Quick quote of encouragement for parents...

Today I read an article by Erin in a guest posting on one of my favorite blogs. It was encouraging to me as a mom and I thought I'd share a portion of it here on flexiblity as parents and savoring these fleeting moments we have with our children in the midst of the chaos life can bring.

"No matter how solid a routine, and how proficient our multi-tasking ability, without flexibility our days will still be fraught with frustration. Babies don't always stay on "schedule", sickness crops up, something breaks, the power goes out, storms blow through, life happens. Before we know it, our children will marry and move out. I try to remind myself daily to joyfully drop everything to hold that child. Ten years from now I may have more "spare time", but he won't be asking then. Praise God in the sunshine and praise Him in the rain!"

Teething...for real this time...

Isaac is really teething now! We can actually feel and see a tiny tooth peeking through the surface of his lower gum. For the past few days, he has been in pain off and on and we've been giving him infant's Tylenol to soothe him. We are also waking up to his cries of pain several times during the nights and trying to comfort him the best we can. Hopefully the pain will subside and the tooth will come in soon, and I'll be sure and post pictures if I can catch them with his mouth open!

In my search for teething pain relievers, I found the coolest thing yesterday at Walmart! It's called a Fresh Food Feeder and it is designed as a way to feed fruits/veggies to babies without the choking risk. I think it was either three or four dollars. My doctor (who lives in our neighborhood, by the way! How cool is that!?) had mentioned that she'd used this type of thing to soothe her children when they were teething. Well, after a couple days of trying it out, I'd say we have a winner! (For Isaac, at least!) Yesterday I put chopped apple in it, and he loved it! Today, when nothing else seemed to take his pain away, I put some crushed ice in it, and he chewed on it contentedly for quite a while. Of course, with all remedies, I'm learning that most of them only work for a little while and then on to the next thing that will either distract or entertain our little ones enough for them to forget about their sore gums...

However, I am totally impressed with this little thing and plan to take it on the road when we go out and about, along with some cold cut up fruit. It was inexpensive, is easy to clean, provides gum relief and allows little ones to get some essential nutrients from fruits and veggies in the process! This one gets a "Betsy's Favorite" award already!

Happy Memorial Day!

This past weekend was a wonderful time for our little family! Since Steven had yesterday off work, we made our three day weekend like a mini-vacation. Each night, Steven and I had a "date" in our home theatre (bonus room!) and watched a few good movies and TV shows (which are rare for us). The movies included another Janette Oke film and "27 Dresses". Mom-brain is keeping me from remembering the others at this moment...

On Saturday, we took Isaac on his first trip to Sam's Club. Since Isaac loves Walmart, we knew he'd enjoy Sam's, which he did! We had a great time driving him through the aisles as he looked at all the colors and shapes of the products around us. Sunday was a relaxing day with lunch at Moe's, one of our favorite Mexican places. Sunday night we fellowshipped with our friends at Charlotte International Church. On Monday, Steven worked on lots of music (songs, praise team preparation, drum beats, etc...) and after that we decided to venture out to our neighborhood pool! We dipped Isaac in for a while, and he had a great time. He apparently remembered how fun his last pool experience was, and he was ready for some more splashing!

After cleaning up from our fun time at the pool, we went to my Aunt Donna and Uncle Gus' house for a cookout! We enjoyed spending some good family time with my parents, my sister and her fiance, my aunts and uncles, and my cousin. Isaac even got to meet their hound dog, George. Here are a few pictures from our Memorial Day:

Gramps holds Isaac as he "shakes" Great Uncle Leon's hand!


Aunt Donna holds Isaac as Daddy acts a little mischievous behind them.


During dinner, Isaac ate a little "nana-cado" and then played on the floor. He rolled around on his blankets and chewed on his toys.


After rolling over, the blanket got caught on his head! He looked so cute!


A very genuine thanks from our family to all the folks who have served and continue to serve our country to keep us protected and enable us to have our precious freedom here in America. God bless you all!

Isaac is 6 months old!

Today is Isaac's 6 month birthday (or "half birthday" as I've heard some say)! We celebrated by going to lunch at Chili's over Steven's lunch break. Isaac enjoyed watching us eat our queso dip, chicken tacos, and chicken sandwich! He smiled and laughed at us, as usual! Also, Aunt Kati came over and spent some time with us, which was an extra special treat.

I had a photo session with Isaac tonight before our bedtime routine, and he looked like such a little boy during the time! He was rolling all over the twin bed in his room, and at one point, he was stretched out and just looked SO BIG! Here's the picture I took at that point (he's in the middle of rolling over and running into the pillow at the same time!):


I did the usual comparison pictures, but I thought it would be cool to add the other months in as well this time. I hope you enjoy seeing the progression of our little man. He really is growing fast, and we are trying to enjoy every moment.








Our precious little snuggler!


Isaac's doctor is going on vacation over the next couple weeks, so stay tuned for the results from his 6 month well checkup on June 5th...

Ever heard of Laminin?

My husband sent me a link to this video today. It's about nine minutes long, but believe me, it's worth your time to watch! It touched my heart so much that I wanted to share it with my readers.

God truly cares for you! Be blessed and encouraged as you watch this movie and think about the hand of God in your life. Love you all!

Sippy Cup!

Last night, we introduced Isaac to a sippy cup! "At six months?" you might ask. Yes, according to my lactation consultant, you can start introducing a sippy cup around 6 months of age. Since Isaac has never been one to take a bottle too well, we decided that we'd start letting him drink little bits of pumped milk in a sippy cup in preparation for using it during times when we have babysitters caring for him during mealtimes. I've let him hold the cup and look at it for a week, so when we gave it to him last night he was very excited to put it to his mouth and drink!

An update on his solid food journey... Isaac is now eating once a day (we tried twice, but we are going to keep it at once for a little while). For breastfed babies, we are supposed to feed him later in the day when my milk supply is lowest. His meals right now include either mashed banana, mashed avocado, or rice cereal. Often, I combine the banana and avocado and call it "Nanacado". Sometimes I'll mix the bananas with the cereal. This week, I plan to make pureed carrots and also introduce applesauce. Solids are a great adventure! We've had so much fun feeding Isaac all these good things!

Here is a picture from our sippy cup time last night!


In this picture, you can see Isaac's highchair. It is called the "Space Saver" by Fisher Price, and it attaches to any kitchen chair. It also converts to a booster seat for toddlers. We've really liked it so far!


"Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
John4:13-14

Wedding Dresses...

 

Yesterday, Isaac and I had the pleasure of shopping for wedding dresses with my sister! Kati called us in the morning and asked if we would join her. My parents decided to come along, too, and it was a family affair! Kati tried on three dresses and found "the one"! Don't worry Ray, the one in the picture isn't it! :) We had a great time admiring Kati - she will be a gorgeous bride! Isaac played with his Gramps most of the time... you know, guys have to stick together in wedding dress shops!

 

Later that day, Steven, Isaac, and I went with my parents, Kati, Ray and Ray's parents to the place where they will get married on June 20, 2009 - the Great Aunt Stella Center in downtown Charlotte. It's going to be a beautiful wedding! A little more than a year to go...and counting...

Memories!

A friend of ours posted this picture of Steven and me on Facebook recently. It was taken on a youth group trip while we were dating. It was probably eight or nine years ago... We don't have many electronic pictures of the years when we were dating, so I snagged this one as soon as I saw it! Precious memories!

My First Mother's Day!

Today was my first Mother's Day with Isaac outside my womb. This time last year, he was still cookin'! Above is a picture of me with our little man that was taken today. You can't see them in the picture, but he was wearing high top "Jordans" that had been handed down from a coworker of Steven's. He's almost outgrown them, and they're size 2 shoes!

It was a glorious weekend that started with a movie night on Friday with my adorable husband. We watched "P.S. I Love You" with Hillary Swank in our bonus room (or home theatre as Steven calls it) after Isaac went to sleep. We had a great time together.

On Saturday we went to Denver, NC to visit with Steven's mom and dad. We had a great visit there and Isaac enjoyed seeing his Grammy and Grandad. That evening, we went to my mom's house for dinner. During the dinner (with my grandparents, parents, sister, her fiance, and my great aunt and uncle) we passed Isaac around among the family. My dad held him for quite a while, and then he handed him to Steven. Steven was sitting there, holding our sweet little boy, eating his dinner, and suddenly he said "I feel something warm on my leg"... Now, moms and dads out there, you probably know this chain of events far too well... I asked Steven to check to see if Isaac had dirtied his diaper, but Steven said no. We figured it was just a figment of his imagination. A few minutes later, he mentioned it again, and this time I checked the situation myself. What I found was a very dirty diaper that had leaked out all over Steven's lap! I was trying to clean it up with a napkin while laughing out loud, and laughing very hard! The napkin wasn't working, so my mom said, "Do you need a towel?" I couldn't think straight due to the laughing, and by then the whole table of people were also laughing. Thank goodness my mom went ahead and got a couple of towels. Steven took one for himself and I grabbed Isaac with the second one. My sister and I took Isaac upstairs and bathed him in my mom's bathroom, and Steven changed clothes. He had to borrow a pair of shorts from my dad since we don't normally bring him a change of clothes. The whole time, Isaac couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about! He just kept looking around and taking it all in. What a funny experience that we'll never forget!

Today, Steven brought me breakfast in bed along with a very sweet card and beautiful orange and red gerber daisies. We had a leisurely day and then headed to church for the evening. Our service let out early due to the tornado warnings in the north I-77 area, so we took a walk as a family when we got home. Isaac was a sweet darling today (as he always is!) and he went to sleep around 8:30 PM. For the past three nights, he's slept until 7:00 AM or so, and I'm hoping it will be that way again tonight!

What a wonderful weekend celebrating the joy of motherhood!

Rolling over and bananas!

Isaac seems to be growing like a weed this week! Maybe it was the Florida trip (see post below) that gave him the desire to try new things... On Monday he rolled over! He's been rolling over from front to back since he was a week old, but this time he rolled from back to front! Since then, he's been rolling all around our house! He rolls right off his playmat, so we are using a big blanket for him to play on now. It is amazing to watch him! He obviously is very proud of himself, as evidenced by the huge grin on his face when he completely rolls over.

Also, today Isaac tried mashed banana for the first time. You may remember that we started solid foods at the beginning of April. Well, after doing a bit of research, we learned that by starting that early, my breastmilk supply would be once again threatened, and he really didn't need the nutrients of solid foods yet since I am still breastfeeding exclusively. So, we stopped the solids and decided to wait a month or so. Well, we're starting back now! Isaac has showed all the signs of being really ready for them (watching us eat, banging on the table, being a little more fussy than usual - signaling that he might possibly need some more calories). I have decided to start again with banana this time. I love bananas and know they are wonder-foods so I figured they'd be a good first food for Isaac. I just took one third of a ripe banana, mashed it up, added a little water, stirred, and voila! It was banana-paste! And Isaac loved it. :) After three days, I plan to try avocado. I have read that avocado is one of the best foods for babies, and like bananas, they are very easy to prepare. Thanks to my friend Lori, I've been introduced to this website for great info on homemade baby food.

Stay tuned for more baby food adventures...

Our trip to Florida!

This past weekend, our little family traveled to Florida! We started our trip Thursday night and came back Sunday. Our reason for traveling nine hours from home was to see what God is up to in Lakeland, FL. There is a great move of the Holy Spirit and revival has truly broken out there, and we were able to join thousands of people from around the world as they experienced the touch of God's hand and the glory that comes from being in His presence. We had been watching the services each day and night for several weeks (it is airing GOD TV or online here, which is where we watched it.) When God opened the door for us to go, we said "We're there, Lord! Thanks!"

This was Isaac's first road trip longer than 2 hours, and he did wonderfully! He slept for most of the car ride there and back, and then he stayed on a basic routine of eating, playing, and sleeping while we were there. While in Florida, we stayed in Tampa with Betsy's dad's great friends, Chuck and Gina. These wonderful people opened their beautiful home to us, and we were truly able to relax and enjoy our time. Isaac had his first swim in their pool! Here are some pictures of the adventure! By the second day, he was kicking his feet and moving his arms; he even put his face in the water a few times and laughed at himself for doing that!

Some pictures of Isaac's first dip in the pool:




Pictures from the Outpouring (the services we attended were held at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland; the weeknight services are being held in the Lakeland Convention Center; hard to believe all this started in a small church on April 2nd and it's still going on every day and every night!):


"O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name."
Psalm 63:1-4