Lessons Learned from my One-Year-Old

Ryenne has been growing like crazy these days. While we were on a recent vacation to Kauai spanning a little over a week, she out-ate both of her cousins (3 years old and almost 2), and put on two or three pounds during! She is the friendliest toddler you'll ever meet - waving and smiling at children, little old ladies, teenagers, grouchy looking old men, and even homeless people! She has absolutely no prejudice towards any person at this point in her life. And that's such a beautiful thing.
Ryenne has also been quite the jabber mouth lately. She is really into imitating sounds and intonation, and has been able to put more and more words together. Lately a phrase that you'll hear her say quite often these days sounds something like "Mah-mah, Mama." As a professional Ryenne-Ashley-language-interpretor, I have deciphered this little phrase to mean, "Help me, Mama." It's something that I've been saying for her in an attempt to model what the proper way of communicating her needs was rather than whining or crying or pointing when she would get stuck or her toy would fall over or her food would drop to the floor from the table. It's so amazing to me how quickly she picks up on things and how much she wants to learn. She tries desperately to communicate with us all the time, and we do our very best to understand her and respond as quickly as possible so as not to discourage those attempts. It's so important to listen to your child when she expresses a need because that is going to build so much trust and security into your relationship. A parent who ignores their child as she tries to communicate her needs is teaching their child that her needs are not important, that the parent does not understand her, and that ultimately whatever the parent is consumed with is more important than the child. While I, too, have been guilty of staring at my phone or computer rather than trying to meet the needs of my child, I do try so hard everyday to show Ryenne that she is my priority.
And I don't mean to say that Ryenne is the center of the universe. In reality, God is always going to be number one and pleasing Him is what is most important to me. Second to that is always going to be her daddy, David, and she comes next. In the context of communication though, David and I both feel that it is of utmost importance to do our best to listen to our daughter as she attempts to vocalize her needs, thoughts, feelings, or wants. But, it is still up to us as the parents to decide how best to respond - and sometimes that means having to say "no."
Anyway! Back to my story. This new phrase of Ryenne's ("Help me, mama") has me completely melted just about every time she says it. There is something so precious about that little voice asking me for help. I would do just about anything, as long as it was in her best interest, to meet whatever her need is when she asks me in such a sweet way. My heart overflows with joy to help her in any way I can.
This tender example of my own child asking me, the parent, for whatever it is she needs, has got me thinking often about the way my Heavenly Father looks at me.
A passage in particular that is very dear to my heart comes from Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV):

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

You are probably able to guess by now where I am going with this story. As a parent, when Ryenne asks me for help, I would do anything in the world to meet that need as long as I was able and it was in her best interest. And when I am able to meet that need, it brings me so much joy. So, how much more does God delight to answer me when I ask Him for help? He may not always answer me in the way that I am asking Him to, but that is only ever because it is in my very best interest. Sometimes I have to try to explain to Ryenne why I am not able to fulfill the need she is expressing. She doesn't understand for the most part yet, other than knowing that she's not getting what she asked for, but over time, she will hopefully be able to see why it is that sometimes I must say "no" to her. The same thing with me as a child of God. I may not always understand why God is not answering me in the way that I want Him to, but without fail, His reasoning is always in my best interest.

And what about the times where He does grant my request? That doesn't mean that He is answering my request because I've done anything right to earn it as a reward. It actually means the same exact thing as when He says "no:" it's because it's in my best interest. And if I receive so much joy in helping my daughter and giving her the things that she asks for, then how much more does it delight my Heavenly Father to help me and grant my requests!!! And oh, how much greater is His love for me than the love that I have for my little girl.

I am so thankful for the privilege it is to have my wonderful husband and my precious daughter as God's two greatest means of revealing Himself to me in new and beautiful ways. I have never felt more valued, cherished, protected, and loved by God as I do now, and I am so so thankful for the lessons He teaches me daily through my duties as a child of God, wife to David, and mama to Ryenne.

Randie Megan

Move over, Pinterest

Every night after Ryenne Ashley goes down to sleep I close her bedroom door, walk out to the living room, and am met with one of my favorite views as a mother and wife. No, it's not a Pinterest-worthy room with white walls, geometric shapes, modern furniture, and a vast array of trendy artwork hanging on the walls. The scene that I am usually greeted with consists of baby toys scattered about the room, a little shoe here and there, my husband's lunch containers sitting on an end table, board books scattered far from their place on the bookshelf, David's work uniform crumpled in a heap on the floor... a room very much lived-in. Many people might actually describe this sight as a complete mess (and on more than one occasion I admit that I would have agreed), but I look at it and it is the most beautiful home in the world to me. Tonight it finally hit me - why it's so beautiful to me:
What a blessing and privilege it is to have a husband and a baby to clean up after!
Those scattered toys and books strewn across the room? That means there was a little person who played and read and discovered today. The dirty lunch tupperware? That means there was a husband who enjoyed a good meal today. Those little shoes sitting in random places on the floor? They belong to a pair of adorable little feet that are not only walking all over the place, but growing way too fast! And the dirty pile of laundry? That means that there's a hard-working man in the house who ran, sweated, and worked in that uniform all day to provide for his family.
How could I see these things and not feel grateful?? The absence of them would possibly mean that that room could have the potential to be pinned on Pinterest, but oh how empty my life would feel without the laundry, the dishes, the little shoes, the toys, and the books to bring purpose and fulfillment to my life! There is no other title in the world that I'd rather have than "Wife" and "Mama." I know I didn't do anything to deserve either of those titles, but God in His sweet grace chose me to be wife to David and mama to RyeRye nonetheless.
And so it brings me great joy to clean up after my two precious charges every night. Goodness knows where I'd be without them :)

The most Pinterest-looking part of my home currently haha
David brought me these beautiful roses just because....
just because I'm a lucky girl :)

Xoxo,
Randie Megan

Review: Classic Skwish by the Manhattan Toy Company

The Manhattan Toy Company "Skwish"
Classic Rattle & Teether Grasping Activity Toy

Today I am doing a review on a "new" toy that Ryenne Ashley has acquired thanks to some dear friends of ours here in the city! The other day we visited a family that I used to babysit for, and while we were there they gave us some hand-me-down toys. As a matter of fact, all of Ryenne's toys are hand-me-downs from this family!

When I first saw this "contraption," I was definitely intrigued as it is unlike any toy that I've ever seen for babies! The colorful pieces are wooden, and the black are stretchy elastic, so it is actually bendable/movable. The thing that is so great about this toy for my 4.5 month old, is that her little fingers can grasp it so easily and bring it up to her mouth to gnaw at (she has been all about biting, grabbing, feeling, and touching lately! And she is so fascinated with this little gadget!

I'm a little particular when it comes to baby-related items as I'm not a fan of brightly colored, overly-stimulating, lights-flashing, music-playing play things. I don't have anything against people who do enjoy those types of toys in their homes, but personally I like toys that encourage children to use their imaginations a bit more. Sometimes toys nowadays tend to do all the "imagining" for the kids. This one is perfect for curious little babies. The fact that it stretches and bends makes it exceptionally interesting, and there are wooden "beads" that slide back and forth along the wooden pegs making a gentle sliding sound.

The mother of this family actually mentioned that this toy was around when she was a baby! She said that initially she was a little worried about the beads coming loose and becoming a potential choking hazard, but after growing up with it and then having one with her own two children, she saw firsthand that that was never a problem. The fact that this toy has been around for about 40 years tells me that there's something special about it!

Well, to wrap up, I found this unique rattle/teether on Amazon for just $12! It's originally from the Manhattan Toy Company, and I read on their website that it is actually the winner of the 2014 Family Choice Award (apparently it's quite popular and I'm still just very new to this baby world!)! 

I know that the next time I attend a baby shower, I am including this as part of the gift! It's already a family favorite in our home.

What are your favorite baby teethers/rattles? Please share!

Date Night: No Babysitter Required

My husband, David, and I started a tradition a month or two ago of making Sunday night date night. I can't tell you how healthy these have been for us! It's so easy to fall into just becoming roommates when you are parents because baby has needs and schedules and time frames that need to be met, regardless of what your needs are. By the time Ryenne Ashley goes down for bedtime, I'm already feeling like I should be going to bed too, because I know that in just a few short hours she will be awake and hungry and I'll have to be up again feeding her. Setting Sundays apart for date nights has helped me immensely because I can gear up during the day or week for a later bedtime Sunday night, and also look forward to some priceless one-on-one time with my husband.

Now the reason these date nights are "No Babysitter Required" status is because we simply wait for Ryenne's bedtime (usually around 6/6:30) and as soon as we put her down, it's date night time! Usually she gets at least a couple of solid hours of sleep then, which enables David and me to have a  good chunk of time together - just the two of us!

Up until we found out that Ryenne seems to be allergic to dairy, we were making Sundays Pizza-and-a-Movie nights, but since learning of her allergies, we've switched to Sunday Burgers-and-a-Movie night! The point of the date is not to whip up an amazing 5-star meal; the point is to enjoy one another, and we've found that one of our favorite ways of doing that is to be in the kitchen together! Most times during the week I am the one who makes dinner - which I do enjoy - but on Sundays, it's both of us together! We chose to have pizza or burgers because both of those are super fun to make together, and they have a lot of room for variety! For example, last night we did mushroom burgers, but the week before we had some delicious plain cheeseburgers.

Now, if you find that while you're in the kitchen together you are arguing about what to put in the burgers or the "right" way to do x, y, or z, then you are missing the point. The point is to enjoy one another, NOT necessarily the burgers! When I used to find myself constantly nagging my husband during dinner prep about "wouldn't it be better if..." or "you spilled this..." or "can't you do this..." then it was NOT an enjoyable date night. Seriously, keeping my mouth shut and letting him do his thing regardless of how I might do it differently always results in a much better date! And who cares if he adds way too much salt or makes a huge mess in the kitchen? All of the other 6 nights of the week I can make dinner and do things the way I like them to be done, but if he's taking over Sunday night dinner, then I'm not going to complain! And there's nothing that makes him happier than hearing how amazing his skills are at dinnertime. That smile is priceless.

We even keep clean-up relatively simple by busting out the paper plates and plastic utensils. Unromantic? Maybe to some, but we've found that washing dishes after dinner is much less romantic than paper plates and plastic utensils ;)

So, I'm intentionally refraining from making this into a "how to make burgers" kind of post because I want you two to decide how you want to do things! It's way more fun to experiment together than to follow a recipe. Here are some shots from our burger-making fun last night.

It was my pick for a movie so I chose Monsters vs. Aliens. Can you tell we're parents? haha

Something else that we do for these date nights is to bring every blanket and pillow that we own and pile it all up on the living room couch. Our couch actually pulls out into a bed so that makes things even more cozy! Remember that giddy, excited feeling you would get as a girl when you had sleepovers? Well, sleepovers with your hubby are even more fun haha

Note: Once in a while Ryenne will wake up an hour into our date night - but when that happens, I just go in, feed her, and then I'm back out again in just 5 minutes. Don't let little interruptions like that get you down :) Go with the flow and remember it's a date night - which means relax, enjoy, and make memories!