for doing this with three kiddos running around (two of my sister's little ones, and my little pickle), we knocked it out in pretty good time.

HOWEVER, for two people who have never made a quilt before, I would say that we did a pretty bang up job.

We followed this tutorial, from the beautifully wonderful blog See Kate Sew. The tutorial was great! Here is our finished product.

That was my little helper. Eleanor helped me sew quite a few triangles together. She's quite the junior Sewer.

Happy Sewing, everyone!

As Long as I'm Living, My Mommy You'll Be

When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited that I was finally going to be a mother. I had watched my mom be such a wonderful a mother to me, my sister, and even some of my friends who didn't have good motherly role models. I read article after article on how to be a good parent. I spent hours pouring over various website on which products had best reviews, advice on how to breastfeed, best kinds of diapers and so on. I talked to my mom for hours on end, talking to her and sharing my dreams on how awesome it was, that I was going to be a mom, and that I would make my mom a Nana for the third time.

However, I only saw her twice while I was pregnant. Living almost 1000 miles away, my mom and I never had the chance to be in each others company on a daily basis. She got to see pictures of my growing belly, but not see me in person until I was 28 weeks. It's hard not seeing my mom as it is, but being pregnant made it that much harder for me. But of course, I tried to be strong and not show how much I really missed my mommy. There were times when I would just get overwhelmed and call mom to just cry. Being the great mom she is, would cry right along there with me. I knew she cried for two reasons: she was upset that her child was having such a hard time, but she was upset that she couldn't be there for me physically. She couldn't just reach over and give me a big hug. 

I thought it was hard being away from family while being pregnant, but actually having a baby and being away from family is so much worse. The moment I had Eleanor, the first person I wanted to call and tell was my mom. Literally 5 minutes after I had her, I called my mom and just cried and told her that Eleanor was here. She couldn't be there with me or there directly afterwards because she was in Florida, and I was in Virginia. I know she wanted to be there. She wanted to be there so bad. She just literally could not get there in time. My labor was less than 5 hours and even if she hopped on a plane the minute I went into labor, she still probably would not have made it. 

My mom did finally get to come and visit with us for about a week, but the minute we had to say goodbye, we were crying like babies (and if you know me, you know I don't cry). Since then, there have been quite a few occasions that I have called my mom because I didn't know what to do. "I don't know whats wrong. She cries all the time." "I hurt my back again, mom. I don't know what to do. I hurt so bad." "shes always hungry. Every hour shes hungry. I don't know if I can do this." Each time this happens, she quietly waits for me to finish, she cries with me if I am in tears, and gently reminds me that everything will be alright. She offers her advice and tells me that I can do it. 

I said all of that to say this: I love my mom so so so much. I hate it everyday that I cant see her, and that she cant see Eleanor growing up. But I do want others to realize just how lucky they have it. So many others take their mothers for granted. So many people have their moms live just minutes up the street. They can go over to their mom's house any time and eat a sandwich while Nana plays with the baby. New mama's can have their moms come over to take care of the baby for a little while, or clean up the house just a little while. They can go to doctors appointments for moral support when their child gets their shots. They ALWAYS have a willing babysitter to take the baby for a few hours so you can go out with your hubby to eat. Or go grocery shopping. LOL Not everyone has a support system. 

I do have a wonderful Mother-in-law, whom I love very much. She is a great woman, who raised the man that I married. But she raised my hubby, not me. And I am so grateful that she only likes about 45 minutes away and keeps Eleanor when she can, but she has health issues sometimes and can't always come when I have a bad day. But my Mom. My mom was one who stayed up with me all night long when I broke my wrist. And taught me how to sew. My mom is the one who taught me how to be a great Sunday School teacher, she taught me to care for children, she taught me how to care for others, taught me to be a gracious person. She taught me to not rely on others to get he job done. She taught me to volunteer. She taught me to pray. She taught me to be the best mother that I can possibly be. 

I love my Mom. =) 

Christmas Party for the Win Part 2

A Few days ago I posted about our experience at my husbands Command Christmas Party. I only did the fella's on the first post, so today I want to get this out of the way and finish off with the ladies.

Disclaimer:
None of these Photos show faces.
This was Hubby's Christmas party for his ship. Although he technically works with these people, his ship has over 800 people on the ship and only works with a handful of people closely so posting some pictures isn't doing any harm. This is all fun and games, right?
I support our troops in all ways, but me blogging about this is just my opinion. Not intended to hurt anyone's feelings.
On with the show!
Let's start with the classy. This is classy with a C. Meaning these ladies know how to dress properly to a holiday party. They know how to dress for a party for a work function.

 This lady had on a gorgeous gown by: I have no clue, but its purty! She was sporting a beautiful gold necklace, pearl bracelet, and black clutch with gold clasps. So classy!

This glowing mama  wore such a cute cocktail dress in a dark purple color. it had some beautiful lace on top. I'm always a fan of lace. And she had the cutest bump ever! AAHH! on her wrist was a matching coach purple wristlet. Perfect for holding some lipstick, some cash for tips, and a candy bar. In case she gets hungry =).

Alright everyone! On with the Klassy. That's right, we already covered the good, now its on to the bad and the ugly. Yes, there is both!

Up first we have some ugly. 

This girl look like she came straight from her high school prom. Honestly, she probably could have. Poor girl had some poofy, tulle skirt underneath, and a 1950's table cloth on top. Yikes.

Next we have the double trouble twins.

These ladies walked in the scene looking like they owned the place! Look at the strut on those ladies. Oh boy. Now lets look at their outfits. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought the mama of that girl in blue, took scissors to her dress in hopes she wouldn't wear it anymore. Has anyone ever done that? I totally did to a pair of Johns pants once. He was also half tempted to wear them again.

At some point in the evening we found a fun little photo booth at this festive gathering. I convinced John that we should go in and give it a try!!! Here are the results of our photo booth fun! =)

(In the bottom left picture, we tried the duck face, but moved too soon. So we just look a little sickly)

While we were standing in line to get our turn in the photo booth, I came across this girl. From the front (which I didn't capture) she looked really nice. Her neckline wasn't bad, her dress was pretty, long and it fit her great. Or so I thought. Then she passed us and I saw the back. Now I am not one to talk about back fat. I have some myself. But since I have back fat and back rolls, I would never wear a dress that let it all hang out like this girl did.

Criss-cross! From the Cha-Cha slide. Get it? Hehe. 

Across from our table, a certain young lady happened to pass by. Quite a few times actually. This girl wasn't so much as fat, or ugly, but unfortunately the dress she wore just didn't fit her body at all. In the midst of trying to get this girls picture, the waitress walked by to take some empty plates from our table. I didn't notice this until she was right next to me in the middle of me trying to creep-shot a picture. Then she whispers "I saw that" OMG, I died laughing! I was kind of embarrassed, but she said she has seen much worse things in her days of waiting tables at this place.

The dress was a little short, yes. But on another person with a different body type, it would have looked so much better. I think if this lady had chosen a different style dress, she would have made it on the Classy list, not Klassy.

Now on to the best part! EEKKK!

This next person officially wins skank of the evening. When I saw her my jaw dropped a little lot. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she was going to the club! This dress would be more appropriate there. Not a work function! Honestly, I couldn't imagine showing up ANYWHERE wearing a dress this short.

As the night progressed, and the drunker she got, the shorter the dress got. She "lit up" the dance floor after a few drinks. She thought she was so cool. She was poppin' and droppin' and at one point, I may have saw her lady business (or at least her undies) because it rode up so far. Klassy. Real Klassy.

I just don't even know how to describe this dress any more. UGH. I will say that at the end of our night, we walked out of the venue as she was walking back in (she was probably out for a smoke. Also, real klassy.), and as she was shaking those hips, she looked me right in the eye and gave me the stink eye. It could have been for two reasons. One: She was jealous I was leaving with the hottest guy at the party, or two: she saw me take a creeper-shot of her. Either way, I gave the stink eye right back to her. I even curled my lip a little at her. #winning.

On the way back to the car, I am sure a few people thought I was a little inebriated because I was terrible at walking in my super high red shoes. I love those red shoes so much, but if I wear them for too long, they turn me into "that drunk girl" even when I am completely sober! LOL

And there you go. That was my night. I am officially counting down the days until the 2015 Command Christmas party!

Out with the Old, in with the new

Here I am, sitting on the couch, closing out the year. 2014 was a great year. Here's a quick run down of this year.

January: We announced our pregnancy to friends and family! We didn't know if baby was a girl or boy, but we knew we loved our little nugget so much! 

The photo we shared to announce we were expecting!  

Photo Credit: Let It Shine 

February: John left for Deployment. I didn't know if he would be home for the birth of our child, but with fervent prayer and faith, he was home just in time!

Last photo we took before he left on Deployment

March: We found out Eleanor was a girl! It was such a special time, finding out the gender of our baby with all our friends and family here in VA. We even skyped with some friends and family for the big reveal! =)

Our gender reveal cake! 

Cake by: Eric Eisele, my Brother-in-law! 

April: It felt good to do some outreach at a retirement community

Michelle sang some songs, I didn't have a picture of me, so I thought she was good enough. 

May: Lots happened! I had the majority of my baby showers, my Sis-in-law graduated and Courtney got married!! 

Holly and I like to be silly! 

June: To my surprise and answered prayers, my husband came home from deployment early. 

This was just moments before John got off the plane and back in my arms =)

July: I took two awesome trips to the hospital for my kidneys. I got to know some nurses pretty well there. LOL

#hospitalselfie

August: We welcomed our little baby girl into the world on August 7. Best. Day. Ever.

Payne Party of Three!

September: I adjusted to being a mother. I think I slept for about 4 hours the whole month. 

I baby-wore  for the first time. 

October: Our girl had her first Haloween! She was Batgirl. She was Cute!

Such a cute festive dress, made by her Nana! 

Here is my Batgirl =)

November: We took our first road trip to Florida to see her Nana and Papa. She had her first Thanksgiving too! 

My Little Pickle's first Turkey day.

December: We took a new Christmas Family Photo. Its so much different than last years! 

Christmas 2014.

I can't to see what 2015 has to offer. Happy New Year Everyone! 

Dedicating Eleanor Reece

Last week, we celebrated a joyous occasion. Yes, last week was Christmas, but that's not it. On December 21, my whole family got together at my church in Chesapeake, VA and we dedicated my sweet angel, Eleanor Reece to The Lord.

The reason why we dedicate rather than baptize, is that we want our children to make a concious, deliberate decision to be baptized, when they are older. We also believe that when people are baptized, one should be completely covered in water, not just sprinkled. in fact, the very meaning of "baptize" means to submerge, immerse. Not sprinkle. Anyways!

last week was such a great time. My parents flew in from Florida, my sister-in-law, her hubby and niece came in from North Carolina, and my Hubby's aunt drove from northern Virginia too. My sister and her fam were there too, but they live here so they didn't have to travel. All in all, it was a pretty great turn out. Lots of people went out of their way for Eleanor and it made my heart so happy.

I just want to share with you all, one of the most important parenting decisions Hubs and I have made so far. We pray for Eleanor every day. We want her to grow up and make her own decisions, but we want her to live for God, keeping His commandments. And dedicating her to Jesus, will help us as parents to keep the promise we made to take her to church, pray with her, pray for her, and to do everything we can in our power to make sure Eleanor grows up in the Truth.

Anyways, here are a few pictures of our little bundle of joy in her gorgeous dress!

Photo credit: Michelle Eisele by Let It Shine Blog

 Here we are with our wonderful pastor (Bro. Cunningham), with his beautiful wife! =)

 My beautiful family! 

 This is probably my favorite picture of us =) 

 Here is my parents, holding Eleanor. My wonderful mom spent countless hours, making Eleanor's dress. She got so many complements on the great job she did! 

 This is Johns side of the family that came out for the occasion. Don't we look spiffy? 

Here is the big group Photo! My whole family and John's whole family. Completed with Eleanor is the middle. I love. 

THE END!