Upon returning from Michigan, the Mooneys (I know, I know there’s a cult by that name) have entered into a new era of life on a few different frontiers. First of all, the kids are each in a new phase that is, admittedly, a little easier on mom & dad:
- Anders is sitting up, wanting to crawl, getting teeth, and sleeping much longer at night. He is off-the-charts gi-normous for his age and elicits laughter when we tell people he is only six months old. Those who don’t know his age assume he’s a “slow bloomer” since any kid that big should be taking out the trash. He is of the tender kind and is guaranteed to reciprocate a smile. He does have a glaring strike against him that still manages to keep us from having a real date night. The kid will not take a bottle. I know this admission baits all you moms into paragraphs of unsolicited advice, but bring it on. Odds are we’ve tried it, and Anders thinks the bottle sucks.
- Hazel perpetually moves from my favorite stage on into my new favorite stage. She talks incessantly, unless we’re out of the house and around people, at which point she pretty much stares and studies them with the earnest attention of a scholar. She gives orders on the most menial things:
“Daddy sit here.”
“Mommy drive.”
Everything is “my”, although, this has tapered off a bit after the 100th time of mommy telling her that, “everything is God’s” & my repeated admonitions that, “nothing is yours, it is all daddy’s- until you get a job.”
She loves to be read to, and now you know she’s got me.
- They play together. Anders thinks she hung the moon. She says, “hi buddy” when he wakes up and “And-uuurrrs night night” when he sleeps.
And so, we have moved a bit out of the forest of a newborn and a baby. The wild-meter has been notched down just a bit and it is really fun around our house.
Another new frontier lies in my daily activities. Most people would use the word “job” here, but that’s seems so cliché to one on the outside of the whole career thing. It has been really fun to see things coming together in this arena. I’ll remind you of what I have been saying with conviction all along in regard to my employment: “it’s either faith or stupidity”. And, truth be told, to onlookers I am not sure there is a distinction at all. Faith is logically stupid. With that said, it has been surprising, to me, to see things falling into place. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise, but when you have endured the short end of the stick and lived to rejoice, it’s not easy to think that favor is coming your way- and certainly not expected.
First of all, our Board of Directors at 99 Balloons are actively seeking to make it possible to hire me for a newly-formed Executive Director position. We all agree that to pursue an expanded vision for where we think 99 Balloons needs to go involves shifting gears toward this end. This turn of events is equal parts exciting and humbling. Ginny & I are keenly aware that this is not where we would have ever placed ourselves, and therein lies both the excitement & humility. The requirements of the role would be one that allowed me to continue to pursue some writing as well as continue consulting.
In this new frontier, I have an office now. White walls, fluorescent lights, nothing special.
I love it. It is quiet, and it is space and those are things I do not take for granted these days. The writing is going well. I have focused on before, during, and after Eliot’s life. It is a joy to wade through the miracles that we lived.
Thanks for all of the feedback on books. I haven’t been able to get a new post up, due to my runs to bookstores scouring for the titles you all suggested. Really looking forward to knocking out the great list that was compiled. In that vein, if any of you know of great work with special needs kids going on in churches, organizations, international orphanages, etc. I would love to know about it. One of my first goals in the role with 99 Balloons is to become more familiar with great works of others.
So…
a.) bottle tips
b.) special needs organizations, etc.
c.) general banter on my boyish good looks.
Go ahead & comment, it inflates my ego and we all know that is what the world needs.
20 Comments
Upon returning from Michigan, the Mooneys (I know, I know there’s a cult by that name) have entered into a new era of life on a few different frontiers. First of all, the kids are each in a new phase that is, admittedly, a little easier on mom & dad:
- Anders is sitting up, wanting to crawl, getting teeth, and sleeping much longer at night. He is off-the-charts gi-normous for his age and elicits laughter when we tell people he is only six months old. Those who don’t know his age assume he’s a “slow bloomer” since any kid that big should be taking out the trash. He is of the tender kind and is guaranteed to reciprocate a smile. He does have a glaring strike against him that still manages to keep us from having a real date night. The kid will not take a bottle. I know this admission baits all you moms into paragraphs of unsolicited advice, but bring it on. Odds are we’ve tried it, and Anders thinks the bottle sucks.
- Hazel perpetually moves from my favorite stage on into my new favorite stage. She talks incessantly, unless we’re out of the house and around people, at which point she pretty much stares and studies them with the earnest attention of a scholar. She gives orders on the most menial things:
“Daddy sit here.”
“Mommy drive.”
Everything is “my”, although, this has tapered off a bit after the 100th time of mommy telling her that, “everything is God’s” & my repeated admonitions that, “nothing is yours, it is all daddy’s- until you get a job.”
She loves to be read to, and now you know she’s got me.
- They play together. Anders thinks she hung the moon. She says, “hi buddy” when he wakes up and “And-uuurrrs night night” when he sleeps.
And so, we have moved a bit out of the forest of a newborn and a baby. The wild-meter has been notched down just a bit and it is really fun around our house.
Another new frontier lies in my daily activities. Most people would use the word “job” here, but that’s seems so cliché to one on the outside of the whole career thing. It has been really fun to see things coming together in this arena. I’ll remind you of what I have been saying with conviction all along in regard to my employment: “it’s either faith or stupidity”. And, truth be told, to onlookers I am not sure there is a distinction at all. Faith is logically stupid. With that said, it has been surprising, to me, to see things falling into place. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise, but when you have endured the short end of the stick and lived to rejoice, it’s not easy to think that favor is coming your way- and certainly not expected.
First of all, our Board of Directors at 99 Balloons are actively seeking to make it possible to hire me for a newly-formed Executive Director position. We all agree that to pursue an expanded vision for where we think 99 Balloons needs to go involves shifting gears toward this end. This turn of events is equal parts exciting and humbling. Ginny & I are keenly aware that this is not where we would have ever placed ourselves, and therein lies both the excitement & humility. The requirements of the role would be one that allowed me to continue to pursue some writing as well as continue consulting.
In this new frontier, I have an office now. White walls, fluorescent lights, nothing special.
I love it. It is quiet, and it is space and those are things I do not take for granted these days. The writing is going well. I have focused on before, during, and after Eliot’s life. It is a joy to wade through the miracles that we lived.
Thanks for all of the feedback on books. I haven’t been able to get a new post up, due to my runs to bookstores scouring for the titles you all suggested. Really looking forward to knocking out the great list that was compiled. In that vein, if any of you know of great work with special needs kids going on in churches, organizations, international orphanages, etc. I would love to know about it. One of my first goals in the role with 99 Balloons is to become more familiar with great works of others.
So…
a.) bottle tips
b.) special needs organizations, etc.
c.) general banter on my boyish good looks.
Go ahead & comment, it inflates my ego and we all know that is what the world needs.
20 Comments
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on August 10, 2010 at 9:55 am
rush was the same way with the bottle. i decided that i would break him, no matter what it took. i went hard-core on him…refused to nurse him. i pumped and for about a day and a half, he didn’t eat much at all, but i figured he’d take that bottle soon enough. i bought the adiri nurser bottle, which i’d read tons of good reviews about. it worked after unsuccessfully trying about 8 different ones. after those couple of days, he was a total bottle baby and we never went back.
i think you are very handsome. maybe #93 on my top 100 list.
-
on August 10, 2010 at 10:51 am
Yay! An update! Sounds like they’re both at lovely stages! Hope to hear more soon! No advice with the bottle here – my 7.5 month old is the same.
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Some of our favourite books <3 =-.
-
on August 10, 2010 at 1:28 pm
My middle child refused a bottle too, so we introduced a sippy cup at 6 months. Worked beautifully!
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on August 10, 2010 at 10:08 pm
We have some friends whose daughter completely refused to take a bottle. Completely. The only encouragement meant from this statement is that they made it through, and they’re still very happily married! I hope he takes one!
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on August 10, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Cary, How weird: he was #94 on my list!!
Sorry, Can’t help in the bottle arena.
So happy to hear about your four walls and a place to work/think/write/etc. Cannot wait to read this book!!!
Loved seeing your kids the other day~definitely not a newborn and baby anymore!!
Kristi
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on August 11, 2010 at 2:04 am
Hey pal, just saw the link to a new blog and figured I would give it a good perusal. So glad to hear that you and Ginny are doing well and that 99 balloons is in such a great spot. I’ll be honest, I’ve got nothing to offer on the first two, but I will verbally spar with anyone who doesn’t think you aren’t the cutest thing since that little kitten that is hanging from the rope. Miss the moonies!
cable
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on August 11, 2010 at 10:18 am
Some very special “special needs” organizations to check out:
http://www.chask.org/
http://www.nathhan.com/As for bottles, my advice is forget about them. All three of my kids were violently opposed to bottles, NEVER took them. All three kids started getting soft sippie cups around 6 months, they would take them (with some coaxing). We used these, they are cheap and at your local Wal-Mart:
http://www.nuby.com/en/nuby/cups-spouts/9644
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Swimming Pools and Sunsets =-.
-
on August 11, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I loved the comment about faith or stupidity…and the short end of the stick and” it’s not easy to think that favor is coming your way- and certainly not expected.” OHHHH man that is the truth! I seriously did laugh out loud.
I like the sippy idea…
Lastly special needs organziations that do or work with adoption…this may sound silly, but saddleback, Rick Warren’s church has a program with adoption they focus on. I am not sure what it is called and I don’t know how you feel about him, I do know he has a large scale operation…
Are you looking for the combonation of special needs AND adoption or just special needs?
I mostly know a lot about autism ones like autism speaks, etc. ( I know more people that have adopted children and they are autistic.)
I will check with some poeple and get back to you.
-
on August 11, 2010 at 3:56 pm
no words of wisdom here on bottle v. breast. I was never able to breastfeed. Not that i’m complaining…that much. 🙂 and i admit i’ve been mia for a while, getting a handle on our own challenges of the toddler v newborn..and how it feels to know one is missing in between. BUT i wanted to share yet another similarity..one i haven’t heard anyone else ever say…the response to the “my” or “mine” word. I love that we have such interesting likenesses.
still here with you all, walking the road…some days are a little less weary. some days i need the help of others like you to carry the cross.
-
on August 12, 2010 at 8:15 pm
This place is for special needs adults instead of children, but possibly worth a look: http://www.brookwoodcommunity.org/
A beloved member of my family lived at Brookwood for years, under a different generation of leadership. I am not entirely informed about more recent years, but I believe it’s still a wonderful place with a valuable network of people in-the-know who would probably be willing to talk to you. The same founder created the Briarwood School in Houston, which is for children.
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on August 13, 2010 at 8:56 am
On bottles. Embrace it. I also had 4 children who would not take bottles to save their little lives. In retrospect, I think of it as a blessing. Sure date night is not quite the same, but the babyness is so fleeting that I miss those times with my babies. I never thought I’d say it, but I really miss nursing. Strange. Anyway, as he gets a little older and can eat some solids you can feed him right before you leave and leave the sitter with some baby food and you’ll have at best 3 hours for alone time. Then you can rush back and feed him again. That’s what we did by the time they were 8-9 months old. Sounds rushed, and it is, but like I said, it goes way too fast.
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on August 15, 2010 at 8:24 pm
soooo glad to hear someone else’s 6 month old WONT take a bottle!!! People look at me like I am crazy and that its me that doesnt want her to take one or something; I do! I really, really DO!~~
We too have entered a more restful time in this world called parenting and its nice to feel like we can breathe:). Love that your Anders and our Banner are only days apart. It is comforting to know people are doing the same things we are; and pursuing God, and Loving each other, and life!
Love you guys! Continued inspiration found from you all, and support on our end to you!
love, the bottomlys
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on August 15, 2010 at 8:44 pm
I have one who wouldn’t take a bottle – she could spit the thing across the room. By the time she was 6 months-ish, it was offered her at the appropriate time of baby-nectar-need, and if she refused, she just had to wait. She learned to wait. Also, she learned to eat pears instead. Patience in the making.
.-= ann´s last blog ..Fabulariats! =-.
-
on August 20, 2010 at 9:46 pm
hey guys! been following your sweet family for a while now, though i don’t think we’ve connected since harrison k-life days.
our area lactation consultant says to try giving the bottle when they are not hungry? i guess the bottle makes ’em less mad when they aren’t starving! but i’m guessing you’ve tried it….:)
also, we’ve got Young Life Capernum here in Williamsburg and they do wonderful things with special needs kids in the area.
thanks for sharing your lives! love to you!
todd and abby ellis
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on August 21, 2010 at 7:48 am
I have to second Dreamer’s comment about lack of success with bottles. My first is the only one so far that ever took one well. with my second i did the exact same thing and she would have none of it. my very creative resourceful hubby used to use a medicine dropper to get her to drink what i pumped. thought that one up all on his own! by the time sweet number 3 came around i just realized that it IS such a short time and never introduced the bottle, we just began introducing water in a cup around 6 or 7 months. They grow and change like they are strapped to a rocket so we decided it was just not a big deal to bring the littlest along.:) when mine reach 9m + they can go a bit longer, drink from a cup as well and are eating some solid food so if i do need to be away it seems to go very well. We are expecting our 7th blessing and look forward to this special time with baby that is gone all too soon. Hope that encourages you even if he never takes a bottle. 🙂 your children are so adorable!!!! So thankful all is going well with Matt’s work! Very exciting indeed! blessings, jen in al
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on August 22, 2010 at 12:44 am
My son never took a bottle. I miss those days although I was super annoyed at the time. He’s almost 3 now. Time flies!
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on August 23, 2010 at 7:05 am
How about no bottle advice but something to do so that you can get a night out… even if it’s just a couple hours. A friend of mind who’s baby would not take a bottle, had her mom feed the baby plain or vanilla yougurt for one feeding… just to give mommy a break. The doctor recommended it!
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on August 25, 2010 at 9:39 am
I’m new to your little family and love your site. Unfortunately, I’m at a loss for helpful advice. For every one of my 4, the transition from nursing to bottle was rough, my delusional thinking led me to believe that it was because they LOVED me so much, that they just couldn’t stand to be away from me… granted I know that’s not really the reason, but it sounded good at the time so I went with it..
On point #3… you and my husband should start a boyish good looks club. Then you could track your progress up the popularity chart.
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on August 25, 2010 at 11:03 pm
Boyish good looks? Hm, well I think your super-cute wife overshadows that. Yeah, wife!
No advice on the bottle feeding – my daughter wouldn’t BF so we had opposite issues, here…
Best,
Caryl
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on October 20, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Hi! I stumbled across your blog tonight through a pro-life facebook page. Anyway… check out this private Christian preschool for children with special needs. My little friend Audrey is a student there and we were blessed to attend her 5th birthday party this last year. She too has Trisomy 13 and is “incompatible with life” Whatever, we serve a BIG God!!! So the website is http://www.littlelighthouse.org Awesome place and is tuition free. What a blessing for the families! Oh, and they receive ZERO funding from the government or United Way. It runs on donations and grants. Miraculous! God bless you and your sweet family!!
rush was the same way with the bottle. i decided that i would break him, no matter what it took. i went hard-core on him…refused to nurse him. i pumped and for about a day and a half, he didn’t eat much at all, but i figured he’d take that bottle soon enough. i bought the adiri nurser bottle, which i’d read tons of good reviews about. it worked after unsuccessfully trying about 8 different ones. after those couple of days, he was a total bottle baby and we never went back.
i think you are very handsome. maybe #93 on my top 100 list.
Yay! An update! Sounds like they’re both at lovely stages! Hope to hear more soon! No advice with the bottle here – my 7.5 month old is the same.
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Some of our favourite books <3 =-.
My middle child refused a bottle too, so we introduced a sippy cup at 6 months. Worked beautifully!
We have some friends whose daughter completely refused to take a bottle. Completely. The only encouragement meant from this statement is that they made it through, and they’re still very happily married! I hope he takes one!
Cary, How weird: he was #94 on my list!!
Sorry, Can’t help in the bottle arena.
So happy to hear about your four walls and a place to work/think/write/etc. Cannot wait to read this book!!!
Loved seeing your kids the other day~definitely not a newborn and baby anymore!!
Kristi
Hey pal, just saw the link to a new blog and figured I would give it a good perusal. So glad to hear that you and Ginny are doing well and that 99 balloons is in such a great spot. I’ll be honest, I’ve got nothing to offer on the first two, but I will verbally spar with anyone who doesn’t think you aren’t the cutest thing since that little kitten that is hanging from the rope. Miss the moonies!
cable
Some very special “special needs” organizations to check out:
http://www.chask.org/
http://www.nathhan.com/
As for bottles, my advice is forget about them. All three of my kids were violently opposed to bottles, NEVER took them. All three kids started getting soft sippie cups around 6 months, they would take them (with some coaxing). We used these, they are cheap and at your local Wal-Mart:
http://www.nuby.com/en/nuby/cups-spouts/9644
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Swimming Pools and Sunsets =-.
I loved the comment about faith or stupidity…and the short end of the stick and” it’s not easy to think that favor is coming your way- and certainly not expected.” OHHHH man that is the truth! I seriously did laugh out loud.
I like the sippy idea…
Lastly special needs organziations that do or work with adoption…this may sound silly, but saddleback, Rick Warren’s church has a program with adoption they focus on. I am not sure what it is called and I don’t know how you feel about him, I do know he has a large scale operation…
Are you looking for the combonation of special needs AND adoption or just special needs?
I mostly know a lot about autism ones like autism speaks, etc. ( I know more people that have adopted children and they are autistic.)
I will check with some poeple and get back to you.
no words of wisdom here on bottle v. breast. I was never able to breastfeed. Not that i’m complaining…that much. 🙂 and i admit i’ve been mia for a while, getting a handle on our own challenges of the toddler v newborn..and how it feels to know one is missing in between. BUT i wanted to share yet another similarity..one i haven’t heard anyone else ever say…the response to the “my” or “mine” word. I love that we have such interesting likenesses.
still here with you all, walking the road…some days are a little less weary. some days i need the help of others like you to carry the cross.
This place is for special needs adults instead of children, but possibly worth a look: http://www.brookwoodcommunity.org/
A beloved member of my family lived at Brookwood for years, under a different generation of leadership. I am not entirely informed about more recent years, but I believe it’s still a wonderful place with a valuable network of people in-the-know who would probably be willing to talk to you. The same founder created the Briarwood School in Houston, which is for children.
On bottles. Embrace it. I also had 4 children who would not take bottles to save their little lives. In retrospect, I think of it as a blessing. Sure date night is not quite the same, but the babyness is so fleeting that I miss those times with my babies. I never thought I’d say it, but I really miss nursing. Strange. Anyway, as he gets a little older and can eat some solids you can feed him right before you leave and leave the sitter with some baby food and you’ll have at best 3 hours for alone time. Then you can rush back and feed him again. That’s what we did by the time they were 8-9 months old. Sounds rushed, and it is, but like I said, it goes way too fast.
soooo glad to hear someone else’s 6 month old WONT take a bottle!!! People look at me like I am crazy and that its me that doesnt want her to take one or something; I do! I really, really DO!~~
We too have entered a more restful time in this world called parenting and its nice to feel like we can breathe:). Love that your Anders and our Banner are only days apart. It is comforting to know people are doing the same things we are; and pursuing God, and Loving each other, and life!
Love you guys! Continued inspiration found from you all, and support on our end to you!
love, the bottomlys
I have one who wouldn’t take a bottle – she could spit the thing across the room. By the time she was 6 months-ish, it was offered her at the appropriate time of baby-nectar-need, and if she refused, she just had to wait. She learned to wait. Also, she learned to eat pears instead. Patience in the making.
.-= ann´s last blog ..Fabulariats! =-.
hey guys! been following your sweet family for a while now, though i don’t think we’ve connected since harrison k-life days.
our area lactation consultant says to try giving the bottle when they are not hungry? i guess the bottle makes ’em less mad when they aren’t starving! but i’m guessing you’ve tried it….:)
also, we’ve got Young Life Capernum here in Williamsburg and they do wonderful things with special needs kids in the area.
thanks for sharing your lives! love to you!
todd and abby ellis
I have to second Dreamer’s comment about lack of success with bottles. My first is the only one so far that ever took one well. with my second i did the exact same thing and she would have none of it. my very creative resourceful hubby used to use a medicine dropper to get her to drink what i pumped. thought that one up all on his own! by the time sweet number 3 came around i just realized that it IS such a short time and never introduced the bottle, we just began introducing water in a cup around 6 or 7 months. They grow and change like they are strapped to a rocket so we decided it was just not a big deal to bring the littlest along.:) when mine reach 9m + they can go a bit longer, drink from a cup as well and are eating some solid food so if i do need to be away it seems to go very well. We are expecting our 7th blessing and look forward to this special time with baby that is gone all too soon. Hope that encourages you even if he never takes a bottle. 🙂 your children are so adorable!!!! So thankful all is going well with Matt’s work! Very exciting indeed! blessings, jen in al
My son never took a bottle. I miss those days although I was super annoyed at the time. He’s almost 3 now. Time flies!
How about no bottle advice but something to do so that you can get a night out… even if it’s just a couple hours. A friend of mind who’s baby would not take a bottle, had her mom feed the baby plain or vanilla yougurt for one feeding… just to give mommy a break. The doctor recommended it!
I’m new to your little family and love your site. Unfortunately, I’m at a loss for helpful advice. For every one of my 4, the transition from nursing to bottle was rough, my delusional thinking led me to believe that it was because they LOVED me so much, that they just couldn’t stand to be away from me… granted I know that’s not really the reason, but it sounded good at the time so I went with it..
On point #3… you and my husband should start a boyish good looks club. Then you could track your progress up the popularity chart.
Boyish good looks? Hm, well I think your super-cute wife overshadows that. Yeah, wife!
No advice on the bottle feeding – my daughter wouldn’t BF so we had opposite issues, here…
Best,
Caryl
Hi! I stumbled across your blog tonight through a pro-life facebook page. Anyway… check out this private Christian preschool for children with special needs. My little friend Audrey is a student there and we were blessed to attend her 5th birthday party this last year. She too has Trisomy 13 and is “incompatible with life” Whatever, we serve a BIG God!!! So the website is http://www.littlelighthouse.org Awesome place and is tuition free. What a blessing for the families! Oh, and they receive ZERO funding from the government or United Way. It runs on donations and grants. Miraculous! God bless you and your sweet family!!