A Purposeful Peek

Lillian Cole, Two months into this life, and you are simply a dream baby... towards the end of this month, you started sleeping.through.the.night. We tried not to get our hopes up at first, but this has continued to be the pattern for you. You are such a peaceful and content doll baby! At this point, it seems that just when I memorize every inch of your sweet face, it changes the next day. One day, you look just like your daddy, and then the next day... well, you still look just like your daddy (and your biggest sister Charlotte, who also looked just like your Daddy). But each day brings a little something different, and I love seeing the way you change and grow.  One of your major life milestones this month was that you got to meet the rest of your family... who traveled all the way from Thailand to see you!!! Okay, so maybe they were moving home anyways, but the timing was perfect in that we had already soaked up a month with you as our little fami...

Charlotte Ann, Happy 4th Birthday!!! You are so inquisitive, intuitive, and compassionate.  You have a beautiful sense of wonder about the world around you, and your fourth year of life was filled with incredible adventures.. A couple months after you turned 3 years old, you began asking for a "new baby." But you didn't simply want a baby doll, you wanted a real  baby. Then, with your incredible childlike faith, you prayed for that baby. You talk about how you remember laying in bed one night and asking God for a baby sister...and that He gave you a "thumbs up." So, it was no surprise to you when you learned that Momma had a baby in her belly a month later... Your heart inspires us, and we pray that you always keep your sense of wonder and faith! You experienced your first glimpse of the world outside of the U.S. when we traveled to visit your cousins in Thailand last December, and you proved to be a great little traveler. Seeing the world through ...

There is a postpartum Chinese tradition called "Sitting the Month."  It literally means that after having a baby, women undergo a 30 day confinement period where they stay in pajamas, do not go outside, adhere to a bland but nutritious diet, and have around-the-clock caregivers for themselves and their baby, among many other specific regulations designed to promote recovery from childbirth. Compare that to U.S. culture, where it is almost seen as a badge of honor to return to daily activities of life soon after giving birth. Women are referred to as "super moms" for appearing to bounce back within days to weeks after delivery, aspiring to fit back into their pre-pregnancy wardrobe as soon as possible, toting their other children around, resuming household responsibilities, and even returning to work within only a few weeks. It seems that much thought and discussion surround pregnancy and childbirth in our culture, but postpartum care? Not so much... In hinds...