"Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One"

Another blog written while Charlotte sleeps on my chest. Things haven’t changed much since my last blog, except my perspective. I want to thank all of you who responded to my last post. Your words were so encouraging. To know that each of you raised your children in different ways and they are all thriving is so comforting.

I’m realizing that I’m in a new season of my life, and with each new season comes changes. I was fighting the fact that my days couldn’t follow my old schedule. Now I realize that this new season is filled with so many blessings, and I need to enjoy them. This past week I spent some great time with Charlotte, playing instead of vacuuming. I relaxed with Ben at night instead of worrying about laundry, and I spent time praising God for how much He has blessed me. I tried rejoicing instead of complaining. I also realized that there are many qualities of a Godly wife that I can do now because they do not require time but heart changes. I am praying to be more patient, seeking Godly wisdom even in the mundane tasks, trying to support and lift up my husband, striving to find joy in the small things, and asking God to reveal the areas in my life that still need to be broken.

This week I didn’t get tons done, but I tried to quit being bogged down and take comfort in the few accomplishments I did make. Those small accomplishments were mainly limited to feeding, soothing, bathing, playing, and loving on Charlotte. However, I did manage a major grocery run and a few dinners. I made the decision to buy organic chicken. I know, big step for me, especially since the meat ran at least $5 more. I decided that if I purchased the organic version, I would have to find a way to “make up” or recoup the extra spending. Well, I typically eat a sandwich everyday for lunch and buy prepackaged deli meat. This meat is not cheap and is packed with sodium. So, I cooked an organic fryer to use for sandwich meat and to make chicken salad. The carcass is still in the fridge because I plan on making bone stock. Homemade bone stock is not only cheaper but also filled with more flavor and best of all more nutrients.

My healthy cooking efforts also extended to sweet potato chili. I am sure some of you are thinking the combo sounds odd. But here was my thinking: I was looking for recipes that were relatively cheap and easy to make while being healthy and good sources of protein. It’s a lot to ask of a recipe, but I have to say the chili met the bill and tasted great to boot. Next week I’m going to do some grilled chicken and roasted cauliflower, and maybe some Brussels sprouts for diversity. If anyone has some recipes that fit my above criteria, I’d love to here them!!!

Before I go, or more correctly before Charlotte starts to demand food, I’d like to share a praise. The other day I was feeding Charlotte. Often while I do this, I stretch her feet out because she is keeping them flexed in at all times. I started tickling her leg, and there it was: MOVEMENT in her big toe on her left leg. I tickled her again to make sure there was actual movement and I wasn’t just seeing what I wanted, and YES it moved again. Near to tears, I ran upstairs to show Ben!! Some of you might think “calm down Ess; it is just a toe.” But I have never seen her toes wiggle like normal little babies do and didn’t know if I ever would. She does not respond to me touching her feet. Hopefully, this new movement will continue to get stronger. It is a very small movement, but to me it’s a huge miracle. That is one of the things I love about being Charlotte’s mom. I feel like I’m experiencing miracles daily. Every new thing she does amazes me, and I praise God for His “fearfully and wonderfully made” creation. Just the other day I was reading my bible out loud while Charlotte slept in my lap. All of the sudden I heard her giggle in her sleep. It was the best sound I have ever heard.