It's all new for me!

My first post. I better do it right.

Have you ever felt that way about anything new?

I'm also a new mom. I better get that right.

Just so you know, I'm the sister-in-law to Life in the Shoe, the aunt to the By-log, and long time friend and singing pal to ITF. And, in February, I just had a baby. His name is Blaine. He's just the sweetest thing that has ever happened to me. Two and a half years before that, I married Phil. He's the growingest thing that ever happened to me. I have lots of thoughts on marriage and mothering. Today I'll give you random parenting thoughts.

Parenting is so important. Why on earth wouldn't you take every opportunity to do it well. Read books, attend classes, watch videos, search the Scripture...there is so much godly parenting advice out there, why wouldn't you seek it out and use what fits you and your situation? Do you really think that children just raise themselves and that the way you were raised is the ultimate in parenting?

I have friends that just float through parenting with seemingly little thought about how to do it best. They aren't bad parents; they just don't seem to feel any urgency. I feel urgency. I want nothing more for my children than for them to grow up to serve God. Really serve Him. Make a difference WHEREVER God calls them. I ask God almost every day to help me be an effective parent so that Blaine will choose to follow Christ as a teenager and adult. I ask God that he will give us wisdom to train him up in the gifts that he has been given so that he has the skills in place to do the work God will call him to. I don't want to waste God's time with my children. I want to do everything I can to prepare them to be effectime emissaries for God. (I only have one at the moment, but anticipate more in the future--no, no, no, none on the way, yet!)

So, "Babywise" or "Along the Infant Way" by Ezzo and Ezzo. It works. Sleep, eat, wake-time. It's a great concept, and it works. Train your child to go to sleep on his own. It works. (This is also known as Ferberizing your baby; Ferber is some sleep expert that I saw quoted on the Baby Center's website. Interestingly enough, his ideas lined up with Ezzo.) So, if your baby is three months old and not sleeping through the night, you might want to check Ezzo out. Blaine was around four months when I started the sleep, eat, wake-time routine and began working on teaching him to go to sleep on his own for naps and at night. A week or two later, he was consistently sleeping through the night. Now he is five months old and sleeps from 8 or 9 p.m. throught till 7 or 8 a.m. Sleep is a wonderful thing for both of us.

My time is up. More thoughts in my brain. Maybe tomorrow.