ODR Outlook

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I keep wishing that I could write more about Jadon’s new developments because I know I’ll forget them later, or when we have our next child. So that’s what I’ll do. Write.

This month flew by. It all started with lots of frustration with Jadon’s sleeping…or lack thereof. He wouldn’t sleep more than 4 hours at a time by the time he had completed his 2nd month. I thought he was supposed to be sleeping at least 7 hours by that time. I was afraid of having so much company with a baby that keeps me up all night. But slowly through the month he lengthened his sleeping to be about 6-7 hours at a time, which pretty much extended through the holidays. However there were a couple of random nights that he slept 10 hours which I thought was because of over-stimulation. Then as the holidays drew to a close and we drew near to completing his 3rd month he starting sleeping from 10:00 pm until 7:30 am. I was afraid it was just a fluke or a tired spell, but its been fairly consistent for about 2 weeks now. I do think it will last but I’m prepared that there might be a few hiccups along the way. All I can say is “Yeah” and “Praise God”! God knows that I need my sleep so badly.

Our next project is to get Jadon to extend the time between feedings and take fewer but longer naps during the day. I expect that these things will take time and patience.

I’m so happy with Jadon’s progress. I’ve been so wrapped up in his growing and maturing that I think I’ve pretty much missed the world go around me. I feel bad if I’ve not paid attention to friends or kept in touch. Also I was told by my dear and favorite sister-in-law to write about something other than my baby…… There’s not really much to write!  I started painting again and I hope to learn to sew some basic things this year too. Ronald and I have started to talk about activities to include into our family time. Other than that we went ice-skating once and hope to go again soon. There’s not very much to do around Lincoln this time of year unless you go to the movies or have a gym membership. We’ll keep you updated though if we do anything else exciting.

Until then, we hope you are having an exciting New Year and come closer to Jesus this year. Pray for us as we continue to strive to be good parents and children of God.

After a very stressful morning, I was looking forward to a delightful presentation for my students by one of our SDA dentists. She had a wonderful, engaging presentation for my students. They all loved watching her brush the giant teeth with the giant toothbrush. During her talk she gave out a few prizes. Only a few received her cute prizes which caused some to be jealous. One student who did receive a prize is especially sensitive to others. When a jealous student asked him to give up his prize and then proceeded to pout about not getting one, the sensitive soul that he is, gave up is treasured new toy (by throwing it at the other student). This made the entire class erupt with commotion and tears were in great supply all around!

I spent the next moments talking to the to boys about what would be the nicer thing to do for the other. They both shyly admitted that they were each other’s friend. It was so adorable to watch them realize that it feels better to give than to get. Although neither left feeling completely happy, I think the point was taken and maybe a seed was planted for later…I hope.

I remember many times as a kid that things didn’t go my way and it was hard. As I pondered the whole event this afternoon, I started thinking about how glad I am to be an adult and I don’t have to deal with selfish little children anymore. Than I stopped and realized that we adults do similar things (me being the biggest offender). No matter your age it is always hard to give than to get, but in the end you are more blessed. It is humbling to be a teacher because daily I am reminded of the simple values that I am trying to instill in these precious little ones.

On a lighter note, basketball is going better. The kids are three games in and we have one more coach on staff which relieves some of my anxiety. We won both girls and boys games today, which to me is not a big deal, but it makes the kids happy. They are encouraged about their ability to learn a new sport and are becoming more confident players. I’m not sure what part that plays in the greater sceme of their lives or mine, but at least we are getting exercise and hopefully having fun.

God is blessing me in ways I’d never imagined, but your prayers are still coveted May God bless you today!

You know who you are. For those of you who thought we came out here for a glorified vacation, its true! Well, its true for about 6 hours on Sunday morning when we can enjoy this beauty free from guilt and responsibility. The rest of the week is spent scrambling from the previous moment to the current moment. When we moved to Saipan we hit the ground running. We had two weeks of vacation at Christmas, but even that ened up being busy. There are passing moments when you can stop and let your imagination off the leash for a while. For the most part our schedule consists of being so exhausted from bossing children around at the top of our lungs all day that we hit our sheets around 8:30. With the unfinished work that is left knocking at our door all night its hard to sleep sometimes, but around comes 3:30 when the alarm goes off and the reality of the day is again come true.  This beautiful ocean scene seems a million miles away from the chaos of the week, but its actually less than a 2 minute walk! Its a bless and a curse. But I again come back to the things that makes all this worth it, which is surprisingly not the beautiful beach. Its the precious children, yes, even the bad ones. (The other day I cracked a smile out of a girl who hasn’t smiled all year! yeah!) This place is truly a trial that I am willing to bear.

God sustain me. Make me strong where I am weak. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.