Update

I don't know if you have noticed, but I have taken a leave of absence from the blogging world lately. If I had a job, I think I would be the same kind of worker that I am blogger. Great and reliable sometimes, and taking tons of 'mental health' days other times. There's a hundred things I need to blog about, but that seems super overwhelming. So I'm going to try and mention some stuff, but be brief. I said, "try".

DAIRY: I was supposed to go off of dairy for two weeks to see if it helped Taters. Well, after only five days off, Tate was doing no better. In fact, he was far worse and had mucus in his stool every diaper. So, I figured that it wasn't dairy that was making his tummy upset, but something else that was increased in my diet when I omitted dairy. I didn't need to torture him (or myself) for another week, so I resumed my normal diet. I was supposed to go off of eggs for two weeks, but I looked at the handout she gave me and just couldn't do it. Eggs are in EVERYTHING! I would have to basically eat just fruits and vegetables, and since I don't eat fruits and vegetables, I would starve to death, and starve little Taters, too.

So, I made an executive decision to just resume my diet and keep track of what I was eating and how it affected Tate. And so far, so good! I don't know if he just turned a corner and is a big boy now, but he is doing much better! He is much happier, sleeping much better. We'll see how it goes, but I'm so glad to not be stressed so much about what I eat. But, because I had to go without things I love for five whole days, I came back with a vengeance. I am eating non-stop. I am very addicted to food right now. Isn't the first step admitting you have a problem? I am eating exactly like a hobbit - "breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and, later in the evening, supper." And after EVERY meal, some sort of dessert. Oh, well. I'm never good about eating while I'm nursing.

MY NEIGHBOR: I went to the funeral for my neighbor's six-week-old baby, Leonna. And it was extremely SAD. I know that my religion is not the only religion that can provide comfort in these times. (But, we do have "The Book of Mormon" and modern day prophets who receive modern day revelation for us in these times, and answers for so many questions and, if you want to know more, the missionaries can totally help you.) But this particular Reverend, I felt, couldn't provide a lot of comfort to this family because he didn't really know what to say. I was SO grateful that they believed that this little girl was in heaven with Jesus now. That, alone, was important to remember to get this family through this time.

But I left the funeral feeling much more pain than I arrived with. A poem was read entitled, "If I Had Known", that said, "If I had known this would be the last day, would I have held you a little longer? Would I have kissed you one last time?" LIKE SALT IN A WOUND! And their answer to why this was happening to my neighbor was, "God is a jealous God, and He saw the love little Leonna was getting on earth, and He was jealous and wanted Leonna to himself. So he took her back." Just simply not true.

I was glad I was able to come home and regroup and remind myself of the purpose of this life. I believe that Leonna was a very special spirit sent to this earth to receive a body. Her plan didn't include a full life on this earth, and now she will live for eternity in Heavenly Father's presence. I believe that this happened to my neighbor because this life is full of trials and tribulations, and we all have our own, individual path to take. The point of these trials is to learn and grow and use these experiences to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. With increased faith and trust in Him, he can work miracles in our lives, including peace and happiness after death and tragedy. And she will see her daughter again!

I hope that this experience draws my neighbor closer to her Heavenly Father. And I hope that I can provide a continued support to her in whatever way she needs. In my life, the scriptures that command us to "mourn with those that mourn" and "comfort those that stand in need of comfort" have never been more literal to me. And I hope that I can be sensitive to the promptings of the spirit to know what I should do next for my neighbor.

So I don't know if that was brief enough. I have plenty more to say, but my new goal for blogging is just to do little, random blogs of what I am thinking before they all start piling up in my head. We shall see.