I think over the years I’ve come to learn more and more that you just simply never know the difference you can make by your actions and the way you treat others.  As a believer, of course, I feel there’s an obligation to try and be a good model of Christ-like behavior–particularly in how I interact with people in my job. 

In six years of doing TV, I have probably interviewed literally hundreds of people by now.  Part of the reason I see it as my calling is because I’ve found there are far too many people in this business that are focused on the “task at hand”–get the story, get it on air, nevermind the people that are impacted and how you have to go about getting your “scoop”.  I’ve been convicted that doing my job is much more about being relatable, and that old golden rule of treating others how I myself want to be treated.  I’ve had to interview families of murder victims, a girl who was allegedly abducted, parents of very sick children, and some very other difficult subjects.  It’s never easy–but part of why I do it is for the compassion I know I can show to these people.  I truly empathize with their situations–and try my darndest to put myself in their shoes, even if just for a moment.

I’ve shared a bit about this particular family in the past–but the Scotts continue to hold a special place with me.  This family lost their teenage son in a car crash a few years ago.  Their son, Drew, was a unique kind of guy.   He LOVED red tractors (a kind of abnormality in John Deere country to say the least!).  When he died, he was working to restore an old tractor.  His friends ended up finishing the job and showcasing it in a tractor ride with family and friends through the plains of Grundy County.  It was a touching tribute to a young life lost.  That day, I interviewed Drew’s dad, Lee.  He and his wife Janet were so incredibly positive and driven by faith, despite all the tragedy they’d endured.  Last year, I revisted this family when their community came together for a fundraiser for THEM.  Lee’s health has not been well.  I made sure to speak to he and Janet personally that evening, and they were so glad to see me and that I reached out to them again.  Still–their resolve and committed faith wowed me.

So what happens next in this story made me tear up.  Janet wrote me a very sweet email a few weeks back saying that she had something she wanted to send for Drake.  I said that was incredibly uneccesary and thoughtful beyond measure.  Fittingly enough, the gift arrived in the mail this Mother’s Day weekend. 

Inside–a wonderful hand-written note, accompanied by a red farm t-shirt and two toy red tractors.

The note said in part, “Thank you again for your wonderful coverage of Drew’s story…You weren’t just another reporter.  You really seemed to care.”

She went on to  explain that any time a baby was born when Drew was alive, he wanted to make sure they had one of his signature favorite red tractors.  So she wanted to make sure–in Drew’s honor–that Drake had one, too.  It was just such a touching moment. 

This reminds me of my calling and purpose and teaches the important lesson to all that you truly never know the difference you can make–it might be a handshake, a smile, or a hug at just the right time.  Those actions might just plant seeds that can make someone’s day—or have an ever more far-reaching impact that you’ll just never know.

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My first “official” Mother’s Day weekend was pretty gosh darn great.  Our little family went to a graduation party last night, then stayed at home and watched a movie (of my choosing) while I got caught up on putting pictures into photo albums.  This morning, Floyd cooked up bacon & eggs for me, and put three cards on the table–one from him, one from Drake, and one from our doggie Aleah!  It was so sweet!  Then we went to church and had lunch out together.  Drake was such a snuggly good boy this morning.  It still feels surreal at times that I really am a momma now.  He’s such a sweetheart and has bested any anticipation of what I dreamed motherhood would be like.  The lady sitting next to me in church this morning was so sweet.  She said, “People always tell you that you never know the joys of parenthood until you’re holding your child, then you know how true it is.”  I told her that I’m absolutely discovering that, and Drake makes me feel so special each and every day.  I am so blessed and honored to have he and Floyd in my life, and hope Drake continues to find me to be a good momma with each passing year!

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I never cease to be amazed at just how amazing “modern medicine” is.  We do stories all the time here at KWWL about the latest, greatest developments in treatments for diseases and research studies that might provide insight into healing any number of ailments. 

After my miserable night of sleep I detailed in my last blog– I was pretty sure something was wrong with me.  My chest hurt so incredibly bad that when I woke up that next morning I was in tears.  I picked up the phone and talked with the on-call physician.  She said to call the office when they opened and tell them I needed to be seen that day.  So they squeezed me in.  Sure enough, after the appointment, the doctor confirmed my suspicion:  mastitis–a painful infection that can afflict nursing moms.  Thank heavens though for that “modern medicine”!  The antibiotics have taken effect nicely thus far.  I feel TONS better today than I did just 24 hours ago.  Pain is not my friend.  So I’m quite grateful for the meds!  Now hopefully I can feel great this weekend–our first sand volleyball game is Sunday night!  GO TEAM!

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Night before last I remember sleeping so well!  I woke up and saw the sunshine beaming in through the window, and in my head was singing, “Here comes the sun”.  It was just such a nice feeling to be well rested and see the sun which has been hiding lately!  Last night was a bit stranger.  Floyd called me this morning to say I was acting “really weird last night”.  Apparently, around 11pm, I told him I heard music and pointed toward the wall.  He got up in a fluster and started trying to figure out what I was talking about.  I have ZERO recollection of any of this!  haha!  Then at 2 a.m., I was so uncomfortable, I went downstairs to “pump”.  That has never happened before.  I went back to bed a half-hour later, after Floyd had come downstairs to check on me after he noticed I wasn’t in bed anymore.  I woke up feeling completely worn out (and still do). 

It got me thinking about how sleep is such a strange thing.  I know I have a history of being a tooth grinder in my sleep, too, but never realize I’m doing it when I’m doing it.  A lot of snorers don’t realize they’re snoring when they are, either (although, thankfully, I have never been much of a snorer).  I’ve always thought people who observe those sleep studies must get a real kick out of all the strange things people do while they’re totally unaware of it.  At least most of the time, we wake up feeling much better than when we conked out–regardless of all the strange things that may have happened in our dreams or otherwise!

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I have never really been a true fan of hockey.  Floyd has tried to persuade me to watch it for years.  But I’ve never had much tolerance for watching guys skate back and forth seemingly to no end, to maybe have three or four goals scored total in a game that lasts a couple of hours.  But this year, Floyd actually got me to watch more hockey than I ever have.  After all, our hometown team–the St. Louis Blues, were in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, making it further in playoff rounds than they have in a number of years. 

But unfortunately, the rally came to an end Sunday.  The Blues were swept by the LA Kings in 4 games.  The score was 2-1 heading into the final 2 minutes of the game.  The Blues came SO CLOSE to scoring, but missed by just a couple of inches, if that.  So with less than a minute to go, the Blues pulled their goalie to get an extra attacker on the ice.  With an empty net, the Kings scored again.  3-1 with only seconds left on the clock. It was a funny coincidence that right at that very moment Drake woke up from his nap and started crying.  I said, “Oh–I think he just realized that was a season ender!”  Haha! 

I’m still not a very big hockey fan, but I can tolerate it better now–especially in playoff excitement.  But I have no doubt Floyd will make a hockey fan out of Drake.  Our little guy already seems to enjoy watching the constant movements on TV during the games.  For now–cheers to 2013 and maybe another run at the Stanley Cup.  After all–there’s still baseball!  (an enjoyable sport for our family to watch)  So GO CARDINALS!

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As you well know, being a new mom makes life just a bit hectic, especially when you have anything *but a 9-5 job and try to be superwoman in other roles on top of it all.  So trying to pin down time to get fit is anything but easy.

Floyd recently decided to start setting his alarm a bit earlier so he could get up and run the treadmill before getting ready for work.  I was so impressed!  Now that Drake’s sleeping through the night on a fairly regular basis, it should–in theory–make it easier for me to get up a bit earlier than I do to get in a little exercise, too.  But gosh darn I value my sleep a little too much I think.  I am so dang tired at the end of most days, but I often fail to get myself to sleep until around 10:30 or 11.  I have to try to make a better habit of going to sleep when Drake does.  If I can accomplish that, getting up a little earlier wouldn’t seem so bad.  When I was in college–particularly in the year pre-wedding–I would get up at 5:30 or 6 a.m. to hit the gym or go for a swim no problem.  Now just the thought of doing that makes my skin crawl!  I’m already getting up earlier than I ever used to in order to accomodate Drake’s feeding schedule.

My sister-in-law and a college friend of mine have had a lot of success with a particular at-home DVD series.  Both of them are mommies and shed a LOT of post-pregnancy weight by eating right and doing these workouts a few times a week.  My sister-in-law Shannon has impressed me so much in doing this because she works full time and has two-and-half-year-old twin boys and an eight-month-old son.   What an inspiration!

The amazing Shannon's new shape after lots of hard post-baby work!

I’ve got about 10-15 more pounds to shed to get into my ideal, healthy weight zone.  The big challenge for me will be not to fixate on a temporary goal of getting fit for say, swimsuit season, but to think about how being at my ideal, healthy weight is a long-term benefit for my family.  When I feel the best about me in a positive frame, I’m going to be the best, *healthiest mom for Drake that I can be, and the best wife for Floyd.  So I’m setting forth this self-challenge to start slowly trying to incorporate a better exercise routine for myself so I don’t fall behind!

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Drake and Madison Schackenberg recently had their second play date together.  At 4 months old, it was so much more entertaining than their first get-together at 2 months old.  They smiled, laughed, held hands, and touched each other’s faces for a good hour and a half!  It’s so fun to see how much they’re changing and developing, and how those changes made their interactions so much better this time around.  Now, they can actually stay awake for most of the time instead of being sleepy heads!  It’ll be awesome to see them continue to grow and change together.  They’re such fun, happy little ones!

Drake’s 4 month stats:  He is now 16 lbs. 8 oz. and 26 3/4 inches long.  Growing like a weed!

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Getting Drake into the world was not an easy thing–from conception to delivery.  One of my persistent prayers through it all was that God would give us a child who we could mold and raise up to love Him.  This weekend, Floyd & I formally accepted that challenge, by dedicating Drake to the Lord.  We both see this commitment as one of the most important things we will do in our lives:  to be strong role models as Christ followers and to teach Drake to do the same.  We read a letter we wrote to Drake about the qualities we hope he will have–namely to be a strong-willed and a dedicated follower, and to have an incredible heart so that others come to know Christ through him.  We chose 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14 as his life verse, which reads:  “Be on guard.  Stand firm in the faith.  Be courageous.  Be strong.  And do everything with love.”  Now it’s our job to help him live out those roles.  At times it will be trying and difficult, but we gladly accept the challenge to help our little guy live out his life for God.

At home before the dedicationMy grandparents, parents, and brother with us at the churchDedicating Drake

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A former colleague and fellow mommy Sunny Layne turned me onto the ideas presented in “Best Baby on the Block,” and the material was also covered in the baby basics class Floyd & I took at the hospital.  And I have to say–the five “S” tips presented work pretty darn well when you’ve got a fussy baby on your hands! 

1) Lay them on their side

2) Swaddle

3)  Sway them back and forth

4) Suck on a pacifier

5) “Shush” in their ear

And now it turns out scientists have done their homework and find this stuff really DOES work!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/making-babys-shots-less-tearful/?ref=health

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I’ve gotten somewhat accustomed to being Drake-less during my work days.  It’s not always easy, but it’s such a rush of joy to pick him up and hold him when I walk in the door after a long day.  But sometimes it’s really tough.  Yesterday I worked a long shift, and when I got home Drake was asleep.  I did get to feed him once before bed, but our together time was mostly him sleeping.  I didn’t get to enjoy any “happy, bouncy baby” time.  Floyd came to know how much this pains me over the last few weeks when he was in the same boat.  To fulfill some additional requirements for his teaching license, he’s been taking a night class at Hawkeye Community College.  He’d go to work all day, class at night, and get home at 10 p.m.–when Drake was, yes, asleep.  We’re both immensely looking forward to summer when Drake and Floyd will be home together.  It will be such a great bonding time for the two of them, and we won’t have late nights at daycare to accomodate school and work schedules.  Summer will also bring lots of stroller rides and Drake’s first trips to the beach and pool!  We even have some adorable swim trunks, courtesy of “Nana & Papa Steavenson”, so he’s set for summer, too!

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