8 Months and "Desperate"

Can you believe that Claire has turned 8 months? I seriously can not. I still feel like she is my little baby and to think that she is closer to a year than she is to a newborn is just crazy.

• She is still toothless, no teeth yet but she is so ready, biting me and chewing on everything, so won't be long now. 
• She is trying so hard to crawl. She has started getting on her hands and knees and pushing off but hasn't quite got it down yet. Again won't be long. 
• Officially can sit up unsupported and loves it normally. 
• She is sleep trained! Been close to 2 months now of sleeping upstairs in her bed. She puts herself to sleep for naps and bedtime and will stay in there till around 4 and then I bring her to bed with me for our cuddle time. 

Have I mentioned she is just amazing. :)

On another subject I found this book called "Desperate" and can not tell you how amazing it is. Being home with 3 little kids all day can get dull and overwhelming and at time can just be downright not fun.  Over time I start to get discouraged and start to not really enjoy my time anymore. Basically just get into a rut. I never read my Mardel emails but for some reason the other day I glanced at it before deleting it, and the title caught my eye. I went that same day to get it and it has really helped me to refocus my priorities in life. I almost feel like it was written just for me and the daily struggles that I deal with.

When I was at the surgery center sitting with Dylan while he was in recover I sat watching the nurses and started feeling slightly sad. I realized that even though I love my job at home I miss nursing. I miss the excitement and the interaction.  I miss helping people feel better.  Internally I was doubting whether I was making the right choice by staying home, more for my own selfish gain than what was best for my children. That night I picked up the book to read another chapter and this paragraph caught my eye (There are no coincidences in life):

"The God who gave you your gifts and talents is the same God who gave you souls to bring up, train, invest in, and disciple. I don't know what His "dream" is for you, but I know that Scripture is filled with admonitions for a mama to make her home her focus and bring up her children. A mama's primary domain is her home.  This doesn't mean you don't have another purpose that God wants you to fulfill while you're breathing on this earth, but your first and main purpose is to deeply invest in the souls He's given you, and you will struggle immensely if you do not have resolve regarding your role as a mother."

My children are only little once and I still have an entire career in nursing waiting for me if I want it and if that is what God wants for me.

Another huge part of the book talks about having a mentor, a woman older and more seasoned who can help you in your spiritual walk. Well would you believe that the morning after I read that paragraph my cousin's wife (who I have only met a handful of times and lives a couple hours away) called me and I can already tell that she is my chosen mentor. She has already helped me more than she probably even knows.

I highly recommend the book if you have little kids and are in a rut or if you just want a good read.

Oh and P.S. Dylan's surgery went great and he is home hanging with us for the next week. Kids are loving it and I am too. Much needed family time.