Design Inspiration

So we're in a new place (well, since the end of January) and we still haven't really done anything with it to make it feel like our home. We're starting to talk about painting and I saw over on a friend's blog about stencils. Apparently, they're relatively easy....so maybe we'll try some. Here's some of the stencils I found particularly inspiring....thanks royaldesignstudio.com

(3 weeks old)
(15 months old)

I feel as though 90% of the advice given to me as a mom doesn’t make sense until after the said event has already occurred. Like when people tell you to “just enjoy” the newborn phase, while you’re totally sleep deprived and wondering what in the world hit you. But I tried my best to enjoy it (and actually, I did truly enjoy it) and only once your baby stops making the most adorable pursed lips faces and little squeaky newborn sounds, then you realize..wow that really didn’t last very long. And wow, it was such a treasure, and such moments to be enjoyed.

And I never understood why people always said “you’re growing up too fast!” Because I love watching Layla grow up and become more of a communicator and expressive and display her personality. But then yesterday walking back home down the street with a screaming toddler who is just upset out of her mind that mommy won’t let her steal the ball from the store….well, that’s when I’m like, gee, I wish you couldn’t walk still or have opinions and that you would just sit in my sling and look adorable.

That being said, I choose to love this stage, despite (and perhaps because of its) own particular challenges (and joys) and “treasure up these things in my heart” because it really is a beautiful journey.

There’s been this defiant cold going around our house for the past two months, morphing with each of us as it conquers our immune system and then proceeding on to the next until it gets back to the first in new form and takes us down yet again. I am so ready for our home to be symptom-free SOON please!

Of course, wrestling with a prolonged cold is nothing compared to fighting cancer or enduring other forms of suffering. Nonetheless, I am inspired by a friend who loves Jesus, whose son has endured a lot of hospital visits due to the poor conditions of his bones. She put it this way: “Somehow the struggles and suffering we endure is actually a way of God showing us His love and care in fulfilling His promise that He will always be with us.”

What a testimony.

God is faithful even when He allows us to remain in sickness, and He is worthy of praise. He also is faithful when He heals us. And I have a brief story to share on that note.

This is actually the second time this has happened to me. Yesterday I was out watching Layla play, trying not to be miserable because my body ached so bad from the cold. Praying, asking our God who heals to give me strength and fresh energy for the day ahead. Choosing to praise His name in my heart regardless of whether I would feel better or not. As I was sitting there on the pavement, watching Layla push her toy car around and shake her head “no, no” at the strong wind blowing her face, all of a sudden I just felt this surge of energy and strength come on me. The closest thing I can think to describe it is as if I had touched Jesus’ cloak as in the stories of old, and strength and healing coursed through my body. It’s the craziest thing, but so so real. This has happened to me once before, where the raw power of Christ our Healer is so tangible in my own body as He strengthens me. It’s amazing.

So I just want to testify to the goodness and power of God. And say that prayer is powerful because it is communion with God, because it takes us into His throne room and allows us to directly talk with Him. And because He is good, and He longs to bless us and to teach us good things. What a good God we worship.

We're BAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!

Well I'm not sure if y'all kept up with the family blog over on tumblr (www.thematnix.tumblr.com)....we put up all our world travel adventures over there. And now we are situated back in Carpinteria, CA, and I have some thoughts about mothering, so I'm back over to this blog. Ahh, too much to keep up with.

I think being a mother can be really lonely. Don't get me wrong--it's also awesome and amazing and so much fun. The joy of the giggles you can elicit from a little girl who is just darling....the love that wells up so many times throughout the day. Being a mom is incredibly rewarding but (at least I find) also lonely.

Enough about that.

I shall pick a brighter topic now. Being in Malaysia was AWESOME. It was really really good for Nathanael and me to get away from the stresses of regular American grownup life and just be somewhere else, somewhere more laid back....and especially since it's where we spent our childhood! So much fun....

It was also really good for me as a mom...as I already said, the culture is much more laid back over there, and I think that was HUGELY helpful for me. Because I have a tendency to be uptight, wanting to make everything perfect for Layla (naptime, playtime, food, etc)...which is okay except often it comes at the expense of other things (like flexibility, or hanging out with people, or being polite). So it was really good for me to see that I don't have to make everything perfect for Layla, that she can adapt and handle a lot of stuff. And that it's not a bad thing--it's just all about priorities.

Anyways...I'm not sure if that makes sense. BUT, there you have it. :-)

AND, there are a LOT of people having kids this year! I feel like I know SO many people that are pregnant right now...

Life

Well, Layla is full blown walking these days. She walks on the pavement, on the sidewalk, on the street, on the grass, on the sand...it's extraordinary. What happened to my baby?

She is also entering the terrible twos it appears...although she is not even one. This is bad news.

Tomorrow we are celebrating her birth day. It's hard to believe she's turning ONE. But exciting at the same time.

I am so over nursing. But I really want to press through at least until we arrive in Malaysia. I think having that continuity and comfort will be helpful for her during our travels and adjustment to a new country. If, then, she seems ready, I am more than ready to wean her. I am over being bit by sharp little teeth. If I was a lion, I would roar.

On a non-mommy note, I am participating in NaNoWriMo! For those who don't know (I didn't know until 3 days ago), November is National Novel Writing Month! There's a nation wide challenge for amateurs (like myself) or professionals to write a (minimum) 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. Since I've always wanted to write, this seemed like a fantastic impetus to do so.

Another note: we are going to Malaysia in less than 2 weeks! If you want to follow our trip there, I think we will be updating a family tumblr blog more regularly than this one: http://thematnix.tumblr.com

I love it: Than totally just sang Layla to sleep --with the star wars theme song.

HAH!

I am so blessed by this little girl's life.

Bath Time

At first I was skeptical of the whole bath routine thing, but I'm glad we stuck with it because now Layla LOVES her baths. When she hears the water start pouring out of the faucet, she races (on all fours) into the bathroom and clambers up the bathtub to watch. It's definitely something she looks forward to. And she knows it means bedtime soon. I think the predictability is good for her. Helps her little brain. :-)

Layla has gotten into resting her head on us when she's tired or just wants a few-second-rest before returning to her crazy explore everything routine. It's so endearing.

We're doing better on going-to-bed routines....she's much less screamy about it. Still not her fave but she is a trooper. What a great little girl.

Morning

Occasionally one of those days dawns that just begs to be put to good use, to go down in your memories, to live an adventure. Perhaps you saw the first glimmers of the sun, or maybe, like me, you awoke to see sunshine streaming through the blinds, twisting, bending, contorting itself around those very shades meant to block it out. But it would not be blocked. I like these mornings. A deep sigh, contented, delighted and refreshed that I actually was not awakenedbefore the sun came up. Amazed that I slept through the night, uninterrupted, and can enjoy the beauty of bright California sun with a yet quiet house. Still, peaceful, calm.

Soon the day begins, with its various needs and demands and responsibilities--but there was that initial calm. That beautiful calm.

And this particular day is just too stunning, too summery, too beautiful to be spent indoors, to fall into oblivion.

"The morning is when you charge into the future."

It did not take much conferring for Nathanael and me to decide that today ought not be spent indoors or at home or working or doing the same old. And so we spontaneously decided to claim our adventure ticket before it left home without us.

We walked the two blocks from our house to the train platform and boarded the train to Santa Barbara, whereabouts we took a stroll along the beach, walked down the pier, ate Clam Chowder and fish & chips (respectively), let Layla crawl along the waterfront, and generally had a most delightful time with each other.

And here I shall stop my rambling and let the photographs speak for themselves.

Jason Reeves' Music Video!!

The music video Nathanael made for Jason Reeves' new single "Helium Hearts" is finally released! Check it out....

helium hearts from HESCHLE on Vimeo.

sleep

Well Layla's cold developed into an ear infection, accompanied by several long days of high fevers and a very fussy baby. Poor thing. But I am delighted to report that she is feeling much much better now. She even slept through the night the last few nights, which has also been highly instrumental in allowing me to finally get over this cold. I never realized how virtually impossible it would be to recover from a cold/sickness when unable to have a full night's rest. Praise God for a deep night's sleep! What a gift.

Thoughts

My mom got a cat today. Well, more accurately, I gave her a cat for her birthday. Hope Dad doesn't kill me.

He's a beautiful dainty Siamese kitty with dark grey ears and paws and tail, blended into a light grey body. And gorgeous ice blue eyes.

Beautiful thing.

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I am sick again. Thanks, Layla.

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Flowers are all throughout our home. I love you Nathanael.

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The past few weeks the sun has been fighting with the fog, trying to see who will win over the coveted Carpinteria space. Most summer long the fog has won. Maybe now that we're more than half way through September we'll finally get our summer?

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Musician Jason Reeves just released a single Helium Hearts which you should absolutely check out. Our friend Josh Newton took a bunch of pictures used on his new website, and my very own Nathanael made his music video (which is coming out any day now!!).

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I have a painting project currently being undertaken and I am considering trying my hand at children's books. It may just stop with Layla, but I would like to give it a try. Anyone interested in doing the artwork?

Sorry for the random uncohesiveness of this post. I blame the cold Layla gave me.

Love

Watching some video footage of Layla tonight, I am staggered and overwhelmed by the love I have for her. It is SO deep, SO full, so beautiful and good. I mean, honestly, this pride and love wells up in me just watching her drink from her sippy cup so independently! Haha, it sounds ridiculous (I know, it wasn't that long ago I was single and responsibility-less without a kid) but it is true! I am so proud of her for being able to drink water on her own and just for how beautiful she is and how grown-up she's getting. It is profound and gives a whole new level of understanding of the love that parents have for their children. Helps me realize how much my own parents love me and also how much God loves us, that He would call us His children. Amazing.

This evening Nathanael was sitting in the chair in Layla's room and Layla was playing on the ground. She found one of her many board books, grabbed it, crawled over to Than with the book in her hand and got his attention by tapping his leg and looking up expectantly. He picked her up and she nestled in on his lap, sitting back, ready to be read the book.

How cute is that?!?! She is becoming such a big girl!!!

doubled existence

Layla is 9 months old today! Which means she has officially doubled her existence (9 months inside, 9 month outside) and from here on out, more of her life will be out in the real world than in the cozy confines of the womb. And she is quite adept in her world these days...crawling (race crawling) throughout our home, playing chase (her favorite) with me, giggling, squealing with delight.

We celebrated by getting cupcakes from Whodidily with a friend Penelope who was also born Nov 10th!

She tried curry the other day for the first time, and she loved it. Good thing or we might've disowned her. Haha, JUST KIDDING! But we are excited that she enjoyed it. Her meal yesterday was straight off our plates: rice, lentils, potato, curry (squished together, but still, pretty close!). It is so much fun these days. She's definitely more trouble too. We had to put a baby gate around Than's work area..haha. She enjoyed the printer and his hard drives a little too much.

Other news...Santa Barbara just had their annual Fiesta celebration of the Old Spanish Days. That was terrific fun. Nathanael and I got in a date thanks to my mom (thanks Mom!). We even bought some confetti eggs and smashed them on each others' head to join in the festivities.

And we had shave ice (as they call it here).

So much fun. I love this age!!!

Nursery

We have finally (mostly) finished Layla's nursery. :-) Yay.

I made the paper balls (they weren't that hard actually). The hanging pictures are above her changing table, which is causing a problem because Layla finds great joy in pulling them down....

sunday

buttery sunlight

happy giggles

creamy skin

world of wonder

trying new things

baby aroma, awaken from a nap

shrieks of delight

burrowing in blankets

cuddling on my lap

reading books together

devouring a peach

learning how to tumble

falling asleep

peaceful

at rest

still

sweet happyness

delighting in love

the love of a family

so blessed,

so blessed.

Baby Food

So far I have hand made all of Layla's baby food. Which actually hasn't been as hard as I thought and has been a lot of fun! It's nice to have a little baby puree thing, but it isn't necessary. Most food you simply steam and then blend and serve. You can make enough to refrigerate some and then freeze any that won't be eaten in the next few days.

I have especially enjoyed getting organic local veggies and then serving them to Layla! We have an awesome Farmer's Market, and my awesome mom has an amazing garden that she generously gives much of its produce for the little one. :-)

Automatic Release Point (Best Trick EVER!)

If you have ever been around a baby, you may have noticed that they LOVE to grab things. And prying their little fingers off can be quite a challenge! The more you pull it away, the harder they cling onto it. So here is a trick I learned while camping, from our friends who learned it from an occupational therapist: take your index finger and thumb and place them on either side of the closed fist (at the palm level), press firmly (but not too hard), and the fingers will release. Watch the video below for a demo (and better understanding). :-)