Bethany's Blog

I've meant to write here as an update for some weeks now but I've been so busy! I'm doing so much better with PPD and I don't want friends who've read this to worry about me! First, Jase has begun to sleep through the night! This is better than Carson did, because I had to let him cry to do it. Jase has had to cry a little, but not like Carson.  Second, nursing and rocking Jase to sleep is very therapeutic for me. I didn't allow myself to enjoy that snuggling bond with Carson at bedtime. Although Carson isn't as snuggly as Jase is either!  Third, as Jase transitions to mostly table foods he is happier and doesnt require as much milk production as before. He also started rejecting the pacy at 8 months, and now baby food at 9 months. He's trying to take steps too! My kids could not be more opposite in temperament.  Other updates: David is sitting in his second to last seminary class as I type this! We are excited to see what God h

I'm going to be a little vulnerable as I write this and as I "come out" as you may call it. I think most of my friends know what's going on with me, but I really feel like sharing about how my relationship with God through Christ works alongside such emotional, deep struggles and hormonal imbalances. People who have not been depressed before (as in, clinical depression confirmed by a medical professional as I have been) have a difficult time being understanding of a fellow Christian who is depressed. They see it only as a sin issue or a spiritual issue. Even though I was taught in my own shortened version of Intro to Biblical Counseling to address the whole person including their physical issues, many who claim to be in the Biblical Counseling camp seem to ignore this when it comes to depression. But in the case of PPD, the physical aspects are essential  to consider.  In other words, while as a person who has this disorder/struggle, I am both personally respo

Me taking the boys on a walk to maintain my sanity during witching hour which is just as bewitched as it sounds trust me Most of you readers probably have two or more kids, so I write this more for my own records. I've grown and been refined so much in this transition already. (Like for example that blogging isn't even on the back burner, it's on the counter getting cold. I think I've worked on this post 5 or 6 different times in minute increments) So maybe this post can help anyone who is making this transition! I had been told many of these things before, but true to my stubborn personality, I really just needed to learn them through experience to believe them. I love writing about what I learn and don't presume to teach you anything you don't already know!  Anyway here are the things I've learned in the first six months of having two kids, two boys, almost exactly two years apart..... 1) I have a lot to learn. (See below) 2) Do things

Above is pictured the camera roll on my phone. And if you follow me on Instagram it looks about the same! I could look at and photograph these faces all day. But why? I've lost count of the complaints or expressions of bewilderment from people who see all of these young parents like myself as we obsessively post picture after picture. Sometimes they will wrongfully take their bewilderment to the next level of judgment, looking down on us babymakers as overly sentimental, mentally ill, etc. etc... And usually these bewildered or annoyed friends are not yet parents.  So this blog post is for you, my dear non-parent friends! :) I know you think what you want of this crazy photo-diarrhea, but what I see here is a vast difference in worldview that I might try to reconcile in my writing here!  See, there is a fundamental shift that occurs on the day you become a parent, whether biologically or not. It came crashing down on me all at once on December 14th, 2011, the day I had a Cesarean s

A few disclaimers: This is choppy and has typos because I wrote it when I was pretty sleep-deprived and over the period of a week. This also mentions female parts of the body (it starts with a V!! oh noo!!). I also put in pictures of the actual birth (taken by Jami, my doula!) and no private parts - Jase coming out bloody and part of my leg is all you will see. If these things could be offensive to you, that's your problem since I warned you ;)  Lastly though I am thankful to have a VBAC I am not so militant about VBAC to the point where I think all women who have had C-sections should try. I am all for women having the facts and making their own decisions that is best for them . In fact, I nearly scheduled a repeat cesarean the day before the induction. Ok now that I've gone to great pains to not offend anyone I'll actually get to my story! ---- Jase Emmanuel Guthrie was born December 31st at 12:17 AM weighing 8lbs 12.9oz and was 22 inches long. I was 42 weeks along