Flight

Layla had her first flight yesterday! She was fantastic, I couldn't even believe it. She usually has a really hard time sleeping in new situations...she is simply too interested in everything going on around her, which then leads to overstimulation and lots of fussing, which makes falling asleep even harder for her. Needless to say, I was a little concerned about our flight to Detroit.

Three things which were lifesavers for us: 1) The Sleep Sheep. 2) The Moby Wrap. 3) Nursing cover. This blog post will inform parents, parents-to-be, and people looking for presents for the aforementioned blocs of the many wonders of these products.

1) The Sleep Sheep.

This thing is truly amazing. Especially if you find yourself with a baby who resists sleep, like ours. And let's be honest, you can try to train your baby, but ultimately she is who she is and you just have to work with her! This thing has four white noise settings: stream, rain, ocean, whale. The name explains the sound. Layla fell asleep to the stream. And stayed asleep. For an hour and a half, in the midst of airport loudspeaker announcements, a crazy family who missed their flight and decided to let the entire airport know about it, boarding, and (yes, get this) take-off. That's right, the sleep sheep kept her asleep till we were at maybe 5,000 feet. And she was much more rested and happy than if she hadn't slept, I can guarantee that!

2) The Moby Wrap.

This thing is super versatile. There's one way to wrap it, but about six different ways for baby to sit in it, based on her age and development. It holds her snug and close, keeping her comfortable and feeling safe. Also it positions her body properly unlike a lot of baby carriers (for example, the baby bjorn) which force their legs too far apart and can cause hip problems. Layla is not one of those babies who would sleep in my arms--just too many things to distract her. The Moby helps her sleep, and lets my hands be free to do things. In my opinion, the downside is that it is extremely warm (because of the body heat and the fabric) so may not be the best choice in hot places.

3) Nursing cover.

These are great for nursing, but they also function as eye blinders. Once your baby's eyesight becomes developed, she will just want to look at everything! Which is awesome, except when what she needs is to sleep. Layla has a hard time zoning out, so we have to help her. The nursing cover limits what she can look at. I highly recommend being creative.

And here are pictures to illustrate! From our flight yesterday...

♥ Love ♥

If I say I love but do not play with her, hold her, feed her, talk to her, sing to her, cuddle her, comfort her, kiss her, change her, bathe her, what sort of love is that? A mere emotional feeling is not the same as love. Love acts, it moves, it goes beyond itself, ever reaching out, ever moving forward, ever engaging and partaking. It is not static, and if it retreats, is it real at all?

If God says He is love but never moves beyond the words into action, what sort of "love" would that be? And yet it is clear by looking at the story of God's presence in the world as recorded in the Bible and witnessed throughout the ages that He does indeed love, and He is indeed love, for we find that this God is ever engaging with humanity, reaching out to us, drawing us near to Himself, clothing us, cleaning us, feeding us, giving us meaning, providing us with relationship, teaching us, talking to us, singing over us, holding us, and in every way making it possible (if we so choose to accept) for us to experience the love He is.

Salt Marsh

Today we went for a walk in the Carpinteria Salt Marshes, a beautiful preserved part of the California coastlands. While on our walk we saw a red fox, mallard ducks, rabbits, and lots of shore birds.

Living here has been so wonderfully peaceful. The culture of this little beach town is so different from Santa Barbara! It is incredibly laid back and relaxed. We are loving it.

Karen Winters' depiction of the Salt Marshes where we were this morning.

Slowly but Surely

Slowly but surely we are getting settled in to our new home! The two bedrooms (ours and Layla's) have been painted and furnished. The living room remains yet to be perfected.... :-) In the meantime we have established quite an adorable routine for Layla's bed & nap time, which involves snuggling with her kitty cat from Great Grandma and Grandpa in Florida. She has been introduce to water in a sippy cup, and she very avidly loves sticking it in her mouth and sucking on it! She hasn't got the hang of swallowing the water just yet, but she sure enjoys making a mess all over the couch and floor and her shirt. And, believe it or not, she is in the early stages of learning to crawl: pulling her legs up under her and scooting forward.

Poem

Nathanael was in Sonoma this weekend, shooting a photographer shooting a wedding. We actually do a lot of that--promotional videos for photographers (see www.forphotographers.heschle.com)

Anyways, he brought me home soaps, chocolates, wine, and a poem. Enjoy.

Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda
I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
I love you because I know no other way

In which there is no I or you
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand
so intimate that when you fall asleep it is my eyes that close.

Sleep

Since our move to Carpinteria on the 1st, Layla has been thrown off. Which has expressed itself primarily in the form of lots of screaming and little sleep. She has always had an aversion to nap time and bed time, perhaps because she is a little socialite and hates to be left alone in her crib. Napping in the car or stroller isn't a problem, but boy does she ever let us know her distaste for napping in her crib!

Well it has become quite unreasonable and so the past two days we decided we needed to put an end to her stubborness as it relates to sleep. We probably should have done this earlier, but we didn't. Anyways, the last two days we have made her stay in her crib regardless of how long and furiously she screamed about it. We sang to her and tried things to help her calm down--but would not actually take her out until after she had napped.

Letting a child "cry it out" is one of the hardest things to do. Because you love them. And to say "crying" isn't really adequate. It's more like piercing screams, pitiful heart-wrenching sobs of desperation. It's one thing to listen to someone else's kid cry, quite another to hear your own. But I am learning that the best thing for her (and for us) is not to let her have her own way or to give in.

She will be a happier baby if she can learn to sleep when she is tired without screaming for a solid half hour first. She will be a happier person if she can learn that she cannot be rescued out of every hard or unwanted situation but must be able to comfort herself and get through it.

Growing up is hard.

Growing Up

Last night Layla slept in her own room. It was so weird falling asleep without hearing her breathe. Makes me feel like my little baby is all grown up.

I didn't think I'd miss her. But I definitely did. Both of us did. Weird.

Oh Layla, you've changed our lives forever. And we love you. You've made your way into our hearts, and we will never be the same. It's hard to believe how fast you're growing up already. We love every moment with you. I will be sure to shower you with extra kisses when you wake up from your nap.