Handeling unwanted advice

I have learned the following since being a new mom...

When you have a baby, everyone in the world seems to have an opinion to share: "Shouldn't he be wearing a sweater?" "He won't grow big and strong if you don't feed him solids now." "If you let him suck on a pacifier, he'll ruin his teeth!" Whether the advice is right or wrong, it's the sheer intrusiveness of it all that can irk you.

How to deal with it? First, don't take everything you hear seriously. There's no quicker way to undermine your growing confidence than to listen to every shred of information you're offered by friends, relatives, and strangers. Do what you think is best.

Realize the advice is mostly well intentioned. People are drawn to babies. Sometimes they make "helpful" comments simply to have something to say. In response, say something noncommittal, like "Thanks for your concern" or "I'll think about that." A great way to handle grandparents who have their own ideas about feeding or sleep is to enlist a third party: "Thanks, Mom. I'll see what our doctor says."

Memorial Day

I want to take a time out to say THANK YOU to all the soldiers, past and present. I realize my freedom is not free, and I truly appreciate everything you have done so that I am allowed to live in a country where I am free to do and believe as I please. To all the soldiers who have passed- May God bless you all, and I hope to one day meet you in heaven with the Lord!

Thank you for your service!

My Stance On...

The death penalty...

As you may know, the State of New Mexico recently repealed the death penalty. My ultimate stance on the death penalty is that God judges in the end. So why does it matter how we are judged for our actions here on earth in this life? Even though we are judged by our creator I still have a stance on this subject...

I currently do not have confidence in our criminal justice system as it stands right now. Why should the system as it currently operates be the final arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime?

Governor Richardson recently made a statement and couldnt have been more accurate. He said "faced with the reality that our system for imposing the death penalty can never be perfect, my conscience compels me to replace the death penalty with a solution that keeps society safe". The bill that was passed replaces the death penalty with life without the possibility for parole.

Because I have experience in having a family member go through the judicial system to be convicted of a crime I know how hard it is on a family member, regardless if you are a family member of the victim or accused, to go through this process. Every time there is a court hearing, a conviction, an appeal, the focus is on the defendant, but the family still has to go through it all again and again. It's very, very hard for the families. It reopens the wounds each time.

God judges us in the end. We are taught through His teaching to be a forgiving person. I do not feel we have the right to put anyone to death, regardless of their actions, because in the end, they will be judged by Him, and that alone puts me at ease!

My stance on...

So over the course of my next few blog posts I am going to write about my stance on certain subjects.

In light of the whole Ms. California scandal I feel its best to write about my stance on gay marriage...

My mother raised me to NEVER compromise my opinions or beliefs about anything. Ms. California was also raised this way. Her question in the Ms. USA pageant was from Perez Hilton (a proudly gay celebrity blogger) and he asked her what her thoughts where about gay marriage. Basically, her response was that she favored traditional marriages and felt that marriage should be about the bond between a man and a women.

Ms. California lost the pageant because of her response to this question. As a christian women I fully support her response to that question and feel that any person who truly follows God should also oppose gay marriage. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10it reads "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." Homosexuality IS a sin based upon scripture. In the Bible it also says to love your neighbors as yourself, therefore, we are not to discriminate against homosexuals but pray for them that they will be healed. Therefore, regardless of there sexual orientation we need to accept them and be kind to them.

God is good, and because of that homosexuals can still inherit the kingdom of God ONLY if they come to the Lord. It says in 1 Corinthians 6:11 - "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

I do feel Ms. California was scrutinized for her Christian beliefs and I personally felt bad for her. She was asked an honest question and she gave an honest answer. Should she have lied or given a politically correct answer just to win the crown? Absolutely NOT.

Hebrews 12:4 says "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."

Before I Was A Mom...

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Dedication

Liam was dedicated to the Lord on Sunday May 3rd. Praise God that he also has some Godparents who are full of faith and made the promise to support him and teach him all about Gods love. Thank you Mark and Monique! Liam is truly blessed to have such great Godparents