Showers of Blessing!

(Sunday, August 8, 2010)

Our church threw us a baby shower today!

 We were so blessed by our church family and friends!  It is such a humbling thing when you're on the receiving end of such generosity from others.  Having a boy first, we were definitely in need of some girl clothes and other necessities.  Otherwise, she would be in blue onesies and laying on blue blankets for the first year of her life.  :)  But thanks to our wonderful friends, Gracie will be the cutest, best-dressed baby around!  Here are some pics taken at the shower...

  She even received her first tutu and she can wear it in 3-6 months.  :)

Some of our wonderful hostesses...

Our shower hostesses were so great to include Isaac in all the hooplah!  He had his own cake, complete with a toy airplane...

...and he received a couple of gifts to celebrate becoming a big brother!

But the real fun for Isaac was playing with the balloons during the shower.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this day such a special day of blessing for our family!  We love and appreciate you!

Any Day Now...

I'm almost officially 38 weeks pregnant with Gracie!  At my OB checkup this week my doctor said that I'm progressing pretty quickly and she could potentially arrive any day now.

The anticipation of going into labor is incredibly mind consuming.  I went through the "nesting" phase with Isaac, but my nesting instincts have been in overdrive this time around.  At this point in my first pregnancy, I had almost everything ready.  I had the paper goods bought so we didn't have to deal with dishes, I had all the baby clothes washed and folded, I had my hospital bag packed and ready, my house stayed clean....

But this time around it's been quite a different story.  I suppose it doesn't help that I have a 2 yr. old to chase around, but I still can't seem to find enough time to get everything done.  Rather than take care of the necessities (i.e. pack my hospital bag), I've decided in the last month to take on all the projects that have been left undone for about the last 6-8 months.  I need to organize this...I need to paint that...  and I reckon that it's because I know how much time, or lack thereof, I will actually have to do household projects after our sweet baby arrives.  But thankfully, as of tonight, my hospital bag is (mostly) packed!  :)

But in my crazy efforts to get organized, this morning we loaded up and made our weekly -- or these days bi-weekly -- trip to the "big town" to do some "storage tub shopping."  By the middle of the afternoon the temperature gauge on the car said 112 degrees!  I realize that they aren't always exactly accurate, but it reached over 100 to say the least.

Yowza!!

What did pregnant women do before air conditioning!?!  For quite some time now I've been hearing a "glad I'm not you" sigh from people due to the fact that I'm pregnant during the hottest part of the summer.  But overall, it hasn't been that bad.  However, we got a little taste of life without air conditioning last week.  We live in a two-story house and the upstairs air conditioning unit went out.  So we camped out downstairs and avoided upstairs as much as humanly possible.  It definitely made me aware of how thankful I am for air conditioning and that God gave such valuable knowledge to the creator of such a wonderful invention.

So bring on the bought air!!!  It makes all these nesting projects so much more pleasant!

Thank goodness for Resolve

The main reasons I started this blog were to provide a way to keep family and friends updated on the events of our life and for a way to record those memory keepsakes.  So with that...

I want to send a thank-you note to whoever invented Resolve carpet cleaner.  Isaac thrives on getting dirty and making messes these days.  Tonight we went outside and within no time he found a mud puddle and was squishing mud below his toes and into his sandals.  I love the world of little boys!

Yesterday he discovered that his milk seeped out the top of his sippie cup and before I knew it, he had the thing turned upside down shaking it with all his might to make "milk art" on the carpet.  He got in trouble for it, but for those of us who are parents I think we can agree that half of the things we punish are secretly things we think are hilarious and a fun part of the journey.  When was the last time we, as adults, were entertained by such simple discoveries?  As the old saying goes...there's no use crying over spilled milk.  In this case, I really wanted to laugh.  :)

Two years old!

My baby boy turned two yesterday!  I'm so proud of the little guy he is turning out to be.  I was gone last week to a conference in Ft. Worth for 4 days and it was the first time I was away from him overnight...much less for that long!  When I got home I was greeted with the biggest, strongest "squeezes" I've ever gotten from him.  He would repeatedly hug my neck very tightly, look at me and smile, then squeeze my neck again.  It made this mommy feel pretty special to be so missed.  I love that he's still so cuddly -- it makes me feel like I still have a little bit of a baby, even while I see him growing so fast into a little boy.

Love him!

 On his 2 yr. birthday, he measures just under 2 ft. 10 in. and weighs almost 26 pounds.  He has a mouth full of teeth and you can see all of them when he smiles.  He's even learning to brush his teeth on his own and it's so much fun to watch him mimic me when I brush mine.  He has the most contagious laugh and I absolutely love watching him crack up at the simplest little things.  He loves to dance with mommy and for daddy to lift him "UP!"  When he hears music, he can't help but wiggle, even when his diaper is being changed which sometimes makes it difficult.  His other movements are becoming more and more refined and it's really awesome to watch him transition from baby to little boy.  He can run more smoothly now and walk down the stairs by himself while holding on to the wall.

He actually likes to eat vegetables -- which makes this mommy very happy.  His favorites are peas ("balls") and steamed broccoli ("little trees"), and he uses a fork and spoon pretty well -- and has for quite some time now.  He's typically not a picky eater, when he actually decides he wants to eat.  His appetite has been very low during these hot summer days, but he typically always has an appetite for his favorites...milk/chocolate milk, graham crackers, goldfish crackers, apple juice, cheese, any kind of pasta ("noodles"), grilled cheese, fish sticks, cinnamon toast, just about any kind of fruit--especially bananas.

Some of his favorite things...AIRPLANES! (#1), finger painting, playing outside (especially with his Little Tikes car or Tonka truck), pointing out different types of automobiles on the road ("truck", "bus", etc.), riding in the Radio Flyer wagon or going for walks in the stroller, sitting in the front seat of the [parked] car and "driving," swimming or playing in any sort of water, opening the garage door with the "button."

He's learning to use his imagination when he plays.  He's recently started to pretend he's calling daddy on the phone and he gives Buzz Lightyear "high 5's."  He also loves to "take his temperature" in the armpit with the thermometer.  His favorite toys are...AIRPLANES!, Hot Wheels cars, Buzz Lightyear and Woody action figures, his Little Tikes basketball goal, his Tonka truck, the Leap Frog fridge phonics, toy phones.

He has a pretty big vocabulary these days and repeats almost everything we say.  He can recognize most of the letters of the alphabet when he sees them and knows the sounds of several letters -- especially S, O, W, and F.  He can say the first few letters of the alphabet and count to three.  And he almost with certainty knows the colors blue, red, green, and yellow.  He's starting to use 2-word sentences more often ("Mommy's car") and occasionally a 3-word concept ("Apple juice please.").  And in the last week or so, he's started to use the word "no."  Before, he would say "yes" to everything, including "Do you want a spanking?"  :)  I suppose we're lucky that he's just now voicing his opposition to things, but oddly enough it's actually been helpful in certain circumstances now that he knows the difference between yes and no; it takes the guess work out of trying to read a toddler's mind.  :)

Since day one he has been the best little boy we could ever imagine.  He's pretty compliant and has such a sweet spirit about him.  He likes things neat and organized, and picks up his toys very well.  He's learning to play with others and, so far, doesn't seem to be pushy or hateful, but rather pretty considerate.  Just in the past week or so he's developed a curiosity for just about everything around him.  If there's a button to be pushed, he'll push it.  If there's a door or drawer to open, he'll open it.  And he thrives on finding things he can use to make a mess (baby powder, milk that seeps out of his sippy cup, etc.).  He's especially fascinated with the fact that toys "disappear" when you swing open the trash can lid and drop them in.  And we've also found some missing toys under the one-inch gap at the bottom of our entertainment center.  He typically does what he's told, but on occasion has to test his boundaries when we're not looking...and although this can be pretty challenging, I love the curiosity and excitement he has for the world around him right now.

He's growing up way too fast, but I love seeing him develop into such a wonderful little boy.  I'm so thankful for him.  He makes each day such a joyful one and he is such an endless blessing from God.  I can't wait to see him with Gracie when she arrives in a few weeks.  He is going to be such a great big brother.  It's Gracie that concerns me a little.  Isaac was a pretty mellow baby in the womb, and now he's a pretty laid back, compliant child.  Gracie is beyond active, so it makes me wonder what God has in store for us with her -- if the pregnancy is any indication!  :) 

Enjoying a chocolate milk shake at Sam's on his birthday!

Eager to play with his new Buzz Lightyear with the moving helmet!

Airplanes!

Isaac is obsessed with airplanes these days!  On average over the past couple of months, we've heard the word "airplane" about 200 times a day.  We've bought little toy airplanes and taught him how to "fly" them.  We now have a kids' airplane DVD that teaches kids all about airplanes that he watches about once a day.  He sleeps with his airplanes.  But nothing replaces the real thing.

We live in a small town with a local airport and, thankfully, there's typically an airplane parked out on the big open space, which my hubby informs me is called the "tarmac."  Isaac is definitely a "chip off the 'ol block."  Matt was obsessed with airplanes from toddlerhood as well, and later joined the Civil Air Patrol in high school.  Like father, like son.  I don't know how long Isaac's love for airplanes will last, but he has never been so eager to have his picture taken than when there's an airplane in sight!

Bugs and Babies

It's 5:41am and I've been awake for a little over an hour now.  This morning marks the beginning of my 35th week of pregnancy and I've gotten to the point where sleep is a luxury.  Plus, Gracie is getting bigger, which makes it harder to get comfortable.  Lately, I've really started to believe that I know what a bug stuck on its back feels like, and I mentioned this a couple of days ago to a friend.  Once I get on my back, I have to gain momentum to turn over, which usually means waving limbs in the air at some point.  Most of the time I end up nudging my dear hubby..."Help!"

So after about 45 minutes of trying to go back to sleep, I thought I would update everyone on the last week or so.  So I got to the computer and suddenly heard a noise coming from the kitchen.  Now the part of me that is deathly scared of mice started to freak out as I crawled to the kitchen on my hands and knees, periodically banging the floor to scare off a mouse, should it be one.  Now I know what you're thinking..."if you're scared of mice, why on earth are you on the floor closer to the thing???" 

Well, that would be the part of me that knows I have to be a faithful keeper of my home and take care of the problem if there is a mouse that has decided to take residence in our dwelling.  And if I just walk right into the kitchen it may disappear and I wouldn't know for sure.  And the sound seemed to be coming from our movable kitchen island that has a 8-inch gap on the bottom of it, so I figured I could see it better if it was underneath the island.   

So after reaching the kitchen and banging the trash can sitting beside the island, the sound continued in a rhythmic "popping".  So I bravely followed the noise until I discovered that a bug was stuck on its back and was "popping" off the ground trying to turn over.  I didn't know they did this!  I've just always seen them lay on their backs, wiggle their legs in the air, helpless until they either die or intervention frees them of their unfortunate condition. 

So apparently I'm not the only one in this household that feels like a bug stuck on its back!  Now if I could only learn that "popping" thing, I might be able to get comfortable.  As my dad would say, "You're making memories."  And he's right...pregnancy is such a gift and every moment is incredibly special.  I was just telling my husband last night that it amazes me how God would come up with such an extraordinary concept of growing a little baby inside a mother's womb -- what an amazing honor it is for women, despite the physical demands it places on the body.

Sweet Music to a Mommy's Heart

Every night at bedtime I rock Isaac and sing hymns or praise songs before tucking him in for the night.  We have a "playlist" of songs that we usually sing, so he's learned the songs quite well.  And for some time now he's instructed me "again," even before the verse is over because he knows it's coming to an end and he wants to hear it again.  But lately he's been learning to sing and I am convinced there is nothing sweeter than the sound of a 2 yr. old singing...even more so about God and His praises.

So every night he cuddles up to me and joins me in a sweet little melody by humming until a word comes up that he knows, whereby he's right on cue to sing along.  One of his favorites right now is "Jesus Loves Me" because he knows most of the words.  But he also likes some good 'ol praise songs pulled out from Mommy's youth group days.  Tonight we sang a song called "Who Am I" by Point of Grace.  During the chorus, each time I sang the words "who am I," he sleepily replied with "Isaac." :)

Praying is also a part of our nightly routine.  Every night my husband and I pray with our son, and in the last month we've been teaching Isaac to pray also.  He's always been a patient little guy, bowing his head and being very quiet while we pray for him.  Then when we say "Amen," he throws his hands up in the air and says "Amen!".  But lately we've been letting him pray himself.  We give him words to say and he repeats them, all the while with a huge smile on his face that says, "I'm a big boy now!"

While out to lunch the other day, midway through the meal he realized we had forgotten to pray, so he held out his hands and said, "Pray."  So we stopped and joined hands and prayed.  Then he wanted to pray again.  So we prayed again.  He loves getting to pray.

I know that he doesn't fully understand who God is, what Jesus did for him, and why we pray and sing praises to God.  But it is such a beautiful picture to see faith through the eyes of a little child.  All he knows at this point is that we sing to God and we pray to Him.  And he finds joy in both.  God's Word says to "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22: 6).  So that will continue to be my hope.  And in the meantime, I wish I could stop time.  Cuddling up to my sweet little boy while hearing his sweet prayers and melodies...how quickly these moments are passing.