Beyond the blog

Joining Lisa-Jo and others this morning for Five Minute Friday, where we cut the words loose for just five minutes, and see where they fall. No editing, just encouraging the others who play along. The topic today is Beyond.





****
Beyond this blog my life has been moving along quite quickly. I am busy, moving, and interested in every new little development in my little ones life. There are so many, many firsts. More than I ever realized. 

The first time she rolled over (yesterday!)

The first time I used cloth diapers (yesterday too!)

The first noticeable growth spurt (also yesterday--it was a big day for baby!)

The first smile (a couple weeks ago)

The first time I left her, and a bottle with my mom over a feeding (a couple weeks ago--and I learned that "lost" feeling when a mama's separated from her little one)

The first time to church

The first time I let her nap in the church nursery (and obsessively checked on her every 5 minutes...)

The first clothing I made for her (a cute 4th of july skirt)

There are a lot of firsts, and I'm celebrating every one of them. I may not write quite as much around here as I used to, but I haven't forgotten about it either. It's this life-beyond, and it is more fascinating than I ever thought it would be.

Tirza--a birth story

This is my birth story. It's not the story I expected to write, but it's the one that God gave me. One of the lessons I walked away with is that one of the only true things I was told about birth is that no two birth stories are exactly alike. I had a lot of misconceptions. Here are a few of them:

1. First labors are always extra hard (hard? yes. Extra hard? no)
2. When the "real" contractions start they are unmistakable (heh. Yeah. Read on....)
3. First labors are nearly always late (emphasis on "nearly")
4. First labors are looooooong. Very long. (not always...)
5. Most likely there will be false alarms. At least once or twice. (unless you're expecting them. And then it goes into the real thing right away, just to keep you guessing)
6.  Recovery time for natural, unmedicated birth is measured best in days or hours, not weeks. (Mine was reasonable--neither super fast nor unusually slow)
7. Breastfeeding is the magical weightloss pill. (Apparently not for everyone. The only misconception I've been sad about...)

As most of you can tell, I had a few things to learn about giving birth.

Stories

Joining Lisa-Jo and others this morning for Five Minute Friday, where we cut the words loose for just five minutes, and see where they fall. No editing, just encouraging the others who play along. The topic today is Story.





Stories have always facinated me. Ever since I learned how to read I've read everything I can get my hands on. When I was upset I would often pull one or another of my favorites off the book shelf, and read till I felt better. The story itself didn't much matter, it was immersing myself in it that did the trick. Once I returned from my foray into storyland, I had calmed down enough to deal with real-life challenges.

I've had a number of writer friends throughout my lifetime--including my husband. The relationships have always worked well. They give me original reading material that I voraciously consume. I give them an eager audience, and non-critical feedback. It's good.

My love for stories doesn't just apply to stories between the covers of a book. When I look at people I see story--the story of their lives. As I get to know them I feel like I'm reading a book, full of mysteries to be discovered. As our friendship continues I see the story of their lives unfold, I try to guess what comes next, how things will turn out. I wonder curiously what the author of their story, the greatest and best Storyteller that ever lived, has next. It's fascinating to think of all the possibilities.

Now that I have a little girl I wonder what her story will be like. What will her personality be like? What things will she like to do? What adventures will she have? What relationships will she develop? What will her interests be? Who will she marry and what will their story be? I've watched many friends grow and mature over many years, their story unfolding day by day, but this is the first time I've been allowed a front row seat to an individuals entire life-story, starting at day one. I can't wait to learn what comes next!