Friday, December 31, 2010

Christmas

Okay so I thought I would try to catch up my blogging somewhat before we ring in the new year in a matter of hours.
Our Christmas. Sigh, it was such a special one!
Our first one as a 'family'- Jonah + me + Oliver. This year we did something completely different and stayed home until Christmas afternoon. It was oddly quiet on Christmas Eve, and we did find ourselves missing the loudness of extended family around. I mean Oliver can get noisy, but not that loud. But we really wanted to celebrate our very first Christmas in our new home, with our own tree. And after getting past the quietness of Christmas Eve, snapping some memorable (picture to follow) family photos, the next morning made it worth it.
We woke up, headed down to get the coffee brewing and passed out our stockings. We didn't get Oliver a lot for many reasons, one being he is young and doesn't know what is going on, two we don't want to start the tradition of giving a billion gifts so that he can't enjoy them and get greedy therefore missing the reason for Christmas, and three we knew he'd have gifts from family.
But the one gift that Oliver loved loved loved was a little toy wooden car I picked up at Target for $1. Isn't that the way it goes? You find fabulous gifts for a six month old and he reaches for the least of all of it. Tissue paper was also a big deal to him. He loves to crinkle it and tries to eat it of course, as everything goes to the mouth these days.
Jonah and I also opened our stockings, which was fun and always surprising to see what we get each other. And yes we wrap those gifts too- we are the biggest kids of all when it come to unwrapping. Love love love to unwrap even the simplest little thing! .....or maybe it's just me that loves to unwrap....
For Christmas gifts we found a special toy for Oliver. Last year while I was 7 months pregnant we visited FAO Scharz in NYC and saw the most beautiful big white elephant. I really wanted it, but it was not in our budget at the time so we chose not to get it. For Christmas though we both knew we wanted to get this for Oliver, so we ordered it and waited and waited for it to come. What fun it was to see that big box on our doorstep from FAO!
Oliver liked it, but still loved his car more. Oh well! I think when he's a little bigger and able to wrap his arms around his 'Melvin' the elephant, he'll like the softness of him. Right now Oliver and Melvin are about the same size.
Our gifts for each other were fun to open as well, and I was able to surprise Jonah, and he did with me as well. One special gift we always save for the end is a small silver ornament that hangs on our tree. It's a present box and opens up so every year we rotate back and forth for whose turn it is to fill it. Jonah had it this year and he very tediously cut out a silver snowflake with the words 'snow, sew' written on it. My newest passion as of late is sewing, and he had contacted his sewing aunt for advice on a sewing machine. Well she actually had a sewing machine that I could have! It's an old Singer from the 50's and heavy as they come, but so thrilling to have! We went out this week and picked it up and it's waiting for me to use it....
After gifts we had a lovely breakfast complete with delicious fresh from the farm bacon....oh so good.
Then we headed to our in laws for a couple days. We spent time visiting with them and enjoying more gifts,  and memories together. We even saw some snow that night, which was pretty neat on Christmas day!
I want to say we didn't get caught up in gifts, and honestly I really feel like we didn't. Every year I try so hard to focus on what is the most important thing- Jesus coming to this earth as a tiny baby. And having Oliver here reminds me again of what Mary went through. Last year I carried our son within me and felt him move and kick, and imagined what he looked like. This year he was with us, watching the tree lights sparkle, listening to us laugh, and filling us with so much joy. It's so special to share the day with our son, with each other, with those we love, and I think the memories we made will stay with us for years and years to come.

scrabble, hot cocoa and sleeping baby what more could you want?












so much fun he fell over

Monday, December 27, 2010

After Christmas news

Here we are a couple days after Christmas and I have such nice, loving memories of our first Christmas together as a new family...with our little boy with us.
But my thoughts are not there tonight. My heart is with my dad.
News this morning that he went to the hospital because he may have had a mini stroke. I about fell over when I read that text from my sister early this morning. Calls immediately followed and I learned he and my mom went to the hospital because he was having numbness in his arm and slurred speech.
Fast forward to now, he is doing okay and everything has returned back to normalcy. He is admitted and staying overnight for more tests, but so far the catscan came back good with no signs of stroke. My mom feels he had a TIA (I believe it's called) which is a small mini stroke.
I can't even believe I am writing about stroke.
I updated my facebook today with status of this and again my mind didn't seem to wrap around it. Isn't this kind of language something you use for much older people?? Say if my dad was 90? He is in his late fifties.
It's been quite a day.
Amazing how quickly your whole world changes in a matter of seconds. My mind read over those words and my heart stopped. My dad.
My parents live up in New York. That's a long way from Georgia.
We weren't able to fly there this Christmas because of the money it would take for us to get there. So we were here in GA. I have been praying for a way to visit them and I know God will provide it in time.
But it sure didn't make it easier to be here when this happened.
I sent out a book to my dad this Christmas that is a Grandparents journal. Having Oliver in our lives has made me realize even more how much I want my son to know my dad. I want those strings to be tied and woven for years to come. But the distance is hard! My dad hasn't even met little Oliver yet. My mom and sister and her family came to visit in the summer, but truthfully my dad has been searching for work for quite some time and hasn't been able to find any. Money has been hard to come by for them and I wish Jonah and I had so much more so that we could give it to them.
So my mom flew 'solo' without him to meet her new little grandbaby. I have been eagerly awaiting the day my dad can also meet Oliver and I pray it's not too far.
But my heart was so fearful, so sad, scared....I didn't cry immediately. I went through motions telling Jonah, stopping to pray.
Then walking downstairs to see my mother and father in law in the kitchen (we stayed at their house a couple days). I told them the news and almost immediately started crying. Your brain and heart do funny things in situations that scare and shake you. I guess it took a moment for me to really believe it, until I was telling others about it, then suddenly it made it real.
I love my inlaws. They are such sweet, loving people and immediately stopped to pray with me, standing there crying with Oliver on my hip- content little boy in his warm pj's not aware of his mommy's pain.
It was a time I needed that. I needed to just stop and be surrounded by His presence for a moment. Know He was in control of something I cannot touch.
I am still praying my way through this.
My dad is doing good, but I still have that gateway of fear opened. I'm trying to keep trusting in the Lord with all my heart. It's hard. Satan is working to get me to fear. A place I am weak in. My fears often take over and turn to worry, to anxiety. An ongoing battle in my life. So I am praying and pleading for God's peace, will, guidance, and healing. How great is our God. Truly how GREAT is He?
I am thankful this happened at a time when my mom was there to help my dad. It happened after Christmas, so they could enjoy the holiday together. It happened early in the day so that it wasn't the middle of the night. They made it safely to the hospital despite all the storms of snow up and around them. And tonight my dad and mom are safe.
This is a trial for them. And I wonder why? They have been through a lot these past couple years. It's not been easy. And I know that God has been cutting and trimming them, like you would a pattern. He has something He is making, something beautiful. And I don't know if He will show us the final result here on earth, but I pray for strength to trust Him through it now.
I love my dad. I love him so much, and I am so very very thankful for him in my life. If I learn anything out of all this, I think I am again realizing how precious life is. How each day is truly something to be thankful for. How trials come, but they cannot and should not rob us of our joy. Jesus is joy. He brings it, gives it, and is it.
I'll post more about Christmas another day, but tonight my heart is elsewhere. It's heavenly and upward, leaning hard on Him, and it's northward, thinking of my dear parents.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas is almost here

Last night was a nice relaxing evening...
I say this because I want to remember the memories we've made together on this Christmas 'week'. While we usually head over to meet our small group for a Bible study, last night was cancelled due to so many of us traveling. So we had some time to relax together and enjoy the quietness of the evening over a game of Scrabble. I didn't realize how long of a game it would be. We played on and off between hot cocoa, miniature cookies, diaper changes, and ended up finishing after a few hours. But we played until the end! We used every letter up! The winner was Jonah. I was surprised that I was close to his score, since his vocabulary is much broader than mine. I tend to know words, use them, and use them incorrectly or say them completely wrong. It's a habit of mine to blurt out a word that doesn't even mean what I intended it for. Then I forget and do it all over again.
But back to last night, it was nice. Hot cocoa, board game, sweet husband, sleepy baby boy, and soft Christmas lights twinkling around us was so nice.
Tonight we had Jonah's family over to visit. It was the first time his brother and his family had been able to see our new home. I made a ham dinner and we enjoyed many many sweet treats (we had so many sweets given to us this year, I haven't had to bake, and felt guilty adding anymore sweets to our plate- maybe after the holiday!) Hot cocoa was made, coffee brewed and laughter shared by all of us. It was so nice to see everyone and enjoy the time together.
This year will be a different Christmas because Jonah and I decided to spend it here in our home with Oliver. Our first time! We usually go to one parents home and spend several days there. This time we will head to Jonah's family (they are in the same state as us, while my parents are up north, sigh) after we have our own Christmas together on Saturday. It's so much different than what we normally do, but I'm looking forward to starting our own traditions together.
These traditions are growing slowly and we aren't rushing to add many to our list, but it is fun to see what others do and incorporate some of their ideas into our own lives.
It's been such a nice week though, and we have both enjoyed it thoroughly. I can hardly believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It's so sudden this year. I think I feel that way every year! One minute we are decorating our tree the next we are waking up to Christmas day. Yes it's how it goes, but somehow I am always left feeling not quite ready for it to be over.
I'm excited though. It's the day we remember Christ's birth. A little baby sent here to die for us. How amazing this is. Speaking straight to my heart. Having our own precious boy this year makes me stop and see Christmas in a new light. A mothers eyes are different than that of a young woman. A different love, understanding and depth fill your heart when you think about Mary having her own baby boy in her arms, knowing He was the King of Kings. What must that be like?
I look at my own little chunky boy and love his expressions, his smell, his squishy thighs, his deep belly laughs and I can't imagine knowing what Mary did.
There is a love that fills my very being for God. For the loving gift He is. How great He loves me to suffer so on this earth for me. The one question that keeps coming back to my mind is almost haunting me...what are you doing for Him?
I keep asking this, or hearing this and I am wondering just how caught up I am in the lights, decorations, cookies, family time, gifts, and on and on the list goes. Am I stopping to listen? Am I wanting to listen? Am I searching Him out, like He is me?
I keep reading what others are doing, or say their doing to keep Christ in Christmas. But it's so much more personal for me...I don't want to tell others all the things I'm doing to keep it simple, keep it focused...
I guess I just want Him to be my gift this Christmas. His love is what I want to be filled with. I think of all the things we do, and all the things we get, this one thing will be my one want, my need.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

first tree

We finally got around to decorating our tree! We've had it for over a week now but we really took our time this year. Almost every year we are so tired and grumpy (make that I am so tired and grumpy) after picking it out, taking it home, setting it in the stand, it's too much to think about lights and ornaments. So this year we spread it out on different nights. We let our tree 'drop' for a few days, then we did lights, then we let it 'drop' some more, until we both felt ready to decorate. It was fun, I made some hot cocoa, played some holiday music and watched Oliver's little face as we brought out our collection of ornaments.
Since we've been married we've been collecting ornaments wherever we go on trips together. It's been fun each year to see this collection grow and to remember when we bought each one. This year we also started getting ornaments just for Oliver. I would love for him to have his own collection from growing up, for that one day far away when he has his own tree.
It's so much fun to watch him experience everything for the first time. Even though he doesn't understand much, his look of awe and fascination is darling. I'm so in love with my men, and so very thankful for them. This year is so special to us. Looking back at last year, I remember surprising our parents with the news of Oliver's upcoming arrival. Now here we are with him in our lives and it's amazing how quickly it's flown by.






But we are making memories, such good memories, and that's what will really stick with us through the years.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Fever

Oliver suffered through his first fever this past weekend. I didn't know he was even coming down with anything, but I did notice a little congestion on Friday afternoon. That night when we were heading to bed he had woken up and I felt his hot little body and forehead. He had a temp of 101. I tried not to freak out- Jonah was much better at this than I was. We let him sleep as much as he could, although he woke up early, and I called the pediatrician for advice. We gave him infant Tylenol, but I think it only bothered his stomach. I have read how fevers are actually good for us, and the reason our bodies heat up is to kill the infection that is in our body. Because he is so little and because I'm a mom, I wanted him to have no pain and I wanted to do whatever I could to help him.
It was a lot holding and cuddling these last few days, as well as interrupted sleep at night, suctioning out his nose, vicks, picking up a humidifier on Craigslist, splitting the day with Jonah to stay at home with our boy...and then right when he was starting to feel better I came down with a fever.
So now I feel terrible, but my sweet little boy is feeling better.
He does still have goop in his nose that comes out with sneezes....yum right?
But he isn't whimpering and sad anymore. What a difference it was to see him sick, and no I didn't like it! Poor little thing didn't know why he was feeling bad, but he did know mom and dad will snuggle with him. And do I feel like we spoiled him? Not at all.
I'm a strict, stay on schedule kind of girl, but when your baby is sick I think it all goes out the window.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

6 months

I can't believe it's true. Oliver is six months old today. How can this be? Did we really welcome him into the world six long months ago?
How precious these days have been. Parenthood is wonderful, and we both love love love our little boy. And what a chunka monka he is!
Today was his six month appt. and he weighed in at just over 18 lbs. I'm so proud of him. He has been exclusively breastfed and I know I'm giving him the best he can get. And to think about all that nonsense back in the hospital when the doctors were trying to make us give him formula. God knew I had the desire to only breastfeed, no matter how hard it would be, and he honored that. I'm so glad I stuck it out. I've been reading more about it lately and I'm amazed at how God made women to nourish their children. I'm thankful for how easy Oliver took to it.
I encourage other moms to try nursing, don't give up easily. Determine to stick it through. There are so many that can help you. Drink lots of water. My sister who has 8 children always told me that, and it's true. Drink drink drink! Get your rest, eat well, take your vitamins and drink...and work at it. It's a kind of dance- you have to learn the steps and you have to learn the roles. The two of you will find your rhythm and when you do it's like second nature.
So we are now halfway through his first year, and it's been so much fun. I think this phase is even more fun because of how animated he's become.
He is sitting up like a pro, and the doctor even gave him praise for his amazing coordination for only six months. What a big boy!
So six months...time for another big photoshoot of our little rolly boy!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

November already?

cloth diapers!
Has it really been three weeks since I posted? My it's been a crazy November. First foods, cloth diapers, thanksgiving, new niece...and here we are looking at December-tomorrow.
Something about having a baby makes time stand still. At least it stood still for our new little family. The world kept spinning, but we savored each new day together. It was wonderful to be home together for the whole summer. Once we headed back to work it was weird that fall had arrived. Now here we are facing Christmas and I'm amazed at where the last year went.
This Thanksgiving we had so many things to be thankful for. This year has been incredible. God has blessed us unabashedly and I'm so grateful. I know how undeserving I am of even the smallest gift from Him and His generosity is SO great and SO big.
Looking back to last year when I found out I was pregnant started a new way of praying for me. I was scared, for so many reasons. I knew I wanted to be home with our babies when the time came and looking ahead financially I saw no way of this immediately happening. So we prayed. Jonah and I made a list in that first trimester of all the things we needed. We listed even the smallest little thing that mattered to us. Some items; pack-n-play, changing table, bassinet, glider/ottoman, stroller, Dr. Brown bottles, video monitor, nursing pump...and on it goes. We prayed for the delivery, for those that would assist in bringing our son into the world. We prayed and read through a devotional together faithfully. And now I can look at this list and see each item crossed off. In some way God provided for us. It was the neatest thing to see how He did- in so many unexpected ways. Through friends, family and generous loving hands we have been blessed over and over again.
Other things we prayed for- a house to rent, within our same one bedroom apt. rate- and don't you know we are now in a 3 bedroom house that we prayed for? I sit in our glider and ottoman and remember when we found it on Craigslist after a very long 6 month search for one in our price range and in the brand we wanted. I now rock our sweet son in it at night. There are so many things that were given to us I know we have both been overwhelmed.
I'm not posting this to be boastful, not in a worldly sense. But to say how thankful I am that God cares enough to listen to our littlest requests, right down to having maternity clothes ( a friend let me borrow a huge chest of clothes). Why was I afraid? I look at our son and continue to thank God for how good He is to His children.
Meanwhile, back to this month. We entered into the world of cloth diapers. Not that I was planning to do this. I have always cringed at the thought of cloth diapers. The work, the smell. Not appealing to me. But I have friends that love it. I had been researching it for a friend and lo and behold I started to take interest in it. I ended up picking up a couple (thinking all along what am I thinking?). So I washed them, and put them together (pocket diapers) and put them on Oliver. And guess what? By day 2 or 3 of trying them out I realized they aren't all that bad. All those premonitions I had about the horrors of cloth diapering are no longer there. It's really not that bad. It's pretty easy actually. Given this is my first experience, I'd say it's not bad at all. I may post more on this later. But really for the money you are saving, the toxins you are avoiding (the little gel balls that leak out of saturated disposables), and the little bum you are cushioning with luxurious softness, I think it may be worth it.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

first food

Oliver had his first taste of food this weekend. Yesterday morning actually. He is about 5 and a half months old now. I suppose this comes as 'late' for some people. But neither of us were in any hurry to give him foods. I've been exclusively breast-feeding him since birth. And I love it. I love how he looks up at me, how he makes little noises, and sighs and smiles. Having his warm little body next to me is so wonderfully yummy. I think I will always look back at this time and smile with the genuine bonding that comes from it all. Not that I thought this way about breast-feeding while I was pregnant. No, I actually had so many doubts about nursing.
Would I be able to?
Would my son take to it?
Would it be hard?
Would it be awkward-socially?
Would it hurt?
On and on. I always had the thought that I would definitely try and if it didn't work well there was always a bottle of formula.
That all changed when he was born. I'm not sure what made me so gung ho about breast only, but I decided and determined (once I make up my mind about something it's hard to change!) to breast-feed. I prayed it would work out. And I was blessed by God to be able to enter into nursing easily. Oliver latched on from the beginning. And while I'd say it took a good two months to get in a good groove- a comfortable one too- it has been a great experience. And easy too!
He has never shown hunger signs (and it shows in his rolls) so I felt no need to rush foods. But he has been watching us intently and we thought we would try some food to see what he did.
Choosing the right food was a whole different thing. I finally decided to give him real food instead of tasteless rice cereal. Even though I have a box of organic rice cereal eagerly waiting us in the pantry....hmm what to do with that now.
I roasted and pureed some butternut squash and gave it to Oliver warm. He loved it. He actually lurched for the spoon. Well it could be the fact he lurches for anything to go in his mouth these days...but he ate some and seemed okay with it.
So we did it- we entered into the great big world of foods. We are still not rushing him to eat, since he is still nursing. We are just trying a little here and there. It's so much fun to see how he reacts to new things. He is so easygoing and I am grateful for that. Jonah is so easygoing too...must be like father like son. Oh how I love my men!
And here is my little man, loving his squash.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

maybe I lied

Okay so you know the story about the little boy that cried wolf?
I kind of feel like that now...I decided to leave my blog open. I debated about this before. Posting that I would close it, and make it private. But for right now I decided once again to leave it open.
I know I'm crying wolf...sorry. Sorry if I lied. I think I'll continue on.
I was looking back at all my posts on here, and memories come back with certain ones, pictures are laced in and make me smile. It's almost like a scrapbook. Ack! I don't scrapbook, so it's funny that I should say that. But I have kept this blog for two years. TWO years! How did that happen? How did time go that quickly?
So here I am. Yes I lied. I'll try not to do it again. But I can't promise I won't cry wolf again.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Closing my blog

Well, I did a silly thing. I signed up for some free shutterfly cards online. To get these cards you had to give them your blog address... I didn't think long enough about it and gave mine away. Now that I've had more than 5 minutes to think about it I am regretting it. I really don't want some perverted weirdos out there accessing my personal writings and photos.
On that note, I'm closing my blog to the public. If you would still like to follow me and read my ponderings, please send me your email and I'll add you in to have access.
I know maybe I'm paranoid, but in this world I'm learning the less you put out there the better off you are.
I'll probably turn off my public blog in a couple days. I do so appreciate those of you out there that read my little stories and antics. Love you all, and hope to see you still.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Changes

As I write I can hear our little Oliver grunting and mumbling out his bed time sleepy noises as he falls asleep in his crib. How precious it is to hear this through the monitor in our room. I was watching him sleep in my sweet husbands arms and it's amazing to me how much he's grown.
More so how much we have grown. Pregnancy was wonderful. I can say there were some hard times through it, but here we are on the other side and all I can remember are the special parts of it all. The roundness of my belly, feeling the little kicks and turns of my son, rubbing my belly knowing he was right there listening to me, hearing my voice and my heart beating. Knowing he was with me everywhere I went and that it was just the two of us, was pretty special. I knew that the day was coming when he would be born and I'd have to share him with the world. I was thankful for the time together. I'm not sure if all pregnant women feel that way, but I did.
But I also remember how scary it was to think about what our lives would be like after he arrived. Would we be changed forever, never to remember the days without kids? Everyone said that we would forget and never remember our lives without him. Well, I do remember the days without him. I love the days with him too. Both sides fill my heart. Of course this side has only begun. But I also think it's important to just be thankful where you are. I'm thankful for the years it was just Jonah and I. Now I'm thankful for the three of us.
I'm just grateful tonight. For my loving husband. For our son.
Life has changed us, he has changed us. He makes me love harder, deeper, longer. He makes me want to provide only the best for him. He makes me want to be a better person. He makes me forget about the superficial things in life, like perfect makeup, hair, body, house. Everything doesn't have to be perfect in the eyes of your child because they love you regardless.
I never even thought about how he would change me like this. Change for the good, change for what matters the most.
I still have my fears, of not being the perfect mom. Not being the perfect wife. Or daughter, or friend.
And I know that no one is perfect and that I'll slip up and continue to make mistakes. Yet I'm praying that I will be what God has for me to be, and to be content with that. And I know He is hearing me, and helping me to continue to grow and be the woman He has for me. And again I'm grateful.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Rolls

I was playing with lighting last night, using the Speedlight SB 800, off camera. Love my boys rolls!!
four and a half months

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Sunday, October 10, 2010

four months

We've been busy enjoying Jonah's birthday week. He had a birthday on Wednesday and since it was during a work week, we waited and had some friends over on Saturday. So between planning for his special day and for his get together I have been busy.
Oliver has been growing and learning so much. He's already 4 months now, since October 2! I can't believe how fast it's going by.
He rolled over yesterday for the first time too. We kind of missed it. One minute he was on his back playing on his playmat, the next Jonah looked over at him and said 'Hey he rolled over'! He was on his belly. We are waiting for him to do it again, but he hasn't yet. He's also getting good at sitting up, even if it's still leaning forward and a little precarious, he started this last week.
Here he is four months old and growing...we took him to the playground yesterday and put him in a big boy swing, he seemed to really like it!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Love

There is nothing sweeter than holding our sleeping son, and feeling his warm little body mold against mine as I carry him up the stairs. Tucking him in for the night and walking back to our room to pass by his empty bassinet brings sweet memories back. I realize how quickly time has gone by. How yesterday we took him home from the hospital and tomorrow he'll be going off to college. Maybe that's a huge leap but it is passing all too quickly.
My heart has so many good memories that fill me up to overflowing. The love I share for our child is amazing. Maybe it's the unbelievable amount of trust he has in us his parents. The unconditional love and reliance on us. I've never been responsible for something or someone so completely helpless. It's amazing.
I can't help but relate this relationship to the one I share with Christ. How much greater does He love me? Can I even fathom that. Am I utterly helpless without Him? Do I cry out to Him and know in my heart He is right there comforting me and loving me without fail?
My heart is going through some changes and I'm grateful. I want to grow. I want to need Him more. I want what He wants for me.
I'm thankful for what He is showing me through others. Showing me through our son.
Sometimes my heart feels so full I feel like I could cry. Good tears of joy.
I only pray I can feel this way about all that God has done for me and all He is doing now.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Daily reading

I have a daily devotional emailed to me at my work email. Today's was a good reminder to me to continue to read the Word daily. I have always struggled with finding the right 'devotional'. Whether it's a book of insightful daily blurbs, or a thorough study guide, I have never really found one that was wonderful or that kept me interested consistently. I finally just decided to keep it simple and only read from the Bible. Sometimes it's a chapter, sometimes more. But I am slowly just reading through one book at a time. I'm in the New Testament and I started in Galatians. I am now in 1 Timothy. I have also made it my prayer to have a desire and passion for the Word. This alone is important, because it's hard to make yourself passionate about it. I believe God is showing me so many things through His word lately and I can say for once I feel like I'm retaining more than I ever have. I almost don't want to say that because I know Satan hates to know we are learning and growing in God's precious Word.
But today I didn't take the time to read and I read over my daily devotional and was again reminded how important it is to slow down and make time.
Here is a portion from it:

George Müeller is someone most all Christians have heard about. The stories of his faith and prayer have taught many the importance of believing God’s ability to provide. Yet few note his diligence in studying God’s Word. He wasn’t simply a man who prayed and saw God’s blessings, but a man who spent time with God and developed a close relationship with God through studying His Word. Müeller had the following to say about his time studying the Bible:


“I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. Friends often say, ‘I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.’ Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I. For more than half a century I have never known one day when I had not more business than I could get through. For 4 years I have had annually about 30,000 letters, and most of these have passed through my own hands. Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been my care. Besides, I have had charge of five immense orphanages; also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful.”

Sunday, September 26, 2010

yard sale'in

So we woke up pretty early yesterday morning, thank you Oliver.
It is the norm for us now...gone are the days of sleeping in. Well at least really sleeping in, for us sleeping past 7 is a treat! But it was a beautiful fall morning and we took advantage of it by heading out to some community yard sales. It was so much fun walking around in the beautiful fall weather. Finally a relief from the horrible heat here.
We found some great deals too and took home some games, toys, and clothes for our boy. It's always so much fun to find high quality things for next to nothing. 'New' clothes for Oliver at $1 a piece is hard to beat. Name brand even, like baby Gap which I adore.
We also found the tiniest little tie for him. We actually got this thrown into another purchase for free. So this morning I got to dress him up with it on for church.
It was too darn cute! I dressed him and sat him in the glider while we ate breakfast and Jonah nudged me to look over at our son, and there he was holding the tie in his hand. I guess he somehow pulled it off and accidentally got it tucked in his little hand, and was smiling over there to beat all.
So it was kind of a little bit of work to keep it on, but worth the cuteness! I love my men so much, they are so handsome, and so wonderful. God has been good to give them to me, and I'm so very grateful.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

3 months and growing

love his chunky cheeks!

Almost at the four month mark, but here is where our Oliver is today.
Sleeping 8+ hours a night. He started this a couple weeks ago once we transitioned him to his own crib (from bassinet). Sitting up with our hand supporting him. LOVES to stand on our laps or anywhere we help him stand. Eating every 3.5-4 hours. Almost laughing...we are waiting to see if he'll start this soon. He grins and kind of makes a coo right now. Talking more and more. Growing like a weed. He's over 15 lbs. now and keeps on growing. He's long too, with big feet!
We met up with our group of families from our Bradley birthing class the other night. It was so much fun to see everyones babies. The last time we saw each other we were all pregnant. Oliver is the only boy in the group of 4 other girls. So he's quite the stud :) He is also the youngest of the group but he certainly isn't dwarfed in size. His feet are bigger than one of the 5 month old girls! What a chunk, I love it!
Here he is now, such a sweetheart. We are having soo much fun with our boy.
loves his sock monkey!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Goodness

Goodness is,

Listening to my dear husband and son take a catnap together,

Cooking dinner with fresh from the garden ingredients,

Enjoying the fulness of a fridge filled with -from-the-farm-yesterday- fruits and veggies,

Watching my son grin with his toothless, gummy, heart shaped mouth,

Quiet mornings reading from the Word and having an old verse feel brand new to you,

Finding out organic baby food is on sale for B1G1 and I have coupons,

Finishing up the evening with dinner done, bellies full and baby bathed, aaaah, contentment,

Yes it's the little things that fill the soul with happy goodness, like warm creamy tapioca pudding.

Think I'll do this more often.

Monday, September 13, 2010

3 month milestone, and future food plans

Guess who is sleeping through the night? All of us! Oliver has been on a roll, the past couple nights. We finally made the transition from bassinet to crib and it's been rough not having him near us, but it's good for all of us for him to get more sleep- which means we get more sleep.
I was beginning to think I'd have to always get in that 2 or 3a.m. feeding! He is past 3 months old now so it's time, I'd say.
We had a busy weekend, filled with grocery shopping and painting. We finally painted our downstairs bathroom that was dying to have paint on it's walls. The walls were stripped down, because some hideous wallpaper was on them, so it looks nice and fresh now. I didn't realize how much work it was to paint such a small room, but I'm glad it's done. We also spent a good chunk of our time getting groceries.
Now if you have read any of my blog you know I'm a couponer. I have recently gotten into even more, so I spent a good portion of time, organizing and planning out what sales were where and what coupons I have. It's really a strategy, but in the end so worth it if you make time for it. We ended up getting a good deal at CVS- using my CVS card to earn Extra Care Bucks. (did you even know about these??) We spent around $36, but received $15 ECB, which equals cash at CVS. We also bought some stuff for great prices- a huge package of Pampers for only $17 + a coupon for $1 off , 2 packs of wipes (72 count) for $5, and I also had a Revlon coupon and applied that to a sale they had on makeup.
Our grocery stores here are Publix and Kroger, and we went to both- Publix for some B1G1 sales, and Kroger for some great meat sales. It's so exciting to stretch your dollars and pay for your necessities for a low price. It's like your beating the system somehow.
Another new thing we are going to try this week is something called Farmers Market Baskets. They are fresh produce baskets literally delivered from local farms and are filled with the seasons fresh fruits and veggies. You can order them and pick up either organic or traditional baskets and they seem to be a good price. The only thing about them is that it's all seasonal stuff so you may get a bunch of new things you don't normally buy. But I think it will be good for us to make us try new things. Good for our bodies too to have different vitamins given to us! So that is Thursday, I'm excited to see whats in our basket!
My ultimate goal is to start weaning out processed, and sugary foods. Especially once Oliver starts eating foods, I'm planning on making my own food for him-yikes, I know- but I've seen it done through a friend and if I can just make some time to cook batches and freeze it, I know it will be worth it. But thats not for a little while still. I'm excited about it though.  If anyone out there has any good tips about making babyfood, I'd love to hear from you!
On another note, we are taking Olivers 3 month photos this week, and I'm excited about it. I'll have to post some when we get them done!
He has been growing leaps and bounds and the last time we weighed him he was around 15 lbs., what  a chunker. We love to kiss his rolly legs and buddah belly, and squeeze his chunky little cheeks. He has also started to kick so hard now. We lay him down on his playmat and his whole body goes at it, almost like he's swimming! He just started kicking harder at bathtime too, and I get soaked after his bath! I love it, it makes me laugh! He is doing much better in his bumbo now too, especially since I put his tray on it, so he can see whatever toy I put in front of him. He has been grabbing onto things and likes one toy in particular that is a big horse with a little rider on it that makes lots of crinkly noises when he touches it. It goes right to the mouth as everything does these days.
He's been drooling more and more and I'm thinking bibs may need to be broken out soon. I'm so excited to feel a chill in the air here lately, and I'm holding my breath hoping fall weather will arrive. I LOVE fall!!  And this year is so exciting having Oliver here to share it with. We have so much we want to show him too, like pumpkins and orchards, leaves and all the fun seasonal things yet to come. It's going to be a very special time for us. Oliver has also grown out of newborn stuff, and a lot of his 0-3 month stuff. He's in the 3-6 month range now, and I'm trying to see what fall stuff we have for him. He's been growing so fast, it won't surprise me if he can start fitting into some of his bigger stuff in the back of the closet (the 6-9 month). I have a box in his room that I am starting to fill with things he no longer fits, sigh. I'm thrilled to see him grow, but it's kinda sad to put his teeny tiny things away!
Well, I better end there, work is calling me. Have a wonderful Monday.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Thrush, the dreaded stuff


Okay so it's been a while since I've been here. Life has been busy, and thats my excuse. We have been out to visit family, had a friend stay overnight, shot some newborn photo-shoots, watched our sweet little turn 3 months, joined up a small group Bible study on Wednesday nights, and all the other ordinary in between stuff that makes life tick.
I am just coming off of a sugar/bread fast that I was on for the last week. Sweet Oliver had thrush for the past month and in an effort to thwart off the nasty stuff I put myself on a no sugar no yeast diet, and I added organic live cultured plain greek yogurt to my daily diet. First off, sugar is in everything it seems...yeast is in almost as much, and the yogurt kind of makes me gag a little.  I never realized how much I was craving or eating the processed white sweetness. I still stuck to fruits for natural sugar, but I swear I've never been faced with so many tempting goodies. I had just finished baking apple danish (right next to the brownies) when I started my fast. So I looked at them longingly for the past week....not to mention the Ben and Jerry's we have stashed in the freezer, which I haven't touched yet. It took some willpower to say no! And this included fudgy frosted cake and homeade icecream over Labor Day weekend.
But I did it, and tonight I ate a piece of apple danish.
However it has taught me a lot, like how much sugar I actually eat in a day, and how I really need to cut back, and hopefully replace with more natural sweeteners, like honey. It's amazing how yeast in your body can produce so many bad things, starting with your gut, bowels, etc.
I have been able to tell a difference in my overall moods being even (no highs or lows from sugar rush), my stomach has never felt better, including my bowels (tmi?), this in part from lack of processed sugar, and the live cultures in the yogurt. Amazing stuff.
I think I'll have to do this more often, and start cutting down sweets regularly. Funny thing is that once you get past the hump of craving sweets (you do desperately in the beginning because of the yeast in your body wanting it, yeast feeds on sugar) you kind of mellow out and get used to eating healthier foods and fruits. Willpower. Thats all I can say.
And Oliver is doing great, and I don't see signs of thrush now. He's still finishing up his medicine but I'm happy to no longer see it in his mouth.

Meanwhile, we have had the privilege of doing two newborn shoots recently. Here are some shots from them:
sweet little Ella

pretty little girl, only 5 lbs.
tiny little doll


johnny was a big boy at almost 10 lbs.




Johnny