follow-up to the "waning about weaning" post

For those of you that may have commented earlier on my post waning about weaning (when did you stop breastfeeding?) I wanted to encourage you to visit again and read all of the comments that have since come in. There is a gold mine of experience and wisdom there among the feedback.

And for those who have asked, I also wanted to give a quick update with regards to where we're up to in the mommy's milk verses cow's milk dilemma.

I've decided to continue to nurse Levi first thing in the morning and at bed time for the time being, but during the day he's now drinking cow's milk.

One day a few weeks back I just tried giving him diluted cow's milk in a sippy instead of nursing him when he woke up from his nap... and he hasn't asked for mommy's milk during the day since! We were really lucky to have a smooth and easy transition when I introduced cow's milk (which reassured me he was ready).

He loves his sippy cup milk... and he still loves his mommy's milk to start and finish the day, so it's working out great for us! I love the freedom of not nursing during the days, it's not seemed to effect my supply for the other feedings (which I was a bit concerned about), he's still getting the benefits of breast milk for the time being, and I continue have my brief (very brief) moments of stillness with him in my arms that would otherwise be impossible to get with my busy little go-er!

I feel like it's a win-win-win-win. Yup, an all around win.

The other factor in my equation is that I'm not keen on breastfeeding two babies at once. For moms who choose to nurse a toddler and an infant at the same time - good for you! I think that's great if that's your thing. Personally I think it's just too much for me as I already struggle to keep the pounds on as is. (Breastfeeding has caused me to revert back to my 16-year old body size which is underweight for my height and quite honestly makes me feel waify* and unhealthy!) I know the body is an amazing and adaptable thing, but I already feel stretched to my capacity just nursing one child. I don't want to attempt two, thankyouverymuch.

So... this is where we're up to and I'm very pleased with our arrangement for the time being. It's a balance that's working really well for all of us, and I feel it will lend itself to a natural progression of weaning the last two feeds when Levi and I are both ready.

Dear friends, thanks to each one of you who took the time to comment on the original "waning about weaning" post last month. You gave some great food for thought - on a lot of levels. I'm so grateful.

love,

* Waify - pretty sure I just made that word up. But you get it... right? ;)

P.S. We're camping at the moment, so if I don't respond to comments and emails right away... that's why. No phones or internet for me!

toddler + silence = level four alarm

A few mornings ago I was laying on the floor playing with Levi.

Ok, let me be honest here.

I was laying on the floor as if to appear I was playing with Levi… but my head was resting on his nice, squishy, stuffed tiger and my eyes were kind-of—uh mostly—closed. (This first trimester fatigue is kicking my bum at the moment!)

After a few minutes he toddled off and I could hear him walk down the hallway and into the living room. I continued to listen, knowing that as long as I could hear him talking to himself and shuffling around, all was well.

And then it went silent.

I laid there for a moment hoping—wishing—that he’d start puttering about again so I wouldn’t have to move. But still, only silence.

Any mom of a toddler knows that silence raises a level four alarm, so of course I began to drag my backside off the floor to go and see what he was up to.

But just as I began to do so I could hear him start to toddle back toward me.

Relieved I relaxed again into my tiger friend and continued to lay there on the floor waiting for him to round the corner of the bedroom.

Moments later he appeared around the corner with a massive grin on his face, a twinkle in his eyes, water all down his chest and belly, and holding a very large glass still half full of water.

As soon as we made eye contact he got so excited that he dropped the glass (thankfully on the carpet where it didn’t break and cut or frighten the poor lad) and he bee-lined straight for me with his arms stretched out in excitement. He had been so impressed with himself and so excited to show me that he found an adult glass, drank out of it himself, and even carried it across the entire house to share with me.

I was counting my lucky stars that it was only a glass of water left on the coffee table from the night before and not some other more stain-inducing or child-inappropriate beverage.

So the question these days is not what is my toddler getting into? But… what isn't he getting into?!?

It really is a fun (and exhausting) stage! I’m entertained and amused every day… and there’s certainly never a dull moment with my little Indiana Jones doing laps around the house and getting into everything!

Dear friends, what are your kids getting into these days?

enjoying “playtime” on the floor,

P.S. We're camping at the moment, so if I don't respond to comments and emails right away... that's why. No phones or internet for me!

Joining in with Mama Kat’s writer’s workshop:
{Describe a time your toddler got into something they shouldn’t have.}

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

the tired monster ate my... self

My husband assures me that I felt the same way during my last pregnancy. And by “same way” I mean dog-tired, highly emotional, and basically feeling like a train wreck on thin ice.

I don’t remember it that way at all.

I remember dreaming about tiny fingers and toes, diligently looking through baby name books, and making lists of things I wanted to stock the nursery with.

This time around is different though. This time around, I have tiny little fingers grabbing at me non-stop, tiny little toes running in circles around me, and no motivation or energy to look through lists of names I already know I don’t like.

And of course the nursery is already fully stocked.

But feeling like a walking zombie who—at any given moment—is ready to turn into a werewolf and do some serious damage to anyone in my path? That I don’t remember at all.

Apparently I just don’t have a great memory. (And I don’t have a blog to go back and refer to since I didn’t start blogging until Levi was close to four months old.)

My memory fails me.

I can’t remember feeling like if I couldn’t get a nap somewhere in the day I just might keel over and die. (I’m not trying to be dramatic here… I seriously feel that way often at the moment.) I don’t remember feeling overwhelmed with exhaustion to the point of tears every other day. And I certainly don’t remember wanting to a) bite someone’s head off on a regular basis or b) burst into deep sobs of frustration at any given moment in time.

when you're this tired... even airport floors look appealing

So this is a post in which I am whining. It’s so unbecoming isn’t it? I know. (I tell my one-year-old that all the time, though he doesn’t completely understand how unbecoming just yet. And—no doubt—I’m giving him a shining example.)

I feel like I’m failing, like I’m not being my “best self”. No one is getting my best – not my husband, not Levi, not friends, not my work, not God, and not even myself. Everyone’s getting the scraps that are left-over from the savage Tired Monster that’s sucking away all my physical and emotional energy.

The tank is low folks, and the fuel light is most definitely on.

“This will pass,” my husband reassures me, and of course I know he’s right.

But in the meantime I’m having a hard time keeping it all together.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a great life. I have support. I have an amazing I’ll-cook-dinner-AND-do-the-dishes sort of husband. I have plenty of moments of laughter and amusement during my day as I watch my sweet toddler grow and discover and work his magic on me.

I’m just kind-of wanting to fast-forward another four weeks or so to that golden second trimester. (Yes, I think most of my pregnancy memories are from the glorious middle.)

And yet I don’t want to be that lady either. You know, that lady who whines and complains and basks in self-pity. I don’t want to be that lady that thinks that because I’m pregnant the world should suddenly start revolving around me. And most of all I don’t want to be that lady who takes for granted the miracle of carrying and growing babies in the first place.

So, admitting that I’d give almost anything to just pack it all in and have a good, long, uninterrupted nap… I’m gonna buck up. I’m gonna be a grown-up. I’m gonna tidy up the house and change over the laundry and think about what to make for dinner.

I’m gonna give thanks for the nice home I sit in, the over-the-top gorgeous and hilarious and healthy kid that calls me “mama”, and the dream boat I get to curl up with every night.

I’m gonna look on the bright side, remember how privileged I am to get to carry a baby in the first place, and thank God that he trusts me enough to give me a second Gift in the form of a child.

I’m gonna dream about my little raspberry and love him or her without reservation from the very depths of my heart.

For every moment of exhaustion and every over-exaggerated emotion I will try to remind myself that these are very, very, very small sacrifices that many women would gladly accept in a heartbeat if it meant growing and birthing a child of her own.

And hopefully I can keep my fangs under wraps for just a few more weeks… until this short little phase passes.

Dear friends, do you remember feeling like this during your first trimester? I know it’s normal… yet I still struggle to feel normal! How did you cope during those first few months when you feel so miserable and don't even have a massive belly to show for it all?

yawn,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

reclaiming sundays... with ice cream

A family quest to rest, refresh, enjoy, live... a little bit more. That's what Reclaiming Sundays is all about.

And so, we've begun to take back our Sundays and be just a little more intentional about   s l o w i n g   d o w n  and enjoying our family and friends and life. in. general.

Scheduled rest. Scheduled fun. Scheduled time for something... or nothing... or whatever sets our hearts at peace.

It only made sense to set the bar high: sun, sand, swimming... and ice cream. Oh, Sunday afternoon ice cream, where have you been all my life?

I think I could get used to this quickly.

Dear friends, what did you do this weekend to stop and enjoy life a little bit more?

learning to rest... more,

P.S. You can read my original post with more of what this is all about here. If you'd like to grab the Reclaiming Sundays button and join in with our family's quest to make some more time for rest in our busy lives, then please feel free. Make sure you leave me your link so I can come see and be inspired by what your family is doing. (And remember, your "Sundays" don't have to literally be on Sundays... any old day will do, as long as it's deliberate.) *BIGsigh*

<a href="http://www.themommyhoodmemos.com" target="_blank"><img alt="The Mommyhood Memos" src="http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m223/adrielmc/reclaimingsundaysbuttonimagesize200.jpg" /></a>
(And don't worry, the button will display on your blog much smaller than the image above!:)

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

vintage-inspired custom name letters: a cheap and simple craft tutorial

I recently finished transforming the Little Red Caboose into this for Levi's room:

I love the vintage -- yet still bright -- feel to this personalized wall decor.

It's a project that cost me under $10.00, is one-of-a kind, and easy enough for most any novice crafter to pull off.

Creating these is fun and simple!

1) Gather your supplies:

1. Letters spelling your child's name. (Choose a "thin" letter if you want to use them on the wall, or a "thicker" letter if you want to them to stand alone on a shelf.)
2. Clear varnish. (I prefer spray varnish.)
3. Clear-drying PVA craft glue.
4. Paper of your choice. I used a $2.50 classic golden book, but you can also use scrapbooking paper, photographs, comics, or anything else you wish.
5. Screw in hooks (if you choose to hang them on the wall).

2) Tear the paper into strips of your liking. (You can cut them for a more geometric feel, but I prefer the soft edges you get when tearing.) For this example, my strips are about 1/2 inch wide.

3) Layer and glue the strips over the face of your letter using the PVA glue. (Don't worry about glue squeezing out the edges - it will dry clear!) Choose a "random" look to layer your strips (like I've done) or lay them carefully side-by-side for a more "ordered" look (choose vertical, horizontal, or diagonal). Make sure there are no little spots left uncovered.

4) Turn the letter over and glue strips along the edges of the letter. This will serve as a base to ensure no "empty" spots when you're gluing your original strips (from the front) down over the edge.

5) Trim the strips down with scissors so that they are more manageable. Make sure to leave enough to work with though - perhaps one or two inches.

6) Fold and glue the end of the strips from the front of the letter over the edges. This will give the edges the same "random" look as the surface of the letter.

7) Trim the edges again. You want to make sure you don't have excess paper all over the place so that your letter can lay flat against the wall, but you also need to ensure there is enough excess edge to fold over the back so that it will glue down easily. About 1/2 a centimeter works well.

8) Glue down the last bits of paper to the back, making sure that all of your corners are as crisp and clean as possible.

9) Put any final touches on the front of your letters. I like to include some key phrases from the text of the book.

10) Let your letters dry thoroughly. After they have dried, if you notice any bits that were not glued properly, add more glue and smooth everything down. Wait for it to dry again and re-check. Repeat this until you are completely satisfied.

11) Begin your varnishing process. Lay the letters on wax paper (or something similar) and spray the varnish over your letters, covering both the front as well as the edges. Do this at least eight to ten times, letting the varnish dry between each spray. The varnish will protect the paper, prolong the life of your letters, and add a shiny, finished-looking surface to your piece. (Of course you should be doing this part outside!)

12) Attach hooks to the back if you plan to hang them on the wall. (Make sure to measure carefully so that they will hang evenly.)

13) Add them to the nursery wall or wherever else you had in mind and applaud yourself for being a creative genius. Ok, applaud yourself for making a really simple (and inexpensive!) craft that makes it look like you're a creative genius.

Dear friends, I don't "get crafty" often, but I have fun when I do. Aren't these cute and simple?! The possibilities are endless. Try using a major color theme on each different letter or using alternate color themes every other letter. Try using the Sunday comics or text only from your favorite book, newspapers, or magazines. Try using your child's favorite Disney-theme books or a classic Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme book. Try using sheet music or favorite photos from a family trip. Try using various patterns of scrapbooking paper in a similar color scheme. Try... well, you get the picture! The possibilities are pretty much endless!!! Enjoy.

always thrilled by decorating on a dime,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

two stripes means positive

Yes, it's baby-growing season in the Booker home.

Thank you so, so much for all of your congratulations and comments and emails!

The most fun part of my announcement was that after I posted I got four emails from other pregnant moms who've yet to announce publicly, but wanted to let me in on their secret. Soooooo fun!!! (And don't worry ladies, your precious secret is safe with me. *wink, wink* I can't wait until you're "public" and we can all track together.)


And to answer your questions:

No, it wasn't an accident.

Yes, we were trying... or not, not trying to be more accurate. (Only this last month by the way - we aren't completely crazy... just a little.)

Yes, we were still incredibly shocked that it happened SO FAST this time around.

Yes, even though we were shocked we were also RELIEVED that it didn't take months of tracking and trying and waiting. (We are so, so blessed and we know that and don't take it for granted.)

My due date is October 7th. That means I'm seven weeks along.

Yes, I'm aware that it's early to be sharing our news... but we'd rather people know about our little one and be praying for him/her and me through the early days.

Yes, we will find out the gender when we can.

No, we won't keep it a secret.

Yes, we have a girl name picked out.

No, we don't have a boy name decided yet. (We both think boys names are way harder to come up with!)

No, we probably won't share the name. (I would, but Ryan prefers to keep it for the big day - you know, to have a Lion King moment - and I'm totally okay with that. Give the man his moment - he deserves it!)

Yes, it would be sweet to have a girl... but I love Levi so much that the thought of having another boy is very appealing too.

No, I don't know "how" I will have the baby yet. I only know that my (unplanned) c-section disqualified me from future births at my local birthing centre. BUT I can still receive partial midwifery care through our regular hospital. (I still have much to learn/research... so let me just digest the fact that I'm pregnant first. *grin*)

Yes, I am totally freaked out by the thought of having two babies twenty months apart.

Yes, I like the idea of having children close together in age. Very much.

No, I wouldn't change a thing... even though I am a little nervous.

Yes, I am glad to have the next several months to try and prepare myself... and to try and take a nap.

Yes, naps have moved waaaaaaay up the priority list as of late. (I should be taking one now in fact.)

No, I can't possibly begin to imagine loving another child as much as I love my first born treasure... but all those more experienced than me tell me that my heart will grow with my belly. And I believe them. :)

Yes, I totally looked at the baby clothes section when I was in Target this weekend. (Looked, just looked.)

No, I'm not done pinching myself to make sure that it's true.

No, I don't feel sick. Just a little tired and a couple of headaches. And hungry. Always hungry.

Yes, we are ABSOLUTELY THRILLED.

Dear friends, thank you again for all of the congratulations you've sent my way via comments, facebook, and emails. It's meant a lot to me and I'm so glad you're excited with us! Now, did I cover all of your questions??! ;)

letting it all sink in,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

the proposal

His idea was big, bold, and public.

Unbeknownst to him my idea was quiet, intimate, and sentimental.

But he was the one with the ring so...

I got my proposal on the main stage at our local Christmas festival in front of 1,500 cheering and screaming on-lookers.

I was shocked and a little embarrassed. Ok, a lot embarrassed. (And for the record that's very hard to do.)

I was also thrilled.

As far as a proposal was concerned, big, bold, and public had never even entered my imagination... but I was just glad to be asked to spend the rest of my life with the man I adored.

It was a happy, happy day.

Happy Love Day to my sweetheart. I'm so glad you wanted to show me off to the whole world.

And now, so do I... in my own little way. *grin*

I'm still so very in love with you.

In fact, I'm more in love with you now than I even was then... on that hot, humid night in December:

And obviously I was pretty dang happy and in love with you then.

You have my heart Ryan. Always.

yours,

Linking in with the lovely Mandy:

And writing about a memorable date along with Mama Kat:





adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

a day for love

It's love day. Instead of focusing on who is loving me today... I'm focusing on who I love. 

Because there are so many people in my life that are so... love-worthy.

Dear friends, I hope you are not only feeling incredibly loved today, but that you are absolutely full of love to give away - both to those who mean the most to you and to the stranger you pass on the sidewalk. Whether you are dating, married, or single... childless or surrounded with children, may this be a day that resounds with love triumphing over loneliness.

with love,

P.S. 

{to my darling husband}

{to my sweet mom}

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

reclaiming sundays

New Years resolutions. Some love ‘em. Some hate ‘em. Some are diligent to follow through. Many start with great ideas that never make it past a list scrawled out in a journal or on the fridge.

I didn’t make any resolutions this year (apart from a few blogging goals, which—let’s be honest—I’ve yet to even come close to implementing most of them).

But I did have one thing in particular on my heart and mind for this year… a change I wanted to make…

You see… life. is. busy.

We all know that.

Time is perhaps our most precious commodity. How we spend it, how we invest it, and how we squander it will define not only our present, but our future.

I’m tired of having days—even entire weeks—where I get to the end and think what in the world did I do with my time?

It’s all too easy to let life rule me and lead me, rather than me leading life the way I want it to go.

Yes, I am trying to be more organized and accomplish certain short-term goals… but what I’m really talking about here is the quality time I want to spend living life, enjoying life.

I’m pretty sure no one gets to the end of their days only to think, “I wish I had kept a better-organized pantry!”

So I’ve tried to be deliberate, to take advantage of my (mostly) fluid schedule. Instead of getting caught up in the business of taking care of a baby and taking care of a home, finances, part-time work responsibilities, ministry, etc. (these are all good things, mind you), I’ve tried to be intentional about also having fun with my son. You know, impromptu trips to the park, a quick play in a sink filled with bubbles, dumping a million blocks on the floor to see what we can create, or sitting down in the middle of the kitchen with him to bang on pots and pans to see what kind of noise we can create.

In fact, even at one point while writing this post Levi came up to me and started bouncing up and down near my feet. He had a wooden puzzle in his hand that he was obviously dying for me to get down on the floor and help him with. So I did.

It’s not about catering to our children’s every whim. It’s about paying attention to them, letting them remind us to be present, and remembering that they are individuals who are constantly learning, perceiving, and even forming judgments of their own (including sizing up what they deem as mama’s priorities).

I don’t want to be at the point of sending Levi off to school in a few years time and look back and wish I had spent the early days with him differently.

So I’m trying. Not always succeeding the way I’d like to, but trying nonetheless.

No doubt you can relate.

But this isn’t just about being a parent and having quality time with my kids.

It’s even bigger than that. It’s about having quality time with my husband, quality time with friends, quality time for myself, quality time set apart for God.

I’m aware, more and more, that we’re living on borrowed time.

I don’t want to look back on my life and think that I squandered the time I was given. But the sad truth for most of us is that a lack of being deliberate leads us into a slow and steady process of waste... wasted time.

And wasted time leads to a wasted life.

So my goal for this year is to reclaim Sundays in hopes that will help bring me more focus on spending my precious time well.

There is nothing magical about Sundays. In my opinion the day itself is not holy any more than a Tuesday or a Friday is. Every day is holy if only we’d treat it as such.

But like most families we have weekends off from work. Saturdays tend to be quickly filled up with chores, errands, and house/yard projects. And so that leaves Sundays – the only day of the week that we can really stop. Rest. Reflect. Recharge.

So this year I want to reclaim Sundays. I want to wake up Monday morning feeling like I’m starting my work week from a good place, from a better place.

It’s not a religious thing, although God himself understands the value of Sabbath rest for busy, hard-working people and has gone so far as commanding his followers to observe it (ie: rest, pray, play, refuel, reconnect).

But it’s more than “just” religion.

Rest, recreation, refreshing, recharging, relationships… these are as important as the air we breathe and the food that sustains us. All of it is absolutely crucial to living a healthy and balanced life… a good life.

So {dramatic pause} I want to make Sundays – whether it is the entire day or part of the day – a day that I know I can look forward to because it is one where we will deliberately draw aside from our “to do’s” in order to really enjoy life… do things that refresh us and recharge us, excite us and connect us. I want Sundays to be a day in our home that the entire family looks forward to because it means something fun is about to happen… even if that something fun is an intentional “nothing” from time to time. I want it to be a day that we are calculated about pausing the busyness in order to enjoy relationships, create memories, and focus on the things that help grow joy in hearts and homes.

I have decided that part of holding myself accountable to being deliberate about this goal will be me posting a photo or a thought or a recount of Sundays (or Saturdays or whatever day worked out for us to be “Sunday” for the week) on the Memos. I may not perfectly succeed, and I’m okay with that, but I am determined to try. I am determined to do better.

For my own sake. My for my husband’s sake. For our children’s sake.

Dear friends, please feel free to join me on my endeavor to reclaim Sundays. I’m doing this for myself, for my family, for my friends… But no doubt other blogging mamas out there could benefit from reclaiming Sundays too. I don’t want to just create another meme for the sake of gaining blog followers (*blech* I don’t have time for stuff like that anyway). But I suspect I’m not alone in my desire. If that’s you, if you want to try and reclaim Sundays too, link up with me next week and share about your own “Sunday” or special family time. (I'll have a grab button and linky open next week if you're interested in joining.) I challenge you to carve out time, be deliberate about living, and record the journey for your family’s sake and for your own.

reclaiming sundays,

P.S. It's Sunday here... and we went to the beach today..........Our day included fish and chips. And ice cream. But... more about that later. *happysighofcontentment*

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

in love

I am in love.

In love with this boy.

His smile. Those perfect lips. His long, straight lashes. That vanilla skin. The sparkle in his deep, dark eyes. His sweet giggle. His funny hair-styles that are birthed from days spent sweating in the tropics. The chubby little fingers that can often be found intertwined in miniature guitar strings these days.

I love that he loves music and comes alive when he's given a guitar or a drum or a little piano. I love that he can't hear music over the radio or on the stereo or on television without stopping whatever he's doing and dancing... or just waving his little hand in the air as he gets his groove on.

I love that when he's dancing--or jamming--he glances at me with a glimmer in his eye to make sure that I'm watching, approving, admiring.

I love that he is not only my boy but he is the son of my husband - my beloved, the man of my dreams, my Gift From Heaven.

I love that he is a part of me, that he is from me, that he represents the best of me.

I love that he is a part of us, that he is from us, that he represents the best of us.

I love that God trusts us enough, believes in us enough, to let us care for and shape such a precious being.

I love that he's taught me how to be a mom.

I love that he's teaching me how to love more, believe in myself more, and enjoy the small things in life more.

I love that he's paved the way for our Newest Joy to enter the world and grow my belly--and our hearts--even more than we've already known.

I love that his guitar was a gift from my parents and that he sits in his "big boy chair" - a gift from Ryan's parents. Four more of the extra special people in my life.

Yes, I love this photo--and all that it contains--for so many reasons.

In love, I am.

Dear friends, there is so much to love... I've only skimmed the surface here with this photo and its description. What are you in love with at the moment?

in love,

Linking up with the lovely Jhen:

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

big brother levi??!

I searched and searched for the right t-shirt (ok, I went to three stores) but I couldn't find one anywhere... so I had to make Levi this one instead:

I didn't take into account how much the word "brother" would stretch over his little tummy... but I love it.

In other news, it's soooo weird to think that my baby boy is now a big brother!!!

But yes, that's right friends, all FOUR of us made it safely through Cyclone Yasi last week.

Finding an open store to buy a pregnancy test and confirm my suspicions two days after the cyclone? Well, that was another issue all together!

But eventually I found one.

Ok, two.

Just had to be sure, you know?

Dear friends, what are you expecting in 2011? :)

excited to be expecting,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

surviving a cyclone

less than half a block away on our street

Cyclone Yasi has come and gone. It’s amazing to think that a cyclone the same intensity as Katrina has ripped through our area. But unlike Katrina, Yasi hit lesser populated areas and didn’t take lives like we saw in Louisiana a few years ago.

Yasi, a level 5 cyclone, crossed land at Mission Beach leaving that community, as well as Tully, Cardwell, and several other small coastal communities, completely ravaged. One in three homes were destroyed and thousands are devastated by the utter destruction.

Instead of seeing the fruit that generations of farmers have labored for we see a landscape that looks like a warzone.

The damage in Townsville—though severe in places—was considerably less. Although there are homes and businesses damaged, it is nothing like our neighbors to the north where entire farms and communities lay in ruins.

Around our home we have many fallen trees and power lines. People have been hard at work clearing their yards and the streets of debris and cleaning up homes.

on our street two doors down from us

on our street

We’re now on day four without power. At the moment 32% of the city has power restored, including all of our friends and the YWAM base just a few blocks away as well as the supermarket down the road.

We hope to have power at our place within the week.

In the meantime, we take cold showers thanking God that we have running water.

We cook our meals on the BBQ, thanking God for propane.

We store our milk in the fridge that is now powered by a borrowed generator.

We sleep without blankets in the dripping heat of the night and thank God that we are in a warm climate instead of a cold one.

We listen to the battery-operated radio to get important announcements and reports of where the disaster relief is up to.

And soon, we’ll head to friends houses to do our laundry, watch the news on TV, connect to the outside world online (and post this), enjoy a cup of tea, and maybe—just maybe—have an hour or two in the air conditioning.

We spent yesterday cleaning up the YWAM base and our neighborhood. We spent today cleaning up our own place. Tomorrow we will rest… and then start again on Monday.

the park ("our park") where we play a block from our house

Thanks for your prayers for us and for the people of our area. Although Yasi was terrifying for those caught in the eye of it, everyone rejoices that lives were spared.

Homes can be rebuilt. Businesses can be rebuilt. Farms can be rebuilt. Cars and equipment can be replaced. Streets can be cleaned up. Power can be recovered.

And most importantly, hope can be restored.

one of the shop windows on the waterfront boarded up and ready for a beating

Dear friends, please continue to pray. The clean-up and rebuilding has only just begun.

relieved,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission