Raising Zoey Faith

A Breather....

Posted by Ashley Duiker , Wednesday, February 1, 2012 8:37 AM

Zoey had an amazing week. It was such a gift to us. She had relief from teething which meant we saw more and more of our sweet, happy, and joyful little girl. It also meant she ate! She happily ate all the meals we set in front of her (still a little picky) but she ate! It's been as if her body knows it needs make up for the lack of hearty calories while teething. Her new favorite snacks are Multi grain Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Veggie Sticks. She loves Macaroni and Cheese like any other toddler and sandwiches cut into hearts or stars (cookie cutter). I've added Green Juice everyday to my diet with a scoop of Chia Seeds and Zoey happily shares that with me. So it's been amazing to see her enjoying mealtime and getting what she needs.




I've cut down on the amount of TV we watch during the day as well. I will full admit I was relying too heavily on Mickey to distract Zoey long enough for me to get my work done. I'm not saying that we won't put a show on for Zoey if we need to get supper made but I've been making a stronger and more conscious effort to try other strategies. She adores Play-Doh, playing with her dolls, blocks, cars, and kitchen. I find that setting up a center or a new activities at the end of the day makes her crazy happy. She is at the age where I can set her up and she goes from there. I love watching her mind work and the discoveries she makes along the way.



All the positives last week and I still found myself dragging my feet. I was mentally drained and I wasn't sure why. Before we could get out of the car to go to the final Spiritual Growth Month meeting, I burst into tears. I grabbed Henry's hand and said, "Not yet." A short minute later I had gathered myself and we headed inside. Then, surrounded by our friends and family, I felt calmer. Zoey had fallen asleep and we were able to sit quietly to listen to the message. After we had a chance to visit some more and even made plans for the following Sunday.



It occurred to me that the busyness of work and our schedules that keep us from having regular family meals together, also keeps us often from our friends. We do our best, but last week got the best of us in constant movement and passing each other as we sprinted to the next activity. I'm 5 years into this job and it's still a struggle sometimes, but I'm grateful. I'm continuing to change my heart and attitude about all areas of life. God is drawing me in closer and closer prompting me to turn to Him for support and direction. In my bones I feel changes, big, small, good, and who knows maybe not so exciting. But we've been learning more and more everyday about how to do life better.

This week is starting better. Even with much earlier mornings with Henry leaving for work earlier so he can be home earlier to be with Zoey so I can teach class, it's been great. We still have our coffee together in the morning, and after he leaves I've been back on the treadmill off a ridiculously long absence. Henry doesn't see Zoey before he leaves for work, but he's home to spend the whole evening with her instead. We feel a little calmer it seems, but time will tell. I am being observation to ensure Henry doesn't burn out with the early mornings, but he seems to enjoy the quiet morning drive and a chance to pray while he's alone in the shop for awhile.

So continue to pray for us, if you feel so inclined, as we continue to seek God and learn how to best navigate this amazing life we've been given.