Bastian Summer Photos!

I am attempting to use this blog to family update type things that most people do. I figured that my blog needs to take a turn for the Happy anyhow.  I am going to try to post photos more often as well.  I am super new to this.. I appreciate all the help I can get!

This is Bastian and Edwin playing in the pool at the Sturtivants home. They had such a blast. 

Bastian at Lewis Ginter. I can not remember why he is making this face, But I love it.

Bas watching the fish at Lewis Ginter.

Bastian playing in the sand at the Children's Museum.

Bastian and Tony... this is how we watch Charlie apparently. 

We have learned the hard way that anything that sounds remotely fun in Richmond usually involves water (At least in the summer) .  I now keep swimmer diapers and a set of trunks (that I let dry in the back window, classy I know!) in the car. 

We are going through swimmer diapers and sunscreen at twice the rate that we did last year. But that is OK with me we are having a blast!

Helpful Songs during the Tough Times

So I still have some rough days, where I get super depressed and then I fall into Tony's arms and cry.. I know that is normal.

I know that God is with me and that helps. There are some songs that have really put things into perspective for me. And Definitely helped me through it.

1. East to West- Casting Crowns
2. Savior Please- Josh Wilson
3. By Your Side- Tenth Avenue North
4. Never Let Go- DCB (this is my fav)
5. While I'm waiting- John Waller


The Lyrics
1. East to West- Casting Crowns
Here I am Lord and I'm drowning In your sea of forgetfulness The chains of yesterday surround me I yearn for peace and rest I don't want to end up where you found me And it echoes in my mind Keeps me awake tonight I know you've cast my sins as far As the East is from the West And I stand before you now As though I've never sinned but today I feel like I'm just one mistake away From you leaving me this way Jesus can you show me Just how far the East is from the West Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been Come rising up in me again In the arms of your mercy I find rest Cause you know just how far the East is from the West From one scar[r]ed hand to the other I start the day the war begins Endless reminding of my sin Time and time again Your [T]ruth is drowned out by the storm I'm in Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away From you leaving me this way Jesus can you show me Just how far the East is from the West Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been Come rising up in me again In the arms of your mercy I find rest Cause you know just how far the East is from the West From one scar[r]ed hand to the other I know you've washed me white Turned my darkness into light I need your peace to get me through To get me through this night I can't live by what I feel But by the truth your word reveals I'm not holding on to you But your holding on to me Your holding on to me Jesus, you know just how far The East is from the West I don't have to see the man I've been Come rising up in me again In the arms of your mercy I find rest (The arms of your mercy I find rest) Cause you know just how far the East is from the West From one scar[r]ed hand to the other(x2) (Just how far, the East is from the West) (x3) From one scarred hand to the other
2. Savior Please
Savior, please take my handI work so hard, I live so fastThis life begins, and then it endsAnd I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll lastI try to be so toughBut I'm just not strong enoughI can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to meI try to be good enoughBut I'm nothing without Your loveSavior, please keep saving meSavior, please help me standI fall so hard, I fade so fastWill You begin right where I endAnd be the God of all I am because You're all I haveHallelujahEverything You are to meIs everything I'll ever needAnd I am learning to believeThat I don't have to prove a thing'Cause You're the one who's saving me
3. By Your Side- Tenth Avenue North
Why are you striving these daysWhy are you trying to earn graceWhy are you cryingLet me lift up your faceJust don't turn awayWhy are you looking for loveWhy are you still searching as if I'm not enoughTo where will you go childTell me where will you runTo where will you runAnd I'll be by your sideWherever you fallIn the dead of nightWhenever you callAnd please don't fightThese hands that are holding youMy hands are holding youLook at these hands and my sideThey swallowed the grave on that nightWhen I drank the world's sinSo I could carry you inAnd give you lifeI want to give you life(Chorus 2x)Cause I, I love youI want you to knowThat I, I love youI'll never let you go(Chorus 2x)
4.Never Let Go- David Crowder Band
When clouds veil sun And disaster comes Oh, my soul Oh, my soul When waters rise And hope takes flight Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Ever faithful Ever true You I know You never let go You never let go You never let go You never let go When clouds brought rain And disaster came Oh, my soul Oh, my soul When waters rose And hope had flown Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Overflows Oh, what love, oh, what love Oh, my soul Fills hope Perfect love that never lets go Oh, what love, oh, what love Oh, what love, oh, what love In joy and pain In sun and rain You?re the same Oh, You never let go
5. While I'm Waiting- John Waller
I’m waitingI’m waiting on You, LordAnd I am hopefulI’m waiting on You, LordThough it is painfulBut patiently, I will waitI will move ahead, bold and confidentTaking every step in obedienceWhile I’m waitingI will serve YouWhile I’m waitingI will worshipWhile I’m waitingI will not faintI’ll be running the raceEven while I waitI’m waitingI’m waiting on You, LordAnd I am peacefulI’m waiting on You, LordThough it’s not easyBut faithfully, I will waitYes, I will waitI will serve You while I’m waitingI will worship while I’m waitingI will serve You while I’m waitingI will worship while I’m waitingI will serve You while I’m waitingI will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

Importance of Baby Massage

Some say that Baby Massage is "The Art of the Mother's Touch"

It creates relaxation through your babies whole body. It is a form of touch that will help you develop a relationship with each of your babies and will help you understand them and their individual needs better.
As your newborn babies slowly begin to uncurl from their squished up little fetal positions, massaging them will help you to stretch out their little muscles and joints and help give their movements some balance and co-ordination. It helps to prepare their bodies for movement and for relaxation. It helps to stimulate the circulatory system and can help with regulating the heart rate, breathing and your babies digestive system.


Let's Get Started!
Give yourself about 15 minutes , find a quiet place, maybe play some soothing music and make sure that you are feeling relaxed yourself. The room should be warm and not drafty and find a comfortable blanket or thick towel to lay down . Infant massage is best performed after your baby bath and you'll want something handy in case of an accident . Keep a diaper and some wipes nearby too - you just never know .You'll want to have a gentle oil or gentle lotion- just don't use something too perfumed as it may irritate your baby's skin. This helps your hands to slide gently. Some moms like to use a baby lotion but I find it absorbs too quickly into the skin. Never pour the oil onto your baby as it will feel cold and make them tense up. Pour some into the palm of your hands and rub them together to warm it up. Start with a very gentle touch as you and your baby get used to infant massage. You can use this time to talk with your baby , as you touch a leg, say LEG, same for when you massage the tummy, arm, hand etc.

Another important reason that many moms choose to perform baby massage on young infants is to help them with Gas. This method is called the "I love you" Method. First, make a down stroke on your baby's tummy that spells the letter "I". Then make an upside down "L" going from your left to right for "love", and then make an upside down "U" going from your left to right. As you do this tell your baby " I love you " and watch them smile. Although we only had to deal with Gas a hand full of times we have always had good luck with this method.

From our experience with Bastian we really understand the benefit of Infant Massage. OUr first 3 months together we categorized him as a "high needs baby" once we began giving him a massage every night and we started to see a new Bastian. I am sure that there are many other factors that we can attribute the change from a fussy clingy newborn to a happy confident baby boy.

We recommend baby massage to all parents, it will not only be beneficial to your child but it will also benefit the parents!

For more information please see the following links!

http://www.iaim.ws/home.html

http://www.childbirth.org/articles/baby/infantmassage.html

http://www.lovingtouch.com/

How many lessons learned today?

I often wonder how much one can learn in a day... OK, not really I just wanted an intro that sounded thoughtsy. Anyways- if I had ever wondered that I would have a good idea or perhaps maybe even an answer. The day started out like any other. I woke up, went to work, came home, had some dinner... once I put Bastian to bed it all went up/down hill.. I'm not sure if I feel like this has been a bad day or if it has just been a day day. So I am not going to declare it an up or down hill... you can decide.

The lessons I learned today are numbered in the order that the lesson occured or was realized.
1. Your highschool friends can make or break you as an adult.
Don't get me wrong, I would be lost without Amber and Jessie, (my closest highschool girlfriends) but I think that I was babied by them. I am coming to learn that my only reliable means of keeping a conversation flowing is the sentence "Hey, you want to hear a funny story!" or I follow up just about any statement made by someone else with a story. (I'm a story teller!) Which is fine for my close friends... I like to tell myself that they do indeed like to hear my stories. But I am learning that this is not how big kids talk. They don't tell 15 stories per half hour. The adult story to normal speaking is ratio is much lower. The other issue is that when I tell a bad or pointless story, I am rewarded with a "gooood story, Nikki" and I know to modify the story the next time I tell them. (Did I mention that I am a story reteller as well?) But big kids just act awkward and then I feel like a huge nerd... again. I feel like my friends did not do a good job at prepping me for the big league... and I hold them responsible for all of my lameness from this point on.
2. Shower before you clean the fish tank
Especially when you have stinky slimy goldfish. I was able to spend the post fish tank cleaning with a 10 minute arm scrub over the sink.
3. Do not clean the fish tank over the garbage disposal.
Fear not my friends Esteban made it out alive! As soon as I realized that my poor fish went down the drain I freaked out and started yelling for Tony to help. I grabbed a soup spoon, made for the drain and had Tony hold a flash light. After Tony finished telling me to just turn on the disposal and let him go I had to face my fears and reach in and grab the little guy. I was able to find him pretty quickly, although I do not know how much time he spent in the total because I never saw him go in I just saw that he was no longer in the tank! But he was reunited with his old pal Joey Lawrence. And the lived happily ever after.
4. Although it looks cool, split peas are not for decorating in glass potted bamboo.
You may be tempted to say "duh" here but I was pretty surprised by the outcome. I was worried that the peas would decompose or mold in the glasses. I was worried that this would kill the bamboo because I would have basically started a little compost pile in the glasses. The exact opposite has happened. Not only are the peas not dying/decomposing, they are thriving! They are sprouting all over the place! They are sprouting so much that they are pushing the soil from the top of the jars! In hindsight, this seems like a pretty obvious result... but I totally did not see this coming. It is a shame too, because the vases are super cool looking!
5. If you lose your voice the day after the Superbowl everyone will think your team lost. Not much to explain here, I have been sick for about a week and now that I finally feel better my voice is gone! But since it is gone the day after the super bowl everyone thinks that I lost it watching the game... which is cute.

OK that is all that I have...