Baby stuff, Anger update, New tent trailer, Bowen, and Logan's Bday Party!

1. Baby stuff: This pregnancy is SO different that I would be extremely not surprised if it is a girl.
    a) My belly 'sticks out' as far as it did at the END of my pregnancy with Logan already and i'm only 28 weeks. He or she is sitting way out front and it really takes my breath away and makes moving around much more difficult than it was with Logan. Scares me that I still have 10-12 weeks to go!
    b) I have had many more aches and pain (sciatic, lower back, sleeping problems, nausia in the beginning, and yeast infection)
    c) I still stand by that I don't believe in cravings, but I have had far less will power this pregnancy thus I have already gained 22lbs at 28 weeks and I only gained 20lbs Logan's entire pregnancy.
    d) This time around all I really feel inclined to focus on is girl names. With Logan I felt inclined to only seek out boy names.
    e) This baby is WAY more active than Logan. He or she kicks and moves so much that it will keep me awake at night or even wake me up from a sleep! I can sit and watch my belly bounce like crazy while i'm relaxing in a chair or on a couch - it's quite something! Must be a girl who has inherited my impatience ;) lol

2. Anger: I am still doing very well with anger/frusteration control! It has helped immensely in even my parenting skills the more I go along. Logan is behaving much better (I have also been doing balance work with him) and Michael and I have a strengthened relationship. Best decision I ever made! It has even helped me be able to focus and remember those important things like prayer and scripture study to a great extent which brings the spirit into my life even more so.

3. Camping: We have inherited a tent trailer from some VERY generous relatives and are VERY excited to be able to go camping this season :) We want to go out at least twice but maybe even 3-4 times if it's successful. Our first scheduled trip is Father's Day weekend. My biggest concerns lay around Logan's nap/sleep because of course a) we'll be in a trailer - we haven't slept away from home since January because in February we did his sleep training - and b) it's just a different environment all together..he will likely stay up late and get up early which is fine - that's just part of the camping experience, but I guess my biggest hope is that he settles back into his routine easily when we get home! lol We are going to try Bow Valley Campground in Kananaskis country which is just an hour away from home so worst case scenario we can come home without too much hassle!

4. Bowen: I worked on a newborn (2 weeks old) that was experiencing gas/bloating and in ONE treatment he was sleeping 'through the night' (as far as a newborn goes with feeding schedule) and no more gas/bloating at all! I know Bowen works and I know what it should do, but it still surprises me sometimes hehe. Wish me luck as I have my final examination(s) this coming weekend.

5. Logan's Birthday Party: WOW! What a great time! I was really bummed about not being able to be outside (especially to do the wagon train idea we had) but I was able to turn my house into a party location that in my opinion turned out awesome! Upstairs I blocked off the bedroom areas with baby gates (as I realy didn't want to have to clean up -every- single room in my house after the party lol - Logan's room has all the 'tiny' piece toys in it). In the upstairs family room I set up 3 stations: a) train tracks and trains, b) duplo lego, and c) barns & animals. Plus I had a table and chairs for people who wanted to eat/snack up there. Downstairs I had the ride on toys and things set up and Logan's birthday present (a new BIG slide) whcih was a big hit. Also the dinner tables and chairs were set up downstairs also.
-Supper was an array of kid friendly food (originally planned to be burgers but pouring rain meant no bbq access). I served Pizza (cheese, hawaiian, meat lovers), kraft dinner, veggies and dip, chips and dip, watermelon, pineapple, grapes, ceasar salad, and a marshmellow fruit salad thing. Of course for dessert I did a HUGE train cake which if it weren't for my mom may have ended up in the trash lol.. at a certain moment it caused me alot of stress but again, my mom is a miracle worker and an amazing lady and helped me get it together :)
-After supper we did presents then cake/ice cream. Shortly after that people started to trickle out. I started the party about 4:00 and people came and went up until about 7:30 - and my brother and his family stayed a little later. It worked out well cuz some people had to go before supper and some came a little later so the 30 people that were here were scattered a bit allowing it to not feel so packed in my house.
-All in all a great time and it took me ALL day to ready for it (and a good chunk of the day before) and I would do it again in a heartbeat - but only that size of a party if i'm not pregnant lol - my body couldn't really handle all I did, even with my mom's help! Logan had a great time, behaved himself, and got spoiled. I am happy to say I have a VERY polite 2 year old - every gift he recieved he went to the person (even with everyone watching him in the crowd) and said 'thank you -insert name-'. He didn't even freak out when all the other kids were checking out his presents with him. It was lovely :) Thanks to all who came out!

6. Now that Logan is 2 I am contemplating the potty training battle. Wish me luck - haven't started yet but I'm going to watch a DVD I have and read some sites about how to get started, etc. I am not sure I'll start yet or not - I might give him a few more months to mature first (I believe in one battle at a time and we might try and do the crib-to-bed battle first).

I think that's all for now!

Oh, lastly: A shout out to my friend Crystal - I love you and you're an amazing friend - thanks for being you :)

Ode to my 2 year old

Every child develops at a different rate and speed, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to record what my two year old can do! It'll be nice to reference this years to come (I also have printed this and put it in my written journal).
1. Stats: 36.5" tall and 32 pounds
2. Logan has had 2 'official' hair cuts and many trims. He doesn't have thick hair but certain areas grow in thicker. And it's curly/wavy in a hard to make cute kind of way (being i'm not style inclinded when it comes to hair) so for now we keep it short as it thickens up. He's blond with a hint of strawberry in there! And he has my fair skin (poor fellow!)
3. He has dozens and dozens of words. In fact I couldn't even begin to list them anymore. He repeats after me and puts 3 or 4 words together and his pronunciation is pretty good in my opinion! As of this week his longest phrase is 'rock by baby in treetop'
4. Logan can count! ..not necessarily in order mind you lol but he can count to 9. I will say 1, he will say 2, then I will 3, then he will say 4, then I will say 5 and he will say 9 or something lol.. I love it! It's so much fun. Even since I wrote this I have noticed that he has 1, 2, 3 more or less figured out.
5. Logan can recognize colors but can't necessarily always identify them yet. ex: he will call the yellow ball blue. thankfully he lets us correct him and doesn't get upset with us about it! hehe. It's his newest thing this week it seems to recognize colors. During Diego just this morning Diego asked 'is this turtle blue?' Logan replied no, then Diego asked 'is he red?' and Logan says no, and then Diego said 'is this turtle green?' and Logan said yes! I was very impressed :)
6. Tantrums: he has few full on tantrums but he definetly has many 'moments' lol. It all depends what you define as a tantrum. A tantrum to me is a full on freak out - kicking and screaming and the works. Moments are 'i'm not getting my way so i'm gonna be mad for the next minute or two' but gets over it pretty quickly.
7. Logan naps for 2 hours every day from 12 - 2:00, sometimes an extra 30-45 minutes tacked in there, rarely less.
8. Logan is sensative :) not in a completely wussy way (tho he has his moments lol) but he's just genuinely a sensative child.
9. Eating habits: Logan is up and down. When his habits are less than kosher (per my opinion) then I get some energy work done for him and he gets back on track. He doesn't eat much meat at this point and he is picky with his veggies but will eat them - same with fruit. Of course like any kid he loves crackers and fruit snacks and 'junk' like that.
10. Schedule is important for Logan and me. I don't mess with it and will keep it that way as long as humanly possible. Thankfully I don't have any obligations that force me to have to change things.
11. Logan still has up to 3 bottles a day of milk - we usually transition either morning and/or night with a sippy cup (as it's just as he watches tv). Nap time bottle will be the last I change (meaning until he stops napping on his own free will he will get his naptime bottle) only because I feel confident that if I ween it from him it will also ween his nap which I'm not willing to do.
12. "I love you mommy" <--love hearing him say that phrase!
13. "sorry mommy" <---or sorry to whomever he has 'wronged' - another phrase I love to hear. He also says excuse me, thank you, please and bless you
14.. He likes TV but knows that the tv stays off during the day and doesn't push for it. He gets to watch up to an hour in the morning and up to an hour before bed and that is it.
15. Logan loves babies! He will VERY gently hold them and stroke them and talk to them.
16. Logan has good balance. From birth he has always been the cautious type - didn't do anything he wasn't comfortable doing and didn't do anything until he was defintely sure he could conquer it on the first or second try. He still is like that.
17. Logan knows 4 songs plus the actions (okay not the words completely yet, but he can do the actions): Wheels on the Bus, Popcorn Popping, Once There Was a Snowman, & the Fish Song ("swish swish went the little blue fish one day..") We sing these daily lol.. often multiple times.
18. Favourite TV show: Dora the Explorer & Diego (but also likes Franklin and Max&Ruby)
19. Favourite Movie: Astroboy
20. Lastly at this point Logan is just all around a happy and calm boy. People tell me (whether it's polite or not) that when they watch him for me he is very good and always welcome back to their homes :) I like to think it's partially our good parenting skills but really a huge part of that is his personality and demeanor are just fairly laid back!

I love my little boy and would never change a thing about him! He's perfectly fit into our little family and I look forward to a lifetime ahead with him.

Happy Birthday Logan!!

Results

I have to tell you, this has been a WONDERFUL week! I have embraced (and so has Michael) the "I will never be angry again" change of life, and wow has it made a difference in my life! I will just say that it has in a very short week brought me, Michael and Logan closer together and has made me feel marvelous in general! Even my pregnancy which has been such a struggle has seemed 'easier' to handle and deal with. What a powerful emotion anger (and thus linked emotions like frusteration for example) is and when it is tamed and you are aware of your reaction to situations and people, etc how much you can really change your life.

Anyways, I look forward to the weeks and months and years to come of never being angry again! :) Wish us luck!

Kyla

PS. This week is a good week here in the Bly home - Logan turns 2 on Wednesday and we're having a HUGE party on Friday, which i'm hoping the weather will cooperate because otherwise my house is going to be one jam packed place...keep your fingers crossed for us! There will be blogs to come on Logan's bday and other stuff during the week.

Responding to Challenges in Marriage - Anger issues

So I have been reading the Marriage and Family Relations manual put out by the church and I have really been enjoying it. There is a particular challenge (that has really presented itself this pregnancy) of being very edgy and for me, very angry feeling all the time - which has been pushing Michael away when really I need him to be closer...then I started reading chapter 4 of the manual and I wanted to share the talk/material in the chapter. At the end I will write a little bit about the challenge I hav taken on from this article. 

Satan Stirs Up Anger in Families

“I have a family here on earth. They are so good to me.” This is the hope of every child, expressed in the words of one of our hymns (“Families Can Be Together Forever,”).We learn in the proclamation on the family that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan” and that “husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other” and a “sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,”)

The family is also Satan’s primary target. He is waging war on the family. One of his schemes is the subtle and cunning way he has of sneaking behind enemy lines and entering our very homes and lives. He damages and often destroys families within the walls of their own homes. His strategy is to stir up anger between family members. Satan is “the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another”

(3 Nephi 11:29; italics added). The verb stir sounds like a recipe for disaster: Put tempers on medium heat, stir in a few choice words, and bring to a boil; continue stirring until thick; cool off; let feelings chill for several days; serve cold; lots of leftovers.

We Can Choose Not to Become Angry

A cunning part of his strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion that we cannot control. We hear, “I lost my temper.” Losing one’s temper is an interesting choice of words that has become a widely used idiom. To “lose something” implies “not meaning to,” “accidental,” “involuntary,” “not responsible”— careless perhaps but “not responsible.” “He made me mad.” This is another phrase we hear, also implying lack of control or agency. This is a myth that must be debunked. No one makes us mad. Others don’t make us angry. There is no force involved. Becoming angry is a conscious choice, a decision; therefore, we can make the choice not to become angry. We choose! To those who say, “But I can’t help myself,” author William Wilbanks responds, “Nonsense.” “Aggression, . . . suppressing the anger, talking about it, screaming and yelling,” are all learned strategies in dealing with anger. “We choose the one that has proved effective for us in the past. Ever notice how seldom we lose control when frustrated by our boss, but how often we do when annoyed by friends or family?” (“The New Obscenity,” Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1988, 24; italics added).

In his sophomore year Wilbanks tried out for the high school basketball team and made it. On the first day of practice his coach had him play one-on-one while the team observed. When he missed an easy shot, he became angry and stomped and whined. The coach walked over to him and said, “You pull a stunt like that again and you’ll never play for my team.” For the next three years he never lost control again. Years later, as he reflected back on this incident, he realized that the coach had taught him a life-changing principle that day: anger can be controlled (see “The New Obscenity,” 24).

The Lord’s Teachings

In the Joseph Smith Translation of Ephesians 4:26, Paul asks the question, “Can ye be angry, and not sin?” The Lord is very clear on this issue: “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

“Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (3 Nephi 11:29–30).

This doctrine or command from the Lord presupposes agency and is an appeal to the conscious mind to make a decision. The Lord expects us to make the choice not to become angry. Nor can becoming angry be justified. In Matthew 5, verse 22, the Lord says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (italics added). How interesting that the phrase “without a cause” is not found in the inspired Joseph Smith Translation (see Matthew 5:24), nor in the 3 Nephi 12:22 version. When the Lord eliminates the phrase “without a cause,” He leaves us without an excuse. “But this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (3 Nephi 11:30). We can “do away” with anger, for He has so taught and commanded us.

Anger Is Yielding to Satan’s Influence

Anger is a yielding to Satan’s influence by surrendering our self-control. It is the thought-sin that leads to hostile feelings or behavior. It is the detonator of road rage on the freeway, flare-ups in the sports arena, and domestic violence in homes. Unchecked, anger can quickly trigger an explosion of cruel words and other forms of emotional abuse that can scar a tender heart. It is “that which cometh out of the mouth,” the Savior said; “this defileth a man” (Matthew 15:11).

David O. McKay said, “Let husband and wife never\ speak in loud tones to each other, ‘Unless the house is on fire’” (Stepping Stones to an Abundant Life, comp. Llewelyn R. McKay [1971], 294).

Physical abuse is anger gone berserk and is never  justified and always unrighteous. Anger is an uncivil attempt to make another feel guilty or a cruel way of trying to correct them. It is often mislabeled as discipline but is almost always counterproductive. Therefore the scriptural warnings: “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them,” and “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:19, 21).

“I Will Never Become Angry Again”

Choice and accountability are inseparable principles. Because anger is a choice, there is a strong warning in the proclamation “that individuals . . . who abuse spouse or offspring . . . will one day stand accountable before God.” Understanding the connection between agency and anger is the first step in eliminating anger from our lives. We can choose not to become angry. And we can make that choice today, right now: “I will never become angry again.” Ponder this resolution. The 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants is one of our best sources to learn correct leadership principles. Perhaps the most important application of section 121 is to spouses and parents. We are to lead our families by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness, kindness, and meekness, and by love unfeigned (see D&C 121:41–42).

We can choose not to be become angry is the challenge I have taken on! I am constantly reminding myelf of that very statement every day - multiple times a day and I ask anyone to remind me of it also if I forget. "I will never become angry again" - what a beautiful thought and goal I think! Last comment i'll make is that knowing that avoiding anger is a -commandment- really helps me, and for my life personally getting a control over this emotion will no doubt trickle through and correct many 'areas' in my life that need some love and attention. :) Wish me luck!

I want a do-over

I feel really ripped off this Mother Day. Financially speaking I told Michael that I didn't want any gifts (even though I requested -and recieved- a hanging flower basket that was like $10) because I have used alot of our finances to continue my education (Bowen), but I don't think that exempts me from being -treated- extra nice on Mother's Day?

Long story that I'm not going to blog about but Michael and I had a foul start to our day and it resulted in tears (me of course lol) and a bad mood for everyone all day long. So that being said, I WANT A DO-OVER! :) Otherwise here's to hoping next year is better!

"Referred Pain"

Wikipedia def: "Referred pain  is a term used to describe the phenomenon of pain perceived at a site adjacent to or at a distance from the site of an injury's origin. One of the best examples of this is during ... heart attack where pain is often felt in the neck, shoulders, and back rather than in the chest, the site of the injury"


Why am I giving you this information? Well I share it because in my last post I explained how my sciatic pain is linked to my kidney. I typically feel confident when people/practitioners explain certain things to me, but it really depends on the person, and the lady that had worked on me I didn't have a connection with her (meaning she's a nice lady but we just didn't 'click' if that makes sense?) - anyways, just last night I was studying in my Anatomy and Physiology text and came across this "referred pain" concept and it was just clarification to me that she has the knowledge and it is correct knowledge.


In my text book it also has a diagram that is color coated that explains different connections around the body (like the heart/shoulder connection in a heart attack) and the kidney organ absolutely is linked to the region of the hip. So now it has been medically confirmed to me (even I need that confirmation at times) that my right kidney function is linked to my left sciatic/hip. :)


Anyways, just was intrigued by that info and thought i'd share!

TFH Balance results

Yesterday Logan and I went to see a lady about getting some body work done on us (my biggest concern is Logan as he is behaving and eating badly and I do NOT believe in 'phases') - anyways, long story short she worked mostly on me lol which was definetly not my intention. I have very poor functioning kidneys as the main concern and nothing she could do would get them to respond, it's all coming up nutritional which is being blocked by a few things.

So Logan and I are now on a specific Acidophilus and a homeopathic drop to help clear up our yeast (To much info but i'll let you konw that i've been suffering from a yeast infection since beginning of October) - and Logan has yeast too - not an infection but it's showing up in him. Anyways, the first step will be to clear this up (hopefully what she has given me specifically works cuz i'm really getting sick of it) and then we can go deeper into Logan as far as what may or may not be causing his 'lashing out' i'll call it.

That being said I am on a strict diet change right now which is hard during this pregnancy (a partial reason why my YI has not cleared on it's own) - I have a list of dos and donts food, and I have a particular sweet tooth right now but I am going to do everything in my power to not listen to it and get my will power back up and running! I also have to cut out certain 'good' foods as well that I will be sad to see go (tomato products including ketchup, potatoes, cantaloupe, beef and pork for example) but I have a lovely long list to choose from still which includes rice cakes and popcorn so I will survive! At this point it's just 2 weeks of my life because that's when i'll go back and see her. I figure I have to do everything in my power to get this cleared before I can say it didn't work.

Wish me luck!