cloth diapering... why we do it

some of you may or may not know that we cloth diaper little malachi. and some of you may or may not know how much i LOVE it! so since i have gotten several questions about cloth diapers in the last few weeks i decided that it was high time for me to post some things about it. one, so that i can point people to something i've already put together when they ask. and two, so that maybe people who are considering cloth diapers will be encouraged to try!

so today i am going to explain why we chose to cloth diaper and why we still are cloth diapering. and then next i will post about what i use and what i have found to be helpful. then i will post about my wash routine. i think these are the two main questions i always get - what do you use? and how do you wash? so that's why i have divided it up like this.

i feel like cloth diapering is kind of like a fun secret club. you don't realize how many people do it until you get started yourself. and when you find someone else who uses them it's like you have an instant connection! i have only been cloth diapering since malachi was 3 months old but i feel like the first several months are when you learn the most. you kind of dive in head first and figure it out as you go! so i have not been cloth diapering for years like some people out there but i still know why i love it! and i hope in a few years i can say why i STILL love it!

and please know, this is not meant to be condemning on anyone that uses disposable diapers. i have used my fair share of disposables (and will continue to guilt free in certain situations which i will discuss later). i do not look down my nose on anyone who has made that choice for their family. but that's exactly what it is, a choice and a preference for your family, not a rule that all people must live by. i just want to share with people who are wading through the choices and options out there why this is the choice for our family.

1. cloth diapering saves SO much money!

disposable diapers are basically money thrown in the trash, and not a little money, LOTS of money over the 2ish years (or more) your child is in them. and if you have more than one child - wow that's lots of money! this was the #1 reason why i even started to consider the option to cloth diaper. there are more reasons now why i love it, but this is still my #1 motivator to cloth diaper. i love that i don't have to take $40-50 per month out of my precious grocery budget to pay for diapers. i can spend that money on something so much more beneficial - good food!

2. cloth diapering limits your baby's exposure to icky chemicals.
i don't even want to know what is in a disposable diaper that makes it go from very thin when dry to very puffy when wet. yuck! i can't even imagine... and i can't imagine that would be a good thing to have against your baby's skin constantly for 2+ years. i mean, why do you think diaper rashes are so much less common in babys who wear cloth?

3. cloth diapers are completely customizable.
is that a word? i don't know... but i think you get the point of what i am trying to say. when you buy disposable diapers you get the size for your baby and that's it. if that size doesn't keep in the leaks you move up to the next size. but then what if the next size up is WAY too big? there's not much you can do. but with cloth, you can customize your baby's diaper for his/her needs. you can move up to the next size if you have a one-size diaper, you can add hemp or bamboo inserts for added absorbency, you can add an extra microfiber insert, you can try another material for your insert, etc. etc. the list could go on!  there are endless ways that you can change things to find what works for your baby. for instance, when we first started CD'ing malachi he was having trouble getting through the night without leaking up the front since he is a belly sleeper (a common problem for belly sleepers). so i read some stuff and heard great things about hemp inserts. so i bought a few and tried them and we haven't had a nighttime leak since! it's wonderful the way you can change things up to suit your babies specific needs.

4. cloth diapers are so much easier than what people think!
i think this is the biggest misconception out there about cloth diapers. i think people think they are so hard and a lot of extra work. not true friends! no more are the days when "cloth diaper" means an old-fashioned cotton prefold and pull on pants. there are so many options now from the super duper easy all-in-one (which is the most like a disposable, wrap it around your baby and go) to pocket diapers (where you can really customize!) to prefolds and covers (they obviously must be good if they're still around!). in most instances, the only extra "work" is a bit more laundry but really that's minimal as well (i will discuss this in a future post about my washing routine). all that to say, it really is not much harder or more work than going to the store every week to buy a pack of disposable diapers.

5. cloth diapers are WAY cuter than disposables!

i mean really, the colors, prints, styles, etc. are all way cuter than white disposables with some little cartoon characters on them. and there are so many options for cuteness!

like i said, i love cloth diapering. BUT lest you think i am hardcore and encourage others to be hardcore too. there are times when i will use disposables and feel no guilt whatsoever.
- when we are traveling: i have better ways i would like to spend my vacation than washing diapers. plus, when you're flying to california and back suitcase space is valuable and i don't think it would be the wisest use of my space to bring cloth diapers when i could just run to the store when i get there.
- when someone is sick: especially when i am sick. i don't want to have to come up with the energy to wash diapers.
- when we leave malachi with a sitter: in my babysitting days i would not have wanted a parent to impose something i was not comfortable with on me, so i won't do it to our babysitters. it is my choice to cloth diaper, not theirs. so i feel no problem taking that burden off of someone else.
- when we leave malachi in the church nursery: and being in ministry, thats a few times a week. so i always try to have a super easy velcro cloth option and a disposable option in the diaper bag. that way the workers can do whatever they feel comfortable with. but i have to brag on my church, they most always use the cloth option! :)
- in seasons of life when it's just not wise to add one more thing to your life: like after a baby for instance. part of the reason we didn't start malachi in cloth until 3 months is because we moved when he was 4 weeks old and had family visitors for the first 3 months of his life. that makes for a very busy 3 months! so i didn't feel like it would be the best time to add diaper laundry in the midst of all that. and if i am blessed with another baby, i will gladly use disposables on both children in those early weeks after delivery. there is just too much to get used to after a baby is born to worry about diaper laundry. there are other seasons where it would not be wise to add diaper laundry, as well.
my friend Monica just recently had a great post about her 80/20 rule, and why she doesn't feel bad using disposables 20% of the time. i think its a great reminder that there is grace for every season and there are times when what you like to do has to make way for what you need to do. and in those times i will proudly use my disposables and thank God that i live in a time and place where i have the option to do so. but in those other times, when i am able to, i will gladly use my cloth and thank God for the desire to steward our resources in this way.

why do you love cloth? or if you don't, what is the biggest reason you don't? leave me some comment love!

sneak peek at the family pics!

i wanted to share with you all some of the family pics i talked about last week. our friend Jessica did a WONDERFUL job and i am always so pleased with her pictures! go to her blog and enjoy them in all of their high resolution splendor :)

http://www.jgrace.net/malachi/

and by all means, if you live in louisville, hire her to take your own pictures!!! :)

malachi's birth con't - my thoughts...

while i was writing the last post, i started thinking about my thoughts and feelings during the whole ordeal and i remembered that i wrote emails to family and close friends as this was all happening. so i went and found those emails. i think they are so helpful to remember my frame of mind and feelings during that stressful time - scared and nervous but still trying to trust the Lord. He is good to give us peace when we ask for it!
He is GOOD!

written 6/9 at 7:40am-

Hey all!
I'm sure you've probaby all seen on facebook or heard by now but the baby is on his/her way.  You all have been so gracious to be praying for us the past few months, can I make another request? Pray that this baby arrives safely and hopefully without any more complication. 
For those of you that don't really  know what happened and why we suddenly were going to the hospital to be induced i'll give you the condensed version. Yesterday afternoon was my weekly doctors appt for mmy check up and exam to see if i was dialated anymore or anything.  We went, we heard, we were happy.  The visit went great, doc said baby looked great, everything looked fine but she asked us if we could stay for an ultrasound.  she said no reason for concern she just usually liked to get an ultrasound this late in the game to make sure the baby is doing great in these cramped quarters, check amniotic fluid levels, etc. etc.  so we said sure.  got our ultrasound, the tech said baby looks great - about 7 1/2 pounds - yada yada.  well, then we went back into a room to talk with the doctor once she saw the ultrasound pics.  and she did not look happy.  she said that the amniotic fluid levels were low, apparently VERY low, and at this stage she would really say we need to induce to get this baby out before things got dangerous.  They did a test on the baby during the ultrasound called a biophysical profile and doc said baby looked happy and scored like 100% on that test, which basically means baby is doing great and even though the fluid levels are so low the baby is handling it really well.  so that was encouraging! but we still had to face the facts that the baby needs to come soon.  so we set our induction for friday morning.  but when we were leaving jeff just got more and more nervous and felt like we should just go on up to the hospital and be monitored for a while yesterday afternoon.  so i talked with my doctor and she said that was completely fine and reasonable but if we were going up there anyway that we should just go ahead and induce then. 
so we came on up to the hospital and got checked in and hooked up to like 14 monitors and tubes and everything and basically spent the night being pumped full of pitocin to get things going and nothing has happened yet.  we have been here 12 hours and i still am not contracting.  so they keep increasing the pitocin and hopefully that will get things going.  we just wait at this point.
so here are my main prayer requests at this point - first, that things will get going, that the baby will respond well to the induction so that it may jump start my body to do the rest on my own.  that the Lord would calm my heart, as this was not the situation that we necessarily wanted for labor and delivery.  but above all, that the baby would come out safe and healthy. this is the goal, we know that, and that is why we are even doing this at all.  we feel like it is for the safety of the baby that we get he/she out.  so we are trusting God that He has ordained this new "twist" and has brought it about in His perfect timing. 
so would you join us in prayer for these things?  We are excited and nervous but know that God has brought this about for our good.  We love you all! And we'll keep you in the loop as much as we can.
Jeff and Courtney (and soon-to-be-here Baby Mix)

written 6/9 at 12:31pm-

ok, after about 17 hours of being here and hooked up to pitocin we were still not having really any progress.  i was not dialating any more than when i got here and i was not feeling my contractions (apparently i was having contractions pretty regularly but not intense enough for me to feel or to progress my labor enough.)  so the doctor suggested we go ahead and break my water in hopes that will get things going. she said with how dialated i am already and how low the babys head is, she wasn't worried that this would push me into active labor. she did this about a half hour ago and i can already tell a difference.  almost like severe menstral cramping coming every few minutes.  baby still looking lovely and happy, so we're happy about that. we hope this will move things along!
keep praying!!! :)

written after his birth -

We are so thankful to announce the birth of a SON -

Malachi Aaron Mixon
7lbs 9oz, 19.5 inches
June 9th, 2011 at 6:40pm after 7 hours of active labor.
The Lord was gracious and I was able to do it naturally, hard but good

We love you all and are so thankful for your prayers through this process - the Lord is good!

Jeff, Courtney and Malachi

malachi's birth story

this post has been a long time coming and i don't really know why i haven't sat down before now and written it out, but this month marks my little guys NINTH month of life! he has now been outside of the womb as long as he was in the womb, crazy! so it's gotten me thinking about my pregnancy and his birth. so i wanted to document it so that i never forget it. and so that it's written out for malachi to one day read and know how he came into the world. my memory is awful and i have learned over the years that if i want to remember anything with any kind of detail i MUST write it down. so this is my attempt to remember :)
disclaimer - this is a documentation of a birth and while i will not be crude or explicit, it is what it is. so be warned.

on the morning of wednesday, june 8th, 2011 i had my 39 week visit with my doctor (i was actually 38 weeks, 5 days but they had always just "called" me the week i was turning that week since i always had my appointments on wednesdays). i had just started my maternity leave from work that monday. i decided to started my maternity leave 2 weeks before my due date to have some time to get things done before the baby came. so jeff and i went to the doctor together. everything went well, dr. walsh checked me and said i was 3cm dilated and about 50% effaced (which i had been for 3 weeks) and everything was looking great. she asked me if i was feeling any contractions, i said "not that i know of" (i mean really, what do i know with my first baby anyway? ha!) and she asked how i was feeling and i said great! we talked a bit about our birth plan and our plans for an unmedicated labor and delivery. we asked her what we could be doing to get things going if i still had not progressed by the following week, since i did not want to be induced. and we asked her how long she would let me go on my own so that i would not have to be induced. so we chatted for a few minutes and she said i was doing great and that things looked wonderful. then she said that at this point in the pregnancy she liked to do a routine ultrasound just to check on the baby, make sure everything was looking good and to just check a few things out. she asked if we could stay a little bit longer to do that, but if we didn't want to do the ultrasound we didn't have to. she said it was our choice. we said sure. i was off work and jeff wasn't working that day either. so we had the time and we figured it would be fun to see the baby again, since we hadn't see him/her since march. so we stayed and had the ultrasound done.

we chatted with the ultrasound tech while we watched the baby on the screen and asked her what she was looking for. she said she was checking for the amniotic fluid levels, the baby's size, confirming the age of the baby, checking movement and activity of the baby, etc. at this point, i was mainly concerned about the baby's size. so i asked her what she thought the baby was weighing and measuring at this point. she estimated about 7.5 pounds and she said she couldn't really estimate a length. then after the ultrasound we waited for a few more minutes to talk with my doctor about the ultrasound.

dr. walsh came in with the ultrasound pics and said we had a change of plans. then she proceeded to tell us that the amniotic fluid levels for the baby were low, very low, dangerously low and she could not let me go on pregnant any longer. she said that the baby seemed to be doing great in spite of the low fluid levels. one of the things they checked was movement and activity of the baby and she said that the baby seemed to be handling the low fluids fine, did not seem to be in any distress, etc. but that she could not let me continue on and go into labor on my own. she said it was too risky and went into this list of risks associated with low fluid levels. the point was, the baby had to come in the next day or two and i was going to have to be induced. at this point in my head i started to freak out. i somehow managed to keep my composure outwardly but inside i was crushed. i did not want to be induced. i had been preparing for months to have an unmedicated labor and delivery. jeff and i had taken a lamaze class, i had been reading about all of the advantages of laboring naturally, and we had been practicing relaxation techniques. i knew that being induced was the first step down a slippery slope that could potentially end in a c-section for me. and i did not want a c-section! i had planned to go into labor on my own, labor at home for a while and then come to the hospital at the end. i was not prepared for what my doctor was telling me! the next several minutes are sort of a blur. i remember her telling us that it didn't seem to be a huge emergency since the baby looked to be doing so well but that we needed to go ahead and schedule the induction either the next day or friday. she assured us that if it was a true emergency she would have no problem sending us the hospital right that second and having a c-section. so it was ok to wait till the next day. she told us that she had something the next day and so she probably wouldn't be there but on friday she would. so if we wanted to wait till friday we would have to come back to the office the next day and have another ultrasound to check the baby. she said that she was sorry, she knew what i wanted and that i wanted to go into labor on my own and she wished we didn't have to do this. but she said that for the safety of the baby she just couldn't let me do that. she said that obviously my body was saying that it was time to have the baby since i had not lost a huge amount of fluid, the placenta must have just stopped producing it. my head was spinning. then jeff did the best thing possible - he asked her to leave for a minute so we could talk privately. she said to take as much time as we needed and she would come back when we had made a decision.

as soon as she left i lost it. i started to cry and say that this wasn't what i wanted. i said that i didn't want to be induced and that we had prepared for so long for something different. i said i was scared about what she was saying. it was not what i was expecting to hear at this visit at all. but jeff and i talked for a few minutes and we prayed and then decided that we both really wanted Dr. Walsh there. so we decided to go forward for friday. when she came back in we told her what we had decided and she said that was great. we made an appointment for the following day for another ultrasound and pre-registered to come to hospital on friday morning.

we left and on the way home started calling our parents to tell them that the baby was coming friday. as we talked to them we were strongly encouraged to go to the hospital right then to be hooked up to a fetal monitor for a few hours to get a better reading on how the baby was doing over a period of time. i didn't really think it was necessary since my doctor did not seem that urgent. i felt like we should just trust her and do what we had discussed at the office. we got home and were talking about it more and jeff said that he would really feel more comfortable if we did go to the hospital and monitor the baby for a while. i was still reluctant but i told him i would call my doctor back and ask if we could do that. i left a message at the office for her to call me back. in the meantime, jeff said i should probably get my bags together because he thought we should be prepared to stay and come home with the baby. again, i was freaking out. i had only had 2 days of my maternity leave. i still had a whole list of things i wanted to get done before the baby came. i had my bags mostly packed but not completely. we didn't even have the carseat in the car. etc. etc. i was not ready for the baby yet! so i got my bags ready but in the back of my mind i still thought we would go to the hospital, get hooked up to a monitor for a few hours, they would see that the baby was fine and then we would come home and go back for the scheduled induction on friday. but i told jeff we HAD to get the carseat in the car. so we did that. i got my bags together and tried to clean up the apartment a little bit so that i wouldn't come home to a mess. and then we left. i still hadn't heard back from my doctor but jeff just said let's go. on the way to the hospital jeff kept saying to me "courtney, we're probably not coming home without the baby. you need to be ok with that." but i wasn't! i was still scared and not ready to admit that the baby was coming! but on the way to the hospital i finally got a call back from Dr. Walsh. she said we were totally fine to go ahead and be monitored for a while, whatever would make us feel more comfortable. but if we were going up to the hospital anyway, we may as well go ahead and start the induction that night. she would call ahead to labor and delivery and tell them we were on our way. oh my! it was happening whether i was ready or not! i needed to get ok with it!

we got to the hospital about 6:30pm on wednesday night. they admitted me and started me on pitocin. even in the midst of all of it, i still wanted to try for a natural labor. i knew it would be different and probably harder, but i still wanted to try. so i asked for a nurse who loved working with unmedicated labors. they got my iv started and hooked up to a fetal monitor. and then i waited. i had heard that pitocin made things go quick and strong. so i was bracing myself for that. after church time tommy and kelly and the boys came up for a visit. they told us that everyone at church was praying for us and was excited that the baby was coming. we had a nice visit, they brought jeff some dinner, and then they left. we settled in for the night. jeff got a good nights sleep and i slept off and on. my poor nurse had to keep coming in and adjusting the monitor on my belly. it kept losing the baby's heartbeat and she would have to come in an move it. i honestly think that awful monitor was the worst part of the entire process, believe it or not! we got through the whole night with no progress. my nurse kept increasing the pitocin and still nothing was happening. the next morning around 7am i got a new nurse. i made sure she loved working with unmedicated labors and she said she had had all 3 of her kids naturally after being induced with pitocin and she thought what i wanted to do was great. that was so encouraging to me - it could be done! my nurse said that the doctor on call from my practice was making rounds this morning and would be here to talk to me soon. it was Dr. Nett, who i had never met, but it was fine. she had to talk to us and discuss what to do at this point since the pitocin was doing nothing and they had given me the maximum amount that they could.

around 11am thursday morning, Dr. Nett came in to talk to me. she was so sweet and encouraging. she said that she loves that i want to go naturally and if she had it her way we would have never had to be induced at all. but at this point since the pitocin was not doing anything she asked us if we would consider letting her break my water. she said usually that will get things going. i was scared to do that though because i knew that put us on a time schedule. if they broke my water i pretty much had 12 hours to get the baby out or i would have to have a c-section. she understood my concern and agreed that it did complicate things. but at this point she felt like i wasn't going to progress without doing something. we asked her if we could just wait a few more hours to see if anything would happen with the pitocin. she said that we could but that she couldn't give me any more pitocin. she said that the baby was doing so well that she would sit on her hands if we wanted to but that she really didn't think anything was going to happen at this point. so we asked her if we could talk it over privately. she said of course and left us alone. jeff and i talked over the options and decided the best thing at this point would be for her to break my water. we knew it presented a risk but nothing else seemed to be working. so Dr. Nett came back about noon and broke my water.

before that, i really had been feeling nothing. i had been preparing myself all night for the contractions to just "hit me" but they never did. the monitor was showing that i was having contractions but they were so small that they weren't doing anything to progress labor. within 30 minutes of breaking my water the contractions started to "hit me." they were coming and they were noticeable for sure! it was time to work, everything we had prepared for was happening. so jeff and my nurse got me up out of bed and they let me move around the monitor. since i was hooked up i couldn't go far but i could move around the side of the bed and i could unhook myself long enough to go to the bathroom, so that was better than nothing. things progressed and they progressed quick. within an hour i went from 3cm dilated to 4cm dilated and then within another hour to 5cm. it was painful but jeff was by my side the entire time. he was so encouraging and would keep my trying new relaxation techniques to help with the pain. my nurse was so incredibly helpful as well. she would keep encouraging me and telling me how great i was doing and that it wasn't going to be long at the rate i was progressing. there were moments when i didn't think i could do it anymore and i would ask for an epidural but jeff was so encouraging. he would tell me to get through the contraction and then if i still wanted one we could talk. he knew what was happening, we had talked about it in lamaze class. i was panicking and when i wasn't in the middle of a contraction i wouldn't want one anymore. so i just had to get through the contraction. he also would have my nurse keep checking me when i would get discouraged and think i couldn't go on. when she checked me i would have always progressed and so then i was hopeful that i could keep going. that was so helpful to me! my poor nurse must have checked me every hour or more for a while there, but it was so helpful and encouraging to me.

things progressed steadily for a few hours, gradually getting harder and harder. but then things seemed to pick up. i felt like my contractions were one on top of the other for a solid 10-15 mins. i thought that surely this must be transition! so i asked my nurse to check me but i was still at 7cm. that was discouraging... i thought surely it was almost over. but thats when i really started wanting an epidural but i knew it was too late. i knew i couldn't get one in time at this point. which i was ok with in some strange way. i knew it was almost over and i could hang on. my nurse said she was going to call the doctor and tell them i was almost there and to start making their way to the hospital (at this point i didn't think Dr. Walsh would be there because she had told us the day before that she was not available after 5pm. so i got up to go to the bathroom and while i was going i started feeling like i HAD to push! i told jeff, "i have to push!" and his eyes got big. i said, "go get my nurse right now!" she came back really quickly (mind you, like 5-10 mins since she had just checked me) and i was still sitting on the toilet and i said "i have to push!" and she said "well, not on the toilet!" so they got me back to the bed and she checked me and i was at 9cm!!!! hallelujah it was time to push! but then i started to worry that the doctor was not going to get there in time. i asked my nurse if the doctor was going to get there and she said Dr. Walsh was on her way - it was about 5:30pm at this point. i was shocked and relieved all at the same time. it would be wonderful to have a familiar face at this point. so my nurse and jeff were on each side of me at this point. my nurse told me to follow my body and to push when i felt like i had to push to help get me the rest of the way to 10cm, just no big pushes. so i did and it brought a strange relief every time.

then Dr. Walsh walked in and it was time to push for real. i was at 10cm and they were already getting everything ready in my room for the delivery. a bunch of nurses were coming in and out, they were getting the baby station ready, it was time! Dr. Walsh was so encouraging, she kept giving me instructions to push and push hard. jeff was next to my head encouraging me and cheering me on in my ear. it was hard and it hurt a lot and at one point i remember saying to Dr. Walsh when the baby was crowning "can't you just reach in and pull it out?!?!" and she said "yes, i could but i don't want to. i want you to push the baby out" so i did and jeff was there to pull it out and bring it up to my chest. and then Dr. Walsh asked jeff, "ok, dad, what do we have?" and he announced "BOY!" it was so exciting for everyone there - they all knew we did not know the gender and there was so much anticipation in the air - it was great! they brought him to my chest as they wiped him off and i held him for a moment while jeff cut the cord. but then i felt more contractions coming and i couldn't hold him anymore. so they took him to get him taken care of at the baby station and i delivered the placenta. then Dr. Walsh had to deal with some bleeding that was too heavy for her liking and stitch me up,while i watched jeff enjoying and holding our new son :)

malachi aaron was born at 6:40 pm thursday, June 9th 2011, about 6 hours after labor really got going. weighing 7 pounds 9oz., 19.5 inches long. we had visitors that night after we were taken from labor and delivery to the mother and baby unit - tommy, kelly and the boys and pastor ben, natalie and their kids. quite a crew in a small hospital room! but it was so fun! :) and they brought us dinner - my first food in a day and a half! yum! :) we rested and worked on breastfeeding for the next few days.the breastfeeding was a little slow going at first but we finally got the hang of it before being discharged. we stayed in the hospital from thursday night until saturday around noon and then we went home - a new family of three!

the Lord was so gracious and worked things out for the safety of malachi and for our good. it was not exactly how i envisioned our labor and delivery to go but it was the way that He ordained it. i am so thankful for a healthy and safe delivery and a perfect little boy. and i am so thankful for the Lord's grace to do it without more medication than was necessary. He is good and we are thankful!

right after jeff pulled him out and up to my chest

a healthy baby boy and a proud daddy

new family of three

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY FROM THE MIXON HOUSE!

heritage...

as i sit musing over my pastor's sermon this morning i am so encouraged by the charge he gave to the older generation to spur on the generations coming after them in the gospel - in the truth of God's word. the text was Genesis 50, the death of Joseph. Joseph's last words and last instructions to his family were to cling to the covenant promise that God would deliver the people of Israel up out of Egypt and into the promised land. Joseph's final words were about God and reminding his people of God's covenant promises. it wasn't about Joseph or about his life or about his experiences. Joseph's last words were all about his God and what He is doing.
i have been thinking a lot about heritage lately. a senior saint in our church body went to be with the Lord this week and while she will be greatly missed, her family is so thankful that she gets to be with Jesus now. her legacy and her life speak volumes to those around her about what it means to leave a heritage. she communicated the truth of God's word through her life's work. she encouraged the younger generations with the gospel. what a blessing to know someone who, while not perfectly, lived in such a way that was a testimony to all those around her.
i am challenged myself to see where i might be able to encourage the generations after me with the truth of God, it's not simply a task for the senior saints. and while there are many opportunities i can think of to do this work, i am reminded of something the Lord has been hammering into me the last few months over and over again - my children ARE my mission field. my son (and his future brothers and sisters) is who God has given me to preach the gospel to day in and day out. they are the souls that i have been given to impact and to remind everyday of God's redeeming work. and like Joseph, who on his deathbed was speaking of God's covenant with his people and His coming salvation from slavery, my task is not to talk about myself or my experiences. but i am to preach God to my children and all that He has done and will do.
what a sweet reminder to me yet again that this life is NOT about me! God is so much bigger and His work is so much grander than i could ever imagine. but i am called to be faithful to point those who come after me back to God and what He has promised. and i pray that on my deathbed it would be all about God and not about me. what a high task we have!

And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Gen. 50:24 

January in our Home and Malachi - 8th Month

wow. is it really february already!?!?! it's hard to believe!

sorry for my absence around these parts lately, i feel like december and january went by in a blur this year and i am just starting to get back to "normal" in our house. but let me catch you up!

we went to california for over a week right after christmas (which was wonderful! and my posts about christmas pretty much sum it up) and then a few days after we got home we had some friends come with their two kids and stay the night. it was great! we had such a blast with them. they came up sunday night and spent the night and then we all drove down to cincinnati on monday and just hung out there. they currently live in Seattle, WA but were in Louisville visiting family, so it was so special that they drove the 3.5 hours to see us :)

then about a week after that we left town AGAIN! this time we went back to Louisville for just over a week. jeff took a week long class at Southern Seminary and i got to relax and visit people all week. it was wonderful! we got to be back at our old church, Baxter Ave. Church on wednesday night and sunday. we got to see lots of friends and eat at lots of places we don't have in ohio.

so you can see why january feels like a blur! i had just gotten all the laundry done and stuff put away from our cali. trip and i was packing up and heading out again! then it took a few days to get all the laundry done and stuff put away from our louisville trip. and then it was february! ha! life is funny sometimes.....  but don't let me fool you. all of those trips were wonderful and even the work involved in them is wonderful because it reminds me that we were there. so thats pretty much january in our home. now onto the good stuff - malachi!

mr. man is going to be 8 months tomorrow! i can hardly believe it! here's a little recap of what he is up to now -
i have no idea about height and weight at this point. we haven't been to the doctor for a well-baby visit since before christmas, so things could have changed a lot. at that point he was still measuring small on weight but with the way he eats i wouldn't be surprised if he has gained a few pounds since then!

on that note, his eating has certainly increased since the last time i did one of these updates! he is now eating three solid meals a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner - and still nurses 4 times a day. he's a hungry little guy and i pretty much give him as much as he wants as we are trying to increase his weight anyway.
his schedule and menu pretty much look like this everyday -
he wakes up around 8am and nurses. then he has breakfast, an egg yolk and plain yogurt mixed with a mashed banana.
then he is awake until 10am usually. then naps from 10am-noon.
around noon he will wake up and nurse, then have lunch. lunch is usually some sort of meat and veggie combination with some cheese or fruit afterward. whatever i have on hand i just grind up in our baby food grinder (seriously, this thing is amazing!) and that's what he eats.
then he will usually go back down for a nap around 2pm, unless i have errands to run and then he will go with me. he will sleep till 4pm if he goes down at 2pm.
then around 4pm he wakes and nurses. but he waits and eats dinner with us around 6pm. we just grind up what we are having (for the most part, not everything though) and that's what he eats.
then around 7:30/8pm he nurses one last time and goes to bed.
his latest change to his schedule is that he is dropping his evening nap. he's been doing pretty well but some days he is fussy close to bedtime. that will usually determine if he goes down at 7:30 or 8 - how fussy he is.
overall, he is healthy and happy! but man, we better get ready when he is older! because if his eating habits now are any indication then he will have an appetite like his daddy and i am in BIG trouble!
some of his favorite foods right now are - chicken, cheddar cheese, banana, egg yolk, green beans, and beef stew.

he is finally in 6-9 month clothes! he was in 3-6 month clothes for a really long time, not that its a bad thing, just unexpected and a little frustrating when all of his 3-6 month clothes were for warmer weather. i just hated going out and buying cold weather clothes in 3-6 month size because i figured it wouldn't even make us through the winter. thankfully i didn't buy too much since i was right about that. so now he is wearing all of his wonderful gifts from christmas! :)

jeff and i think he is going to be walking before too long. he is SOOO busy and will hardly keep still ever. and he wants to stand up constantly, i have to bend his waist to make him sit down. i have a feeling that walking may come before crawling for this little guy. we'll see - he may totally shock us all but at this point he is making more advances toward walking than crawling. either way, it will be fun to watch over the next month or so!

that's about all i can think of right now. but what would a post about the little guy be without pictures of the little guy?!?! so, enjoy!
until next time,
love from the mixon house

he has upgraded from the bumbo seat to a real booster seat! what a big guy!

our sweet friend Jess, who we saw while in louisville. she took some pics of our family while there and as soon as i get them i will share! her work is wonderful and i am so excited to see what she got!

jeff teaching malachi how to "play swords" - this was entertaining! ha! :)