Happy 3rd Birthday Mocha Baby!

"Can God do it again?"

I asked myself this question over and over from the moment I realized I was pregnant with Mocha Baby. I was painfully aware of what a blessing it was to have healthy children. God had already given me four. Was I pushing it to expect any more? If I was faced with special challenges, would I be up to the task with 4 other children to care for? I knew I'd take the job regardless, but I wondered if I'd be able to do it well.

I think I fell prey to this kind of thinking because I was older than 35 when we conceived Mocha Baby, and the pressure to do more prenatal testing and be "extra" careful implied that something could go wrong for us now more than at any other time before. I appreciated the support if a challenge developed, but I felt robbed of a peaceful pregnancy.

I empowered myself by building up my support systems. I worked at accepting help from my friends. I hired a doula who offered pregnancy counseling, prenatal advice and availability for labor and two post partum visits. Most importantly, I worked hard at praying, believing and trusting God that whatever he gave me would be right for me. I tried not to worry. I was up and I was down. It was definitely a process.

My cup overflowed with Mocha Baby--as you can see she exceeds my hopes and expectations.

On this day, I'm reflecting about how much my heart can grow and stretch to love each child I'm given like they are the only child I have. To God be the glory!

Comments

Please leave that baby's hair alone!

I'll never forget the first time I saw Mocha Girl One (HmG) . She was an emergency c-section, and had to spend several days in NICU. She was born four days past her estimated due date and looked huge in her incubator. I imagined her to be especially delicate and feminine. I couldn't wait to frill her up, and more importantly to do her hair ! The only reason she wasn't sporting a barrette the day we took her home from the hospital, was because the one I brought to match her lacey outfit, slid right out. Mocha Girl One's baby hair was silky straight and fine. As the weeks rolled by, it became wavier until she had a lovely curly fro. I washed it all the time . I brushed it several times a day . I tried snap clips, and moved to velcro barrets when the clips slid out. I bought a different head band for every outfit. Meanwhile her curls continued to wind tighter and tighter. I kept everything in a pretty box, dubbed the hair bin . I was really frustrated at not b...

16 Month Lock Update: Styling Session

Trader Joe's Castille Soap Discontinued!

There's some controversy about the use of castille soap as a shampoo. For example, popular YouTuber Kim , of KimmayTube tested the ph of Bronner's Castille Soap and found it to be much higher than the recommended range for hair (between 4 and 5). You can watch her explain her findings. She also did an informative series fraught with good visuals on understanding the effects of ph on hair. That said, I've been using diluted castille soap successfully for YEARS, but I've never tried Bronner's Castille Soap. I had a bottle of Trader Joe's Castille Soap . Turns out Trader Joe's formula includes Aloe Vera --which has an acidic ph---probably bringing down the overall ph of the product--perhaps balancing it for hair. The manufacturer recommends it's use as a shampoo right on the bottle's label. I did not get a chance to personally test the ph of my bottle, because by the time I noticed Aloe as an ingredient of my castille soap, the bottle was empty...

Cherish My Daughter

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