Object Permanence

Life is all about learning. To be fully human, is to be fully participating in life long learning. 





At an early stage, babies learn to throw objects from their cot or high chair. This throwing action  helps them to establish an understanding of the objects existence beyond sight. Initially babies tend to believe that once something is out of sight, it ceases to exist.  Hence they cry when a loved one moves into another room, or simply out of their line of sight.   I'm sure I'd howl if I thought someone I loved had suddenly disappeared!


By throwing objects beyond their visual field, they learn to use their other senses, (i.e. hearing the sound of the object hitting the floor, and feeling the vibrations of the impact the object makes on the floor, and to see mummy bend over to retrieve it) to recognise its continued existence.  The repetition of this behaviour, reinforces that the object still exists, even when it cannot be seen.  This realisation of existence is a developmental milestone that all babies go through in the first year of life. Maternal Child Health nurses will often test  for  this milestone, known as "object permanence",  by placing an object the baby can see, underneath a cover of some sort - a piece of paper or cloth etc. Then they observe the baby's response to see if they will attempt to retrieve the object from where it has been placed.  When the baby does retrieve the hidden object, they are said to have developed "Object Permanence".


This development tells us that the baby has a growing awareness of the world around them, and is learning to interact with its environment. It also reassures us  as parents that slowly the baby will adjust to coping with us  moving out of sight  for short periods of time. Parents  can often help this adjustment phase  by continuing to talk with their babies when moving out of sight, reassuring them of their continued presence. This builds trust and a reliance on the parent that even though they are not in sight, they are still present and still care.

When people find faith, in God, through Jesus Christ, they are called "Born Again" believers and they enter their spiritual life as "babes". The bible likens a new believer to an infant requiring milk. 

1 Peter 2:2 says Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, (New Living Translation).


This following utube clip explains this concept a little more.

                                       

Clearly milk is required for growth and development of babies. As growing Christians, I believe we also go through developmental stages in our spiritual life with God and understanding his purposes for us. I also believe that we go through a stage of developing object permanence in relation to God.  I know I sure have.

Babes in Christ, when encountering times of trial and difficulty, will often falter in their spiritual walk with God during these seasons. Just like the one year old who looks away, when the object is covered, doubts surface when God seems hidden, far off or difficult to see, hear or feel, and young Christians  take their eyes off of Him and look elsewhere for their needs or desires to be met. This  presents an opportunity  for the vulnerable to be deceived by the devil, resulting in disillusionment and walking away from their faith.


This is not an uncommon experience for those young in their walk with God.  The challenge is to develop spiritual object permanence. Saint Paul talks candidly to the Hebrew believers about faltering in their walk with God


Hebrews 5:11-14  (NIV) 

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

and to the Corinthian believers, 
 1 Corinthians 3 :1-23 (NIV)

1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual¹ but as worldly²--mere infants³ in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food,⁴ for you were not yet ready for it.⁵ Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling⁶ among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

God doesn't want us to falter in our relationship with Him, and he wants us to develop an understanding of his permanent presence in our lives and in his availability to us.  He says to us in his word, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5 quoting Joshua 1:5-9 where God says to be strong, courageous and not to be afraid .


As  parents frequently play peek a boo or hide n seek with their children, their children  develop confidence in their parents, in their belief in their existance even when hidden from them. What seems so harmless to us as a baby game, to a baby may seem quite stressful  intially until they learn object permanence.  So too, God also test us repeatedly through times of stress or trial, of silence and distance, yet he never leaves us alone. God is Omnipresent - present everywhere  and throughout all time. The bible also tells us that there is no where that he will not go for us. He loves us so much. It is in these times of testing, that, as we look for Him, as we seek to understand what is going on, just as babies do in peek a boo games, God reveals himself to us, reinforcing his own permanent presence in our lives, and helping us to develop a higher level of trust and awareness of Him.

Psalm 139

 LORD, you have examined me, and you know me.

2You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away.

3You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways.

4Even before there is a [single] word on my tongue, you know all about it, LORD.

5You are all around me-in front of me and in back of me. You lay your hand on me.

6Such knowledge is beyond my grasp. It is so high I cannot reach it.

7Where can I go [to get away] from your Spirit? Where can I run [to get away] from you?

8If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, you are there.

9If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun [or] land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets,

10even there your hand would guide me and your right hand would hold on to me.

11If I say, "Let the darkness hide me and let the light around me turn into night,"

12even the darkness is not too dark for you. Night is as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same [to you].

13You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother.

14I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.

15My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, when I was being skillfully woven in an underground workshop.

16Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day [of my life] was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place.

17How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast in number they are!

18If I try to count them, there would be more of them than there are grains of sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.

19I wish that you would kill wicked people, O God, and that bloodthirsty people would leave me alone.

20They say wicked things about you. Your enemies misuse your name.

21Shouldn't I hate those who hate you, O LORD? Shouldn't I be disgusted with those who attack you?

22I hate them with all my heart. They have become my enemies.

23Examine me, O God, and know my mind. Test me, and know my thoughts.

24See whether I am on an evil path. Then lead me on the everlasting path.

God wants us to mature in our walk with Him. No longer requiring milk like babes (the shallow understanding  about Jesus) but desiring the deeper meatiness of knowing Jesus personally, of His teachings, His life and what He demonstrated for us to follow.

1 Corinthians 14:20 says, Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. In other words, we need to continue to develop spiritual milestones as we grow in Christ. Understanding the permanence of God in our lives and developing trust in Him even when He seems distant or  in the midst of hard times, are small steps in the right direction.  

Culling the Fat

Well, a belated Happy New Year  2012 to you all, and thanks for dropping by to have a read of this here blog of mine....

Last year I wrote how I'd stopped setting a long list of goals at the beginning of each year, and still I find I come to the beginning of each year and I'm still silently writing down things to do...

So here's my list of things to do for 2012, maybe you can relate to some of them too, but remember they are not "Goals" per se but simply things I'm putting to practice to see if they will work for me in the long run. Whether they stay or go, its not the achievement that's required or valued, but simply the influence and practicality in my life..  
This year I simply want to cull the fat in my life, and streamline straight to the important things.

SO to  my list,

CULLING THE FAT!

1) Physically=I am chronically battling my love of eating  and my hate of exercising and the need to remain healthy and slimmer,so Ive started to tackle this in a few ways....

1a) Ive bought new joggers, downloaded the c25k (couch to 5 km run) app, and Ive started walking - jogging ( next) my way towards 5 ks.... I hope to find joy at the end of the rainbow and a deep desire to do more running, like so many others I know.

1b) I am reigning in my deep rooted wants (no, not needs I tell myself) for chocolate. I crave it alot, especially with PMT. So Ive started the salads and  the slowly reducing portion sizes and choosing the smaller sized choc bars when I must  splash out.... 
I'm committed to making wiser, positive moves towards a more healthy me . What are you commiting to this year?


2)Emotionally= I seem to be always struggling with my emotional state and how it affects everything I do. I feel frustrated with relationships in general... being restricted in the time I can give to them, the requirements of me by other people, and what I need to make relationships work. I recognise the powerful effect my emotional state has on the decisions Ive make and how I need to be more proactive and less reactive in so many areas of my life.... So Ive decided to tackle this area by

2a) Taking a little time each week to work out what I think and feel about the important things that matter to me. (I often dont get time to really even consider my own perspective of some of the big stuff.
2b) By  giving attention to the important relationships in my life family etc, and rearranging my priorities to make them count more...

3)Spiritually= I want to  continute to develop my relationship with God this year...listening to him, responding to him and doing what he requires of me by

3a) becoming more consistent in my time alone with God ( daily instead of every other day)

3b) reading the bible more casually and  using studies/teachings associated with it

3c) developing the gifts/ talents he has given me and putting them to good use.
 

4)Career wise= I want to get back to basics clinically, refreshing basic midwifery skills.

I want to develop my lactation consultancy role which is fledgling at present, and I want to continue to develop professionally as an educator of both midwives / students and in childbirth education for parents to be. Culling the fat here, means working out what will help me to achieve these things, and shedding the distractions that don't.
That's my list of things to do...  I wonder if you'll do similar this year? Anyway, I hope you will find success in what ever resolutions you've written for yourself this year.

Be blessed!
Jodie

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old mans hat..." is a song  we used to sing in my school choir at christmas time, way back when.  Now a days, my girls and I will break out into singing the same song on the drive to school each December morning. We love Christmas.


One of the lovely things about Christmas is that it happens every year, regular as clockwork, and  today's celebrations still resemble much of the way  we celebrated christmas when I was growing up.  Not much has changed although my kids (second generation city slickers) have never experienced a country christmas like what my parents grew up with. I  realised now what a priviledged  it was to catch a glimpse of that country life as a child.

I love the warm, exciting, childish enthusiasm that takes envelopes me as we enter the festive season. I often think back to my childhood memories of Christmas. My memories are mostly positive. It was a lovely time of year for us.  Thinking concurrently, nowadays my kids love the count down to Christmas too, especially when it includes advent calenders and choc tidbits each day and pressies at the end. Hmmm Christmas is  still such fun.

When I was a kid, my Mum used to tell us about how she grew up in a little country town called St George, in far west Qld, and how on christmas morning, she'd wake up early, go outside and find sleigh tracks in the dirt roads, and hoof prints for the reindeer, or was it  big boomer kangaroos???  Santa had been.  But for me, growing up in suburbia, there was no such  tracks, but it was still great fun imagining what life would have been like, celebrating christmas in the countryside.

When I grew up, in my family, each year we would meet on a set day before Christmas at a huge country family gathering... We'd have up to 100 family members from all over south east Qld  meet up in Gympie or Tinana , in a little country hall, for a whole day event. We'd drive 2 hrs from Brisbane to arrive by morning tea time. We'd connect  firstly with my grandparents, and it was  all my nanna's family connections... Nanna was one of 7 sisters and a brother, and they're families would all drive to the hall to meet up with us as well. Everyone who could cook, brought a contribution towards morning tea, lunch or afternoon tea.

After morning tea, we'd have a cent auction. A pack of ten tickets were  20 c each and everyone bought a gift to put into the auction. Then we'd all buy tickets and bid on anthying we saw that we'd like to win, and hopefully win it off the table. The numerous children present all had a job to be  display horses and carry each item for bidding, around the hall for everyone to look at.  You'd have to walk very slowly and stop when people wanted to get  a closer look. The auction was something of an experience... Ive never seen  anything like it before or since.

The majority of my extended family were country folk and  they cooked breads and puddings and biscuits and made sandwiches for lunch and we city kids loved to eat the wonderful treats they brought. We'd eat iceblocks n watermelon in the hot sun  too and cold christmas pud with cold custard for dessert.  We would have a talent show after lunch, where any family member who had a talent of some sort would perform. I as a young singer tutored by my father and nanna, would perform many an olden day song to warm the hearts of the oldies in the crowd.  I was adorable as  a little kid, and became more painfully shy as I grew closer to those teen years, eventually fading from the stage to allow the younger kids to take up the challenge of performing for the oldies.

After the talent show, would come the christmas carols, which heralded in good ol santa clause to the song Jingle bells, always dressed slightly differently each year, and varying in height, padding and gruffness of voice, as each uncle or cousin or nephew etc took turns playing him. Santa'd  give out pressies to all of us, pause for photos and  make a quick exit.

Following afternoon tea, we'd all hop in our cars and drive the long drive home, with most of us kids falling asleep in the back seats, whilst parents chatted quietly in the front.  If not, we'd sometimes all break into song, on those long drives home, singing  in a round, amongst my family and I,

"Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat, please put a penny in the old mans hat."   Hmmmm I still love Christmas, and whilst I pause to savour this special season, let me send you my biggest Christmas wish ever. 

I wish that you would know personally, in this Christmas time, the wonderful love, joy and peace that the babe in the manger- Jesus  brought to this world many many christmases ago, and May He watch over you and keep you safe and secure in this wonderfully special holiday time. God Bless. Love from Jodie.

 

Holidays....Just saying!

There comes a time for rest. Its been  seven months since I returned to work and I have finally reached holidays.  Now Ive just enjoyed two whole weeks of rest, OR as close to rest as I can get, considering I have my children leaning on me for all things mummyish even in holiday time.

Its spring now  in Melbourne and the days are warming up...  we have had some temps in the mid 20's  over the past week, and I ve been spending a good amount of time tackling my garden and our verandah and back yard. Doing this has got me thinking...

  

 

 

I am thinking to extend the garden path all the way around our back yard and in the far corner of the garden, I'd like to build a pond, put some gold fish in it and put a small wooden bridge over it, for the kids to ride their bikes over. Id have to somehow make it safe for littlies...  Anyway, it involves quite a lot of dreaming, methodical planning and a whole lot of digging and exercise etc. SO we may get a pathway dug up by holidays end, but the topping and the pond etc will probably have to wait til Christmas holidays, and that's just the back yard.... Ive so many things Id like to do. 

I don't know about you,  but I tend to have grandiose ideas about every little venture in life. I'm not one for being fastidious usually, but I do like to go into detail when dreaming about things, and dreaming big.



I like things big...



If I am ever given a gift, I like that gift to be bigger or better than I expected, or to show that a lot of thought has gone into choosing it. I like surprises and getting more than expected. Doesn't everyone? I like to be overwhelmed by generosity and I like to be generous in return. I think grandiosity (if that's a word?) and generosity, goes hand in hand with the tendency for exaggeration, gregariousness, and the desire for excess and  the elaborate. But I don't think that this is BAD per se. I think that Big thinking, and Big tendencies can sometimes be greed driven, and at other times be creatively driven. They may stem from an internal sense of inadequacy or lack, but not always. I reckon I'm not alone in this preference and I think that there are many others out there like me, who like grandiose excess, and don't feel ashamed about it. I think even God likes excessive grandiosity. I think God likes BIG.

Images courtesy of
<a href="http://www.DailyClipArt.net">DailyClipArt.net</a>



     But......

I happen to also know, that there are those who look down on people with grandiose ideas, who find excessiveness unpleasant and uncalled for.  These people I believe, pride themselves on frugality, and the small and simple. They don't understand why people need excess or  need to elaborate. They are the ones who design open spaces without clutter, and enjoy sparseness.They focus on the singular. They like clear, clean lines, and saving things for a rainy day. They value the pristine. They are the ones who never over eat (will save some for later) or have too many clothes or too many thoughts. I'm sure they never experience chaos in their minds, or lives either. They have a strong sense of self control and strive to live ordered lives. I think they like to estimate exactly, and if necessary, they'll choose to underestimate, rather than overestimate. In discussions, they minimise their point of view,  placing value in the diminutive rather than on exploration or excessive talk.  They are like my complete opposite, and I think they can be driven by pride and piety, as well as at times a deep need for control. But they are also amazing to me! I  think even God is this way too at times. 

He likes the SMALL.

So how did I get onto this train of thought and what is the value behind it? I don't know except to say, that each has its values and its detriments. I'm not sure which array of characteristics God would prefer in mankind. I think he is the great creator of  abundance and excess and yet I think he values sacrifice...

I think he is exceedingly generous and complex and creative, yet also very simple, clear, and lacking chaos whilst demonstrating order and restraint. I think maybe God likes all of it and  each trait in its own unique manner. Why else would he create people with these tendencies???

Maybe environment has a part to play in how extreme these tendencies, traits and preferences play out in our lives, but I think too, that for the most part, we are what we are innately and to deny ourselves is to deny the very essence of the creator in us.

Anyway, I like being me and being with like minded people, but I  also like people who are the opposite  of me, and  I strive to be better at valuing what they value, reflecting what they like without being ashamed of my own person.  I guess though that that is what Love is about.  Ahhh love, life and living are so complex. Hmmmmm  anyway, its holidays and I was just thinking.....just saying!

                                             

Seasons of Expansion

Last night, I went to our church's WOW ( womens outreaching to women ) nite. We hold them on the last friday of every month and tackle different topics relevant to women, or just socialise. Anyway, this time,our pastor Pauline Warner, invited the wonderful Suzie Botross (She Will Run) to share with us about time management.

Now to be fair I should go back a week, and give you a little glimpse into the build up to this nights activities.

10 days ago, It was wednesday 15th of June. I  went to work on Wed, Thurs and Friday,  getting up at 5.30 am to get in the city by 7:20am. I usually have to iron uniforms for all of us, make lunches for the kids, pack my toddler's childcare bag, set out clothes, have breaky, do my TAWG and shower, dress, makeup, hair, and go to work.... Once I arrive at work, its go go go, till I leave... drive the long commute home arriving appox 5pm, pick up my toddler from childcare, take her home, get her dinner, give her a bath,settle her to bed, then cook tea for the rest of the family, having it ready as they walk in hungry at about 630pm After dinner, I get the other kids bathed, and tackle issues like unfinished homework, readers, random school projects due in 2 days time and the debriefing from their day at school, whilst at the same time, listen as my husband shares his days experience. Once the kids are in bed, the lunchboxes and uniforms for the morning retrieved,  and my own uniform put out for ironing in the am; I sit in my favourite arm chair, pull out my laptop, wade through the online unit I am studying at present whilst, spending a little time social networking on facebook etc (my hubby tackles his work on his laptop, usually in the same loungeroom, at the same time). I finally stumble off to bed sometime close midnight and am up again at the crack of dawn to do it all over again.

Now I had to work an extra, on this Saturday am. When I got home I was exhausted and after getting lunch for everyone , I had a 2 hr nap. My kids usually wash all their clothes, under my direction, and tidy their bedrooms on sat ams... But this weekend, our church was hosting  Tim Hall, an entertaining but also powerfully impacting healing evangelist. So my  husband took the kids to the seminar in the am, and when I got home, the kids had done nothing towards tackling their chores.  My husband had to push them really hard to get them to do anything... So having me asleep left my hubby somewhat perturbed and when I woke up, a silly argument ensued about the whole tidying issue etc.  We went to the Saturday nite outreach,  and   feeling challenged, dissolved into tearful apologies afterwards. The following sunday, we went to church in the am, I went to visit a friend after lunch,  came home, put a roast on, went to church again, and came home to a lovely roast, before getting the kids to bed and tackling the study once again...

Monday and Tuesday, I found the house in  a state of neglect, the kids clothes unclean, my own clothes not washed, the larder was empty and I had a teething unhappy sick toddler  who didnt want to be put down.
Wednesday worked, but came home to a sick husband with a 24hr bug. Thursday same ol thing, except I picked up an extra childbirth Education casual shift and was gone  from 0630 am til 1030 pm , getting a text message about the untidy state of the house. I came home and worked for an hour tidying the kitchen, and then did the usual preparation for the following day. I worked on friday am, and got home at 5, washed fed and put to bed my toddler,  and ensuring the family had food for tea before heading off to the womens event.

I was sooooooooo tired. I thought to myself as I drove to the womens event, I am so inconsistant, that the only thing that I do consistantly, is be inconsistant. !!!!! 
 
                                                Living this season of my life is such a challenge.

When I arrived I grabbed a coffee and sat with some ladies I havent had much time to chat with lately,  mums with young kids and working too.  As Suzie shared  from Gods wisdom on  managing our time, I in my exhausted silly state, joked around  loudly with the others, and we laughed and laughed. Yet deep down we couldnt help it,  at the same time, sobs of distress almost choked each one of us into silence.  It is sooo hard to deal with. As we started to share our weeks experiences, we couldnt stop talking. We realised we were in this similar state of pressure, of juggling all the big stones in our lives... the big parts that sent all the deeper questions bubbling to the surface.

How does a woman manage her full life? How does she prioritise her marriage, her family, her faith, her work, her home, her church, her friends, her own needs etc.? Pounding our heads with the overwhelming  thought of juggling it all, we found the comfort of common experiences and  in the deep desire to get it right, we found comfort in knowing most women in our season of life are doing the same thing. We need God and we need each other.

God has told us to cherish our time, to use it wisely, and that if we do, we will find contentment. Yet here we were, all three, exhausted struggling to find that sense of peace in our lives. We laughed , we cried, we encouraged each other, we listened, we validated each others situation and difficulties. Suzie and Pauline boosted us up, but most of all, we recognised that it is a season that comes with womanhood, motherhood and being a wife. It comes with fulfilment, and having "full" lives, pressed down shaken together and running over. Its almost too hard to contain. Some of the difficulties we face, are simply  poor self talk, lack of  self discipline and disorder. Some of the issues are simply beyond our control, but there is comfort in sharing each others burdens.

Although all my deeper questions were not fully answered last nite,  I left  with the  knowledge of what I need to do, to obtain some practical improvements  in my life. But most of all I left with  the sense of peace and comfort  that comes form sharing, with others that understand the realities of living a full life . I recognise this is a season of expansion and that God is broadening our shoulders, our hearts, and our hands. He is teaching us to better our thoughts and our organisation, but most of all, he is expanding our need of him. I thank God for this season Im in. I wouldnt swap it for quids!

Messie Transformations

Today Im sharing from my mothers heart, the challenges I face as a " self confessed messie" with the responsibility I have to raise tidy, organised, "cleanie" kids, able to function responsibly in our western society. Ive been on a journey since I was a teenager, to conquer my messie ways, and its just got harder!.

Over time, I've come to value, not only living neatly and having a beautiful tidy home, where guests feel free to drop by at any time,... but also to value the benefits of being organised, of staying on track, with a household & familiy life that runs fluidly, seemlessly, every day . Ahhh the dream is still out there!

Talking to a friend one day in our church creche, she told me about the Messie Manual (by Sandra Fenton) and loaned me several books on this topic.  It was the answer I needed to help me make some dramatic changes in my erratic, cluttered and busy life. I joined the online self help group- I  now get the regular email encouragements  helping me to change my  "stinkin thinkin" as our pastor says, and Im having a messie transformation.

Then I started practically... Ive done several clean outs at home, tackling piles of unrequired belongings, giving them away to op shops, council clean ups and the rubbish bin.  I do weekly meal plans, which we all take turns in choosing the weeks dinners, and from which I write my weekly shopping list.  Now  I  can also shop  just once a week, reigning in those costly, frequent trips for incidentals.

Ive introduced my children to the  new (not) concept of "chores". They always had to tidy their bedrooms and this has been a constant struggle and remains so.  But I started with a single chore , each of setting or clearing the table at the night time meal. Suprisingly they've taken this on without too much trouble. We did this for several months before I introduced the next new idea that each child had to keep either their toilet or bathroom tidy as well as their shared bedroom, and the dinner routine.That was over 6mths ago. Now we are regularly getting them to tidy their areas.... with a reasonable amount of success (let the optimism shine through!) In general, the greatest problem still falls with me, and my own issues of inconsistency, slackness and the like, although, this too is improving slowly.

The latest step towards tidyness, has been introducing the kids to the idea of washing and drying their own dirty clothes once a week. (A fun chore for kids, when its sunny n warm, a miserable chore when its cold and windy)... This has been a big step, and we've only been doing it for a month with mixed success... But the process has already had some interesting  lightbulb moments for all of us...

1. Putting the clean clothes away, rather than tossing them in the dirty clothes basket when tidying - is less work. WOW  
2. Washing, hanging clothes, folding  and putting them away takes a lot of time, Hmmm.
3. You can't put wet or damp clothes in drawers as they dont dry!, Nor does hanging clothes on top of each other on  the washing lines.  If you do so, you  will have damp clothes to wear to school etc...
4. You need to think ahead to what they want/ need to wear through the week to make sure its clean... or they miss out.  (not good when its schoolwear but anyway).
5. Kids need to be prompted to do their chores, and rereminded of all these things...every time they're meant to do them. arghhh groan!

Im sure there's much more to be learnt by doing this, and at nearly 9 and 6 yrs old,  my daughters are big enough to do something towards maintaining their own clothes. I realise that as their mummy, I am leaned on heavily to remind and assist them with their chores, but this way, at least, they will hopefully ?! learn early to be responsible for their own things... and appreciate  when help is given.

The offset, is now I am getting the occasional moment where, with a relatively tidy house,  and food in the cupboard, and 2 energetic kids focussing on their own tidyness, and a toddler having a naptime, I can snatch some spare time to do me stuff... i.e. gardening, reading, playing guitar, study etc.  Its been so long since Ive had this...  (9 yrs to be precise).

And as with all things, Im appreciating every moment as it is subject to change!

Miraculous Mummy Milk -

It was hard to think of a tactful title for what Im writing about today...  The human body is amazing. A woman's miraculous, marvellous body is created for the wellbeing of her infant/s, herself and her husband. It shouts out loudly that there is a higher order intelligence, a creator God, who designed  the female body to do this very thing:- to breastfeed and nurture. One of the  hebrew names for God is " El Shaddai ", meaning "all sufficient one" , derived from the hebrew word for breasts, meaning that God provides all our nourishment and needs . If we are created in Gods image, then this nurturing aspect of God is mirrored in  the creation of a woman's body and it's crazy way of meeting the needs of the infant, without even a deliberate thought towards it. Simply amazing stuff. Anyway, not wanting to sound "hairy fairy in the airy", I'll attempt to illucidate some facinating points Ive learnt so far about breasts, breastmilk, babes and all that happens in between.

ANATOMY BASICS
Breasts are formed in a fetus, early in pregnancy. At birth, a baby's breasts are fully formed but dormant. The influence of hormones in puberty and again in pregnancy cause growth in the maternal breasts and  further differentiation of breast tissue. Its important to remember that every breast is different... no two are exactly the same,  not even on the same person. But the overall design is the same.

ALL Breasts have an areola and a nipple and  some degree of breast fullness/tissue.The areola is the dark pink/brown area surrounding the nipple and  it darkens and becomes larger in pregnancy. The bumpy bits on the areola are montgomery glands which moisten the area and have an protective antimicrobial role.

The appearance of a baby's mouth is designed specifically for suckling at a breast and  it changes shape dramatically over the first two years. Even if a baby knew how to talk at birth, it couldnt because of the  the shape of the mouth and pharangeal area. .... ok so thats the basics... now for the interesting stuff.

AT BIRTH
At birth, babies are placed on their mothers chest. Immediately after birth, the mother's breasts release subtle smells drawing the infants attention towards the nipple. The colostrum of the breast tastes and smells the same as amniotic fluid. Considering the baby's sight is blurred and unfocused, when placed on the mothers chest, it has these 2 large brown lumpy dots that smell  and taste good, to aim for.  Healthy babies, left on mums chest will attempt to attach to these dots, i.e. the breast and suckle within an hour of birth.

SKIN TO SKIN
When a baby is placed skin to skin on the mother's chest, her body focuses on  nurturing the infant immediately. Her body intuitively modifies its temperature to keep the infant warm, (bet you didnt know you could do that). The hormones surging through her body makes her nipples more erect allowing the infant to locate them more easily, and bringing a calming influence over her and by proxy, over the infant.  The love hormone oxytocin, is responsible for much of this bonding as well as contracting the mother's uterus, to minimise bleeding.

This causes the  baby to seek the breast, to meet its own nutritional needs, and by reducing the baby's cortisol (stress) levels, it reduces its crying, stablising heartrate and oxygen levels etc. God created  skin to skin for a reason. He  designed sensitive rooting reflexes in a baby's face to assist the baby to open its mouth wide to help attach to the breast. The suckling reflex occurs when the baby's mouth (hard palate) comes in contact with a nipple. Its all there in the design. One to touch, two to open, three to suck...

UNICEF UK Website Resource- first Breastfeed 

TIMING
God designed the body to make milk when a drop in pregnancy hormones occur in the first few days after birth. Even if a mother struggles with breastfeeding in those first few days, the milk still usually comes in. The more often she tries to breastfeed her baby, the quicker the milk will come in.  Once the milkflow has established, only then does the mothers supply depend on the amount the baby demands. This first production of milk is designed to accomodate the whole "learning to breastfeed" experience in the first few days. Obviously not many women get the skill of breastfeeding correct in the first few feeds, but as milk comes in, and as babies demand more feeds, and after several days caring for a babe, women start to get the feel for holding and caring for their babies and their breasts. God expected this, and wrote it into his incredible design. 

IN THE MILK
Breastmilk is also  fascinating. Its so specifically designed to meet the needs of the infant. Born relatively immature and fully dependent on its parents for survival, human infants require breast milk low in protein (easy for metabolism and excretion) and high in lactose (essential for the rapid brain development). Breastmilk is perfectly structured in content and volume, from the first small amounts of colostrum in the first few days after birth when the baby's organs are slowly begining to function, to the  active needs of the toddler.

Breastmilk contains digestive enxymes, anti inflammatory elements, antioxidants, growth factors and more. The proteins in breastmilk are nutritive, easily digested, but also antimicrobial, bacteriostatic and bacteriocidal. Breastmilk also has antiviral and antifungal capacities and can kill off some forms of cancerous cells. Breastmilk provides immunological protection  through various immunoglobulins in the milk until an infants own immune system is established.

IMMUNITY
Born in a sterile state, the infant passes through the vagina, next to the mother's anus, and has contact with the breasts through breast feeding, exposing it to all the normal gut flora of the mother, helping to form its own normal flora. This helps establish an immune defence system. When a baby comes in contact with a virus or bacterial illness,  if the mother is also exposed to the same virus/ bacteria, the mother's body produces an immune response that flows through the milk and helps the infant fight against the attack, reducing the severity of the illness in the infant, helping preserve the infant.

PREMATURITY
When a baby is born prematurely, the mother's milk is specifically designed to meet the needs of a premature infant. It is more nutrient concentrated, with higher levels of protien for energy and growth, higher levels of immune supportive elements  and the antibacterial, anti inflammatory elements remain higher  for longer in the breastmilk of mother's of premature infants, compared to those with term infants. God knew that a premmie's immune system is normally weaker for longer than a term infant. How cool is that!

INTELLIGENT DESIGN
Breastfeeding, babies, mother's bodies and the like, are wonderful examples of  intelligent design.  There is no way, in my thoughts, that a woman could choose to somehow change the nature of her breastmilk composition through natural selection, based on the intrinsic needs of an extrinsic infant - be it premature or at term.  Nor is it any small matter, when these wonderful elements of design are interrupted and meddled with, as our western medicalised societies tend to do. God created womens bodies to bear offspring before Eve sinned and  it was all part of his plan for us. We are created in his image and mirror God's capacity to nurture, to meet our needs and respond to us, even before we are aware of our need. Anyway, I hope you've been able to catch a glimpse of the creators handiwork today. Be Blessed.