Sacred Space + Meg Fish Photography

Super exciting news!

Sacred Space by Heschle is partnering with Meg Fish Photography to do not just maternity videos but also newborn videos! What a treasure to keep forever and remember this special time in life. We (Nathanael and I) are quickly learning is just how fast Layla is growing up! She's rapidly approaching 4 months and changes by the day.

Meg Fish Photography (www.megfishphotography.com) is a beautiful gift in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. She photographs pregnant women and newborn babies in a stunning artistic way that will blow your mind, soften your heart, and make you fall in love. Check out her blog here.

We are SO excited to work with Meg and her clients, having the privilege to preserve memories for individuals and families as they begin new seasons in life.

Super Snazzy Baby Stuff

So just for fun, check out this snazzy baby stuff....they have some pretty awesome (and $$$$$) pieces. Fun to look at and dream a little. :-)

This is such a beautiful crib...and I could never afford it.

But isn't it beautiful?

I believe I will always think of Layla as my little princess. :-)

Character

God really does care more about doing things in us than doing things with us. Character is his first priority, far more important than accomplishments. Sometimes I get uptight and impatient, wanting God to do something with me, not realizing that this time is crucial because of the character He is forging in me.

Oh for patience, for wisdom, for submission.

family

Valentine's Day family photo

Control

I tend to get irritated with the people closest to me when I feel my sense of control vanishing. Control of my future, control of my life. It is rather disconcerting to feel out of control, and to be unable (or to choose to be unable) to take any steps to regain that control. God wants us to live our lives in dependence and submission to Him, which means that HE is in control and not me. Easy to say, hard to live out.

There are so many things Nathanael and I want to do, yet God seems to just keep us here longer and longer. We want to walk in obedience to God, and we want this more than to do the things we think we want to do. Still, it is a daily struggle to surrender.

Having a baby challenges your sense of control. First the baby takes over your body from the inside, and then once out, does the same thing on the outside! Physically speaking, we're talking about feelings of nausea to kicking to birth to nursing. In addition to that, the baby changes your life: you can't control how long you sleep, when you go out, where you can go, what you can do. Big time loss of control.

And yet, she is beautiful. And I love her. I know she is a gift from God, and I am so so so thankful for her. And hey, I am learning about surrendering my life to God and she is just one more facet of that lesson. So praise God.

Maybe this can be my spiritual discipline for Lent: learning to surrender. Each day, each hour. Each moment as it happens, each thought of the future. Let go of what I think I want or how I want things to turn out. Stop trying to hoard sleep or to control little parts (or big parts) of my life. Just surrender, and use this time to draw closer to God--not so I can manipulate my way for my life, but so I can know Him for who He is.

Breastfeeding and The Bottle

Part Two of Breastfeeding...

Sorry I've been gone from the online symposium for the past couple days. It was Valentine's Day and then the next day I got super sick and then yesterday I was recovering and now it is today and I am back! :-) So I am continuing my little break from the pregnancy chronicles since people seem more interested in the baby stuff anyhow. :-)

So, breastfeeding. Well, clearly I understood the benefits and superiority of breastmilk for the baby, so I knew I wanted to do that if possible. At the same time, I had a lot of friends (and relatives) who didn't introduce the bottle soon enough and as a result, their baby refused to take it. I was determined that would not be our story, as I wanted the freedom to have other people feed the babe (so Nathanael and I could go on dates and so I could return to work).

When Layla turned 3 weeks old, we introduced the bottle (with expressed breastmilk, not forumla). At first she cried a bit, but all in all she took it rather well and was well adjusted to it and switching back and forth between breast and bottle without much fuss. What I did NOT realize is that you have to be consistent with giving them bottle or else they forget how to suck (because breast and bottle employ different sucking techniques). Apparently (what I now know) you should give them the bottle once a day, at least 5 days a week, to ensure that they maintain their skill.

Well, we weren't consistent with it because we got over confident in her ability (and we didn't realize we needed to be consistent with it). And then she got a cold (around 7 weeks of age) and was unable to breathe while sucking from the bottle so we didn't force the issue. We tried to get her to take it intermittently but without much success.

Fast forward to this week. On Monday I got sick. Really sick. I have no idea what I got (food poisoning maybe?), but I was vomitting all day and couldn't keep anything down. Layla refused to drink from the bottle, but since I keeping any fluids (or solids) down, my body stopped producing as much milk. I breastfed her as much as I could but I was quite miserable. And she was too, since she was so hungry. Alas.

So lesson learned: next baby, be consistent about the bottle so that in emergency type situations, she can still eat. And, take tylenol sooner to get over the fever/sickness so you can get healthy again!

Thank God that by Tuesday I was better again and back up to normal supply. Layla didn't get whatever I had (also praise God for that!) and we are doing well. But she still won't take the bottle. Sigh. Suggestions are welcome, but I can assure you I've tried almost every nipple head that exists.

Beach Day!

Oh sometimes I simply love living in Santa Barbara. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and today we went to the beach to have a pre-Valentine's Day celebration. We were out and about today, and I loved it. Layla was quite the trooper. Here are a couple pictures from the day... :-)

Layla asleep in her HOTsling.

Under the pier with daddy. (Look at her hair?!?!)

We found this snazzy door next to the Channel Islands Surfboard shop. And so we had to take a picture. Simply had to.

Oh such fun today. When you live in a tourist destination, sometimes it's nice to take the day off normal living and join in with the rest of the world.

And now for some feedback: If you were a tourist in your town, what would you do? What is your city known for?