CIRC_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Do you know what this is about based on my title? Well...I've been waiting and debating making a post about circumcision and decided today is the day. YEA! (If you don't care about my thoughts on this matter, feel free to close out the window and wait for another post about something else a different day :-) I'm blunt with my explanation, so please don't let this offend you.

Why is today the day for this? Because I took Elliot to get a physical today and while sitting in the waiting room (for an hour and then just canceling our appt.) there was a set of parents waiting to get their little baby circumcised. They were SO NERVOUS! You could tell they really didn't want to do it. There was another mom in there telling them "it's best" but their baby will be really fussy for a few days, etc. etc. Well..I'd be fussy too if you chopped off part of my penis (IF I was a boy). I felt so bad for these parents to have to go through this.

Another reason for this post is because I know many people wonder "WHY" we wouldn't circumcise and are afraid to just ask. I'm a bit tired, but I'll do my best at giving you an explanation. After MUCH research we decided that this would not be the best thing to do to our boys. First, the U.S. is the ONLY country that circumcises for non-medical/religious reasons. Other countries view circumcision right up there with female genital mutilitation. We are all appauled by that, yet circumcision is still okay to us. hmm. A friend of mine who had a baby in a different country was told this procedure was "barbaric!" Just because generations ago found things to be acceptable practices, doesn't mean they are still necessary. To us, the whole "like Father, like Son" thing wasn't enough justification for this procedure. It would take a lot more evidence and quite frankly, there is no other reason.

Religious reasons: I have none. I'm not Jewish nor Muslim. If I was, then I'd circumcise. As a Christian I feel I have no reason to physically circumcise my children.

Some may argue that it reduces the risk of penile cancer. While, this may be true, the risk for this type of cancer is insanely low! They are doing studies about it reducing the risk of STD's as well. However, nothing is really proven yet AND we really plan on teaching our children about sex, it's risk, and God's view of sex being for marriage. If they choose to go outside this, then that is a risk that they will have to deal with one day.

Sensitivity is another issue. Did you know the uncircumcised penis is far more sensitive than one that is not? I have heard the difference explained as this....rub the top of your hand. Now, flip it over and rub your palm. Huge difference, huh?! It's also supposed to make sex more pleasurable for the woman. Who wouldn't want that? Sorry if this is WAY TOO MUCH for some of you, but I want you to know that there are many reasons to not circumcise these days.

If you want to know more, PLEASE visit, http://www.nocirc.org as they have some great info and a really good video you can watch on the home page. It's about 20 minutes long, but has some great stuff and it is actually slightly entertaining. Among the many nonprofit organizations fighting for the rights of infant males is the much larger American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP also does not recommend infant circumcision as there is not enough evidence to do so. "Existing scientific evidence demonstrates potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision" http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics%3B103/3/686 Another site I recommend you check out is: http://www.cirp.org/ Your stomach might turn, but check out the "What Happens During a Circumcision" page!

I'm not writing any of this to offend any of you! If you have chosen or do choose to circumcise your little guys, then I respect that choice. I just want to get some information out there on why you don't have to. The whole "locker room syndrome" is kinda out, as the circumcision rate today is about 50/50. So, your boy won't be in the minority no matter what.

If you want more references, feel free to ask. I'm an open book about these issues. Maybe I'll make a post about not vaccinating our kids in the future. Gotta keep us all thinking.

pic's

The kid's

Ezra bath

Levi bath

Elliot reading to boys

Nap Time

Nap time has been fairly successful the last 2 days. All 3 kids down at the same time for a few hours-MIRACULOUS!

Anyways, today Ezra woke up to eat and then went back down. A few minutes later I heard Levi fussing and a little noise from Ezra. I went into the room to find Ezra staring oddly at Levi who was latched on to Ezra's arm! HAHAHA It was so funny. I wish I had thought to get my camera.

Want to Come Over for Dinner?

Seriously, you're more than welcome to come over for dinner whenever you'd like! Tonight I had my parents over and it was great. Let me tell you about our evening:

When they arrived the house was nice and quiet. Levi was the only one awake (remember, he doesn't like napping!) and the oven was preheating. Got the food in and then woke Elliot up. Within about 2 minutes she had stubbed her toe and was crying. It's magically healed with a bandaid. A few minutes before dinner is ready, Levi decides to fall asleep while my dad is holding him! "OH NO" I think...I wanted to give him a bath before bed time. Well, his nap is short lived and he wakes as soon as my dad lays him down. I give him a quick bath while my Mom is now in the kitchen cutting up the hen's :-)

We get Elliot her plate fixed and start fixing another one. Mom cuts into the 2nd hen and it's not done yet. Uh oh...back in the oven. No problem, we'll split up what we have until the rest is ready. Now, Levi starts screaming. He decides he wants to be tired when we want to eat. Mom holds him-I hold him and try to feed him...no luck-he's tired-I put him in swing-Mom gets him again. Walks around a while-no luck. In the meantime, Ezra wakes up and has to eat. Did I mention we're still TRYING to eat dinner here? Now, I'm out on the couch trying to get comfy and feed Ez while Mom is walking around with Levi. Oh, and my dad is helping Elliot who has now finished her dinner and is ready for ice cream.

You know, I can't even remember the whole event. Boys finally ate and then I went and had some dinner. My dad played with Elliot, fixed a toilet, took out the trash, gave Elliot a bath, and then cleaned up toys. I started cleaning the kitchen up from dinner-but had to stop and feed babies. My mom finally got Levi down a little after 8pm. Apparently it's really hard to BURP sometimes. haha. I got Ezra to sleep too. Then, mom had to go lay down with Elliot and not long after Ezra was back up. Not sure why--maybe he just needed some more snuggles. I think all the energy dinner gave us was burned off within an hour!!!

So....if you want to come to my house for dinner, feel free to invite yourself anytime! Just be prepared for anything. You may have to help cook, bathe children, take out trash, soothe screaming crying babies, etc. etc. etc.

(Did I mention this is the "norm" around here?!?!)

3 months old

The boys are now 3 months old!! Here's their mama's take on her little men and a few pictures of each from today:

LEVI CADE:
click pic. to enlarge

Levi is our smiley little guy. He is happy most of the time, which is quite the switch from the first few weeks of his life. He loves to see what is going on and will follow people all over a room. He's so alert, that he really isn't much of a napper. He'll sleep for 15 minutes, then wake up perfectly happy. He likes to swat at toys and loves his Big Sister. Whenever she talks to him, he is smiling. So sweet. When Levi plays on his tummy he likes to kick his legs and scoot forward. I have a feeling he may crawl pretty early. He's getting pretty good at holding his big 'ole head up. Levi is still a pound smaller than Ezra...maybe it's because he likes to spit up after almost every meal! ick! (Elliot loves being in charge of finding burp cloths for the babes).

EZRA JACK:
click pic. to enlarge

Ezra is pretty relaxed. He's living up to his nickname "EZ" quite well since he's so easy going most of the time. The only time he gets fussy lately is when he's tired. Unlike his brother, this boy loves his sleep!! He usually naps for hours everyday (like a normal baby). He is content, but not as smiley as his older brother. He is quite vocal and makes the sweetest "coo's" you've every heard. Ezra is also a big drooler. You'd think he has 10 teeth coming in the way that slobber poors out of his mouth. It's cute though. He is great at rolling over. Whenever you put him on the floor for tummy time, he flops over within a minute or two. He can hold his head up very well already. He'll be sitting up before we know it.

***********

The last 3 months have just flown by and these little guys have truly blessed our family. We can't wait to see how they change and grow. It's so fun as they start doing more and letting us know who they really are. We'll keep you updated!

Play Plus

This past week has been incredibly rainy, so I resorted to getting Elliot a one month pass to a place called Play Plus. It's been fantastic!! We've already gone 3 times this week. They have tons of toys, a bouncy house, a big playground thing, a sand room, & a water/bubble room. It's nice because she can get out a lot of energy and I can feel involved and still be with the boys and feed them if I need to. We're loving it.

Click to see pictures larger:

1st Swim

EZZY


The boys went swimming for the first time on Saturday. They both had fun. Ezra was crying in a few of the pictures...but that's because he was hungry-not mad. I thought they would scream, but they actually got really relaxed and enjoyed it. HERE ARE THE PIC'S

On another note: Elliot has been a bit out of control lately. On our swimming day she threw the most insane fit I've ever seen. I had it, and let my dad take over and she continued to scream at the top of her lungs in his face. It was insane! Today, I almost thought I was going to have to take Ezra to the ER after she purposely knocked over the bouncy seat while he was in it. He hit his precious little head on our wood floors. AHHH!

12 weeks old

The boys are 12 weeks old today! Wow, how quickly time goes by. They are doing great and it's amazing how much they have changed already. THey have both gained about 6 lbs, so I guess just being breastfed is working well for them :-) When I put them on a blanket, Levi manages to scoot across it already!! He lifts his head up and gets his legs going and scoots across. Ezra is lifting his head up well, but when he moves it's usually just in a circle. It's definitely challenging at times, but they are so wonderful. It's so hard when they both get crying and I am only able to really comfort/hold one. I think that's the most difficult part of it. With one baby, even if they are fussy, at least you can console them...all day if necessary. But with 2, I really have to alternate. Plus, I still feel like I need to give Elliot equal time too. She acts out some, but I know it's just because she needs her special time. I'm sure this will get better as they get older and more independent but right now it's a challenge.

Here's Ezra:














and Levi:














and Elliot:














and all the kiddo's with their Mimi, great Grandpa, Great Nanny, & Great Aunt Donna:

Fellow Cloth Diaper-ers....

I am TOTALLY loving cloth diapering! I think they are absolutely fabulous and can't imagine using disposables now. These are just as easy and way better for the environment and our bank account :-) However, I have a question for anyone out there that does the reusable diaper thing....do you have any reusable swim diapers you would recommend? I'm looking to order some for the boys, but I want to get something that works well. THANKS!

Mothers Day & Update

What a great day we had today! We went over to my parents house this morning for a Mother's Day brunch. So yummy! My grandparents were there, along with my aunt, brothers, etc. It was so neat to see how my grandparents started this whole familiy with their children, and now they have children, and we have children! It's so amazing to see this. What a miracle life is! I'm so thrilled to be a mommy. It really is fantastic. It's by far the most demaning and hardest thing I have ever done, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. My children are truly gifts from God!

We got to hang out for a while and then came back to our house for Wes to pack. He left this afternoon for his trip to Iraq. :-( We'll definitely miss him, but we are excited about this "civilian" phase of our lives. He'll be travelling for a few days, so keep him in your prayers.

The boys are starting to hold their heads up really well and are enjoying being on their bellies and playing. They still mostly enjoy being held....so it should be interesting with Wes gone and just my 2 hands for 3 kids. Boy, are we thankful for family being near us. :-)

Here's some pic's, and more are HERE!

Video of my strong 11 week old boys: